Years ago I looked at solar into battery and then inverters back to 240v and found some US made units used in American diplomatic embassies around the world which had incredible specs for the up conversion but never went further with it. Just go buy a TT3 Half Reference and be done with it. I have the original version with the AN-S1 arm and IO Gold into the S9 step up. That thing does a scary job reproducing music in much the same way as your Ongaku does.
Every few years I get it into my head that I need a high power ss amp for review purposes - and then I go out as I have done the last couple of days to listen - I roll my eyes and get it out of my head. Instead I will stick to speakers that are designed for tube amplifiers - because if they are NOT designed for SET amplifiers then the speaker designer is either ill-experienced or tone deaf. So not qualities I want in a speaker designer. So yesterday I skipped the lower end stuff and elected to try a current "all the rage" over $100,000 USD SS as SS can get system. Hi-Fi in spades. Music enjoyment - none. Vivid speakers - D'Agostino amps I was sitting next to a Chinese fellow and he leans over and says - it is Italian - but it looks like it is made in China. As in all the bling. I will post other systems and Items that crossed my path the last 2 days - with some commentary on some sound. But it didn't go all that well.
Richard If you get a chance to listen to the Cobra driving a pair of AN/J speakers, would love to hear about your experience.
I don't recall which model exactly, but I think that it is Gaia II. I calculated the weight of the speaker and the stands that are filled with lead shot. Immediate improvement in clarity. The local Audio Note dealer, Soundhounds has had quite a bit of success with Gaia and AN speakers, from what they have told me.
I have heard the Vivid speakers sound quite good when powered by CH Precision solid state and also by Nagra tubed gear. I love my tube gear but I have been impressed by amps and preamps from CH Precision and also by Solution. But they are very expensive.
Good point about making sure that lead dust isn't going out into your living space Hadn't thought about that ...
Like speaker placement, I think this may another example where it’s difficult to generalize. What works well in one room may not be the best solution another room. Certainly, the two approaches in the quotes above are different. One step further from a pistonic approach is using Barry Diament’s approach, e.g. something like Townshend seismic isolation devices, which do good things for Andy Saunders AN K speakers, and which definitely bring greater clarity to my setup.* I have my E stands filled partially with Atacama Atabites, and in my room that didn’t bring much of an improvement compared to the empty stands. As of now, the greatest effect I have heard from changing speaker decoupling was with Soundcare Superspikes under the Verity speakers I had before my AN speakers in my old room. Second place goes to the seismic bars that I’m currently trying out. *Granted, the jury is still out on that one—there’s no doubt that they bring greater clarity, e.g. greater intelligibility of what words a singer sings, and if anything bass is deeper and more tuneful with the deep bass having lost none of its impact, but the sound has also lost some warmth. That, however, may also be down to the speaker cables I’m using, which are a DIY silver construction that is rather unforgiving. IOW, the seismic bars may be great but may have revealed other weaknesses in my setup.
@Encore- The Podiums are indeed fantastic, however l got a nice increase in bass control and coherence when SoundCare SuperSpikes where inserted into the K stands and also having the K's firing around 18" in front of my listening position, my room is terrible acoustically but all these tweaks help. PS; My next plan of attack is try some Isoacoustic Mini Pucks between stand and speaker....
I go to quite a few live classical concerts and attended discussions held by concert halls and the acoustic engineers who filled those halls with design initially and trickery secondly. Understanding the space in which you listen makes future choices much clearer. I use the Aurio's in certain situation because they minimise certain problems associated with inferior rooms. Years ago I had a retail space that used the sandstone that I mentioned and ran some small Audio Physic speakers bolted to the rear wall on brackets we commissioned as a "one of " and the structure dictated a purely pistonic reaction from the speaker. The bass response was incredible and imaging was exceptional, it was a brilliant lesson in controlling a speaker. If you get a chance to hear Mario's set ups at one of the hifi shows, he goes to great lengths to ensure very high mass in the stands and has been known to abandon unsuitable rooms and find alternative spaces in the exhibition in order to have solid walls rather than more lightweight builds. It drives the organiser's crazy. It's simply a great place to start.
