Full Limited Edition Aries Cerat System Build and World Exclusive LEGEND Series!

[Legolas]

Hello Billy and Aries dealers,

Any more info on the cool new horns. Drivers, crossover points etc.

Cheers

I think those huge horns are Stavros's own demo system in Cyprus. I am tempted to get over there at some point!

 

[Ron Resnick]

Dear Billy,

Thank you for the update! I am terribly sorry to learn of all the trials and tribulations you have had recently!

 

[Aries Cerat]

Hello
The speaker in question is the new Contendo.In the picture it is not yet finished(aesthetically).
It is waiting it' s time for completion(as we want to finish it with the Liquid copper/carbon techniques,until then,it is used for tuning our electronics,and as everyday enjoyment here

It is a four way design(only three ways are visible to the pic) ,passive at 104db/1W
It's bass modules are true bassorns,and passive,working up to 110Hz.So no tricks with active filters(shelving,ramp down etc) and are aligned with the rest three ways which are time aligned as well.The bass horns sit more to the front.(not visible).

The three way module is adjustable with transformers instead of pads.
Many more details soon.

 

[kodomo]

I would like to see those bass modules that work up to 110hz!

I see your midbass modules that can work from 110hz like mine. However if you have true horns below them, they would be huge depending on how low they play with true horn load!!! Where are they located, how low they play. This is more interesting for me than the rest I guess.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Hello
The speaker in question is the new Contendo.In the picture it is not yet finished(aesthetically).
It is waiting it' s time for completion(as we want to finish it with the Liquid copper/carbon techniques,until then,it is used for tuning our electronics,and as everyday enjoyment here

It is a four way design(only three ways are visible to the pic) ,passive at 104db/1W
It's bass modules are true bassorns,and passive,working up to 110Hz.So no tricks with active filters(shelving,ramp down etc) and are aligned with the rest three ways which are time aligned as well.The bass horns sit more to the front.(not visible).

The three way module is adjustable with transformers instead of pads.
Many more details soon.

Thanks a lot. Looking forward to learning more about this!

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I would like to see those bass modules that work up to 110hz!

I see your midbass modules that can work from 110hz like mine. However if you have true horns below them, they would be huge depending on how low they play with true horn load!!! Where are they located, how low they play. This is more interesting for me than the rest I guess.

They look pretty big unless it is the photo lol. Can’t this length be achieved with folding easily enough? I know we are talking about very long lengths but a couple of folds would make it very possible no?

 

[Believe High Fidelity]

What does the FCL stand for?

Bill has it correct it is Field Coil Loaded and is the first of its kind. Billy has one of 2 in the world and it will be mounted to the AS-2000 when the room is finished.

 

[morricab]

Those speakers look awesome serious

Those are the AC Contendos...big mid/upper bass horn. Stavros is working on a proper basshorn for it as well.

 

[Aries Cerat]

The big horn in the picture is the lowermid/upper midbass horn.This is used from 110-550Hz.It is 165cm long,starting from one inch throat to 50' mouth'

The basshorn is not visible.That one ,is folded horn, 4.5m long.It is positioned in front of the three way module,and to the sides. Basshorn mouth is about 3.5-4m in front of the tweeter flare,so they are aligned in time domain.Also their drivers are 8gr in weight,so their speed and impact is something to be heard.Standing right in front of the basshorn( size is about 1m X 1m X 1.2) you cannot actually hear it play,but bass feels that is delivered from main speakers 3-4 meters away.
All visitors are in denial that they are in operation,until i make them touch the diaphragm on the back

 

[Audiophile Bill]

The big horn in the picture is the lowermid/upper midbass horn.This is used from 110-550Hz.It is 165cm long,starting from one inch throat to 50' mouth'

The basshorn is not visible.That one ,is folded horn, 4.5m long.It is positioned in front of the three way module,and to the sides. Basshorn mouth is about 3.5-4m in front of the tweeter flare,so they are aligned in time domain.Also their drivers are 8gr in weight,so their speed and impact is something to be heard.Standing right in front of the basshorn( size is about 1m X 1m X 1.2) you cannot actually hear it play,but bass feels that is delivered from main speakers 3-4 meters away.
All visitors are in denial that they are in operation,until i make them touch the diaphragm on the back

What drivers are you using in the horns, Stavros?

