Hi Hey, Have you or any of the guys that owns the Bach done any restoration or electronic rebuild inside with the crossovers? I'm not sure if its due and need to rebuild mine. So far this speaker is doing a great job on my recordings. I can hear everything when I'm doing a tape monitor run. The results are perfect when I do a playback on my other system.
My Bachs are the original version, but have the woofer from the second version. I'm guessing the original owner blew a woofer and replaced them both. When I bought them I immediately noticed something wrong with their sound. I pulled the drivers and found one woofer was wired out of phase. I did put some no-rez material in the cabinet, but didn't care for the result so removed it. Haven't done anything to the crossover. The crossover looks to be fairly simple with only one electrolytic cap to worry about. Here's a pic I took of mine when I was messing with the no-rez. Swapping components may be more problematic than most as the binding posts are soldered to the board.
So are the woofers the same from the 1st and 2nd ver? But knowing you, you wont keep it if its not sounding good. so I guess that's fine. Oh great. I think I'll order the parts if that's the case so I wont have to worry about blowing up the tweeters. This speaker sings on my 1/3 octave eq. and its so precise. Finally got my recording station 98% complete. All I need to do is strap it down after done servicing my new recording deck. But so far this speaker is so precise on recording and Ive done close to 250 90-mins since last year. Its just getting better and better. Edited: My sony receiver is going down to a landslide. I don't wanna spend time fixing it and I may just replace it instead. I was thinking of getting the new Yamaha A-S301 or A-S501. I'm not so skeptical about long listening on this setup for I just use it strictly for recording. But the tape in and out are passing through the receiver via tape monitor switching. Do you think if I get the new Yamaha, will it kill the sound of my analog recording?
I have a question about the bach. I totally love mine and I'm not even thinking about replacing it. "However...." I saw an ad very close to me selling a VA speaker that looks exactly like my bach, same butterscotch color but its a bookshelf. I was thinking... "How do you guys feel going Quadraphonic on a Bach?" Any comments would be great. PS. Basically everything you see in the picture is my whole recording system. There are no subs.
Nice posting... I been thinking about getting another receiver or integrated amp. Not for upgrade but it seems like my 47 watt per channel old sony silverface amp is dying. when I fire it up in the morning, one channel is not working then after 2 minutes that's when it engages. Being the amp is a 1980 and all stock, it feels like it needs a full recap and it might not be worthit for that sony model I have. So I was thinking instead of getting the amp recap, why don't I just buy a brand new Yamaha AS-301 or 501 and shove it in my recording station. The only thing I'm worried about since my recording system is 100% analog, I'm not sure of that Yamaha will work fine especially I'll be using that integrated amp to link together all of my analog recordings like what you see in the picture. Any suggestions?
Love my Vienna Acoustic Bach. Its just a match made in heaven with the sony 50 watts solid state amp and the mxr 1/3 octave eq with the perfect setting. I just move my volume slightly a notch over 9'o clock and fills out the whole 600 sq. ft room. Without the high quality EQ, it will not sing like a greedy songbird. Its just incredible! BTW. I tried this speaker with my 15 watt 300b monster amp. Its not happening...? But in a solid state amp. WoW!!!!!
A few years ago I happened into a pair of these at a Goodwill. Took them home for $100 and set them up in my office system with the Micro-Seiki DD40, Marantz 2235 and Marantz 250. I really liked them a lot. I kept them in my office until I finally got ahold of my forever speakers. A pair of Altec 604Ds. They now reside as the main speakers in my basement system (the Quad ESL 57s are for special listening) and I remain really happy with them. They definitely liked the 125 watts per channel from the 250 better than any other speakers I have. Although, I do have a pair of Cerwin Vega CV3000s that need a refoam which I feel will likely really take well to all that power.
One sign of a rich sounding speaker is when your inside the room, its really filling but not loud. A real pleasure to listen to. Since this setup in in my living room and when I'm outside the patio, I can really hear the pleasure and bassy echoing. This speaker has that characteristic. The longer you listen to it, the more you love it. Like what I mentioned in my previous post, the sound is more pleasurable to me using the 1/3 octave EQ which brings out more of the silky highs and its also a big difference when I filled the sand and added the the feet. Bass / mid bass response shines. The one thing I don't like about the speaker is the color of the grill which is black. Everyone has their personal preference. I'm more of the classic silverface stereo guy. Ill probably gonna have it change to taupe....
The grills feel so cheap compared to the speakers themselves. Not sure what’s up with that. When I first saw them at Goodwill when I put my hand on the grill to turn them around and see the crossover I thought they may be cheap Chinese stuff made to look fancy. But as soon as I felt the heft (they were already filled with sand) and saw the crossovers I knew better. They were attached to a really junky 80s-90s cabinet system that I couldn’t fit in my car so I had to leave in the parking lot!
