Zero Distortion: The General's System - Pnoe, Thomas Mayer, Vyger, Original LPs

[gian60]

Congrats Ked,
another super review

Consider you like a lot Pnoe and Yamamura,that are not real horn speaker i think you like more monovia speaker without crossover,so you can find more natural sound.
Its a pity you never listened my old system,some friends cried listening that

 

[gian60]

Horn speaker have also mid and tweeter with horn,some with no horn in bass and some with like this for exemple

I listen many with Ale,Goto,WE,Coral,Tad,Altec and if you find the right people can do are fantastic
No comparison with all the horn speaker you can see in Munich

 

[Tango]

Nice post Tang. But how do you feel about the need, based on Ked's report, to going down to 1-3 watts of power for your Cessaros?

I dont dare to go that low because my speakers are not 115db. I will go 37 watts and see how it is. I am standing at 75 watts right now and I know for sure my speakers can sings better at lower wattage than this.

kind regards,
Tang

 

[Tango]

Its a pity you never listened my old system,some friends cried listening that

Was your wife peeling onions in the room?

 

[morricab]

I dont dare to go that low because my speakers are not 115db. I will go 37 watts and see how it is. I am standing at 75 watts right now and I know for sure my speakers can sings better at lower wattage than this.

kind regards,
Tang

I am at 25 watts, but for my listening habits down to 10 at least would work.

 

[morricab]

http://zero-distortion.org/pnoe-horns-with-aer-bd4-5-drivers-vygerthomas-mayer/

This article is for vinyl junkies, some digital only guys will not relate, but it is about my top 3 rooms, and insight into original pressings at one, if not the largest collector and reseller of vinyl in the world, who luckily lives in the city and I can visit regularly

Notes on:

1. Pnoe horns with the costliest drivers in the world, the full range crossoverless 120 db. BD5 from AER (now around 50k GBP for the pair), and comparison with the lower model BD4
2. Thomas Mayer phono vs Vyger phono, Thomas Mayer 1.25 and 3w amps with a valve called the 46 (valve rarely made after the 1940s), Thomas Mayer 211 amps, and NAT Magma compare
3. Further notes on the Vyger Indian signature and Atlantis with the Red Sparrow
4. Comparison of recording engineers, verticuts and ortofon Lyrec cut LPs with other cuts.

You mention the Yammamuras a lot in your blog but what is the driver used in that horn? What if it was replaced with a BD5?

 

[bonzo75]

You mention the Yammamuras a lot in your blog but what is the driver used in that horn? What if it was replaced with a BD5?

It's a driver by Yamamura, Gian will know more details, but it is more of a one off that cannot be reproduced now. Good question though, that we cannot answer except in theory

 

[zerostargeneral]

The driver in the Dionosio is a heavily doped Lowther.

The frame shape and body heft of the Lowther,obviates the abilty to swap.

https://audioflair.co.uk/category/used-items-for-sale/loudspeakers/

Scroll down the page and all may see the fabulous Be Yamamura work.

Kind regards,G.

 

[KeithR]

One interesting thing about the SET thread is how many one-off or esoteric speakers are used - I think that's because SET fans vote for the amp first and try to find a speaker around it.

 

[morricab]

One interesting thing about the SET thread is how many one-off or esoteric speakers are used - I think that's because SET fans vote for the amp first and try to find a speaker around it.

I have found at least higher power SETs can work very well with general high sensitivity speakers...no need for one off or ultra exotic...it just shows that people can get pretty adventurous once they leave the mainstream...

Keep in mind though that Altecs were anything but esoteric...

 

[ddk]

The driver in the Dionosio is a heavily doped Lowther.

The frame shape and body heft of the Lowther,obviates the abilty to swap.

https://audioflair.co.uk/category/used-items-for-sale/loudspeakers/

Scroll down the page and all may see the fabulous Be Yamamura work.

Kind regards,G.

Over the years I had various Lowther made and Lowther based speakers and outside of the Voigt Domestic Horns I fail to see their appeal specially when compared to an Axiom 80. My memory of Yamamura products is from the 80's, his projects were always interesting and promising but never finished, there was always something left undone or suboptimal. A friend had a few pairs of his modified Lowthers and no two sounded the same, still I loved the way he worked and his romance with audio and sound.

david

 

[bonzo75]

That is true, he stayed in Milan to tweak Pietro's speaker, to finish what Pietro felt was lacking, and from what I understand there is another one there in Milan which sounds different. This is true for most small scale manufactured products

 

[zerostargeneral]

David you truly deserve the title,

You are very much an expert in this field.

