This year I've been working out how to fit a SET amp and high efficiency speakers into my little apartment lounge room. The room is less than ideal in size and shape, and is also the living area so I've had to keep it as compact and family friendly as possible. Yay for Sydney house prices!

It's a completely new system after moving from solid state. I've had a thing for valve since I first plugged into a roaring guitar amp in my teenage years. I prefer point to point wiring and for everything to be as simple as possible.

The speakers presented the biggest challenge, given the large size of most highly efficient speakers, sensitivity to placement, and a lack of bass in many designs. At first I was looking at 45 and 2A3 amps, but eventually I decided that it's unlikely I'll find speakers of sufficient efficiency that would fit in my space, and decided to bump power up a bit with the 300b.

I ended up with 97db WLM Diva monitors, they are a revelation. Fantastic sound, and unbelievable bass from a modestly sized box. Placement options are very limited, and they've been happy squished in to fit.

Amp is a Weston 300b Time Machine. I have loads of headroom with the Divas, I've not pushed the volume too much, but a few accidental moments at apartment unfriendly volumes have shown that this combo could easily fill a far larger room, and sounded fantastic. Thank goodness for double brick.

Pre amp is also from Weston, a Touchstone. I'm using a Croft RIAA phono, which is s MM valve set up with an Aurealis SUT.

At the front end I have a Micro Seiki BL-51 turntable, with Benz Micro Gold and an RB300 arm. CD player is a Unison Research CDE, continuing the valve theme with four 12ax7s in the output stage.

Cables are all from Aurealis, speaker cables are solid core silver, and I couldn't speak highly enough of these cables. They were one of the biggest upgrades in the whole system. After this, I went back to Geoff for interconnects and decided on his silver Litz cables.

For power I use a Giggawatt PF-1 filtering, which contributed an organic flow to the music. Power cables are all kettle cables, but I'll be trying some upgrades soon.

All in all I'm very happy with what I'm hearing now. Space and budget restrictions have made this quite a challenge, it's been fun and I've learned a lot. The organic, life like sound I have now is really making me happy. I have s more detailed system than before, but it also breathes life into the music. I don't have to worry so much about poor recordings as I did with the old system, this one seems to breath life into them. A lot of the music I like is poorly recorded, this is a great t or me just get on with listening.

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Great looking setup, and well done on turning a compromised space into a triumph!

+1 on what Bear said. 

However, in the spirit of suggesting improvements (as my view is ... no system can't be improved  ):

1.  Your Croft RIAA phono is MM - so I'm assuming it has the default 47K input impedance?  I suspect your Aurealis SUT is 10:1 turns ratio ... so the load you are presenting to your cart is 470 ohms.  (If the Aurealis SUT is higher than a 10:1 ratio then the load seen by the cart will be less than this.)

I note that the specs for the Benz Micro Gold say "Recommended Loading: 200 - 47K ohms " - so your current load of 470 ohms is at the low end of the range.  I believe you will find that a load of a few K ohms will make the Benz sound better (I have a Benz LP that I use 3K3 with ... and Benz's own phono stage has a loading of 47K).

2. But how can you achieve this?  I note that you belong to the "valve church" - so amp, preamp and phono stage are all valve.    Automatically, members of this church use a SUT to amplify the signal from a LOMC to the level required by a MM phono stage (and the Croft is a great-sounding MM phono stage!  ).

However, there is another way of increasing the output from the cart - using a ss 'head amp'.  Using a head amp (if it's built right) means you can play with the cart load, to get the optimum load value your cart needs.

I can lend you my AKSA 'Paris' head amp, if you are interested in experimenting with cart loading.  If you like what you hear - and you find that the best sound comes from a cart loading >470ohms, I can supply you with one (as I have signed a deal with the AKSA designer, here in Melbourne).  It is JFET-based and SLA powered - so very quiet.  However, your valve friends will probably ex-communicate you for using a solid state product!

3. Re. your racks ... surely it would be better to put those 2 components you have on the carpet ... on a rack?  So you need to get some more of the low-profile racks you have at the base of your 2 rack stacks, to take the:

* Sony ??? you have on the RHS, and

* the black box you have on the LHS, under your tube power amp.

 

Regards,

Andy

 

Lovely stuff Geoff,

 

great to see you forging your own path, nothing too conventional or "me too" in your set up!

