My Listening Room

[jadis]

Thanks for your response, Jadis.

I know what you mean by "seeing" the musicians playing... I was at MikeL's place last night and "saw" Oscar Peterson on his piano... It was spooky.

I've been using one of the Chesky Record's Jazz sampler imaging tracks. Dr. Bruce Edgar of the horn fame had sent me a CD-R with repeated recording of the track he uses that really helped me dial in the positions of the Maggies. One of the information on the track is the voice that should be coming from "beyond the speaker" that I can't get it correctly at current position and room condition. One of the issues is that if I place my speakers edges to be less than 35" away from the side walls, the beyond the Left (or Right) speaker announcement on the track is heard upfront in close to the center position due to the room interaction... Also not having symetical background on other positions, I could never get the beyond the speaker imaging to work.

It's good thing that these Maggies are relatively easy to move around. More fun in moving them. Thanks for giving me a hope that I could get the holographic imaging I am seeking with these Maggies someday...

My pleasure, Ki. I believe you will achieve the right position soon. Patience is needed. I did use the Chesky Test CD before, I think it was the volume 2, with the shakers running around the room and into the floor and up, man that was fun to hear. And the people running around the room making sounds while they move, ending with the slam of the door on the right side behind the speakers, I recall that too. After that, I had not used the CD. I use a lot of my favorite music to see if there will be any more flaws that I do not like, and I adjust the speakers accordingly, until about 90% of my music is satisfactory. Good luck.

 

[mullard88]

Hi Ki Choi,

If I may be allowed to chime in, my experience with my Magnepans' room placement is to pay very careful attention that the distance between the speakers and the wall behind the speakers are exactly the same. Rooms are either assymetrical like the one you are in or even in rectangular looking rooms, the walls are not exactly even.

 

[c1ferrari]

jadis

thanks for sharing! Bet it sounds great and in such a comfortable setting!

 

[jadis]

thanks for sharing! Bet it sounds great and in such a comfortable setting!

my pleasure, sam. when i set out to built that room, i really wanted it to be cozy so i can stay as long as i want and as long as i can inside while listening and tweaking. the room and house was finished in 1992, which was also the year i got married. the next few days after we got married, i was tweaking ad infinitum my then new B&W 801 S3s. i stayed in all morning, at lunch with my wife at home, and then resumed tweaking in my listening room. at night, my wife was befuddled at my long hours in the room and asked me "what could you be possibly doing in that room the whole day when we just got married? i thought you're supposed to stay with me?" i said i just felt so homely in it. LOL

 

[c1ferrari]

...my then new B&W 801 S3s.

I like those speakers...it assumes an exalted position in my imaginary loudspeaker pantheon

 

[jadis]

I like those speakers...it assumes an exalted position in my imaginary loudspeaker pantheon

Hi Sam,

Now that you mention it, I felt I like the 801 S3 more than its bigger brother the 800s (the triangular shaped woofer baffle). I believe I achieved the best imaging I ever had with a cone speaker which was augmented by a tremendous low end, full bodied mid, and a non-agressive high frequency that may sound a bit rolled off in modern terms. A friend of mine, who heard my system in the early 90s, actually replicated my system, he bought an 801S3 from Singapore, a Jadis JPL from HK, a CJ amp (I forgot the model but it was a later model than my MV125), and he had a VPI19MK3/Alphason/Koetsu Rosewood. I forgot what his phono pre amp was. He still has them now and he lives an hour or so away from me. I can visit him each time I feel nostalgic.

 

[c1ferrari]

...I felt I like the 801 S3 more than its bigger brother the 800s (the triangular shaped woofer baffle). I believe I achieved the best imaging I ever had with a cone speaker which was augmented by a tremendous low end, full bodied mid, and a non-agressive high frequency

I've never had the pleasure of hearing the 800 monoliths -- absolutely, stunning expression of B&W visual sophistication

I enjoy the British ethos for sound represented by the 801 III's and BBC monitors - Rogers LS3/5a's (still have the Rogers, which were purchased new around '77).

 

[Ki Choi]

Hi Ki Choi,

If I may be allowed to chime in, my experience with my Magnepans' room placement is to pay very careful attention that the distance between the speakers and the wall behind the speakers are exactly the same. Rooms are either assymetrical like the one you are in or even in rectangular looking rooms, the walls are not exactly even.

Hi Mullard88:
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I have also found out the importance of having symetrical background for the Maggies. Having only one possible background that can be identical, my placement position selection for the Maggie had been limited. I have to also work on removing some stuff (mostly R2R machines) in the room to get it to be more lively. As MikeL had commented, my room is a R2R lab with speakers...unfortunately.

Ki

 

[MylesBAstor]

Hi Mullard88:
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I have also found out the importance of having symetrical background for the Maggies. Having only one possible background that can be identical, my placement position selection for the Maggie had been limited. I have to also work on removing some stuff (mostly R2R machines) in the room to get it to be more lively. As MikeL had commented, my room is a R2R lab with speakers...unfortunately.

Ki

Ki:

Have you played with the ribbons placed on the inside or outside?

