Kind regards and salutations to all

zerostargeneral

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Apr 14, 2018
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General, I see news of the AER Excenter open baffle horns using the BD3 drivers and dedicated sub.

Can you fill in a bit more info on these?

I'm a little confused that the quoted price of €60k only includes one sub, and the BD3 drivers, not the BD4 ones used in the Pnoes.

At that price, other than size considerations, why would one buy these when the Pnoes can be had for not much more.

Dear Spirit',

I am waiting on that configuration from Mr. Keller.The only difference being BD5 drivers,the BD3b are a twentieth of the price(no joke).

I intend to use the excenter horns and subway sub for mastering.

Mr. Keller assures me that I will be able to integrate the sub with ease.

Normally this would be completely off kilter for me,the units ship today and all will be revealed.

Kindest regards,G.
 

Audiophile Bill

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Hello All,

The General received the dual differential, full silver transformer and choke 10Y / 801 linestage yesterday thus I made a hasty beeline chez General for an audition.

I wasn’t quite prepared for what I heard today but came with high expectations having heard the incremental gain of the dual differential D3A over the regular D3A. I did expect a substantial improvement in noisefloor though since the whole chain is now dual differential from start to finish.

Succinctly put, I can say that the system is now operating in a different realm to before and then it was the best system I had heard to this point. Rather than regurgitating audiophile adjectives to describe what is going on, it is easier to express how I felt when listening. The system previously had resonated with me emotionally and was able to transport me somewhere else altogether but now literally every LP we heard moved me and at times sent me into a full blown trance - it is a very strange experience where you fully disengage from reality like that and wake from a mini dream.

I feel very happy for The General as this system hasn’t just appeared out of the ether but has been arduously crafted over years of painstaking auditioning. Furthermore, music is an enormous part of his life evidenced by the sheer breadth of genres we covered today and his vast knowledge of vinyl LPs. To think a system can do it all like that and induce the hypnotic effect regardless of genre and scale is remarkable.

The General doesn’t ever stand still and I am excited to hear the next steps including the dual differential quad chassis 46 driving a 46 monoblocks amplifiers and the holy grail 8020 phonostage.

Myself - I haven’t the financial wherewithal to play at this level but I will try to emulate his sound in a smaller and dimished scale.
 

Ron Resnick

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That seems wonderful, Bill. You must have had an amazing time there!
 

VinylSavor

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May 15, 2018
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Hi Bill,

I am glad you like the sound of my amps in the generals system. I would like to clarify one point:

I wasn’t quite prepared for what I heard today but came with high expectations having heard the incremental gain of the dual differential D3A over the regular D3A. I did expect a substantial improvement in noisefloor though since the whole chain is now dual differential from start to finish..

So far the general does not have a differential version of my phono preamps. He has two versions of the single ended D3a phono, one with the gain optimised for his cartridge. Above that is the differential D3a phono in copper, then the same in silver and finally the EC8020 differential all silver phono

Best regards

Thomas
 

Tango

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Above that is the differential D3a phono in copper, then the same in silver and finally the EC8020 differential all silver phono

What do you find different given the same 8020 but one in copper vs one in all silver?

Kind regards,
Tang
 

VinylSavor

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May 15, 2018
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Dear Tang,

Since I only have a limited stock of EC8020 tubes, these are reserved for the all silver differential version.
I can offer differential phonos based on the D3a tubes in both silver or copper.

Some general impressions about silver vs copper transformers can be found here:

https://vinylsavor.blogspot.com/2013/07/silver-vs-copper.html

Best regards

Thomas
 

Blue58

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Jan 20, 2013
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And IMO Silver gets better with age, copper doesn’t.
Don’t confuse ageing with break in.
Cheers
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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Hi Bill,

I am glad you like the sound of my amps in the generals system. I would like to clarify one point:



So far the general does not have a differential version of my phono preamps. He has two versions of the single ended D3a phono, one with the gain optimised for his cartridge. Above that is the differential D3a phono in copper, then the same in silver and finally the EC8020 differential all silver phono

Best regards

Thomas

Hi Thomas,

Nice to speak to you. Thanks for the clarification - the D3A built precisely for the cartridge of choice is a great improvement for sure but I suppose one would obviously expect that lol.

Congratulations on the 10Y differential line stage - it is absolutely stunning. Truly a magic component.
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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And IMO Silver gets better with age, copper doesn’t.
Don’t confuse ageing with break in.
Cheers

Hi Barry,

It is interesting cos I have always steered very well clear of silver believing incorrectly that it leads to an uptilt in frequency response. This is still my opinion of cabling that I have heard but for whatever reason this does not appear to be the case with transformers and chokes where the silver gives an incredibly liquid and palpable 3D staging with fantastic resolution but without treble exaggeration. No idea why this happened- maybe Thomas knows.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Bill, in my pre Nat Audio days, I was running Audion Quattro pre and Black Shadow 845 monos.

The Level Seven upgrade for £20k plus involved wholesale modding of the 845s to all silver internals, transformers, chokes, wiring.

I was v tempted, but never signed the cheque since I had no idea what that sum would have got me, no way of predicting the sound, and like you, had only heard negative things about all-silver.

And by that time I was tempted to the dark side by Nat.

But upon hearing what Thomas M has achieved w all-silver in his amps, maybe I was incorrect in being wary.
 

Sablon Audio

Industry Expert, VIP Donor
May 22, 2015
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Bill, part of the reason behind this belief might be that many designs of cabling use thinner gauges of silver for reasons of cost. That said, I have always found silver to sound more ‘white’ tonally than copper when compared on a like for like basis.

