2,400 watts per MONO-BLOCK !!!
In Australia, we have 240VAC mains voltage, and the current rating of domestic power outlets is 10 amps. This would provide continuous power for one
MONO-BLOCK ! , and that would be if the amplifier was 100% efficient. I have to assume that the 2400W spec. is for peak/transient power BUT >
Talk about over-kill > I drew the line @ 700 watts per Ch. into 4 ohms. That = 350 W per Ch. @ 8 ohms > More than enough for good clean power 🙂
This recent news article I think sheds some light on current trends:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyjvn658n6o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyjvn658n6o
I recently saw a headline suggesting that vinyl will be dead within the next ten years. Hmmmm, I believe I've heard that before. 🤔
Good subject, sorry I will make small essay now:
Yes we are unless we do something about it. Here we disc0uss 0,0000something THD, sound of different resistors, capacitors, god knows what... It is valuable to specialize and dig into something deep, but that will not attract others. Who wants to discuss this type of resistor versus other type of resistor?
What people like is music, with our accumulated knowledge it is easy to make music reproduction good, not perfect but much better than phone, tablet or pc.... Just to be much better is attractive, a lot.
Most of us got hooked on HIFI DIY as listening to music was cool (this is still cool today) , we were impressed by someone else's home entertainment (and that's what it is, home entertainment) and we did not have money to buy it. But most importantly, someone from our family or close friends was into it, and kids follow examples... that's early hook that stays.
For someone to also get involved in DIY, that one needs to have inclination to science, craft and technology, That's also possible to encourage.
Love for music and enjoining craft is the receipt.
Recently I started small thread with title starting "HIFI for all", when time allows I will post more with the same title. We need to encourage others to listen to better (not perfect) music daily.
Good example is my kid, he is 8 years old now. What I do about it:
Now I built him separate play room and I am gathering stuff for kids room HIFI. As soon as spring comes (so we can go back in our workshop that is not heated) we will refurbish these 2 together, and one amp:
First is BRC turntable, almost same as my first kid's TT. I will equip this with AudioTechnica MM cart and NE5534 based preamp.
This TT is very easy to use, even for small kids. Classic and 80's records are cheap to buy at flee market, we will clean them together.
I paid 10 euro for this!
Second picture are RCF speakers, boxes in good shape and all drivers good. It is missing XO and needs polish, but that we will craft.
I paid 30 Euro for pair of these.
Third is amp that I have many, but need to get Bluetooth dac to make it fully functional for kids play.
So now you imagine a kid in his play room with TT , pile of records that we bought together on fleemarket and spotify from tablet. 12" bass loudspeakers, tons of Lego, and his friends.... Its a party, good memory that will stay, as side effect, any other tablet music will sound empty of soul after this. This stays, and we are not dying breed.
Above is example, there are different people that we can help enjoining music in practical ways by employing our knowledge, we need to invest some of our time into it, and stop being boring.
Cheers,
Drazen
Yes we are unless we do something about it. Here we disc0uss 0,0000something THD, sound of different resistors, capacitors, god knows what... It is valuable to specialize and dig into something deep, but that will not attract others. Who wants to discuss this type of resistor versus other type of resistor?
What people like is music, with our accumulated knowledge it is easy to make music reproduction good, not perfect but much better than phone, tablet or pc.... Just to be much better is attractive, a lot.
Most of us got hooked on HIFI DIY as listening to music was cool (this is still cool today) , we were impressed by someone else's home entertainment (and that's what it is, home entertainment) and we did not have money to buy it. But most importantly, someone from our family or close friends was into it, and kids follow examples... that's early hook that stays.
For someone to also get involved in DIY, that one needs to have inclination to science, craft and technology, That's also possible to encourage.
Love for music and enjoining craft is the receipt.
Recently I started small thread with title starting "HIFI for all", when time allows I will post more with the same title. We need to encourage others to listen to better (not perfect) music daily.
Good example is my kid, he is 8 years old now. What I do about it:
- when I made my work bench, I left half of space for him, so dad and son can craft together. I'm doing my things and he is assembling painting models... sometimes he helps me, sometimes I help him. By the way my wife (his mom) did the same, half of her workbench is for him. Here we also make small electrical experiments (like connect leds to stepper motor outputs and turn shaft, led lit , fun for kids). We also involve him in scientific after school activities.
- We listen to music. Once we watched philharmonic on TV, he got interested and I explained all instruments and who does what, after we played records, he loved it. Now this 8yo knows to recognize that Vivaldi is full of joy and strings, Bach is organized and systematic, Beethoven is serious and emotional.... 4 seasons, 4 Elise, piano concertos... all digested, with little effort.
