Johann Sebastian Bach reincarnated and swinging:
Hopkins' System
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Following JELabs' latest video, which I enjoyed, I took this track for a spin (streamed from Qobuz), and really enjoyed it - not sure you will by watching a video, which does not capture well the immersive experience...
Pretty groovy, in spite of the system's limitations.
Temporary ceiling panels have been removed, and will go back up at some point...
Pretty groovy, in spite of the system's limitations.
Temporary ceiling panels have been removed, and will go back up at some point...
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Back to Coleman Hawkins, in 1962:
A nice track on the 1962 "Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins". Good recording quality. Digital version sounds great.
The diffusion panels are there just for testing purposes.
A nice track on the 1962 "Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins". Good recording quality. Digital version sounds great.
The diffusion panels are there just for testing purposes.
The above recording was made with a higher volume level than what I normally listen to, but translating to only approximately 1 Watt output power on each channel of my amplifier. I don't know what the average volume level was in dB while seated in front of the speakers, but I don't see how anyone would want to play music much louder.
At my normal listening levels, the amp produces roughly 250 milli Watts per channel. That's low! What does that mean? To be honest, I don't really know, but I like the results
At my normal listening levels, the amp produces roughly 250 milli Watts per channel. That's low! What does that mean? To be honest, I don't really know, but I like the results
It means that claims about how powerful your amp needs to be are usually greatly overstated.The above recording was made with a higher volume level than what I normally listen to, but translating to only approximately 1 Watt output power on each channel of my amplifier. I don't know what the average volume level was in dB while seated in front of the speakers, but I don't see how anyone would want to play music much louder.
At my normal listening levels, the amp produces roughly 250 milli Watts per channel. That's low! What does that mean? To be honest, I don't really know, but I like the results
3 days before that session with Ellington, Hawkins was recorded performing live at the Village Gate, with guests Johnny Hodges and Roy Eldridge...
Only 3 tracks of that set were issued, originally in mono and stereo versions. This is the mono LP. It sounds great.
The video starts off with Hodges soloing on alto saxophone then Flanagan on piano, and Hawkins on tenor, with some short runs. His style evolved from his early years, becoming more aggressive, but he is still unique and recognizable. In his biography of Hawkins, John Chilton quoted Hodges saying this of Hawkins after the session: "The older he gets the better he gets. If ever you think he's through you find he's gone right ahead again".
Village Gate - Wikipedia
Here's the site of the club today:
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A great track on a great album, appropriately titled "Groovin' with Buddy Tate".
en.m.wikipedia.org
The record is not in mint condition, but as is so often the case, these original mono versions are really enjoyeable to listen to. The panning of the instruments on the stereo (CD) version is distracting. With the mono version there's more coherence, and depth.
On a side note, I tweaked the crossover on one of my speaker (the one recorded above) and managed to go from 4 to 3 components. The midrange driver now only has one inductor as a low pass filter to blend with the tweeter. I like the results, and the measurements are good, but I need to listen more.
Groovin' with Buddy Tate - Wikipedia
On a side note, I tweaked the crossover on one of my speaker (the one recorded above) and managed to go from 4 to 3 components. The midrange driver now only has one inductor as a low pass filter to blend with the tweeter. I like the results, and the measurements are good, but I need to listen more.
Clifford Brown and Harold Land!
Low volume listening (average around 60db), volume setting 10 out of 24 on the powerDAC-SX, corresponding to less than 200mW output per channel. Listen with headphones...
I am very happy with the minimalistic crossover I now use:
- tweeter with 4.7 microF cap (no change)
- mid with only a 0.39 mH inductor
- bass with 2.7mH inductor (no change)
Measured frequency response is very good.
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Clifford Brown at a louder volume, soloing (excerpt) on "Daahoud" with probably the most exciting introduction ever (starting at 0:42 into the original track). Wow!
Recorded in LA in 1954, at the age of 24. He died two years later in a car crash.
The CD is in mono and it sounds great, but I have not heard this on LP (and may never, the digital version being satisfactory).
You can get a good copy of the original LP for close to 500$
Qobuz version:
open.qobuz.com
Recorded in LA in 1954, at the age of 24. He died two years later in a car crash.
The CD is in mono and it sounds great, but I have not heard this on LP (and may never, the digital version being satisfactory).
