Colin L
High-tech low-life
Russell, sorry to hear that and hope you are fully mended and enjoying the "soft life" down south
System Pics 2023
- Thread starter Chris81
- Start date
That's proper commitment to the cause & shows how bad I am at this hifi lark....Bergmann Magne turntable, Ortofon Cadenza Red.
80s Linn LP12, Naim Aro, Ortofon 2M bronze.
Allnic H1202 riaa.
Musical Innovation MI23,5 pre amplifier.
Valvet E2 for the horns.
Simaudio Moon W5 for the bass system.
Active crossover is Fabfilter Pro.
Dac is Motu Ultralight mk5.
Cables are noname, various pro cables and 1,5mm2 pn installation cables for the speakers.
Done By Others speakers. Made by a friend of mine and build by a local cabinet maker using CNC . Veneer is ash. Front in spray pained in seven layers of Jotun 9938.
Radian 950 beryllium in Tad TH4001 clone horns.
2x18sound 12NB1000 12" and 2xJBL 2226H 15" in each speaker. Slot loaded open baffles.
Will install tweeters and back panels in aluminium later.
Room is 115m3/45m2. Pretty bad acoustics. But is it what is it.
Second system is olive Naim with Totem Arro.
Blue Belle
pfm Member
Installed and thrumming away quite nicely. A pair of REL Carbon Specials, with crossover set barely above the minimum setting, so c. 25 Hz with not a lot of gain but adding air, presence and bass (of course). A very real sound.
The room’s a bit bare ’cos we have emptied out the bookshelves as we are doing a bit of work.
Come on, Colin, put some effort in, fella, that's just a notch above the Amstrad system i was gifted for my 16th birthday.
Seriously though, that is lovely, and come the great maker's calling, i'd want to be buried with that little lot.
Thank you. Everything except the Motu dac and the Ortofon stuff is bought second hand. Inclusive the drivers. Otherwise I could not afford this. Customer service in an online sports retailer do not pay very well.
scottcarpenter
pfm Member
It's a lovely ole job Tony. I'm from Suffolk too (Southwold) - although I live in Sydney these days. I have been sifting through the system pics thread and spotted your DBLs. I had a pair too before my Kodos Titans. Your's look fabulousHello Mr gustavm,
It's a very benign room, for the reasons you mention. It's also very long - it's part of our Suffolk Longhouse -
My journey has come to an end and I could not be happier.
I am lucky to own now two systems, the "big" one and the "small" one from Crimson/Tocaro.
While the "small" system has obviously not the capabilities of the "big" one, I would not miss anything getting old with just the "small" one, it is THAT good, and the "big" one is hard to describe other than it plays music (vs. making sounds).
(I am particularly fuzzy with boomy bass and shrill heights and mids not sounding like the instruments/voices. The Crimson/Tocaro has to be experienced to be believed. And yes, I heard it all - all the big and "mighty" hi-end brands - and nothing plays music like my combos).
This is the latest gen Crimson 880 and the latest gen Tocaro 50F
The last picture are Crimson 640eIV and Tocaro 40F
The Dac is a Mytek and the current source is a HQPlayer based on Win Server 2019 (running on 15w) and the NAA also Server 2019 at 5w, all with good power supplies and some UpTone goodies.
(While I am not active on this forum, you find my on audiophilestyle as mops911 ;-) )
I am lucky to own now two systems, the "big" one and the "small" one from Crimson/Tocaro.
While the "small" system has obviously not the capabilities of the "big" one, I would not miss anything getting old with just the "small" one, it is THAT good, and the "big" one is hard to describe other than it plays music (vs. making sounds).
(I am particularly fuzzy with boomy bass and shrill heights and mids not sounding like the instruments/voices. The Crimson/Tocaro has to be experienced to be believed. And yes, I heard it all - all the big and "mighty" hi-end brands - and nothing plays music like my combos).
