What did you do to your stereo rig today?

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited January 2020
    indyhawg wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    indyhawg wrote: »
    I picked up some ADS L880s locally yesterday. I gave them a listen today in the small room for a couple hours. Once I got though playing around with placement for them, they sounded pretty good.

    FWIW, and not that you asked and not that you may even be interested in my opinions! :| But I thought (think) that the L-710 and L-810 are quite a bit better sounding than the L-780 and L-880. I got a gorgeous pair of L-780s, in their boxes, from a coworker years back. A few listens comparing them to my dump-find L-710s... and I sold the L-780s for what I paid for them. And all y'all know I don't get rid of much.

    Haven't heard an L-880 for many, many, many years... but I reckon it would be the case for that one, too (and... heh... also FWIW, I like the L-710 better than the L-810, which I always found a little thick sounding, relatively speaking).

    Not that any of this matters one whit, but I still felt moved to share it.

    Gee.....thanks for raining on a parade.
    Sorry! Believe it or not, I did think twice before posting that stuff -- I just failed to act upon my better judgement. I do apologize.

    You said they sound pretty good; I agree! :)
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 18,230
    Found it. Radii MPP-M8 tube amp. 8 watts - https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/68610/radii-mpp-m8-stereo-tube-amplifier

    Apparently after researching this again tonight, it was more than a resistor that blew up. This was that little 8 watt tube amp I was talking about. Might have to send this one down to Hotlanta when I get the Dodd MLP repaired.

    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. ~
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 999
    Hi Tom,that sounds like an interesting amp. Get her up and running!!
    Ray
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    edited January 2020
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Found it. Radii MPP-M8 tube amp. 8 watts - https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/68610/radii-mpp-m8-stereo-tube-amplifier

    Apparently after researching this again tonight, it was more than a resistor that blew up. This was that little 8 watt tube amp I was talking about. Might have to send this one down to Hotlanta when I get the Dodd MLP repaired.

    Tom

    The resistor was most likely a symptom -- a victim of the root cause :/
    Could still be something very simple (e.g., a tired output tube - or tubes - that couldn't hold bias) -- do you know what kind of bias scheme the amp uses?

  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 18,230
    Nope. No manual adjustments though IIRC.

    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. ~
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    TEAforONE wrote: »
    a0cj1pkon1u1.jpeg

    I fired up the tube amp. I figured since I have the horns set up,why not let them feed on some tubes?

    This was a fun little PP 6AQ5 stereo console amp (of Canadian provenance) that spent some years at the ol' Hardy place after being procured at a local antique radio/audio swapmeet.

    12596663603_d331891469_b.jpgPP 6AQ5 console amp 021714 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    I couldn't resist it at the asking price... but when I actually listened to it, I was astonished by how good it sounded.

    A shelf queen no more, the amp has since been passed along to an analog luminary who lives in the wilds of New York state. :)
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 999
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    TEAforONE wrote: »
    a0cj1pkon1u1.jpeg

    I fired up the tube amp. I figured since I have the horns set up,why not let them feed on some tubes?

    This was a fun little PP 6AQ5 stereo console amp (of Canadian provenance) that spent some years at the ol' Hardy place after being procured at a local antique radio/audio swapmeet.

    12596663603_d331891469_b.jpgPP 6AQ5 console amp 021714 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    I couldn't resist it at the asking price... but when I actually listened to it, I was astonished by how good it sounded.

    A shelf queen no more, the amp has since been passed along to an analog luminary who lives in the wilds of New York state. :)

    One of the nice things with the 6aq5's is you can roll tubes on the cheap! Was your amp turnkey?
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,926
    TEAforONE wrote: »
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    TEAforONE wrote: »
    a0cj1pkon1u1.jpeg

    I fired up the tube amp. I figured since I have the horns set up,why not let them feed on some tubes?

    This was a fun little PP 6AQ5 stereo console amp (of Canadian provenance) that spent some years at the ol' Hardy place after being procured at a local antique radio/audio swapmeet.

    12596663603_d331891469_b.jpgPP 6AQ5 console amp 021714 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

    I couldn't resist it at the asking price... but when I actually listened to it, I was astonished by how good it sounded.