- Whenever party is at our home, with other kids, we play records on my system; kind of easily found at second hand shop and attractive to kids: B52's, TalkingHeads, TomTomClub, you know the gig, dance-able and happy, and good.
- We (and school does too) take him to theater and concerts, to hear this alive, when appropriate.
Now I built him separate play room and I am gathering stuff for kids room HIFI. As soon as spring comes (so we can go back in our workshop that is not heated) we will refurbish these 2 together, and one amp:
First is BRC turntable, almost same as my first kid's TT. I will equip this with AudioTechnica MM cart and NE5534 based preamp.
This TT is very easy to use, even for small kids. Classic and 80's records are cheap to buy at flee market, we will clean them together.
I paid 10 euro for this!
Second picture are RCF speakers, boxes in good shape and all drivers good. It is missing XO and needs polish, but that we will craft.
I paid 30 Euro for pair of these.
Third is amp that I have many, but need to get Bluetooth dac to make it fully functional for kids play.
So now you imagine a kid in his play room with TT , pile of records that we bought together on fleemarket and spotify from tablet. 12" bass loudspeakers, tons of Lego, and his friends.... Its a party, good memory that will stay, as side effect, any other tablet music will sound empty of soul after this. This stays, and we are not dying breed.
Above is example, there are different people that we can help enjoining music in practical ways by employing our knowledge, we need to invest some of our time into it, and stop being boring.
Cheers,
Drazen
OK - yes, the Boomers (I'm included in this group) are retiring. We grew up with the post 50's HiFi. We loved Marantz and Pioneer in the 70's. Then we jumped on the tube revival of the 90's (300B SE and Mullard push-pull). Then we got older. And there were fewer young people to jump on the HiFi hobby. (the Baby Bust: https://users.ssc.wisc.edu/~aseshadr/publication_pdf/bb1.pdf)
Plus: kids could not afford the High-End stuff (much like houses now).
This is all changing. Today's baby echo grew up with smart phones and MP3. Which is OK - but does not sound all that great.
Some of these kids, decided to buy old HiFi from Ebay and Craig's list and build a real HiFi system.
I have seen it. My daughter did this in her 20's. And ALL her friends had a REAL epiphany when they started listening to it. True HiFi! - Not only did they fight to listen the tier songs on the system, - they also wanted to add vinyl! - We built a tube RIAA amp for my daughter. And now they have listening parties!!!
Have no fear: the new generations is just fine. And our hobby will live on!
Look around. They next generation loves music as much as we do. It is human. It is fundamental. They just need to hear REAL HIFI.
So, invite them in. Let them play their songs and see what happens! Become a mentor.
Plus: kids could not afford the High-End stuff (much like houses now).
This is all changing. Today's baby echo grew up with smart phones and MP3. Which is OK - but does not sound all that great.
Some of these kids, decided to buy old HiFi from Ebay and Craig's list and build a real HiFi system.
I have seen it. My daughter did this in her 20's. And ALL her friends had a REAL epiphany when they started listening to it. True HiFi! - Not only did they fight to listen the tier songs on the system, - they also wanted to add vinyl! - We built a tube RIAA amp for my daughter. And now they have listening parties!!!
Have no fear: the new generations is just fine. And our hobby will live on!
Look around. They next generation loves music as much as we do. It is human. It is fundamental. They just need to hear REAL HIFI.
So, invite them in. Let them play their songs and see what happens! Become a mentor.
Hi, thanks for scan, kind of you.
These are RCA BR55 speakers with missing XO, Google picture.
XO had plate covering top of the baffle and holes are for adjustment pots
So true; I've just experienced (aged 63) two extremes within a short period which have been an inexpensive revelation - my first pair of ESL57 electrostatics and a Topping D90 DAC! One built before I was born by craftsmen wearing brown coats in an old Cambridgeshire factory, the other in, no doubt, a sparkling fully automatic factory in China. Performance to me outweighs snobbery or living irrationally in the past at its expense.
@vilfort and @Drbulj posts above, reminded me of how I got into this hobby, and I suspect the same is true for most of us. Somewhere along the line, I was introduced to the superior sound of HiFi by someone else.
I always loved music, but listened first on the table radio beside my bed, then a crappy little mono suitcase record player. Later, I stepped up to a larger Sears stereo suitcase AM/FM radio and record player, then an 8-track stereo...you get the picture. Music, but not exactly HiFi. Then, at a friends house, I heard the same music I had been listening to at home, but it sounded so much better! I'm only guessing, but I think it was probably a Heathkit receiver that my friend's dad had built. I was hooked!
