what's your tuner? And what are the two gizmos on the top shelf?
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what's your tuner? And what are the two gizmos on the top shelf?
A cheapo Marantz ST385L that I got for about a fiver (works & sounds just fine), The white things are the satellite speakers for the TV 2.1 subwoofer/multimedia system (very effective Cyruslink job). In front of them is a dinky Blaupunkt DVD player.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Amp shootout?
My best mate dropped by today and brought some goodies with him.
When he arrived I was using the NAD 3130 driving the KEF Corellis and it was sounding very decent.
The NAD was disconnected and next up was my friend's Rega Brio R, this sounded very detailed and transparent, possibly not as beefy as the 3130 but nice though.
https://i.ibb.co/SfbkMnd/IMG-1156.jpg
Followed by his Townshend Allegri + autoformer preamp feeding a Pass Labs Aleph 3 Class A power amplifier. Now you're talking, long warm-up to come together though but the wait was worth it. I couldn't point a finger at anything I didn't like about this combo, it just sounded rich and beautifully balanced and clear with great depth. And it suited the Corellis amazingly well, they just sounded like LS3/5a's on steroids :).
https://i.ibb.co/1GxW8DG/IMG-1155.jpg
I briefly rigged up my pot passive pre-amp in place of the Allegri, It sounded pretty bad, weedy and too bright. A definite mismatch.
As was the introduction of my Quad 306 on the end of the Allegri, that also sounded weedy and thin. Another mismatch.
https://i.ibb.co/zQs1583/IMG-1160.jpg
I know though that the pot passive and 306 sound great working together. It's all a case of mix & match, you never know how various combos will work out.
Anyway, to round off, I dug out my 4 watt Class A 6V6 Raphaelite integrated valve amp. This is a very nice sounding unit and drove the Corellis surprisingly well considering their low sensitivity and the limited amp power. A nice beefy sound that was very transparent and detailed and just kept getting better and better for some time. The first time I'd tried it with the KEFs. The Raphaelite didn't like the big Tannoys I had a while back.
https://i.ibb.co/nn0SC0L/IMG-1158.jpg
The Aleph/Allegri pair were probably the best sounding setup, but the Raphaelite was so good after coming on song, I'd be hard put to pick a winner.
I'm hoping for a listen to his Lavardin IS Reference next time he drops by!
Source today was my Trichord Research 'Digital Turntable' CD transport via the Musical Fidelity V-DAC through the MF X-10D buffer stage.
Some nice old gems there.
tidy little valve amo that, I don't remember you mentioning it before.
So what was the best combo on the day then?
You should build yourself a Pass Amp Camp Amp. Seriously good for silly money.
What a great shootout with very varied kit.
I recall you showing that little 6V6 amp before, a bit of a gem.
I had shown the Raphaelite before quite a while ago. I'd sold it to a mate for a while, but bought it back as he'd not used it (too much gear :rolleyes:). I originally ordered it from China, as Raphaelite although not well known here, make some extremely decent equipment to a high standard and I wanted a 6V6 amp. There's something a bit special about 6V6 sounds.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
As to the best combo? As I said, the Aleph 3 and Allegro + probably just edged it, but the 6V6 was close enough for the jury to be out for a long time :).
All I need now is a pair of big BLH speakers to do the Raphaelite justice!!
Later, I'll bung the 306 and pot passive back in the system together as I'm sure they deserve another bash at showing what they can really do.
Well that rather confirmed my thoughts. The 306 & pot passive sounded crap in isolation yesterday, now I have them in the system together again and sounding amazing! Rich, silky smooth and very transparent, lovely! Plenty of poke too. Not inferior to the Pass and Townshend combo in any way that jumps out at me, nor the 6V6 either.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
The 306 really is as good an amplifier as most systems could need. I'm no Hi-Fi snob and if something cheap(ish) sounds great, I'll say so. That's why I keep using the NAD 3130 as my main amp :).
https://i.ibb.co/f4YHfzn/IMG-1161.jpg
The only problem with 306 is inability to drive some speakers. Surprising how many speakers present a difficult load for the amplifier. I think it accounts for most of the differences between amplifiers and why some people will love a particular amplifier and others think it is junk.
