Grizaudio Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 (edited) On 11/11/2020 at 11:48 PM, oohms said: Sad to hear about the waveguides being discontinued, I only got these a couple of months ago I am running passive at the moment but have run them active before. This is the current prototype xo: I'm itching to make something similar. I'm really bummed about the waveguide being discontinued. Have you tried pairing both 1.4inch compression V's 1inch with the 15pr400? It would be my assumption a 1.4inch would work better? I.e. HF108r v's HF146? The HF201 looks great to: https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Drivers/product_details/index.php?id=502030155 The new SB acoustic compression drivers also look great value: https://www.wagneronline.com.au/sb-audience-1-compression-driver-50w/sb-audience-range/sb-acoustics/speaker-drivers/audio-speakers-pa/bianco-44cd-pk-89862/1002195/pd/ Honestly, I'm stuck in decision phase. 15pr400 V's 12pr300 with dual subs. I suspect with a bit of PEQ I would be happy with the 15pr400's bass response. I recently acquired a Firstwatt F7, which I was hoping to run on the compression horn (I suspect this will sound magic). I was then thinking a decent class AB @ 12-14db gain for the woofer. maybe even a 1ET400a purifi in gain free mode. I sit near field, so I need a hiss/noise free system. The Firstwatt F7 is absolutely noise/hiss free in passive mode, running some three ways atm. I am yet to find a DSP I can say the same about. Any pointers/advice would be great. Edited November 14, 2020 by Grizaudio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohms Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 (edited) The 1 inch vs 1.4 inch compression driver is a tradeoff between crossover frequency and treble extension. Some 1.4"/2" drivers have good treble, the HF144/146 are supposed to be amongst them, but at the same time you need a larger horn to cross lower The 15PR400 can play fine up to 4khz, which we tested at an audio night by sweeping the crossover to large horn mids between 400hz and 4khz and the sound signature remained the same. The directivity does start narrowing earlier for the larger 15 inch driver, so I wanted to cross it to the 1" horn as close to 1khz as possible for it to match the directivity of the QSC waveguide Regarding the woofer choice, if you are ok with large cabinets (say 180-220 liters) then the 15PR400 will go down to 35hz or so, and mine go down to 30, but they are also in the corners of the room For use with valve amps, the 15PR400 in large cabs and passive crossovers will let you do that, with minimal external gear. Check out the Calpamos, if you want something that has already been designed and built http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/download/Humble Homemade Hifi_Calpamos.pdf Edited November 14, 2020 by oohms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizaudio Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 6 minutes ago, oohms said: The 1 inch vs 1.4 inch compression driver is a tradeoff between crossover frequency and treble extension. Some 1.4"/2" drivers have good treble, the HF144/146 are supposed to be amongst them, but at the same time you need a larger horn to cross lower The 15PR400 can play fine up to 4khz, which we tested at an audio night by sweeping the crossover to large horn mids between 400hz and 4khz and the sound signature remained the same. The directivity does start narrowing earlier for the larger 15 inch driver, so I wanted to cross it to the 1" horn as close to 1khz as possible for it to match the directivity of the QSC waveguide Regarding the woofer choice, if you are ok with large cabinets (say 180-220 liters) then the 15PR400 will go down to 35hz or so, and mine go down to 30, but they are also in the corners of the room For use with valve amps, the 15PR400 in large cabs and passive crossovers will let you do that, with minimal external gear. Check out the Calpamos, if you want something that has already been designed and built http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/download/Humble Homemade Hifi_Calpamos.pdf Thanks for the reply. Appreciate the link. I have read that one. Hence my HF201 suggestion. Its good to know your having a positive time with the 15pr400, and HF108r pairing. I think the best way forward is to simply make a choice and jump in. Its a journey after all. FYI.... A few articles I have read, demonstrate the HF108r to have significant distortion around 1khz. Indicating it would be better suited at a 12-8inch woofer pairing. Which is why I was curious about the pairing. Looking at its distortion charts, distortion exponentially increases below 1200-1300khz to what are audible levels/%'s. @1khz the HF108r gets up around 5%-6% distortion. Which is quite high. I am looking for a low distortion design, so will probably stick with a 1.4inch-2 inch compression driver, loaded in a horn to 800hz or so (Subject to directivity matching). I'll look to correct frequency response with DSP. https://audioxpress.com/article/test-bench-faital-pro-hf108r-compression-driver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oohms Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 