Saying Hi from Andy
- Thread starter jazzdude99
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Hi Tang - nice to meet you as well - next time your in Boston drop me a line….
Hi Tima - for Shostakovich, I probably listen to the most obvious material generally - the violin and cello concertos but also the second piano trio is a favorite. I do like the Brahms double - Heifetz and Piatigorski, and Heifetz violin concerto as well.
Typically I reach for Stravinsky first - I like the Stravinsky Conducts series on Columbia as well as the Ansermet and Dorati recordings. The famous ballets are clear winners but equally I enjoy some of the more obscure pieces such as Reynard and the Flood.
cheers
Andy
Hi Tima - for Shostakovich, I probably listen to the most obvious material generally - the violin and cello concertos but also the second piano trio is a favorite. I do like the Brahms double - Heifetz and Piatigorski, and Heifetz violin concerto as well.
Typically I reach for Stravinsky first - I like the Stravinsky Conducts series on Columbia as well as the Ansermet and Dorati recordings. The famous ballets are clear winners but equally I enjoy some of the more obscure pieces such as Reynard and the Flood.
cheers
Andy
Stravinsky is somewhat a weak spot in my 20th C. collection, so I'll take any album suggestions. I do like both Dorati and Ansermet, espec for Firebird. I will try the Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky re-issue from Speakers Corner..
All Shostakovich here
You can hear how the quality of reproduction drops from Murat's despite using a master tape (of a different piece and performance) on different systems
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One of my favorite blues harp players is Sonny Boy Williamson - this is “Don’t let your right hand know” from Portrait in Blues on Storyville. My copy is noisy - borderline really, but I love this record
Thank you for posting these videos Andy. I'm a fan of Sonny Boy and actually pulled it out when ddk was here setting up my system. The LP never fails to put a smile on my face. I look forward to visiting you this fall and hearing your system. It sounds great from the videos.
You may want to rotate your iPhone 90 degrees for a horizontal frame simply to capture more of the scene and those big panels. Nice effort on your first videos.
You may want to rotate your iPhone 90 degrees for a horizontal frame simply to capture more of the scene and those big panels. Nice effort on your first videos.
Hi Peter
for Louisiana Red, Midnight Rambler on the Tomato label is very good - some of the lyrics are very dark, but great music and well played. I saw him and Keb Mo at the pocono blues festival years ago - each playing acoustic sets - quite excellent.
For Sonny Boy, I can’t find my other records right now, however Portrait in Blues is my favorite as well.
Actually two of those videos are landscape and one is portrait - the panels are quite large.
cheers
Andy
for Louisiana Red, Midnight Rambler on the Tomato label is very good - some of the lyrics are very dark, but great music and well played. I saw him and Keb Mo at the pocono blues festival years ago - each playing acoustic sets - quite excellent.
For Sonny Boy, I can’t find my other records right now, however Portrait in Blues is my favorite as well.
Actually two of those videos are landscape and one is portrait - the panels are quite large.
cheers
Andy
Well that is embarrassing. I didn’t realize the black bars on each side of the video are actually the panels of your speakers. Oops.
You're not alone.
I thought - "that's weird having a video of an amplifier, but oh well, that's audiophiles...."
Oops.
Hi Jazzdude99, Good to hear from another SoundLab owner. I'm on my 3rd. pair which are Majestic 845's. These were obtained mid-last year.
Having four of his albums, I'm also, a Sonny Boy fan! The “Don’t Let Your Right Hand Know” track you alluded to, I have on a FI/Analogue Productions Sampler disc. It and Sonny's: "The Sky is Falling" track are on this disc. Each recording and the album in general, are reference quality. Along with its other offerings -- if the FI/Analoque recording can be found -- it's more than a worthy addition to the collection.
Having four of his albums, I'm also, a Sonny Boy fan! The “Don’t Let Your Right Hand Know” track you alluded to, I have on a FI/Analogue Productions Sampler disc. It and Sonny's: "The Sky is Falling" track are on this disc. Each recording and the album in general, are reference quality. Along with its other offerings -- if the FI/Analoque recording can be found -- it's more than a worthy addition to the collection.
Hi Mrmb
I’d love to hear a pair of 845’s - what electronics are you using with them?
