Russell Hi Fi corner

[russell66]

I've been doing a bit of work on my turntable plinth. I cut a few extra layers of slate. I was tossing up between a few different ideas of joining them and connecting the deck. Someone who refurbishes Thorens to a high level had suggested felt is as good as anything. So i thought i would try some pads i already had.

I didn't connect the deck, there seems to be divided opinion about this with the SP10.

I am a fan of not connect the tonearm to the plinth, I think the pro's far out weigh the cons here.

I did hook my 12 inch SME but one channel was down, it's been a bit dicky, needs a re-solder on the main cable.

So I put in a Mayware formula 4 I have with a Stanton MM cartridge Steve lent me a while back. Its actually not sitting that stable, i was keen to get it working.  The metal box the tonearm is connected to a bit more weight, but it seems to be staying put.

I am only using a project phono stage, so this set up is way cheaper than what I am use to using.

But my word, the sound is outstanding, I can't recall ever hearing vinyl sound better. 

Consider the upgrades that could be done, supposedly tonearm, cartridge and phono stage, i don't think there are better decks but i haven't heard any past the $30k mark. I just can't see how i could enjoy it anymore.

Pretty happy with the way the  plinth is looking as well. 

Cutting a similar piece of slate for the base that will allow for a tonearm on the left and this could be it for this deck for me.

 

[russell66]

My system today, gone nada nothing. Don't panic we are just off to Canada for a few months so it's all packed up till we come pack. A friend in Perth was kind enough to baby sit some of it for me.

 

Now hopefully I can convince my wife to let me purchase a system for use while we are away, and if I can that will be my next post.
 

If anyone is familiar with the Canadian Hi FI scene or knows anyone that is, I am keen to see what forum they use and any other relevant info. I'll be based just outside Toronto.

[ICUToo]

49 minutes ago, russell66 said:

My system today, gone nada nothing. Don't panic we are just off to Canada for a few months so it's all packed up till we come pack. A friend in Perth was kind enough to baby sit some of it for me.

 

Have a great time- I've never met a Canadian I didn't like!

But I would genuinely miss my hifi- it improves my mood and carries me away when I listen to it.

I hope you get a replacement that you really enjoy!

[russell66]

Well back from Canada the other night, after 4.5 months and a 30hour journey. Tired but i really missed my Hi FI so keen to get something set up quickly. I was hoping to organise a decent headphone set up while I was away but it didn't eventuate. Been stuck with my Sony's and my Mac which is actually pretty good, but headphones just are not the same.

 

This is my favourite part, a blank canvas. Lots of my gear is around a friends but I still have some stuff on hand and in the storage unit.

 

So with a bit of jet lag and eager anticipation I start digging around in the shed and in the storage and this is what i start with. I'll slowly add a few changes and tweaks to see what I get. 

 

As you can see the Girls were way ahead of me as they became reacquainted with their toys.

 

A few things always surprise me, how much better modest gear sounds now compared to when I only had modest gear and though it was an upgrade I needed to get the sound I wanted, It wasn't ever an upgrade it was an education, experience and something else to occupy my mind to take me away from the obsession.

 

And just how good a sound you can get, and how it is no less enjoyable than with my more audiophile gear. 

[russell66]

The other thing I did was pop over to the UK to see Mum, Dad and my sister, first time we have been altogether in the same country for about 20 years and the first time I have been to England for about 15 years. My sister is normally in Brazil.

 

I got to go to see an old Hi FI buddy Maran in London, he took me to the local Witherspoons for a delicious Sunday roast with Yorkshire pudding. Oh and a pint.

 

He has always had a wonderful knack for making a system sing, better than me, and i love the sound he gets in his limited little English pad, with paper thin walls and neighbours to worry about.

 

I came away educated and inspired as normal. 

 

 

[russell66]

Got a bit more serious about set up my Hi Fi now i have been back a few weeks. I grew the NAD system and had it working really well. It all sounded wonderful. 

But then I changed to this set up and the quality on offer here from this set up and particularly these speakers is very enjoyable.

The set up in my room is so much better with the speakers set in this position, it really can't be underestimated how important this is. 

The speakers need some time spent to get the best from them, they can sound  little forward, direct and lively, but get them in the sweet spot with the right equipment and they have sweet sweet mids, wonderful detail and great treble. The bass is also really good, but hidden from this picture to top it of is a B and W sub, if there is a better, tighter more musical sub out there, I am yet to hear it.

I came straight from listening to panel speakers which sounded great, to setting these speakers up, and I was surprised at just how un-boxy and transparent these sounded when compared to the panels.

I think it must be the way they are constructed, they are not actually a box, but solid wood layers stuck together with the holes cut out for the drivers. 

[MattyW]

It’s wonderful to see the darTZeel copy is still so loved. One of the two best sounding amps I’ve ever run. It was a Hi-Fi Exquis purchase also.

Edited December 17, 2022 by MattyW
Typo

[russell66]

On 10/12/2022 at 2:03 PM, MattyW said:

It’s wonderful to sell the darTZeel copy is still so loved. One of the two best sounding amps I’ve ever run. It was a Hi-Fi Exquisite purchase also.

