Cal's Bybee experience

[BudP]

He only does that cause he can't stand to spend time on the beer thread, too painful.

Bud

 

[mrfeedback]

Real Men Drink Beer....

My garage and my dad's shed both have good beer fridges and good stereos....kitchen stuff is "secret women's business".
What happens in the shed is "secret men's business".

Eric.

 

[Erik van Voorst]

bybee

Hi Cal and Hi Curl,

Through the last couple of years I have been busy with Bybees...first ofcourse giant disbelief...

Nowadays I am hooked..I use the copper ones in my diamond tweeters (yes not the silver or gold ones) as well as in my ceramic mids...I do not use them on the woofers...
Great results.....BUT...

I have to get a few things of my chest...why on earth does Jack sell them NOT burnt in...
I play 4 hours a night (most of us play less) meaning 2 months...you must be joking right...

Anyway on my speakers and DAC analog out (silver ones) and transport
Dig out (copper) they sounded straight away nice enough to justify a sell.....

On my AC towards my transport I used the copper 15A as a matter of fact I implemented them a few hours ago...they start to brighten up but they most certainly are sounding overdamped a few hours ago...:...and by the way OVERPRICED......I think I am starting to get a bit annoyed with Jack (but than again you do not have to buy them)...

A technical question for Curl...I soldered them into a OYAIDE Tunami (pos and neg)
I had to apply a fair amount of heat due to the gauge...450 deg
how well do the larger bybees react to such high temperature...

Thanks guys for being so informative in this topic

 

[john curl]

Hard to say, Eric. I know that heat can destroy the Bybees, but only you can tell for sure. Jack puts together the final assemblies in his home garage. He has them welded outside and he Cryos parts in order to facilitate 'break-in' but they still need it, it seems. He tries, but he is finite, and he will retire in time. When you say copper, that is Copperweld. It has a steel core and a heavy copper cladding that handles most of the current. At high frequencies the copper takes over almost completely. Jack uses that because that is what the manufacturer normally makes with the resistor he uses. When he uses silver or gold alloy leads, he has to cut off the Copperweld then have the alternative leads laser welded on. Quite a hassle, and it is done by another company. I have never seen a Bybee actually fabricated, but I think my info is in order.

 

[Cal Weldon]

It has a steel core and a heavy copper cladding that handles most of the current.

The ones I have do not have a copper coating unless they have managed to change the colour of copper.

At high frequencies the copper takes over almost completely.

This is rather confusing and disappointing news as I am back testing today using a 10 mfd cap on a Aurum Cantus ribbon.

but I think my info is in order.

Please confirm that some of these were manufactured without the Copperweld as this may confirm whether these are the genuine article.

In my initial testing so far today, I have found the same results as previously ie: the only difference noted was with the ribbons and a small difference at that. I cannot say which I prefer at this point. I am letting them warm up and will report after they have been running for 1 hour. That's about 1/2 hour from now.

 

[Erik van Voorst]

Hard to say, Eric. I know that heat can destroy the Bybees, but only you can tell for sure.

When I say copper I mean the cheaper ones (the big old fashion design for AC and Mids.....the small slipstreams for all other applications).

Well right now I am listening to Chopin played by Zimmermann and Mont Martre by Getz and the sound starts to bloom and better then before...so the proof is in the listening...

Funny enough the AC ones started to sound in tune straight away when strapped a couple of days ago to a inline small ACfilter attached to the transport....I still do not get it...how they work and why they do not work everywhere the same (time)...

I was a bit unsure with all this heat...so the second Bybee fixation I got rid off a lot of copper strands of the Tunami...
On the other hand if they are welded and cryo-treated I reckon the can withstand a LOT of heat......

Thanks John

 

[john curl]

Cal, I am not going to pretend to tell you what YOUR devices are made of, without asking Jack Bybee directly. I was referring to the LARGER BYBEE devices, not the little guys. You would NOT believe me, if I told you what I know about the little ones. And it is too much trouble to try.

 

[john curl]

Tinned Copperweld.

 

[Cal Weldon]

You would NOT believe me, if I told you what I know about the little ones.

Try me. I am one of the few who do not dismiss the device's abilities at this point.

And it is too much trouble to try.

Sorry to bother you. I know you are busy.

