Nebo 11

[Floyddroid]

Nice one guys sounds like I missed a corker.

You did.

[Floyddroid]

Cheers Grant.

[Pigmy Pony]

My thoughts (FWIW):

I thought the room was an ideal size and shape (and Mike was especially relieved that the timber over solid floor didn't challenge his Thorens suspension, not even when Steve fell off his chair

A bog basic speaker review, because I understand nothing about the other stuff:

All good gear being presented, embracing a wide range of options. I'd have to say that for me the star was Gordon's - those speakers had a lack of boxiness, which now having heard I may struggle to unhear when listening to more conventional speakers. Could have listened to that for the rest of my life, never mind all day. It would be an endgame sound for me.

I also liked the sound - and looks - of Ken's speakers. Handmade cabinets every bit as well finished as any shop-bought speakers, and the sound I thought was smooth and lively (if both things can exist together) and a fantastic bass which could really fill the room. They very much resembled NS1000s, using their mids and tweeters, but I think Ken said the bass units came from SVS subs.

Mike's Kralk TDB12s, which I've heard a couple a couple of times before, were as entertaining as ever, though I would agree were happier with valves and vinyl. Having said that, they did an incredible job with some great tunes provided by Rich from his phone's Band Camp library via Bluetooth I believe.

There was a lot more to these set ups "behind the scenes" as it were, but too complicated for me to describe.

But the best thing for a technonumpty like me had to be the people, largely made up of folk local to Hartlepool who were so friendly and welcoming I look forward to a return visit (NEBO 12?)

Thank you Steve, and Ian (landlord) for a great day. And I wasn't even hungover this morning, so that 'Strong Arm' might have turned me away from lager

[Qwin]

Just to correct you Steve.
My Scanspeak bass drivers were bought new from Falcon Acoustics, but that model was, as you said, used on the SVS2000 sub and others.
It has an incredibly flat and extended response, so much so that many retailers list it as a woofer, not a sub.
Its often overlooked, when seeking for a 12" woofer that will work well in a sealed box.

[Pigmy Pony]

Thank you Ken, I stand corrected Anyway, I thought they sounded every bit as good as they looked. No idea what frequency they went down to in that room, but it was pretty low. And damn near perfect to my ears. What size is your room at home?

[Qwin]

My room is only 4.3m x 4.0m into the alcoves either side of the chimney and 2.75m ceiling.

This is a nearfield measurement I took, f3 about 19Hz or less.



Being closed box, there is no boomy ness or break up in my small room, even at high listening levels.
Ignore the SPL level (dB) as I didn't calibrate the level of my source.

[Firebottle]

NEBO 11, a great do. I was initially disappointed by the turnout, I was expecting more fellow enthusiasts. Any errors in the following are entirely down to failing memory..

However the music and kit brought by the attendees was fantastic and it was a very enjoyable bake-off. I had brought my cassette deck, yes cassette, so provided a bit of background music whilst all the kit was being brought in.



I managed to get a set up running to get the party started, into my small Sony speakers, they sound great in a small room but were totally lost in this venue. Music was rodrigo y gabriela.

As Rich was only there for the afternoon he setup his system with files on his phone connected by bluetooth to the dac. Preamp was a pot in a box feeding an NVA early A60 amplifier into Mike's Kralk speakers. Some great music was played but I don't remember any titles.



Sorry for the dark picture:




The weakest link in this system IMO was the pot in a box, so my Bigbottle BT2 preamp was substituted and things opened up by a large amount.
Then other substitutions were made, firstly an Audio-GD 75+75W power amp, this gave more body to the sound, I think Rich commented that the NVA was a bit lean.
Next substitution was my Neurochrome 286 power amplifier, this really improved the depth and image space. Some great tracks were enjoyed by all present.




In the background Ken had been slaving away on his complex setup and warming it up into his large dummy load.




The crossover and amplifier stack on Ken's bespoke rack. Speakers were Ken's much modified NS1000 look alikes, with tremendous bass extension and control.




Some seriously good sounds were enjoyed by all, even those hogging the bar:




Whilst Ken's library was being played Gordon got to work putting his multi channel system together, comprising an Octodac, an 8 channel class D Nord based power amplifier. When I first saw it on the side I thought it was a valve power amp as it wasn't small and had a well perforated top for ventilation.




The speakers used were the fantastic Linkwitz LXmini with bass reinforcement from additional boxes.



Good discussions going on:




In my opinion this was sublime imaging and sound, the music was just hanging 3 feet above the speakers and so dynamic. A really good session of great music.

The vibe then changed from the digital domain to a vinyl setup. More to come shortly.

[Jac Hawk]

My thoughts (FWIW):


Mike's Kralk TDB12s, which I've heard a couple a couple of times before, were as entertaining as ever, though I would agree were happier with valves and vinyl. Having said that, they did an incredible job with some great tunes provided by Rich from his phone's Band Camp library via Bluetooth I believe.

There was a lot more to these set ups "behind the scenes" as it were, but too complicated for me to describe.

But the best thing for a technonumpty like me had to be the people, largely made up of folk local to Hartlepool who were so friendly and welcoming I look forward to a return visit (NEBO 12?)

Thank you Steve, and Ian (landlord) for a great day. And I wasn't even hungover this morning, so that 'Strong Arm' might have turned me away from lager

Yes that surprised me a bit too, I didn't expect the Kralk TDB12's to favour valves and analogue as much as they did, normally to get good bass you need solid state but the Kralks came alive once they were plugged into my Primaluna EVO400i, admittedly there was more power on tap but to my ears the pairing was bob on and since i don't play anything other than vinyl on this system i'm happy with the performance.

To summarise my system comprised of the following:

Source: Thorens TD160 Super, Audiomods Series 6 arm, Audio Technica AT Art9 cartridge
Phono Stage: EAT E-Glo Petite, plus all of Alan Kendals phono stages about 4 of them can't remember what each was but they were all damn good
Amp: PrimaLuna Evo400i
Speakers: Kralk Audio TDB12

The main thing that impressed me with my system was it's ability to go loud, really loud without getting harsh or breaking up, the bass was deep (admittedly not as deep as Kens speakers) but enough so you could feel it through the seat of your pants. One thing I found quite funny was that Kens system with valves for his mid range and tweeters and a honking great D Class for the bass drew 1amp whereas my system with valve phono stage and a valve integrated amplifier drew 2.5 amps at least it helped to keep us all warm.

Overall a great day, it was a pity that some of the old regulars weren't there Mik Rik in particular for me was sorely missed, but all the systems and the music played (apart from the organ music Ken) was top notch, like usual I have a list of new music i need to buy, so roll on NEBO 12 let's hope we can have it at The Nursery again as it was about the best venue to date, Ian the landlord is a great guy a true music lover in his own right and very welcoming, the Strong Arm gave me a taste of the north east that I'd missed, I may pop in for a cheeky pint next week as i'm over there on business

[Qwin]

Nowt wrong with a bit of Bach Mike

[Firebottle]

I really enjoyed it Ken, thanks.