I'm sure you're correct Elliot. Suffice it to say the biggest noticeable improvement was due to the fact that the back of this chair does not come above my mid back. It was a pleasant surprise to hear the sonic changes
I am so happy to hear you say that since back in the day there was so much BS on this site about chairs and most of it had seriously wrong information. My friend I believe got asked to leave the site over this issue. So many people want to argue little items but yet have a high back recliner and a glass coffee table in front of them and want to believe this makes no difference but some silly tweek they want to write 5 pages of sonic improvements. Audio at its cutting edge requires the right height chair in the right place in the room which is very important for the best sound. If you slide you chair back or forward a few inches it will change the sound greatly.
Can you elaborate how you find the positions for the speakers and the listening chair?
Do you walk around the room and listen or do you start systematically and then fine tune in an iterative process?
Is your approach similar to the "focal point" method?
I have no idea what focal point method is, never heard of it. Yes I do walk/sit around the room to figure out a strategy but what I end up doing isn't the same for every space. If the room is a decent size with decent sound then I try to incorporate it as part of the setup and the overall system sound, on the other hand if it's what I consider a problem room with negative sound quality I have to work to eliminate the room's sonic character from the overall sound and depending on the circumstances this can be very complicated and time consuming.
Thanks, sbnx.
What kind of measurements do you mean?
RTA with pink noise should do the trick, right?
I think with your method you also find the "focal point"
Not trying to highjack Steve's thread. This topic probably belongs in it's own spot but to answer your questions... I use an acoustic mic, and a laptop with REW. All in about $250 in cost with cables and everything. REW does have an RTA function with a bunch of different generators for different types of noise. e.g. pink etc. The RTA works well as you are moving the speakers you can see real time response differences. But when you get close you can do full sweeps (20-500Hz) and compare smaller differences in position. Whether you use the mic or not you can still use the sweep pink noise functions for adjustments by ear. REW is free to download.
To clarify the point that 12-18" makes a huge difference -- 1/8" of movement of one speaker location relative to the other is massive. 1/2" movement in both speaker locations is easily detectable. But the listening position should be determined first. By starting where you are now and moving forward or backward in 1" increments there will be a spot where the bass is the smoothest.
I don't know what the "focal point" method is. Other than trying to find the "focal" point between the two speakers. If this is what you mean then yes, the left and right speaker can be measured independently and the impulse response can be compared to make sure the acoustic distance is the same. However, IMO this only gets you to within +/- an 1/8th of an inch as that is about how precisely the mic can be positioned. After all of this is done then the really fun part starts by moving the speaker just a little at a time to find the point where it locks in. This has to be done by ear. I use the measurements to quickly get where things close to where they need to be.
I have been fairly quiet these past 3 weeks due to my being a beta tester for Joe's latest Center Stage2 feet for loudspeakers. To avoid double posting the information can be found here
To cut to the chase IMO these are the final piece to my system. These new feet are all about soundstage, total immersive effect and a sense of reality and presence that it is truly a "you are there" experience
Always great visiting friends & enjoying a music session. For me, besides the camaraderie, I am continually on the hunt for demo songs to include in the next Demo compilation CD. Steve never disappoints but usually has some wonderful music that is a sonic treat.
INTERESTING MUSIC
Who Am I - London Grammar
If It Be Your WIll - Anthony
Everybody Knows That You Are - Queens Of The Stone Age
Verdi - Rigoletto: Act III, "Bella figlia dell'amore"
"Living In A Ghost Town" - Rolling Stones
Steve played "Oh Yeah" by Yello, original from the 80's but the 2009 remix / remaster from Torch is a killer - check it out on Tidal or Qobuz.
Steve recently changed his system by moving the listening chair 30 - 36" forward. On the left hand side, it meant that the listener no longer has to listen through the side of the rack. The immediacy was abundantly apparent. Leonard Cohen was in the room with us. His voice was old, a little raspy but intimate & emotional.
The room's coloration had been reduced, allowing the systems transparency to reveal the performer and the recording room's acoustics .
When I first heard Steve's system many years ago, he had large subwoofers augmenting the Wilson Alexaandrias bass, but now I preferred the LF presentation as being more of a whole. The bass did not call attention to itself but thundered into the room as needed. The Lamm amps delivered a wonderful rounded midrange with gorgeous texture. My only regret was that we ran out of time for a serious record & tape session. Guess I'll have to return for more music.
as the saying goes, "never say never" and yesterday was a fun day rolling out my RK-KR 5U4G and in its place an NOS 1946 Philco 5U4G Rectifier Tube Tests Hanging Filament Black Plate which was found for me by LampiNA. I must admit that I wasn't prepared for what I heard.....
This tube is about 75 years old and was very affordable
I played all of my demo tracks with this tube and I was very impressed.
There seemed to be more layering and 3D feeling to the soundstage.The midrange is luscious and the bass was very articulate and well defined. The apparent biggest difference between my RK-KR 5u4g and the ancient Philco is that the former has more dynamics but the sound of the Philco was mesmerizing.
Interesting how a rectifier tube can affect sonics but it did.
Stay tuned more to come as I am considering finally placing my unused RK-KR PX25 into the system
The one curious thing about this tube in comparison to the RK-KR 5u4g was that it had less pins for the socket yet performed without a hiccup. Not bad for a tube 75 years old
Life is full of surprises
I’m glad you finally decided to make a small step into world of tube rolling which really can be rewarding. Looking fw for next impressions.
It is finally cooling down here in Southern California so I do plan on using the RK PX25 in the next few days
I am always taken in when the midrange sounds perfect and this tube does sound perch. The bass is tight and articulate but just not as dynamic as the RK 5u4g. I can live with that
You know that I hate going down the rabbit hole because all too often the sound is changed and one ends up then trying to correct the problem and before you know it you have no clue where you are. This is why I try to select that which sounds the most natural with nothing standing out. This tube does just that
As for the RK PX25 output tubes I plan to use these after I have the Philco tube figure out
Fred, thank you so much for finding this tube for me
I am always taken in when the midrange sounds perfect and this tube does sound perfect. The bass is tight and articulate but just not as dynamic as the RK 5u4g. I can live with that
Steve,
Phil Ressler showed me the value of rectifier tube rolling in a Luxman MQ-300, I was staggered by how a difference a rectifier tube could effect the sonics. I look forward to hearing the sonic improvement in your listening room.
Cheers,
Philip