Tinned Copperweld.

I have planet10 Dave and Ruth on the way. I will ask for their assistance and witness in removing the tinning to expose the Copperweld.

Does this tinning interfere with the copper doing most of the work at the higher frequencies? The tinning seems to go as far up the lead as I care to strip the dielectric.

 

[john curl]

Trouble comes from other sources, Cal.

 

[john curl]

Cal, it usually keeps the copper from tarnishing.

 

[aardvarkash10]

lordy.... and on it goes.

Good to hear that you are still investigating Cal.

@ JC - copper taking over at high frequencies - what is "high"? And what is the mechanism? I presume its something to do with or associated with the R-C attributes of the metals?

 

[mrfeedback]

In my initial testing so far today, I have found the same results as previously ie: the only difference noted was with the ribbons and a small difference at that. I cannot say which I prefer at this point. I am letting them warm up and will report after they have been running for 1 hour. That's about 1/2 hour from now.

Are you listening to the tweeter alone, or in a system ?.
My thoughts are that you would be best using a single full range loudspeaker, or a decent two way loudspeaker.

Eric.

 

[Erik van Voorst]

Are you listening to the tweeter alone, or in a system ?.
My thoughts are that you would be best using a single full range loudspeaker, or a decent two way loudspeaker.

Eric.

For what my experience is worth (it is Cal's topic)

I have tested the (the small slipstream) bybee on the positive plus negative side of my Thiel Diamonds and the results where very positive immediately and effected the complete presentation off ALL the frequencies.

 

[Erik van Voorst]

As if nothing happened ...visually spoken,,,,

 

[aardvarkash10]

Nowadays I am hooked..I use the copper ones in my diamond tweeters (yes not the silver or gold ones) as well as in my ceramic mids...I do not use them on the woofers...
Great results.....BUT...

what results?

I have to get a few things of my chest...why on earth does Jack sell them NOT burnt in...
I play 4 hours a night (most of us play less) meaning 2 months...you must be joking right...

Very good and telling point - why indeed...

Anyway on my speakers and DAC analog out (silver ones) and transport Dig out (copper) they sounded straight away nice enough to justify a sell.....

Sorry - on the digital output, you mean at logic level?

On my AC towards my transport I used the copper 15A as a matter of fact I implemented them a few hours ago...they start to brighten up but they most certainly are sounding overdamped a few hours ago...:...and by the way OVERPRICED......I think I am starting to get a bit annoyed with Jack (but than again you do not have to buy them)...

What does an overdamped power supply sound like? And in fact, what do you understand an overdamped power supply to be?

 

[mrfeedback]

For what my experience is worth (it is Cal's topic)

I have tested the (the small slipstream) bybee on the positive plus negative side of my Thiel Diamonds and the results where very positive immediately and effected the complete presentation off ALL the frequencies.

Hello Erik.
Ok I understand that a treated tweeter can alter a system, I was thinking it might be harder to pick the difference to a tweeter on it's lonesome.
Any difference between pos and neg tweeter terminals ?.
You say "....the results where very positive immediately...".
What kind of positive results ?.

Have you tried your QP's in series with the whole speaker cabinet, or back at the amplifier end of the cables ?.

Eric.

 

[Cal Weldon]

Are you listening to the tweeter alone, or in a system ?.

Eric, yesterday's testing was with a ribbon and open backed mid or just the tweeter. The manufacturer suggests these be used with this sort of driver(s) so I am obliging. My initial tests do not show a difference in the lower frequencies so I did not include them in the latest round of testing. (after break-in). We were dstracted and did not do any testing when Dave and Ruth arrived, perhaps today.

 

[Cal Weldon]

We have scraped some of the tinnnig to indeed reveal the Copperweld of which John speaks. We listened again this morning. I will leave Dave to add his thoughts.

 

[mrfeedback]

Ok, so you two got stuck in the kitchen next to the fridge.
Dave has been around a long time now (Hi Dave) exploring all things audio so it will be interesting to hear his appraisals in addition to yours I am sure.
Trying Auratone type loudspeakers or el cheapo shelf system 2 ways with spoken word stuff (broadcast radio or tv) to get a handle on any changes in vocal timbre or intelligibility ought to be another good test I reckon.

Eric.