Visit to Steve ( SPS ) to hear some speakers and a home made valve amplifier

[Mark Grant]

I had been asking questions in the open baffle thread
http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=9466

Steve ( forum name SPS) invited me for a listen :cool:

So we had something of a 'reference' that I was familiar with I took my demo pair of Focal 806V bookshelf speakers:
http://markgrantcables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35_53&products_id=235

And an Aaron no.33 Cineast 3 Channel power amplifier that I had spare.
http://aaron.hifi.net/intl/no33.html
The one I have is silver and is used for front and rear speakers in my AV system, but is not used at the moment.
Expensive at 3,490 euros but I bought it secondhand for a great price from a friend on a forum :)

Steve uses a DVD player as CD transport into a Beresford 7510 DAC into a home made valve amplifier and a pair of home made speakers that look unusual with bright silver horns and 18 inch drivers for the bass :)

Steve had some temporary really old large speakers in his lounge to try that where a bit cabinet 'boomy bass' sounding. ( cant remember the make, will edit later)

I could tell that the big open baffle speakers where being saved for later :)

We stood my Focal speakers on top of the old speakers to use them as stands and connected them to my Aaron amplifier fed from the Beresford Dac.

The Focals made an excellent sound in Steves room, I think Steve was slightly surprised how good decent bookshelf speakers sounded on a transistor amplifier.:eyebrows:

We then tried Steve's PX25 valve amp powering the Focals, this was Ok but the Focals are not that sensitive and needed more power.

Then things got interesting :)

The Open baffles where connected to the PX25 valve amp and this did sound great, vocals just so real maybe due to the horns in Steves speakers, (not sure on that.)
Good bass and really detailed, different to large box speakers but excellent and the valve amplifier is only about 2 or 3 watts ( I think )

As a test we tried my Aaron transistor amplifier powering the open baffles, this was not too good, too 'screechy' vocals and not very pleasant really.

Back to the PX25 powering the open baffles, some Beer and Eccles cakes :) and listening.

Really excellent sound, very deep 3D sound stage with sounds appearing behind me at times on some tracks :eek: ( maybe it was reflections off the rear walls, I dont know but it sounded great)

Its all about system matching and system synergy etc and this works really well and consists of home made valve amplifier and home made speakers with a budget DAC and DVD player as transport :)

I remember listening to 'everything but the girl' , such excellent vocals and bags of detail, the kind of sound quality that could make you go to sleep, so relaxing and enjoyable.

So maybe this was bad as I now know what a good but simple home made valve amp can do and what great Open baffles sound like.:cool:

My Focals did sound excellent even though I expected them to be trounced. Completely different sound of course, very 'Hi-Fi' but no where near Steve's excellent system. Just so real.

So thanks Steve :) :cool:

Mark.

[John]

Sounds like a great session
I am glad you enjoyed the sound of Open Baffles Steve has one one of the most dynamic speakers I heard

[Ali Tait]

Steve's OB's are quite something. The dynamics they are capable of can be frightening at times. Amazing what can be achieved with just a couple of watts or less.

[SPS]

thanks for the nice comments mark... been working away all week, so will post properly in the nest day or so...

[SPS]

Hi Mark, that was a nice write up and difficult to add to really, i was impressed by both your speakers and your amp, i'm glad you brought them, it was good for me to compare too.

being able to A/B kit in the same room is always an advantage as long as you have enough time to get used to the sound.

your amp was, compared to many modern amps very good, it did what good modern transitor amps do, it was, i would say at least a couple of grands worth of good looking kit.
My single ended troide amp that you heard was running about 2 1/2 watts flat out, its a very different animal, as you say.. it needs carefull matching,

we started off with marks kit.. which sounded impressive, the speakers did not produce the real low notes, but that was an advantage, as small box speaker can easily be spoiled, they had a nice way..

we then ran some accusta's i'd been playing with. the slight colouration yet deeper bass was there along with a very upper bass confusion evident, and a nice top end,

we then tried some other baffles i had knocked up, a better sound, they are still work in progress

we then moved on to my 'best' baffles with the horns and my amp.

the level of detail reproduced changed, with a sweet and detailed life like sound. i was pleased that mark liked it.
the scale in the music was more apparent and voices sounded more in the room.

i said to mark that the old valves and the quality of parts in the amp helped to make that sweet clean sound, and the amp andcspeakers worked together
too give the speed. detail etc

so we first tried marks amps on the speakers, the sound to me changed, it had a flatter, sort of grey 'hi fi' sound to it. Mark commented it was harsher and the sweetness went,

then we tried marks focals on to the valve amp,
to me, compared to hearig them on solid state, they produced the sweetness and detail that is possible with a good valve amp, not really loud enough though ... but to me they where transformed.

we had a good night, and a good chat, i even think i got mark wondring if he would build his own valve amp,...?

I wish i could have heard something like my kit 15-20 years ago when i was starting out... would have saved me a fortune


So may be this was bad as I now know what a good but simple home made valve amp can do and what great Open baffles sound like.:cool:

Mark.

it could be bad mark ??
thanks..

ps..
after a chat with marco the other night, i've just ordered an spu .. i'm very much a believer in getting the right.. 'synergy' in hi fi .. so that's what i ordered. hope its better than what i'm using...

theres 20% off all spu's at 'turntable world' in stockton, he has none in stock, so there's a 4 week wait.. the offer could end any time now...

cheers
steve

[The Black Adder]

Sounds great Mark! :)

Were there any photos of the sound session?

[SPS]

no pictures on the day... marks links show what he brought round, and i've attached a couple of pics of my kit used

both home made,

the amp is a single ended valve amp currently using pa20 output valves, but it has used 2P and px4 output valves in the past, its transformer-coupled with cossor 41mp driver valves. tribute output transformers. the amplifier valves where all designd in the late 1920's / early 30's

the speakers, twin 18's in open baffle, fostex tweeter t900a, the vitavox horn, and a lowther filling in between the 18's and the vitavox. it works well, all the speakers are a good match soundwise. a couple of db more bass is on my wish list, although its not bad as it is..

cheers
steve

[John]

The valve amp looks great Steve