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Post by novisnick on Aug 13, 2020 10:41:58 GMT -5
Took my Oppo BDP-103 out of storage and will be using it for CD playback... yup, I still have some of those, so might as well enjoy them.  Good for you! I still spin a few now and then as well. Need to keep my ERC-2 lubed up! LOL |
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Post by LuisV on Aug 13, 2020 10:46:23 GMT -5
Ha... exactly what I thought about the Oppo; why let it collect dust.
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Post by LuisV on Aug 29, 2020 9:44:09 GMT -5
After spending a few weeks and several listening sessions with the new system, we decided to return the Arendal speakers. They are extremely dynamic, have plenty of impactful and deep, yet not bloated bass, a pretty wide and deep soundstage; however, they have an edginess and sharpness to the upper frequencies that my wife and I don't care for. They are well built and as a company, customer service has been great. Their 1723s and 1961 lines have won several awards, so if you're in the market for new speakers, I would at least consider them.   The quest for new speakers continues... |
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Post by LuisV on Aug 29, 2020 10:32:35 GMT -5
Researching the following speakers... use headphones to listen to the following videos... - Buchardt A300
- Dynaudio Emit M30
- ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5
- Martin Logan MOTION 20i
- Wharfedale Linton
- Wharfedale EVO 4.2
- Wharfedale EVO 4.4
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Post by LuisV on Sept 4, 2020 12:02:50 GMT -5
Currently auditioning the EVO 4.2 and 4.4s in my room... so far... so good.  |
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lotaz
Minor Hero
Posts: 70
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Post by lotaz on Sept 4, 2020 12:15:46 GMT -5
Currently auditioning the EVO 4.2 and 4.4s in my room... so far... so good. Really like the 4.4, they are on my short list for another 2.0 system. |
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Post by LuisV on Sept 4, 2020 12:42:09 GMT -5
Really like the 4.4, they are on my short list for another 2.0 system. I purchased both from Crutchfield... free shipping to me and it will either be $10 (4.2) or $75 (4.4) for return shipping, so I figured why not give them both a try. So far, the 4.4s have 24hrs of pink noise through them. Going to wait until tomorrow to give them a listen. |
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Post by 405x5 on Sept 5, 2020 7:13:39 GMT -5
Researching the following speakers... use headphones to listen to the following videos... - Buchardt A300
- Dynaudio Emit M30
- ELAC Uni-Fi FS U5
- Martin Logan MOTION 20i
- Wharfedale Linton
- Wharfedale EVO 4.2
- Wharfedale EVO 4.4
How do you figure those “headphone auditions” of yours could possibly yield any sort of accurate representation of what the loudspeaker will yield in your listening space? Pink noise will do nothing to “ break in a loudspeaker. SOME woofers will “relax” a tad after some hours of normal use but that’s about it. |
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Post by LuisV on Sept 5, 2020 8:15:51 GMT -5
How do you figure those “headphone auditions” of yours could possibly yield any sort of accurate representation of what the loudspeaker will yield in your listening space? Pink noise will do nothing to “ break in a loudspeaker. SOME woofers will “relax” a tad after some hours of normal use but that’s about it. To my ears, the videos provide an insight into the speaker's potential sound signature... as no two rooms will sound alike nor will you obtain soundstage depth / width from those type of demos. I've noticed while listening to KEF and Klipsch demos, they provide the same sound signature that I've heard at dealers or at a friends house... crisper and sharper highs with Klipsch being more shouty due to their horn design, something I don't like, so I figured I can use the demos to obtain a possible sound signature and help weed out the choices. Once I find a speaker with a sound signature I prefer, I purchase them for an in home demo and go from there. Playing pink noise, sweeping tones and or music is simply a ritual I perform on all new speakers. Nothing scientific... no claims... no voodoo... no snake oil. I'm not sure if it actually does anything; however, I figure going through the same motions on every speaker I audition, provides an even starting point with zero chance of a particular speaker needing X period of time to "relax'. Some manufactures claim their speakers need 50, 100, 200 hrs of breakin time to sound their best; however, I simply let them play for a day or two before I make any decisions. |
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Post by 405x5 on Sept 5, 2020 10:03:20 GMT -5
How do you figure those “headphone auditions” of yours could possibly yield any sort of accurate representation of what the loudspeaker will yield in your listening space? “To my ears, the videos provide an insight into the speaker's potential sound signature... as no two rooms will sound alike nor will you obtain soundstage depth / width from those type of demos. I've noticed while listening to KEF and Klipsch demos, they provide the same sound signature that I've heard at dealers or at a friends house...” Not a chance of this |
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Post by LuisV on Sept 5, 2020 11:27:03 GMT -5
“To my ears, the videos provide an insight into the speaker's potential sound signature... as no two rooms will sound alike nor will you obtain soundstage depth / width from those type of demos. I've noticed while listening to KEF and Klipsch demos, they provide the same sound signature that I've heard at dealers or at a friends house...” Not a chance of this If it doesn't help you or if you can't hear the difference, it's all good... I won't argue with ya, it helps me make a decision. |
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Post by 405x5 on Sept 5, 2020 12:08:48 GMT -5
If it doesn't help you or if you can't hear the difference, it's all good... I won't argue with ya, it helps me make a decision. Not an argument, no not at all You’re buying and selling speakers you end up not liking, and for good reasons. At least when you get them home, you’re hearing the real deal. These YouTube video speaker demos are ALWAYS...a sense of humor to me. Aesthetically helpful for driver placement and configuration sure, but the audio is of no help to anyone except in ones mind because it’s NOT the speaker...only proves that sound emerged and was recorded.,..nothing more. The facsimile of ones playback system, whatever that is. Bill |
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Post by LuisV on Sept 6, 2020 19:42:39 GMT -5
Both have an extremely similar sound stage, depth and width; however, the main difference is bass extension and impact. The 4.2s have tight and controlled bass; however, the 4.4s have greater impact that truly fills the room... it's more satisfying bass and because of that, I have started the return process for the 4.2s. Extremely happy thus far with the 4.4s...