Our hobby has always been relatively small, especially the DIY subset. And, for the most part, we've been introduced to the cult by someone else whether consciously or not. I'm happy to have infected my youngest daughter and oldest grandson, and continue to encourage them. Neither can afford much now, but they both have far better than average systems for their generations. In time, I suspect my grandson may find a passion for DIY, too. He is definitely interested in what I build.
Maybe we're an evolving breed.
I always loved music, but listened first on the table radio beside my bed, then a crappy little mono suitcase record player. Later, I stepped up to a larger Sears stereo suitcase AM/FM radio and record player, then an 8-track stereo...you get the picture. Music, but not exactly HiFi. Then, at a friends house, I heard the same music I had been listening to at home, but it sounded so much better! I'm only guessing, but I think it was probably a Heathkit receiver that my friend's dad had built. I was hooked!
Our hobby has always been relatively small, especially the DIY subset. And, for the most part, we've been introduced to the cult by someone else whether consciously or not. I'm happy to have infected my youngest daughter and oldest grandson, and continue to encourage them. Neither can afford much now, but they both have far better than average systems for their generations. In time, I suspect my grandson may find a passion for DIY, too. He is definitely interested in what I build.
Maybe we're an evolving breed.
I know younger people are still buying a lot of speakers, but not the kind that appeal to the public here (that is in general a lot older). But a friend sells every month a few dozens of these Minisounds, that are not cheap. They are modelled to a traditional reggae soundsystem, but for home use or small parties. The stack is mono (so you need 2 for stereo) and most don't mind plzyinh mono. These are mainly used as hifi system, altough they can carry a smaller party also, and not only reggae.
source: https://stakx.be/mini
These are build on order, and come with an amp (OEM powesoft based) and dsp tuned for the stack in most cases (you can choose not to use it). I see many younger people really save money, often for a pair of these with the amp (that is +/- 6K). It's the main income for this company. He also builds big (real format) reggae soundsystems and is one of the best of the world at the moment, but those go +25k, and are not sold that much.
These younger people don't like the traditonal overpriced hifi, in most cases they use cheaper studio monitors as hifi becasue they feel those are in general way better engineerd. Also the styling of hifi is so far off their styling that they don't want it in their house. They rather have this... Every generation have their own wishes and preferences on this subject, so it's true that traditional hifi is a dying breed, but diy audio absolutly not. They just care about other factors so their setups are very different.
But that public is a minority, most listen to earbuds of BT boomboxes, just like in the past most listen to transistor radio's, not big stereo systems.
source: https://stakx.be/mini
These are build on order, and come with an amp (OEM powesoft based) and dsp tuned for the stack in most cases (you can choose not to use it). I see many younger people really save money, often for a pair of these with the amp (that is +/- 6K). It's the main income for this company. He also builds big (real format) reggae soundsystems and is one of the best of the world at the moment, but those go +25k, and are not sold that much.
These younger people don't like the traditonal overpriced hifi, in most cases they use cheaper studio monitors as hifi becasue they feel those are in general way better engineerd. Also the styling of hifi is so far off their styling that they don't want it in their house. They rather have this... Every generation have their own wishes and preferences on this subject, so it's true that traditional hifi is a dying breed, but diy audio absolutly not. They just care about other factors so their setups are very different.
But that public is a minority, most listen to earbuds of BT boomboxes, just like in the past most listen to transistor radio's, not big stereo systems.
Hey guys,
I found and watched an interesting video and would love to have a conversation about this problem but especially potential solutions.
Cheers from Germany
Nik
I found and watched an interesting video and would love to have a conversation about this problem but especially potential solutions.
Cheers from Germany
Nik
The catalysts that brought me knee deep into DIY audio at a young age don’t commonly exist anymore.
My British father had one of those all metal satisfyingly clicky knobbed integrated amplifiers with the heavenly glowing VU meters, an all metal turn table, reel to reel, and 80lb speakers. These items were monoliths of steel and wood…the center pieces of the living room. To my child eyes, they were the grandest most awe inspiring items in the house. When you visit homes now, if they do have audio/stereo equipment; it’s hidden out of sight behind walls, in cupboards, behind ceiling tiles….or worse….boring plastic speaker/spying/listening devices.