Interesting about the Soundcare spikes--that mirrors my experience with them in my old apartment w Verity Speakers. Sitting 18" from the speakers basically means that you're doing near field listening up around 130 Hz (see my rant a couple of page back), so no wonder that you feel that it increases bass
The best combination for me (so far): - Atacaman atabites (full filled) - Brass Spikes against the concrete floor (through the carpet) - Herbie's Audio Labs Square Fat Dots between speakers and stand
I used to have an Italian amp a Graaf Graafiti 5050 stunning looking amp but it kept breaking down. My dealer, who didn't sell it to me I bought it used, told me when I brought it in to get fixed that the amp ran the tubes very hard and produced excess heat. Running hot sounds Italian at least as does breaking down a lot.
Lol, the speakers axis 18" in front of my listening position, they are around a 7 feet triangle in my room.
Yep - Thatsa Italiano -- I had a '78 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce just like this one: Stayed in the shop due to catalytic converter overheaheating. '78 was the first year Alfa Romeo installed catalytic converters for cars delivered to California. Beautiful handling car especially on the open road. A poor man's Ferrari. Had lot's of fun driving California Highway 1.
Beautiful. When I get back to Canada I want some sort of sporty car and considering a convertible. I have always driven automatic and have been looking at the Mazda Miata and Ford Mustang GT as two of the more affordable options. Everyone says get the Miata as standard but the Ford is somewhat different as it gets better mileage and is "faster" than the standard. Plus the manuals are from China and there is a class action lawsuit against Ford due to all the manuals that are breaking down. The automatic 10 speed has been bomb proof so far. It's bizarro world when an auto is the reliable, faster, better option! Not the same cars - looking at something I could drive across Canada in spring and summer. Miata is more reliable but quite small and I suspect the Mustang with its 460hp 440 torque will be a nicer highway cruiser while the Miata would be fun on windy roads. There are not a lot of choices left in the world of sports car leanings at an affordable price - and even these two are in that $45k+ Canadian range. I love that British racing green - not available for either of these new cars. And classic cars are generally not advisable as a daily driver - breaking down in the middle of Saskatchewan might make finding parts difficult. You can get the nice green in the Toyota 86 Hakone edition but no convertible. Can't win. I am ~ 7 years away from returning to Canada if all is ok and so a lot can change from now until then. I have time to save my money and hopefully someone will put out something that ticks all my boxes.
I will soon have the chance to test a "Wattson Emerson Digital" with my Dac2.1x Sig. I will do a review. Currently my Streamer is an NDX used in Drive with the AN-Dac, I was able to compare it with a Lindemann Limetree Bridge and I think the NDX is more fluid and rhythmic, which goes well with my Audio Note system. . The Dac2.1x sig. has greater musicality than the integrated Dac of NDX. I am also very interested in user reviews of Dac Audio Note with Streaming
I really enjoyed driving the Alfa. Lot of fun. In addition to the British racing green exterior, it had a 5-speed gearbox. The steering wheel and gearshift knob were rosewood. Calfornia Highway 1 has lots of winding, twists and turns, especially south of San Simeon driving towards Big Sur into Carmel/ Monterey area. Downshifting into a tight turn causes the engine to emit this beautiful aircraft engine-like whine, reminiscent of Ferrari's. Cruising on the highway, it felt like a much bigger car, except it handled like the true roadster it was designed to be. I would love to test drive the new Alfa Romeo 4c Spider. I think you should definitely give the Miata a spin
Anybody else in a state of bliss with the SuperDeluxe Box of Sign O The Times with Prince? Prince Sign o the times ]
I'll definitely try it out - I am 5'11 and 210 so it's sort of how well I fit. The hard top RF is more appealing in Canada than a soft top and it's $15,000 Canadian less expensive than a Mustang GT convertible with a soft top. Plus I like the idea of how simple it is - like Single Ended Triode Simplicity - and the Miata is continually ranked top 5 most reliable cars on the road (of any car). Even the automatic since around 50% of the ones sold now are automatics. It's my front runner - I just want to make sure I will fit comfortably and it is comfortable enough on the freeway. I have more twisty roads on Vancouver Island than straight long stretches.
Richard another convertible option is the Audi TT, no idea what it costs but I am sure you could find it used.
I went with an 2014 FRS myself. At 6'2"+ a bit, the Miata was too small. I found the GT 86 a great car in terms of price point, performance, carrying capacity, etc.