Speaker wire and XLR cable suggestions for Spectra 11s
What sort of wiring do you recomend to use with a set of Spectra 11s to get the best results-Ive tried a couple of different things Supra cale and different gauges cheap copper wire-the best results seem to come from the copper wire-also any XLR cables in particular you would recommend to use with them?
What sort of wiring do you recomend to use with a set of Spectra 11s to get the best results-Ive tried a couple of different things Supra cale and different gauges cheap copper wire-the best results seem to come from the copper wire-also any XLR cables in particular you would recommend to use with them?
Match the color of cloth on my 3's
Howdy,
I have some Acoustat Model 3's in walnut and "white" but the cloth looks more off white than white. I as hoping someone knows where I can buy some "off White" color grill cloth so I can redo the socks on my Spectra 22's to match the 3's.
I Will include a few pics of the 3's and a pic of of the original cardboard box that the 3's came in. I hope that the color can be matched. The wall behind the speaker is a white wall. So you can see that the 3's are for sure not a bright white.
Thank you in advance for any and all help!
Jesse
Howdy,
I have some Acoustat Model 3's in walnut and "white" but the cloth looks more off white than white. I as hoping someone knows where I can buy some "off White" color grill cloth so I can redo the socks on my Spectra 22's to match the 3's.
I Will include a few pics of the 3's and a pic of of the original cardboard box that the 3's came in. I hope that the color can be matched. The wall behind the speaker is a white wall. So you can see that the 3's are for sure not a bright white.
Thank you in advance for any and all help!
Jesse
Attachments
This looks close, but may be slightly darker. Sample is only $1 though.
Beige Speaker Grill Cloth Fabric
Beige Speaker Grill Cloth Fabric
Guilford Of Maine has a vast selection of acoustically transparent fabric. The original OEM fabric is long gone.
FR701(R) - Guilford of Maine
Legendary acoustic fabrics with a bang | Guilford of Maine
FR701(R) - Guilford of Maine
Legendary acoustic fabrics with a bang | Guilford of Maine
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One person said they think this may be the OEM fabric:
DMD Acoustic Fabric - Acoustimac
The color that appears to match the light-colored OEM fabric is called "Stone".
One or two people in this topic, though, have said spandex is better because it blocks less of the sound than the OEM fabric does (when it's stretched enough).
New Acoustat 3's ?
Howdy,
So, a quick background on my set of Acoustat 3’s and a few questions.
I have become the proud owner of a pair of Acoustat 3’s with the Blue Medallion interfaces. This is a fresh out of the box setup. Yep I am the first real owner of them. (according to the gentleman that sold them to me)
I got the pair still in the wrapping and original cardboard boxes from a gentleman that said he was a former Acoustat dealer. (I have a few pics of the speakers and box a few posts above this one, I am looking to match this color grill to my other set of Acoustat speakers)
This gentleman that sold them must be in his late 70’s early 80’s. He said he has had these speakers in storage for years and years. I am not sure if the Medallion interfaces were done by him or if they came from the factory already installed. (if anyone can tell please let me know)
The interfaces have the pretty blue sticker on the back, so I think that is a good sign. So, if the story that was told to me from the older gentleman is true these should be new 30ish year old speakers.
They look fantastic, sound as good if not a smallish bit better then my Spectra 22’s. I think 3 panels with high frequencies coming across all 3 panels make a difference compared to the 22’s. But I have not turned the 3’s up much at all.
I tend to think the story is true because of the boxes wrapping etc but even if its not all reality, I still have what seems to be a great set of Acoustat 3’s, but I have a few questions I am hoping I can get answered.