After mowing lawns for three years and working as a bag boy/stocker at the grocery store on the weekends I purchased my first automobile and its stereo system was terrible. Anemic receiver/tape deck and hollow, thin sounding 3 inch speakers. This was the mid 80’s and car audio was displayed in popular MTV videos at the time. I drove to Handy Dan (early version of Home Depot) and bought wood for cheap, then Radio Shack and a couple of the first car audio stores. By the end of the weekend, I’d built a huge amplified wood box with two outer coaxial 6x9s with an 8 inch subwoofer in the middle…it took up the entire hatch back, was loud and glorious.
These days, cars are made with adequate sounding stereos and speakers from the factory.
The youth of today just don’t have the exposure to audio or the DIY necessity of previous generations.
My British father had one of those all metal satisfyingly clicky knobbed integrated amplifiers with the heavenly glowing VU meters, an all metal turn table, reel to reel, and 80lb speakers. These items were monoliths of steel and wood…the center pieces of the living room. To my child eyes, they were the grandest most awe inspiring items in the house. When you visit homes now, if they do have audio/stereo equipment; it’s hidden out of sight behind walls, in cupboards, behind ceiling tiles….or worse….boring plastic speaker/spying/listening devices.
After mowing lawns for three years and working as a bag boy/stocker at the grocery store on the weekends I purchased my first automobile and its stereo system was terrible. Anemic receiver/tape deck and hollow, thin sounding 3 inch speakers. This was the mid 80’s and car audio was displayed in popular MTV videos at the time. I drove to Handy Dan (early version of Home Depot) and bought wood for cheap, then Radio Shack and a couple of the first car audio stores. By the end of the weekend, I’d built a huge amplified wood box with two outer coaxial 6x9s with an 8 inch subwoofer in the middle…it took up the entire hatch back, was loud and glorious.
These days, cars are made with adequate sounding stereos and speakers from the factory.
The youth of today just don’t have the exposure to audio or the DIY necessity of previous generations.
Good discussion, but I think it’s important to distinguish between “audiophiles” and “DIY audio nuts”. They have plenty in common, but they are not the same.
We are a tiny subset of the larger category of audio lovers, and while the larger group may shrink, I see our subset holding fast. I have no proof of this. Just intuition, I guess.
We are a tiny subset of the larger category of audio lovers, and while the larger group may shrink, I see our subset holding fast. I have no proof of this. Just intuition, I guess.
You have to DIY if you want a great system.
As a kid I got an sx780 ,lab500 TT , And HPM900 speakers.
Several years of part time work and hundreds of schematic changes it sounds exceptional to me.
250k monoblocks and speakers kind of good.
As a kid I got an sx780 ,lab500 TT , And HPM900 speakers.
Several years of part time work and hundreds of schematic changes it sounds exceptional to me.
250k monoblocks and speakers kind of good.
When I first started to work, in 1979, I started saving money for a good hifi set, which I bought around November 1980. All my friend did so. Now, 40 years later, none of my siblings children own hifi. They dont buy speakers, no amplifier, no tuner. Some have 1 bluetooth speaker, or a mediocre soundbar under the tv. They dont listen to albums eighter but make digital lists with popular songs. None of them searches for music like I do, on forums, alternative lists, magazines etc. Even my brothers' hifi sets are gone. In time they went defect and were never replaced. Some have a wife who doesn't allow speakers in the livingroom, or anywhere else for that matter. I have no family anymore who is able to immerse in audio like I love to do. Only very few friends are like me with audio, they neighter have children.
All of this is strange to me. Nowadays people seem to look for fun mostly withing hanging in groups. I was never a that social, even though I' m a social person, who takes care of friends and family. Groups of people easily bore me, and I'm quite resistant against peer pressure.
I have 2 younger friends that I gave a vintage hifi set. Both are very happy with it. One really enjoys his music, the other doesn't even notice when 1 speaker is silent 😵
Me on the other hand, I go deeper and deeper in a hifi audio journey. It's not like a buy super expensive stuff, mostly is self build and improved vintage. My amplifier is the best I've ever owned, a LJM L12 V1 that I've build into an old Harmon Kardon enclosure.
Recently I've been experimenting with B&W speakers. I build a sturdy box with zero resonation. The sound is clear, dry, non invasive,
no bass reflex.
Hifi is necessity for my mental health. I've always regenerated myself with hifi. I dont know another way.
I have had a hifi in the past, in the 1980's.
Now I listen to youtube music video's through my PC DAC and a 50 year old Fane speaker.
Now I listen to youtube music video's through my PC DAC and a 50 year old Fane speaker.