What did you do to your stereo rig today?

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Comments

  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    I’ll Pass on trying to guess how much all that was John. Looks great man!!
  • Mike Reeter
    Mike Reeter Posts: 4,314
    joecoulson wrote: »
    Man what a great looking listening room.
    Kudos [/quote
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Spiked the 2.3TL's, replaced a defective driver and listened to the immediate improvements via some killer Vinyl, been a Great Day ;)

    dy0pguv0qo1p.jpg

    dang, that's a pretty room.

    Thank you, I spend a lotta time in there. One of the few rewards for being old ;)
  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    halo wrote: »
    Took delivery of a pair of brand new black KEF Q150 bookshelf speakers. It's pretty cold outside so I'm letting them acclimate overnight.

    I'm hoping to get a pair in the coming weeks as well. :)
    Be sure to tell us what you think!
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,490
    I took the Joule-Electra out to pop the cover and inventory the power supply caps. The left channel has been cutting out periodically and I’ve been told that these are likely the culprit. No obvious culprit. Now I need to source the appropriate replacement caps. I think I will not touch those in the gain stage at this time. It’s back in the rack and sounds like it always has.
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    maxward wrote: »
    I took the Joule-Electra out to pop the cover and inventory the power supply caps. The left channel has been cutting out periodically and I’ve been told that these are likely the culprit. No obvious culprit. Now I need to source the appropriate replacement caps. I think I will not touch those in the gain stage at this time. It’s back in the rack and sounds like it always has.

    Bummer dude. What are you running as a spare?
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,490
    No spare. It works fine when it works. If the left channel cuts out, turning off and on again cures it. This used to happen about once every 10-15 hours, but is now about every other CD or so. If I need to get a spare, I’m thinking Schiit.
  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    mlistens03 wrote: »
    halo wrote: »
    Took delivery of a pair of brand new black KEF Q150 bookshelf speakers. It's pretty cold outside so I'm letting them acclimate overnight.

    I'm hoping to get a pair in the coming weeks as well. :)
    Be sure to tell us what you think!

    I set the speakers up today. They're on 31" Trans Decco speaker stands and the back of the speaker cabinets are 2' from the front wall. Listening at moderate dB levels (63 avg with up to a 75 dB peak) the sound is very satisfying. I was actually thinking of you while listening some classic rock (stuff from the 70's) and I've been pleasantly surprised by these entry level KEF speakers. Some of the songs I'm familiar with cast a very wide soundstage during certain parts of the songs, well outside the speakers. Pretty cool.

    I do not find the sweet spot to be as wide as many people claim. There is a point in between the two speakers where everything snaps into focus and that's where I keep my head positioned while listening. These are really only going to give you what's in the recording. I don't notice any coloration to the sound.

    I plan to pair a sub with these (if not two) to shore up the bottom end. Since bass isn't a huge concern for you, they may be what you want as-is.
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
  • Dr_Wu
    Dr_Wu Posts: 305
    Made some home brew acoustic panels. Easier done than I expected. Hope to finish tomorrow. Gettin' happier by the day!
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    maxward wrote: »
    If I need to get a spare, I’m thinking Schiit.

    Unless you are on a tight budget, I would politely suggest to not go with a Schiit preamp. It will be nowhere near the performance level that you are accustomed to with your Joule.
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,490
    Thanks, @Clipdat. I honestly don’t think that I’ll need a spare. I’m not planning to send it out unless it stumps both me and a friend who’s been repairing tube equipment for some years as a sideline. He suggested replacement of all caps on the power supply side. None of these look bad, but they are all 25+ years old. I’m hoping to find exact replacements and either put them in myself or have him do it.

    Not intending to derail this thread, but have you heard either of the Schiit preamps?
  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,633
    verb wrote: »
    Minor tweak for better cable management. Gold plated RCA right angle adapters. For the Bottlehead amp, whose RCA terminals point straight up! :smile:
    iz2woa02vk8n.jpg

    I ordered some right angle adapters. @verb thanks for the inspiration.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 18,230
    Tom......helping Club Polk members spend their hard earned money!

    Carry on Polkster's...

    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. ~
  • lightman1
    lightman1 Posts: 10,776
    Shut up Tom.....
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 18,230
    Oh, you are just jealous. Go pee in a bush or somethin' ya' goat lovin' redneck.

    Said with the utmost of respect, of course...

