Legacy Classic rig nearing completion...

RuSsMaN

Gear:

Legacy Classic Loudspeakers
Lovan Classic Rack
Melos SHA-1 Tube Linestage / Headamp
Audio Systems Engineering Tube Monoblocks
AMC CD8b Transport
Assemblage DAC-1 D/A
MIT Terminator 4 RCA
MIT Terminator 3 Speaker
Tributaries Silver Digital
Signal Cable MagicPower
Signal Cable MagicStrip
Cardas Myrtle Wood Blocks
Audio Technica Iso Feet

What's missing? THE TABLE of course. I think I may try a 'budget' table in this room, maybe a Goldring GR-1, or Project Debut III. Phono amp, maybe a Graham Slee or CI Audio, just to try something different.

The ASE mono's are simply phenomenal. 'Audio Systems Engineering' was Gary Dodd's company 10-15 years ago, before he created 'Dodd Audio'. 4 x 6SN7, and a duet of KT88 on each amp. Switch on the fly between Ultralinear (60w), and Triode (30w). I've started out in Triode, and don't hear any reason to switch thus far. They control the four 10 inch woofers in the Legacy's VERY well.

Again, that's all to report, for now. I've got 2 rigs to get the vinyl side squared away on, and I'll be DONE for a little while. Wink wink. Now, off to 'finish' the video rig or get my drink and listen on - tough call.

Cheers,
Russ

ninerbj

Hey Russ,
For **** and giggles...are those amps plugged into dedicated 20amp circuts each?

hoosier21

Great set up. The Legacy's look great!

It does look a little weird without teh SRS 2's.

RuSsMaN

It does look a little odd without the SRS 2's.

Dedicated 20amp to that room, not each amp. I'm debating a balanced power supply on each rig, or just get a huge one right at the breaker box, so the entire house has balanced power.

Dennis Gardner

Are those white "Bose cubes" sitting on the back of those amps?

Tell me about those Legacy speakers.......are they a ported dipole design? I think is a line that I have never run into.

RuSsMaN

The old timer Gary originally built them for, wanted the trannies painted white.

6 driver, 4-way speaker. Dual 10's - 1 forward 1 rear firing, ported. They do have a defeatable rear firing abient tweeter (which I have engaged, I like it).

Dennis Gardner

I bet they have a nice full range sound.

dudeinaroom

russ why didn't you get the focuses. any way, I couldn't aford either. curious, how do they actually sounf, was in awe of the focuses back in the day(when i was a basshead just wanted a speaker that would go down to 16 hz). If i remeber corectly the classics go down to 22? any way kick **** man . Guess i've got to stick with my sda 2b's and (don't hate me) my technics receiver in all of it's inergrated ic amp technology glory.

RuSsMaN

The Focus were a little out of reach. The Classics sell for $3600/pair, I picked them up for less than half of that. I'm not crazy about the Oak finish, but it's growing on me.

http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=ALEGCLASSIC

I edited the 'ugly' comment out, I was thinking the Whisper, not the Focus.

HiPerf360

Nice set up!

You will really like the Legacy Classics, a friend of mine has a set powered by some decent Dennon stuff and they sound great.

I was very torn between the Legacy Focus 20/20's and the Polk SRT's but went ahead with the SRT's as i have to share one system with 2ch and theater (Just had a baby...spending more time at home now) and the rest of the Legacy speakers cost much more $$.

jmierzur

RuSsMaN wrote:

Dedicated 20amp to that room, not each amp. I'm debating a balanced power supply on each rig, or just get a huge one right at the breaker box, so the entire house has balanced power.

I believe that balanced power is only for electronic equipment. You may want to check if you are allowed by local code to have balanced power for the entire house.

From the BPT site. Please refer to the orange text.

From the Equitech web site. Follow the link...

RuSsMaN

I'm allowed to have whatever I want, inside my house. I've already tested one of Dodd's Balanced Power Supplies for him (not ready for sale yet). I'm no EE, but I'm talking exaclty 60v on each rail of the plug, capacitance up to a certain wattage (800, 1500w etc).

