Portlandia System- thanks to Lynn Olson

[U47]

I finally dug out my Lynn Olson Ariel II speakers, custom 6111/6112 tube preamp and 6B4G Class A no feedback amps out from hibernation last weekend and thought I should thank Lynn for such a great speaker design. I've been a fan of KLH 9s and Quad 57s, as has Lynn. His Ariels work a charm with the 11 watt amps and remind me of Quads for their musicality. It was a great gift that he gave the audiophile DIY community. The second picture is of the outboard crossover built into a cigar box! I'd like to hear his latest horn design(don't know what state that is in now).

I'm listening now with the Mytek DSD Dac playing redbook from an old B&O 6500 for transport and for playing back my recordings on 128DSD. Analog is done with Technics 1500/Nortronics and King/Cello Tape playback electronics. Dolby A tapes are played through a custom Kamna/King/Cello Dolby A box and Dolby B tapes with my old trusty Nakamichi NR-200B/C.

I just hooked up an old Electro Research EK-1 Strain Gauge for vinyl playback. This is the first time I've spun vinyl in my system for about 15 years and it is pretty wonderful to revisit some old vinyl favorites, both in mono and stereo. The Shibata tip does an amazing job with keeping noise to a minimum. It seems like the strain gauge does a better job at playing vinyl cleanly than most MC cartridges I've heard, don't know why that would be.

Rich

 

[tony ky ma]

Hi Rich
How the double bass tape sound in your new set up ?
tony ma

 

[jazdoc]

Very cool...Lynn is a very, very bright guy.

 

[U47]

Hi Tony and Ed,

I'm playing your new double bass/cello tape as I type this. You sure had a quiet audience up there in the Great North, was this during a non-flu season?
The tape was very rich and resonant, slightly too much so for my taste on the piano. Both the cello and bass were well captured. There is one very lovely slow movement in the Gliere that I particularly enjoy. Gliere must have used that Tarantella(last movement) somewhere else. Can you enlighten me on it? Very nice and quiet tape. It must have been a pleasant concert for the small audience. Good job!

Rich

 

[ack]

Very nice Rich; how would you describe the sound, and a word on the caps... have you thought about replacing the Solens and the electrolytic...

 

[U47]

Changing out the two small electrolytics might help the sonics. I'm going to look into it. IT might be a bit expensive to upgrade the Solens. I'm sure it would be worthwhile.

The Ariels don't seem to be able to play as well at lower levels like the old Quads. Bass is quite nice, just not very much below 50 cycles. I use an AudioPro B-2-50 subwoofer crossed in at 50 cycles to extend the bass. They image like champions and throw a big soundstage, especially for an essentially small speaker. Mostly I love the voicing job that Lynn did with these. They are very 'BBC' like in nature, just with more dynamics and involvement level. They are a music lovers speaker, not an analytic tool.

R