#1 I am guessing that these speakers are 30 or so years old, can anyone give a better age of the speakers? (ill post a pic of one speaker and 1 transformer to see if that helps) These look like the first versions of the model 3’s (if my research is correct)
#2. I have them hooked up and have been babying them. They sound fantastic but I am still a bit weary of the internals. If I let the power drain over night and take the interfaces off, What should I look for to make sure all is in great shape before I put a real deal amp on them and stop babying them? I am an IT guy I deal with computers and electronics all day long but have zero experience with high voltage stuff. I do not want to get mega zapped. I am willing to do what it takes to get the job done. But I do not want to go into a job blind. Any help on what to look for or a video or walk through would be very helpful. Not sure if this kind of thing is out there on the internet.
#3. I do not want to take the socks off unless I must, but do you think I need to before I stop babying them?
#4. Are there any mods and or must do changes for the 3’s I read that the Medallion interfaces are the by far most important mod to do? But are there others I am neglecting on these? And if there are other must do mods does anyone have a video or walk through for dummies like me?.
#5. I have the High Frequency Dial set to the middle on each speaker. I know it’s more likely a set to taste kind of thing. But anyone have some reference on what the dial does? I do not hear much of a difference unless the dial is almost all the way turned up or all the way turned down. All the way up the “tweeters” are much brighter sounding.
Thank you in advance for all the help.
Sorry for the sideways and upside down pics.
Jesse
Howdy,
So, a quick background on my set of Acoustat 3’s and a few questions.
I have become the proud owner of a pair of Acoustat 3’s with the Blue Medallion interfaces. This is a fresh out of the box setup. Yep I am the first real owner of them. (according to the gentleman that sold them to me)
I got the pair still in the wrapping and original cardboard boxes from a gentleman that said he was a former Acoustat dealer. (I have a few pics of the speakers and box a few posts above this one, I am looking to match this color grill to my other set of Acoustat speakers)
This gentleman that sold them must be in his late 70’s early 80’s. He said he has had these speakers in storage for years and years. I am not sure if the Medallion interfaces were done by him or if they came from the factory already installed. (if anyone can tell please let me know)
The interfaces have the pretty blue sticker on the back, so I think that is a good sign. So, if the story that was told to me from the older gentleman is true these should be new 30ish year old speakers.
They look fantastic, sound as good if not a smallish bit better then my Spectra 22’s. I think 3 panels with high frequencies coming across all 3 panels make a difference compared to the 22’s. But I have not turned the 3’s up much at all.
I tend to think the story is true because of the boxes wrapping etc but even if its not all reality, I still have what seems to be a great set of Acoustat 3’s, but I have a few questions I am hoping I can get answered.
#1 I am guessing that these speakers are 30 or so years old, can anyone give a better age of the speakers? (ill post a pic of one speaker and 1 transformer to see if that helps) These look like the first versions of the model 3’s (if my research is correct)
#2. I have them hooked up and have been babying them. They sound fantastic but I am still a bit weary of the internals. If I let the power drain over night and take the interfaces off, What should I look for to make sure all is in great shape before I put a real deal amp on them and stop babying them? I am an IT guy I deal with computers and electronics all day long but have zero experience with high voltage stuff. I do not want to get mega zapped. I am willing to do what it takes to get the job done. But I do not want to go into a job blind. Any help on what to look for or a video or walk through would be very helpful. Not sure if this kind of thing is out there on the internet.
#3. I do not want to take the socks off unless I must, but do you think I need to before I stop babying them?
#4. Are there any mods and or must do changes for the 3’s I read that the Medallion interfaces are the by far most important mod to do? But are there others I am neglecting on these? And if there are other must do mods does anyone have a video or walk through for dummies like me?.
#5. I have the High Frequency Dial set to the middle on each speaker. I know it’s more likely a set to taste kind of thing. But anyone have some reference on what the dial does? I do not hear much of a difference unless the dial is almost all the way turned up or all the way turned down. All the way up the “tweeters” are much brighter sounding.
Thank you in advance for all the help.
Sorry for the sideways and upside down pics.
