Hopkins' System

[hopkins]

Playing around with (removable) acoustic treatment between the speakers. I like the results. Work in progress.

Oliver Jackson - Presents "Le Quartet"

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "Presents "Le Quartet"" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Transparent diffuser panels could be nice!

Diviewsor® A79 Acoustic Panels | RPG Acoustic

Experience advanced sound diffusion with Diviewsor® A79 acoustic panels. Enhance your sound environment with precision-engineered solutions!

www.rpgacoustic.com

EZ 1D Clear Diffuser - EZ Acoustics

Classic diffuser using the QRD (Quadratic Residue Diffuser) formula. Made with polycarbonate. This element features all the benefits of a classic QRD diffuser but incorporates a clear finish. LED lighting can be installed on the back of the diffuser, improving in the aesthetic aspect of the room.

www.ezacoustics.com

 

[hopkins]

Ray Nance (on an album led by his pal Paul Gonsalves), 1970:

Streamed from Qobuz:

Open Qobuz

open.qobuz.com

Getty has some nice pictures of Nance here: https://www.gettyimages.fr/photos/ray-nance

 

[hopkins]

Something different: Lately - Massive Attack

 

[hopkins]

The Massive Attack recording is of the original CD version of "Blue Lines":

I prefer it to the "2012 Mix/Master" version which is sadly (for those who don't have the CD) the only one available on Qobuz...

Here is the original track that was sampled; pretty smooth as well:

 

[hopkins]

Back to the blues...Jeep's Blues... The LP ("Inspired Abandon") is not in mint condition.

The album is available on CD in this release only, issued by Impulse:

Johnny Hodges - Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the CD release of "Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

And here is that CD version (which is good):

Unfortunately (for those who don't have the LP or that CD), the only version available on Qobuz is from a dodgy label; as could be expected, it "sucks":

Open Qobuz

open.qobuz.com

I'm happy with the speaker placement. Much more practical, and sound is wide and enveloping. Still have to tame a few resonances, but that should not be an issue. My next "tweak" will be to add tweeters (recently suggested by ECDesigns).

 

[hopkins]

From Mosaic's CD box set: The Complete Atlantic Recordings of Lennie Tristano, Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh

 

[hopkins]

I was able to find a reasonably priced pair of Altec 755C - one of the speakers is in bad cosmetic condition and is not quite as good sounding as the other.

Listening near-field, these are sensational. They don't sound "boxy". My open baffle offer a broader frequency response, and slightly more transparency, but these vintage drivers are so seductive! They are better suited for near-field listening than my open baffle. I am going to set them up in my office (small room).

With the speakers well positioned, the system is one smoothe operator.

If the 755A are worth the insane asking price (for a 1950s single driver, not in absolute terms given the price of high-end audio), they must be true gems.

I'm a sucker for the sound of this PowerDAC-SX connected directly to speakers without crossovers. The limitations in frequency response don't really bother me. There is so much else at play, at least to my ears. In addition, whether streaming, playing CDs or files, vinyl...whatever you throw at it sounds great. No ground loops, no interconnects, and minimal distortion given the unmatched purity of the signal path... Fabulous



In the above configuration my ears are about 3 feet/90 cm from the center of the speakers. It is like listening to music with a good headphone, but with a "life like" soundstage.

On the topic of headphones - I will be making a custom cable to plug in my Sennheiser HD6XX into the speaker outputs of the PowerDAC-SX (already tested with a single channel). Should be interesting.

 

[hopkins]

Qobuz streaming through the WiiM Pro to the PowerDAC-SX and Altec 755C.



Will make a video with a better microphone.

I had the speaker cabinets made based on the Silbatone model, but with thick baltic birch plywood, and they are a winner.

 

[hopkins]

Some words of wisdom by Janos of Real World Audio about Altec drivers:

May apply less to these smaller drivers, but playing a long time everyday is right up my alley

 

[hopkins]

I had a cable made to connect my Sennheiser HD650 to the speaker terminals of the PowerDAC-SX and it sounds fabulous, simply playing from Qobuz or Foobar on my desktop PC:





I compared the sound with the older model of their smaller amp - powerDAC-R (https://www.ecdesigns.nl/info/archive). The sound is "cleaner" as expected (following my comparison on speakers between the newer SX model and the previous S model).

