The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    1. https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/jbl-monitor-4307-vs-4312g-beatdown.8990/
    2. Current Klipsch, which have better xovers than in prior revisions
    3. Madisound Seas A26 kit: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/seas-a26-kit.7206/
    4. Old school passive Dynaudios, if you can find them in good condition
    Also considered self-powered monitors. 6" woofer is preferable with subs is preferable to 8". Must have subs. JBL306 + sub, etc. This route eliminates the Vidar cost and you end up with a very accurate set up.
     
  2. Smipau29

    Smipau29 New

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    So part of the speaker route I dint take into account is what the Mrs. would like to see everyday in the living room.... of course she pics the most expensive manufacturer which seems to be Klipsch. If my hand is forced into a used pair of Klipsch, would the Heresy III be a good route?
     
  3. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    I have Heresy 3. I'll tell you right now that it needs a sub for those bass notes because it starts to roll off at around 50 Hz. Can be honky and shouty with the wrong amp; high-energy and forward presentation. If you get Heresy 3 I'd advise spending a bit more for a single Aegir. That amp does very well with horns.
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    If you have the space, then La Scala or Cornwall are the ones to get. Aegir works better with these than Vidar.

    La Scala look a bit retro. Some people hate this look and prefer the modern skinny tower speaker design.

    I don't bother with skinny tower speakers. Ain't a real speaker unless you have 12" woofer at a minimum for mid-bass quality.
     
  5. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating in support of what @purr1n wrote. The LaScala has the cleanest mid/hi of any Klipsch I've ever heard. They actually can image really well for a horn. But they don't play super deep. Better than a Heresy in that regard but I'd still want a sub. I heard La Scala II with a JBL pro sub and it was coherent yet slammin. The Cornwall is behind the LaScala in imaging and mid/hi by a little, but it still plays pretty deep. I think the Cornwall is the sweet spot in the line. I'd take either of these over the bigger Klipschorn any day.

    Disclaimer: My experience with Klipsch Heritage series is exclusive to the stuff made from the late 70's to mid 90's which was when the I and II versions were out. I don't have any experience with Series III onward. So if they dramatically altered the voicing in anything my observations may no longer hold true.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    They've just tweaked the voicing over time - but really the designs are timeless. Most improvements will come from better drivers. There's a dedicated Klipsch forum on the Internets with a dude who sells driver upgrades for very little cost.

    --

    Finally, these are just opinions. Horns have pluses and minuses. The minuses are unevenness and shoutiness - set up properly, should be no worse than good cinema sound systems. With the smaller Klipsches, may need sub for the bottom octave. The pluses are shattering dynamics, clean transients, amazing mid-bass, and free power (via efficiency). There are always tradeoffs.

    There's a segment among SBAF speaker dudes to go for the bigger speakers, bigger woofers, and still run subs. The idea is to let the big woofers handle down to 40Hz, and let a sub take on anything lower. In essence, what a real sub is supposed to do. This is what the "BWC" honorific means under members' tags. Big Woofer Club. For example, one of my systems uses 18" woofers, but only goes down to 38Hz before a sudden drop off. I'm not running a sub, it's good enough. People make way too much of a big deal about needing down to 20Hz.

    Speakers are a very personal thing, so wanted to point out that what some are suggesting is simply their method or their way. And course we think it's best. However, your best may be different.

    P.S. Another consideration I forgot to mention may be Maggies. Totally different approach and will need Vidar and possibly Freya for the extra preamp gain. Most other audiophile brands are not mentioned. They are kind of rip-offy. Avoid anything from Best Buy or Magnolia.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
  7. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophileâ„¢

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    Not sure about your budget and wife-approval-factor in your cases, but.. if you're on a tight budget, I'd recommend:
    • Bifrost 2 is a nearly end-game dac imho if you stop subscribing yggdrasil (or that-level dacs) threads.
    • For high-sensitve speakers, consider JLH69 (easily found on ebay or ali). For $130-150 new or <<$100 used, it is a fantastic class-A amp that can serve ideally for low-power low-gain (speaker sensitivity >= 90db spl/Wm) and seperate sub(s) situations: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...liexpress-ebay-jl-hood-1969-class-a-amp.4308/
    • ^ can be used as a contingent or secondary amp even after you upgrade to better ones.
    • This can give you a lot of room in your budget allocations for better speakers. Wholeheartedly agreed with advice above: take old-schooled large horn-loaded ones like la-scala if space allows it. Size matters. And they typically have amazing value (extremely challenging to ship) if buy used.
     
  8. Smipau29

    Smipau29 New

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    Great advice, and yes I promise to stay away from BB and Magnolia. So I found a guy locally selling a pair of mid 70s La Scala for $1500 and trying to see if I can set up a test. Having a hard to looking for pricing or sold la scala in this year.