 

The upgrades available for the WLM Diva's are many and varied, the matching subwoofers are very funky indeed! Octagonal and huge if memory serves me. I understand the company is no longer operating which is a great pity as they were experimenting with many unconventional and complex methods.

 

That little Croft is a great product too, Colin's gear is hugely underrated, simple, affordable and capable. He has just done his own thing for thirty (?) years with no reviews, no fanfare.

 

We all get into hi-fi because we love music. So many systems limit your choices of what you listen to. Those that let you enjoy more of the music you like are the ones heading in the right direction. So glad to hear that it is bringing joy to so many less than stellar recordings.

 

Very cool mate.

+1 on what Bear said. 
However, in the spirit of suggesting improvements (as my view is ... no system can't be improved  [emoji6] ):
1.  Your Croft RIAA phono is MM - so I'm assuming it has the default 47K input impedance?  I suspect your Aurealis SUT is 10:1 turns ratio ... so the load you are presenting to your cart is 470 ohms.  (If the Aurealis SUT is higher than a 10:1 ratio then the load seen by the cart will be less than this.)
I note that the specs for the Benz Micro Gold say "Recommended Loading: 200 - 47K ohms " - so your current load of 470 ohms is at the low end of the range.  I believe you will find that a load of a few K ohms will make the Benz sound better (I have a Benz LP that I use 3K3 with ... and Benz's own phono stage has a loading of 47K).
2. But how can you achieve this?  I note that you belong to the "valve church" - so amp, preamp and phono stage are all valve.  [emoji4]  Automatically, members of this church use a SUT to amplify the signal from a LOMC to the level required by a MM phono stage (and the Croft is a great-sounding MM phono stage!  ).
However, there is another way of increasing the output from the cart - using a ss 'head amp'.  Using a head amp (if it's built right) means you can play with the cart load, to get the optimum load value your cart needs.
I can lend you my AKSA 'Paris' head amp, if you are interested in experimenting with cart loading.  If you like what you hear - and you find that the best sound comes from a cart loading >470ohms, I can supply you with one (as I have signed a deal with the AKSA designer, here in Melbourne).  It is JFET-based and SLA powered - so very quiet.  However, your valve friends will probably ex-communicate you for using a solid state product! [emoji3]
3. Re. your racks ... surely it would be better to put those 2 components you have on the carpet ... on a rack?  So you need to get some more of the low-profile racks you have at the base of your 2 rack stacks, to take the:
* Sony ??? you have on the RHS, and
* the black box you have on the LHS, under your tube power amp.
 
Regards,
Andy
 

Things can always be improved, I agree.

The Croft phono does have 47k input impedance. The SUT can be switched between 10:1 and 20:1, I have it at 10:1.

My understanding of impedance is pretty basic, I'd decided to leave loading tweaks to some point in the future once I know what I'm hearing, and have got my head around it. Would be great to try out the Paris, while I've gone a bit valve crazy here, I round never rule out SS or even anything I haven't heard.

The Sony on the floor on right is just my DVD player, it's pretty basic and not really worth a shelf. On the floor on the right is a longer leg for the rack, and behind that a dead blu ray player that u should turf.


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Lovely stuff Geoff,
 
great to see you forging your own path, nothing too conventional or "me too" in your set up!
 
The upgrades available for the WLM Diva's are many and varied, the matching subwoofers are very funky indeed! Octagonal and huge if memory serves me. I understand the company is no longer operating which is a great pity as they were experimenting with many unconventional and complex methods.
 
That little Croft is a great product too, Colin's gear is hugely underrated, simple, affordable and capable. He has just done his own thing for thirty (?) years with no reviews, no fanfare.
 
We all get into hi-fi because we love music. So many systems limit your choices of what you listen to. Those that let you enjoy more of the music you like are the ones heading in the right direction. So glad to hear that it is bringing joy to so many less than stellar recordings.
 
Very cool mate.

WLM are still around, my understanding is that one of the founders left and they have continued under a new company. They have not done a great job of google search optimisation, and I don't think there's an Australian distributor at the moment. I sent them a hair brained question a few months back, and was surprised to receive a response from the director within 5 minutes. He was very helpful, and happy to exchange a few emails.

I'd like to try the Diva control at some point, I'm not entirely sure how it works, but people seem to like it. The sub could be interesting too, I've not tried one before.

The no nonsense approach is one if the things that appealed to me about Croft. It's simple, but it's high quality.


