andyr Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 45 minutes ago, Ozcall said: Hi Andy ,I used a mini-dsp hd on my subs and found learning to use REW well was difficult for me. Yes, you need a tutor! I've been using it on and off since Paul Spencer set up my subs 4+ years ago ... and I still learn things from others, all the time. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Macfarlane Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Couldn't agree more and my feeling was that without the mini-dsp to dial things in it was going to be a hard task to get it right. It is such a pity that TDL are long gone as a pair of Studio ones would have probably been a good buy for Berkel. Perhaps a pair of S1 will turn up second hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 3 hours ago, andyr said: As Con replied ... that's a very limiting budget for 2 items. Given you said this: I would suggest you keep using the Magni and spend your money on just a phono stage. $500 should just about get you quite a good one - such as the Pro-Ject Tube Box S2 (which seems to have adjustable cap loading for your MM cart). And later on ... you can improve its SQ with a linear PS. Andy Thanks Andy, Yes I think I'll do that. Reviews indicate that the Rega Fono Mini A2D is quite good. Would you recommend the ProJect Tube Box S2 over their Phono Box MM ? Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 2 minutes ago, Berkel said: Thanks Andy, Yes I think I'll do that. Reviews indicate that the Rega Fono Mini A2D is quite good. Yes it's cheap, Dennis - and very suitable if you are embarking on digitising your vinyl collection! But nowhere near as good facilities & sound as the ProJect Tube Box S2, IMO. 2 minutes ago, Berkel said: Would you recommend the ProJect Tube Box S2 over their Phono Box MM ? Yes I would ... but again - it costs more! Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Thanks Andy, I'll keep a lookout for the Project Tube Box S2. There's also a Proton 1100 pre amp for sale on the bay for $210. Looks like it has many features, but I'm unaware of its' quality. I had the feeling that Proton products were pretty ordinary .... but I could be wrong of course. Cheers, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 Hi Andy, I've returned to the Rotel pre amp and it IS better than the Schiit Magni, so I'll stick with it for the moment. Both you and Ozcall feel that the class D power amp is holding back the music. What's your opinion of the old Hafler DH 200, or the ME 200 ? Both are for sale on Gumtree. Thanks, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Berkel said: Hi Andy, I've returned to the Rotel pre amp and it IS better than the Schiit Magni, so I'll stick with it for the moment. But Dennis ... a few posts ago, you said that changing from the Rotel to the Magni "removed your congestion "! So how come you have now moved back to your Rotel? Quote Both you and Ozcall feel that the class D power amp is holding back the music. My view on your class D power amp is simply that, last year, when we substituted my Class AB AKSA 'Soraya' monoblocs (which have some pretty special power supplies) for the Class D ... we both heard an improvement. So yes, it would appear that the Class D power amp is one of your bottlenecks. @Ozcallhas some other suggestions, too. Quote What's your opinion of the old Hafler DH 200, or the ME 200 ? Both are for sale on Gumtree. Sorry, have never heard either of them. But ME amps have a reputation of being able to 'do' current well (ie. they cope well with low spkr impedances ... which is probably what your B&Ws have). Andy Edited January 22, 2021 by andyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 To refresh my " aural " memory. I also felt that the Magni was sounding a bit hard in the treble. The Rotel has a so called Contour selector which can alter bass & treble, so is more versatile. When set on -2 bass is increased which reduces treble hardness and boosts mid - lower bass, which is a big improvement for organ music. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Macfarlane Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Both the Hafler and the Adcom gfa555 , were good old reliable midrange power amps however both are very long in the tooth and would probably require a recap , rebias and general service to perfrom well and be reliable. Both amps have fairly decent power supplies in terms of current delivery , the Adcom more so. Both amps would be described as lacking in smoothness or a bit edgy sounding. My recommendation would still be for a Rotel RB1080 as these are real power houses with a resonably balanced tonailty that will drive either the B&W's or some of the speakers we have discussed easily. Some years back my system was an RC1070 , RB 1080 and Tannoy Saturn 8'S , This produced a big room filling sound with excellent tight and power ful bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 23, 2021 Author Share Posted January 23, 2021 Thanks for the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 18/01/2021 at 3:42 PM, Berkel said: There's also a Proton 1100 pre amp for sale on the bay for $210. That Proton looks like an older NAD product, I think they are cousins that were made in the same factories sharing designs to some degree. There appears