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Post by LuisV on Sept 6, 2020 19:45:50 GMT -5
If it doesn't help you or if you can't hear the difference, it's all good... I won't argue with ya, it helps me make a decision. Not an argument, no not at all You’re buying and selling speakers you end up not liking, and for good reasons. At least when you get them home, you’re hearing the real deal. These YouTube video speaker demos are ALWAYS...a sense of humor to me. Aesthetically helpful for driver placement and configuration sure, but the audio is of no help to anyone except in ones mind because it’s NOT the speaker...only proves that sound emerged and was recorded.,..nothing more. The facsimile of ones playback system, whatever that is. Bill Thanks for the explanation and your input... |
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Post by LuisV on Sept 11, 2020 16:19:14 GMT -5
Really like the 4.4, they are on my short list for another 2.0 system. I purchased both from Crutchfield... free shipping to me and it will either be $10 (4.2) or $75 (4.4) for return shipping, so I figured why not give them both a try. So far, the 4.4s have 24hrs of pink noise through them. Going to wait until tomorrow to give them a listen. The 4.2s have been returned... the 4.4s are staying for a while. |
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Post by LuisV on Oct 4, 2020 12:00:42 GMT -5
Furniture stores pushed back the availability date for the media console I wanted to mid November, so instead of waiting, I picked up a Monoprice Monolith XL rack with black shelves. It was on sale for $125 with free shipping, normally sells for $150. Even at $150, I think this rack is extremely hard to beat... it's very similar to the Pangea racks, but they have thinner shelves at .625" thick; both are vinyl wrapped. The Monolith XL has 1" thick MDF shelves with a black textured finish. It took me about 15 mins to put it together with unboxing and cleanup taking up most of the time. I then measured the center of the wall, moved it into place and placed my gear on the shelves. Grabbed a ball of twine; used the twine to "measure" what would be the distance between each piece of equipment and I proceeded to cut the twine to represent the length of cables I will need. The Canare XLRs I purchased will work out perfectly; however, the speaker cables are too long, so I ordered shorter ones from Bluejeans on Amazon; I also ordered Canare RCAs. I didn't bother with cable management at this point of time, as I plan to fill the rack tubes with sand... Below is the rack I purchased and one of the few video reviews I was able to find. www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=39165  |
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Post by LuisV on Oct 7, 2020 10:40:54 GMT -5
Currently running a pair of Tung Sol 6SN7GTB in the gain stage and GE 6SN7GTA NOS (1950s) on the output side. So far this combo provides a warmer and wider soundstage over using 4 Tung Sols. Gonna run this pairing for a bit and then I'll try other combinations.  |
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Post by LuisV on Oct 7, 2020 15:40:56 GMT -5
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Post by LuisV on Oct 8, 2020 14:58:38 GMT -5
Life gets in the way, so instead of going DIY, I provided room details to GIK, after a bunch of questions and changes to stay within budget, we came up with a plan to treat the room. Order has been placed... now I wait...  |
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Post by chops on Oct 24, 2020 17:18:17 GMT -5
Nice system build, and I just noticed that we're somewhat neighbors... Somewhat. So what was your thoughts on sound between the Bluesound Node 2i vs Raspberry Pi 4? I had the Node 2 and think the Pi 4 is much superior. Running the Node 2 via coax and the Pi 4 via USB into my Schiit Bifrost 2 side by side, the Pi 4 was the clear winner in every way, shape and form, at least for me in my system. With that being said, if the Node 2/2i came with USB output, I'd still be running one of them most likely, though I have zero complaints with the Pi 4. BTW, if you plan on rolling tubes every once in a while, I'd urge you to get some socket savers and/or tube risers as they are also known. They come up flush with the top of the Freya's chassis and gives you better access the tubes. No chance in smacking the glass up against the edge of that opening in the chassis.   |
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