Hello there from glamorous Coventry

[WAD62]

Firstly I hope I'm following the correct greeting protocol...

As for WAD62, no prizes for guessing, my initials and DOB, 25+ years in the IT industry has driven all creativity from my soul, and its easy for my ailing grey matter to remember...usually.

Stuff (I think that's what's required here);

Sofware;
Vinyl (about 1k, switched to cd's about '86)
CDs (about 2.5k), now all ripped to FLAC
SqueezeCommander on Android (throw away the duet controller!!!)

Hardware;
Qnap Linux Server containg FLAC library & SqueezeCenter

Main Room; Squeezebox Receiver, Audiolab CDM, Audiolab DAX(upgraded), Audiolab Q(upgraded), Audiolab SX, Audiolab P, Mission 753s(upgraded) bi-amped & bi-wired, Linn Axis, Basik +, Denon DL110, Rotel RQ-970BX, oh and some AV stuff...

Kitchen; Squeezebox Receiver, Bantam Classic, Mission 780SEs(upgraded)

Study; Winamp Pro, M-Audio 2496, Muse MX21 EX, Mission 780SEs(upgraded)

B'room; Squeezebox Classic, Audiolab S, Mission 780SEs(upgraded)

Apart from the Squeezebox kit, the server, and the T-Amps, everything else has been bought second hand...I don't enjoy parting with cash too much!

As for music my last batch of purchases included Pink Floyd's 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' stereo remaster, Flying Lotus's 'Cosmogramma', and Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra's 'Kollaps Tradixionales' so I'd like to think I have a reasonably diverse taste, others might disagree. I'm even getting into Jazz, which a smart arsed ex girlfriend predicted a few years ago.

I still go to as many festivals/gigs etc. as the pocket/old legs will permit...you never know what good new stuff's out there.

As for this forum, I've visited it a few times and picked up some useful tips, and generally the threads don't seem to end up in 'does' 'does not' contradiction...we'll see.

Now I'm off to start 5 new threads on directional interconnects, and cable 'burn in' theory...only joking!

Cheers,

Will

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi Will, welcome to AoS :) That's a pretty serious collection of music you have there chap :eyebrows: I think i might be hitting nigh on 1800 CDs but my vinyl collection is very small in comparison.

Actually i was thinking WAD was World Audio Design but never mind, can't win them all ;)



Now I'm off to start 5 new threads on directional interconnects, and cable 'burn in' theory...only joking!
Unlike certain places i doubt it'd turn into a s**tfest :cool:

All the best chap & i hope you enjoy your stay, welcome aboard :wave:

[Jonboy]

Hello Will i am, serious music collection and serious Mission collection, you have certainly taken to the sqeezebox way of life, welcome along

[WAD62]

Hi there jonboy & reid,

I definitely have plunged down the digital route, I'd just like to say that I would never argue against a good turntable setup for sound quality, but I am a creature of convenience. Hence I have a Linn Axis (electronic speed change) and not a proper LP12 (heathen!!!), I did have an old Ariston in the 80's but finding that you've bolted a 12" to the platter at the wrong speed just got a touch annoying in the end.

As for the music collection I think that's one of the very few benefits of getting old, there's bugger all else to console one.

It was probably the sheer volume that eventually made me take the plunge and FLAC everything...no more coming down on a Sunday morning to find the living room floor covered in cd's, or that some helpful sod has put one back in the wrong case, only to turn up 2 years later after you've bought a replacement. I also find I listen to a lot more of my collection.

As for my mid 90's Mission obsession, it's all a product of circumstances, I'd been thinking about upgrading my 753s when one of the bass drivers blew. Some very helpful chaps at 'Wilmslow Audio' (they're proper enthusiasts) suggested a replacement driver (Monacor Studio 1 poly/carbon). I was so impressed I eventually replaced all 8, and then moved on to my old 780SEs (even better), and I've been scouring ebay for knackered 780SEs ever since, but I've probably got a critical mass now...

Anyway give me a shout if anyone wants any tips etc. on the FLAC/Computer related side of things, it's sort of where my hobby and job collides.

Now then it's Sunday afternoon and time for some of the black stuff...

[Reid Malenfant]

I must agree with on the Monacor drivers :) I'm sure some people would get a bit sniffy about them but i know exactly where you are coming from :eyebrows:

I have 4 of there 9" Carbon coned woofers (http://www.monacor.de/typo3/index.php?id=75&L=1&act=8&act_sub=25&artid=3734&spr=EN&typ=u) & the build quality is easily as good as any top flight drivers you could care to name ;)

[WAD62]

What are you running those 9"ers in, they look as bit meaty?

I can only say that my experience of using monacor so far has been very positive, but that's probably down to my ignorance of other after market alternatives.