ECDesigns have a new version of the R model - RXV - which has less power than the new SX but is still sufficient for most headphones, and has a dedicated headphone output. It works in the same way as it's big sibling - minimalistic signal path, high source immunity... the right ingredients to make listening a very pleasurable experience. I have not heard that model. I may be tempted to upgrade from the previous R model to the newer RXV, but I feel I have not yet exhausted all possibilities with the SX model, which is very "versatile".

This SX model is simply stunning on speakers (open baffle or Altec 755C). Highly recommended as well with headphones!

 

[hopkins]

Talk of romanticizing the past, in another thread, prompted me to look back at some of the systems that were used in homes in the 1950s (start of the LP era).

Here's a high-fidelity magazine of 1951, with a long article on speakers and enclosures: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/A...High-Fidelity/50s/High-Fidelity-1951-Fall.pdf

The issue contains also a section "audiophile's bookshelf". Out of the 9 recommended books, 3 deal with "technical" aspects of sound recording or reproduciton, and one "semi-technical" deals with setting up systems in your home, and is entitled "Make Music Live"!



Notice how most of the systems were made and used to listen "near-field" - I don't think acoustical treatment of listening spaces were ever considered at the time. In studios, most of the recordings, I assume, were still made with a "live" band in the studio (versus modern day recordings of individual musicians mixed back together). "Natural" acoustics prevailed in recording studios as well.

You would never see an advertisement like this today:

 

[hopkins]

I tested this afternoon the use of BACCH (crosstalk cancellation) using the plugin available for Foobar on Windows.

I tried different angle settings, and I have to say I was quite disappointed with the sound. The results are "weird" and it seems (to my ears) that you don't get closer to the clarity and accuracy you can get with headphones (with the added soundstage offered by speakers, of course).

Perhaps I did not find the right setting, or perhaps the more sophisticated configuration based on microphone measurements is needed.

Is crosstalk really an issue that needs to be solved? I am not so sure.

At this point, I am not going to spend more time on this...

 

[hopkins]

Here is a good article on the topic of crosstalk cancellation, with good explanations on how to test the BACCH filters, and optimize your setup for it:

Stereo Crosstalk Cancellation (XTC): A review by STC. And trying out uBACCH, ambeo.one, and AmbiophonicDSP VST plus Foobar foo_dsp_ambio plugins.

A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.

archimago.blogspot.com

 

[hopkins]

Here is an LP I just purchased today, which is pretty obscure, but has nice music and features Paul Gonsalves (he was Cap Verdian...):

Phil Barboza and his Latin American Music Featuring Vicki Vierra, Paul Gonsalves - Só Sabe

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the Vinyl release of "Só Sabe" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Here is an excellent web site on Paul Gonsalves: http://www.paulgonsalves.com/bio.html
It contains also a series of interviews with "Ellingtonians", which are all interesting: http://www.paulgonsalves.com/articles/OtherArticles/OtherArticles.html

Can't wait to play this on my system. This hobby is fun, as it should be. Sometimes we forget and get involved in heated discussions on forums with perfect strangers about the merits of analog versus digital, for example! So back to music ..

 

[hopkins]

---

This is amusing, and interesting:

 

[hopkins]

Duke Ellington jamming at the Rainbow Room in 1967:

However challenging it may be, try to forget about the system, and the poor quality of the original recording (it's also an audio rip of the DVD), and just listen to the music, until the end of the track preferably Listening to the song on my speakers, I have no problem forgetting about the system - but this may be harder to do with the added distortions of the recording...

