advertisement


System Pics 2023

Chris81 said:

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.
Click to expand...
I'm liking your Kallax bass traps. What density of rockwool have you filled them with? ;)
 
None, only stuff like bed linen (is that term correct?), underweare, blankets and other cotton stuff. Not as effektive as rockwoll but very practical and still helpful.
 
All change for system 1 at Lurch Towers.
Out with the MLs, MFA Baby Ref, GamuT D200 & Lector CDP.
In comes Kef 104ab, Puresound A30, AudioLab 6000CDT.

QwccCl2.jpg
 
My system has slowly been getting simpler. Twelve years ago I was using a 5 box Naim amp setup, and now I don't even have a separate amp at all. It's now just Logitech Media Server via a choice of devices into a MiniDSP SHD (just used as a source selector now) and Dutch & Dutch 8Cs.

I bought the 8Cs from the PFM classifieds when they popped up in the finish I liked, at a very attractive price compared to a new set. I'd been considering these or some other active speaker like Kii 3s, or LS60s for a while, as I'm convinced by the technical benefits of active speakers, especially modern examples with lots of built-in EQ. So I just thought "Sod it", agreed to buy them and had a painful day driving to Stoke and back avoiding various carnage on the M6 and M42 :)

I'm very happy with them, replacing a pair of ATC SCM40s I'd had for eleven years. As you can see, I'm not much of a box swapper compared to most on here... I've set them up using REW, and they're flat to 20Hz in my room, with a generally very even response apart from a few room cancellation related issues between 2-300hz. They sound great: Deep and accurate bass, smooth midrange and treble, great imaging and will go loud without any audible issues. I ended up buying Custom Design oak stands as the original metal versions were viewed by another occupant of the house as a bit challenging in a domestic environment.





Note to self: must update profile picture.
 
Tw99 said:
My system has slowly been getting simpler. Twelve years ago I was using a 5 box Naim amp setup, and now I don't even have a separate amp at all. It's now just Logitech Media Server via a choice of devices into a MiniDSP SHD (just used as a source selector now) and Dutch & Dutch 8Cs.

I bought the 8Cs from the PFM classifieds when they popped up in the finish I liked, at a very attractive price compared to a new set. I'd been considering these or some other active speaker like Kii 3s, or LS60s for a while, as I'm convinced by the technical benefits of active speakers, especially modern examples with lots of built-in EQ. So I just thought "Sod it", agreed to buy them and had a painful day driving to Stoke and back avoiding various carnage on the M6 and M42 :)

I'm very happy with them, replacing a pair of ATC SCM40s I'd had for eleven years. As you can see, I'm not much of a box swapper compared to most on here... I've set them up using REW, and they're flat to 20Hz in my room, with a generally very even response apart from a few room cancellation related issues between 2-300hz. They sound great: Deep and accurate bass, smooth midrange and treble, great imaging and will go loud without any audible issues. I ended up buying Custom Design oak stands as the original metal versions were viewed by another occupant of the house as a bit challenging in a domestic environment.





Note to self: must update profile picture.
Click to expand...
Really like the look of your patio and staircase. Hi-Fi looks pretty good too!

Cheers BB
 
Somewhat surprised to find my much-loved (and much upgraded) First Watt J2 power amp taking what may become a lasting sabbatical, and a pair of Electrocompaniet AW180 monoblocs taking its place instead.

A brief experiment with my 'spare' hybrid monos (400WPC) showed that - sensitive as they are - the Heco Dreiklangs / 'Singing Washing-Machines' benefitted from more than 25WPC up 'em: yielding tighter bass and improved vocal articulation.

The Electrocompaniets not only Up all of that still further, they also bring their own wonderful ease and clarity, along with a clean, supple musicality more typical of valves. Risky statement tho' it is - this feels like end-game hifi right now.

The change in amps required new cabling - so in came 2 x 3m Hosa HMIC-000 PRO XLR cables, 1m Van Damme Hifi Series 6mm UPOFC speaker cables, and a trimmed-down DIY mains distribution board feeding individual DC-blocking mains filters of my own design (originally based on P-A Sjöström's well-know DC blocker).

For the sake of cooling/carpet damage, I also made a couple of spiked floor-stands for the Electrocompaniets from some 1" x 12" oak board I rescued from a skip.

SOYS-November-2023-00.png


SOYS-November-2023-01.png


SOYS-November-2023-02.png


SOYS-November-2023-03.png


Kit list:

Jays Audio CDT-2 mk2 - lightly tweaked.
Audio Note Kits DAC 4.1LE with USB input - lightly tweaked, with a few more upgrades planned.
Arcam DT-91 FM/DAB tuner.
Pro-ject Xtension 10 TT, with Ortofon Cadenza Black and Pro-ject RS Uni offboard linear PSU.
Lehmann Audio 'Silver Cube' phonostage.
AudioValve Eclipse pre-amp - rebuilt and significantly upgraded.
Electrocompaniet AW-180 'Ampliwire' monoblocs.

All of the power and signal wiring - aside from the Hosa XLRs - are DIY.

Extremely happy with the sound now - better than I thought possible at a sane price.
 
IMG-0921.jpg


Bad photo I know (I can’t get it brighter!) but I was really struck how well they can fit in an interior - JR149 Mk 2 on cheap Mission stands, which seems to suit them quite well aesthetically because the stands have black round columns. Amp etc hidden away low behind that chair - too ugly. Even the lamps and table works ok from an interior point of view I think - as you can see, I’m pleased with the look (and the sound.)
 
Tw99 said:
My system has slowly been getting simpler. Twelve years ago I was using a 5 box Naim amp setup, and now I don't even have a separate amp at all. It's now just Logitech Media Server via a choice of devices into a MiniDSP SHD (just used as a source selector now) and Dutch & Dutch 8Cs.

