Latest 2 Channel Experiences
ZLTFUL
Posts: 5,648
My current 2 channel rig consists of the following:
Silverline Audio Sonatina MkI Speakers
VTL Compact 100 Monoblocks (David Manley design with Sovtek 5881s and Phillips JAN 12AT7 "Black Sable" tubes)
Jolida JD50A Passive Preamp
Sonos Connect (via Incanto)
NorthStar Designs Incanto DAC/Headphone amp
Denon DVD-2900 (via Incanto)
Cambridge Audio DVD89 (direct to pre)
Kenwood KD-550 w/ClearAudio MC MkII Cart, Ortofon Serato headshell, AQ Wildcat tonearm cable
Cambridge Audio 651P
Cables are mostly MIT SCs, digital and analog ICs and Pangea PCs
The other night, I was listening to a John Williams tribute album (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, etc) and had the volume around 2/3 (nice thing about a zero gain passive pre-amp, 100% volume is well below clipping).
Anyway, on a particularly trumpet heavy passage, I noticed my right side tweeter go into mega-crackle mode and immediately jumped up and reduced the volume.
I then began playing with the volume and discovered that anything above half volume was inducing that horrible crackle and static sound. As I am standing there wondering if my tweeter or crossover was cooked, I noticed one of the 4 5881s on the right side amp was dark.
I touched the tube and it was completely cool. So I shut down the amp and swapped in a spare tube. Sure enough, one of the tubes bit the dust. Fortunately, I found 2 sets of matched quads directly from Sovtek (same tubes already in the amps) for under $120 for all 8. So now they are on the way. The spare Sovtek tubes I have here are a different base and a much earlier date code so I want to keep them out of the rig as much as possible.
Once the new 5881s get here, I will be putting the new tubes into both amps and squirreling away the spare 7 tubes (plus 2 older base spares) for a rainy day.
Unfortunately, the noise in my right tweeter seems to be terminal. I pulled the crossover and checked the caps and resistors and they all seem to be within spec so I am willing to bet there is a slight burn on the voicecoil of the right tweeter.
Unfortunately, the model of LPG tweeter used in my speakers is no longer available and LPG has handed off a big chunk of its tweeter and cone driver business to Eton.
Eton makes a couple of similar products but nothing exactly matching the specs of the original LPG 1" soft dome.
So I am shopping for alternatives with a 110mm face. And I have narrowed my possible choices down to the following (all are very similar in most specs)...
Eton 3/4" (I have 1" in there now but it is a 3 way design with an LPG 2.5" dome midrange) I like that this tweeter is a close match visually but it is smaller and it doesn't go quite as low but with a 3500hz crossover point to the tweeter, I am not so concerned.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/eton-soft-dome-tweeters/eton-19sd-1-¾-soft-dome-tweeter/
Fountek Neo CD 3.0 ribbon I really like this ribbon tweeter. It drops off drastically below 3k (distortion rockets up) but with a 3500hz crossover point, it is a very solid match for the current driver with the benefits of being a nice ribbon option.
https://meniscusaudio.com/product/fountek-neocd3-0/
Seas Excel T25CF-001 The closest I can get to an exact replacement without spending the Millennium and Crescendo line prices (well over double the cost per tweeter). My only concern here is the slight horn loading and the slightly thicker faceplate will either stick out from the baffle a bit or need to be routed deeper to compensate.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/seas-soft-dome-tweeters/seas-excel-t25cf-001-e0006-tweeter/
But not all is bad...this whole combination is truly magical. I have been getting goosebumps listening to some stuff that I wasn't before.
Any thoughts on the tweeter options I am exploring? I chose the ones I did because they will work with the stock crossover and they fit the opening.
Silverline Audio Sonatina MkI Speakers
VTL Compact 100 Monoblocks (David Manley design with Sovtek 5881s and Phillips JAN 12AT7 "Black Sable" tubes)
Jolida JD50A Passive Preamp
Sonos Connect (via Incanto)
NorthStar Designs Incanto DAC/Headphone amp
Denon DVD-2900 (via Incanto)
Cambridge Audio DVD89 (direct to pre)
Kenwood KD-550 w/ClearAudio MC MkII Cart, Ortofon Serato headshell, AQ Wildcat tonearm cable
Cambridge Audio 651P
Cables are mostly MIT SCs, digital and analog ICs and Pangea PCs
The other night, I was listening to a John Williams tribute album (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, etc) and had the volume around 2/3 (nice thing about a zero gain passive pre-amp, 100% volume is well below clipping).