With pre-power matching I find my Krell power amp sounds best with the Pass passive buffer pre-amp, but my NAD power amp sounds best with the Philips active pre-amp. I suppose it is a question of output/input impedance and sensitivity. Which is 'best' is so often circumstantial rather than absolute.
dunno what speakers it was made to match initially, but the 306 can sound very good.
well the 303 was intended for the ESL speaker as transistorised replacement for the QUAD II. I suppose the 306 with a bit more power was just a logical development from that.Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
In the 1980s typical partnering speaker at that level of budget would be 8 ohm nominal, fairly flat impedance trace, no crazy phase shifts, so not really a tough load. Nowadays you see even little bookshelf speakers having 3 ohm or less in the bass, lots of amplifiers will sound sub-optimal or even bad driving that load.
ESL63 I believe. The 306 came into production before Quad offered dynamic speakers as I recall. It apparently also works well with the original ESL57.Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
Been having a rummage, seems I have at least 25 Japanese horn tweeters knocking about (not to mention a bunch of dome units too).
https://i.ibb.co/RYS7Ckn/IMG-1167.jpg
The silver ones will probably be sold, but the black ones are a favourite as they sound terrific, despite being a comparatively cheap tweeter at the time! They were sold in the UK during the seventies and known as Eagle CT10 units, but are really the Coral 2H-10 model.
https://i.ibb.co/THbBkKJ/Screen-Shot...t-04-45-PM.png
I'll be trying a set with the KEFs, should be fun! :)
Pretty sure I sold or gave away on here a pair just like the Corals but with no name on the back. I've found another pair of horn tweeters to give away in the new year, I just want postage.
Strange things horn tweeters. They seem to either sound horrible or wonderful with no middle ground.
Tweeter tweaking.
https://i.ibb.co/3dtXHkR/IMG-1181.jpg
Played around with a variety of tweeters from my collection and at the moment using the KEFs with a pair of BMR units. They are freestanding and not on baffles, but crossing over at 3kHz this seems to work OK. Very smooth and clean with no audible phasing or integration issues.
All is not done yet, but this is rather promising.
sweet little tweet:)
More junk! :D
Akai AT-K02L AM/FM/LW tuner in reasonable cosmetic condition (for some reason I keep getting it into my head that it's a JVC? Senility maybe :))
ebay seller was a bit naughty for not mentioning that it had no feet and not showing an underside view. All metal and ridiculously heavy for a tuner, thought I'd been sent an amp until I opened the box, it sounds wonderful! Very sensitive too. Very nice.
https://i.ibb.co/QnZRXjP/IMG-1187.jpg
images upload
And,
A pair of TDL RTL2 floorstanding speakers. They sound rather nice, better than anticipated and they seem dead easy to drive. A few marks here and there and one tweeter dome was well pushed in, sorted with careful use of a hot air gun to soften the doped fabric dome and a vacuum cleaner to gently suck it back into shape. Working just fine and I've ordered some Declon foam to replace what was missing from the bass ports. Like the tuner they need feet, soon to be sorted.
https://i.ibb.co/v4RqHyj/IMG-1182.jpg
With a little work all the above should turn out pretty good. Not bad going for 36 quid for the lot!
should triple your money on speakers alone:)
Good haul that. I had a demo of those RTL not long after they came out, some place in Brum.
I couldn't afford them though. I was dead broke at the time, I couldn't afford to buy a toaster let alone a brand new pair of speakers. I think they were £299.95
About £700 in today's money.
Aren't those RTLs the Special Edition what does that badge on the front say?
Hadn't thought about trying BMRs do you cross over with a single cap, what value do you use?
