Evolution...

[tmazz]

Go for it. 

And nobody knows everything about audio. It is trial and error for all of us.

This is one of the best things about a forum like this it gives us a chance to network with others who are all doing trial and error type experiments and add their results to our own base of knowledge.

We have had an audiophile club here on Long Island for over 30 years now and had been doing the idea sharing thing for many years before the internet came along and allowed us to cast a much wider net.

You can learn just so much on your own..........

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
In my last post I mentionned that I would talk about pre and amplifier,
but I changed my mind.
They say : Only crazy man doesn't change his mind.
So, here I go.
In my smaller system, the one for ambiant music in my office,
I got from my laptop via a usb cable to a Schiit Fulla2
then via another usb cable to my 2.1 subwoofer amplifier.
I cannot compare the Fulla 2 to other DAC because that's the only DAC I ever used-own.
I am satisfied with the sound quality, even with the headphone output,
enough power.
I've tried different make of cables and to my ears they all sound the same.
The fulla2 get's his power from the laptop via the usb connection.
I've also tried a small walwart 5V to supply power to the Fulla 2
but no sound improvement to the amplifier or to the headphones.
From the DAC it goes to the Schiit SYS switch box with a volume control.
That one is 49 USD.
Can't beat that price...
However,
I woud like to have a single unit to combine the two units,
the Fulla 2 and the SYS under one roof or hood.
So... Thanks to Schiit, they just came out with the new Asgard 2
DAC, headphones amplifier, plus preamp and volume control all that
for a ridiculus price of 299 USD.
Now, should I upgrade the 4490 DAC to a Multibit  DAC for an extra 100 USD,
for a total of 399 USD ? ? ?
I don't think my 71 years old ears would hear the difference
and my modest system will not show the improvement in sound.
Therefore, I will upgrade to Asgard 2 with 4490 DAC.
That's it for the DAC.
Next will be : Amplifiers, pre-amplifiers and receivers.

Guy 13

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
O.k. here we go again.
Pre-amplifiers, amplifiers and receivers.
When I was younger, thThe Venturesat's a long time ago, I had many receivers (It was what was popular in those days)
from Nippon Sound, Marrantz, Radio Shack, Hitachi, Pioneer and some other that I forgot about.
All of them sounded good for me young ears looking for music of those days, momories of music I loved
and rythm, bass and more, it was more the melody than the sound.
Of course at that time I've listen to what was popular like the Beatles, James Last, etc...
What I like about those receiver was the illuminated dial, the one or two meters for tuning,
all the buttons for bass, treble, balance, reverse, mono, loundness, local - distant FM and more...
Which one that I have owned sounded the best ? ? ?
Cannot really tell, to me at that time, they all sounded the same, what made the difference was the speakers
and I owned lots of them.
My Naim was the last amplifier I've owned before moving to planet Vietnam and..
Yes, the sound was better than all the receivers,
however, there was something about the Name NAP160
that make me not able to listen to it more than one hour.
I would use the words : Agressive - irritating...
That's it, next : Speakers.

Guy 13

 

 

 

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
Now it's the turn of speaker turn.
Where to start.
I've owned so many....
From bookself, floor standing,
horn, bass reflex, sealed and Open baffle.
For the makes : RSC (Radio Speaker of Canada)
Sony, GR Research, Acoustic Research, Pioneer
and others that I don't remember the brand name of that didn't have any brand name.
Other than the speaker that were just o.k.
some I really liked for different reason other than just the good sound.
The hoen speaker that I got in exchange for a piece of furniture,
was built by the owner and the drivers ? ? ? Just don't remember the make,
but they sound good, very good for my 20 years old ears,
however, they had to be in corners to sound their best
and had no grill and didn't look that good, scratches...
The other pair of speaker that I really liked was from RSC and were bookself
with two 4'' driver in a sealed enclosure.
Really powerful bass for their size, I remember.
They were really heavy for their tiny size I'm sure the drivers had huge magnets.
The front grill was metal shaped like a book cover, I wish I had taken pictures of them, but I didn't.
The other pair that I also like was and that look nice was the Acoustic Research with a 10'' with a tweeter
ina  sealed encloseure.
I had two pair of speaker that I built myself and that look terrible and probably sounded as bad as they look.
One with a 10'' and tweeter and the other with an 8'' extended range drive from RSC both were bass refex.
I've also owned a pair of B+W DM3000 driven by the Naim amplifier.
Nice bass, o.k. midrange and a little weak tweeter.
The cabinets were really nice,
my wife said to me : Why you didn't keep them, they look nice in our living room.
Then came the GR Research with the M3 modified, then the GR Research V1
(Two servo 12'' subwoofer and a 12'' coaxial driver in H frame enclosure.
They sounded good, but there was something missing.
The micro details were not there, good low bass but not envolving.
The cabinet themselves is impressive, my design buit by a local Vietnamese cabinet
maker for a ridiculous 500 USD pair.
Then I've decide to try the GR Research V2 but I modified it.
Two non servo 12'' Emminence Acoustintor with 240W GR Research plate amplifier
and a 8'' PAudio (Thaοland made) coaxial drive.
The bass was good and very detailled, but the mids and highs were...
Well... like any drivers with a crossover, there was something missing, gone...
After a while I replaced the 8'' coaxial with an 8'' Audio Nirvana (Common sense audio)
extended range drive.
Of course like many such drivers, there is a peak in the 2,000 Hz region, but all the details are there.
Then again, I've replace the Audio Nirvana with a Omega 7F drover.
Those were the best extebded range drivers of all.
Not peakness, fairly flat and with the double 12'' Acoustinator
I really like the sound, the details and I was listening to music differently.
I was enjoying all the details in the instruments from low to high frequencies.
The three last speaker will be going to Canada with me and sold ovethere
because here on Planet Vietnam,
if it's not a well known make, they are not interested.
I forgot the mentionned the Rythmik - GR Research F12G subwoofer, I have two.
Sound good, goes to very low frequencies and to me, are better matched with
Home Cinema set up.
Right now and until I'm back to my home country,
I am listning to my ambiant stereo music set up
and it'a perfect for that purpose.
Well, that is.
I think I've went around everything I've owned as far as music system is concerned.
If something come back to my mind,
I will add it to this topic.