 

[kodomo]

The big horn in the picture is the lowermid/upper midbass horn.This is used from 110-550Hz.It is 165cm long,starting from one inch throat to 50' mouth'

The basshorn is not visible.That one ,is folded horn, 4.5m long.It is positioned in front of the three way module,and to the sides. Basshorn mouth is about 3.5-4m in front of the tweeter flare,so they are aligned in time domain.Also their drivers are 8gr in weight,so their speed and impact is something to be heard.Standing right in front of the basshorn( size is about 1m X 1m X 1.2) you cannot actually hear it play,but bass feels that is delivered from main speakers 3-4 meters away.
All visitors are in denial that they are in operation,until i make them touch the diaphragm on the back

I have a very similar setup. My midbass 110hz-550hz, and I have a 5 meter folded horn, but I only use it below 60hz. Between 60hz to 120hz I use TAD 1601b direct radiator. It results in a better sound. I will also be trying dipole servo bass soon.

 

[christoph]

I will also be trying dipole servo bass soon.

What frequency range will this Dipole servo bass span over?

 

[kodomo]

What frequency range will this Dipole servo bass span over?

Roughly 20hz to 120hz. It will be paper cone ones from GR-Research with Rythmik servo system. I will start with 6 (3 on each side) and with H frame. If it actually is promising and better than my current solution, I will double them (6 on each side).

 

[christoph]

Roughly 20hz to 120hz. It will be paper cone ones from GR-Research with Rythmik servo system. I will start with 6 (3 on each side) and with H frame. If it actually is promising and better than my current solution, I will double them (6 on each side).

This sounds extremely interesting to me.
Would you please let us participate in this Project?

 

[Aries Cerat]

What drivers are you using in the horns, Stavros?

Hello Bill

At this point i don't want o give more details.

Upper Midbass horn is loaded from 110-550 with a very special WE555 compression driver replica, midrange (550-3000) is a large format 4'' diaphragm compression driver,and 3000-100000 is a custom 9'' FlatRibbon ,horn loaded.

All three ways are loaded with our proprietary 360 deg tractrix horns.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Hello Bill

At this point i don't want o give more details.

Upper Midbass horn is loaded from 110-550 with a very special WE555 compression driver replica, midrange (550-3000) is a large format 4'' diaphragm compression driver,and 3000-100000 is a custom 9'' FlatRibbon ,horn loaded.

All three ways are loaded with our proprietary 360 deg tractrix horns.

Understood Stavros. Sounds very interesting and “full bore.”

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Stavros - did you ever play with the Mundorf ribbon tweeter below? Looks interesting.

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/components/mundorf-amt27d1-1-dipole-tweeter.html

 

[ptekkis]

