Speaker Porn

[Knuckledragger]

It's as much room (and Herman Miller) porn as it is speaker porn, innit?

[Knuckledragger]

[Craig Sawyers]

Ooh - a Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference complete with sweep arm and stylus brush. The only thing that is not original is the SME arm - it should be the iconic Fluid Arm.

I lusted after these in the early 70's in a way that was almost painful.

https://www.transcriptorsengineering.com/

 

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

Last weekend i picked up these Magnepan SMGa for around 300$. I told my girlfriend that it was the smaller model, and they could fit into our rather small apartment. But they where bigger than i expected.

How do they sound you might ask? Amazing is the short answer. They sound so clear, and have a broad soundstage. I'm impressed by how deep they can get compared to electrostatic. Keep in mind that i live in a rather small apartment. So i can't have a big subwoofer that might annoy the neighbors.

They are hooked to an Technics SA-DX1050 receiver form 2001. It's a fantastic receiver with a lot of power. I got it off from Facebook marketplace for 100$. I think that's a great find for that price.

 

[skullguise]

49 minutes ago, Craig Sawyers said:

Ooh - a Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference complete with sweep arm and stylus brush. The only thing that is not original is the SME arm - it should be the iconic Fluid Arm.

I lusted after these in the early 70's in a way that was almost painful.

https://www.transcriptorsengineering.com/

 

And now I know for sure the turntable used in A Clockwork Orange!  I always thought either Oracle or JA Michell but always forgot to look it up.  

[Knuckledragger]

"Toddler-Fi"

[robm321]

No room porn in this one.

[Hopstretch]

What's the opposite of porn? My dick tried to retract into my body.

[Dusty Chalk]

3 hours ago, Hopstretch said:

What's the opposite of porn? My dick tried to retract into my body.

That’s actually a good question.  Chastity inducement?  Libido suppressor?  Eye bleach?

But yeah, same same.

[Craig Sawyers]

3 hours ago, Hopstretch said:

What's the opposite of porn? My dick tried to retract into my body.

nrop? 

?

7 hours ago, Knuckledragger said:

 

I had a pair of maggies of the same vintage, but the larger size. The weakness is that the tweeter burns out - it is not a ribbon in the lower cost models - it is electromagnetic, the same as the woofer panel but with much thinner aluminium wire.

Determined to limp them along, I stripped the tweeter wire off the diaphragm, bought a reel of the same gauge, and adhesively bonded it to the diaphragm. Main problem was actually soldering aluminium wire - not straightforward. Worked fine until eventually the film diaphragm split and that was the end of the road for them. The only bits I have left are the connector panel and oak strips.

Anyway, beware of buying older generation maggies.

Edited May 19, 2020 by Craig Sawyers

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

Speakers: Sonus Faber Sonetto VIII's. I picked these up at a local shop for $3,000 off of retail price because they had some very minor cosmetic damage at the bottom of one of them. Awesome deal because they sound incredible and you'd pretty much never know they were damaged without knowing exactly where to look

Integrated DAC/AMP: Peachtree Nova 150. Class D! I tried this out against an Atoll IN200 Signature (class A/B?) and the Peachtree was just far better at playing the electronic music I like. It's also got an HT bypass mode, which will be great for incorporating the stereo setup into a surround sound home theater setup.

Source: Vizio smart TV feeding Spotify/Tidal to the Peachtree via optical cable.

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Knuckledragger

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote

Just finished new boxes for my computer setup.  Dayton audio full range and tweeters tang band sub. Lp40 plate amp and sa70 plate amp.  I’m very impressed with how good they sound first time designing anything like this. Didn’t realize the tweeter were that big when I ordered them.  All boxes made of Baltic birch with dark walnut stain. And finished with clear gloss laquer

 

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

I just finished building this somewhat minimalist hi-fi setup for my 21st. Mostly for vinyl record listening but the SR20's digital inputs make streaming music an option too. I realise in the photo it looks as if the left speaker is pushed right against the back and side walls but it's positioned at least a foot from both.

The setup sounds fantastic in my opinion, I love these speakers. Next steps for me will be growing my record collection once lockdown is lifted here in the UK also considering picking up a cd player as I have a lot more CDs than Records.

