Lucky you.
You know alcohol, and 'never ever' clash in my case.
Though I do not know at level mine goes into clipping, but I only have 50W monoblocks, and not very efficient speakers of about 87dB/w.
I drink alcohol, just not wine! ;-)
I'm running around 800 clean Watts (0.03%THD) per channel total into drivers between 92 and 106dB/1W
The only 'problem' with my stereo is that it never sounds loud or strained until things fall off shelves so when I'm in the mood and get a bit frisky with the volume I talk to myself sporadically. When I can't hear myself shout it is time to roll it off a bit.
I'm running around 800 clean Watts (0.03%THD) per channel total into drivers between 92 and 106dB/1W
The only 'problem' with my stereo is that it never sounds loud or strained until things fall off shelves so when I'm in the mood and get a bit frisky with the volume I talk to myself sporadically. When I can't hear myself shout it is time to roll it off a bit.
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I designed and built my current SE amps roughly 4 - 5 yrs ago. I was not too sure this particular design would be a success. It's a two stage all transformer coupled GM70 amp with triode connected D3A as drivers. It will just about manage 20W per channel and is distributed across 4 chassis. Input is balanced to a UTC A-20 1:1 line transformer which drives a fixed biased D3A, which in turn drives a custom Monolith Magnetics 1:1 amorphous core IT, which drives the GM70, also fixed bias. The output transformer is Electra-Print. Power supply on separate chassis is solid state with CLCLC filtering to the output stage.. Driver stage DC operating point is controlled by CCS which also provide a lot of isolation to the supply and force all audio currents to flow through the local decoupling caps. Works very well, but is a PITA with fixed bias, as selected tubes are required, fortunately they last a long time.. I use Rod Coleman's CCS for filament heating on the GM70s and AC on the D3A.
The speakers are also diy and of my own design; 3 way based on Onken bass bins my father in law and I built 9yrs ago which I designed using the spreadsheet from Marc Cyre Debien.. Woofers are Iconic 165s, mids are handled by JBL 2440 2" drivers on JBL 2382A bi-radial horns, the highs are handled by Fostex T-825 bi-radial horn tweeters. Everything thing is pulled together by my 3rd generation 2nd order LR XO.. (700Hz 12dB/Oct, 8kHz 12dB/Oct, air core inductors, Russian caps)
Not one of the best looking systems I've seen, I tend to be a bit industrial and not into fancy finishes, and I move on before prettying things up... I've uploaded two pictures of my system. As you can see it is all DIY and it shows.. lol
Perhaps utilitarian is the better word...
I measure almost everything. (Use partially overhauled BSS Varicurve FCS-926 for room EQ) Future projects include getting my Garrard 401 (early version) up and running.
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I'm not so sure about the good old days, I'm ripping all my CD's to mp3 files and saving them to a tablet micro SD card. I have started to use bluetooth technology to transmit music from the tablet to a 2.1 powered speaker setup and I find it very satisfactory.
I delivered 2 boxes of vinyl to a local charity shop on Friday, more next week, I have finally decided, I'll never play another record.
I have a bunch of stuff from the good old days in my basement which should really go, I just need to make the effort, I have not used them in years and it seems it has an astonishing value.
Tube amps, big speakers and record players are not for me anymore, great sound can be had today for a fraction on the cost of what needed to be paid in the good old days.
I delivered 2 boxes of vinyl to a local charity shop on Friday, more next week, I have finally decided, I'll never play another record.
I have a bunch of stuff from the good old days in my basement which should really go, I just need to make the effort, I have not used them in years and it seems it has an astonishing value.
Tube amps, big speakers and record players are not for me anymore, great sound can be had today for a fraction on the cost of what needed to be paid in the good old days.
That is so sad radiosmuck, replacing quality with convenience. I guess that's the disease of modern era.
I did it at one point. Gave away all my vinyl and all that my parents had given me. Big mistake.
Ended up replacing most of it - plus a lot more - 10 years later. Word to the wise. Keep that vinyl if you can.
Ended up replacing most of it - plus a lot more - 10 years later. Word to the wise. Keep that vinyl if you can.
I still got around 1600 bits of vinyl.
Haven't played them for years since spotify has most of them and streaming or cd (ripped onto HD) easily provides far better sound quality.
Haven't played them for years since spotify has most of them and streaming or cd (ripped onto HD) easily provides far better sound quality.
Vinyl cost way to much to every have to get into again. I won't get rid of records, even though I traded off my CD's once for vinyl, and primarily use CD's atm.. Ha.
KevinKr, DIY speakers? Nooo they're so professional. Enough so it looks like your wife put you in the room with the furnace.
