My Listening Room

[jadis]

what are you going to do with the 3.7i's...

They will stay on a monthly rotation. I've never done this in my audio life but there is always a first time. The 3.7i will play mostly the louder and more dynamic content as its height gives me a good sense of scale of the band players and space of the venue. The Quads are excellent in mid-centric materials and those who love them love them for that realism it does very well in that area.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Hmm, how about some Wavac 805 monos...50W of SET? Owned those too for a few years (not the SETs I mentioned above. I had the Wavacs paired with some Line Magnetic LM755i speakers, but I bet they would still shine with Quads). Just an idea.

How did the Wavac work with the Line Magnetics?

 

[Asa]

How did the Wavac work with the Line Magnetics?

Quite nice. More than nice...A Dr. down in Pittsburgh said he'd take $2500 for the pair if I drove over and picked them up, couldn't resist, drove down from Chi for a sunny-day road trip and a nice deal....I rolled in grey glass 1940's drivers (marked Admiral, but I think they were RCAs) and c. 1942 RCA 805s outputs, can't recall the inputs, but all relatively cheap tubes, a nice plus. Big soundfield, coherent, balanced, drew you in...sometimes wished I would have kept them, but I'm getting along and can't have amps all over. The LMs were like an old friend; a pint of Guinness in a London pub you ducked into from the spitting rain...I thought they sounded great together. Kondo copper spkr wire...I also liked the United 805 output tubes too, more dynamic that the RCAs, which sound akin to RCA 211s of the same era, a tad plump in the lows on some material, a tad rolled off sweet at the top. Can't go wrong with the pairing of LM 755is and Wavacs....SOTA mids, open highs...and not obscenely expensive. Who wouldn't like that?

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

They will stay on a monthly rotation. I've never done this in my audio life but there is always a first time. The 3.7i will play mostly the louder and more dynamic content as its height gives me a good sense of scale of the band players and space of the venue. The Quads are excellent in mid-centric materials and those who love them love them for that realism it does very well in that area.

That is a good approach. The couple times I have heard Quads that was exactly my take away, scary good in the mids in all aspects but lacking everywhere else, a speaker for specific content for sure.

 

[jadis]

Had a friend bring over his Air Tight 40w amp to see if it can properly drive the Quads in my 17 x 23 x 10 feet room. Unfortunately , it can't. I was aiming to get Quads own 40w Mono blocks but I guess that won't work. Pretty good sounding amp though, this Air Tight ATM 2.

 

[kswanson27]

That is a good approach. The couple times I have heard Quads that was exactly my take away, scary good in the mids in all aspects but lacking everywhere else, a speaker for specific content for sure.

I agree to an extent. I wouldn't own them without subs that work very well with them. My Quads are rolled off at 50 hz and the subs take over to great effect. With the rebuild Kent McCollum removes the factory screen and substitutes one that doesn't mask the highs so I'm quite happy, delighted in fact, with the overall sound.

 

[jadis]

Been kinda immersed with the musicality of the Quads.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Quite nice. More than nice...A Dr. down in Pittsburgh said he'd take $2500 for the pair if I drove over and picked them up, couldn't resist, drove down from Chi for a sunny-day road trip and a nice deal....I rolled in grey glass 1940's drivers (marked Admiral, but I think they were RCAs) and c. 1942 RCA 805s outputs, can't recall the inputs, but all relatively cheap tubes, a nice plus. Big soundfield, coherent, balanced, drew you in...sometimes wished I would have kept them, but I'm getting along and can't have amps all over. The LMs were like an old friend; a pint of Guinness in a London pub you ducked into from the spitting rain...I thought they sounded great together. Kondo copper spkr wire...I also liked the United 805 output tubes too, more dynamic that the RCAs, which sound akin to RCA 211s of the same era, a tad plump in the lows on some material, a tad rolled off sweet at the top. Can't go wrong with the pairing of LM 755is and Wavacs....SOTA mids, open highs...and not obscenely expensive. Who wouldn't like that?

Quite a story. I guess it would not sound the same had it not been for the ride, because this is how you build a bond with a friend, you'd like to have a pint of Guiness with.

Kondo copper spkr wire - did you have a chance to compare them with the 99.99% pure silver edition. Kondo and ANJ are pretty well known for Hiroyasu's appreciation of the silver. I wonder if you had a chance to compare the two versions of the cable.

 

[jadis]

Playing a relaxing jazz album on the Quads.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

@jadis I had the pleasure of listening to them, or at least a very similar model. Terrific sound, you must be in heaven. Are you reinforcing them with subwoofers, or keeping it saute?