    @Vtory thanks for the input, I will do some reasearching also into JLH69
     
  9. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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    Amp for JBL L100 Classic (90db sensativity)? I haven't gotten them in yet but should be here next week. I have an Schiit Aeiger but they may not have enough power. I was looking at the Parasound A23+ or A21+ , maybe a Nad or Hegel?
     
  10. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Is there any general advice or maybe even a selection guide (or compendium) for the range of Campfire Audio earphones? I'm interested in using directly from iDevice (headphone out) or computer. I've browsed a few of threads, but still unsure. What are the primary differences between the ~6 models >= $1k?

    The general description I've seen of HD600 with "better" bass initially sold me on the OG (green) Andromeda, but they also have Andro Gold, Solaris, Solstice, Equinox... how to choose???

    I'm a fan of the ZMF house sound if that matters. Looking for something similar in IEM to be used unamped, as close as is possible around $1k.
     
  11. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophileâ„¢

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    Not classic one but I've witnessed old L100 (L100 century) was driven damn well by old mcintosh tubes.. I will be really surprised if Aegir can't do its duty.
     
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Don't do Parashit A23. Did you read the review here? https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-halo-a23-stereo-amplifier-review.3745/page-4

    As for A21, any upper tier Crown amp is better. Like the CDi1000 I got in recently or @zerodeefex can advise as his older Crown Class AB sounded better against the A22.

    NAD was good value in the 90s 80s. Hegel you pay for.
     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2020
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The diaphragms of the compression drivers may be old and need of replacing.
     
  14. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Found the info that I was looking for in terms of sound profiles (Andro vs. Solaris) after more digging elsewhere. Will post specific questions in the appropriate thread(s).
     
  15. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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  16. Smipau29

    Smipau29 New

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    @purr1n

    Did some measuring and wife put a kibosh to the La Scala... SO looks like the Heresy III will work better for us and found a decent deal on a brand new set for $1500.

    Is there an opinion on what would give a better performance with Heresy III combo w/ freya+ ~> two Vidars or freya+ ~>single Aegir?
     
  17. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    Single Aegir is more than good enough.

    Do you really need the balanced connectivity of the Freya +? I'd seriously consider saving yourself some bucks and going Saga.
     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    May be too much gain with Freya too.

    Keep it simple. You may even want to consider gear that isn't Schiit later on.
     
  19. The Zone

    The Zone Facebook Friend

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    I've owned the JBL L100 Classic for a few months and really like them. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts!

    My 2 cents on amping: I variously tried a single Vidar, a single Aegir, and wound up with a Yamaha A-2100 I got on a deal. The Vidar was great in the lows but a little grating up high on the JBLs, whereas the Aegir was great in the midrange and up high but a little lacking down low. I left the comparison wondering if 2 Aegirs or the Ragnarok 2 would be the way to go if you wanted to buy from Schiit, but I never had the opportunity to try either. I found the Yamaha to split the difference quite nicely (sort of warm and hefty like the Vidar but less flat sounding), while looking cool alongside the JBLs (if that sort of thing matters to you), so you might try that series of amps, but only if you can find a deal because they're overpriced otherwise compared to the Schiit stuff.

    Incidentally, I'm on the verge of ordering a Rag 2 for a desktop system where I listen to speakers and headphones, and if I do, I'll give it a whirl with the JBL and see how they pair.
     
  20. pechelman

    pechelman Acquaintance

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    asked in the freya thread but got no takers, so thought i'd try here instead and let that thread be.

    I'm looking to add either a freya+ or freya s between a Gungnir Multibit and a diy aleph j. It would also feed a 45 tube amp on occasion. With Gungnir Multibit single ended into a 6sn7 based preamp and single ended into the aleph it has so much gain I'm only 2-4 clicks up on the stepped attenuator. Also specifically looking at the freya to feed it the better? balanced output from the Gungnir Multibit and have the remote to save my lazy ass walking 6 feet.

    Either freya will be a similar story with more gain than needed on high gain mode and knowing I already have tubes to play with, I'm slightly leaning toward the freya s for the lower cost/stackability/lower heat/etc, though I do wonder if I'll miss not having tubes on this preamp. I also sort of like the idea of having a full solid state chain to compare with the tubes.

    The feedback I've not been finding are direct comparisons of how the buffers between the two compare in terms of soundstage presentation (flat vs curved vs depth), presence/imaging, and general overall impact and speed. Is either different with respect to each other in terms of veil in buffer operation?

    From purr1n's spider chart below it appears Freya S 1X is a bit more colored (bold-rich) than the Freya+ in Buffered. And Freya+ is off the charts with a lack of sins of omission? Is that right? Any other thoughts on this choice?

    [​IMG]
     
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