Post photos of your systems/rooms here! (Part 15)

Thanks! Yep, just a power strip. My system is pretty quiet so I haven't found the need to try a conditioner (knock wood).

 

Yes, definitely all in on digital. I love my Chord Dave and the Simaudio Moon Mind2 is a great sounding streamer. I appreciate the beauty of the sound from vinyl but I'm just too lazy to deal with it!

 

Yes, but not perfect in the bass - I don't get the depth or impact that I get from my JC5, but the soundstage and the mids are just soooo wonderful. What's good is so good that it seems worth the trade-off.

I knew that 35-ish watts was going to be a test with the Ref 1s - might have to give some KT88s a shot since they're supposed to be better in the low end than EL34s. They're just kinda pricey these days.

I know I should consider some more efficient speakers for tubes but once you've heard how good the Ref 1s are its hard to consider other options.

Edit: It is worth noting that I'm asking a lot from a tube amp at this price point - how good can you expect the output transformers to be? I have tried the $8k Luxman lx-380 (20 watts with 6L6s) which worked really well with the Ref 1s but I don't remember it having the same midrange magic.

 

I have used a number of different tubes in the Mid Mono. EL34 are great, the midrange is sweet . If you like a more extended low end and top end try JJ 6L6gc. They are great if you like rock and want some more meat on the bones .They are about half as much as Gold lion KT 88 .

 

Jcn3, Those look like EL34 in there , what brand?

 

They are new Tung Sol EL34Bs. The person I bought the amp from was using GL KT88s which turned out to be shot and not even close to matching ("required" for Mid Monos with the bias light), so I picked up the EL34s from the dealer that had the tube tester.

 

That's great you put new tubes in. Enjoy them and when you do try something different you will see that amp can have a different personality .

In a conversation with Mike of QS he told me to set bias in low light , and when you see the LED barely glow looking at it from directly above, that is the bias that will ensure long life. I used a test socket and doing that yields around 40 mA current draw. He said you can bias up to 53 mA and that made the bias LED bright so I usually just used the LED until I faintly lit up. Always had good tube life doing this

 

Thanks for that - the directions are a bit vague. I initially stopped when the light just came on (barely could tell). Then I adjusted it up a bit so the light was fully illuminated but just so. I'll try again when it gets dark.

 

I love my mid-monos as well. I need a meter to set bias. No lights

 

I actually use this for adjusting bias on power amps. The lights work well though.

AV-TT-TT2 — VHT AMPLIFIERS

 

They call it a tube tester, which is somewhat of a misnomer. It measures current draw , which can also be done with a meter but this allows you to do it without opening the unit up. Some Mid Monos have test sockets, some don't

 

My little desk setup, just phone recording

 

I love every pair of Elac speakers I have heard. Nice desk setup. Well done!

 

I decided to pare down my system (and now some very nice items are on their way to other forumites' homes).

I repositioned the speakers using both Jim Smith's formula and the Cardas Room Calculator for guidance, and now it's more compact and sounds tighter and more vivid.

• 2002 Technics SL-1200MK2, refurbished and rewired, along with a bunch of KAB mods that I installed
• c.1980 SAE 1000LT HOMC cartridge
• Monster HTS 5100 MKII Reference PowerCenter, formerly owned by my friend, the late Don Vieweg (aka audiodon)
• 1959 Fisher X-100 (EL84) with tube rectifier
• Lounge Audio phono preamp
• Bottlehead Crack tube headphone amp that I built from a kit
• Early 2014 Mac Mini running Audirvana and Music (iTunes)
• Rega DAC-R
• Sennheiser/Massdrop HD-6xx headphones
• Spendor SP 3/1r2 speakers
• Custom Design QS 104 speaker stands

 

Been running SP 3/1’s for a few months now and love them. Excellent in my small 10’x 10’ room.

 

I expect they will be my endgame speakers, unless I somehow end up in a room larger than 12" x 15", which is unlikely because my wife and I plan to retire and move to Japan in a few years. (Japanese homes tend to be very, uh, compact.)

I bought those Spendors from Analogue Seduction in England a few years ago, with a deep discount because they were showroom demos. Even with international shipping and a tariff factored in, they cost me less than $1500. I see that the current iteration of the 3/1 costs $4500, which is way beyond my means, so I feel very fortunate to have them.

Along with my '59 Fisher X-100 (below), I consider them the permanent foundation of my system.

 

I bought my SP 3/1’s on EBay last year. When they arrived, they had the drivers from the new Classic 3/1’s installed, though poorly.

As this was not disclosed when I bought them, I went to return them. The seller dropped the price all the way down to $150 as he was moving and didn’t want to have them shipped back, so I kept them. Spent another $150 having my Spendor dealer check the crossovers and properly mount the Classic 3/1 drivers..

They have now replaced my Klipsch Forte III’s in my small listening room. Absolutely love them and a clear bargain.

 

I love the stories that go along with many of these posts.

 

Love the Fisher too btw.. awesome setup!

 

I spotted the cat.

 

which turntable sounds better? which gets more use?

 

Yes, please do tell!!! I too, am curious about those turntables.

 

I believe he/she has been there for a while !

 

Holee schiit, a pair of Spendors for $150????? And I thought I got a good deal...

What was the issue with the driver mounting? Isn't it just a matter of screwing them in place?

Incidentally, I have confirmed for myself that they work best on rigid, open-frame stands. I initially mounted them on big, heavy, sand-filled stands (they weighed at least 50 lbs each), but when I switched to the Custom Design FS 104s, I realized how sluggish and thick they sounded on those stands. On the open Custom Design stands (which I partially filled with aquarium sand), they instantly became quicker and tighter sounding



Speaking of good deals, I got the SL-1200MK2 for free due to a claim I filed with eBay. It was shipped from a seller in the UK and did not arrive in the immaculate condition that was described. My intention was to negotiate a reasonable rebate, but the seller told me to go ahead and file a claim with eBay's Global Shipping program. Within 24 hours all of my money was refunded and no one ever contacted me about retrieving the 1200. It was in the very early days of the pandemic, so I guess it was simpler for eBay or their partner to just write it off as a loss. (Yes, I did feel a little guilty about it.)

After waiting a reasonable amount of time, I bought some parts from KAB and repaired it, and then began hot rodding it, and now it's pretty terrific.

 

The mounting screws for the new Classic 3/1 drivers were in a different alignment than those of the SP 3/1’s. Luckily the previous owner used only the two screws that happened to match. My dealer received a kit directly from Spendor that they made to handle the conversion and they are now fully/properly mounted.

Great story with the 1200! Lucky break but sounds like you did all you could!