Pictures of your speaker system

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by Cspirou, Nov 6, 2015.

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  1. k4rstar

    k4rstar Britney fan club president

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    I went from 0 pairs of speakers to 5 in the past 30 days. For posterity of future speaker bargain hunters, here are some pictures and cliff notes of my adventures.

    Exhibit A: Sony SS-G3

    It all started with the Sony SS-G3 back in this post. I still own them and they still sound awesome. Some more info about them: the SS-G3 are actually the smallest in the G Series line of high-end speakers from Sony in 1976-77, including the G3, G5, G7 and G9. Their defining features include the CARBOCON woofer, which is what Sony was calling their proprietary treated paper woofer units at this time. Unlike the mid dome and tweeter which are mounted flush with the baffle the woofer is brought out two inches for time alignment purposes. The baffle surface features a lattice structure to scatter direct reflections from the drivers.

    This is a well balanced speaker and capable of giving me goosebumps with the right recording. I purchased some basic wooden speaker risers off Etsy which further improved the bass response and clarity.

    Webp.net-resizeimage.jpg

    Exhibit B: Sony SS-970

    These are another pair of Sony three ways that date back to the 70s. I don't really have a lot of info on them, other than they popped up locally for cheap and are significantly more attractive and a little smaller than the G3's, so I bought em. They sound very similar in the mid/highs, the G3 winning out slightly as it undoubtedly has superior drivers. Unfortunately in bass this particular set are losers, the woofers are not original. Whoever replaced them did a good job, but the bass is disjointed from the rest of the presentation and leagues away from the CARBOCON woofer in the G3s. I've been using them as bedroom speakers but may sell them soon.

    IMG_0200.JPG

    Exhibit C: Panasonic SB-750

    These are three way speakers with 5 drivers (!) per channel, and very interesting looking tweeters and mid domes. They actually sound more British than Japanese, in that they are very well behaved and never get rowdy. I would hesitate to call them polite as the level controls on the front do allow for +3dB to the mid/highs which gives them more Japanese character. The cabinets are sturdy plywood with a beautiful oiled teak finish. I threw these in the basement and they sound good down there with their 12" woofer, but unlike the G3, nothing really special. I will be getting rid of these. The seller was a speaker junkie, with every room in his home being covered floor to ceiling in vintage speakers of all makes and models. In hindsight if he was letting these go but justifying keeping everything else, they probably weren't that special.

    IMG_0188.JPG

    Exhibit D: Sony SS-G5

    As fate would have it, I found a pair of the SS-G5, which is the bigger brother of the G3. As my luck would have it, I didn't really audition them properly and when I brought them home I found they weren't functioning correctly, sounding tinny and weak. It's unclear if they were already in that condition as they had been sitting unused in the sellers garage, or if they got damaged by a bump on the drive home. It's really a shame as these have everything the G3 has but more, a 12" woofer instead of 10" and ported instead of sealed construction. I'd like to get them repaired but as it is they are sitting pretty in the corner of the basement.

    IMG_0187.JPG ss-g5-h.jpg

    Exhibit E: JBL Studio 530

    Finally, something not vintage! I picked these up for a very good price locally considering how difficult it is to actually buy these in Canada. They are two-way bookshelf speakers with an interesting horn profile loading a compression tweeter and a separate 5" mid-bass. They have rave reviews online and are sold factory direct from JBL/Harman for $600/pr. The Studio 5 line was designed by Greg Timbers who is also behind the JBL 250 Ti, 4367, Everest series, etc. He really knows a thing or two about loudspeaker design because these are awesome and currently my favorite to listen to.

    I don't have proper stands for them yet so they are sitting on top of the Panasonic speakers which brings the center of the horn to ear height. They do need a sub as they roll off quickly under 60Hz but I love everything else about them. They have a great sense of scale and drama, even when tasked with orchestral music. They have a lively and open quality to the sound which makes all sorts of recordings a blast to listen to. Despite this they have an impressively even response and don't sound peaky or jagged.

    The downside is that at 86db/w they do need some power to come alive. I'm using them with a 100 watt per channel Sansui TU-717 which lets them rock. I already learned a long time ago I very much like horn-loaded compression drivers when done right but I never really thought about them in such a form factor or price point. I highly recommend these speakers!

    IMG_0194.JPG

    I need to sell some stuff, get the SS-G5 fixed, purchase some suitable stands and a subwoofer for the JBLs and enjoy myself for a while. Vintage speakers I still want to try/buy: Yamaha NS-690ii, JBL L96, JBL 43XX monitors, Altec 604D or 604C in suitable cabinets. Headphones are lame. That is all.
     
  2. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    To be honest I have a hard time believing that. Krell KSA-250 gets HOT even on stand-by and it runs 30W Class-A.

    The Bedini 200W amp likely uses load-variant bias adjustment. I don't think there have been very successful implementations of this technique. Listen before buying.
     