Here's the track, if anyone is curious to see how it sounds on their own system: https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/03 Azure.flac

AllMusic review:

"On a few occasions during his career, Duke Ellington temporarily appeared in a club setting with a downsized band. This live recording made at the Rainbow Room in New York City ranges from solo piano to an octet, with individual soloists sometimes featured with just the rhythm section. Trumpeter Cat Anderson, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, baritone saxophonist Harry Carney and trombonist Lawrence Brown are on hand, with Ellington taking a lot more solos than during a typical big-band date, highlighted by his extended workout in "Azure." This set is dominated by favorites from his vast catalog, though he works in newer material, including "Heaven" (heard as a piano solo in a medley with "Le Sucrier Velours"), the bland, rock-ish "Rock the Clock" and "Acht O'Clock Rock," the latter showcasing Anderson. The more familiar material is far more impressive, with Carney excelling in "Sophisticated Lady" and Hodges in a dramatic setting of "Passion Flower." The sound is erratic, with occasional jumps in the recording levels and a few dropouts, but the opportunity to hear Duke Ellington in a live, small group setting makes up for any audio shortcomings."

See also this article: http://jazzflashes.blogspot.com/2016/09/duke-ellington-at-rainbow-grille-1967_15.html?m=1

And this one by Ethan Iverson:

Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and One Night in New York City

How did the jazz train go off the tracks? A listen to two musicians’ performances from one night in New York City—August 17, 1967—offers a few clues.

www.newyorker.com

 

[hopkins]

"In a Sentimental Mood", from this same date, is discussed in Iverson's article:

Also discussed in the article, Duke Ellington's incredible solo on the same song with John Coltrane (unfortunately drowned-out by the drumming, which I find very distracting):

A quote from his article: "if a student wants to sound like Ellington, there’s no point in looking at “The Real Book.” Ellington’s performance is too mysterious and detailed. Each of Ellington’s chords is its own universe."
...
"Ellington could connect all the dots—the social, the modernist, the intellectual, the populist, the personally poetic—for a vision of American music truly epic in scope. As great as [Bill] Evans was, he didn’t have that kind of command. Fifty years ago, the basic connection to a larger audience was slipping away. The integrity of the song was getting diluted by the scale. A kind of darker and mysterious undercurrent was giving way to something lighter in affect. For those concerned with the future of this esoteric art, it is always wise to go back and study Duke—“A flame that lights the gloom.” The answers are there if we remember to look."

 

[hopkins]

I made a mono version of Duke Ellington's solo on "In a Sentimental Mood" using the left channel of the stereo version - there is more focus on the piano:

Ellington solo - In a Sentimental Mood - with John Coltrane - remixed

Took the left channel of the stereo version and made it into a mono track.

www.youtube.com

There is so much that could be said about this one minute solo. Just set it on repeat, close your eyes, and enjoy!

Here is the file: https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/In a Sentimental Mood - Ellington Solo.wav

 

[Salectric]

I made a mono version of Duke Ellington's solo on "In a Sentimental Mood" using the left channel of the stereo version - there is more focus on the piano:

Ellington solo - In a Sentimental Mood - with John Coltrane - remixed

Took the left channel of the stereo version and made it into a mono track.

www.youtube.com

There is so much that could be said about this one minute solo. Just set it on repeat, close your eyes, and enjoy!

Here is the file: https://storage.googleapis.com/cloudplayer/samples/In a Sentimental Mood - Ellington Solo.wav

One of my favorite albums!

 

[Salectric]

Some words of wisdom by Janos of Real World Audio about Altec drivers:

May apply less to these smaller drivers, but playing a long time everyday is right up my alley

This is an interesting theory, namely, that vintage Altec speakers need frequent and heavy use in order to sound good. Janos claims they sound quite bad if they haven't been used for a month or so and they have to go through an extended break in when they are used again.

I haven't heard that before and I haven't experienced it myself with my vintage speakers. What I have experienced is that all stereo equipment sounds "off" if it hasn't been used for a week or more. When I am away on vacation for a week or two, my system doesn't sound very good for the first day or two after I return. I wouldn't say it sounds bad, just not as good as it does when I use it nearly every day. This is true with modern equipment as well as vintage.