Yes I was very lucky to get it. Thanks for passing it on.

[russell66]

Turntable and phono stage time at my place

[russell66]

The magic of this system is astounding when you compare it with $$ spent. I've heard plenty of mega $$ systems and I wouldn't be afraid to compare this with any of them. 

Troels DIY speakers using state of the art drivers with no expense spared cross over components,  simply not available in commercial speakers. 

Nelson Pass DIY released F3 amplifier split into mono blocks. 

Which the well designed speakers efficiency allows for, taking full advantage of the 15w per chanel I believe.

The excellence of Mick Maloney's designed Supratek pre.

And the amazing little Project tube S2 phono box. 

And one of the best turntables available I don't care what you spend.

I just wish someone who has the knowledge and capacity would start doing blind test reviews, put this behind a set of curtains and guess a retail price for example. 

I know it's unfair really because it's taking full advantage of DIY and great audiophile minds.

But still that question we all have could it be improved perhaps with a better phono stage, cartridge etc. Why is that question always there no matter how good the sound or enjoyment level. 

[MattyW]

3 minutes ago, russell66 said:

The magic of this system is astounding when you compare it with $$ spent. I've heard plenty of mega $$ systems and I wouldn't be afraid to compare this with any of them. 

Troels DIY speakers using state of the art drivers with no expense spared cross over components,  simply not available in commercial speakers. 

Nelson Pass DIY released F3 amplifier split into mono blocks. 

Which the well designed speakers efficiency allows for, taking full advantage of the 15w per chanel I believe.

The excellence of Mick Maloney's designed Supratek pre.

And the amazing little Project tube S2 phono box. 

And one of the best turntables available I don't care what you spend.

I just wish someone who has the knowledge and capacity would start doing blind test reviews, put this behind a set of curtains and guess a retail price for example. 

I know it's unfair really because it's taking full advantage of DIY and great audiophile minds.

But still that question we all have could it be improved perhaps with a better phono stage, cartridge etc. Why is that question always there no matter how good the sound or enjoyment level. 

I spy some nice looking copper power cables there…. Look very familiar.

 

The very cables opened my eyes to the difference power cables could make and started my trying fuses, LPS on computer and networking gear, power filtering, network switches, cables and filtering etc….  

[russell66]

13 hours ago, MattyW said:

I spy some nice looking copper power cables there…. Look very familiar.

 

The very cables opened my eyes to the difference power cables could make and started my trying fuses, LPS on computer and networking gear, power filtering, network switches, cables and filtering etc….  

I've always had mixed feelings with power filtering, it seems to be getting more popular but i felt it never really improved the overall sound. What have you concluded? Did you find something you like?

[MattyW]

1 hour ago, russell66 said:

I've always had mixed feelings with power filtering, it seems to be getting more popular but i felt it never really improved the overall sound. What have you concluded? Did you find something you like?

Past experiments had shown little to no difference however my current system gets a massive improvement which you’d have to be deaf not to hear with a Thor DRM95/20 installed in the outside switchbox and also a 3500W balanced isolation transformer in front of my system. Blacker background with far more fine detail apparent and holographic image. It must be noted how that I’m running all class A equipment now which has no variation in power draw irrespective of output to the speakers. Back when I tried class AB and D gear there was a significant handicap in terms of dynamics so the improvement is definitely system dependent. It Is luckily compatible with my current belief in running lower powered class A gear with high efficiency speakers.

[ray4410]

17 hours ago, russell66 said:

The magic of this system is astounding when you compare it with $$ spent. I've heard plenty of mega $$ systems and I wouldn't be afraid to compare this with any of them. 

Troels DIY speakers using state of the art drivers with no expense spared cross over components,  simply not available in commercial speakers. 

Nelson Pass DIY released F3 amplifier split into mono blocks. 

Which the well designed speakers efficiency allows for, taking full advantage of the 15w per chanel I believe.

The excellence of Mick Maloney's designed Supratek pre.

And the amazing little Project tube S2 phono box. 

And one of the best turntables available I don't care what you spend.

I just wish someone who has the knowledge and capacity would start doing blind test reviews, put this behind a set of curtains and guess a retail price for example. 

I know it's unfair really because it's taking full advantage of DIY and great audiophile minds.

But still that question we all have could it be improved perhaps with a better phono stage, cartridge etc. Why is that question always there no matter how good the sound or enjoyment level. 

i would be very concerned  with your power cabling setup,all those power leads connected to  the distribution block which is fed buy a power cord from a double adapter, very scary 

[russell66]

Lucky enough to spend a great morning at friends place again. I bit of a mix of old tech and new really.

Plus an awesome home theatre set up that I didn't get a picture of.

I love these big Tannoys and the addition of the Macintosh really brings them to life.

Macintosh seems to keep popping up lately and I must say I have been very impressed.

Some of you may have noticed that I am moving to Canada for a while shortly and that means I will get access to some of the brands that are expensive here. I am looking forward to trying out some Macintosh stuff.