This is the latest gen Crimson 880 and the latest gen Tocaro 50F
The last picture are Crimson 640eIV and Tocaro 40F
The Dac is a Mytek and the current source is a HQPlayer based on Win Server 2019 (running on 15w) and the NAA also Server 2019 at 5w, all with good power supplies and some UpTone goodies.
(While I am not active on this forum, you find my on audiophilestyle as mops911 ;-) )
Yes, they are defenitely inspired by Rehdekos, e.g. even at very high volume they barely move (not pumping air but exciting it..) and an efficiency of 97db for the 40s and 103 for the 50s. But the Rehdekos had their own "sound" as good as they were. The Tocaros are much more "neutral" and "round" but equally hyper fast, realistic and detailed. No cross overs, not even for the tweeter, full ~175w from the 880 which are, as you can see, tri-amping the speakers
Regarding the the setup, the room has on the left side a hallway, which sucks out the bass and on the left a couch, which the government does not allow to move ;-)
But nevertheless, the soundstage is holographic, I want to touch the musician who play in the room ... btw: the distance is ~6ft from inside to inside ..
And yes, for some odd reason, fate blessed me with this wonderful house in the middle of nowhere in NewMexico ...
Regarding the the setup, the room has on the left side a hallway, which sucks out the bass and on the left a couch, which the government does not allow to move ;-)
But nevertheless, the soundstage is holographic, I want to touch the musician who play in the room ... btw: the distance is ~6ft from inside to inside ..
And yes, for some odd reason, fate blessed me with this wonderful house in the middle of nowhere in NewMexico ...
Tw99
source last
I did some googling for these rather niche components that I've never heard of, and wonder if you have previously posted on here as Roomfrog ? Nice room anyway...
No, no! I am mostly active on audiophilestyle as mops911 and mainly in the computer and network section. But not active here as my choice with electronics and speakers is set.
Yes, Tocaro and Crimson invest in R&D, and not marketing ;-) These guys are seriously driven by the love of music and not profits.
The 880/50F combo is truly amazing and outstanding (at any price point). The result of decades of experience and refinement. The result IS music. I had now several musician friends who are not in high-end confirming this. ;-)
But yes, you have to trust your ears and not industry sponsored magazines and "experts".
And yes, I go regularly to concerts. As I get older less so to Rock/Pop but to the Dallas Symphony which is outstanding as well (Concert hall and orchestra).
Yes, Tocaro and Crimson invest in R&D, and not marketing ;-) These guys are seriously driven by the love of music and not profits.
The 880/50F combo is truly amazing and outstanding (at any price point). The result of decades of experience and refinement. The result IS music. I had now several musician friends who are not in high-end confirming this. ;-)
But yes, you have to trust your ears and not industry sponsored magazines and "experts".
And yes, I go regularly to concerts. As I get older less so to Rock/Pop but to the Dallas Symphony which is outstanding as well (Concert hall and orchestra).
Amber Audio
This is the Day
Various things got in the way so I only managed a couple of hours over at Colins on Thursday, had to take a Teams call while there so only had a chance for a coffee, catch up and a handful of tracks. I met Colin via pfm a few years ago, we’re about 20 mins from each other so I‘m familiar with his setup, goes without saying but it is an extremely impressive room/system.Make sure you report on you findings Angus.
Initially with the subs switched out of the system, then with them switched in a few familiar tracks were played, Blue Nile, Peter Gabriel, Lady Blackbird and a few others which Colin picked, the stand out individual moment was a Talk Talk track where the bass-line was just so much more evident, bigger and deeper than either of us had heard before.
The main difference I notice when at Colins compared to my room is the sheer scale of the sound now he has the MBL speakers, with the RELs in the system it gets even larger; more air and space around instruments, wider, deeper and taller soundstage. I’m familiar with subs in 2 channel systems, been using them since the ‘80’s and as usual it wasn’t the bump and thump that impressed me it was the improvement in the mids and top end, timbre, tone and the ability to follow what the players are doing, how hard a piano key is hit, a string is plucked is easier to pick up on. The RELs are dialled right back, there’s no vibration to the floor/seat coming through at all yet with them in the mix there’s a definite and significant improvement in the context of the gear, diminishing returns and all that.