to have been a complex relationship between the two brand names during this time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Thanks Ian, Yes, I'd heard there was some kind of relationship between these two firms. I've returned to using the Rotel pre amp. The little Magni was pretty good, but a bit clinical. Rotel has more realism when it comes to the complexities and nuances of classical music. Still trying to figure out whether to change speakers or amps. For the last hour or so, I've been listening to music in my study, which is at the other end of my unit to the hi fi. Sounds better than listening in the same room. Cheers, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 See if you can get another member in Melbourne that owns a stereo coffee to call around for a mini GTG, and bring their SC so you can hear if one would be to your liking in ya' system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 What's a " stereo coffee " ? 2 cups of coffee ..... ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) 13 minutes ago, Berkel said: What's a " stereo coffee " ? 2 cups of coffee ..... ? It's a LDR (Light Dependent Resistors) passive pre that uses Optocouplers instead of physical resistivity attenuation. Comments on these things subjectively are very good, with increased transparency, a full sound and good dynamics. Edited January 24, 2021 by muon* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted January 24, 2021 Volunteer Share Posted January 24, 2021 I doubt very much whether a different preamp will solve "congestion" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muon* Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 23 minutes ago, sir sanders zingmore said: I doubt very much whether a different preamp will solve "congestion" 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ittaku Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 3 hours ago, muon* said: That Proton looks like an older NAD product, I think they are cousins that were made in the same factories sharing designs to some degree. There appears to have been a complex relationship between the two brand names during this time. Proton was a spin-off company with employees originally from NAD who got into a dispute with the running(?) direction(?) of the company and made their own. I owned some Proton gear in the 80s; very good value back then. Not sure how they'd stand up today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 OK ... thanks for the information. Do you think this one would be significantly better than my Rotel RC 1070 ? Cheers, Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berkel Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 After reading about the Stereo Coffee 2020, I'm puzzled why is takes 40 -50 minutes to sound its' best ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 On 22/01/2021 at 10:01 PM, Berkel said: What's your opinion of the old Hafler DH 200, I got my son the matching Hafler Pre power and a pair of Yamaha NS1000M's about 20 years ago and it was a fine combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wimbo Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 1 hour ago, sir sanders zingmore said: I doubt very much whether a different preamp will solve "congestion" Why not? A good preamp is very very important in a Hifi system. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volunteer sir sanders zingmore Posted January 24, 2021 Volunteer Share Posted January 24, 2021 14 minutes ago, Wimbo said: Why not? A good preamp is very very important in a Hifi system. Of course a good preamp is important. But as I read the OPs description of the problem it sounds to me that changing preamps (as important as they are), won’t fix the issue. My guess is that the solution will come from amplification or different speakers. @Berkel depending on where you are in Melbourne, I could bring a magtech amp over for you to listen to. I know it’s way out of your price range but it will tell you pretty quickly if you need a better amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Macfarlane Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 4 hours ago, Berkel said: Thanks Ian, Yes, I'd heard there was some kind of relationship between these two firms. I've returned to using the Rotel pre amp. The little Magni was pretty good, but a bit clinical. Rotel has more realism when it comes to the complexities and nuances of classical music. Still trying to figure out whether to change speakers or amps. For the last hour or so, I've been listening to music in my study, which is at the other end of my unit to the hi fi. Sounds better than listening in the same room. Cheers, Dennis Hate to say this Dennis but you really need to change both the power amp and the speakers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madfonzy Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 I’ve got the CM5S1 too but they are on rear HT duties. I’ve got a cheap option for you to try. With the rear port have you tried putting the foam plugs in. This should change it to a sealed box and the tuning frequency up to 76Hz. Sort of a mechanical crossover and this will let the sub take most of the low duties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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