New listening space.. new system

Epic progress for sure! Sound treatment is next in my room, too.
I agree with what you said about the NHTs: cold / analytical / detailed / finesse-ful, excellent for critical listening. Surgical like.
Since I got my SuperTwos, they've forever ruined my JAMO bookshelves for me and even my SB Acoustics car system now could be brighter.
The NHTs are very intolerant to sub-par recordings as well.
But I could never go back! hehe

Thanks. Sound treatments really take your system to the next level. If you like the NHT sound consider upgrading to the 2.5s or 3.3s down the line- they ended the endless speaker hunt for me and I couldn't be happier.

They respond very well to increase in gear quality so its always cool to have that headroom
 
Thanks. Sound treatments really take your system to the next level. If you like the NHT sound consider upgrading to the 2.5s or 3.3s down the line- they ended the endless speaker hunt for me and I couldn't be happier.

They respond very well to increase in gear quality so its always cool to have that headroom
I'm starting to realize my electronics are worth a lot more than my speakers. I've never experienced that before, but I really can't think of a pair of speakers I'd rather own. I'm still noticing large improvements with updated input gear
 
I'm starting to realize my electronics are worth a lot more than my speakers. I've never experienced that before, but I really can't think of a pair of speakers I'd rather own. I'm still noticing large improvements with updated input gear


Yea scalability is a fun aspect of audio, it's always a great feeling to make a "retired" pair of speakers sing because of some nice source or amplification upgrades

Most of the time sounding the best they have ever sounded, and perhaps even better than your preconceived notion of the "ceiling" of the speakers.

My Kappa 6.1s are a great example of this, damn do they scale well with the associated gear..
 
Yea scalability is a fun aspect of audio, it's always a great feeling to make a "retired" pair of speakers sing because of some nice source or amplification upgrades

Most of the time sounding the best they have ever sounded, and perhaps even better than your preconceived notion of the "ceiling" of the speakers.

My Kappa 6.1s are a great example of this, damn do they scale well with the associated gear..
I think emit Infinity in general have this phenomena. A friend of mine goes nuts for the rse models, powers them with Rogue and Thorens stuff. Really remarkably designed speakers.
 
quick pic with the 3.3s in action..

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small update- rearranged the room, brought in my gear rack from storage to hold some of my vintage collection

I have the PSB Image 6Ts hooked up, going to demo for potential buyer later today. I also rotated the orientation of the subwoofer boxes so they make less surface contact with the floor and used things similatr to furniture movers to truly decouple in hopes of increasing fidelity


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was checking out the rbh 641se xover to check out caps/etc.. didn't realize how complex it is for a 3 way tower, it doesn't surprise me it has a crazy xover, 85 db/s and 4 ohm, its a brutal load for "mid" towers.

I love the RBH 641se as I improve my system over time they have scaled very well. they are not far sonically from the NHT 3.3sRBH for most underrated audio company

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currently using

RBH 641se
Krell KAV-250
Onkyo Integra Research RDC 7.1
2x Stereo Integrity ds4 18" DIY 6cu ft sealed f3 of 27hz
iRoc NOS dac by larry moore
 
was checking out the rbh 641se xover to check out caps/etc.. didn't realize how complex it is for a 3 way tower, it doesn't surprise me it has a crazy xover, 85 db/s and 4 ohm, its a brutal load for "mid" towers.

I love the RBH 641se as I improve my system over time they have scaled very well. they are not far sonically from the NHT 3.3sRBH for most underrated audio company

tncqRQP.jpg


VTBBKhP.jpg



4ShXWTU.jpg

currently using

RBH 641se
Krell KAV-250
Onkyo Integra Research RDC 7.1
2x Stereo Integrity ds4 18" DIY 6cu ft sealed f3 of 27hz
iRoc NOS dac by larry moore
I'm trying to move over to a direct heated triode power stage. Too bad we can't compare systems in person, we're using nearly opposite design concepts
 
