I have 2 pairs of Elsinores, and both are by 25 cm elevated. I am 1.80 cm tall.
2 different ways for lifting the Elsinores, one cheap, the other quite expensive, a slate at the basis, Panzersperrholz directly under the speaker and beetween shockabsorber, around 1.000 €, way better............
2 different ways for lifting the Elsinores, one cheap, the other quite expensive, a slate at the basis, Panzersperrholz directly under the speaker and beetween shockabsorber, around 1.000 €, way better............
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I am using IsoAcoustics Gaia II with my Elsinores and they raise them a bit of the floor and I love what they do. Alas, they are not cheap. I used them with 10mm aluminium plate, to create a platform. Any speaker I listen to, even if it has it's own stands, I put on that platform.
We had a chat a few years back about Bolserst mods on a mk6..
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/the-elsinore-project-thread.97043/post-6580044
Hi Joe, only just saw your message now. I doubt that the polyester I used even weight 200-300gr to be honest. Do you think Jantzen's Acoustilux would be a good alternative? It's 350gr/m2. I was going to buy some for a small Troels speaker project, so could always buy some extra for the Elsinores.
Yes, I think so. What I give is just guidance and shows what I am doing. But many Elsinore constructors have still ended up with end results, as they testify many times over. I see that Acoustilux is about 30mm think, so you may need to increase layers behind the Main Brace as you want that well filled. In front of the Main Brace, 30mm thickness should work well
"NBAC" Update:
It has been some time in the making and the design is now pretty much finalised. The waveguide design is different and have been using 3D printing while developing the design. With Steve's help, we are sorting out the supply of the waveguides, so please stay posted on that one.
There are some pros and cons, the drop in sensitivity is the main con. The MFC design will still be the main high sensitivity version of Elsinore Mk6. It has a flat 6 Ohm impedance and qaulifies as a nominal 8 Ohm speaker. The NBAC impedance drops down to about 4.5 Ohm and also around 3-4dB drop in sensitivity. In practice, you need an amplifier with about twice the power. The ULD has the same high sensitivity as MFC and an even higher impedance of 7 Ohm and is the easiest to drive. It is also far more expensive.
The question to me is whether the NBAC matches the quality of the ULD, but at a much lower price, not as high sensitivity, not as easy to drive and needs more power, will not go as loud as the ULD and MFC versions. If that turns be my final judgment, then this is an interesting alternative and a success.
Here is a preview of the waveguide, as you can see there is a much greater flare with this CDC tweeter:
The 'rings' on the back are there because the tweeter's mounting plate is not flat. The waveguide is mounted to the tweeter and then together mounted into the box, just as before.
It has been some time in the making and the design is now pretty much finalised. The waveguide design is different and have been using 3D printing while developing the design. With Steve's help, we are sorting out the supply of the waveguides, so please stay posted on that one.
There are some pros and cons, the drop in sensitivity is the main con. The MFC design will still be the main high sensitivity version of Elsinore Mk6. It has a flat 6 Ohm impedance and qaulifies as a nominal 8 Ohm speaker. The NBAC impedance drops down to about 4.5 Ohm and also around 3-4dB drop in sensitivity. In practice, you need an amplifier with about twice the power. The ULD has the same high sensitivity as MFC and an even higher impedance of 7 Ohm and is the easiest to drive. It is also far more expensive.
The question to me is whether the NBAC matches the quality of the ULD, but at a much lower price, not as high sensitivity, not as easy to drive and needs more power, will not go as loud as the ULD and MFC versions. If that turns be my final judgment, then this is an interesting alternative and a success.
Here is a preview of the waveguide, as you can see there is a much greater flare with this CDC tweeter:
The 'rings' on the back are there because the tweeter's mounting plate is not flat. The waveguide is mounted to the tweeter and then together mounted into the box, just as before.
That is being worked out, but it won't be aluminium. I can get a functional waveguide from my 3D printer, but the cosmetics is only so-and-so, and have been trying different settings. So that is why I have asked for Steve's assistance and see what we can come up with.
Elsinore, my experience
I bought the large babies from Helmut, we met around Karlsruhe in Germany, and transfered the speakers from his to my car on a parking. They looked heavy and luckily Helmut is a strong man
Back home I could not wait and had to carry them one floor upwards, my CrossFit perparation helped a lot, they reached my living room without too much trouble.
Initial impressions
tested with a digital source (piCore player sending to my Teac UD-503 DAC), my PMillett "Engineer Amp" (push-pull, 17W). Diverse sources, including the FLAC channel of Radio Paradise. I immediately experienced a large stereo image, much larger than the room. I suddenly heard "cracks", and they were in fact some digitalized vinyls cracks playing on Radio Paradise... very revealing speakers.
Many diverse pieces of music, eg Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love, excellent percussion, then Muse - Follow Me, slightly missing but this is a difficult piece. Tried Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky, filled the room wider than the walls. Tried again the mellow mix of Radio Paradise, all good stuff.
Tested with my Technics SL1200 playing Philipp Fankhauser, all the details, gorgeous, like he would play in my room !
Then I felt "hey my amp is somewhat lacking... let's try sand". I connected my Rotel RA-1062 - nothing fancy, a simple integrated that powered my previous living room, before I went into tubes.
Using the Rotel, the bass went slightly up, I initially thought the supplemental power makes it better, but it was only a gain difference. The music was more sterile than with the tube-amp, so back to my initial setup and Rotel went back to the closet. I then adjusted the gain chain (3 locations between piCore, DAC, amp) and I found the levels I was expecting.