Jesse
Attachments
From the OP (I added more line breaks):
All the details you need about the C mod are in this thread, including specific parts, diagrams, etc. There are also details about how to handle the panels properly, how to remove the socks, etc.
What I am mainly wondering about is the low frequency transformer insulation deterioration problem, which I recall reading is a bigger issue with pre-Medallion models. Internal arcing that can damage both the panel and the amp is something I'd like to avoid. That concern doesn't seem to apply much to your situation since you have a Medallion model and because it's in like-new condition.
edit:
The proper handling of the panels in terms of voltage discharge and the like is discussed in this thread. My recollection is that a few hours should be enough but I would read all of the pages if I were you. I still have some to read myself.
Since your speakers are apparently in like-new condition (such as no rust on the interface screws — in contrast to two pairs of 2+2s I have seen for sale recently that have quite a bit of rust on all of them) I doubt you have much to worry about as long as you have the right amplification for them and don't try to push them past their bass excursion limit. This is speculation on my part, though, as I do not have Acoustat speakers. I am still weighing the option of buying a locally-available pre-Medallion model with no C mod (and considerable corrosion on those screws and who knows what else). The high price of adequate amplification is also a concern for me, not just the transformer insulation issue (that, as I mentioned, I believe I read him say is one of the things the Medallion upgrade ameliorated). As for corrosion, my understanding, based on what I've read so far about these speakers, is their internals were designed to be quite resistant to deterioration from it, in contrast with some competitors' speakers that used things like copper wires. However, the rusty screws on the models I saw makes me wonder if there is anything on the inside that I should worry about other than the aforementioned HF balance control.
One person I spoke with who says he has had Acoustats since the 80s suggested keeping your amp's volume turned down all the way when powering things on.
I believe the OP said that unless you're noticing sound quality issues with the Acoustats it's probably not necessary to go hunting around for trouble inside them. For example, he said this at one point to someone:
The HF balance control corrosion issue may be an exception. I certainly can't speak for him and would read the rest of the thread, of course.
All the details you need about the C mod are in this thread, including specific parts, diagrams, etc. There are also details about how to handle the panels properly, how to remove the socks, etc.
What I am mainly wondering about is the low frequency transformer insulation deterioration problem, which I recall reading is a bigger issue with pre-Medallion models. Internal arcing that can damage both the panel and the amp is something I'd like to avoid. That concern doesn't seem to apply much to your situation since you have a Medallion model and because it's in like-new condition.
edit:
The proper handling of the panels in terms of voltage discharge and the like is discussed in this thread. My recollection is that a few hours should be enough but I would read all of the pages if I were you. I still have some to read myself.
Since your speakers are apparently in like-new condition (such as no rust on the interface screws — in contrast to two pairs of 2+2s I have seen for sale recently that have quite a bit of rust on all of them) I doubt you have much to worry about as long as you have the right amplification for them and don't try to push them past their bass excursion limit. This is speculation on my part, though, as I do not have Acoustat speakers. I am still weighing the option of buying a locally-available pre-Medallion model with no C mod (and considerable corrosion on those screws and who knows what else). The high price of adequate amplification is also a concern for me, not just the transformer insulation issue (that, as I mentioned, I believe I read him say is one of the things the Medallion upgrade ameliorated). As for corrosion, my understanding, based on what I've read so far about these speakers, is their internals were designed to be quite resistant to deterioration from it, in contrast with some competitors' speakers that used things like copper wires. However, the rusty screws on the models I saw makes me wonder if there is anything on the inside that I should worry about other than the aforementioned HF balance control.
One person I spoke with who says he has had Acoustats since the 80s suggested keeping your amp's volume turned down all the way when powering things on.
I believe the OP said that unless you're noticing sound quality issues with the Acoustats it's probably not necessary to go hunting around for trouble inside them. For example, he said this at one point to someone:
The HF balance control corrosion issue may be an exception. I certainly can't speak for him and would read the rest of the thread, of course.
