I'll read your impressions with interest.
It will be fantastic to have you opinion on them.
They're a nice improvement in timbre and distortion in a cost no object build.
PCX still has the PKs, really good choice and sound, they're only rated for 4V but they will work fine.
A largerly more available alternate are Elna Silmic II black sleeve (you can find them only from eBay, from what I know).
Pretty same timbre of BG STD (they're very different from brown sleeve ones), they're more rich in hamonics but not as clean as BG std.
BG FK/PKs have more detail, though.
A link to some more hi-resolution samplers, totally free and legal:
High Resolution Music DOWNLOAD services .:. FLAC in free TEST BENCH
I have downloaded only 2 tracks from the lot (bandwidth issues), but one of them is a very good reference track: Eugene Bozza's Children's Overture performed by the Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces. It has a bit of everything, lots of dynamic range, lots of instruments, etc.
Here are three new sample tracks that display the accuracy and stage of the FE. I consider them "HOT" recordings as the engineer apparently maxed out just short of clipping. The result is a very full presentation that is as close to what I remember as hearing things from inside the band as I have heard..
Of particular note is the placement of instruments (just a tad contrived but good), excellent cymbal work and recording, and the ability to hear the physical action of the keys on the reed instruments along with air/breath in the brass. The clarinet and flute work put "Ever braver" into my all time top 20 list.
These actually sound better on the FE/Sunflower combo than on my DT-770 Pro headset. They are from the same dude who did "Hunting Wabbits" - different album. The format is mp3 but very high quality approaching what flacs can present. If I can find them uncompressed I will post.
Cut'nRun
Ever Braver
La Almeja Pequena (Presence is remarkable - stage fills entire room)
P.S. Dario, Almeja,,, is for you. Bet you do a few Salsa steps in the kitchen when you hear it.
Of particular note is the placement of instruments (just a tad contrived but good), excellent cymbal work and recording, and the ability to hear the physical action of the keys on the reed instruments along with air/breath in the brass. The clarinet and flute work put "Ever braver" into my all time top 20 list.
These actually sound better on the FE/Sunflower combo than on my DT-770 Pro headset. They are from the same dude who did "Hunting Wabbits" - different album. The format is mp3 but very high quality approaching what flacs can present. If I can find them uncompressed I will post.
Cut'nRun
Ever Braver
La Almeja Pequena (Presence is remarkable - stage fills entire room)
P.S. Dario, Almeja,,, is for you. Bet you do a few Salsa steps in the kitchen when you hear it.
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Here is a link to the folder on Box. It's mostly my stuff so far, but I hope others will upload lots soon. If there is help needed just PM me or post. I'll put up a few that Siva pointed to later today. "Galaxy of Emptiness" in the vocal folder is one of madisonears stage and depth favorites.
FE Audio Test Tracks.
FE Audio Test Tracks.
Oh, what the heck - nothing better than a good cup of java and some jazz on a Sunday morning.
This one has very obvious good instrument/section placement, but is excellent for showing the "dead silence" of the FE background that Tom mentioned earlier. Pay attention to the riffs starting at 01:30 on the track. The clarity at 04:44 is as someone said - "Gobsmacking"
Don't think any other amp I've heard can duplicate the accuracy and flavor.
Count Bubba"s Revenge
This one has very obvious good instrument/section placement, but is excellent for showing the "dead silence" of the FE background that Tom mentioned earlier. Pay attention to the riffs starting at 01:30 on the track. The clarity at 04:44 is as someone said - "Gobsmacking"
Don't think any other amp I've heard can duplicate the accuracy and flavor.
Count Bubba"s Revenge
The tracks are engaging and well recorded but, sadly, incredibly smashed/compressed for Jazz (DR8).
DR8 is barely decent, sadly most recordings from the last years are DR6-7
P.S. Dario, Almeja,,, is for you. Bet you do a few Salsa steps in the kitchen when you hear it.
Sorry, no.
It's latin Jazz but not exactly a dance arrangement.
gents can I ask you please to give here a summary of your fav test tracks ?
I knopw Bob postet them while ago an I could not "track" it now
Among others the most used tracks (by me) are:
So far away
You latest trick
(From Dire Straits - Brothers in arms)
Note:
Heavily compressed tracks (less than DR10) are, IMHO, usless, they tend to mask most timbric problems.
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Thx. Going to read what is DR
My equipment currently disassembled.
Did new front back panels weith laser cut and cnc.
Only problem- aluminiuum needs to be brushed for a better finish.
I have some links with suggestions how to do this but is any of you attempted anything similar ?
My equipment currently disassembled.