I'm trying to move over to a direct heated triode power stage. Too bad we can't compare systems in person, we're using nearly opposite design concepts

I've dreamed of making a super efficient system with tubes and I'm sure it will happen at some point but for the time being I like my high current solid state stuff with large full range speakers man

and it is a shame. I'm always trying to hear different systems. I used to be into headphones and I traded equipment all the time and it was cool to see the "chemistry" of peoples systems, really cool aspect of that hobby
 
Fun thread to follow. Looks like fun! Liked your post on the 700 PMCs above. I had a pair of the big 705 PMCs w/ the center channel a couple years ago and really enjoyed them. Sold them before I had a chance to drive them with serious power. :(

What's the deal with the Magnepans lurking about in a couple of the pics?
 
Fun thread to follow. Looks like fun! Liked your post on the 700 PMCs above. I had a pair of the big 705 PMCs w/ the center channel a couple years ago and really enjoyed them. Sold them before I had a chance to drive them with serious power. :(

What's the deal with the Magnepans lurking about in a couple of the pics?

thanks. the monitor audio PMCs are a true gem in audio, I can only imagine how the 705's sound. I believe you can fill the 705s with sand to make the box less resonant. and yea they love power I'm sure they would've opened up with serious power!

and the magnepans are a pair of MG-I, one has been restored, the other one is awaiting restoration, it's an ongoing project and they have been lurking around because I'm constantly moving stuff around in the house and sometimes this room is the most convenient.
 
having fun getting the most out of these RBH 641se, have them biamped right now onkyo m504 165wpc on mids/highs and the krell kav250 250wpc on the lows.

hafler p7000 doing 500wpc @ 4 ohm for the 2x 18s". It's much more quiet due to fan noise than the 2x bridged qsc mx1500a, which are merely used for showing off now haha

Experimenting with sub placement is always nice, best free tweak. I had reorganized the room so I figured acoustics changed. I rotated the 18"s 180 so that the woofer is against the front wall.

Much more linear sound I've found due to standing waves, and conveniently since the subs are not front facing I'm able to place my gik acoustic panels much closer for more absorption on the front wall.

the panels are essentially "hiding" the sub cabinets right now.. which is not a band thing since I still need to carpet or paint those boxes.

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Looks like you've got electrostatic subs lol
So I was wondering how you split up the signal to biamp the speakers?
For car audio it's so easy and cheap but all I can find for home stereo is expensive electronic crossovers besides miniDSP.
Is there a simple solution that I'm missing?
Thanks and looking good!
Happy new year!
 
Looks like you've got electrostatic subs lol
So I was wondering how you split up the signal to biamp the speakers?
For car audio it's so easy and cheap but all I can find for home stereo is expensive electronic crossovers besides miniDSP.
Is there a simple solution that I'm missing?
Thanks and looking good!
Happy new year!

my Integra Research pre/pro has "biamp" outputs both balanced xlr and RCA. 2 sets of L/R signal out

I know most people use Y splitters to bi amp, or use an external active 2/3 way crossover
 
I've dreamed of making a super efficient system with tubes and I'm sure it will happen at some point but for the time being I like my high current solid state stuff with large full range speakers man

and it is a shame. I'm always trying to hear different systems. I used to be into headphones and I traded equipment all the time and it was cool to see the "chemistry" of peoples systems, really cool aspect of that hobby

You could go the way I did with my main rig, high current SS to my bass panels and NHT W2 subs, and tubes to the midrange panels and ribbon tweeters on my modified Magnapan MGIIIa's. I'm using two Acurus A200, two Quicksilver M60 mono blocks, and two Quicksilver Mini Mono mono blocks. My ARC LS16MkII pre amp has 2 sets of balanced main outputs which allows me to feed the modified Behringer DCX2496, and the NHT X1 crossovers. I originally ran them with 8 channels of Acurus SS, but the tubes really put the Maggies over the top. They can play anything I throw at them, and have kept me happy for several years. I did the room upgrade a while back with dedicated power lines etc as well, and I must say you have taken it further than I and it all looks fabulous!
Enjoy,
Jim
 