I’ll hopefully be heading over again during Xmas break for a longer listening session with nothing to get in the way. Overall the RELs are a worthwhile improvement, I didn’t think they’d make much if any difference to a system with big MBLs but they do.
I’ve mainly used subs with stand-mounts and in surround setups, my Logans have basses with subs built in and EQ, now I’m mulling how to cable things so I can share my AV subs 2 x SVS 3000, I’m off to Edinburgh next week to demo a couple of amplifiers, might have a chat about a sub upgrade too, maybe to a pair of S/812.
If anyone is up Aberdeenshire way they’re welcome to visit my home and hear my Luxman/Logans, tea making is crap but I‘m good with the coffees
Gus
Colin L
High-tech low-life
Thanks for the opinion Angus. Bang on too but it’s always good to get a second opinion from an experienced pair of ears. And yes, your coffee is MUCH better than mine.Various things got in the way so I only managed a couple of hours over at Colins on Thursday, had to take a Teams call while there so only had a chance for a coffee, catch up and a handful of tracks. I met Colin via pfm a few years ago, we’re about 20 mins from each other so I‘m familiar with his setup, goes without saying but it is an extremely impressive room/system.
Initially with the subs switched out of the system, then with them switched in a few familiar tracks were played, Blue Nile, Peter Gabriel, Lady Blackbird and a few others which Colin picked, the stand out individual moment was a Talk Talk track where the bass-line was just so much more evident, bigger and deeper than either of us had heard before.
The main difference I notice when at Colins compared to my room is the sheer scale of the sound now he has the MBL speakers, with the RELs in the system it gets even larger; more air and space around instruments, wider, deeper and taller soundstage. I’m familiar with subs in 2 channel systems, been using them since the ‘80’s and as usual it wasn’t the bump and thump that impressed me it was the improvement in the mids and top end, timbre, tone and the ability to follow what the players are doing, how hard a piano key is hit, a string is plucked is easier to pick up on. The RELs are dialled right back, there’s no vibration to the floor/seat coming through at all yet with them in the mix there’s a definite and significant improvement in the context of the gear, diminishing returns and all that.
I’ll hopefully be heading over again during Xmas break for a longer listening session with nothing to get in the way. Overall the RELs are a worthwhile improvement, I didn’t think they’d make much if any difference to a system with big MBLs but they do.
I’ve mainly used subs with stand-mounts and in surround setups, my Logans have basses with subs built in and EQ, now I’m mulling how to cable things so I can share my AV subs 2 x SVS 3000, I’m off to Edinburgh next week to demo a couple of amplifiers, might have a chat about a sub upgrade too, maybe to a pair of S/812.
If anyone is up Aberdeenshire way they’re welcome to visit my home and hear my Luxman/Logans, tea making is crap but I‘m good with the coffees
Gus
Chris81
pfm Member
I can't believe that I bought a pair of B&W speaker. This brand was the anti-christ for me in the past but I really have to admit the B&W 805 D4 is ridiculously good. I was a big Harbeth fan in the past and though these can never be as good but I like them very much so far.
vln
Shuns mooks. And MQA.
Which Harbeths are you referring to, when comparing to your 805 D4?
I can't believe that I bought a pair of B&W speaker. This brand was the anti-christ for me in the past but I really have to admit the B&W 805 D4 is ridiculously good. I was a big Harbeth fan in the past and though these can never be as good but I like them very much so far.
For a bit of context, like you I regarded B&W as the anti-christ in the past but now own a pair of 804 D3. And I also used to own two pairs of Harbeths, C7 and P3 - certainly two very different speaker brands!