The quality of both these set ups was really good, and finding what essentially amounts to a $60k price difference would be very tough.

As usual sets me up for my normal rants about Hi Fi pricing. 

Where is that $60k going. You would be hard pressed to pick a quality difference under a blind test scenario. 

Still very enjoyable none the less.

[crtexcnndrm99]

Is that an array of Acoustic Elegance dipole woofers on one side of the stereo setup? I’m curious how they were implemented

[russell66]

6 hours ago, crtexcnndrm99 said:

Is that an array of Acoustic Elegance dipole woofers on one side of the stereo setup? I’m curious how they were implemented

They could be I am not sure if the make, I don't recall. 

I am pretty sure they are in an open baffle design and the cross over is done electronically. 

It is probably one of the best implementation of bass I have heard for a stereo system.

I could probably find out more information about it if you need. 

[art of SOUND]

6 hours ago, russell66 said:

They could be I am not sure if the make, I don't recall. 

I am pretty sure they are in an open baffle design and the cross over is done electronically. 

It is probably one of the best implementation of bass I have heard for a stereo system.

I could probably find out more information about it if you need. 

Ah Victor and his toys!!!

 

[vibec]

On 07/05/2023 at 5:30 AM, crtexcnndrm99 said:

Is that an array of Acoustic Elegance dipole woofers on one side of the stereo setup? I’m curious how they were implemented

Yes I was playing with open baffle speakers;

mundorf amt AMT27D1.1  AMT tweeter

forstex 6.5" full range as the midrange 

2x Accoustic Elegance 15" dipoles for woofers

 

driven by a hypex 503 plate amplifer with digital inputs

with a minidsp shd for dirac live 

 

it sounded great actually,

 

but then I wanted to get back to valves and hence the current system.

 

I refashioned the AE woofers to be a subwoofer for the tannoys with the minidsp SHD as the electronic crosssover below 60hz- I prefer this because in my room there is a vicious null at about 40hz on the left speaker but not on the right side. This was to reduce the load on my valve amps for the tannoys (not required for the mcintosh amp but the tannoys are not full range - they bottom out at about 30hz)

 

 

 

 

[russell66]

Russells Hi Fi Canada.  Beigns June 2023

 

So not sure if I mentioned it before but i am in Canada for the forseeable future, no idea how long. Popping back to Aus occasionally to run our seminar. Anyway sold off a lot of my Hi Fi before I left, stored a few things away and shipped a couple of boxes over. They will arrive in a few weeks now.

 

Pretty excited to have access to a bit more gear here, stuff I use to get in the UK but I never see in Aus. Also looking forward to a closer proximity to the Hi Fi shows, which I will report on as I attend them.

 

Cannuck audio is the go to place here for good used Hi Fi. Guessing that will get bigger in Aus now with the advent of charges being enforced elsewhere.

 

First pick up was a pair of Linn Akurate 242's which I have had my eye on since I first heard them in the UK years ago. 

 

I have never seen a pair in Aus - Anyone else got a pair?

 

Anyway the first guy I meet is a bit of a wheeler and dealer, with lots of gear coming in and out. Great guy, He lent me his Primere i21 amp to get me going. I brought my Topping TD10 with me, it's light and doesn't need power. 

 

Needed some cable's which I hate spending money on because I left a bucket loads at home, it was a public holiday but Amazon don't care, they delivered the next day. Pretty cool.

 

I also landed a really cool room, the sound is already awesome. I am very lucky, more than I hoped for so quickly, not feeling like I have lost anything, although I loved what I had before, I may of even gained.

 

So thats it, all of a sudden quicker than expected, i am up and running.

 

PS this post was suppose to be done a while back, and things have moved on a bit, but I wanted to get it in order, i'll post the updates soon.

[russell66]

This is worth a listen.

[THOMO]

Russell,You are in the land of Justin Time who make some of the best recordings you can hear.Many of their recording artists perform in Canada-especially in Montreal .Susie Arioli with Jordon Officer are among my favourites.

[La scala]

Greetings Russell 

Sounds like you have settled well in beaut Canada and having fun with the HiFi scene there. 
Your room is similar to mine, speakers in the mid of room can work real well. 
Very much enjoying your old Supratek Pre  Amp heaps  in the more basic second system , thanks again and keep posting. 
cheers Volker 

[russell66]

14 hours ago, THOMO said:

Russell,You are in the land of Justin Time who make some of the best recordings you can hear.Many of their recording artists perform in Canada-especially in Montreal .Susie Arioli with Jordon Officer are among my favourites.

Oh thats great to know, i'll check it out. 

[russell66]

9 hours ago, La scala said:

Greetings Russell 

Sounds like you have settled well in beaut Canada and having fun with the HiFi scene there. 
Your room is similar to mine, speakers in the mid of room can work real well. 
Very much enjoying your old Supratek Pre  Amp heaps  in the more basic second system , thanks again and keep posting. 
cheers Volker 

That awesome. I'm not sure I can even see the speakers there. It's like find the object. I must be having a man look.

I can see the wonderful pre amp sitting there though. Makes me happy to still know where it is and that it is loved.