Did new front back panels weith laser cut and cnc.
Only problem- aluminiuum needs to be brushed for a better finish.
I have some links with suggestions how to do this but is any of you attempted anything similar ?
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-- As an aside - I had my 50th High School reunion a couple weeks ago. Just by random I ended up sitting with a couple where the husband was a active member of a good rock band - back in the day. Three quarters through the meal we found out that his wife sitting next to me - someone I really didn't know or recognize - was in a Latin dance class at college in 1964. She did say me and my partner (now my ex-wife) were the best dancers. So Dario, I will be on your case soon.
Actually, that was a great class cause it was taught by a guy who danced on Broadweay for twenty years before he started teaching. Talk about steps and moves - WOW!. He was also the competition gymnastics coach.
That "Six degrees of separation" concept is quite true and amazing when it happens.
**********
Had to check you out Dario...
The tracks you mentioned are now in the Rock folder at FE Tests. I'll take a listen
So far away
You latest trick
Actually, that was a great class cause it was taught by a guy who danced on Broadweay for twenty years before he started teaching. Talk about steps and moves - WOW!. He was also the competition gymnastics coach.
That "Six degrees of separation" concept is quite true and amazing when it happens.
**********
Had to check you out Dario...
The tracks you mentioned are now in the Rock folder at FE Tests. I'll take a listen
So far away
You latest trick
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Voxx, your panels look great. Brushing them will take some time, but it will be worth it. I always use reclaimed drops for my builds so they usually have some deep scratches at the surface. To smooth these out I use a palm sander and some medium grit paper (250-320). I have used water with the sander, but I will leave that up to you. (your panels looks pretty clear so you may be able to skip the sander step) Then I attach the panels to a fixed surface leaving the finished side up to be sanded. I usually wrap a large piece of coarse grit sandpaper over a block of wood or somthing similar that is fairly hard. This worked better than a padded sanding block for me. You will also want a spray bottle full of water. Now spray the surface down with water and begin sanding. Sanding longways (horizontaly) looks better in my opinion. Keep sanding and sanding and sanding, then spray and sand some more. Be sure to start your stroke across the panels straight. There are a few tricks I used to ensure the strokes were straight on my first build. First I used a sheet of paper that was as wide as the panel so every inch of the panel was touched on every pass. Second was I put a section of 2x4 next to the long side of the paneland used it as a guide. Any movement that is not square will show up on the panel, but the good news is you can sand it out. Keep sanding and spraying until you are happy with the finish. Then wash off the surface with water, let it dry and use rubbing alcohol to clean any oils left behind. let this dry and wax with automobile wax. I use the micro type that comes in a spray bottle. I spray it on heavy wipe it around so it covers the whole surface and let it dry for awhile. Then I use a microfiber to polish the surface. I repeat this 5 or 6 times before I let the surface dry for a day or so. I have had great luck with the wax, so I have not expiremented with clear coat or anodizing. The wax method has held up to little kids handprints etc. it is easy to clean too.
hope this helps
hope this helps
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Well Mr. Inserra - I have to admit it is difficult for me to comprehend most of the elements in the "So Far Away" style. It's simply something my ear is not tuned to. There is just too much going on in what I hear as clutter - but that's mostly just because I'm an "Old Dude". 
My children (in their mid forties) and most of my fellow musicians love that style and hear something I don't.
On the other hand - "Your Latest Trick" sounds top shelf - IMHO. What really jumped out at me is the rock solid stage placement. In the jazz tracks I linked to this morning, there is some obvious horizontal drift dependent on range and volume. Nothing budges at all on YLT. The image is well beyond the outside edges of the speakers and is extremely tall and 3-denominational. ## ENORMOUS! ##
I agree it should be used as a standard for both stage and pristine recording.
Thanks.
PS. Anything that has that mellow Rhodes piano usually has me at Hello
My children (in their mid forties) and most of my fellow musicians love that style and hear something I don't.On the other hand - "Your Latest Trick" sounds top shelf - IMHO. What really jumped out at me is the rock solid stage placement. In the jazz tracks I linked to this morning, there is some obvious horizontal drift dependent on range and volume. Nothing budges at all on YLT. The image is well beyond the outside edges of the speakers and is extremely tall and 3-denominational. ## ENORMOUS! ##
I agree it should be used as a standard for both stage and pristine recording.
Thanks.
PS. Anything that has that mellow Rhodes piano usually has me at Hello
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So you guys are all excited about using some MP3 stuff for test tracks? Why don't you just hook up your VCR to your plasma TV while you're at it?