    A shelf queen no more, the amp has since been passed along to an analog luminary who lives in the wilds of New York state. :)

    One of the nice things with the 6aq5's is you can roll tubes on the cheap! Was your amp turnkey?

    Yup -- although 100% original as found, but it worked fine and sounded... pretty amazing.

    Had I ever rehabbed it, I'd've done something to drop the HV a tad bit for modern AC mains. Easy way to do that would be to go to a rectifier with a higher voltage drop than the 5U4GB or whatever it was that was in there. :)
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 999
    Today I received the Amperex Holland Rogers 12AX7's I ordered last week. I'm VERY impressed!! Great tone,definition,and a gigantic soundstage.
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,420
    edited January 2020
    Tube rolling! Got a matched set of Sylvania tall black plate halo 12au7's with the Baldwin Logo on them today to match my Hallicrafters. I liked the sound of the Hallicrafters so much I bought these as a back up just in case something happened to these. I'm surprised there is even a difference in sound with identical tubes! These baldwins are a little more forward (?) and edgy or raspy or something. Haven't decided it I like that or not yet. Sounds great when listening to techno though. With the volume all the way down and tapping on the Hallicrafters they were virtually dead silent. One of the Baldwins gave out a good amount of tapping sound through the speaker so I may mark that one as noisy and see if I can find a quiet one.

    How are you tube guys dampening your pre's? I read somewhere online that you should put some closed cell foam under the feet of a tubed pre so it doesn't pick up external noises.
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 18,230
    I use footers that isolate/decouple the vibrations and if needed, I will put a Herbie's ring or the like around the problematic tube. Keep the tubes as far away from subs and the speakers as possible.

    The question you asked will have 100's of different answers and is kinda an open ended question. I'm not suggesting that you need too, but starting a separate thread on this particular subject may help you a lot more than on this particular thread.....too many other subjects going on in here.

    Just a thought...

    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. ~
  • verb
    verb Posts: 10,176
    Awesome brother! Looks great! :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.
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 999
    Today I swapped out the Amperex Holland Rogers 12ax7's for the Sylvania red label 12at7's. To my ears, the Sylvania's seem to throw a bigger soundstage. Oh,and before I forget,last night I put the Chartwells back in the system.
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,084
    I picked up the unusual Usher T-515 from Skip this past weekend. I was impressed with the build quality once we started packing them up and I really got my hands on them. These will likely be here until I can make a bigger leap on to new speakers.

    NICE!

    Do I spy a Dueventi? Thoughts? End game kit?

    Thanks, man!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampi Baltic 4
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,126
    GlennDog wrote: »
    I picked up the unusual Usher T-515 from Skip this past weekend. I was impressed with the build quality once we started packing them up and I really got my hands on them. These will likely be here until I can make a bigger leap on to new speakers.

    NICE!

    Do I spy a Dueventi? Thoughts? End game kit?

    Thanks, man!
    I LOVE the Dueventi. But the fact of the matter is that 10/20 watts only gets you so far. Because my room is fairly small and bright, it gives me more speaker options, but even then it's not going to work with a lot of speakers.

    If I end up with endgame speakers that are high enough efficiency I could certainly see sticking with it for a very long time. But if I move to a bigger space and fall in love with some high efficiency speakers, I would probably need to make an amp change. It's also just the start of the Mastersound line. It's hard to say the Dueventi is end game when I know the Evo 845 exists, lol.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
  • audioluvr
    audioluvr Posts: 5,420
    Polkaguy58 wrote: »
    w6g2o23madi4.jpg
    7fev5gdrdmo3.jpg

    I see two things very wrong here. Black Velvet and what appears to be a inordinate amount of pubic hair on those speakers.
    Gustard X26 Pro DAC
    Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
    B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
    Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
    Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
    Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)


    There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus
  • CH46E
    CH46E Posts: 3,521
    Polkaguy58 wrote: »
    I've been reconfiguring my speaker storage and decided to move them for easier accsess when I wat to swap them out.
    It's a lot easier now without have to go fishing in the closet.
    Really enjoying the new foam collars that I made my full rangers.
    I may experimnt with different density foams in the future.
    w6g2o23madi4.jpg
    7fev5gdrdmo3.jpg

    Are those Dayton drivers? I've been wanting to try some full range drivers for a long time.
  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 10,862
    audioluvr wrote: »
    Polkaguy58 wrote: »
    w6g2o23madi4.jpg
    7fev5gdrdmo3.jpg

    I see two things very wrong here. Black Velvet and what appears to be a inordinate amount of pubic hair on those speakers.