I have a friend in Dallas that has done it, with a HUGE transformer in the garage, why would it not be up to code, or harm anything electronic. Balanced is as pure as it gets, no?

Cheers,
Russ

jmierzur

Yes, you can do anything you want to your own house. If something happens to the house and it’s caused by utilizing something inappropriately, damage may not be covered by insurance. Just a word of caution.

I have never connected any other type of appliance or lighting fixture to my balanced power unit (BPT BP-2.5) so I am unsure of the underlying reasoning behind the code.

The transformer will take the input voltage and divide it to create a positive and negative voltage out of phase on each side of ground. You will not be guaranteed to have +-60v. Only regulation can provide this. If you have regulation problems or exessive line noise, I would suggest looking at the Exactpower EP15a. We have relatively clean and very stable (118v to 121v) power so I can not comment on the effects of inserting balanced power into a problematic environment.

---

Size the transformer so you only use up to about 80% capacity. If you draw more than this, your system may sound ‘weak’ or ‘thin’.

When you get a unit, make sure each side of ground is the same voltage. The closer the voltage, the better the end results.

HiPerf360

RuSsMaN wrote:

I'm allowed to have whatever I want, inside my house. I've already tested one of Dodd's Balanced Power Supplies for him (not ready for sale yet). I'm no EE, but I'm talking exaclty 60v on each rail of the plug, capacitance up to a certain wattage (800, 1500w etc).


Cheers,
Russ

Not exactly...

You only have one phase electric at a 120 VAC outlet not two 60vac phases put together.

You might want to look in your electric panel, the ground bar and neutral bar should be connected together if it is a single residence house.

I'm not an expert on balanced electrical systems but i think it used to stabilize the frequency at 60hz.

Jonathon

HiPerf360

jmierzur wrote:

Yes, you can do anything you want to your own house. If something happens to the house and it’s caused by utilizing something inappropriately, damage may not be covered by insurance. Just a word of caution.

I have never connected any other type of appliance or lighting fixture to my balanced power unit (BPT BP-2.5) so I am unsure of the underlying reasoning behind the code.

The transformer will take the input voltage and divide it to create a positive and negative voltage out of phase on each side of ground. You will not be guaranteed to have +-60v. Only regulation can provide this. If you have regulation problems or exessive line noise, I would suggest looking at the Exactpower EP15a. We have relatively clean and very stable (118v to 121v) power so I can not comment on the effects of inserting balanced power into a problematic environment.

---

Size the transformer so you only use up to about 80% capacity. If you draw more than this, your system may sound ‘weak’ or ‘thin’.

When you get a unit, make sure each side of ground is the same voltage. The closer the voltage, the better the end results.

OK, i was wrong in a way, but if this is the case you definitely dont want to put balanced power through your entire house as the case of some appliances would have 60vac to ground or any path to ground (Through you!).

RuSsMaN

Something to think about (sober), thanks guys. I'll look at it sans new years.

del44

Every once in awhile the Classics come up for sale at Audiogon. Man, they look great. Don't know how the sound is though. Have you had a chance to a/b them to other speakers that are about the same price? BTW I think the Whispers look kinda cool.

I-SIG

HiPerf360 wrote:

OK, i was wrong in a way, but if this is the case you definitely dont want to put balanced power through your entire house as the case of some appliances would have 60vac to ground or any path to ground (Through you!).

Actually, on a power system, you want all the equipment at the same potential so that it doesn't TRY to equalize that potential through YOU! Usually a person is not the path of least resistance, all things being equal.

That's why virtually everything is tied together at the neutral: pole ground, transformer high & low-side neutral, tank ground, system neutral, lightning arrester, service cut-in, and finally, depending on the system specs, the guy wire if one is present. (Some power companies, i.e. Georgia Power, choose to isolate the guy rather than tie it to the system neutral. This procedure is optional per the NESC. Any RUS borrower, i.e. most cooperatives, has to tie the guy to the neutral.)

