Field Coils for Audio Systems

Phantom-Audio

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Here are 2 Field Coils Speakers powered by Tube Field Coil Power Supplies. Running on Atma-Sphere OTL Amplifier not yet posted on site but its called the Nirvana. Produces about 120 Watts per Channel.

Both the speakers are at 16 ohms and high sensitivity so no issue with running out off steam.
 

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Solypsa

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What are the speakers flanking the classic's?
 

Solypsa

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Oh I just saw your other post...Line Magnetic...
 

cal3713

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Audiophile Bill

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@Audiophile Bill Any updates on your field coil experiments??

Hi,

Finally got back to audio after a tricky summer. Just been setting the system up in my bigger room. Hopefully the field coil install will occur this coming weekend. Got both speakers on casters now - makes positioning so much easier (in the picture only the right has the casters)

D092B84D-A8DD-476F-A149-AD5CBF4BB4EC.jpeg
 

cal3713

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Hi,

Finally got back to audio after a tricky summer. Just been setting the system up in my bigger room. Hopefully the field coil install will occur this coming weekend. Got both speakers on casters now - makes positioning so much easier (in the picture only the right has the casters)

View attachment 81569
Very exciting.
 
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audioquest4life

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Here are 2 Field Coils Speakers powered by Tube Field Coil Power Supplies. Running on Atma-Sphere OTL Amplifier not yet posted on site but its called the Nirvana. Produces about 120 Watts per Channel.

Both the speakers are at 16 ohms and high sensitivity so no issue with running out off steam.
Are you using tube field coil power supplies for the Classic Speakers? If so, what brand and any more information available about them?
 

Phantom-Audio

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Are you using tube field coil power supplies for the Classic Speakers? If so, what brand and any more information available about them?
I have a customized LM Power Supply running Tungar Tubes, John Wolff has larger tube Power supply he can use. Right now i have not rewired the T3.4 yet to run off the tubes, My plan is to have 3 independent wires to all 3 Field Coil drivers powered by 3 individual taps.
 
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Blue58

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Looking forward to a return visit when it’s all tickety-boo. :) Must be close to Heaven in the larger room.

cheers
 
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the sound of Tao

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Hi,

Finally got back to audio after a tricky summer. Just been setting the system up in my bigger room. Hopefully the field coil install will occur this coming weekend. Got both speakers on casters now - makes positioning so much easier (in the picture only the right has the casters)

View attachment 81569
How’s the bigger room sounding Bill? In something of an empathetic stream I’ve been tucked away downstairs in a 5.2m x 7.6m space but just shortly moving upstairs into a larger room and hoping the horns will appreciate more space.

Good that you are shifting rooms first before swapping in the field coils as I’d imagine it’ll be also good to get your bearings on the speakers in the new room. They look great in it.

Also keen to get your thoughts on how the field coils marry with your ripoles as well. I did have some thoughts still to try the voxativ field coil that is spec’d for pureaudioproject already but holding off to hear what you find. Apologies but letting you go into the abyss first :eek: you are the more experienced traveller into the unknown.

You’ve certainly got plenty to play with going forwards :) it’s great that you share your explorations in the bespoke. Continuously very subscribed here.
 
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christoph

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How’s the bigger room sounding Bill? In something of an empathetic stream I’ve been tucked away downstairs in a 5.2m x 7.6m space but just shortly moving upstairs into a larger room and hoping the horns will appreciate more space.
How big is your bigger room? :eek:
Your "small" room is already a very nice space :cool:
 

the sound of Tao

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How big is your bigger room? :eek:
Your "small" room is already a very nice space :cool:
The new room is 9m x 8m Christoph but not as good a shape. It’s a L shape but I need to move up while I renovate the downstairs room. On the bright side it has better aspects with views over the lake. Horns and SET just make everything bearable :)
 
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Audiophile Bill

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How’s the bigger room sounding Bill? In something of an empathetic stream I’ve been tucked away downstairs in a 5.2m x 7.6m space but just shortly moving upstairs into a larger room and hoping the horns will appreciate more space.

Good that you are shifting rooms first before swapping in the field coils as I’d imagine it’ll be also good to get your bearings on the speakers in the new room. They look great in it.

Also keen to get your thoughts on how the field coils marry with your ripoles as well. I did have some thoughts still to try the voxativ field coil that is spec’d for pureaudioproject already but holding off to hear what you find. Apologies but letting you go into the abyss first :eek: you are the more experienced traveller into the unknown.

You’ve certainly got plenty to play with going forwards :) it’s great that you share your explorations in the bespoke. Continuously very subscribed here.

Hi Graham,

Thanks for the encouragement and thoughts. The new room is a little on the lively side at the moment vs where I prefer to be - nothing some judicious absorption won’t solve though. Obviously the sound staging in the big room is gigantic now with a 14 feet+ width of stage. The bass is breathing very easily in the bigger room - it feels like it goes deeper too which isn’t surprising (not done any measurements yet). I feel I am about there with speaker placement now - it amazes me how critical speaker positioning is in the big room vs the other one. 1cm makes a huge change to everything in this room (the old room less so). In terms of music, I have been enjoying my laying a lot of large scale stuff I guess due to the size of the room where it feels more realistic. I have also strangely been playing some Led Zep I very loud whereas I wouldn’t have been interested in the other room lol.
Early days yet but so far so good. I honestly think I can put these speakers in a very large room and they’ll fill it with ease. It amazes me really just how far 1 watt of 46 will take you in a horn.

Cheers.
 