Anyway, on a particularly trumpet heavy passage, I noticed my right side tweeter go into mega-crackle mode and immediately jumped up and reduced the volume.
I then began playing with the volume and discovered that anything above half volume was inducing that horrible crackle and static sound. As I am standing there wondering if my tweeter or crossover was cooked, I noticed one of the 4 5881s on the right side amp was dark.
I touched the tube and it was completely cool. So I shut down the amp and swapped in a spare tube. Sure enough, one of the tubes bit the dust. Fortunately, I found 2 sets of matched quads directly from Sovtek (same tubes already in the amps) for under $120 for all 8. So now they are on the way. The spare Sovtek tubes I have here are a different base and a much earlier date code so I want to keep them out of the rig as much as possible.
Once the new 5881s get here, I will be putting the new tubes into both amps and squirreling away the spare 7 tubes (plus 2 older base spares) for a rainy day.
Unfortunately, the noise in my right tweeter seems to be terminal. I pulled the crossover and checked the caps and resistors and they all seem to be within spec so I am willing to bet there is a slight burn on the voicecoil of the right tweeter.
Unfortunately, the model of LPG tweeter used in my speakers is no longer available and LPG has handed off a big chunk of its tweeter and cone driver business to Eton.
Eton makes a couple of similar products but nothing exactly matching the specs of the original LPG 1" soft dome.
So I am shopping for alternatives with a 110mm face. And I have narrowed my possible choices down to the following (all are very similar in most specs)...
Eton 3/4" (I have 1" in there now but it is a 3 way design with an LPG 2.5" dome midrange) I like that this tweeter is a close match visually but it is smaller and it doesn't go quite as low but with a 3500hz crossover point to the tweeter, I am not so concerned.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/eton-soft-dome-tweeters/eton-19sd-1-¾-soft-dome-tweeter/
Fountek Neo CD 3.0 ribbon I really like this ribbon tweeter. It drops off drastically below 3k (distortion rockets up) but with a 3500hz crossover point, it is a very solid match for the current driver with the benefits of being a nice ribbon option.
https://meniscusaudio.com/product/fountek-neocd3-0/
Seas Excel T25CF-001 The closest I can get to an exact replacement without spending the Millennium and Crescendo line prices (well over double the cost per tweeter). My only concern here is the slight horn loading and the slightly thicker faceplate will either stick out from the baffle a bit or need to be routed deeper to compensate.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/seas-soft-dome-tweeters/seas-excel-t25cf-001-e0006-tweeter/
But not all is bad...this whole combination is truly magical. I have been getting goosebumps listening to some stuff that I wasn't before.
Any thoughts on the tweeter options I am exploring? I chose the ones I did because they will work with the stock crossover and they fit the opening.
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
Comments
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Yeah just swap in the Ushers or build those 3 way horns lol
JK have no idea but I’m happy your enjoying the Silverlines"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
The Ushers are harsh compared to the Silverlines. Even on the VTLs."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
The Ushers are harsh compared to the Silverlines. Even on the VTLs.
I know. I’m being a jerk.
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
Swapped out the SX 950 for the 2385, popped in the old GX-280D-SS RTR riding my old Polk SDA2s.
Not the best sound or fancy by any means but watching them reels turn works for me.
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Could you find a used tweeter on eBay/CL?
Other than that, I don’t know enough about speaker design to help you decide. -
mlistens03 wrote: »Could you find a used tweeter on eBay/CL?
Other than that, I don’t know enough about speaker design to help you decide.
Unfortunately, finding a matching LPG tweeter from that era is going to be nigh impossible.
The tweeters I selected as possible replacements are ones that come closest to matching the stock tweeters in overall specs although none are identical."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