Guy 13

[S Clark]

Looking at your V2 model, it looks like you widened the dimensions?  Did you modify the crossover to compensate for the change in baffle step diffraction?
When you replaced the PAudio driver in the V1, how did you measure the differences? Were they the same effeciency?  what about impedence?  If you replaced it with a full range, how did you compensate for the comb filtering that occurred? 

[Guy 13]

Looking at your V2 model, it looks like you widened the dimensions?  Did you modify the crossover to compensate for the change in baffle step diffraction?
When you replaced the PAudio driver in the V1, how did you measure the differences? Were they the same effeciency?  what about impedence?  If you replaced it with a full range, how did you compensate for the comb filtering that occurred?

Hi S Clark.
I did not modify the crossover to compensate for the change in baffle step diffraction
and I did not hear any sound degradation.
Keep in mind that I am not sound quality demanding
and my old ears don't hear all the subtilities of
the instruments sounds.
I did not replace de coaxial driver on the V1,
it's on the V2 that I did the switch from PAudio 8'' coaxial
to Audio Nirvana 8" extended range driver and after that
I switch again to Omega 7F.
On all the V2 changes I did,
I did not make any changes - compensation for impedance,
baffle step diffraction and comb filtering.
When I was on Audio Circle when I mentionned what I did with the original M3 and V2
many AC members were horrified with what I did
and didn't follow the original design of Danny
and did not compensate for anything.
You know what ?
All the changes I made without any compensation made me like more what I did to
the speakers.
Especially the V2 with Omega 7F
that's the one I like the most.
You know what again ?
Those are my speakers, in my house and are paid for and there is no patent on them
and I never, never complaint that with all the changes did not degraded the sound,
on the contrary.
I know very well that with what you mentionned, the sound quality would have been better,
but I am not demanding.
So, that's it, that's all.
I am not rude, only direct in my saying.

Guy 13

[tmazz]

Guy, you have exactly the right attitude. This is a very personal hobby. The goal of putting together a system is to please the owner.... and nobody else. If you accomplished that, then the changes that you made were the right ones for you, regardless of what anyone else thinks, least of all someone who is making a criticism online, who and has never even heard the system.

One of the things you will find here is that when someone asks a question on you post it is almost always because they are looking to better understand the hows and whys of what you did so they can either put it into the context of their own experience and /or add it to the body of their own knowledge of the hobby. as opposed to other places where it seems that responsive posts all to often become combative where the relies seem to get combative seemingly so they can prove to the world how they are so much smarter than everyone else.

And that is one of the many reasons I like it here.

[S Clark]

Thanks for the explanation.   I'm sure the changes were pleasing to you; otherwise, why make them, right? 
I was with Danny when he was developing the crossover for the V1.  We worked for quite a while to get the upper voicing correct on piano (my ears were much better back then), so I have a special interest in that speaker.  I was quite proud and happy for Danny when it won so many awards at the RMAF.  To my ears, the V1 reproduced piano about as well as any speaker I had heard to that point, and I played for years.  The final crossover was the result of lots of measuring with a professional Clio unit, and lots and lots of listening. 
You may be the only person I know that has modified these, hence my interest in how you did it and to what result. 