    After many drinks, those port holes could look tempting.... to some
  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,084
    It's hard to say the Dueventi is end game when I know the Evo 845 exists, lol.
    Point taken. I’m glad you’re dig’n your system!

    Unfortunately, I have not been able to get my ears on MastersounD
    Could you briefly describe their house sound?

    Thanks again
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampi Baltic 4
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
  • Jaybeez
    Jaybeez Posts: 737
    Just left a call back message to Polk Customer Service. Gonna buy some RDO198s for the Monitor 7's (series 2).
  • CH46E wrote: »
    Polkaguy58 wrote: »
    I've been reconfiguring my speaker storage and decided to move them for easier accsess when I wat to swap them out.
    It's a lot easier now without have to go fishing in the closet.
    Really enjoying the new foam collars that I made my full rangers.
    I may experimnt with different density foams in the future.
    w6g2o23madi4.jpg
    7fev5gdrdmo3.jpg

    Are those Dayton drivers? I've been wanting to try some full range drivers for a long time.

    Yes, they're the 6.5" full range and I like them, but they do have the typical midrange "honk" like most do.
    I took care of that with a Schitt Loki EQ and my home made dampeners.
    Decreasing the Loki's 8K knob, does wonders for removing syblence (or however the hell you spell it).
    That's dust and cat fur you see on the speaker surrounds, which will happen to a speaker in this house without a screen on it.

  • Willow wrote: »
    audioluvr wrote: »
    Polkaguy58 wrote: »
    w6g2o23madi4.jpg
    7fev5gdrdmo3.jpg

    I see two things very wrong here. Black Velvet and what appears to be a inordinate amount of pubic hair on those speakers.

    After many drinks, those port holes could look tempting.... to some


    The Black Velvet bottle was found in my very first apartment in 1979.
    I've used it for a door stop among other things over the last 40 years.
  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,126
    GlennDog wrote: »
    It's hard to say the Dueventi is end game when I know the Evo 845 exists, lol.
    Point taken. I’m glad you’re dig’n your system!

    Unfortunately, I have not been able to get my ears on MastersounD
    Could you briefly describe their house sound?

    Thanks again
    They are first and foremost amazingly quiet and when paired with appropriate speakers have solid dynamics for a tube amp. They don't provide the hardest hitting or fastest base compared to good solid state, but the top end is very refined and the imaging and depth they can produce is stunning.

    I believe the Duventi specifically is a little more midrange forward than other models, but not to any extent where it feels overly elevated or overpowering the rest of the bandwidth. In general I find them to be quite balanced. But again, it's all about good speaker matching. I think you can only really evaluate an amp if you've heard it with several speakers. At this point I have heard the Duventi with a decent number of speakers, but I haven't heard near as variations on the higher up models. @marvda1 has a Compact 845, and he can probably speak in more detail about a "house" sound.

    I can tell you I would take that 845 in a second if I could. It seems to have all the advantages of the Duventi, with some extra oomf when you need it.
    Analog: MoFi MasterTracker > MoFi UltraDeck > Sutherland 20/20
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    MastersounD Dueventi > Rosso Fiorentino Certaldo or Arcam rHead > Hifiman HE4XX
    Discogs
  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,084
    They are first and foremost amazingly quiet and when paired with appropriate speakers have solid dynamics for a tube amp. They don't provide the hardest hitting or fastest base compared to good solid state, but the top end is very refined and the imaging and depth they can produce is stunning.

    I can tell you I would take that 845 in a second if I could. It seems to have all the advantages of the Duventi, with some extra oomf when you need it.

    Thank you, good sir!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampi Baltic 4
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12