Tubes and horns?

[NickH]

Nope - its much different than optical fiber for networking or distribution use. Does quite well.

Well it certianly looks cool to boot.

[hjames]

Still have the JBL L200 cabinets with 3 way action going on as the go-to speakers in the room -
and I'm still using the Joliday Tube amp with the Oppo or iTunes (lossless) files streamed ...
But I like to hear how different speakers affect the way my favorite music sounds ... so . . .
OMG - I've tweaked the system again ...

Last fall I had a chance to get a pair of Ruark Talisman II speakers (or Rubik's Taliban speakers, as Mark is fond of calling them!)
Kind of interesting English 2 ways in beautiful wood cabinets ... Very nice and impressive -
but I think the music room is too large/tall for them - I've heard they do well in a smaller room ....

But, this week on my birthday (Feb 19th) I ran down halfway to Richmond and got a pair of KEF 105.4 speakers -
really interesting time aligned 3 ways ... and yes, they are English too!
I'm still setting them up and getting to know them.
The upper cabinet is tiltable and steerable - even has a bullseye window feature -
turn it on, sit in your sweet spot, and rotate the top 2 way cabinet around until the red indicator is centered in the bullseye ... way cool!

Pretty neat and both pairs were fairly affordable - the KEFs were about twice what the Ruarks cost ...

One of the Ruark Talisman II speakers with the grill off,
followed by a shot showing the side profile.
They are built for biwiring - tho I've got that bridged.


The KEF 105.4s - with the top hat and grills off, and then with them on & covered.

[Odd]

Neat, you will soon need more space.

[hjames]

Neat, you will soon need more space.

yes - there will be another speaker sale ... probably the Ruarks -
they're quite nice but they are the least of them!

[grumpy]

Looks like fun 104's (similar) were on my short list years ago... never went there (so I'm a teensy bit jealous)

[macaroonie]

Hi Heather , if you are listening and comparing speakers in close proximity like that its a good idea to short out the unused speakers and stuff their ports.
Otherwise all you have is a couple of big resonators that will variously sing along with or cancel the driven speakers.
Personally from past experience I think you are in better company with Vandersteen or Tannoy ( although they are quite different )

Cheerie

M

[Mr. Widget]

I would suggest the KEFs are the superior speaker in your room, but the heavily modded JBLs may be more engaging or fun.


Widget

[hjames]

I would suggest the KEFs are the superior speaker in your room, but the heavily modded JBLs may be more engaging or fun.

Widget

Just a brief update
I recapped the KEF crossovers about 2 weeks back, and swapped 5 way Parts Express connectors for the original pot metal and rubber connectors. The original caps from '82 or so weren't very good even then, and of course 32 years later - ugh!
The replacement caps have made the KEFs sound pretty amazing. Mids and highs are gorgeous, and the caps even tightened up the bass. With 2 8 inch woofers in a sealed box they don't go quite as low as the 2234s in the L200 cabs, but they may have become my go-to speakers ... everything I've listened to sounds better on them!
I'm still using the Jolida 502BRC tube amp with the Audio Alchemy DDE DAC.
I have updated to the latest version of the Apple Airport Extreme and Airport Express units for digital streaming.

The KEFs really are a different kind of sound.

[jblwolf]

Hi Heather,I'm so over using passive x-overs( jbl,lx 5,3110,3105,lx13,7000& 8000)Ive had my s-8 system since 1977-components
I did get rid of the short horn and lens and got the 2309-2310.I went through many tube amp combo(old jukebox amps,fishers,mcintosh,dynaco,marantz,heathkit)grou nd issues ,hum,blown fuses,recapping,tube replacement,old age issues. then in 1986 I got a rane ac23(running tri-amped),2-mc50's,752 and a pro Ramsa amp.in 2003 I added another 075(tried 077) and have never looked back.now don't get me wrong tubes sound great,it was the up keep of the tube equipment that kept burning a hole in my pocket.Ive
been using this system 4 to 5 hours every day since 2004 and have never had any problems.just listen' to the music
=Wolf

[hjames]

Hi Heather,I'm so over using passive x-overs( jbl,lx 5,3110,3105,lx13,7000& 8000)Ive had my s-8 system since 1977-components
I did get rid of the short horn and lens and got the 2309-2310.I went through many tube amp combo(old jukebox amps,fishers,mcintosh,dynaco,marantz,heathkit)grou nd issues ,hum,blown fuses,recapping,tube replacement,old age issues. then in 1986 I got a rane ac23(running tri-amped),2-mc50's,752 and a pro Ramsa amp.in 2003 I added another 075(tried 077) and have never looked back.now don't get me wrong tubes sound great,it was the up keep of the tube equipment that kept burning a hole in my pocket.Ive
been using this system 4 to 5 hours every day since 2004 and have never had any problems.just listen' to the music
=Wolf

Interesting prspective, thanks.