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New Acoustat 3's ?
Thank you for the help,
I think over the weekend, (wife and kids allowing) Ill remove one of the panels and snap a few pics of the guts of the interface and post them up. Maybe people like yourself and others that contribute to the thread will be able to spot something that I would easily miss, and or say I am OK to start playing them for real. The Interfaces are in sequential numbered order as one would expect.
I have my Acoustat 3’s as part of my theater setup in a great-room that is almost 1000-sqft. I know this is not an ideal space for audiophile listening.
But with a wife to keep happy and 4 young kids still growing up, a dedicated listening space is not in the cards for me right now.
I use 2 sets of Acoustat speakers as part of my home theater setup in this room. I love the soundstage that the Acoustats throw out in this big room. So, I figured why not have 2 sets as part of the theater. (If there was an Acoustat Center speaker I would use it)
As for amplification, I am running Martantz MA500 monoblocks one to each speaker. I have 5 of them hooked up. (2) for my Acoustat 3's as front left and right speakers, (2) for my spectra 22's playing as the surround left and right, and (1) for my Monitor Audio Gold GLCR as center channel. I also have 4 subs integrated into this setup to help on the low end.
My Spectra’s 22’s were my front left and right before I was able to get the new 3’s. I use an Anthem Statement D2 preamp with ARC room correction for the theater DSP and room correction. And a MiniDSP 2x4HD for the 4 sub DSP integration and room correction.
I have an Earthquake Audio Cinenova Grade 5 amplifier on the way that should be arriving early next week. This new amp will be replacing my older Marantz monoblocks. I Think this new amp will be better than my current monoblocks by a large margin. (specs of the new amp below)
Cinenova Grande 5
5-channel high-end home theater amplifier
5 discrete monoblocks in a single housing
all channels driven 8Ω load = 5 x 300w
all channels driven 4Ω load = 5 x 600w
all channels driven 2Ω load = 5 x 1000w
Frequency response at 1watt +/- 0.1dB from 20hz to 20khz
Channel separate greater than 95dB
Total harmonic distortion:
1khz 8Ω load 0.01%
1khz 4Ω load 0.03%
1khz 2Ω load 0.05%
Signal to noise ratio:112dB @ 1khz, 111dB @ 5khz, 110dB @ 10khz
Thank you again for your quick and through response.
And I want to say thank you to all for all the help you provide in this forum to Acoustat novices like me.
Jesse
Thank you for the help,
I think over the weekend, (wife and kids allowing) Ill remove one of the panels and snap a few pics of the guts of the interface and post them up. Maybe people like yourself and others that contribute to the thread will be able to spot something that I would easily miss, and or say I am OK to start playing them for real. The Interfaces are in sequential numbered order as one would expect.
I have my Acoustat 3’s as part of my theater setup in a great-room that is almost 1000-sqft. I know this is not an ideal space for audiophile listening.
But with a wife to keep happy and 4 young kids still growing up, a dedicated listening space is not in the cards for me right now.
I use 2 sets of Acoustat speakers as part of my home theater setup in this room. I love the soundstage that the Acoustats throw out in this big room. So, I figured why not have 2 sets as part of the theater. (If there was an Acoustat Center speaker I would use it)
As for amplification, I am running Martantz MA500 monoblocks one to each speaker. I have 5 of them hooked up. (2) for my Acoustat 3's as front left and right speakers, (2) for my spectra 22's playing as the surround left and right, and (1) for my Monitor Audio Gold GLCR as center channel. I also have 4 subs integrated into this setup to help on the low end.
My Spectra’s 22’s were my front left and right before I was able to get the new 3’s. I use an Anthem Statement D2 preamp with ARC room correction for the theater DSP and room correction. And a MiniDSP 2x4HD for the 4 sub DSP integration and room correction.