Audiophile Bill

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the sound of Tao

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Hi Graham,

Thanks for the encouragement and thoughts. The new room is a little on the lively side at the moment vs where I prefer to be - nothing some judicious absorption won’t solve though. Obviously the sound staging in the big room is gigantic now with a 14 feet+ width of stage. The bass is breathing very easily in the bigger room - it feels like it goes deeper too which isn’t surprising (not done any measurements yet). I feel I am about there with speaker placement now - it amazes me how critical speaker positioning is in the big room vs the other one. 1cm makes a huge change to everything in this room (the old room less so). In terms of music, I have been enjoying my laying a lot of large scale stuff I guess due to the size of the room where it feels more realistic. I have also strangely been playing some Led Zep I very loud whereas I wouldn’t have been interested in the other room lol.
Early days yet but so far so good. I honestly think I can put these speakers in a very large room and they’ll fill it with ease. It amazes me really just how far 1 watt of 46 will take you in a horn.

Cheers.
I’d very much love to hear them one day Bill, as crazy any notion of travelling overseas these days seems. I really admire their appearance and you’ve managed to come up with a very balanced and integrated looking form. But also the way you have used the scale but not then ended up with anything overbearing or immodest and they just seem to sit so nicely in space. Also loving the finessing in the detailing. They look very mature in design which is amazing if these are just among your early efforts.

Horns can be amazing sounding things and while often visually inspirational (I think that’s why we all call it horn porn) and sexy looking but sometimes the larger ones can end up in some ways awkward but not with these… I really do love the way they’ve come together Bill.

The next move to field coil and then exploring exotic power supplies is a whole other level and a big point of anticipation here. I am a big fan of other people being happy I swear but I do fear you may take us here dangerously into another level :eek: … although more than happy to enjoy the inspiration and strangely hoping to be led astray.

Also enjoying the stories of other people’s visits as well, you do seem to be enjoying the journey as well as investing very fully in it. That strikes me as a very good approach to life in this. Hope the switching in of the field coils proves breathtaking, I imagine with my small experience with OMA that it may well be so and that would be awesome.
 

Audiophile Bill

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I’d very much love to hear them one day Bill, as crazy any notion of travelling overseas these days seems. I really admire their appearance and you’ve managed to come up with a very balanced and integrated looking form. But also the way you have used the scale but not then ended up with anything overbearing or immodest and they just seem to sit so nicely in space. Also loving the finessing in the detailing. They look very mature in design which is amazing if these are just among your early efforts.

Horns can be amazing sounding things and while often visually inspirational (I think that’s why we all call it horn porn) and sexy looking but sometimes the larger ones can end up in some ways awkward but not with these… I really do love the way they’ve come together Bill.

The next move to field coil and then exploring exotic power supplies is a whole other level and a big point of anticipation here. I am a big fan of other people being happy I swear but I do fear you may take us here dangerously into another level :eek: … although more than happy to enjoy the inspiration and strangely hoping to be led astray.

Also enjoying the stories of other people’s visits as well, you do seem to be enjoying the journey as well as investing very fully in it. That strikes me as a very good approach to life in this. Hope the switching in of the field coils proves breathtaking, I imagine with my small experience with OMA that it may well be so and that would be awesome.

Hi Graham,

Again I have to thank you sincerely for your comments - I really do mean that and especially coming from you and your specific career background / skill set!

The comment about maturity of design is very much appreciated. When I embarked on this venture, I massively (and I mean massively) overlooked the creative design challenges involved in developing speakers that looked as I wanted them to in my mind. I had always desired to create something that looked more akin to fine furniture not only respecting material choices but also design flourishes and lines. I suppose I had classical instruments in my mind with a kind of Art Deco style. The hardest thing to achieve is working with these materials. The complexity of developing a horn on this scale in hardwood like this is a monumental undertaking and exceptionally time consuming. No wonder nobody mass produces such things.

I have immensely enjoyed the design and manufacturing process although I can say honestly that it can and is all consuming on occasion. I can’t really explain the sheer number of steps to consider when doing something akin to this - until you lay it all out, it is hard to compute all the decision points and problems to solve for. I am a “creative” at heart and many folks wired this way literally dissociate into a new world where they are consumed by what they are doing - I could go days / weeks where I would be only thinking about this even in conversations about other things and at night whilst asleep. I can’t really explain it better than that - what happens is that you wake at some point utterly drained and have a lull where you have to recharge.

Yes I am looking forward to the whole madness of the field coil horn. I too think it will take the system into the next dimension but let’s see. What I didn’t tell you is my utter mad thoughts on field coil woofers too. Also different active drive implementations. You are most likely already very well aware of ideas people - my issues is keeping focus on executing the here and now as so many ideas pouring out.

Best wishes.
 

Carlos269

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After a few setbacks, including a bad Harrison DC power supply, my Supravox 215 2000-EXC field-coil based system is finally up and playing music:

54D8F4E2-CF46-480A-A817-FA09561B5B55.jpeg

15EF5220-49B5-4ECD-8A70-5506DDEA3136.jpeg

21C28BAE-1D88-438B-9D64-D7A1F1547B83.jpeg

I will be posting the details of the new system, listening impressions and comparisons videos on my Friday night listening thread.
 

TooCool4

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Carlos269

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Wow, is that a Nakamichi 3 box DAT player I see in the background? :cool:

Yes, it is the three piece Nakamichi 1000 system, which is comprised of a DAT transport, CD transport and a DAC chassis. It is part of my Accuphase, Micro-Seiki, Klyne, eXD DSD DAC and Tannoy mastering DMT mk-II monitors system.
 
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