Hi all
I am sorry I have been gone a while. Unfortunately, work and family issues sucked me into the vortex of earthly crises-including a 3 week stay at the Auburn Veterinary hospital in Alabama with our dog. I think Joshua fell into the same abyss so the thread went quiet. A unicorn in Austin means a person who was actually born here and did not migrate from other places. Austin has been so delused by outsiders that we went from quaint colonial to jam packed urban in a short span but back to the thread...Since all the gear has been manufactured and acquired, the only Unicornesque aspect of the build is the construction of the room itself.
Most of the delay was initially a result of acoustic consultation(Sound Sense)that resulted in a plan to replace the ceiling with a material called Star Silent. This material would absorb high and mid frequencies and allow the attic to act as as a big bass trap. Once the computer spit out the appropriate echo readings considerable work went into planning the installation. This included lifting the foundation of the house, removing the ceiling and all the insulation sitting on top of it. Since the house is a ranch from the fifties it was quite a process removing it in an environmentally appropriate fashion. Then new insulation had to be reapplied to the roof with a radiant barrier. My reef began suffering as a result of the construction so we had to find a way to better isolate it. Raising the foundation broke the seal to the glass walls allowing water into the area where the gear is stored during a month of record monsoon rainfall here. We had to reseal the entire outside barrier. In preparation for the new all wood floor(thank David K for this one)we had to remove all the existing flooring which involved two generations of flooring and a ton of rubber from previous underfloor heating. We had to install a more robust electrical supply to the pole as we did not have sufficient juice for the new system and lighting. Since we were removing the ceiling, We took the opportunity to replace the existing lighting with something gentler on the eyes. We also thought that since the ceiling was down we should replace the current network cable with a fiber optic one to better isolate noise from the new NAS. Yes there will be linear power supplies to NAS, router, and all the fiber optic to copper converters along with Telegartner network switches. At this point in time all the above construction is complete and application of the Star Silent ceiling began last week. It’s a tedious process and the installers expect two more weeks to complete. Then we can lay the wood floor. Plywood has already been placed. Curtains have been ordered for the expanse of glass in the front and the rear of the room. They will be backed with acoustic absorbent materials and can be opened and closed to tune the room. Shoji screens were made to block off a sound “anomaly” coming from the kitchen along with tall barstools for the same purpose. Pending is still a light fixture in the kitchen to further diffuse the anomaly and diffusion screens besides the record case to smooth out further audio nasties. The AS-2000 turntable is en route and David is constructing two additional stands to house the audio gear. I hope to seem him and Stavros in January for the initial calibration and system launch. As they say in medicine when you hear hoof beats, look for horses not unicorns. Will try to get some construction pics out this week. Photos are of new Achilles not Legend amps and our dog with feeding tube. Thanks for your patience.

Dear Billy
As soon as Stavros finished Achilleas, I booked the first flight straight to Limassol.

Having waited six months looking at the six chassis Achillead being built, I thought to myself ... this mega amp cannot leave the lab without hearing it out.

I have the full Aries Cerat Signature/Limited Edition system in London with the awesome Symphonia speakers.

I was expecting something better than my London based AC... however the Achilleas playing the Contendo Reference speakers overperformed eveything I have even heard or seen in my entire life. It dwarfs my existing Symphonia AC speakers and the likes of Kondo / Living voice combination.

A trip worth 100% for anyone intetested to have an experience of a lifetime.

BW
Prof T

 

[lordcloud]

Dear Billy
As soon as Stavros finished Achilleas, I booked the first flight straight to Limassol.

Having waited six months looking at the six chassis Achillead being built, I thought to myself ... this mega amp cannot leave the lab without hearing it out.

I have the full Aries Cerat Signature/Limited Edition system in London with the awesome Symphonia speakers.

I was expecting something better than my London based AC... however the Achilleas playing the Contendo Reference speakers overperformed eveything I have even heard or seen in my entire life. It dwarfs my existing Symphonia AC speakers and the likes of Kondo / Living voice combination.

A trip worth 100% for anyone intetested to have an experience of a lifetime.

BW
Prof T

I'm jealous. I would love to be able to hear the big system at the mothership.

If you have any other pictures, please post them.

 

[Billygxx]

Dear Billy
As soon as Stavros finished Achilleas, I booked the first flight straight to Limassol.

Having waited six months looking at the six chassis Achillead being built, I thought to myself ... this mega amp cannot leave the lab without hearing it out.

I have the full Aries Cerat Signature/Limited Edition system in London with the awesome Symphonia speakers.

I was expecting something better than my London based AC... however the Achilleas playing the Contendo Reference speakers overperformed eveything I have even heard or seen in my entire life. It dwarfs my existing Symphonia AC speakers and the likes of Kondo / Living voice combination.

A trip worth 100% for anyone intetested to have an experience of a lifetime.

BW
Prof T