  3. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    I believe you're right, it's a sliding bias scheme of some sort. But I found a similar scheme in the Aeigir (which to my layman's interpretation is similar in name only, I'm not an amp builder so don't understand the technical bits here) to sound very good so it was worth a shot. Not really an opportunity to try before I buy, so I buy, try, and resell if it's not what I'm after. Thanks for the clarification, I'll edit my post to not be inaccurate :)
     
  4. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

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    There are older designs that don't run as hot as newer stuff from Krell and Pass Labs. The Mitsubishi DA-A15DC, which is rated at 150W into 8ohms, doesn't run that hot at all, except when driving it hard. I've been meaning to get my hands on one of these amps, based on reports from people who have owned it, it is superior to the often mentioned Pioneer M-22 touted on here a lot. To me, it really appears the M-22 is inferior at least on paper, but the proof would be in the listening.

    They can be picked up for under 400 bucks.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. elmoe

    elmoe Friend

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  6. Hrodulf

    Hrodulf Prohibited from acting as an MOT until year 2050

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    That's a proper Japanese big iron amp. Even then I can't imagine it running more than 20-30W in Class-A. I used to own a Sony TA-F730ES and could crank the bias way up, before things started getting extra toasty. True Class-A operation can be calculated by knowing idle power draw and the number of output transistors the amp has. I don't really think that high power in Class-A is necessary, as double digit watts are drawn only on peaks. For small signal stuff, where one appreciates Class-A, a watt or less is only needed.
     
  7. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    I know I've seen the # of output transistors noted in a post somewhere, but coincidentally, I just saw the idle current specs for the one I'm getting - 400W. Ouch. Not going to leave this thing on overnight, that's for sure.

    http://www.bedini.com/oldsepk.htm
     
  8. direstraitsfan98

    direstraitsfan98 D2Girls v2.0

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    That's weird. Someone who I thought they knew what they were talking about told me it operated in pure class A bias. So.. it doesn't? I even told him specifically 'I don't think its pure Class A, since it would run a lot hotter then what you're saying' which is exactly what you're saying. I also always thought that 150w in class A generates an extreme amount of heat. I guess that guy didn't have a clue what he was talking about and my thinking was right all along. It's hard to get a handle on whats right when you rely on others for information.
     
  9. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Yeah full Class A, if Pass XA series is any indication, generates heat and are big. For example, it's only the 30W version that even fits in one chassis. As soon as you move up to full time Class A at 60W, you're in monoblock territory the rest of the way through the lineup.

    XA100.5 is still the dream...
     
  10. dBel84

    dBel84 Friend

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    Class A is often poorly understood - it relates to how much power / current for a given voltage swing the amp can provide while maintaining the full 360deg phase of the signal above the zero x-axis. These amps are often capable of much greater control etc at lower power before they ( borrowing a phrase from our Marv ) "lose their shit" . The reason a 10-15W Class A amp often sounds more powerful than a similar AB / D (choose the flavor) amp of similar power.

    to give you an example of heat expenditure

    the amp below is a 20W Class A clone of the First Watt M2 - when it is cooking, you would be hard pressed to keep your finger on the heatsinks for more than a few seconds. I forget the exact temp , the last time I measured it but probably at least 70 degC. The chassis is a recycled 80Watt AB monoblock amp where the heatsinks only got marginally warm when functioning.

    [​IMG]

    similarly, this one is a 40W Class A amp and it gets similarly toasty but I think heatsinks run a little cooler at around 65 degC

    [​IMG]


    I have heard the mitsubishi before - it is a very good sounding amplifier and if I am not mistaken - @zerodeefex owns one.

    ..dB
     
  11. Kernel Kurtz

    Kernel Kurtz Friend

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    I own a vintage Sony TA-N86B, which is rated 18w/ch in Class A.

    http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-TA-N86B.html

    Sounds quite good with appropriately high efficiency speakers, but it gets really hot. Too hot to touch. Makes Vidar seem cool.
     
  12. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...se-gear-from-the-past.4177/page-8#post-172485
     
  13. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    I have the Mitsubishi DA-A10DC

    My post #159 https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...se-gear-from-the-past.4177/page-8#post-172485
     
  14. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Back at college, re set up
    IMG_20190904_102907136.jpg
    IMG_20190904_102917796.jpg
     
  15. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Very nice, @spwath. But... it's a bit too clean and tidy, isn't it?
     
  16. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I am sure that will change soon. Though hopefully not too bad, we have the parties in my friends apartment upstairs, bring the big speakers up. Our first party of the year this weekend, and we have a DJ for us for free, and the womens dance team.
     
  17. Azimuth

    Azimuth FKA rtaylor76, Friend

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    Putting in my application for the BWC.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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    Looks good! Are your parents glad to have the JBLs out of their living room? ;)

    How'd they turn out after the refurb?
     
  19. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I have different jbls at my parents house that I am working on.
    These ones worked fine when I got them, I just replaced the horns with Altec horns and Emilar compression drivers.
     
  20. Soups

    Soups Sadomasochistic cat

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    [​IMG]

    Here's a shot from my very boring room of my not-at-all boring Tekton Moabs (w/ Center Be Tweeter).

    The chain is Yggdrasil A2 -> JBL Nano Patch+ -> Aegir Monoblocks. Sources are either Macbook Pro or Onkyo C7030. I'm planning to do a write-up on this setup soon, which for now I'll just say that I'm very happy with, even in the smallish room (14x13x8) with no treatments (yet) and other non-ideal features (e.g., folding mirror closet doors).
     

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