 

[jadis]

Ki,

Can you please describe to me how the bass of the 20.1 sound? I mean is it as tight as the best dynamic or even servo woofers out there? Our local dealer never brought in a pair so I am just so curious to know if it can handle the powerful recordings like The Firebird or the Holst Suites of Telarc or shall we still have to restrict the volume on such recordings? (Given that the power amp is more the sufficient to drive them)

 

[c1ferrari]

...my room is a R2R lab with speakers...

As if there is anything remotely wrong with that

 

[Ki Choi]

Ki:

Have you played with the ribbons placed on the inside or outside?

Hi Myles:

Yes, I have had the ribbons on the outsides of the bass panels like most other people. But I could never get the "beyond the speaker" part of the imaging correctly in my room so I have the ribbons situated in inside the panels. I do get "better" imaging but not as ghostly as I would expect them to paint...

 

[Ki Choi]

Ki,

Can you please describe to me how the bass of the 20.1 sound? I mean is it as tight as the best dynamic or even servo woofers out there? Our local dealer never brought in a pair so I am just so curious to know if it can handle the powerful recordings like The Firebird or the Holst Suites of Telarc or shall we still have to restrict the volume on such recordings? (Given that the power amp is more the sufficient to drive them)

Hi Jadis:

Few years back, I had the 3.6Rs in a much larger basement room driven by a pair of Bryston 7BSTs. The room must have been too large whenever I played the Jennifer Warns' Hunter, the bass panels would flap... Although my current room isn't as big but still have never heard the 20.1 bass panels to flap or smear the texture of the bass information driven by a pair of similar 7BSST-2s. I often play Reference Recordings and Telarc music with deep bass information and do get as tight of bass as I remember getting from the B&W N800s I used to have in the same room playing same material. The only difference is that I used to register strong level on my sound pressure meter when I play the ~20Hz tone on test CDs or from my signal generator with B&Ws but not with Maggies.

 

[Ki Choi]

As if there is anything remotely wrong with that

Hi Sam:

I knew I can count on you for moral support... Thanks.

 

[microstrip]

Ki,
Can you please describe to me how the bass of the 20.1 sound?

I have no experience with 20.1, but one of my most memorable bass sessions was at my living/dining room with a pair of Magnepan Timpany IVa triple panels in the early 90's. They were placed at 2 meters from the back wall, and we had to move the dining table to sit. They only stayed for one weekend but their bass filled the room with a sound wave different from the bass of box speakers - it had "slam" and percussion was tense. The treble ribbons sounded fantastic, but the middle frequencies were a little reticent and only came to life at loud levels.
"Graceland" of Paul Simon never sounded the same again.

Recently I read at the Audiobeat that Warren Gehl, Audio Research’s chief listener, still uses a pair of Tympani's I with a Reference 110 tube amplifier in his private listening room.

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/arc_reference_anniversary.htm

 

[jadis]

Hi Jadis:

Few years back, I had the 3.6Rs in a much larger basement room driven by a pair of Bryston 7BSTs. The room must have been too large whenever I played the Jennifer Warns' Hunter, the bass panels would flap... Although my current room isn't as big but still have never heard the 20.1 bass panels to flap or smear the texture of the bass information driven by a pair of similar 7BSST-2s. I often play Reference Recordings and Telarc music with deep bass information and do get as tight of bass as I remember getting from the B&W N800s I used to have in the same room playing same material. The only difference is that I used to register strong level on my sound pressure meter when I play the ~20Hz tone on test CDs or from my signal generator with B&Ws but not with Maggies.

Many thanks for the feedback, Ki. Now I have an idea and good to know the 20.1s' bass does not flap at high intensity recordings. That is fantastic news for me.

 

[jadis]

I have no experience with 20.1, but one of my most memorable bass sessions was at my living/dining room with a pair of Magnepan Timpany IVa triple panels in the early 90's. They were placed at 2 meters from the back wall, and we had to move the dining table to sit. They only stayed for one weekend but their bass filled the room with a sound wave different from the bass of box speakers - it had "slam" and percussion was tense. The treble ribbons sounded fantastic, but the middle frequencies were a little reticent and only came to life at loud levels.
"Graceland" of Paul Simon never sounded the same again.

Recently I read at the Audiobeat that Warren Gehl, Audio Research’s chief listener, still uses a pair of Tympani's I with a Reference 110 tube amplifier in his private listening room.

http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/arc_reference_anniversary.htm

Thanks for sharing the link and the info, Microstrip.

 

[jadis]

ET 2 Tonearm

I'd been wanting to do this for the longest time, that is to film my ET2 tonearm 'floating' and swaying left and right horizontally while mimicking the groove pattern. It's on 'free float', so to speak, and it's a sight that has always endeared this tonearm to my heart.

Thanks for watching.

 

[jadis]

New member of the family but basically looks like its old sibling - The ARC VS-115

The 'rear view':

The view from the top:

A few weeks ago I was able to get a trade-in deal for my old VS-110 for a brand new VS-115. This unit is still factory tubed with SED 6550s though newer units are now fitted with the KT-120s from Russia. Burn in time is a mighty and long 600 hours. Off the box, it sounds more laid back and transparent than my old amp though I expect to evaluate it more after maybe 1/3 the recommended burn in time. Right now, I'm just playing some instrumental music to burn it in.

 

[flez007]

Let us know how it goes!