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Great looking setup !

Top stuff...I love WLM speakers...a shame no-one does them here anymore...

On 10/24/2016 at 8:45 PM, houdinifangs said:

Top stuff...I love WLM speakers...a shame no-one does them here anymore...

Audio Addiction moved on? They're still on the website!

 

http://audioaddiction.net.au/shop/product-category/wlm-loudspeakers

 

1 hour ago, Juicester said:

Audio Addiction moved on? They're still on the website!

 

http://audioaddiction.net.au/shop/product-category/wlm-loudspeakers

 

I thought Audio Addiction had folded a couple years ago...happy to be wrong...

Audio Addiction moved on? They're still on the website!
 
http://audioaddiction.net.au/shop/product-category/wlm-loudspeakers
 

I had seen that, and I don't know but the page is out dated, showing Mk ll. WLM are up to Mk IV and appear to have substantially redesigned their range. I must ask them about the Diva control.

http://wlm-audio.com/produkte/basic-serie/Diva%20Stand%20MK%20IV.html





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The prices look pretty old on that site too...

Very very nice.  WLM and SET do seem to go well together.  Dunno that the budget was exactly tiny, though!

Beautiful setup, bet it sounds wonderful. What are those racks please? They are very attractive and I like the modular design.

Beautiful setup, bet it sounds wonderful. What are those racks please? They are very attractive and I like the modular design.

It's a HiFi Racks Podium. The quality of the materials and finish is really nice, i was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was when I first set it up. Mine is solid oak, and they offer a range of timbers.

Being modular has worked out well for me, I had planned it as a single stack in another part of the room, but it really was dominating. Being able to make two smaller stacks and pop them under the window fixed it.


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Thanks, I also prefer two smaller stacks. Very nice.

On 23/10/2016 at 4:28 PM, GeoffRoberts said:

I prefer point to point wiring and for everything to be as simple as possible.

 

Amen

Hi Geoff

Noticed the Milkshakes EP you have on the mantelpiece.

I have that EP and a couple of others plus two LP's

I used to go and see them  quite often in the basement of The Hope & Anchor  a small Pub in  Islington , London.

 

I fear your your system may not be fully appreciated by Billy Childish.

When I saw them support some one at "The Venue" , a much larger place, they used their normal 4 X 12  PA  cabs  and then miked  them up to go through the actual house PA ,so they could still get their   Garage sound.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 20169 yr by EV Cali

Hi Geoff
Noticed the Milkshakes EP you have on the mantelpiece.
I have that EP and a couple of others plus two LP's
I used to go and see them  quite often in the basement of The Hope & Anchor  a small Pub in  Islington , London.
 
I fear your your system may not be fully appreciated by Billy Childish.
When I saw them support some one at "The Venue" , a much larger place, they used their normal 4 X 12  PA  cabs  and then miked  them up to go through the actual house PA ,so they could still get their   Garage sound.
 

I bet they would have been a fun band live. Rough, loud and full of energy I'm sure.

I've also got another of their EPs, but the one in the picture particularly has me dancing like a silly man.



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My daughter is almost crawling, so I've just moved the stereo to a safe place that can be closed off. Valves at grab height could turn out badly.

The main system is now a blue tooth speaker, and this is the sun room system. I hope she grows up to become a very cautious child.




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A least the CDs are near by, even if the room is somewhat less than ideal.




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On 23 October 2016 at 4:28 PM, GeoffRoberts said:

 

This year I've been working out how to fit a SET amp and high efficiency speakers into my little apartment lounge room. The room is less than ideal in size and shape, and is also the living area so I've had to keep it as compact and family friendly as possible. Yay for Sydney house prices!

It's a completely new system after moving from solid state. I've had a thing for valve since I first plugged into a roaring guitar amp in my teenage years. I prefer point to point wiring and for everything to be as simple as possible.

The speakers presented the biggest challenge, given the large size of most highly efficient speakers, sensitivity to placement, and a lack of bass in many designs. At first I was looking at 45 and 2A3 amps, but eventually I decided that it's unlikely I'll find speakers of sufficient efficiency that would fit in my space, and decided to bump power up a bit with the 300b.

I ended up with 97db WLM Diva monitors, they are a revelation. Fantastic sound, and unbelievable bass from a modestly sized box. Placement options are very limited, and they've been happy squished in to fit.