I’ll have to look out for that sampler disc as well. Lots of great blues players out there - also a big fan of Taj Mahal - “recycling the blues” is great music and a fantastic recording. Also people like lightning Hopkins, Son House and a bunch of lesser known blues men visit the turntable from time to time.
I’d love to hear a pair of 845’s - what electronics are you using with them?
I’ll have to look out for that sampler disc as well. Lots of great blues players out there - also a big fan of Taj Mahal - “recycling the blues” is great music and a fantastic recording. Also people like lightning Hopkins, Son House and a bunch of lesser known blues men visit the turntable from time to time.
Hi Andy (jazzdude99),
A dCS Rossini DAC is driving Atma-sphere MA-1's which are powering the Majestic 845's.
I formerly was spinning vinyl on a Galibier Quattro turntable with Tri-Planer arm and Dynavector XV-1s cart. But a disability forced me to forego the vinyl playing ritual; which was a nice counterpoint sonically and activity-wise, to instant access PC audio. Fortunately for me, it was less difficult to give up the vinyl kit, because I was able to leave it and my vinyl collection with my audiophile son. But for sentimental reasons, I did keep my Beatles MFSL Box set. However, my son wasn't out too much, because I did leave him the Beatles Parlophone Blue Box set which is superb in its own right. At any rate, if I'm hankering for a taste of analog and a listen to my former pre-amp and analogue rig, my son is but a 10-minute drive away.
I never heard the 845's in our former house where I had the M1's and M1PX's. So, I can't provide a definitve comparison of the more dimuntive M1's which were a mere 80-inches tall compared to the 845's @ 94? x 39 3/4? x 8 1/4? & 216lb. Suffice it to say, SoundLabs will be my last pair of speakers Nevertheless, now that Dr. West has developed "Bass Focus" Technology, full-range stats like the 545's measuring in at 56? x 24? x 5.5? & 97lbs. are more aesthetically acceptable and as far I've heard and read, they provide similar or better gravitas than my former 80-incher's did.
In addition to the Atma-sphere's, previous amplification I used with SoundLabs were a: Levinson 336, CAT JL-1's and then, CAT JL-3's. The latter two being simply outstanding!!
I concur with your Taj Mahal reference and your "lots of great blues players" statement. It hasn't been but a decade or so, since I took a deep dive into the lesser know blues players. There's so much superb music and musical genres and so little time, isn't there!?!
A dCS Rossini DAC is driving Atma-sphere MA-1's which are powering the Majestic 845's.
I formerly was spinning vinyl on a Galibier Quattro turntable with Tri-Planer arm and Dynavector XV-1s cart. But a disability forced me to forego the vinyl playing ritual; which was a nice counterpoint sonically and activity-wise, to instant access PC audio. Fortunately for me, it was less difficult to give up the vinyl kit, because I was able to leave it and my vinyl collection with my audiophile son. But for sentimental reasons, I did keep my Beatles MFSL Box set. However, my son wasn't out too much, because I did leave him the Beatles Parlophone Blue Box set which is superb in its own right. At any rate, if I'm hankering for a taste of analog and a listen to my former pre-amp and analogue rig, my son is but a 10-minute drive away.
I never heard the 845's in our former house where I had the M1's and M1PX's. So, I can't provide a definitve comparison of the more dimuntive M1's which were a mere 80-inches tall compared to the 845's @ 94? x 39 3/4? x 8 1/4? & 216lb. Suffice it to say, SoundLabs will be my last pair of speakers Nevertheless, now that Dr. West has developed "Bass Focus" Technology, full-range stats like the 545's measuring in at 56? x 24? x 5.5? & 97lbs. are more aesthetically acceptable and as far I've heard and read, they provide similar or better gravitas than my former 80-incher's did.
In addition to the Atma-sphere's, previous amplification I used with SoundLabs were a: Levinson 336, CAT JL-1's and then, CAT JL-3's. The latter two being simply outstanding!!
I concur with your Taj Mahal reference and your "lots of great blues players" statement. It hasn't been but a decade or so, since I took a deep dive into the lesser know blues players. There's so much superb music and musical genres and so little time, isn't there!?!
