Tony M

Hmmm - @Ooogh had a CJ amp recently but sold it on before I got to listen to it. The sound wasn't what he was after, but I still wonder whether it would work for me, especially with the AvantGardes. But I'm still very happy with the Audions he talked me into, so I'm not looking to complicate things at this stage. Doesn't stop me wondering though. I'd definitely be investigating further if they were local to me.

Like all the other locals, I'd be happy to help if I could. But, your experimentation so far seems to have clearly established that one channel of the amp isn't working. Possibly (hopefully) it's just a faulty tube and swapping the tubes L to R should confirm or negate this. If it doesn't, you need a competent tech to have a look inside - maybe as simple as a connection coming loose in transit. I'd suggest discussing options with the seller before getting someone to look inside though as it's obviously quite a valuable bit of equipment. Is it still covered by a tranferrable warranty? I think Vision Living at Goodwood are McIntosh dealers and might be able to help. I've found them good to deal with. Good luck - it looks like a lovely amp and the situation must be intensely frustrating.

To me a sensible opinion is just that. It doesn't matter if it's subjective or objective - I can appreciate it on its merits as I'm a subjectivist by heart and an objectivist by head. And a difference of opinion is one of the cornerstones of meaningful discussion and adds worthwhile spice to the forum. But it should be reasonably civilized, as it would be in almost all instances in a face to face conversation. The funny thing to me is that the most abrasive people on this forum (well abrasive to some it seems) have often provided the most insightful and revelatory posts. This has me wishing others would be less precious about a few rough edges and just look at the bits they like. Actually, life in general might be better if some people just ignored the aspects that they find contrary to their own tastes/beliefs and accepted that people think differently. Personally, I can enjoy discussing disagreements as much as I can things others and I agree on. But I understand that some others would prefer to stay in the comfortable space of associating with people that see the world the same way as they do. Of course, unless I respect the person I'm talking to and their opinion and that respect is reciprocated, I just won't bother. My advice FWIW, is, if you don't like the direction in which a thread is going, either state your opinion in a calm and considered manner or ignore it. In particular, don't waste your time and energy taking personal offence - it probably wasn't about you anyway and no-one else will care as much as you choose to.

Now I know what my system might look like when it grows up.

Our investigation and experience endorses EvilC's opinion that LG Neon 2 panels are worth the (not-inconsiderable) extra cost. We liked them so much we installed 60 on our larger shed, coupled with solaredge inverters. We also installed 2 LG batteries, taking advantage of Simply Energy's VPP battery rebate scheme. I think this scheme is limited to SA, but there are similar ones interstate. The salesguy (CEO of the company) said it was the Simply Energy rebate was the first time battery installation made economic sense to him and that opinion made sense to me. The clincher was when he told me they used only their own employees for the installation whereas many (?most) companies subcontract to various installers who they squeeze down to the lowest cost possible. He promised a super-neat/high-quality installation with great attention to detail and he delivered on that promise. I wanted the cables hidden in the garage, but was fine with exposed conduit in the "big shed" - it's a farm shed after all! When snags arose in relation to computer communication between the big shed, small shed and the house, they provided the best solution as opposed to the cheapest, keeping to the original quote. No stuffing around with wifi - they ran ethernet to areas I thought impossible to do at reasonable cost. It's great having a modem in the "big shed" now. I like Sonos and stereo in the workshop. Overall, it's performing in excess of all expectations. I'm ashamed to say our electricity bills were heading for $10,000.00 pa. This is to be expected with a big house and RC A/C in winter and we're home most days. Also, bore pumps, other pumps dam aerators etc etc. And this is with me avoiding going over to the "small shed" to watch movies and listen to music in winter as it's just another large area to heat and it's no fun being rugged up because of the cold. Anyway, our electricity bills have been significantly in credit since the installation 4 months ago and a payback in well under 5 years is a realistic expectation. Part of this is having 3 phase so we can put up to 15 kW into the grid at a time. Unfortunately we only get 15 cents per kWH, whereas my early adopting BIL is still getting 62 cents! Still, we put $13 into the grid one sunny day when we weren't using much ourselves and this is not a rare occurence. It's also kind of neat to be able to monitor all aspects of system performance on a computer or remotely on the phone app. Hope I've given you some food for thought from our experience so far, Marc. Please let me know if I can add any other info that would be useful. EDIT: Forgot to mention - we do have micro-inverters attached to each panel so individual panel performance can be monitored and this also helps with shading issues. We removed one big tee next to the shed prior to installation and will decide next winter if another one needs to go. The lateral spread of shade from tall trees in the depth of winter due to the sun's trajectory is amazing. EDIT2 : A side benefit is that the "big shed" stays MUCH cooler on a sunny day than it did before. Solar panels on "big shed" Batteries and inverter in garage Inverters in "big shed"

And I keep raving on about the fabulous 70's! That pic and that bar might just shut me up for a while.