Amp is a Weston 300b Time Machine. I have loads of headroom with the Divas, I've not pushed the volume too much, but a few accidental moments at apartment unfriendly volumes have shown that this combo could easily fill a far larger room, and sounded fantastic. Thank goodness for double brick.

Pre amp is also from Weston, a Touchstone. I'm using a Croft RIAA phono, which is s MM valve set up with an Aurealis SUT.

At the front end I have a Micro Seiki BL-51 turntable, with Benz Micro Gold and an RB300 arm. CD player is a Unison Research CDE, continuing the valve theme with four 12ax7s in the output stage.

Cables are all from Aurealis, speaker cables are solid core silver, and I couldn't speak highly enough of these cables. They were one of the biggest upgrades in the whole system. After this, I went back to Geoff for interconnects and decided on his silver Litz cables.

For power I use a Giggawatt PF-1 filtering, which contributed an organic flow to the music. Power cables are all kettle cables, but I'll be trying some upgrades soon.

All in all I'm very happy with what I'm hearing now. Space and budget restrictions have made this quite a challenge, it's been fun and I've learned a lot. The organic, life like sound I have now is really making me happy. I have s more detailed system than before, but it also breathes life into the music. I don't have to worry so much about poor recordings as I did with the old system, this one seems to breath life into them. A lot of the music I like is poorly recorded, this is a great t or me just get on with listening.

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Mate, you have put a lot of thought into your new system and to build from the ground up with one thought in mind has allowed you to creat a synergy others must be jealous of. I too have high efficiency speaker (99db) and flip better  a 1.9W 6V6 SE UL amp and a number of high power class Ds. But in the end high efficiency speaker 'tend to sit better with tube amp drivers. 

 

I have tube tube phono preamp and single jFet MC stages with two stage tube preamp. Rega Planar 3 and RB300 arm with Ortofon Rondo Blue. Also Pi3 music server and DSD64 DAC. "Black Lace" 6V6 power amp. My whole system, 100% apart from the TT is all DIY. Includes interconnects and speakers cables and DAC.

 

High effciency speakers and tubes amps - the way to go.

Edited December 12, 20169 yr by mwhouston

Thought I’d post a 7 year update as I enjoy some tunes this afternoon. In many ways it’s the same system I put together in 2016, but it has evolved significantly and is much improved.
 

Changes have been slow and made over the years with plenty of time to settle in. 

 

Changed:

- Moved to a house with a larger and better sounding room. 
- Micro Seiki Turntable has been replaced by a Transrotor Zet 3 with Reed tonearm and Cadenza black cart

- Croft phono replaced by an EMIA LR phono corrector. This was such a huge improvement it was as if I had new speakers

- Aurealis SUT replaced by a Sound Tradition with Hashimoto HM-7 transformers

- Added a Rel S/510 subwoofer

- IsoAcoustics under everything. I started with Gaia under the speakers as an alternative to spikes, and the improvement was huge, this is perhaps the best value upgrade I’ve done, possibly as my floor is a bit bouncy.  I ended up putting Orea under all my components and the sub, and Delos under the turntable. These all helped too, particularly the valve components, but not as striking as the speakers. 
 

I’m very happy with the sound, but of course there are things I’d like to try. Now that the space constraints are not such a factor I wouldn’t mind some larger floor standing high efficiency speakers. I’d like to add a second sub for a stereo set up, and a power regenerator would be interesting to try. 

 

 

 

 

A pair of speakers popped up for sale locally, and I have upgraded. A move up the WLM line, and a change to active. The Divas have been so good, and I was keen to stay with the same character, I guess I now have ‘super Divas’. 

 

The new speakers are WLM Gran Viola mk III, with Duo 15 sub and the active external system VI crossover. I have so much tweaking to do, but even with a fairly quick set up (speakers in the same place as the Divas, and only some minor adjustments in the crossover) I’m really enjoying them. 
 

The active system is run by Valvet 10 watt solid state class A mono blocs on the tweeter, my Weston 300b on the mid woofer, and an Auditorium PVA-2 on the Duo 15.
 

The Rel has been moved to the mid woofer, and I am seeing if I can achieve something of a mono line array with the Duo 15 on bass. 
 

I need some more rack space, I currently have some untidiness hidden behind the speakers. I also need some more power outlets, and a. Power Plant will likely be the next upgrade.