KevinKr, DIY speakers? Nooo they're so professional. Enough so it looks like your wife put you in the room with the furnace.
If someone is convinced that an MP3 version played via Bluetooth, or a spotify stream has similar (or better) sound quality to an LP - then there is nothing we can say or do that changes his mind.
If he is happy with his setup, that is all that matters, and I do not have problem with that.
But to state it as fact, that LP's sound inferior, because of some scientific reason, or blind tests or whatever, then I do.
I have heard quality digital setups, and quality LP setups, digital still has some catching up to do.
But digital is surely (as you mentioned already) is much more convenient.
It's like take-out food and home-cooked.
One is inferior in quality, the other is convenient (assuming you know how to cook)!
I am glad we have the choice.
800 Watts? ! did they come with their own generator plant?
WOW!
and you shove that much power into +92dB/w speakers? you must have a deaf-wish !
The only efficient speakers I have ever come across that could handle few hundred watts were those made by Magico.
My setup looks like a 70's music-centre compared to yours!
I thought you could get more than 20W out of GM70's, but then again the output transformer needs to be huge, with a cold water radiator, built in.
Thanx for the reply and pictures.
Do you play any kind of music through them, or are you a classical man.
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No, not really although it has been done twice by accident. It gets very loud...
It's an active system with more headroom than strictly necessary, not least because the smallest offering from my preferred amp manufacturer produces 200W/8Ω.
Usually the bass doesn't see more than 15-20Wrms at which point the amp still operates in ClassA.
The woofer itself though is rated as 300W by the manufacturer. As is usual it runs out of linear excursion before that.
But as I said I never get near clipping the amps. I am also a great proponent of having plenty of headroom in any given system.
I'm in for the high efficiency speakers, it was one of the design goals of my speakers.
I think they're about 93db, makes it very easy to get descent amplification:
25 watts of class A is easily done, 100 watts class A is a completely different story.
Doubling of power for each +3db is a hard rule 🙂
I think they're about 93db, makes it very easy to get descent amplification:
25 watts of class A is easily done, 100 watts class A is a completely different story.
Doubling of power for each +3db is a hard rule 🙂
Answers in reverse order; I listen to pretty much anything that anyone played, about the only thing I don't like much is metal, but I listen to a lot of Jazz, trance, techno, old school electronica (Kraftwerk), pop of various sorts, and classical. I think I like dubstep, bass is cool. System was designed to play anything. (I'm listening to "Big Data" right now)
Yes you can get much more power out of a GM70, but my goal was to operate only class A1 and chose a 7K plate load to minimize distortion. I looked at load lines at 5K, 6K and 7K and concluded I would take the reduction in power in return for lower output impedance and distortion.
The output transformers were designed to support class A2 operation if I ever had a change of heart. It should be possible to get 40W in that scenario, however the driver stage power supplies can't handle the increased current demand. As it is I am running at 20mA in the driver stage and at current full power swing within a few volts of zero bias IIRC. The amplifier never actually hard clips which is interesting it just stops getting louder. (That occurs at what I can only describe as intolerably loud anyway)
I never fully gave up on vinyl, but came very close about five or six years ago. I'm glad I didn't. I find really good vinyl playback competitive with my best digital and in some ways preferable.
The furnace is in the room next door. This room was actually built for me, but the JBL Rhodes I had previously were a bit smaller.. lol It's actually (and strangely enough) by far the best sounding room I have ever had. Must be that crumbling 106 yr old concrete behind everything, and the clutter everywhere, and yes a bunch of bass traps helps too. Happy accident, and unfortunately not large enough for my crowd.. I will admit that the speaker system was designed taking into account the nature of the room. The horns are deliberately rather directional to reduce early reflections, etc. LF response extends to a bit below 30Hz.
I'm enjoying music so much more knowing that I do not have to jump up, flip and brush every 20 minutes.
I wish someone would explain why the resolution of HD digital TV is so much better than the old analog transmissions, yet for some, digital sound is an anathema?
I wish someone would explain why the resolution of HD digital TV is so much better than the old analog transmissions, yet for some, digital sound is an anathema?
I'll take a shot at this, and hope I don't start a religious battle.
You don't have to be an expert to see the digital TV's improvement over the NTSC 525 line system (or the slightly-better PAL system formerly used in Europe). An average person can make pretty decent judgements as to what's "better" when it comes to visuals and photography.
Audio, on the other hand, is quite a bit different in that it's had to keep an accurate aural memory for more than a few seconds (thus the need for immediately-switched comparison testing, as in DBT), and a wide range of stuff can "sound good" in isolation (or even in direct comparison). People prefer older-design equipment (tube amps, turntables) in spite of the lack of accuracy compared to current technology, and because the generated distortions are euphonic.
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