ack's system - end of round 1

[Mike]

Back to ack...I wonder if people get told to be careful navigating the stairs, so that the don't get too close to the speaker. Very impressive system!

 

[ack]

Hi,

Thanks for the great pictures. I hope you don't mind if I mention a few things. Spectral recommends 12" of airspace above the preamp. You can have a little less. Your preamp could eventually develop problems do to overheating. In your case, a cooling fan should be used. Also, we would suggest that you don't put the DMA-360 on top of a subwoofer. I assume you always put your SDR-3000 in standby when not in use. If not, be sure you do!

Great and welcome feedback - especially coming from a great dealer. Yes I use a fan on top of the preamp (and the Alpha; see last pic in the first page) - have had my own share of heat-related issues with Spectrals even when ventilated as prescribed. Yes the 3000 is in standby when not playing. The amp on the sub - I have no choice at the moment. At some point I am going to get an isolation platform, like the HRS. Thanks again; wish you could hear the modified Odysseys with the Mundorf crossover...

 

[ack]

Back to ack...I wonder if people get told to be careful navigating the stairs, so that the don't get too close to the speaker. Very impressive system!

The picture is misleading; the corner of the speaker is flush to the wall. Thanks!

 

[TMenacker]

Hi ACK,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I couldn't see the fans. I'd like to hear your system sometime. I'm sure it sounds great!

BR,

T

 

[TMenacker]

Hi ACK,

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I couldn't see the fans. I'd like to hear your system sometime. I'm sure it sounds great!

BR,

T

 

[ack]

VPI isolation

My custom solution relies on sorbothane balls and EAR Isodamp C-1002 for the Aries feet, sorbothane sheet and C-1002 on top of cork plates for the motor, and a 55-lb granite shelf supported by Stillpoints and C-1002 - exceptional results.

 

[ack]

Mundorf crossover

M6 binding posts, Supreme caps + Vishay 1639 bypass, CFC-14 coils

Woofer crossover:


Panel crossover - not very tidy, but works; big cap banks on the floor:


A panel capacitor bank:


M6:

 

[ack]

Odyssey Resonance Management

Stinger RoadKill in the cabinet, EAR Isodamp C-1002 under the feet, custom granite and sorbothane sheet panel pillar reinforcement

 

[ack]

The finishing touches

Cardas Clear jumpers, CLX power cord

 

[MylesBAstor]

Why didn't you biwire instead of jumpers?

 

[ack]

Why didn't you biwire instead of jumpers?

The MIT/Spectral cables don't come biwired, plus sometimes I plug in a Caddock-resistor bass attenuator network(not shown) between the red leads (hence the bananas there, which are used to easily bypass it).

 

[ack]

While others are bickering why threads are marked sticky and what Harman Intl is doing or not, I can happily report that I am having a blast of a Friday with RR-101 and RR-113 - two all-organ HDCDs that the system can now play with no strain or obvious distortion, completely under control and full of composure, albeit the obvious lack of sheer volume. This was not possible before the crossover and structural mods. I will need a second REL Stadium III at some point to move more air.

 

[MylesBAstor]

While others are bickering why threads are marked sticky and what Harman Intl is doing or not, I can happily report that I am having a blast of a Friday with RR-101 and RR-113 - two all-organ HDCDs that the system can now play with no strain or obvious distortion, completely under control and full of composure, albeit the obvious lack of sheer volume. This was not possible before the crossover and structural mods. I will need a second REL Stadium III at some point to move more air.

Hell why not a triple stack per channel?

 

[ack]

Ah, that would require me being quite a bit a better husband, or in layman's terms, that would involve more frequent trips to her favorite jeweler

 

[ack]

Done with speaker mods

I think I have finally finished with all speaker mods - recent minor adjustments to the woofer crossover values plus final structural reinforcements have yielded the frequency response results at the bottom... The speakers really sound very linear.



FR before:


FR after structural changes and woofer crossover tweaking - notice panel smoothing:

 

[NorthStar]

---Wow, Linear, I'd say!

 

[Audioseduction]

Very cool!

 

[ack]

The DMA-400RS

The DMA-400RS - an extraordinary amplifier

 

[ack]

Further crossover modifications and MIT cabling

Further crossover modifications and MIT cabling

 

[mep]

How come on the front motherboard the connector on the left is not seated correctly?