Hi everybody,
I’ve had a pair of McIntosh MC30 amps and a set of C8 and C8S preamps in boxes for about ten years and lost track of them until recently when I took them out of storage and brought them to a specialist for a makeover. That part was easy.
I always had doubts regarding speakers, as there are a lot of recommendations out there and the lesson I’ve learnt is that choice of speakers usually comes down to personal preference. The ones I have available are a pair of Bang and Olufsen Beovox 5000 mk2, but I’ve never heard them play, and they’re such a specific brand that either no one talks about them, or aficionados have nothing to compare them with.
When it comes to pairing MC30s with speakers, the usual suspects are Klipsch, Tannoy, JBL and Altec, and everyone has a specific model they swear by which is great, but ultimately unhelpful when it comes to making a choice because it all depends on what you listen to and where it is you intend on listening to it.
So I’ve been thinking of building custom speakers, tailored to the set up and the intended use.
Let’s talk about that : I mostly listen to 60’s 70’s classic rock, a fair amount of blues, and I do enjoy some 80’s and 90’s pop but not everyday. I’ll be using these amps 90% of the time with vinyl (front end is a Garrard 401 with and SME 3012 tonearm), though it’d be nice to clip in an Iphone during dinner parties because in those moments it’s just easier to stream a playlist.
The biggest issue I face is my apartment : I live in a 48 m2 converted store front, which means two of my four walls are glass, and the remaining two are occupied with bookcases and a kitchen. It’s got a big ceiling height, but very little space against walls. At this point a lot of people might think there’s no point in trying to set up a decent listening space in these conditions, but I love my apartment And I don’t intend to move just yet, so the point is to make the best of it. The ideal solution would be rather compact free standing units. I don’t need too much bass, as I don’t usually listen to electro etc and in any case my amp/preamp set up isn’t suited for that.
I’ve done reasearch on “period correct” speakers and the ones that I like best for my brief are on paper Altec 14s. From what I read, the mid range is superb and horns really come into life with the MC30s. They’re not extravagant in size (I don’t live in a warehouse and I’ve got neighbors to consider) but they are hardly available, especially where I live (Paris, France).
Technology has evolved since the 50’s-80’s and I’m sure I can build some honorable custom units, but I need advice if I’m to go down the DIY route. I’m handy with tools and have 3D software and a workshop I use everyday, but my knowledge in available equipment and acoustics is limited to say the least (I’ve only just started using WinIsd), which is where the community comes in.
What would your dream speaker for this set of parameters be?
Many thanks for your imput,
Max
I’ve had a pair of McIntosh MC30 amps and a set of C8 and C8S preamps in boxes for about ten years and lost track of them until recently when I took them out of storage and brought them to a specialist for a makeover. That part was easy.
I always had doubts regarding speakers, as there are a lot of recommendations out there and the lesson I’ve learnt is that choice of speakers usually comes down to personal preference. The ones I have available are a pair of Bang and Olufsen Beovox 5000 mk2, but I’ve never heard them play, and they’re such a specific brand that either no one talks about them, or aficionados have nothing to compare them with.
When it comes to pairing MC30s with speakers, the usual suspects are Klipsch, Tannoy, JBL and Altec, and everyone has a specific model they swear by which is great, but ultimately unhelpful when it comes to making a choice because it all depends on what you listen to and where it is you intend on listening to it.
So I’ve been thinking of building custom speakers, tailored to the set up and the intended use.
Let’s talk about that : I mostly listen to 60’s 70’s classic rock, a fair amount of blues, and I do enjoy some 80’s and 90’s pop but not everyday. I’ll be using these amps 90% of the time with vinyl (front end is a Garrard 401 with and SME 3012 tonearm), though it’d be nice to clip in an Iphone during dinner parties because in those moments it’s just easier to stream a playlist.
The biggest issue I face is my apartment : I live in a 48 m2 converted store front, which means two of my four walls are glass, and the remaining two are occupied with bookcases and a kitchen. It’s got a big ceiling height, but very little space against walls. At this point a lot of people might think there’s no point in trying to set up a decent listening space in these conditions, but I love my apartment And I don’t intend to move just yet, so the point is to make the best of it. The ideal solution would be rather compact free standing units. I don’t need too much bass, as I don’t usually listen to electro etc and in any case my amp/preamp set up isn’t suited for that.