    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. ~
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,557
    maxward wrote: »
    Not intending to derail this thread, but have you heard either of the Schiit preamps?

    Yes, I used to own the Saga.
  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,739
    Going to give these resistors a try in the 2.3TL.

    Two Path Audio .5 ohm 10W

    Four 22.5 ohm Vishay 50W wire wound.

    The speakers sound good, but mainly just curious.

    nnyvolgkafit.jpg
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,474
    edited January 2019
    gmcman wrote: »
    Going to give these resistors a try in the 2.3TL.

    Two Path Audio .5 ohm 10W

    Four 22.5 ohm Vishay 50W wire wound.

    The speakers sound good, but mainly just curious.

    nnyvolgkafit.jpg

    Ok I'll bite. Whats the extra lead for in the .5 ohms?
    My next will be Duelands
  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,034
    edited January 2019
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    gmcman wrote: »
    Going to give these resistors a try in the 2.3TL.

    Two Path Audio .5 ohm 10W

    Four 22.5 ohm Vishay 50W wire wound.

    The speakers sound good, but mainly just curious.

    nnyvolgkafit.jpg

    Ok I'll bite. Whats the extra lead for in the .5 ohms?
    My next will be Duelands
    They are there to confuse the crap out of the bomb squad when they need to figure out which wire to cut.
    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
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 24,474
    Well worked fer me :p
  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,739
    edited January 2019
    pitdogg2 wrote: »
    Ok I'll bite. Whats the extra lead for in the .5 ohms?
    My next will be Duelands

    From what I've gathered, the extra lead doesn't need to be attached, but offers added shielding from interference.

    According to the manufacturer....

    ""......for ultimate mechanical stability and the shielding advantages it's putted into the copper tube and flooded with the best quality resin. The use of copper tubing allows to drain interferences and this is why we used the third long leadout. It's connected only to the casing, having no contact with the signal transmitted by the resistor. The third leadout should be joined to the ground or "-" speaker input."

    I did not connect the lead, I will let it play for a few days then connect to one of the input "-" terminals.

    I've gone round robin with some different resistors for the last month. I had a set of Duelund CAST, of course the mills 12W, tried a Mundorf Supreme .5 ohm, Mundorf MoX.

    The mills are smooth, but paired with the Clarity CMR, I thought the Duelund CAST was more transparent but the Duelund's seem to have a slight brightness to them, can also get a little edgy on the higher notes.

    The Mundorf Supreme .5 ohm paired with the CAST 22.5 still was a tad bright. I even tried a .56 ohm Mills 12W and that seemed to tame the brightness a little paired with the 22.5 CAST. Even then there was still something amiss, and it was starting to lead me down a possible preamp upgrade.

    Granted this is with my gear so YMMV.

    With the .5 ohm Path and the 22.5 Vishays....seems a bit of magic has happened. The tweeter network is much smoother and what seems to be a bit more transparent albeit very well controlled. Even with no time on them, I'm liking them right out of the gate. The lower end of the high pass is very smooth, I was going to clean up the work table but ended up listening to this setup for almost 2 hrs.

    The highs don't get out of control, very smooth and natural. There's a bit of added midrange smoothness and I don't know where it came from...perhaps the highs aren't as coloring as before, not sure, but it's a very nice blend.

    I'll give them a few days but so far it's the best combination of resistors I've tried.
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 27,965
    I'm a fan of that style of wire sound resistor, I've used the mills mrc50 in place of duelund many times

    Good to experiment!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    I like it -- a good notch above my amp stand aesthetics and construction values :)

    25596703847_f34edc1222_h.jpgDSC_0630 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    Oh, I pulled the hk770 out and hooked up a Yamaha CR2020 in what may be a last ditch attempt to wake up the rather dynamically torpid (albeit pleasant) ELACs.

    h28s27s5mkal.png
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    verb wrote: »
    Built another amp stand today!
    r145zgzwuyeu.jpeg

    Ok I want two of these please delivered for pickup at AXPONA. Thank You Dave.
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Easy peasy Joe! :smile: Legs are prefab, and have threads on the bottom for spikes eventually. The tops are pre-cut butcher block. I chose 1.5" thick oak. Just gotta attach the legs with screws, and done! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
    Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD.
  • joecoulson
    joecoulson Posts: 4,943
    Good deal. I’ll have my truck with me so that sounds great. Thanks man :p
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    Timber Nation is a good source for specific sizes, wood types, and even stained blocks
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a