Pictures of my new SP Tech Timepiece Mini's

[BillC]

SP Technologies was offering a good deal on their new Timepiece Mini's upon release back in August 07, so I ordered a pair.  They just arrived about 2 weeks ago, and I am breaking them in. 

I posted three photo's in my gallery, if anyone is interested in seeing the Cherry finish version.  Very nice construction, build quality, wood/finish, and very hefty weight for a small speaker.

Initial sound showed they needed decent break-in time.  Out of the box they, like all speakers, were a bit closed up, peaky, and congested.  Now all that has mostly disappeared and they continue to evolve nicely.  More comments later as the break-in slope starts to diminish.

A very unusual 2-way, with an 800Hz crossover point.  Dynamic as all get-out !       

http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?action=gallery;su=user;cat=34;u=287

Bill C

[richidoo]

Cool!!! I would love to hear those. Woodworking looks very niiiice... 

[Carlman]

I hope you enjoy them, Bill, that's quite a wait.... I don't have your patience.   I've heard the Timepiece 2.0 and 2.1, and the mini looks very similar... They're very revealing with lots of extension on both ends for sure.

It'd be nice to hear back after you've had time to dial them in and tune them to your room and system a bit.

The wood certainly looks gorgeous.  Congrats!

-C

[miklorsmith]

Yeah, the work around the waveguide is pretty cool.  I've heard the Revelations and man are they big.  They make my Defs look like "slim floorstanders".  I bet they could fill an auditorium too.

All the comments are that SP's sound follows down the line and that the Minis are great speaks.

Congrats!  Definitely keep us informed as they shed their skin . . .

[rosconey]

wow kool looking

[BillC]

Thank you, all, for the positive comments.

The speakers look better in person than in the photo's (one would hope, eh?) and the solid wood front cherry baffle is great looking, and thick given the waveguide.  My wife definitely likes their appearance.  My strategy is to have the speaker cabinets look great, to distract her from the stands...

They are very revealing, excellent extension on top, and it is the midrange that is taking a bit of time to settle in.  Bass is powerful, and seems better damped (of course) in Hurricane pentode mode than triode.  But that only seems to make a difference at very high volumes.  Bob (from SP) said to push em, and I definitely have. 

Not to get repetitive, but clarity and stunning dynamics are the easy to hear attributes in these initial days.  And I promise, more comments later, since, after tonight's playing, they seems to be settling in nicely.

For the most part, the owners of SP speakers are fanatical about them.     And from what I have heard about the larger speakers, and the daddy to this one, the Timepiece, everyone seems to be awed by the very "live" sound of the SP speakers and the accuracy, which seems to touch back on the dynamics (both macro and micro-dynamics) and the clarity. 

There are not too many pairs of these running around yet, so I thought it would be fun to share the photo's.  Yes, it was a long wait,  but I got a great entry price, and I have other speakers, so this was a fun opportunity to test the SP waters...  with nicely developing results.

Bill C

[richidoo]

That's awesome Bill! You will probably find that the Duet's analog output quality is not up to the revealing nature of the waveguide tweeters. So expeiment with a DAC or analog stage mods when you can. I think modding them can be a good value if the cost is low. For all we know the analog stage could be great. I finally got my system sorted to the point where I can take a liten today. Lots of huge changes going on over here. 

Here is a trick to speed break in of a speaker or amp which requires mild torture to get the job done. Because the Minis are small it will be a little easier than bigger speakers.  Place them facing each other as close as possible, but not touching. (Anyone ever try it touching? I think the vibes would mar the finish and limit tweeter cooling.)  Anyway, then you must wire one of the speakers with reverse polarity. Speaker wires at the amp are normal positive and negative, but reversed on only one speaker at the speaker posts. This way when one speaker's driver pulls in, the other one will be pushing out and vice versa. The pressure waves are somewhat cancelled, allowing you to play them very loud without hearing the loudness in the room. Some people drape thick comforter or blanket over it for more attentuation, but I think that limits cooling, so maybe not a good idea. The reduced windage on the drivers will allow the woofer to stretch just a slight bit more than if playing in free air so just watch out for bottoming and it should break in even faster than at same volume in free air. From what I have heard of SP you will not bottom them with any reasonable volume level.

You could also use a special break-in test-tone when you're not home, it is annoying to listen to.
http://www.audionervosa.com/index.php?topic=638.0
Rich

[BillC]

Rich, thank you. 

I have see this trick mentioned before, but I never tried it.  I have tried to burn in IC's on a friends high power cable cooker, and I thought they did not evolve as quickly as they did with normal music.  So I have been sticking with the regular listening sessions.  But, I never thought about the wave cancellation benefit.  I thought the face to face was mostly for enhanced cone movement.  I am going to check this out. 

Re the Duet, I do have the MSB Nelson DAC which I plan to test out.  I am also a big fan of equipment mods (Response Audio modded my Hurricanes), so that is an option as well. 

So many things to hear, so little time to hear them ...

Bill C

[richidoo]

So many things to hear, so little time to hear them ...

So true!!  One bite at a time, right?