With respect to your most recent observation, I do understand that something special happens when silver is used in magnetics though it is seldom chosen for reasons of fragility as well as cost. Can you imagine what a pisser it is for that gossamer thin silver wire to snap half through winding 100 metres of the stuff onto a core?!?
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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And IMO Silver gets better with age, copper doesn’t.
Don’t confuse ageing with break in.
Cheers

I know there might be an urban myth about ‘age annealed’ silver wiring however I suspect the real reason could be that the ingots were bought when the market price for silver was at a low point. It isn’t called ‘the Devil’s metal’ without reason.
 

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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Bill, part of the reason behind this belief might be that many designs of cabling use thinner gauges of silver for reasons of cost. That said, I have always found silver to sound more ‘white’ tonally than copper when compared on a like for like basis.

With respect to your most recent observation, I do understand that something special happens when silver is used in magnetics though it is seldom chosen for reasons of fragility as well as cost. Can you imagine what a pisser it is for that gossamer thin silver wire to snap half through winding 100 metres of the stuff onto a core?!?

Hi Mark,

Interesting point about guage and cost - makes sense. Yes unfortunately silver transformers and chokes are obviously hellishly more expensive. I dunno what happens with the Mayer price structure but wouldn’t be surprised if an all silver version would be more than double. That said if you have the funds, it makes sense.
 

spiritofmusic

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Bill, I know this is an impossible question to answer, that's why I'm asking it.

You've had plenty of exposure to The General's system, including these changes to the amps.

Can you apportion out the contribution that each of his fairly (or totally) unique constituent parts makes.

His unique collection of stellar pressings.
His cutting edge analog front end.
His amazingly expressive amps.
His highly impressive full range zero crossover uber uber high efficiency horns.
His fantastic room.
 
Last edited:

Audiophile Bill

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Mar 23, 2015
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Bill, I know this is an impossible question to answer, that's why I'm asking it.

You've had plenty of exposure to The General's system, including these changes to the amps.

Can you apportion out the contribution that each of his fairly (or totally) unique constituent parts makes.

His unique collection of stellar pressings.
His cutting edge analog front end.
His amazingly expressive amps.
His highly impressive full range zero crossover uber uber high efficiency horns.
His fantastic room.

Hi Marc,

This is a very challenging question that I am not equipped to answer as I have not heard all the various permutations to adequately address this but let me try:

I will start with the room since I think it is easiest to answer. The General’s barronial Hall listening room has gigantic dimensions and volume and benefits from not too much glass and has decent symmetry. That said, the sheer volume of this room is simply murderous for many speakers (majority) as they are required to shift some huge quantities of air to have even a semblance of a chance. Moreover The General hasn’t invested much time on the acoustics of this room compared to his previous residence because he is busy building the room of all rooms in a different house - this room will be the room to end all rooms lol. I don’t want to steal his thunder but suffice it to say that no stone is going to be left unturned including the mountainside that it is dug into ;)

The amplification - well I have actually heard quite a lot over the last year in his system across many brands. Put it succinctly, the Mayer is in a different stratosphere in both build quality and sound quality. The inner resolution, space, tone, liquidity are just vastly superior to all the other amps I have heard in there. Look - put it this way, I am buying Mayer amps now albeit lower down the food chain.

The TT - well I already did put my money where my mouth is and bought one as I think it to be the best TT that I have ever heard. That one was a no brainer for me as I wanted a source that I thought could not be surpassed. The vertical AND horizontal air bearing, suspension, vacuum suck, and linear tracker were all essential features deriving my purchasing decision. Once you have heard what the Vyger can do there is no going back.

The records - I think The General might well be sat on one of the top few best collections in the world - I have heard this from some other very serious record collectors. Does the recording and pressing matter? Absolutely - his system is so hifidelity you can easily hear differences across pressings and it isn’t subtle at all. We did a Bach Chaconne shootout as a means of determining whether Mr Gregory’s conclusion on the ERC pressing had validity - the differences across the LPs was huge. I won’t say the outcome here though lol.

What General has achieved though is a system that you can hear the great performances of the greatest artists in a manner that just gets as close to what would be a time capsule and transporter to the event as I have ever heard. Enough to really halt you not just smile.

I will be eternally grateful for his guidance since we met as I had to look hard at my own system, do a mahoosive u-turn and start a new journey. That journey started with a true dedication to building a wonderful record library that I can cherish and one that brings joy when I listen.

I hope this helps a little with your question.
 

spiritofmusic

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Hi Bill, well I did find the taster I had of his sound very intriguing indeed.

It was totally insane that 0.46W could help saturate 1500-2000 sq ft.

I myself am migrating onto updating 250-300 of my most favourite albums with stellar first/superior early/Japanese pressings.

Already I'm hearing big differences and adding to musical enjoyment no end.

I can imagine the creme de la creme of classical pressings on this system being the musical equivalent of a time machine.
 

Audiophile Bill

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2015
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Hi Bill, well I did find the taster I had of his sound very intriguing indeed.

It was totally insane that 0.46W could help saturate 1500-2000 sq ft.

I myself am migrating onto updating 250-300 of my most favourite albums with stellar first/superior early/Japanese pressings.

Already I'm hearing big differences and adding to musical enjoyment no end.

I can imagine the creme de la creme of classical pressings on this system being the musical equivalent of a time machine.

Hi Marc,

I think the 46 actually puts out a mighty 1.25 watts. That said I have been hearing the differential quad chasssis 211s a lot of late - those are obviously much more powerful.
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
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Whoa, 1.25 Watts! Now we're talking LOL.
 

spiritofmusic

Well-Known Member
Jun 13, 2013
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The General's system is the very epitome of the maxim "the beauty of the first Watt".
 

Audiophile Bill

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I am not sure of the 211 output power - would think about 25 watts.
 

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