I used an ancient Eagle crossover. Cheap and nasty but it works well enough for try-outs. 8uF cap and small inductor and L Pad which is handy for matching HF levels (used minimal reduction on BMR). Nominal X/O point 3kHz, 6db/oct slopes. BMR is usable down to 800 Hz I believe and sounds pretty good, smooth and detailed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence001
There's no indication on them that they might be an SE version. The badge says TDL ELECTRONICS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence001
special edition would be written on front badge plate if they wereQuote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
Just been using them on No.2 system. Rather nice Toshiba SD-220E DVD player on CD duties and my home built passive into the Quad 306, driving the TDLs. All sounds surprisingly good, very neutral.
https://i.ibb.co/xLyjMmg/IMG-1191.jpg
Glad to see you are having fun, Geoff.
S.
Hi Shane, hope all is well mate. Yes, I'm still messing about with the Hi-Fi, got do do something to pass the time :).Quote:
Originally Posted by southall-1998_mk2
Are you using anything interesting at the moment?
Hello Geoff,Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
I'm OK, thanks.
Nowadays I keep the system simple.
Cambridge Audio One unit and a pair of KEF Cresta 1 Speakers. (early 2000s version)
Take care.
S.
Well I finished fettling the RTL2 speakers. Rather pleased with them, they look nice enough now and sound very good. They are apparently the MK.2 as indicated by the port shape, the Mk.1 had rectangular ports. Just spotted a pair of RTL4s not too far from me that may be available at a sensible price, I could get tempted :).
https://i.ibb.co/nLL2d5X/IMG-1195.jpg
looking good geoff. well done
RTL4 are proper big bangers. You should deffo go for it.
It was the port shapes I didn't realise they changed in the Mk2Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
I found another difference. The grilles on the Mk.1 versions on those I've seen are full length, those on the Mk.II are shorter, extending down about 2/3 of the baffle length and are rounded at the bottom.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawrence001
The more I listen to these, the more I'm liking them (despite the plastic fake veneer :)). They have no obvious tonality, they just let the music through.
Hmm. This could take a while. I just dug out all my (rather dusty) CDs and will go through the lot for a thin out. There may be casualties! :)
https://i.ibb.co/Lds8PyP/IMG-1198.jpg
There are a few MiniDiscs in there too.
could always get a decent sized hdd and copy ones you decide to get shot of to flac. at least youll still have the music geoff.
No, I have a spare HDD, but I'll just keep the CD's I really like.Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
must be about 1000 there?
Not counted them, but I estimate around 430.
ebay again :). I just bought a nice looking example of the first proper Hi-Fi amplifier I ever owned (I don't count the appalling Amstrad 8000II horror I'd had before it :eek:). A super rare Japanese Olson AM-395, which I purchased at the beginning of the seventies. Bought purely for nostalgia, but it sounded amazingly good to me back then. I just hope it arrives safely!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185852907311
https://i.ibb.co/Jkjrrk3/Screen-Shot...t-08-16-PM.png
Hardboard rear panel?
Looks minty though.
Does look a bit like the Prinzsound I used to have. Except a lot prettier. I see he mentions in the ad there was some connection.
And, arrived today. A pair of Sennheiser PMX80 sport headphones. I just wanted something compact and undemanding that I could plug into the PC whilst online, these are just the job and sound decent enough.
https://i.ibb.co/QrZSpsn/Screen-Shot...t-08-39-PM.png
Yup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
can't find a single thing about it on tinternet.
I know. I looked before.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Well done Geoff.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
I can understand the sense of nostalgia. I have done the same; not with gear I used to have, but for gear which I could not afford at the time - specifically a Cambridge Audio P50 with matching T55 tuner.
It's been a long time since I owned an amplifier with a friction locked dual volume pot :).
not heard that name for a while. looks like a nice amp.
i see they are still making pdu's etc..
https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/prod...w.ds&gclsrc=ds