I was speaking to an insurance broker on Friday about a question of 3rd party horses on our property and public liability that I needed to clarify. I happened to mention I had some assorted, mainly-vintage hifi gear. Then he asked me how many pairs of speakers and I said "maybe about 20" he got a bit funny about it. Obviously, I need to follow this through and make sure I have appropriate coverage without going overboard. Gee, it gets difficult as soon as you step outside the norm.

Yes, I know that's how it's normally done (and for good reasons), but this is hardly a standard project, being a room built within a shed. Besides that, it is massively over-engineered. He may run ito some issues with the walls not being straight, but I doubt if it's going to fall down. Maybe the inner wall cladding of "3/4inch maple" will give it more structural and dimensional stability? I suspect it just might end up being something quite spectacular from both an aesthetic and sonic POV.

Ha! Being a "senior citizen" who prefers a conservative aesthetic, I bought one of those Intel NUC's only after making sure the skull could be turned off. But I've been surprised that I prefer to leave it switched on. FWIW, the short wall placement looks more intuitive and makes the mighty Sovereigns seem less intimidating. Glad to hear it is delivering the goods sound wise.

I certainly respect your opinion Steve. Moreover, you've listened carefully to them in a better environment - I listened briefly under "show conditions". So, my impressions are of dubious validity when it comes to assessing the merits of the speakers. I was disappointed that they didn't impress on those occasions, but I haven't drawn any conclusions from that experience. To do so would be a harsh and premature judgement based on inadequate info IMO. Your endorsement means I'll be keen to hear them again if I get the opportunity.

Like Jake, I've noticed at both shows that the amp seemed to be close to maxing out at moderate volumes - I suspect this could have something to do with the underwhelming sound. In any case the overall package didn't seem commensurate with the price. I think I've achieved better sound with NS1000M's and a Ming Da amp (amongst others). It's all a bit disappointing - when the whole system is designed by one manufacturer to work well together you expect the overall result to be more than the sum of the parts. Having said that, I wouldn't write the speakers off on the basis of a short demo in essentially the same room as last year. There were definitely some positives and they could sound entirely different in other rooms and set-ups.

Ha! Sounds like you're in a very similar situation to my good mate @Ooogh. He loves his recently acquired Ambience speakers with a passion, but is not finding it easy to get the optimal amplifier solution. I seem to remember Tony Moore demoing the Ambiences in an upstairs room at the Herald Sun show I attended with big monobloc amps that just might have been Chord?? Maybe your pics will clarify this? In any case, I reckon you and @Ooogh should compare notes because you seem to be on the same quest.

I was kicking myself for going back relatively early with the rest of the SA mob after dinner, though it did mean I got some brownie points for phoning Mrs M in a state of reasonable sobriety. The trouble is she seemed vaguely surprised at that, which suggests that staying out revelling would've been expected/condoned? It was good to wake up capable of functioning on Sunday, though - a bit of an unexpected bonus. However, I was thinking it was scant consolation for missing the later festivities. But, thanks for posting those pics, darth vader - I feel much better about going home early now. Seriously though, thanks again to Clive for doing the organising stuff yet again. And, if it happens next year, I'm going to stay on and help keep you guys out out of trouble - well, that will do for an excuse.

And here are just a few candid "people pics" grabbed when the opportunity arose. (Still waiting on blackmail payments or the others will find their way on here too!)

I said I'd throw in a few more random pics of gear just in case they cover something someone wanted to see that hasn't been posted yet, as unlikely as that might be! So here they are in no particular order: Sorry that many of the subjects have probably been posted by others but someone could just want a particular angle that happens to be here. (my excuse for not going through them and culling the ones that seem to be the same as other peoples') I have a few more. So, if you want anything specific that hasn't been posted by anyone, let me know. I might just have it.