New Dan D'Agostino Progression mono amps and preamp yesterday -- the McIntosh MC2301's which I had nearly 10 years --- I thought I'd never replace them, but they left a lot on the table when pushing Wilson Audio Alexias'. I didn't realize it until I heard Alexia V2's being driven by the Dan D'Agostino stereo amp. It was an eye (and ear) opener. I would have been more than happy with the stereo amp -- but I'm a mono type & you only live once. Besides, the bad devil said, Bob -- Go all in. A VAC Renaissance SE phono stage is back in Sarasota getting the xlr/toggle/xmfr output upgrade and should be back in the rack in 10 days or so. The top photo shows the needles do move (read a reviewer saying they don't move -- comfortable mid-loud volume level when that photo was taken). Best Sirs, Bob
A question that I had for @Wardsweb was how the 604 based speakers stacked up against the separate horn and bass speaker, and he felt that the small horn, could not replicate what a 511B horn can do. While I have not ever personally owned a pair of 604's (or similar), and while I am sure that they are nice speakers, the 511B based systems are the real deal. Wardsweb has the single most beautiful sounding home versions of Altec's that I have ever seen. He has previously posted pictures of his main Altec's while they were under construction. Also, he has beautiful hardware all through his up creek audio chain. This means a lot to me as a longtime commercial Altec fanboy. So many people (meaning in the audiophile community) look a commercial speakers and dismiss them as being an audiophile acceptable speaker, when used in a home environment. I had my first pair of A7's custom built for me, back in HS, when I was sixteen and have had a a several pairs over my lifetime. What I found out, is that there is always something that can be learned. One of our other members, who is no longer posting, has some DIY speakers like yours and he feels that the 811B horns sound better when used in the smaller cabinets, like the ones that you both have and like the 811B horns that are used in the Model 19's, which are crossed over at 1,200-Cycles. But, he also has 6' tall bass bins IN HIS BEDROOM that have two 15" bass drivers in a front mounted bass reflex cabinet and a 511B on the top. I can't even imagine how these DIY's MUST sound! While my A7's are restored legacy Altec's, they are augmented by custom crossovers, the addition of a JBL "baby cheeks" super tweeter (and custom HF crossover), a serious 15" commercial sub that can put out 133-dB continuous program material. The facts are, that as large as A7 cabinets are, they were primarily derived from the Altec A4 line, to be small venue (up to 800 people) speakers, and vocal reproduction was and remains foremost in their design and implementation. For your next DIY build, I would recommend going with a 511B horn system, driven by Altec 902 (better studio sound) or 908 (more power handling - these are in my main Altec's now), and adding on or making provisions to adding on a super tweeter. Despite what Altec claims about the 511B horns and their drivers being flat +- 3dB from 500-cycles to to 20k-cycles, I remain unconvinced. To me, they start naturally rolling off after 6k, which is where the super tweeters, start to kick in. There are also older Altec drivers which frequently pop up on the used market that are nice sounding as well. Plus, Great Plains has some nice products. Including horn drivers and bass speakers with Alnico magnets. Emminance has some quality bass speakers at reasonable prices. The super tweeters and always be added on later... In a home audio environment, I don't see the specific necessity for a curved horn loaded cabinet that the A7's have as it is not really necessary in the home listening environment, like the speakers that Wardsweb have in his living room. I would suggest a couple of build ideas... One, a tall but narrow and deep cabinet, with the room for two 15" bass drivers and a front mounted 511B horn, with your choice of driver. The 511B horn is 23.25" across and the standard A7 cabinet is 30" across the front. Which means that you could build a narrower cabinet more suitable for the home, with a front width of 24". The A7 cabinets are 42.5" tall, 44.5" inches with wheels (recommended). This would be a good height, with a 24" width. You could front mount two 15" bass driver's, for stronger and deeper bass. Make this into a simple bass reflex cabinet and you should get bass down in the 30-cycle range. The standard A7' cabinets are 24" deep, which is a nice depth for home applications also. Great Plains also offers 16" and 18" bass drivers, with the 18" designed for sub woofer use. You could use one 18" sub-woofer on the bottom and either a 16" or 15" bass driver on the top. In this topology, you could get down in the 20-Hz range. Finally, use crossovers from ALK Engineering for the best Altec experience that you will ever witness, driven, of course, by all tube amplification.