I ended up my tests playing Yellow - The Scientist, and then I heard the slight imperfections of Chris Martin's voice... something I never noticed before. These speakers are very revealing, but you all knew this already. My tube amp has no issue driving them to insane levels, so no worries anymore. My plan is to try them with a single-ended amp (6-8W) but that will take a while. In any case, the speakers are merciless with anything bad in the chain, the record, the player, the amp, every bad part will be noticed and so I probably will end up re-shaping my gear soon enough.
As for the speakers themselves, they look great but I might give them a paint-job to match my taste and their environment. Then probably build some isolation base, if only the Isoacoustics GAIA II would not be that expensive...
All considered that was a great deal and I'm very happy with Helmut's constructions ending in my living room and Joe's amazing design capabilities, thank you guys !
Below a bad phone pic giving an idea. The room is complex, it's my living room so not really dedicated but still very happy so far.
I bought the large babies from Helmut, we met around Karlsruhe in Germany, and transfered the speakers from his to my car on a parking. They looked heavy and luckily Helmut is a strong man
Back home I could not wait and had to carry them one floor upwards, my CrossFit perparation helped a lot, they reached my living room without too much trouble.Initial impressions
tested with a digital source (piCore player sending to my Teac UD-503 DAC), my PMillett "Engineer Amp" (push-pull, 17W). Diverse sources, including the FLAC channel of Radio Paradise. I immediately experienced a large stereo image, much larger than the room. I suddenly heard "cracks", and they were in fact some digitalized vinyls cracks playing on Radio Paradise... very revealing speakers.
Many diverse pieces of music, eg Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love, excellent percussion, then Muse - Follow Me, slightly missing but this is a difficult piece. Tried Pink Floyd - Great Gig in the Sky, filled the room wider than the walls. Tried again the mellow mix of Radio Paradise, all good stuff.
Tested with my Technics SL1200 playing Philipp Fankhauser, all the details, gorgeous, like he would play in my room !
Then I felt "hey my amp is somewhat lacking... let's try sand". I connected my Rotel RA-1062 - nothing fancy, a simple integrated that powered my previous living room, before I went into tubes.
Using the Rotel, the bass went slightly up, I initially thought the supplemental power makes it better, but it was only a gain difference. The music was more sterile than with the tube-amp, so back to my initial setup and Rotel went back to the closet. I then adjusted the gain chain (3 locations between piCore, DAC, amp) and I found the levels I was expecting.
I ended up my tests playing Yellow - The Scientist, and then I heard the slight imperfections of Chris Martin's voice... something I never noticed before. These speakers are very revealing, but you all knew this already. My tube amp has no issue driving them to insane levels, so no worries anymore. My plan is to try them with a single-ended amp (6-8W) but that will take a while. In any case, the speakers are merciless with anything bad in the chain, the record, the player, the amp, every bad part will be noticed and so I probably will end up re-shaping my gear soon enough.
As for the speakers themselves, they look great but I might give them a paint-job to match my taste and their environment. Then probably build some isolation base, if only the Isoacoustics GAIA II would not be that expensive...
All considered that was a great deal and I'm very happy with Helmut's constructions ending in my living room and Joe's amazing design capabilities, thank you guys !
Below a bad phone pic giving an idea. The room is complex, it's my living room so not really dedicated but still very happy so far.
Attachments
Nice mini review off sorts, and the kind I like. You kept saying that the sound was wider or bigger than the room and the imaging. I keep preaching to the unconverted, but this is what you get if you get the current right.
Yes, sigh, so true. But I have to say that they work, so maybe keep that one in mind in the future when maybe money might not be so tight.
I took your photo and did something naughty to it. We live in the age of AI and used some Luminar Neo algorithms plus a few of my own tweaks, I am definitely thinking about going back and find all the pictures I can find and put then in a folder and make it a Gallery of Elsinores.
A quick PS: The Italian made Bassocontinuo Level 6 iso feet are also used by a local Elsinore ULD user. They sound great too.
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/73887250128083953/
Yes, sigh, so true. But I have to say that they work, so maybe keep that one in mind in the future when maybe money might not be so tight.
I took your photo and did something naughty to it. We live in the age of AI and used some Luminar Neo algorithms plus a few of my own tweaks, I am definitely thinking about going back and find all the pictures I can find and put then in a folder and make it a Gallery of Elsinores.
A quick PS: The Italian made Bassocontinuo Level 6 iso feet are also used by a local Elsinore ULD user. They sound great too.
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/73887250128083953/
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"NBAC" Update:
The design has pretty much been finalised, but we have reached a hiccup.
The issue is cosmetic and not design specific. The 3D printed waveguide does not come up looking up to scratch. We have even had 3D printing attempts being made at the Physics Dept of Monash University, no kidding, and still not an acceptable solution. We are working on another idea right now, so we are hoping we will still be getting there. I am indebted to Steve "smort1" who is helping me out here.
But I also have been working the last couple of months and completing the "Beyond Triode" amplifier design, there was a last piece of the puzzle that has surfaced and getting that right has put a smile on my face. Helmut has one of these amplifiers, so he and I need to work something out.
Helmut, are you reading this?
The design has pretty much been finalised, but we have reached a hiccup.
The issue is cosmetic and not design specific. The 3D printed waveguide does not come up looking up to scratch. We have even had 3D printing attempts being made at the Physics Dept of Monash University, no kidding, and still not an acceptable solution. We are working on another idea right now, so we are hoping we will still be getting there. I am indebted to Steve "smort1" who is helping me out here.
But I also have been working the last couple of months and completing the "Beyond Triode" amplifier design, there was a last piece of the puzzle that has surfaced and getting that right has put a smile on my face. Helmut has one of these amplifiers, so he and I need to work something out.
Helmut, are you reading this?