You could go the way I did with my main rig, high current SS to my bass panels and NHT W2 subs, and tubes to the midrange panels and ribbon tweeters on my modified Magnapan MGIIIa's. I'm using two Acurus A200, two Quicksilver M60 mono blocks, and two Quicksilver Mini Mono mono blocks. My ARC LS16MkII pre amp has 2 sets of balanced main outputs which allows me to feed the modified Behringer DCX2496, and the NHT X1 crossovers. I originally ran them with 8 channels of Acurus SS, but the tubes really put the Maggies over the top. They can play anything I throw at them, and have kept me happy for several years. I did the room upgrade a while back with dedicated power lines etc as well, and I must say you have taken it further than I and it all looks fabulous!
Enjoy,
Jim

using tubes to bi amp is a very attractive option and I see it highly likely becoming a reality for me in my future upgrades, I have a dbx crossover similar to yours and I have 2 sets of balanced main outputs. have you heard of shengya chinese company they make tube power amps I've been looking at. Its actually the same factory made as vincent audio. I also could save up for a used prima luna older model that are still killer

I wish I could afford ARC stuff thats a nice pre man, your system must sound sublime, dedicated lines are a great thing too..
 
using tubes to bi amp is a very attractive option and I see it highly likely becoming a reality for me in my future upgrades, I have a dbx crossover similar to yours and I have 2 sets of balanced main outputs. have you heard of shengya chinese company they make tube power amps I've been looking at. Its actually the same factory made as vincent audio. I also could save up for a used prima luna older model that are still killer

I wish I could afford ARC stuff thats a nice pre man, your system must sound sublime, dedicated lines are a great thing too..

I'm really sold on the ARC Preamps, I started with a SP14, then went to a LS15 and ended up with the LS16 MkII which uses the 6H30 super tubes like their current offerings. I really like it and the dual balanced outputs work well feeding my crossovers. I really like the Quicksilver Tube amps as well, point to point wiring and built in the USA. The Mini Mono amps even have a 2 ohm output tap which works well with the ribbons in the Magnapans.
Regards,
Jim
 
I'm really sold on the ARC Preamps, I started with a SP14, then went to a LS15 and ended up with the LS16 MkII which uses the 6H30 super tubes like their current offerings. I really like it and the dual balanced outputs work well feeding my crossovers. I really like the Quicksilver Tube amps as well, point to point wiring and built in the USA. The Mini Mono amps even have a 2 ohm output tap which works well with the ribbons in the Magnapans.
Regards,
Jim

thats cool that the LS16 uses a similar tube topology to their current models. definitely something to consider. I am planning on bringing in either a tube preamp or tube power amp to bi amp with very soon.

I'm leaning towards 25-50wpc tube power amp to power mids/highs though as I am probably going to pick up a schiit freya balanced tube preamp to play with, not sure how good it'll be compared to ARC or prima luna tube preamps but with its lower price point & 30 day buyback I'm much more willing to experiment.

I also see a first watt f5 25wpc class A amp on head fi for $550... anyone have experiences with this unit? I know pass's mosfet class A circuits have the claim to fame that they are as smooth as tubes..
 
The ARC LS16 MkII has dual Balanced Outputs, which is a must for me, since one set drives my modified Behringer DCX2496 3 way crossover for the tri - amped MGIIIa's, and the other pair drives my NHT X1 stereo Sub woofer Crossover. These are connected by 2 pair of 26 ft balanced cables built with Canare L-4E6S cable and Neutrik balanced connectors. I guess this really makes my main rig quad - amped.
When selecting amps for bi or tri amping, pay attention to the impedances of the drivers when selecting amps, the ribbons in my Magnapans are 2 ohm which led me to the Quicksilver mini monos with their 2 ohm taps which are rare in tube amps.
Regards,
Jim
 
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