Hopkins' System

[hopkins]

Here's my modest version of "Somewhere In Time"

The sound does not project itself in the same way as with that large horn speaker, as could be expected. Show me a small speaker that can... Sound reproduction is never perfect anyway, and I guess I'm not too demanding? I look forward to listening to my stereo every day nonetheless...

Here's another speaker I would love to listen to (doubtful there are any in Europe, however):

Staccato Horn System MAX

Staccato Horn System MAX 100 hz starting at $79,000 Limited Edition $117,000 Most sofisticated horn system with lowest distortion and high dynamic range. 3 Way Front loaded horns from 100 hz up to 22 khz Double Horn Loaded Subwoofers included All Staccato Systems include on site installation...

sadurniacoustics.com

 

[hopkins]

My video got blocked on YouTube. The volume level was quite low on that recording. So here is another version on YouTube :

"Shorts", less then a minute long, are not subject to copyright restrictions on YouTube, but in this track, the piano solo that I wanted to share is over two minutes long...

 

[hopkins]

That looks like a great system! As an Aries Cerat guy…I approve …

An audiophile buddy asked me whether I found the system fabulous or just good... I just told him to go hear it for himself. I'm curious to find out what he thinks.

 

[morricab]

An audiophile buddy asked me whether I found the system fabulous or just good... I just told him to go hear it for himself. I'm curious to find out what he thinks.

Well I am quite sure it’s better than just good

 

[hopkins]

Well I am quite sure it’s better than just good

It certainly is.

 

[matthias]

The listening room is not huge. There are three rows of confortable couches. It is below street level, and well isolated, so there is no discernable ambient city noise. The ceiling is slanted on both sides, and from what I could see, the wall behind the speakers is treated.

The bar is located in a nice neighborhood, right next to the Palais Royal, which has a lovely enclosed garden.

Kudos to the team at "Listener".

Thank you for sharing.
We will be in Paris at the end of April ("April in Paris")
Can you say something about the dishes they offer ( I didn't find any info about on their HP)?
Does it make sense to have dinner there?
Thanks again

 

[hopkins]

Thank you for sharing.
We will be in Paris at the end of April ("April in Paris")
Can you say something about the dishes they offer ( I didn't find any info about on their HP)?
Does it make sense to have dinner there?
Thanks again

I am not sure that they serve food. I had coffee and a pastry... There are lots of restaurants in the neighborhood. The Palais Royal area has some nice covered "galleries":

Découvrez la magie des galeries et passages couverts parisiens

Passages secrets, galeries étonnantes et âme ancestrale de Paris font partie de la magie de la capitale. Un passage obligé pour apprécier le calme et les trésors d'un quartier.

www.paris.fr

An English version:

Best Covered Passages in Paris 2025 | A Complete Guide

Where to find the best covered passages in Paris including Galerie Vivienne, Vero Dodat, and Passage des Panoramas, and what you'll discover at these hidden gems.!

www.parisdiscoveryguide.com

 

[hopkins]

I purchased an old Sony CDP that I got on ebay. I like the sound:

I will modify it to work with an ElectroTos output.

I like the simplicity of that system configuration:

Sony CDP-X229ES - (optical signal) - ECDesigns powerDAC-SX - (speaker cables) - Speakers

There are no fancy power cords, no interconnects, and the speaker cables are the basic Teufel models (32€ for 15 meters):

https://amzn.eu/d/ffaQcD7

I would be curious to see how the CDP+powerDAC sounds on those (106db efficient) horn speakers I listened to last weekend - not because I don't enjoy the sound of my speakers (I love them), but just to find out what the "electronics" are capable of on larger speakers.

 

[hopkins]

It's fun to be able to play back my CDs directly. Do they sound better than the ripped versions stored on my server and streamed to a WiiM Pro? I have not bothered comparing the two yet...

Here's a good sounding CD version of an album I like:



It was "foot tapping"...

Even when I play back the video on my phone I can't help tapping my feet to the beat. I guess it doesn't really have to do with the system at this point...

I believe that this album is the first thing I played a few years ago when I put together my open baffle speakers. I was shocked by the clarity and resolution of the sound, and have that moment burned into my memory.

One of the first system videos I made is of this album, and when I listen to it now, 2 years later, I do hear the added resolution - even on my phone - but there are aspects of the sound that irritate me.

 

[Daro]

Hi Hopkins
how do you modify ElectroTos to work with spdif?

I use ECDesigns da96 sometimes but only with usb

 

[Daro]

ECDesigns da96 in action

 

[hopkins]

Hi Hopkins
how do you modify ElectroTos to work with spdif?

I use ECDesigns da96 sometimes but only with usb

Hi,

I simply connect the vout and ground of the Toslink output to a coaxial cable with the led on the other end. I even tried using cheap 3v laser diodes and it works...

https://amzn.eu/d/2eyRtlA

 

[hopkins]

ECDesigns da96 in action

Your video cannot be viewed as it is set to "private"

 

[hopkins]

ECDesigns da96 in action

Nice!

 

[Daro]

thanks for the answer
the video is already public, sorry

 

[Daro]

6:40 ECDesigns visible

 

[hopkins]

6:40 ECDesigns visible

Your system sounds great (as far as I can tell on a video): nice deep and tight bass, good transparency, etc... well done!

 

[Daro]

Thanks, the sounds of my system are different sometimes better sometimes worse , I change and experiment a lot but always horns

 

[hopkins]

Speaking of horn speakers, I did not comment on this model which is setup in the bar of the "Listener" café I visited last week:

https://horns.pl/en/speaker-sets/fp15/

I only heard them briefly before going downstairs to listen to their main system. The two speakers were placed at the top corners of a wall, as can be seen in the picture above. They sounded surprisingly good, with a balanced sound. The sound struck me as "smooth", without any obvious coloration, and with good transparency. They cost around 9000€. They look nice, IMO. Something to consider perhaps for those looking for a reasonably sized speaker with those attributes.

Obviously, at that price point, there are a lot of alternatives. Having heard the infamous Wolf Langa Son, for example, priced around 10.000€, I would prefer these (but I was quite disappointed by the WVL for their very light bass among other issues...).

That bar has weekly DJ sets, playing dance music (from what I saw in one of the videos on their channel) so we can assume that the speakers were chosen because they perform well with all types of music...

 

[Daro]

I know the company from the beginning when they only produced plastic horns for others, I had it, I'm more interested in vintage loudspeakers but I also have modern speakers to compare what the progress is