 

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

Right before quarantine came in to full effect my left speaker developed a intermittent but maddening rattle at certain bass frequencies and no matter what troubleshooting I’ve done it still persists so I had to bring it back to the dealer today. Thankfully goldenear will be fixing or replacing it for free even though it’s well out of warranty.

 

[Knuckledragger]

I wonder what's anchoring that Tower of Scotch.

[Pars]

The cat, obviously!

[mikeymad]

Wonder how long the needle has been on the dead wax...  cat priorities. 

{more Linn love}

[Dusty Chalk]

I bet that’s a Photoshop.  No way that tower would be standing in real life.

[blessingx]

Nah, but that's a photo of hardly any parallel lines. Hope the frig doesn't fall over. 

[Knuckledragger]

[Dusty Chalk]

2 hours ago, blessingx said:

Nah, but that's a photo of hardly any parallel lines. Hope the frig doesn't fall over. 

*fridge

[Craig Sawyers]

Two boxes of Scapa in the tower. Bloody awkward bottle height - it is quite a bit taller than a regular bottle and so doesn't fit on a regular shelf. Not half bad whisky though...

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

Acoustic Solid 113 Bubinga + Ortofon Quintet Bronze or Aurender A10 -> Luxman L-509X -> Magico S3 MKI.

I put some time and energy into a massive upgrade from my last setup. Previously, I was AirPlaying to an Apple TV, which was feeding a McIntosh MA5200, which was driving a pair of B&W 805D3s. That was a wonderful setup, but, I mean, what can I say other than wow. This is truly a whole other level.

I've been dreaming about a setup like this for well over a decade and have only heard this sort of sound in some audio stores. I had a strong bias toward a pair of Magicos, given their reputation for a fairly neutral sound and sealed cabinets. I kept an eye on Audiogon and saw a pair of S3 MKIs pop up in a local audio shop. As soon as I'd made sure I had the money saved up, I booked it over there to audition them.

Going to the shop, I also wanted to pick up a new amp to replace my MA5200. My friend and I had a fun time auditioning a few different amplifiers before I settled on the Luxman L-509X. I went in very skeptical that amps of any quality would have an appreciable sound difference, but had my mind changed after listening to a few. The biggest surprise was a Bel Canto that just sounded terrible through these speakers. Really blaring highs on some jazz trumpet pieces I know pretty well and a constant hum. It wasn't a faulty amp, because that humming disappeared in a pair of Paradigms. Swapping the Bel Canto out to try the Luxman with the Magicos made a dramatic difference. Like I said, didn't expect that at all. After more listening, I chose the L-509X over the L-590AXII for the slightly less warm, punchier tone. Someday I might go crazy and get separates, but I like having a competent integrated amp.

The sound: Wow. Holy shit. And what the hell. It's hard thinking of ways to describe this and not just parrot phrases from audio reviewers. Some of the sounds coming out this setup are otherworldly good. Compared to the 805s, and by virtue of sealed cabinets, the Magicos don't have that stressed mid-bass or any boominess. I love not hearing bits of low-end inflated anymore. But when there's bass, good lord is there bass. There's a Seattle Symphony recording of Varese's Amerique that has very deep drum rolls, and when they start, it's like you're getting rolled over by a boulder. And modern music is no issue. Listening to To Pimp a Butterfly smacks you in the chest. But even with that, none of the other frequencies are disappearing. You can still hear all the little vocal inflections and subtleties of any instruments as clear as day. To the point of hearing symphony musicians' clothes rustle as they sit up straighter before starting their passage.

Just as anyone who gets a nicer pair of speakers, one of the biggest joys is hearing all your favorite songs at that next level of detail. I've been going back and digging through old albums I haven't listened to in forever and hearing so much. Johnny Cash's voice is literally hanging in space six feet in front of you in Hurt. Bowie's voice floats between guitars and synths on Ashes to Ashes. Aphex Twin's weird little sonic tricks make your head start to float off your body. It's all there at a completely next level from what I'd heard before. I think if I listened to this setup while high I would have a stroke.

 

[Knuckledragger]

Klipsch La Scalas.

 

[Knuckledragger]

Quote

 The top shelf L-R houses a CD player, Primaluna 400 amp, DAC/preamp and a pretty old turntable.

Below that is the streaming device - hooked up to Qobuz and the power supply (apparently mains supply is too noisy?!)

The subwoofer is 500w integrated and the horn speakers are Avantgarde Zeros.

The cat's name is Frida.