10 minutes ago, Grizaudio said: FYI.... A few articles I have read, demonstrate the HF108r to have significant distortion around 1khz. Indicating it would be better suited at a 12-8inch woofer pairing. Which is why I was curious about the pairing. Looking at its distortion charts, distortion exponentially increases below 1200-1300khz to what are audible levels/%'s. Yep, probably from its 1khz resonance peak.. that's why i ordered the peerless drivers, they should be here in a couple of days Additionally i was exploring the option of a midrange horn somewhere along the lines of Wayne Parnham's one that he uses with the Pi corner horns Initially i ran massive horns on top from 300hz and up, but the treble was compromised So depending on the results with the peerless driver, I'll either keep it a 2 way or make it a 3 way if all else fails 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizaudio Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 (edited) Very impressive indeed. The Tymphany look like great drivers. Lots of positive reviews.... I guess on the right waveguide, they would sound great. Response is similar to the Celestion: The Celestion seems to have a pretty constant impedance. https://celestion.com/product/53/cdx11445/ Another option if the Faital 10ak, although better suited for 8-10inch drivers by user accounts. https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Drivers/product_details/index.php?id=502010110 Edited November 14, 2020 by Grizaudio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 I never found out how to connect up that SC Pre I was given as a gift from one mate, so I gifted it to another mate who is very knowledgeable and he has made a nice job of it. Sitting atop his Minimax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 8 minutes ago, muon* said: I never found out how to connect up that SC Pre I was given as a gift from one mate, so I gifted it to another mate who is very knowledgeable and he has made a nice job of it. Sitting atop his Minimax. The LDR feeds his build using T3 modules. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 What started with a hum and buz is now playing clean and mean. Firstly the mains earth and signal earth were joined. Removing the mains earth from the signal earth got rid of the hum. My speakers are 90db efficient and any noise is heard. The whole chassis is earthed and fused. Moved some wiring near the pot around got rid of the buz. The big surprise was the the Con organ 12AU7 was chronically microphonic. You couldn’t even lightly tap the enclosure without producing a thump. Turning the amp off, which immediately disconnects the speakers (crowbar speaker protection on the T4 board ensures this), would produce a thump. Replacing the tube with a newish Raytheon tube and Teflon tube damper fixed this 100%. I have to tap hard on the tube to get any noise at all through the amp. Not only that the Raytheon is a hell of a lot clearer. Dearer but much better. Now off to the new owner tomorrow. I’m missing it already. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumonKabir Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Abbas audio DaC 2.2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizaudio Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 49 minutes ago, SumonKabir said: Abbas audio DaC 2.2 I previously had a TDA1541 crown dac. Identical to this: https://www.aussieaudiomart.com/details/649303106-tda1541a-dac-hifidiy-6n1p-valve-output-stage/images/1337488/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumonKabir Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 So far I am super impressed. Better midrange, super controlled bass, more live like vocal, hearing few notes I didn’t hear before comparing with ps audio perfect wave. Need few more days though to do more comparison. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizaudio Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 I sold mine. I found it’s implementation had a high noise floor. Tube microphonics etc. I much prefer my RME ADI in my current system. My Firstwatt f7 adds nice smoothness and tone to the sound. I might be looking to a motu8 or okto dac8 yet, as I look to go active with roon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Here are a few new images of “Succinct-II” also my blog posting. Still sorting a few things out with the amp but I’m extremely pleased with the sound. If I didn’t have my DIY 300W Holton this amp wouldn’t be going anywhere. In the flesh it looks quite compact and even sexy. http://retro-thermionic.blogspot.com/2020/11/succinct-ii-integrated-180w-class-d-amp.html 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eman Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 1 hour ago, mwhouston said: Here are a few new images of “Succinct-II” also my blog posting. Still sorting a few things out with the amp but I’m extremely pleased with the sound. If I didn’t have my DIY 300W Holton this amp wouldn’t be going anywhere. In the flesh it looks quite compact and even sexy. http://retro-thermionic.blogspot.com/2020/11/succinct-ii-integrated-180w-class-d-amp.html Very clean look front panel appearance with all the trick Tube/D class work hidden. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 2 hours ago, mwhouston said: Here are a few new images of “Succinct-II” also my blog posting. Still sorting a few things out with the amp but I’m extremely pleased with the sound. If I didn’t have my DIY 300W Holton this amp wouldn’t be going anywhere. In the flesh it looks quite compact and even sexy. Nice-looking case, Mark. Where do you get them from ... and do they have different sizes? Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, andyr said: Nice-looking case, Mark. Where do you get them from ... and do they have different sizes? Andy Jaycar, 1U, 2U (which this amp is) and 3U 19” rack mounts. Edited November 17, 2020 by mwhouston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 23 minutes ago, mwhouston said: Jaycar, 1U, 2U (which this amp is) and 3U 19” rack mounts. Thanks, Mark. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 I’ve asked this question on one of the vinyl threads and though off thread thought I’d ask it here. Has anyone bought and/or heard the Ortofon Concord Century? I’m thing on adding it to my MM collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grizaudio Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 On 08/11/2020 at 12:08 PM, mwhouston said: Another mono Salt Cellar setup. I'm curious. What's your favourite full range bass driver and horn combo that's currently commercially available? I.e. 15inch and compression/waveguide. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 11 minutes ago, Grizaudio said: I'm curious. What's your favourite full range bass driver and horn combo that's currently commercially available? I.e. 15inch and compression/waveguide. I’d go for these. https://faitalpro.com/en/products/LF_Loudspeakers/product_details/index.php?id=101060100 https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Drivers/product_details/index.php?id=502010110 https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Horns/product_details/index.php?id=903010110 Very high efficiency and goes very low. Great for SETs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCD Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 59 minutes ago, Grizaudio said: I'm curious. What's your favourite full range bass driver and horn combo that's currently commercially available? I.e. 15inch and compression/waveguide. 43 minutes ago, mwhouston said: I’d go for these. https://faitalpro.com/en/products/LF_Loudspeakers/product_details/index.php?id=101060100 https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Drivers/product_details/index.php?id=502010110 https://faitalpro.com/en/products/HF_Horns/product_details/index.php?id=903010110 Very high efficiency and goes very low. Great for SETs. Might be a dumb question , but no mid-range required with those choices? Is the horn driver covering everything above the base driver? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoHo Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 25 minutes ago, Compass said: Might be a dumb question , but no mid-range required with those choices? Is the horn driver covering everything above the base driver? Strange as it might seem to those used to hifi speakers, this type of 12-15 inch pro woofer are more midrange than bass drivers. The tweeter/horn combo will crossover at about 1-1.5kHz to the 15 incher which will extend down to 40-100Hz depending on the enclosure. You will then need a dedicated bass driver or separate subwoofer to get full range output. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 23 minutes ago, RoHo said: Strange as it might seem to those used to hifi speakers, this type of 12-15 inch pro woofer are more midrange than bass drivers. The tweeter/horn combo will crossover at about 1-1.5kHz to the 15 incher which will extend down to 40-100Hz depending on the enclosure. You will then need a dedicated bass driver or separate subwoofer to get full range output. The reason why I selected this woofer is that it will go low and extend to 1100hz where I would Xover to the horn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwhouston Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 55 minutes ago, Compass said: Might be a dumb question , but no mid-range required with those choices? Is the horn driver covering everything above the base driver? The woofer will extend to 1100hz the horn takes over to 20K+ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Given what Matty says about his LDR Pre, and my other friends experience with the SC, I'm looking at a ePot Mini with the LDR Module from Tortuga Audio to replace the Comos pot in my EL34 amp. https://tortugaaudio.com/products/diy-preamp-components/electronic-stepped-attenuator-epot-v3-mini/ I'll run it without display as my needs are basic, one source is all I need and the ePot mini will have the remote for the basic functions I required. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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