I’ve done reasearch on “period correct” speakers and the ones that I like best for my brief are on paper Altec 14s. From what I read, the mid range is superb and horns really come into life with the MC30s. They’re not extravagant in size (I don’t live in a warehouse and I’ve got neighbors to consider) but they are hardly available, especially where I live (Paris, France).
Technology has evolved since the 50’s-80’s and I’m sure I can build some honorable custom units, but I need advice if I’m to go down the DIY route. I’m handy with tools and have 3D software and a workshop I use everyday, but my knowledge in available equipment and acoustics is limited to say the least (I’ve only just started using WinIsd), which is where the community comes in.
What would your dream speaker for this set of parameters be?
Many thanks for your imput,
Max
I would probably start with the open source monkey box which was designed with help from people on this forum, just do a search and the deigns are all on here.
The other alternative would be the Troels Gravesen Faital 3WC in either 12 or 15” format.
If you are on a tight budget then the Paul Carmody Tarkus or Humble Hifi Calapos or one of the Econowave designs may be also worth a look, for your type of music and amps then large woofers and high sensitivity are what I would be looking for.
The other alternative would be the Troels Gravesen Faital 3WC in either 12 or 15” format.
If you are on a tight budget then the Paul Carmody Tarkus or Humble Hifi Calapos or one of the Econowave designs may be also worth a look, for your type of music and amps then large woofers and high sensitivity are what I would be looking for.
Drivers in Bang and Olufsen Beovox 5000 mk2 are not up to todays standards. Also most speakers from that time sound BAD compared to todays standard.
I suggest you pick a kit, and stick to the plans. As always, best if you can hear the speakers with your ears.
DIY from scratch is not an easy task. Your time is much better spent buying some ready-made speakers, than EQ them to your own taste.
If you decide to make your own speakers, you could consider selling your tube-amp, then go active with ie. Hypex. Here you can keep your pre. Designing your own passive crossover is almost impossible with a good result without prior experience.
I suggest you pick a kit, and stick to the plans. As always, best if you can hear the speakers with your ears.
DIY from scratch is not an easy task. Your time is much better spent buying some ready-made speakers, than EQ them to your own taste.
If you decide to make your own speakers, you could consider selling your tube-amp, then go active with ie. Hypex. Here you can keep your pre. Designing your own passive crossover is almost impossible with a good result without prior experience.
All good amps since 1980 (and Macintosh earlier) have identical sound (unless driving special loads like electrostatics).
Interesting question about period- or genre- or studio-correct sound. Guess my first impulse is to have quality cartridges and speakers and the "features" of recordings just add to their individual charm. Daft to buy some junky old Altec Voice of the Theatre speakers today - just as you might like to drive an old Jaguar (like Inspector Morse's) for old time sake, but not for handling pleasure.
Some of those "features" may be really obnoxious - like rumble and awful treble. So the fix might be to have a great system but be able to dial-in sound profiles. Several ways to do that including iTunes and other software. (You do have all your stuff now digitized, don't you?)
Since I think no serious audiophile should be without DSP, I rather like the old and thoroughly still wonderful Behringer DCX2496, as do a vast number of other otherwise discerning people. You can save 50 sound profiles and access them the one you want in 5 seconds.
That way, you could have different equalization profiles stored that work for certain families of recordings and also address the certainly hideous sound quality of your glass house that others have posted on.
B.
Interesting question about period- or genre- or studio-correct sound. Guess my first impulse is to have quality cartridges and speakers and the "features" of recordings just add to their individual charm. Daft to buy some junky old Altec Voice of the Theatre speakers today - just as you might like to drive an old Jaguar (like Inspector Morse's) for old time sake, but not for handling pleasure.
Some of those "features" may be really obnoxious - like rumble and awful treble. So the fix might be to have a great system but be able to dial-in sound profiles. Several ways to do that including iTunes and other software. (You do have all your stuff now digitized, don't you?)
Since I think no serious audiophile should be without DSP, I rather like the old and thoroughly still wonderful Behringer DCX2496, as do a vast number of other otherwise discerning people. You can save 50 sound profiles and access them the one you want in 5 seconds.
That way, you could have different equalization profiles stored that work for certain families of recordings and also address the certainly hideous sound quality of your glass house that others have posted on.
B.
Last edited: