UPDATED MY SITE:
New: Zen Bride pics
More: Zen Revisited pics (inc. PSU & fabricated heatsink)
Lots: of other observations along the way.
Enjoy - hope it proves useful to someone out there...
Pete
Hi all - I have posted a few times re experience with my Zen Revisited - it is now a reality - I have put a few pics up at http://users.computerweekly.net/peted Hope they inspire someone, at least with a different approach to the good old heatsink challenge!!
Many thanks to all on this forum who have added inspiration to this project.
Cheers
Pete
[Edited by peted on 08-23-2001 at 06:31 PM]
New: Zen Bride pics
More: Zen Revisited pics (inc. PSU & fabricated heatsink)
Lots: of other observations along the way.
Enjoy - hope it proves useful to someone out there...
Pete
Hi all - I have posted a few times re experience with my Zen Revisited - it is now a reality - I have put a few pics up at http://users.computerweekly.net/peted Hope they inspire someone, at least with a different approach to the good old heatsink challenge!!
Many thanks to all on this forum who have added inspiration to this project.
Cheers
Pete
[Edited by peted on 08-23-2001 at 06:31 PM]
Hi Yoda - sadly the Gallos Nucleus speakers (Solo that I have - one ball, and Reference - two balls) are not being made due to everyone wanting their Micro balls instead. Their web site says they will be available again later - presumably when production facilities are expanded.
They are great sounding speakers, particularly in the treble with that nifty cylindrical CDT unit - extremely detailed and clean, and they play loud without stress right across the range. Bass extension is good bar the last octave - they market a sub to go with the Micros - also work with the Nucleus I imagine. Having said that the lower regions of double bass for example sounds great, with good control and definition. The Reference goes a little lower - (8ohm - 2 * 4ohm balls in series). The midrange is also great, perhaps a little too forward at times - maybe this is my room - it's certainly not ideal - too many hard reflective surfaces - gotta sell the wife to get around that one! All in all they are quite analytical and =will= show up any flaws in your system. Imaging is terrific, within the normal room limitations, and when set-up right, disappear magically leaving a great sound stage. I have only one amp channel complete at the moment - so the Solos are positioned for stereo as normal, but temporarily wired in series to one amp - still actually sounds rather good I have to say.
The only caveat I'd mention is the Solos are 4ohm - make sure your amp is up to it.
I don't know where you are - but I had to import mine myself (to the UK - no dealers) - raised the cost appreciably.
Get yourself an audition in someones system and search for second hand, but I'd be surprised if there are many around.
Cheers
Pete
They are great sounding speakers, particularly in the treble with that nifty cylindrical CDT unit - extremely detailed and clean, and they play loud without stress right across the range. Bass extension is good bar the last octave - they market a sub to go with the Micros - also work with the Nucleus I imagine. Having said that the lower regions of double bass for example sounds great, with good control and definition. The Reference goes a little lower - (8ohm - 2 * 4ohm balls in series). The midrange is also great, perhaps a little too forward at times - maybe this is my room - it's certainly not ideal - too many hard reflective surfaces - gotta sell the wife to get around that one! All in all they are quite analytical and =will= show up any flaws in your system. Imaging is terrific, within the normal room limitations, and when set-up right, disappear magically leaving a great sound stage. I have only one amp channel complete at the moment - so the Solos are positioned for stereo as normal, but temporarily wired in series to one amp - still actually sounds rather good I have to say.
The only caveat I'd mention is the Solos are 4ohm - make sure your amp is up to it.
I don't know where you are - but I had to import mine myself (to the UK - no dealers) - raised the cost appreciably.
Get yourself an audition in someones system and search for second hand, but I'd be surprised if there are many around.
Cheers
Pete
Pete,
from the pictures it is hard to tell but it appears the gallos use a single (I assume full range) driver per channel. Is this the case. If so is it their own design or an OEM unit. Another question, are the sphere's ported, sealed or ??? Lets just say i'm curious.
Cheers
Dan
p.s. what did you end up doing about input and output capacitors?
[Edited by ding on 07-30-2001 at 05:01 PM]
from the pictures it is hard to tell but it appears the gallos use a single (I assume full range) driver per channel. Is this the case. If so is it their own design or an OEM unit. Another question, are the sphere's ported, sealed or ??? Lets just say i'm curious.
Cheers
Dan
p.s. what did you end up doing about input and output capacitors?
[Edited by ding on 07-30-2001 at 05:01 PM]
gallos
No, the gallos use a regular driver in the shpere, and the little metal cylinder on top is actually a tweeter, they call it CDT, i think it's like a ribbon, but it is curved 360 degrees, so it has very wide dispersion. I have not heard these, but thats what i've read. I always liked the gallos for their spherical enclosures, but i've heard the micros and was not impressed!
No, the gallos use a regular driver in the shpere, and the little metal cylinder on top is actually a tweeter, they call it CDT, i think it's like a ribbon, but it is curved 360 degrees, so it has very wide dispersion. I have not heard these, but thats what i've read. I always liked the gallos for their spherical enclosures, but i've heard the micros and was not impressed!
Zen:
o/p caps: I used a single 10,000uF 63V Elna (cerafine - not sure) instead of the 2 * 2,200uF . These were from a previous project. They are bypassed as specified (10uF was it?), and by a small polystyrene - 0.1uF. I've not tried it with the specified parallelled smaller caps.
i/p cap: is a physically massive high quality PX type foil from ICW http://www.icwltd.co.uk/ - see also my post 'Zen Instability'.
Gallo:
Nucleus balls use Dynaudio drivers - modified in some way - I think there is something on their site. The sphere is rear ported. The tweeter is basically a silver coated rubber tube (well, perhaps 330 deg) - directly driven end to end. The effect is described on their site as a piezo electric one, presumably causing the rubber walls to attract/repel. It apparently behaves as pure capacitance - that I can't explain. No cross overs used.
Cheers
Pete
o/p caps: I used a single 10,000uF 63V Elna (cerafine - not sure) instead of the 2 * 2,200uF . These were from a previous project. They are bypassed as specified (10uF was it?), and by a small polystyrene - 0.1uF. I've not tried it with the specified parallelled smaller caps.
i/p cap: is a physically massive high quality PX type foil from ICW http://www.icwltd.co.uk/ - see also my post 'Zen Instability'.
Gallo:
Nucleus balls use Dynaudio drivers - modified in some way - I think there is something on their site. The sphere is rear ported. The tweeter is basically a silver coated rubber tube (well, perhaps 330 deg) - directly driven end to end. The effect is described on their site as a piezo electric one, presumably causing the rubber walls to attract/repel. It apparently behaves as pure capacitance - that I can't explain. No cross overs used.
Cheers
Pete
More to Gallo's than meets the eyes
I had 3 pairs of custom-made Nuclei (Solo) originally intended as a 6 channel home theater setup. I have since sold the units and still don't own a HT
They were set up with 3 terminals and I played with one upside down (tweeter disconnected) to create series connected Reference.
Now, what's inside these babies?
Box: Old ones (not recommended) in fiberglass, new ones in anodized alu (alu oxide). As we all know, Alu Oxide is a ceramic material ... and as you work Alu, you harden it. The shell is worked into shape. It also dents relatively easily. Mine survived denting and scrathing for the most part.
Bass elements: Dynaudio mass loaded, without crossover (damped by extra mass). Nylon studded to the shell.
Tweeter: very interesting hand rolled sheet with silver "ink" around soft core. Driven by transformer to obtain high voltage. Probably crossed at about 2500Hz. "Crossover" is a series high quality capacitor of about 5uF in paralell with a resistor. Sensitivity of transducer is very high and probably lowered to match the bottom.
Crossover frequency changes somewhat when you use in Reference mode ...
The best part of of this speaker is the wide horizontal dispersion (and fast 'static like response) tweeter. You get stereo image "everywhere". I suspect they would have been totally cool in a home theater but never got to try it out. It is a shame that the tweeters are not available on the market by themselves. Then again, there are Raven's ...
Petter
I had 3 pairs of custom-made Nuclei (Solo) originally intended as a 6 channel home theater setup. I have since sold the units and still don't own a HT
They were set up with 3 terminals and I played with one upside down (tweeter disconnected) to create series connected Reference.
Now, what's inside these babies?
Box: Old ones (not recommended) in fiberglass, new ones in anodized alu (alu oxide). As we all know, Alu Oxide is a ceramic material ... and as you work Alu, you harden it. The shell is worked into shape. It also dents relatively easily. Mine survived denting and scrathing for the most part.
Bass elements: Dynaudio mass loaded, without crossover (damped by extra mass). Nylon studded to the shell.
Tweeter: very interesting hand rolled sheet with silver "ink" around soft core. Driven by transformer to obtain high voltage. Probably crossed at about 2500Hz. "Crossover" is a series high quality capacitor of about 5uF in paralell with a resistor. Sensitivity of transducer is very high and probably lowered to match the bottom.
Crossover frequency changes somewhat when you use in Reference mode ...
The best part of of this speaker is the wide horizontal dispersion (and fast 'static like response) tweeter. You get stereo image "everywhere". I suspect they would have been totally cool in a home theater but never got to try it out. It is a shame that the tweeters are not available on the market by themselves. Then again, there are Raven's ...
Petter
More to Gallo's than meets the eyes
Hi Petter - I stand corrected!! Sounds like you took one of these to bits...
The bit about the transformer intrigues me - but makes sense with regard to Piezo effects and the 'sparking tweeters effect' I've heard reported if you ==REALLY== abuse these babies - ear bleeding levels I think it was described as! So what does mass loading the bass unit involve and why would it be neccessary?
Pete
Hi Petter - I stand corrected!! Sounds like you took one of these to bits...
The bit about the transformer intrigues me - but makes sense with regard to Piezo effects and the 'sparking tweeters effect' I've heard reported if you ==REALLY== abuse these babies - ear bleeding levels I think it was described as! So what does mass loading the bass unit involve and why would it be neccessary?
Pete
Petter - the 2 Zen Revised stages are literally strapped together at i/p & o/p - I guess the similar gain and o/p impedance of the stages (within component tolerances) looks after current sharing into the load. Is thsi where you were coming from? I may (as someone else on this forum did) try strapping the outputs at the speaker terminal - i.e. bi wire.
Pete
Pete
After a bit of an absence
Moved the web site detailing my Zen Revisited / Bride of Zen, both of which are still going strong and sound lovely. The Gallos too - same ones - Nucleus Solo.
pics of my Pass Labs Zen Revisited & Bride of Zen
ATB
Pete
Moved the web site detailing my Zen Revisited / Bride of Zen, both of which are still going strong and sound lovely. The Gallos too - same ones - Nucleus Solo.
pics of my Pass Labs Zen Revisited & Bride of Zen
ATB
Pete
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