I have an Earthquake Audio Cinenova Grade 5 amplifier on the way that should be arriving early next week. This new amp will be replacing my older Marantz monoblocks. I Think this new amp will be better than my current monoblocks by a large margin. (specs of the new amp below)
Cinenova Grande 5
5-channel high-end home theater amplifier
5 discrete monoblocks in a single housing
all channels driven 8Ω load = 5 x 300w
all channels driven 4Ω load = 5 x 600w
all channels driven 2Ω load = 5 x 1000w
Frequency response at 1watt +/- 0.1dB from 20hz to 20khz
Channel separate greater than 95dB
Total harmonic distortion:
1khz 8Ω load 0.01%
1khz 4Ω load 0.03%
1khz 2Ω load 0.05%
Signal to noise ratio:112dB @ 1khz, 111dB @ 5khz, 110dB @ 10khz
Thank you again for your quick and through response.
And I want to say thank you to all for all the help you provide in this forum to Acoustat novices like me.
Jesse
Acoustat like Cell
Long last!
I made an Acoustat hypercell with common materials.
The difference is having used aluminum wire and a plastic grid sold for aquariums and parts printed with a 3D printer.
It still doesn't sound good, you need to do a good setup ... it will take time.
Thanks to all the forum.
My HyperCell
Long last!
I made an Acoustat hypercell with common materials.
The difference is having used aluminum wire and a plastic grid sold for aquariums and parts printed with a 3D printer.
It still doesn't sound good, you need to do a good setup ... it will take time.
Thanks to all the forum.
My HyperCell
spectra 6 ?
hi andy i have parts for a spectra six panel two interface speaker when this type of build has been brought up beffore you always say two amps are needed why is this when more panels are an easier load .ihave a musical fidelity m3 upgraded by by mf engineer john sampson.amp has twin output posts for biwiring why cant i connect both interfaces using twin cables or even just looping from one interface to the other for amps without this facility .ihave a fualty 9505 long term i was hoping to find another and have these serviced but im giving up on ever seeing another for sale sorry for rambling thanks for the service you provide and to all the other experts who help us thickies out
hi andy i have parts for a spectra six panel two interface speaker when this type of build has been brought up beffore you always say two amps are needed why is this when more panels are an easier load .ihave a musical fidelity m3 upgraded by by mf engineer john sampson.amp has twin output posts for biwiring why cant i connect both interfaces using twin cables or even just looping from one interface to the other for amps without this facility .ihave a fualty 9505 long term i was hoping to find another and have these serviced but im giving up on ever seeing another for sale sorry for rambling thanks for the service you provide and to all the other experts who help us thickies out
Acoustat 1+1 owner new to forum
I have a pair of Acoustat 1+1's that I have owned since late 80's. Still sound fabulous. I am starting the process of getting my vintage Krell mono's recapped, and got to thinking about recapping the Acoustats...which led me to the Internet to look for circuit diagram...which led to this forum. Interesting to see active group dedicated to the Acoustats.
My 1+1's have Medallion transformers and MK-121C config. In fact, after opening them and getting a look at the caps, I was quite confused, since the manuals I had found online were not for the C mod, so very different caps, etc. That was all explained by looking through this forum a bit and finding the info for the C mod. Very helpful.
We had replaced the original caps in the 1+1's with Wonder Caps back in the day, but that was some time ago.
Also, my units had come with the HF slider resistor, which never seemed likely to be sonically ideal. Those were replaced with fixed value resistors. I remember these mods making quite a significant improvement.
Anyway, since these caps are now ~30 years old, it probably makes sense to replace them. Plus, there appear to be a much wider array of "audiophile" capacitors available these days than there were back them, and some are likely better sounding. However, because there are quite a few options now, I am curious if anyone has suggestions about the "best" choices for these speakers?