You can get a good copy of the original LP for close to 500$
Qobuz version:
Open Qobuz
open.qobuz.com
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Here is an interesting video by GR Research:
He explains that it is the best standmount speaker he has ever heard, by a big margin, "maybe even a favorite speaker, it's that big of a deal".
He describes the sound as holographic, with high realism especially for vocals.
Here is how he compares it to his current top of the line model:
If you watch the video, he explains some of the reason why some aspects of their sound are so good (to his ears). It is interesting.
I obviously have not heard these speakers, and I may never hear them. That's fine - I am happy with my system, for pretty much the same reasons that he likes those new speakers. Go figure...
He explains that it is the best standmount speaker he has ever heard, by a big margin, "maybe even a favorite speaker, it's that big of a deal".
He describes the sound as holographic, with high realism especially for vocals.
Here is how he compares it to his current top of the line model:
If you watch the video, he explains some of the reason why some aspects of their sound are so good (to his ears). It is interesting.
I obviously have not heard these speakers, and I may never hear them. That's fine - I am happy with my system, for pretty much the same reasons that he likes those new speakers. Go figure...
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Tonight I changed the crossover on my second speaker, and was finally able to hear both speakers wired in the same way. I am really happy with the sound,
This is the crossover, with very sloppy temporary connections - I will setup everything more properly:
There is only one component in the signal path of each driver. To my ears, and as confirmed by measurements, the drivers blend really well together.
I find it amusing that I enjoy so much the sound of a ridiculously cheap speaker. My children think it's cool The way I see it, I have found a sound I like, and that's all that matters. I have no doubt things could be improved, but I am happy for now just listening to the music I like.
At night I pull the speakers from the wall, and move a chair fairly close to the speakers, to form an equilateral triangle with roughly 160cm sides. The center "phantom image" is perfect, there is a good soundstage width and depth, giving a great sense of presence and intimacy (being pulled into the music). In this setup, ceiling acoustic treatment is less critical, so I am putting that on hold.
This is the crossover, with very sloppy temporary connections - I will setup everything more properly:
There is only one component in the signal path of each driver. To my ears, and as confirmed by measurements, the drivers blend really well together.
I find it amusing that I enjoy so much the sound of a ridiculously cheap speaker. My children think it's cool
The way I see it, I have found a sound I like, and that's all that matters. I have no doubt things could be improved, but I am happy for now just listening to the music I like.At night I pull the speakers from the wall, and move a chair fairly close to the speakers, to form an equilateral triangle with roughly 160cm sides. The center "phantom image" is perfect, there is a good soundstage width and depth, giving a great sense of presence and intimacy (being pulled into the music). In this setup, ceiling acoustic treatment is less critical, so I am putting that on hold.
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According to Romy the Cat (in his latest videos) there are only 100 people in the world who truly "practice high-end audio", using equipment as a means of expressivity to "fashion sound". The rest of us are all morons!
He is not completely wrong…just exaggerating a bit for effect. Most audiophiles have no idea how to get good sound.
You probably have more experience listening to others' systems than I do.
My personal conclusion after watching a few of his videos is that they are worthless. It's just intellectual masturbation.
You can hear a lot…especially if it has the right dynamics or not. You can tell a bit about imaging 3D but not much about stereo per se.
To correct, I think his writing has some value (look at his early thoughts) but he does come across somewhat unhinged.
I don't have the courage to go through them! I am sure there are some things of interest. In his latest videos, he seems to imply that music can be enhanced in some way by audio equipment, suggesting even that some equipment could be tailor made for specific "composers" (an amplifier to listen to Brahms). I don't see how audio equipment changes the music in any way, and anyone with basic audio equipment can appreciate music just as much as we do. We can be impressed with "sound" and recordings, we can enjoy the experience of listening, but fundamentally the content/performance is always the same.
Sounds of my youth with my fathers's copy of the Brandenburg Concertos - an LP he purchased while he was doing his military service in Germany in 1950, and told me he played on repeat at the time. So it is worn out, but I still enjoy listening to it.
In the video you will see a selector switch on the floor, which I am testing to be able to easily switch between my streamer (on the left) and my ADC (on the right). The switch is manual as the digital output from these sources is an electrical ("ElectroTos") signal. More about this later...
In the video you will see a selector switch on the floor, which I am testing to be able to easily switch between my streamer (on the left) and my ADC (on the right). The switch is manual as the digital output from these sources is an electrical ("ElectroTos") signal. More about this later...
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