Best Amp & speakers – tweaking to a genre - blues

[rick57]

I’m part way into formulating my next long term speaker.
Then I thought, my tastes are drifting primary to blues music, 1927 - 1967. I’m thinking how to alter a design to be, while generally very good - a little optimised to a genre - blues. (Next most listened to style ~ electric pop & rock).

1927 – 1967 being the valve era, I’m 80% sure it should be primarily valve driven. Being more a realist than a romantic, I’m 80% sure it should be PP. I’m 70% sure it should be DHT, 45/ 2A3/ 300B. PP range 4 – 16 watts.

But on the speaker side, I’m a lot less sure. 100 dB minimum would be an initial target. The plan at this stage is:
a. Bass < 200 Hz: Peerless XLS driven actively with Hypex
b. Lower mids 200 – 1400 Hz: JBL 2202 guitar speaker.
c. 1400 Hz: Aurum G1.

b & c driven by PP DHTs. (Karlson Klams may be looked at for a later variant).

Who’s listened to a lot of blues, like to comment?? How to tweak??

[Bare]

A Push Pull ? prolly an el84 I'll bet..Groan.
Just go and buy an old Dyna.. farty Bass, constrained highs and Hiss... all premade with none of the DIY hassles.
Suggest you focus on Speakers FIRST..Genuinely good Speakers sound good even on Crappy electronics.. well, mostly good :-)
Find a Set of Tannoys from 69 to 73.. get a decent gasp! commercial SS amp with genuine Hi current capabilities (not all can do this so read specs V carefully) Useeither a Genuinely good and Simple Circuit Tube pre OR a Stepped attenuator and of course a Source worth listening to, IF vinyl then yer needing a decent Phono stage as well... (happy hunting)

[rick57]

“farty Bass, constrained highs and Hiss” not quite what I had in mind . .

The aim is *Sympathetic TONE.
And preferably *the ability to VARY this.

I owned a 68 Tannoy Lancaster for a decade, it was ok but certainly *not flat. Apart from dual concentric - what’s the special attraction of 69 - 73 Tannoys?

FWIW, according to http://www.watfordvalves.com/testrep...akers.htm#cb12 , the mid 50s 100 dB Celestion Blue G12 Alnico (8/ 16 ohms, c US$ 300) is based on comparison, the “industry standard” for both blues and rock. Mmm, rising response curve, music to some, a tilted field to many.
A cone of similar/ same material to old guitar speakers would probably help - what were most old guitar speaker cones?

That aside, to allow a system to be optimised for a music type eg blues, but work well with others ~ tweakability ~ here’s two approaches:
I read of one lucky enough to have three amps, eg
~ for when power is needed AKSA Nirvana (55/ 100 w)
~ for sweetness a SE, an 845 SE perhaps being the amp equivalent of Angelina Jolie.
~ for an intermediate tonal quality a PP.

But that’s a tad $$$ excessive . .

My immediate thinking is use a Behringer DCX2496 EQ Crossover (or better if affordable) direct from the CD digital out, and use about half a dozen memories.

* One for say standard, flattening the speaker anomalies
* One for say minimal bass 1920s-30s, above + high *** boost (degree to be determined) probably +high end lift.
* One for moderately irregular recordings, half way between the two.
* Other 2-3-4 as desired.
Select best fit on playback. Essentially cost effective digital EQ, without going overboard . .

Other ideas?

[pinkmouse]

You need Quad ESLs.

[rick57]

. . may well be perfect for revealing the magic of a nice recording
but will equally fully expose the lack of SQ of historic recordings

Maybe ESLs, with EQ as before?

Though ESLs also reduce amp options – PP bigger valves and / or more of them?

[rick57]

~ A good basic system: recommendations for amp & speakers (maybe ESL is too different from the original tone?)

~ How easiest to tweak it to cover the major SQ deficiency, but be able to switch it off.

An EQ may? be better implemented outside the XO, but that provably involves extra D-A & A-D stages, hence the idea of do it within.