In addition, it might be handy to be able to adjust HF balance again. I am not even sure what amps I used in "voicing" them since it was so long ago. Is there a pot option that would not result in sonic degradation compared to the fixed resistors? Or in fact are there better sounding resistors than the Dale's that we used back then? Current setup is a 3 and a 15 ohm pair in each. I found that I still have a box of the Dale's in various values, and I recall we spent quite a bit of time experimenting to arrive at the 3/15 values.
So, glad to find this forum, and if anyone has suggestions about the caps and resistors--or any other maintenance items--it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I have a pair of Acoustat 1+1's that I have owned since late 80's. Still sound fabulous. I am starting the process of getting my vintage Krell mono's recapped, and got to thinking about recapping the Acoustats...which led me to the Internet to look for circuit diagram...which led to this forum. Interesting to see active group dedicated to the Acoustats.
My 1+1's have Medallion transformers and MK-121C config. In fact, after opening them and getting a look at the caps, I was quite confused, since the manuals I had found online were not for the C mod, so very different caps, etc. That was all explained by looking through this forum a bit and finding the info for the C mod. Very helpful.
We had replaced the original caps in the 1+1's with Wonder Caps back in the day, but that was some time ago.
Also, my units had come with the HF slider resistor, which never seemed likely to be sonically ideal. Those were replaced with fixed value resistors. I remember these mods making quite a significant improvement.Anyway, since these caps are now ~30 years old, it probably makes sense to replace them. Plus, there appear to be a much wider array of "audiophile" capacitors available these days than there were back them, and some are likely better sounding. However, because there are quite a few options now, I am curious if anyone has suggestions about the "best" choices for these speakers?
In addition, it might be handy to be able to adjust HF balance again. I am not even sure what amps I used in "voicing" them since it was so long ago. Is there a pot option that would not result in sonic degradation compared to the fixed resistors? Or in fact are there better sounding resistors than the Dale's that we used back then? Current setup is a 3 and a 15 ohm pair in each. I found that I still have a box of the Dale's in various values, and I recall we spent quite a bit of time experimenting to arrive at the 3/15 values.
So, glad to find this forum, and if anyone has suggestions about the caps and resistors--or any other maintenance items--it would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
My post number 1925 states all of the items I used on my 2+2's. Made a huge difference.
Acoustat Answer Man is here
Good Luck with your project!
Acoustat Answer Man is here
Good Luck with your project!
If you want to get completely lost in capacitor land, here's a resource for you: Humble Homemade Hifi - Cap Test . Based on his advice, I went with Clarity CSAs as a reasonable price/performance ratio for the 47uF and 10uF and I'm very happy with them. I kept the stock 0.01uF caps though.
For the one ohm resistors I used 20W Mundorf M-Resist Series which are probably overpriced but I needed to bump the order into free shipping so they were cheaper than listed.
If your caps aren't electrolytic, they may be perfectly fine, although newer technology may yield an improvement. Clarity CSAs have a special process for connection at each end as their claim to fame.
For the one ohm resistors I used 20W Mundorf M-Resist Series which are probably overpriced but I needed to bump the order into free shipping so they were cheaper than listed.
If your caps aren't electrolytic, they may be perfectly fine, although newer technology may yield an improvement. Clarity CSAs have a special process for connection at each end as their claim to fame.
I think you are confusing the six-panel MK121-series with the six-panel Spectra. The MK121-series does use two interfaces per speaker, and Acoustat always recommended using a separate amplifier per interface (a total of 4 channels per pair of speakers). The six-panel Spectra 66 and 6600 use just one interface per speaker, which means only two channels of amplification are needed. However, there are differences between the interface used for 2 and 3 panel Spectra (MK2123) and 4 and 6 panel Spectra (MK2146). The interface for the 4 and 6 panel models uses a different audio transformer with lower bass boost, and different value sector resistors due to the increased capacitance of the larger quantity of panels. Can you build a six panel Spectra using an MK2123 interface? Yes, but you may find you have too much bass, and the frequency division among the sectors will be different. Not sure what the effect may be of that aspect.
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