Blues Addict, have you tried finding a cabinet for the MAC amp? Even if an original couldn't be found, it would be a simple matter to make one or have one made. My first real stereo had a MAC 6200 integrated and I've regretted selling it ever since.
Finally set up last night. Needs some tweaking and burn-in time. Audio Bliss Shunyata Denali // C1100 // PS Audio DS Jr // Roon // Core Audio Design racks // MC2301's // Canton Reference K3's // Furutech GTX-D NCF outlets // 3 - 20 Amp dedicated circuits // WW Signal (Silver Eclipse 7) // Shunyata Alpha NR power // Genalex Gold Lion Tubes throughout [/IMG]
DAM! You got Canton Reference K3's!!!!! Boy oh Boy! DAM MAN! And you live in America!?!?!? Bro...That's unheard of and very rare!! ANd the only speaker I know of that uses Ceramic Tungsten Blend in the drivers.... Congrats! And you got them paired with Tubes! Unlike those who used Esoteric amplification....Bro, you've done more than good...you've done excellent! People in the States normally sleep on Canton Reference for more popular brands that cost much more and don't sound as good...Congrats!
Thanks! And, yes, yes, and yes. The K3's have only about 15 hours on them now. I can only imagine how great they'll be after a few 100 hours, as well as the rest of my gear. Be watching this threads for a few years btw, lots of great stuff.
Excellent. Have you tried pulling them out into the room a little more to how it affects their sound?
I have moved them a bit. Just need to let them settle in, and I will experiment. The nice thing about the Canton Reference line is they can sit close to a back or side wall. 8in minimum, "down-firing design of the bass reflex port in combination with the new Bass-Guide make the loudspeaker very versatile when it comes to room placement" - quote from the manual. They are not in their final position by all means yet.
Got a new rack from Timbernation. Moved all the components, redid all the cables and thinned out a few of them.
upgraded from an Arye VX5 amp to the Ayre MX-R mono blocks Apologizes, my rooms a bit of a mess at the moment 600w @4 ohm class A/B. Scared the dog today, when I turned it up to 75 on the fun dial. Sounds awesome with the tube pre in the chain, very happy with what I think is my final upgrade in my long journey.
Very nice system! I recently heard a McIntosh / Magico system using the MC 1.25KW amplifiers. Simply a spellbinding system and now have a renewed respect for the blue meters! Now please do yourself a favor and bring those speakers out away from the wall and add some acoustic treatments to your room.
Avanti...those speakers are fine where he has them. No port out the back....Those speakers are down firing ported that you cant see. look hereReference 3 K And he has them matched with the right type of amp...a very nice MAC mono block Tube amp. Last year at the audio shows, Esoteric tried to get the magic with Canton and they did a horrible job with their set-up. Canton requires lots of power! Canton in voicing their speakers use Audio-Net amps, a Amp that has a excellent reputation....sounds about right because Canton being a German company which like all German gear, has a very distinct sound to their voicing and when setting up German gear, you really have to do it right....the German sound is very transparent and crisp but very accurate but yet warm. If you've heard the better ELAC speakers out of Germany (not the ones made by Jones), you know what I'm talking about. Like all Canton speakers , made totally 100% in house. Those are some incredible speakers that are hard to find in the States,....they are incredible!
It's now day 2. I have plans to get a nice wool rug in the room, and acoustic panels across the back wall and behind the speakers. The room is NOT finished yet, lots of tweaking. Core Audio Designs also makes some beautiful wood panels. I'm fortunate to live in the SF Bay area, and picked up my amp stands from Arnold's shop in Marin county. Great guy, showed me his shop and his home. He basically has his listening room lined with these: Acoustic Panels | Core Audio Designs