One can dream, can't they? - Audio Exotics

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  • SeleniumFalcon
    SeleniumFalcon Posts: 3,832
    edited December 13
    The speakers are the Harold Beverage model III speakers which are electrostatic speakers with a wave guide to create an extremely wide dispersion pattern. The designer, Harold Beverage, was an audiophile who was an expert on radar and used his knowledge of radio frequency antennas to model the guide. The original speaker used an output transfomerless tube amplifier connected directly from the output tube's plate to the electrostatic stator, no transformers at all. When a tube amplifier is connected to an electrostatic speaker the output tube's high impedance is stepped down by the output transformer. Then inside the speaker the incoming signal is stepped up to provide the stators high polarizing voltage (2,000 Volts in this case). Kind of like first making tea, then using the tea to make coffee; lots of changes happen. The Beverage amplifier was designed by Roger Modjeski, a true tube expert and was located in the bottom of the speaker. The speakers were intended to be placed on the two side walls facing each other. The stereo image would be suspended in the middle, eerily suspended actually. I remember hearing a Laurindo Alemeida direct-to-disc recording on Crystal Clear records with these speakers and the guitar was right in front of me. No kidding it was there, "know what I mean, Vern?"
    The version in the photo is the model III, I believe which doesn't have the internal amplifier and can be powered externally. If anyone is interested there's a pair for sale in Baltimore:

    https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/938120197677000?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp:6784a4f4-8baf-4214-8800-1fbc33cd80a6



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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,741
    Very cool, would be a fun demo!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,137
    I wouldn't mind hearing those, with the internal amp. Interesting design.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    One of the best systems I’ve ever heard.

    My friend’s Kharma system. Exotic cabling to boot.

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    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,137
    He definitely has some high dollar cables there. From Schnerzinger, Shunyata and AudioQuest, with what I can recognize. My question is this.....why are they just laying there, apparently just strung up over the back of a chair?

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,137
    Never mind, I found out why. Apparently, he now has a full loom of Turnbull Audio cables. These were the ones he took out of the system.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,703
    I’ve had the pleasure of hearing the Turnbull cables in couple of different presentations. They are magical…
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,137
    I would love to listen to a shootout between Turnbull and the new SRA Takshaka's someday.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,137
    numieupoe2xw.jpeg

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    treitz3 wrote: »
    numieupoe2xw.jpeg

    Tom

    That is insane.
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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  • newbie308
    newbie308 Posts: 768
    Can someone tell me what the thing on the top right is? It looks like a fancy photo copier...
    Sources: Technics SL1200MKII | SME3009 Tonearm | Monster Alpha 1 MC cartridge | Oppo UDP203 disk player | Nikko NT-790 analog tuner | Musical Fidelity Trivista 21 DAC | Preamp: Threshold SL-10 | Amplifier: Threshold Stasis 2 | Speakers: Snell Acoustics C/V | Kimber 12-TC bi wire speakers | Analysis plus Oval 1 preamp to amp | Wireworld Eclipse 7 DAC to Preamp | Wireworld eclipse digital IC Oppo to DAC | Audioquest Quartz tuner to preamp |
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,815
    edited December 19
    newbie308 wrote: »
    Can someone tell me what the thing on the top right is? It looks like a fancy photo copier...
    Taiko Olympus and IO according to Google Lens search. Some over the top music server stuff from the WBF world.
    4aqebq7vht3c.jpg
    It is basically a standard server put into a very fancy custom case with custom passive cooling and a custom linear power supply. Price is pushing €90k.

    My current server cost me about $1000 to build including 32TB (4x8TB) of SAS drives, plus a spare drive. I use my server for more than just audio though. It hosts my entire movie collection and 20+ years of digital photos.
    Post edited by billbillw on
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 6,815
    edited December 19
    billbillw wrote: »
    It is basically a standard server put into a very fancy custom case with custom passive cooling and a custom linear power supply. Price is pushing €90K.
    Some additional reading on that particular model (Olympus) finds they also went to a proprietary digital connection called XDMI (are there any XDMI DACs yet?) and use battery packs to create the low noise power supply setup. It doesn't actually have the linear power supply that the original model had.
    All that said, the Motherboard, CPU, DDR5 ECC Memory and Intel Optane storage that are the heart of this server would cost you less than $3000 from Microcenter...
    A 24 core/48 thread CPU for a music server is so ridiculously over-powered...That is the type of system that is designed for very heavy multi-threaded operations like CAD rendering, video rendering, etc. Its roughly double the CPU capability of my desktop Intel 12th Gen i7 on multi-threaded, but very close on single threaded, which is most audio streaming operations.
    Anyway, they are selling them as fast as they can build them apparently.
    Post edited by billbillw on
    For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore...
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