Wes

Editted to add: Obviously, through the service line form the power company, and your house's ground is attached to the system neutral from the driven ground rods or the eupher (sp?).

amulford

Nice rig, Russ. You get some of the coolest ****...

I could see doing balance for dedicated A/V outlets, but personally wouldn't do it for the whole house. I'm thinking of doing it for a couple of areas in my house. One of them I'm going to run new dedicated circiuts to anyway, but the HT I have to retro. Shouldn't be much of a problem, they are coming out of a sub panel.

SDA SRS 1.2

Those Legacy Classics are beautiful! The other gear looks pretty darned good, too!

Robbie

TroyD

Lookin' GOOD, broham.

I'd hold out for a table a little farther up the food chain, you know?

BDT

RuSsMaN

Yeah, but I'm actually curious what the 'entry level' table market has to offer. Will it be a permanent addition, probably not - but I'm still interested on what one can do on a budget.

TroyD

I look at it this way, I've got the Music Hall MMF5 and the ARXA. Now, the AR is what I would consider comparable to an 'entry level' table and it sounds good, however, the MMF5 is FAR superior (and it's not that much more than the ones you are considering.

I think any way you go, you can't 'lose' but the MMF5 or something similar, considering your gear, is where I'd look to start.

BDT

HiPerf360

I-SIG wrote:

Actually, on a power system, you want all the equipment at the same potential so that it doesn't TRY to equalize that potential through YOU! Usually a person is not the path of least resistance, all things being equal.

That's why virtually everything is tied together at the neutral: pole ground, transformer high & low-side neutral, tank ground, system neutral, lightning arrester, service cut-in, and finally, depending on the system specs, the guy wire if one is present. (Some power companies, i.e. Georgia Power, choose to isolate the guy rather than tie it to the system neutral. This procedure is optional per the NESC. Any RUS borrower, i.e. most cooperatives, has to tie the guy to the neutral.)

Wes

Editted to add: Obviously, through the service line form the power company, and your house's ground is attached to the system neutral from the driven ground rods or the eupher (sp?).

Read the whole thread, i was stating why you would not want to send balanced power through your whole house. If you did this the neutral and ground would not be tied together but would have 60vac to them. I talked about the neutral/ground situation in the post i had before the one you quoted.

BobMcG

A really, really nice system.

I've been a big time fan of Legacy Speakers for years and have been tempted to buy some used speakers a couple of times. (Coulda, woulda, shoulda...) The only piece of theirs I do own is the Deep Impact sub I had them build for me a few years ago when they were still factory direct only. Love it.

I-SIG

HiPerf360 wrote:

Read the whole thread, i was stating why you would not want to send balanced power through your whole house. If you did this the neutral and ground would not be tied together but would have 60vac to them. I talked about the neutral/ground situation in the post i had before the one you quoted.

If you want balanced power safely, just get 208VAC 3-phase equipment.

Wes

HiPerf360

and good luck getting that to your house from the power company...

Mr. Smith, you will have to move your theater system to one of the industrial areas to get that service.

Tour2ma

Whoa... Cave no more. It's starting to look like the land of esoteric.

Russ,
If you want to play with an AR XA (or XB) for a while, just say the word. I'm heading north this coming weekend and might be "convinced" to swing by Monday and part with one of mine for a while.

organ

Sweet! What kind of sound do Legacy speakers put out?

RuSsMaN

GOOD sound. With that being said, just a soon as I set it all up, I'm thinking about going in a different (smaller) direction, hence the fire sale. I could be perfectly happy keeping them, but in THAT particular room, I feel I'm not letting them do all they can with the four 10 inch woofers.

scottyf

I was reading this thread and a buddy of mine is getting rid of his Denon DP-80. It has the upgraded base (though it's painted white, not the original brown and has an acrylic armboard. Dust cover is scratched up a bit. No tonearm or cartridge.

Anyway, this was Harry Peterson's prefered turntable in the 70's. I've heard it and it sounds really good.

What are you looking to spend?