It takes a level of poise to post in this manner,bravo you.

Kind regards,G.

 

[KeithR]

I have found at least higher power SETs can work very well with general high sensitivity speakers...no need for one off or ultra exotic...it just shows that people can get pretty adventurous once they leave the mainstream...

Sure, which I totally respect. A lot of thought and work goes into several of those systems posted.

In general, its hard to find SOTA speakers that can be driven by 75 tube watts much less 7.5...I've stuggled with it myself in my recent speaker search. I will know in a few weeks if I can move to an inefficient speaker or not. Stay tuned

 

[gian60]

Yamamura lived 6 months in my home,i was not married and worked under one tree of my garden and my father everyday brought coffe to him

He worked 14 hours every day and never finished some because every day had different ideas
He always told me there is no one good dac because all chips are terrible.

He did an amp of 220 kg mono with external power supply to me,in 1990,was really incredible for that time,Audio Note and Audio Tekne was unknown in Italy,push pull of 845 and superpermalloy trans and told me the only thing to do better is to do power supply with battery,but no battery good on the market.
He tried to get from NATO,he had a friend there,battery used in Scotland on nuclear submarine but at the end cannot take.

He asked his partner,company was A.R.T.in Italy, to produce and buy 6 power transformer with very special construction and expensive.
When trans were ready he told to his partner has another idea and has to do one modified to trans and build from beginning

At the end they did one speaker to me with mid lowter PM 2A ,my amp,2 preamp and 4 turntable and then company broken and he went to England to do an other company with mr. Churchill.

This is Yamamura

When i knew he told me cd has no good image because the board of cd is lucid and the laser light cannot stop,so kept the sand paper 00 and pass on the board of cd to become opaque and the light stop there.

After 10 years others did the green pen for the board of cd and brought to me some footer of graphite high density to put under speaker

 

[Zero000]

Sure the Pnoe was in a compromised room at Munich 2018, with probably not the best amp. But I think it was obvious the BD4 driver was outstanding, as I have said on here before. It was doing things nothing else at the show could hint at, IMHO.

 

[ddk]

David you truly deserve the title,

You are very much an expert in this field.

It takes a level of poise to post in this manner,bravo you.

Kind regards,G.

Thank you G., you know what they say; it takes a thief....!

david

 

[ddk]

Yamamura lived 6 months in my home,i was not married and worked under one tree of my garden and my father everyday brought coffe to him

He worked 14 hours every day and never finished some because every day had different ideas
He always told me there is no one good dac because all chips are terrible.

He did an amp of 220 kg mono with external power supply to me,in 1990,was really incredible for that time,Audio Note and Audio Tekne was unknown in Italy,push pull of 845 and superpermalloy trans and told me the only thing to do better is to do power supply with battery,but no battery good on the market.
He tried to get from NATO,he had a friend there,battery used in Scotland on nuclear submarine but at the end cannot take.

He asked his partner,company was A.R.T.in Italy, to produce and buy 6 power transformer with very special construction and expensive.
When trans were ready he told to his partner has another idea and has to do one modified to trans and build from beginning

At the end they did one speaker to me with mid lowter PM 2A ,my amp,2 preamp and 4 turntable and then company broken and he went to England to do an other company with mr. Churchill.

This is Yamamura

When i knew he told me cd has no good image because the board of cd is lucid and the laser light cannot stop,so kept the sand paper 00 and pass on the board of cd to become opaque and the light stop there.

After 10 years others did the green pen for the board of cd and brought to me some footer of graphite high density to put under speaker

You have a great story to tell Gian of a unique adventure from a bygone era that also involved your father no equipment can match the memory.

david

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Hi D

Over the years I had various Lowther made and Lowther based speakers and outside of the Voigt Domestic Horns I fail to see their appeal specially when compared to an Axiom 80. My memory of Yamamura products is from the 80's, his projects were always interesting and promising but never finished, there was always something left undone or suboptimal. A friend had a few pairs of his modified Lowthers and no two sounded the same, still I loved the way he worked and his romance with audio and sound.

david

Hi David,

Do you have some Axiom 80s? What an amazing sounding driver.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Very

Sure the Pnoe was in a compromised room at Munich 2018, with probably not the best amp. But I think it was obvious the BD4 driver was outstanding, as I have said on here before. It was doing things nothing else at the show could hint at, IMHO.

Very very well said, Justin! It is a crazy bloody thing that driver. If you ever get the chance to hear the BD5...