Fantastic system Mrmb -
my M1s are PX but with 90 degree curve - have you compared the 90 to the 45 degree panels? A friend of mine has the U1 with the bass focus panels- best I’ve heard, superbly transparent.
youve had some great amplification - I’d love to hear the SLs with the atmasphere amps - I had a pair of joule Electra 160 monos when I first got my panels, but they weren’t up to the task (long story). CAT amps are legendary of course
cheers
Andy
my M1s are PX but with 90 degree curve - have you compared the 90 to the 45 degree panels? A friend of mine has the U1 with the bass focus panels- best I’ve heard, superbly transparent.
youve had some great amplification - I’d love to hear the SLs with the atmasphere amps - I had a pair of joule Electra 160 monos when I first got my panels, but they weren’t up to the task (long story). CAT amps are legendary of course
cheers
Andy
Andy,
As you've heard and experienced, electrostatic bass is sublime. It's one of the many attributes of SoundLab's that once heard and lived with, would be difficult to lose. The newly developed "Bass focus" technology takes that a step further and enhances SoundLab's already superlatively transparent and accurate bass output.
To compare 90 to 45 degree panels, I would have to had the same speaker types/models simultaneously &/or on-hand in and around the same time, which I haven't.
My first SoundLab M1 pair may have been 90-degree ones. Whether that was the case or not, I can't recall. At any rate, I sold them several weeks before the M1PX's arrived. Of course the panel was newer PX model and the transformer was the newer Consummate model. As expected, the newer SoundLabs were easier to drive and sounded different. Whether that was due to the PX panel, the Consummate backplate, or the 45 vs 90 degree angles (if they were indeed different), I couldn't say. My supposition is that the 45 vs 90 degree question would best be answered by the factory &/or a dealer who may have had the ability to do a back-to-back comparison as it were.
When contemplating ordering my present 845's while our house was being designed, I sent Roger our new house's plans and asked for his input about placement applications in the basement (we had 2). When doing that, I also asked his suggestion about panel angle and he advised the 45 degree one per the following: "I recommend 90 degree dispersion only in cases where a very wide listening area is used" "45 degree dispersion reduces side-wall reflections and adds 3dB to sensitivity due to having a higher energy density." "I would recommend 45 degree dispersion for your room." For clarification purposes: my room is 19-feet wide, so apparently not "very wide" in Dr. West's meaning of the phrase.
As you've heard and experienced, electrostatic bass is sublime. It's one of the many attributes of SoundLab's that once heard and lived with, would be difficult to lose. The newly developed "Bass focus" technology takes that a step further and enhances SoundLab's already superlatively transparent and accurate bass output.
To compare 90 to 45 degree panels, I would have to had the same speaker types/models simultaneously &/or on-hand in and around the same time, which I haven't.
My first SoundLab M1 pair may have been 90-degree ones. Whether that was the case or not, I can't recall. At any rate, I sold them several weeks before the M1PX's arrived. Of course the panel was newer PX model and the transformer was the newer Consummate model. As expected, the newer SoundLabs were easier to drive and sounded different. Whether that was due to the PX panel, the Consummate backplate, or the 45 vs 90 degree angles (if they were indeed different), I couldn't say. My supposition is that the 45 vs 90 degree question would best be answered by the factory &/or a dealer who may have had the ability to do a back-to-back comparison as it were.
When contemplating ordering my present 845's while our house was being designed, I sent Roger our new house's plans and asked for his input about placement applications in the basement (we had 2). When doing that, I also asked his suggestion about panel angle and he advised the 45 degree one per the following: "I recommend 90 degree dispersion only in cases where a very wide listening area is used" "45 degree dispersion reduces side-wall reflections and adds 3dB to sensitivity due to having a higher energy density." "I would recommend 45 degree dispersion for your room." For clarification purposes: my room is 19-feet wide, so apparently not "very wide" in Dr. West's meaning of the phrase.
Fascinating - thanks for that - sounds like I would be better off with the 45 degree panel, although sadly that wouldn’t be on the radar screen for quite some time.
My backplates have the AU90 transformers that were available for some time from Australia - a big jump in sensitivity, as the crossover now has no resistors or capacitors in it.
Andy
My backplates have the AU90 transformers that were available for some time from Australia - a big jump in sensitivity, as the crossover now has no resistors or capacitors in it.
Andy