[Reid Malenfant]

Nothing at the present Will ;) They are new & sat in the boxes as i type :eyebrows:

If you'd like to get a rough idea though click on "main system" in my signature.

My present front speakers use Yamaha NS1000M drivers, except for that 7" Audax (12" bass driver is inside the enclosure). What i'm going to do is make a rather large D'Appolito arrangement speaker with the 9" carbon fibre Monacors.

What i'll end up with from bottom up is:- 9" carbon fibre, 2.75" beryllium mid, 1" beryllium tweeter, 2.75" beryllium mid, 9" carbon fibre.

These will be complemented with a pair of subs using 2 x 15" in each one. The main speakers will be designed to only reach down to 100Hz.

Apart from smaller projects these will be what i'd call my "Final system" :) I won't ever need to make anything go louder or deeper or with less distortion. At normal listening levels distortion will be very low indeed as the speakers should top 118Db from 20Hz upwards at the listening position :eyebrows:

[WAD62]

That's some very cheeky stuff indeed...

Almost makes me think I'm running a Sharp music center

[Alex_UK]

Good evening Will, and a (belated) welcome to AoS. Another IT man, you poor soul - there's a few of us on here. I like to use these welcome posts to exercise my grey matter - I usually pick up on a location, user name or even your real name and have a bit of fun. Sometimes that can be a grave mistake, and my legacy can be a deathly silence.

Some good kit there - I bet you've spent the kid's inheritance on that and your music collection - you'll certainly need a large estate if you ever move. Testament to your dedication, I trust. I'm sure you were of sound mind when you started out, but how many pairs of 780SEs! :stalks: Lots of beneficiaries on ebay, I suspect!

I'd better stop it now (mainly because I can't work out how to get probate into this post! ;)) - don't mind me, enjoy your stay, and have fun.

[WAD62]

Hi Alex,

The main audiolab setup's been going since the mid 90's, and has been 'fettled' over the years with various second hand upgrades and the like, so I like to justify it as value for money. Self delusion is a great thing

As for the CD's/Albums I dread to think...

I've just completed rolling out (aaaarggghhh ITism) the squeezebox system to the rest of the house, I set myself a very low budget, hence the second hand 780SE's, better the devil you know etc. and at £25 per pair from ebay they've been spot on (with a bit more for some new bass drivers), and along with some spare stuff and a couple of T-Amps, they sound quite nice for secondary systems. Thank heavens the missus shares my taste in music...

Anyway time to rip the latest Amazon deliveries into the FLAC library, 'Dubber Side of the Moon' has arrived, we'll see if it's an improvement on 'Dub side of the moon' (which is very nice...if you like dub and the floyd, I suppose there's a clue in the title).

[Reid Malenfant]

Hi again Will, your mention of the Mission 780SEs made me look at a pair of Mission speakers i have a couple of pairs of ;) What i have are 780s (no SE) but if they are anything alike i can understand why you like them :)

They were originally £300 new, one pair i inherited the other pair were car boot sale bargains at £10, though the cabinets aren't pretty they work fine :eyebrows:

Tbh i find it pretty incredible what they can do considering the driver compliment & size..Astounding could be a better description even at more than reasonable volume levels :clap: Sorry, i had to look seeing as you have mentioned them a few times & it made me look at what i have here...

I'll have to see what the SE model is all about, it's probably just an updated version with a fancier enclosure but we'll see ;)

[WAD62]

Hi Mark,

I think the SE's came in just before they moved on to the 75 series (mid 90's), good old mission's numbering scheme!!! So it was probably a way of moving some old stock.

No they're not the prettiest of things.

The SE's have an upgraded baffle, crossover, and binding posts, which are placed in the centre of the back (the 780s are more to the bottom), supposedly to allow you to rotate the speakers depending on their height (the tweeters are supposed to be further from your ears...mmmm). But the drivers and cabinet are identical to the 780's. They've got great bass for such a small unit, I think it's the depth of the cabinet, amongst other things.

I'd had an old pair running in the bedroom when one of the bass drivers started sticking, so I bunged in a pair of these as replacements...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002DUHQHK/ref=oss_product

I'd previously used them with my 753s (guess who had a mate in a Mission dealership?) with lots of success, and they're superb in the 780's, much punchier, and tighter...well I think so anyway, and not too pricey.

That's when I started cornering the 780SE market on ebay, I've expanded my squeezebox network to three more rooms and needed some relatively cheap but nice sounding kit.

Study - PC/M-Audio 2496 (ebay), Muse M21 EX T-Amp/Power Supply (ebay again), 780SEs
Kitchen - SB receiver, Bantam T-Amp, 780SEs
B'Room - SB Classic, Audiolab S (spare from main upgrade to Q/P), 780SEs

All sound excellent...well certainly for the price anyway!!!