I think I should have the crossover recap or rebuilt since these are from the 90's. I just want to make sure its done right with no modification or sound difference from the original. If anyone done it, let me know, what and where did you guys you get the parts. Is that listening room you have a basement? I bet that speaker sounds great in that room. I remember I use to watch these jazz band at this place called Concert by the Sea in Torrance. They dug this small chamber underneath the sand and that's where the jazz artist plays. The sound is just AMAZING!
very cool I own Bach Grands and 604's are on my too do list (I think I'm going to try some DIY speakers with JBL 328c's first). I currently have the Bachs set up in a tv system with a Maestro Grand Center. I moved and it's the first time I've felt the Bachs are a little small for the room. I might see if I can go up the line in size/scale and maybe put the Bachs on surround duty (when funds are more freely flowing). May I ask why the Quad is a special occasion thing? Special types of music or do they degrade with use, so you would like to use them sparingly?
I was considering some vintage JBLs at the time I went with the Altecs. I went with the Altecs because I have them set up in my home office which is pretty small and from everything I could gather they were the better near field listening speakers of the group I was considering. They are definitely keepers. I can't see wanting to move on from them, ever. I also have a single 604b that randomly came up nearby on FB Marketplace for cheap and figured, why the heck not? I've been toying with the idea of making it the centerpiece of a mono system. Well, there are a few reasons the Quads are for special listening. For one, I just don't find them conducive to every type of music. Also, listening really requires getting set up so you are right in the sweet spot and staying put. I have a six year old and we are usually downstairs together. So, staying put isn't really an option And lastly, the rectifiers need to be replaced. Right now, it can take weeks for them to really get up a charge. So, unless I leave them plugged in, I really need plan the time to sit down with them. I have replacements and it looks to be a pretty easy job, but the worrier in me is dreading taking them apart. They are otherwise perfect sounding and if I mess something up, it would not be cheap!
I didn't. They sound great, so I have no need to get them rebuilt. My Klipsch Heresy IIs on the other hand.... It is the basement. When you are in the sweet spot with the Quads it can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up it sounds so alive. They really can open up everything that is hidden in the grooves.
I had a chance to buy a matching pair of Vienna acoustic speakers that looks like a Bach on a bookshelf model with the same butter scotch color. They were selling it locally and in nice shape. I was really thinking and thinking for weeks if I should buy it and add it to make it quad. It finally got sold after a month....
Going 2 years now. I really love the sound of this Bach. I was comparing it to my modern jbl studio 280, my old mission 763i and the old kef. The Bach is just so rich, natural and so clear especially with the right amp setting. Not too long ago, there was somebody selling a Vienna Acoustics Haydn bookshelf that looks like my floor stander instead its a bookshelf with the same butterscotch color. I should have bought that speaker. Never the less, I want to know if I can get a Vienna Acoustics floorstander 2 way with 1-8 inch woofer. That would be great for my listening room. Au revoir...
There is just something so magnetic sound personality with these speakers. Its not even powerful but the voicing sounds so pure and silky. I heard so much reviews saying they cant hear the Hi's well enough. The case on mine is different. I use a high dollar graphic EQ with 31 bands. That bring s out the flavor a bit more at the highs. It just sounds like gold. I would imagine if youre using a well-oiled high dollar EQ like what @EdogawaRampo has in his system. Presto!
Wonderfully put and sums up it up perfectly. I'm not sure I realized this until I read the bolded quote above, but if I'm ever unsure about whether to keep a component or not I'll use this as the measuring stick. Does it draw you into listening to the music or the system?
A good acquaintance of mine has a V.A. Bach for several years. They play in a set with Nightingale amplification. Great kit!
if you get a chance, try them with that Orchard Audio amp that's going around, or maybe another GaN amp. I've had the Bach Grands over 10 years now and they had never sounded better.
The old Bach Grand is definitely a step up from my Bach and the sound I'm chasing for due to the 1- 7 inch woofer vs bach is only 6 inches. Pretty much the same components and matching sized cabinets. I hope I can find one that has 8 inch. But I just want 1-8 inch speaker because that size is just enough for my listening room and I have a habit of running pushing it with some power when listening. I just prefer 1 woofer for per cabinet. In my listening preference it sounds more precise even at intensively higher volume rather that 2 speakers per cabinet. I love pushing the speakers a bit more than the normal db and its very exciting for me to listen to especially a speaker like the bach which sounds creamy rich. I could listen to these speakers all day long. If I had the chance id try it to that amp you mentioned.
-Julias Song- OMD Love 2016 Royal Albert Hall. Playback on Vienna Acoustic Bach speakers playback from Nakamichi BX-150 Deck, 1980 Sony silverface integrated amp. Recorded on Tascam DR-40X on air.
Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows where I can get a 2 - 8.2uf 100v non polarized electrolytic alum capacitor for speaker crossover. I want just like this or high grade. I don't want to buy from ebay due to a lot of fake stuffs. They don't have any in mouser, digi-key and I believe this is a madison cap (Norway). I love the sound of my Vienna acoustic speakers but its a 1995 and its time. Thanks,,,,
I have used Mundorf ECaps as woofer shunt caps in several crossover networks and have always been pleased with the results. In the 8.2uF value, they are only rated for 70vDC, but that should be fine for this application. They are in stock at both Sonic Craft and Parts Connexion. Erse lists 8.2uF NPEs on their web site. I have no experience with them, but they are certainly affordable!