 

[jadis]

@jadis I had the pleasure of listening to them, or at least a very similar model. Terrific sound, you must be in heaven. Are you reinforcing them with subwoofers, or keeping it saute?

Hi AMR,

It's been 6 weeks and I am discovering new details of certain vinyl recordings that I am very familiar with. Yes, they are incredible and a friend of mine here also got one pair (taller one) a few weeks after my purchase and raves about it too. The lateral dispersion is amazing plus the its ability to do pinpoint imaging that my 2 models of Magnepans did not do so well. I'm not planning to mate it with a subwoofer. Am happy at what it does. In a few months, I will re-set the Magnepans to play the more 'dynamic' albums. These 2 speakers will be on rotation.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

@jadis congratulations, that really sounds like the end of the road. But is it?
I haven't heard those Quads with vinyl, but I did listen to vinyl with planar headphones. It might be comparable in the amount of detail you hear. It gets almost overwhelming how much you can hear. Heavier diaphragms can't provide that, whether in speakers or in cans.

 

[jadis]

@jadis congratulations, that really sounds like the end of the road. But is it?
I haven't heard those Quads with vinyl, but I did listen to vinyl with planar headphones. It might be comparable in the amount of detail you hear. It gets almost overwhelming how much you can hear. Heavier diaphragms can't provide that, whether in speakers or in cans.

Thanks AMR. I don't really think 'end of the road' so, I guess not. These purchases sort of come 'as needed'. I agree that the detail can get overwhelming, and I see that as a 'good thing'.

 

[Syntax]

The old ESL 63 did need amps with high current to shine at best.
Try to get Atma-Sphere amps for a demo. Could be the match …

 

[jadis]

The old ESL 63 did need amps with high current to shine at best.
Try to get Atma-Sphere amps for a demo. Could be the match …

Thanks for the input, Syntax.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

Thanks AMR. I don't really think 'end of the road' so, I guess not. These purchases sort of come 'as needed'. I agree that the detail can get overwhelming, and I see that as a 'good thing'.

@jadis if that's not the end of the road, then I'm curious to see what will you come up with in the future What's the next step for you?

 

[jadis]

@jadis if that's not the end of the road, then I'm curious to see what will you come up with in the future What's the next step for you?

AMR,
That's a good exploration question.

First, a Magnepan 30.7 is always on my mind.

Then,

My ultimate, would be a pair of speakers with built in subwoofer, something like a. Von Schweikert Ultra 9. That's if I get to hit the lotto jackpot. lol.

It's been almost 30 years since I had a pair of big, dynamic speakers - B&W 800, and there's been a slight itch to be able to play those dynamic Telarc albums that I've kept in the far end of the rack. After that, I believe it's really the end of the road for me.

 

[AMR / iFi audio]

AMR,
That's a good exploration question.

First, a Magnepan 30.7 is always on my mind.

Then,

My ultimate, would be a pair of speakers with built in subwoofer, something like a. Von Schweikert Ultra 9. That's if I get to hit the lotto jackpot. lol.

It's been almost 30 years since I had a pair of big, dynamic speakers - B&W 800, and there's been a slight itch to be able to play those dynamic Telarc albums that I've kept in the far end of the rack. After that, I believe it's really the end of the road for me.

@jadis,
I think you would need two separate rooms for the Maggies and the Von Schweikerts Built-in active sub is something that pops in my mind too. It really makes it easier for a stereo amplifier, when it doesn't need to work on the lowest bass notes. Active bass has that remarkable speed and attack that is hard to find in a passive solution.
You've only mentioned speakers, are you already finished with your electronics?

 

[jadis]

@jadis,
I think you would need two separate rooms for the Maggies and the Von Schweikerts Built-in active sub is something that pops in my mind too. It really makes it easier for a stereo amplifier, when it doesn't need to work on the lowest bass notes. Active bass has that remarkable speed and attack that is hard to find in a passive solution.
You've only mentioned speakers, are you already finished with your electronics?

AMR, well yes, there should be 2 rooms if that happens, but I do not have 2 rooms now. Agree with your notes on active subs, it's the way to go for a full range feeling. Yes, I'm fine with the electronics. VAC preamp and Jadis amp work well for me. A long long shot of a dream project would be getting another turntable/arm/cart combination as a 2nd rig, and what I have in mind would be an Acoustic Signature turntable with a Triplanar arm and a Koetsu Jade, with a possibility of adding a Koetsu SUT in between. Thanks for inspiring me to dream.

 

[jadis]

Big Brother is watching over you.

Putting back the Maggies after 2 months of listening to Quad.