I've never had any upkeep with the tube amps. Once I shipped the original faulty Stromberg Carlson back to the seller
(he was very apologetic once he found the bad solder joint), its been pretty new Jolida amps for me.
I did buy my current amp used - it was around half price that way.
One of the 6550 power tubes failed a year later and I replaced it and its partner with a new pair,
but outside of the original tube rolling to upgrade the chinese and russian tubes, no, not a dime.

[Fort Knox]

Interesting prspective, thanks.

I've never had any upkeep with the tube amps. Once I shipped the original faulty Stromberg Carlson back to the seller
(he was very apologetic once he found the bad solder joint), its been pretty new Jolida amps for me.
I did buy my current amp used - it was around half price that way.
One of the 6550 power tubes failed a year later and I replaced it and its partner with a new pair,
but outside of the original tube rolling to upgrade the chinese and russian tubes, no, not a dime.

I second the motion
Tube amp distortion with a little reverb thrown in rules....

[hjames]

New change to the room.
Still have the L200s with Wooden horn and external slots, and the KEF 105.4 I got for my birthday in Feb, but ...
Emma had been really impressed with the magnepan MGIIb we had a few years back.
They had very narrow bandwidth, no real top end, no low bass, but the midrange on old sinatra recordings and such -
well, with sound coming from the front and back of the panel, Emma said it was like swimming in the music.

Anyway, learning experience aside, I managed to sell them for what I paid for em, back then ...
but always wondered about better models.

Last week before the July 4th Holiday I saw an ad that intrigued me ...

Audio Research Tympani 1-D electrostatic speakers (vintage) - $### (under 5 benjamins)
Owners manual and passive crossover (never used)
New cream covers in 2002
Have speaker feet (black)
Used about 25 hours in the past 17 years
Each speaker consists of 3 panels, each panel is 16" wide by 72" tall, about 1" thick
Each speaker is about 45" wide x 72" high when panels are angled
Always used with Nacamichi power amp, clean power
Cash and carry
=================================
So I did the googling, did some reading, and went to audition them last night ...
Great hairy ned - these things had bass and these things have treble!!!

I haven't had time to really shake them down hard -
but everything is very interesting through them.
Specs say they go down to 40Hz

They're the big grey room 3-panel dividers! Crazy, huh?

[grumpy]

Always thought that would be a fun speaker to audition.
nice price for a working set. If you ever tire of them ...

[hjames]

Lest you think I've drifted too far with the other brands ...
I still fire up the 3-way L200s on the Jolida amp ...
The Quad 6550 tubes make for a great combo with plenty of volume!

Anyway, as you may have noticed, I'm selling off some of my spares -
so yesterday I decided to sell the external 077s I got from subwoof last year.

To do so, I had to unhook the walnut Smith horns, lay the cabinets
on their back, pull the 2234 woofers, and hook up the crossover wires
to the internal 2405 slots I had originally installed a few years back.

Of course, with the speaker on its back, its something different in the living room -
something new and interesting, something that needs to be inspected closely ...

(At least the woofer wasn't off yet)

[hjames]

Always thought that would be a fun speaker to audition.
nice price for a working set. If you ever tire of them ...

I made a call to the Magnepan factory last Tuesday, checking prices for new socks and wire kits to rebuild the 6 panels.
Parts would be around $350 or so, plus shipping from the factory in Mn. But interestingly enough,
I also found out that if I ship the 35 year old speakers back to the factory, for somewhere around a grand or so,
they'll rebuild them, install new socks, and check/repair the electronics (a simple 2 way crossover), and ship them back to me.

Its VERY tempting to avoid all that fuss and tedious mess with the smelly chemicals and such,
and wind up with factory fresh speakers.