I bought the 8Cs from the PFM classifieds when they popped up in the finish I liked, at a very attractive price compared to a new set. I'd been considering these or some other active speaker like Kii 3s, or LS60s for a while, as I'm convinced by the technical benefits of active speakers, especially modern examples with lots of built-in EQ. So I just thought "Sod it", agreed to buy them and had a painful day driving to Stoke and back avoiding various carnage on the M6 and M42 :)

I'm very happy with them, replacing a pair of ATC SCM40s I'd had for eleven years. As you can see, I'm not much of a box swapper compared to most on here... I've set them up using REW, and they're flat to 20Hz in my room, with a generally very even response apart from a few room cancellation related issues between 2-300hz. They sound great: Deep and accurate bass, smooth midrange and treble, great imaging and will go loud without any audible issues. I ended up buying Custom Design oak stands as the original metal versions were viewed by another occupant of the house as a bit challenging in a domestic environment.





Note to self: must update profile picture.
Click to expand...

Two words!! tie clips!! :D

£5 well spent on these https://www.screwfix.com/p/cable-tie-base-black-25mm-x-25mm-100-pack/80760?kpid=80760&cm_mmc=Google-_-Datafeed-_-Electrical and Lighting?kpid=KINASEKPID&cm_mmc=Google-_-TOKEN1-_-TOKEN2&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAu9yqBhBmEiwAHTx5p8QjAvkHHGhems0KwIT50uXSiGT2hJ9f69DtAKtkh20TQRJ3_wwUgxoCYJIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
earlofsodbury said:
Somewhat surprised to find my much-loved (and much upgraded) First Watt J2 power amp taking what may become a lasting sabbatical, and a pair of Electrocompaniet AW180 monoblocs taking its place instead.

A brief experiment with my 'spare' hybrid monos (400WPC) showed that - sensitive as they are - the Heco Dreiklangs / 'Singing Washing-Machines' benefitted from more than 25WPC up 'em: yielding tighter bass and improved vocal articulation.

The Electrocompaniets not only Up all of that still further, they also bring their own wonderful ease and clarity, along with a clean, supple musicality more typical of valves. Risky statement tho' it is - this feels like end-game hifi right now.

The change in amps required new cabling - so in came 2 x 3m Hosa HMIC-000 PRO XLR cables, 1m Van Damme Hifi Series 6mm UPOFC speaker cables, and a trimmed-down DIY mains distribution board feeding individual DC-blocking mains filters of my own design (originally based on P-A Sjöström's well-know DC blocker).

For the sake of cooling/carpet damage, I also made a couple of spiked floor-stands for the Electrocompaniets from some 1" x 12" oak board I rescued from a skip.

SOYS-November-2023-00.png


SOYS-November-2023-01.png


SOYS-November-2023-02.png


SOYS-November-2023-03.png


Kit list:

Jays Audio CDT-2 mk2 - lightly tweaked.
Audio Note Kits DAC 4.1LE with USB input - lightly tweaked, with a few more upgrades planned.
Arcam DT-91 FM/DAB tuner.
Pro-ject Xtension 10 TT, with Ortofon Cadenza Black and Pro-ject RS Uni offboard linear PSU.
Lehmann Audio 'Silver Cube' phonostage.
AudioValve Eclipse pre-amp - rebuilt and significantly upgraded.
Electrocompaniet AW-180 'Ampliwire' monoblocs.

All of the power and signal wiring - aside from the Hosa XLRs - are DIY.

Extremely happy with the sound now - better than I thought possible at a sane price.
Click to expand...
Oooh I really like the look of this system, makes me want to hear it very much. I am especially curious as to the speaker/amp combination. I have a pair of Horns FP15s, which look to have a very similar design approach to your Hecos, i.e. huge box, huge 15" bass driver, horn loaded mid range and 96db sensitive. I usually drive them with 20W SET monoblocs but one of the output tubes needs replacing and there will be a little wait to fix. In the interim I have a pair of 180w SS MOSFET design monoblocs. They are highly biased to Class A for the first 30w so I'm wondering if driving the Horns means they never get beyond that but still, the combination of higher power SS and high sensitivity speakers intrigues me.
 
geetee1972 said:
Oooh I really like the look of this system, makes me want to hear it very much. I am especially curious as to the speaker/amp combination. I have a pair of Horns FP15s, which look to have a very similar design approach to your Hecos, i.e. huge box, huge 15" bass driver, horn loaded mid range and 96db sensitive. I usually drive them with 20W SET monoblocs but one of the output tubes needs replacing and there will be a little wait to fix. In the interim I have a pair of 180w SS MOSFET design monoblocs. They are highly biased to Class A for the first 30w so I'm wondering if driving the Horns means they never get beyond that but still, the combination of higher power SS and high sensitivity speakers intrigues me.
Click to expand...

The claimed sensitivity of these is 94dB/W/m, but I doubt there's more than a tiny frequency window where that is anywhere near reality, though I don't have the equipment to give real-world numbers. I'd guess the reality is high-80s overall as an average. There's no question that higher output amplifiers work better here - vocal clarity is the most noticeable benefit, probably because the midrange driver is carrying a pretty hefty burden - for you that is much less likely with the efficiency gain of horn loading.

FWIW, you can't really harm high sensitivity speakers with powerful amps - indeed you're generally less likely, as they're not going to be overdriven and start clipping/dumping DC. So experiment, see what suits. The Electrocompaniets work for me, as they have an agreeably 'organic', neutral sound profile - they remind me of well-sorted, powerful valve amps - think of something with half a dozen KT88s or KT150s a side - but quieter!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top