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

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  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,373
    stangman67 wrote: »
    My dad had krell stuff when I was growing up. It was all dual purpose HT/Stereo, HTS 5 channel amp, thing was an absolute unit! Krell without Dan is just not the same.

    Last year, I finally got him to ditch the HT side of his stereo and move into a pure 2 channel setup

    The krell ksa i400 amplifier seems to be built more like the old krell amps. David Goodman has been designing amps for krell for 35 years.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,742
    edited January 26
    400 watts class a... Woo getting hot in here
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,373
    VR3 wrote: »
    400 watts class a... Woo getting hot in here


    I'm pretty sure that Dave Goodman is responsible for more of krell's amp designs than Dan was, he has been designing amps at krell since 1987.
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,563
    VR3 wrote: »
    400 watts class a... Woo getting hot in here

    Yet such sweet music...
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,742
    No doubt, my phone is sweating just reading the spec sheet
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,373
    VR3 wrote: »
    No doubt, my phone is sweating just reading the spec sheet

    It comes in monoblock also
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,742
    You wouldn't even need a furnace in Antarctica
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    "I am in need of a decent sub....just something that will get me by..."

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    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. ~
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,742
    Still need a stereo pair
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    A few high-end systems for your Saturday afternoon enjoyment....

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    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. ~
  • skipshot12
    skipshot12 Posts: 1,172
    ^ Shazam….. would like to listen to that MBL system.
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,446
    skipshot12 wrote: »
    ^ Shazam….. would like to listen to that MBL system.

    Not worth more than a passing look. The picture is good enough for me.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Couple more...

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    Yeah, the last time I heard an MBL setup, was up at the Jolida HQ with Jesse (F1nut). They weren't the ones pictured above. I believe they were the MBL 101E (pictured below)

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    Not the MBL Radialstrahler 101 X-tremes, which are well over 200K per speaker (on sale). Those are the ones pictured below.

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    Jesse and I both had a laundry list of things the MBL101E had going wrong. No bass, whatsoever, no midbass and what was there was congested and weak. The imaging was cool at first but QUICKLY wore off and was grossly exaggerated. WHat I mean by that was that a violinist was four feet wide. FOUR FEET! When was the last time you heard a four foot wide violin?

    This was in a room that was probably 30 feet wide and probably 60 feet deep. Plenty of room to breathe and had all MBL amplification with arguably (at the time) one of the top R2R tape decks on the East Coast at the time. Even with all of that lovely looking front end gear, room enough to breathe and the listening position set back quite a bit (as well as the speakers being far out from the front wall)? They still underwhelmed to a large degree. It was pretty bad.

    They also emanated an extremely high pitched sound that made me cringe. It was constant and way too distracting to me. In fact, when I walked by the speakers to turn the rig down? I had to place my hands between my ears and the speakers, it got so annoying. I left the room after that and Jesse and I went and listened to a pair of Noel bookies and new Jolida gear in a much smaller room and that was SO much better. So, so much better.

    That said, the MBL Radialstrahler 101 X-tremes "may" have a much more pleasing sound but after hearing the 101E, I don't see how they could overcome that 4 foot wide violinist. It's the same plasma components within the speaker, AFAIK. I would imagine that the bass towers sound much better than what we both heard.....but that's just speculation, as I have not heard them.

    Needless to say, while I can't judge all MBL speakers by simply listening to a lower end pair? I was so turned off by them, that I honestly have no interest in ever hearing another pair again.

    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. ~
  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    edited March 23
    I have a pair of the MBL in my shed. The neighbor gave them to me. I mean, I'll take some rip off JBLs and see how they sound. Maybe I'll get them out and try them but I have to have friend help move them with a dolly. For a knock off JBL they sure are heavy. Worst case I make them some outdoor pool speakers. Unless someone wants them. They have this shiny metallic looking oval cylindrical shapes in them.

    😈
    Post edited by CH46E on
  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,591
    edited March 23
    But seriously I think the most expensive system I've spent time with at Listen Up Audio Video in Colorado Springs was in 2005. I was a installer for them. Some B&W 801 Diamonds $16,000 a pair IIRC. All powered by Classe. I wanna say the Pre Amp, Amp and Disc player were all $6,000 each. I could be wrong. All this was in a fully treated room. And the Sony projector in the room was stupid expensive. I remember one of the salesman bitching about me and the lead installer watching movie in there when we had nothing to install. He bitched about the cost per hour for the bulb. Said it was more than we made per hour. 😂
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    I am very jealous of this one

    Some people are just so lucky

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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
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,446
    Not sure I would be jealous of that setup…
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    edited March 23
    Of all of the systems in the latest posts? I would want to hear the latest rendition of these bad boys.

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    I heard a pair of these back in 1985 or 6. Holy smokes batman. Great room, nothing but speakers on the front wall, plenty of room for them to breathe and not a rectangular room. As young and as inexperienced as I was back then (even though I had a great leap start up until that point), I was amazed at what a stereo could do.

    It was the system of a girl [EDIT: Her Dad's system] I dated when I was 15 years old. He trusted me enough to operate the system. I can't even remember the last name of the girl I dated (but I am not so old that I can't remember her first name) but I would love to have stayed in touch with her Dad. He's probably passed from this Earth by now but I'd still like to thank him for that "Reference" sound that I enjoyed in his huge basement many, many, many moons ago.

    To date, I do not recall ever hearing a system so refined, pleasurable and with a presentation that was the most realistic I have ever heard. I would love to hear the advances Gary Koh has done to this pair of speakers, since he purchased Genesis.

    There have been many changes to these speakers since way back when, almost 40 years ago.

    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. ~
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    Not sure I would be jealous of that setup…

    More of the whole thing. And the room.
    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
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Did you happen to notice that the secondary speaker (sub array) isn't even hooked up (unless the cables are hidden)?

    It looks to me like only the mains are actually hooked up. With the SC's laying on the floor! 😱

    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. ~
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    edited March 23
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Did you happen to notice that the secondary speaker (sub array) isn't even hooked up (unless the cables are hidden)?

    It looks to me like only the mains are actually hooked up. With the SC's laying on the floor! 😱

    Tom

    I’m more jealous of the ability to have that set up than the actual set up haha
    Props to that guy for winning
    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
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Joey, "winning" isn't what room or system one owns.

    The win is what one's ears actually hears.

    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. ~
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,742
    The subs are Bluetooth.

    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Joey, "winning" isn't what room or system one owns.

    The win is what one's ears actually hears.

    Tom

    Everyone values something in the audio spectrum so that’s probably why that particular person chose that system.

    My statement of winning was just in reference to one aspect of his life - finances (likely, unless he’s completely in debt). It doesn’t mean winning in every aspect. I was just giving the guy his props.
    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
  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,569
    VR3 wrote: »
    The subs are Bluetooth.
    It’s actually just sculptural art. It’s meant to intimidate.
    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
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    Nice thread. It might be useful to give a brief summary of the brand(s) of the equipment, or at least the speakers, pictured, if known. I read a lot of reviews, but several of the latest rooms pictured have me stumped. For example, the stark room with the red chair…Genesis?
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Yeah, that one is Genesis. Gary's TOTL speakers.

    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. ~
  • SeleniumFalcon
    SeleniumFalcon Posts: 3,833
    edited March 24
    Some of those systems look like Mayan altars, to me. The last thing the village's only virgin sees.

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  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    Right! Not exactly homey.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,901
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    I want that floor. :|