I was thinking that a single word could sum up the true strength of this FE amp: resolution. How can you possibly use low resolution source material to test such a high resolution amplifier, unless it's to be able to discern just how low resolution the source actually is?
Late night listening: layer upon layer of inner detail and spaciousness revealed. Tonality still a little bit sharp, but not really shrill. My primary source, Marantz SA-11S1, is out of commission, so I'm using old modded Sony DVP9000ES, and that might account for the slight sharpness. The Marantz is so much smoother yet far more resolving and throws an even bigger, deeper stage.
What I'd really like to hear through these amps is some nice vinyl, but I'm not enough of a fanatic to have that set up. SACD comes close enough for me. But please, MP3? Don't mean to insult anyone, but that's no test track. Nice idea to share music, though.
Peace,
Tom E
I was thinking that a single word could sum up the true strength of this FE amp: resolution. How can you possibly use low resolution source material to test such a high resolution amplifier, unless it's to be able to discern just how low resolution the source actually is?
Late night listening: layer upon layer of inner detail and spaciousness revealed. Tonality still a little bit sharp, but not really shrill. My primary source, Marantz SA-11S1, is out of commission, so I'm using old modded Sony DVP9000ES, and that might account for the slight sharpness. The Marantz is so much smoother yet far more resolving and throws an even bigger, deeper stage.
What I'd really like to hear through these amps is some nice vinyl, but I'm not enough of a fanatic to have that set up. SACD comes close enough for me. But please, MP3? Don't mean to insult anyone, but that's no test track. Nice idea to share music, though.
Peace,
Tom E
I totally agree Tom. Don't know if you have gone digital yet, but flack files are a bump up from mp3. I do have some SACD pieces as downloads (playable on JRiver) and my Oppo DV-981HD will play them. I just don't own any disks to listen to. From the reports I read - digital files mastered in SACD are pretty darn close to the physical form. I haven't taken the time to do some direct comparisons with flacs. I will. However, I'm not aware of many studios still producing SACDs - could be wrong.
All my vinyls are locked up in storage, but that will be my winter project as I haven't used them for years. I've been holding bask because Dario has relieved me of all my extra cash with his ongoing projects. Sadly, I bought a very nice new TT two years ago and someone ripped it off from my car before I got it home. Looking forward to getting that system running again.
Vox and others - Check out these links:
JRiver SACD 1
General Info.
All my vinyls are locked up in storage, but that will be my winter project as I haven't used them for years. I've been holding bask because Dario has relieved me of all my extra cash with his ongoing projects.
Sadly, I bought a very nice new TT two years ago and someone ripped it off from my car before I got it home. Looking forward to getting that system running again.Vox and others - Check out these links:
JRiver SACD 1
General Info.
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BI-amping works really good with my system. It's a bit troublesome acquiring another pair of interconnects and speaker wires $$$-time to build. The next step now is a pair of low level active crossovers. YeeHaa! I can't wait to start listening to these beauties with the OEM passive crossovers out of the way.
I have also played with a few interconnects and found 4N silver to be my favourite,It really cleaned up the sound.
I have also played with a few interconnects and found 4N silver to be my favourite,It really cleaned up the sound.
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I am no expert on entry level SACD players, but Marantz makes quality equipment at every price level. I don't know what their cheapest player costs, or if the SACD format is really worth it at that price level. This is probably not the appropriate place to discuss it further.
One thing I will add to Dario's recommendation of Dire Starits tracks for demo: "Brothers in Arms" is available as an SACD, and the sound is a world apart from redbook CD or even XRCD. The three dimensional quality of "Latest Trick" is breathtaking. No bull. I was startled by the sheer presence and atmosphere. This is listening in stereo, not surround, albeit an excellent stereo.
Whatever improvements you make to your source equipment, software or hardware, and your speakers, will only make it more apparent just how excellent these amplifiers really are. I feel they are the strongest link in my system, and that any critical listener hearing it for the first time would guess I spent many thousands of dollars on amplification alone.
Peace,
Tom E
One thing I will add to Dario's recommendation of Dire Starits tracks for demo: "Brothers in Arms" is available as an SACD, and the sound is a world apart from redbook CD or even XRCD. The three dimensional quality of "Latest Trick" is breathtaking. No bull. I was startled by the sheer presence and atmosphere. This is listening in stereo, not surround, albeit an excellent stereo.
Whatever improvements you make to your source equipment, software or hardware, and your speakers, will only make it more apparent just how excellent these amplifiers really are. I feel they are the strongest link in my system, and that any critical listener hearing it for the first time would guess I spent many thousands of dollars on amplification alone.
Peace,
Tom E