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
For the V1, I modified the look so it would be easier to build for my Vietnamese cabinet maker,
it end up being more or less complicated or at least, just more workbut the results where to my liking.
A Vietnamese speaker manufacturer here in Saοgon (Ho Chi Minh City)
by the name of : Thyvan Audio
http://thivanlabs.com/en/home/
came to my place to hear the V1 and they where not completely satisfied with what they heard,
but not disatified either. They said that the upper mid-range was not right, whatever that means...
For the (Highly modified) V2 with the Audio Nirvana 8'' wide range drive, one morning about three years ago
my wife called me from downstairs to come down to meet a foreigner (An American by the name of John Stone)
I met him and we start taking about audio, because his serious hobby was playing drums.
I ask him if he had a minute to come to listen to my V2 and he loved them.
His comment was that I never heard a sound so natural and he told me that he's been in many recording studio.
Did he really mean that ? Or did he only want to flatter - compliment me ? ? ? ?
I will never know, he's back in the USA and never answered my e-mail.
So that's it....

Guy 13 

Note : I will find the picture of the two owners of Thyvan lab and
post it on my next post.
 

[Guy 13]

Hi again.

Here are some pictures.
First pictures taken at Thyvan Lab showroom.







The second sets of pictures with the owners of Thyvan Lab in my listening room.







I am adding more picture(s) of a pair of speakers that I built myself (That's the reason why they look sooooo ugly)

they are U frame with two 12'' Acoustinator and a 240 W plate amplifier with the Audio nirvana 8'' full range drive.





Well, that's about it for now.

Guy 13

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
In the past 5 to 8 years I did lots of evaluation - testing - trials
on different audio items to see if I could improve the sound of my system(s).
I tried different makes - models of tubes, interconnects, damping material,
speaker wires, positionning of speakers, different sources, accessories for turntable such as
mat, marble base, spindle clamp and a few more...
In my next post I will explain what I did and what was the results,
not all at the same time, too many.
I will spread over s afew post.

Guy 13

[tmazz]

Hi again.

Here are some pictures.
First pictures taken at Thyvan Lab showroom.







The second sets of pictures with the owners of Thyvan Lab in my listening room.







I am adding more picture(s) of a pair of speakers that I built myself (That's the reason why they look sooooo ugly)

they are U frame with two 12'' Acoustinator and a 240 W plate amplifier with the Audio nirvana 8'' full range drive.





Well, that's about it for now.

Guy 13

Check out the pose in that last picture. 

Looks like we may have found somebody to try and fill Lonewolf's shoes. All he needs is a beer bottle in his right hand as it is a perfect match. 

Which gets me to thinking, has anybody heard from Chris lately? I heard a rumor that me was going to come to Pete's TWL gathering this past summer, but that never happened.

[Guy 13]

Hi TMAZZ
Yes, a sexy pose.
but you will never see me with a beer,
I don't drink that stuff.... 

Guy 13

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
One test that I did a few years ago, was to hear the differences between
three CD source I had and still got.
Sony One Discman,
Sony receiver- CD Player and amplifier
Rega Apollo CD Player.
No need to say that the last one was the Sony Discman,
even with my HD-650 it sounded... Well not bad, but not good,
especially the mids and highs.
The Sony receiver CD player sound was much better than the Discman (Of course)
but a little , let's say 20% inferior to the Rega, that surprised me.
The overall sound was not as detailled as the Rega.
The winner was the Rega Apollo, normal it was the most expensive one.
I even try a Arcam DAC (Can't recal the model, it's a tiny one)
and use the optical output of the Rega to the Arcam
and them to the amplifier (Decware SE84C+)
With a switching box I could not hear (At the time I got my 69 years old ears)
any differences what so ever between the two.
I am sure some of you would have hear differences, but I did not,
let blame my old hearing....

Guy 13

[Guy 13]

Hi all.
I read everywhere that good interconnect makes a '' HUGE '' difference on sound.
Well, sometime ago I bought a few different model of Signal Cable
and I've trown in some '' El Cheapo '' interconnect that you get free when you purchase '' El Cheapo '' components.
Something that is worth probably 2.95 USD each sets.
My Signal Cables models were OFC and OFC with silver coating.
The silver coating had plastic bullet connectors, the OFC has what I believe was copper bullet
with Gold (? ? ? ) plating.
Of course the '' Super El Cheapo '' interconnect sounded like, El Cheapo,
thin sound.
Now the difference between the OFC and OFC with silver coating
was more difficult to hear.
Not sure, if I could really hear a difference,
so I've used that OFC silver coating on my system.
I had a look at the Decware DAG 99USD for 50cm
or at the time of my test something equivalent.
I never want to pay more than 50 USD for 1 meter interconnect,
that me and that my thinking, because I don't think my ears will hear the difference
and my budget tell me not to invest that much in something that I do not hear differences in sound quality.
Humm mmm almost forgot to tak about the interconnect that I made myself.
Made in China bullets and shielded cables.
Again, difficult to tell the difference between the Signal Cable OFC (Silver)
and my own cables.
One thing is sure, they cost less to make and sound as good for me and maybe a little less good for someone else,
mind you, I am sure that if someone else had listen to my cables, they might have said they sound terrible,
bu that's o.k. they are in my system and I am happy with them.
That's what happen when you are not demanding like me.

Guy 13

(Next : Speaker cable)