System Pictures & Description

I invite everyone to post a picture and description of their systems. Comments are welcome!
(Mods: It may be useful to make this thread sticky or move its location)

My system was put together on a grad student's budget - i.e. next to nothing. I built the speakers using vintage Alnico drivers from Dave aka planet10. I built the stands very cheaply from plumbing parts. Currently, I'm using two Sansui amps; one for the speakers and a second for the stereo subs seen under the desk. I'm currently gathering parts for a Mini-Aleph that will replace the Sansui driving the main speakers.

The sources are a Panasonic CD player, a belt-driven JVC turntable, and 10 GB of MP3s from my computer. I also have a Rega Planar2, but it's currently being used in the HT system. The preamp uses a single +24V power supply to run the 12AE6 space-charge triodes and heaters as well as the TI BUF634 buffers.

Cheers,
Eric


Complete system:
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Component rack:
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Pete Millett Hybrid preamp/headphone amp:
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Component rack, stylized picture :
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Weel, I'm also on a students budget (2nd year vehicle engineer at the Royal institute of technology in Stockholm, Sweden) and this is what I've managed to get/make this far:

Computer based source/DAC/preamp

Gainclone amplifiers

Open baffle speakers with Seas excel tweeters and CB17RCY/P woofers, on top of H-baffle subs with cheap 8"s.

The rear speakers are my first DIY speakers with the rear removed and crossover tossed out.

InFocus projector (my moms that I've borrowed until later...)

The speakers are crossed over/equalised using the DSP on the soundcard (kX drivers). I'm currently rebuilding the amp to make active crossover/eq/amp boxes next to the speakers.

Have fun

Anders
 

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Hi everyone,
Here comes the setup of another uni student. I'm a PhD student at Queensland University of technology with a background in physics, and since I also work at the uni this give’s me access to all sorts of cool equipment.

My mains were my first project and consist of Vifa tweeter (XT25TG-30-04) Peerless 5” (850488) and Peerless 8” (850490).

The sub I have just completed and is a Peerless 12” XLS with a 350W amp.

At the moment their connected to a crapy Sony amp which will be replaced for something else as soon as funds permit. My brother has a Rotel and when they were hooked up to it the bass increased phenomenally.

Cheers
Jye
 

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frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
The video stuff is fairly constant. Denon DVD, Sony VCR, Technics DD/DTS processor. The pre (NAIT II) and Tuner (an Onkyo) are almost as steady. Amp(s) currently a Don Stenton Signature, and speakers change regularily. Some EL84 amps coming up soon. TT not shown.

The current speakers are interesting. Visaton B200s in open baffles. They are quite good. I got the drivers on loan from Creative Sound with the purpose of preparing them for the NW DIY event that happened last Saturday. People were quite impressed with them. Me too. (I won't be able to afford to keep them myself so Bob has given me the go ahead to sell them cheap -- maybe the only pair in North America, if you are interested contact me). I made a removable sub-baffle so i could swap in other drivers up to 8" (i've got some number to try including some Korean made FR65s).

dave
 

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Just another Moderator
Joined 2003
Paid Member
JOE DIRT® said:
show off`s ...LOL....I had a clock radio 20 years ago

Me too :) but I hacked mine and ran a lead out and hooked it up to a 12" two way (mono) I found at the dump. The cone on the 12" I had to patch together with bits of tissue paper and watered down PVA glue...... Them were the days :)

Here is a picture of one of my current 3ways. Don't laugh!!!! It sounds a bit better than it looks, although anyone out there with some idea of box construction will probably cringe! I hate to think about the diffraction effects of the recessed baffle. All I can say is I plead not guilty to the original box. The baffles, ports, speakers and xovers (pre made) are my doing but not the box!

About the only thing I'd say the original design had that was maybe even slightly on the right track is that the dimentions are golden ratio :) The chip board is somewhat swolen due to beer spills!!! (Oh and there is no internal bracing apart from in the corners, so they tend to resonate a bit at certain freqs if turned up :(

Current system:

Two of shown boxes
Marantz DV18 MK II
Playmaster series 200 amp with mods
Loewe Xelos 5381 ZW 81CM
Panasonic NV-F65 HQ HIFI VCR (they don't make em like that anymore)
Rotel RT-940AX Tuner (very ordinary really)
AKAI GX-32 tape deck

planning on making some MTM's using Morel MW-144's and DMS-37's and some new cabinets for the Vifa 10"s. (If I can ever get of my behind and order the drivers).....

Regards,

Tony.

EDIT: Oh and I intend to finish the new speakers with a nice blackwood veneer :)

EDIT 2: Why do I always seem to end up on a new page???
 

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Just another Moderator
Joined 2003
Paid Member
No the woofer is actually a Vifa M26WR-09-08. But the tweet and mid are phillips.

The crossover was a pre built one I got at Jaycar about 10-15 years ago (were about $80 each at the time so not cheap), I can't really remember when. It is reasonably well made, using all poly caps except for the one on the woofer which is a BP electro, and uses really heavy gauge wire in the coils (was rated at 200W) I've never actually tried to work out what design it is but I think its a second order (tweeter polarity is reversed).

It's actually woefully matched to the mids, and not particulary good for the woofers either (which really should be crossed below 500) (the mids and the woofers really are a poor match, but they are better than the original 12" woofers!)

the Xover freqs are 500Hz and 3500Hz (I think). The mid's resonant freq (again I think) is about 360Hz so it really needs to be crossed quite a bit higher). I had xovers with 800 and 3000 Hz xover freq but they sounded awfull (although that could have been more to do with the fact that they used all electros and ferite cored coils! and was also when the boxes still had the 12" drivers).

I really want to get a panasonic mic so I can do some measurements and see how bad they really are, but I can't find where to get them here in Aus.

Regards,

Tony.
 
B200 open baffle

Hello Planet

Did you do any passive corrections on the B200?
At the visaton home page (B200 Dipol) they drop the heights with
1.5 mH and 15 Ohms parallel. I have never heard the B200 nor an open baffle, so i´m interested.

greetings from the mountains
wudi
 
jwb said:
Hey Serow, that's a nice looking tube headamp/preamp. What's the car audio component on the middle shelf?

Thanks, I like the look of it too. However, it made me vow to never work with wood cases again - countersinking the chassis mount jacks and the pot was a big pain.

That component is a cheap subwoofer crossover I bought on eBay. I have it set for 50Hz 12dB/Oct right now, but I think I'll open it up and see if I can convert in to 24dB/Oct.

Eric