Friday night listening

[Carlos269]

Decided to record a few videos at the end of last night’s listening session for relative comparison and to see how the sound in the room, with the Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver preamplifier, 46 SET/DHT amplifier and Loth-X Troubadour speakers (with the original Stefan Stamm drivers), translated to video:

 

[Carlos269]

The time and research that was put into selecting the components and assembling my new system has brought about the true reference level Single Ended Triode/Single Driver - Horn Loaded system that I was hoping to achieve. After a few weeks of listening, the system has come into its own and, as I previously reported, delivering high resolution detail, nuance, and delicate textures across all genres of music. This is very important to me as I listen to a wide variety of music and I did not want a one-trick-pony type system that excelled at one genre such as with simple acoustic instruments arrangements, baroque or classical music but which could not reproduce hard driven electronic music.

I have been able to achieve that goal with my reference Wisdom Audio Adrenaline Rush based system through additional tuning with the Cello Audio System’s Audio Palette MIV and augmenting the lowest frequencies performance with the Wilson Audio WAMM Series VIIA subwoofer towers. The Wisdom Audio Adrenaline Rush based reference system is powered by 8 monoblocks (which can be extended to a total of 14 monoblocks, with the RAAL ribbon super-tweeters, which I have not incorporated) capable of delivering 2,700 Watts of power to the system.

The 46 SET amplifier powering my new system is rated at only 1.25 Watts. So can the 1.25 Watts from the 46 SET amplifier deliver the energy and drive needed to evoke emotions and compete with the raw power visceral of the big system to reproduce the gestalt of the music? The answer this time is unequivocally yes. The key to this is the 104dB high efficiency of the original Stefan Stamm drivers and the Loth-X Troubadour speaker cabinets. The massive Alnico magnets driving the stiff coated cone/whizzer created an extremely fast driver that is easy to drive, a flat 8 Ohm load, and capable of recreating the finest micro detail and macro dynamics without cone break-up and free of the lumpy peaks & “shout” typically associated with similar drivers.

And obviously, the mighty one-of-a-kind massive Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver Finemet-cores line amplifier is a major contributor and paramount to the magical sound.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this system and becoming more and more impressed with what it’s able to achieve with it’s vintage technologies, with modern implementations. There is a reason why so many have decided that Single Ended Triode amplification & horn loaded speakers is their path to audio nirvana and my new system definitely proves to me that there is much merit in this system topology and approach.

The following videos are more representative of the system and how great it sounds with all genres of music:

 

[Carlos269]

Another eclectic Friday night listening session last night that lasted well into 4 AM this morning. When you don’t focus on the sound of the equipment but rather just relax and get lost in the music, time just flys by as you go from one song to the next.

The combination of Roon, HQPlayer and Tidal is such a nice way to tap into one’s library & listen to old favorites and to expands one’s musical horizon.

Last night I started the night listening with the Weiss DAC 202 with the HQP XTR filter at 192KHz and then switched to the T+A DAC8 DSD at DSD512 and finished the listening session with my reference one-of-a-kind LampizatOr DSD-Only DAC with the HQP EC7 modulator. Each of the three DACs has its own dedicated HQPlayer custom server that I specified, designed, and assembled to get the most out of HQPlayer at the time.

Everyone has their own musical taste and as I peruse the online high-end audio forums and listen to some of the reference tracks others suggest as examples to reproduce sound attributes or to showcase their systems, most songs do not resonate with me as I have always been more into what lies left of the dial.

I know that I will eventually switch back to the big Wisdom Audio Adrenaline Rush/Wilson Audio WAMM Series VIIA subwoofer towers based system but for now I continue to thoroughly enjoy my new Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver preamplifier/46 SET-DHT amplifier/ Loth-X Troubadour - Stamm driver system.

Here are a few gems from last night’s listening session:

 

[cjfrbw]

Are the Loth speakers the smaller speakers on the stands? Not to be impolite, you have probably said before, but what is the blue twirly light thing on the lower right of the videos?

 

[Carlos269]

Are the Loth speakers the smaller speakers on the stands? Not to be impolite, you have probably said before, but what is the blue twirly light thing on the lower right of the videos?

No, the Loth-X Troubadours are large floor standing speakers. Unfortunately my camera’s lense is not wide-view enough, from the listening position, to capture them on the videos. Here are a few pictures of the Loth-X Troubadour speakers:











The blue-purple swirling lights are LED lit cooling fans on the GPU, on the HQPlayer - Core server used with the LampizatOr DSD-Only DAC. The fans’ lighting can be programmed to be different colors or turned off altogether but I prefer to leave the lights on; it is safer than the blue-glow of the Mercury Vapor 866A rectifiers tubes that I choose not to use on the Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver preamplifier’s power-supply. The lights are not a distraction to me while listening, as my mind gets lost in the music.

 

[Mikem53]

Another eclectic Friday night listening session last night that lasted well into 4 AM this morning. When you don’t focus on the sound of the equipment but rather just relax and get lost in the music, time just flys by as you go from one song to the next.

The combination of Roon, HQPlayer and Tidal is such a nice way to tap into one’s library & listen to old favorites and to expands one’s musical horizon.

Last night I started the night listening with the Weiss DAC 202 with the HQP XTR filter at 192KHz and then switched to the T+A DAC8 DSD at DSD512 and finished the listening session with my reference one-of-a-kind LampizatOr DSD-Only DAC with the HQP EC7 modulator. Each of the three DACs has its own dedicated HQPlayer custom server that I specified, designed, and assembled to get the most out of HQPlayer at the time.

Everyone has their own musical taste and as I peruse the online high-end audio forums and listen to some of the reference tracks others suggest as examples to reproduce sound attributes or to showcase their systems, most songs do not resonate with me as I have always been more into what lies left of the dial.

I know that I will eventually switch back to the big Wisdom Audio Adrenaline Rush/Wilson Audio WAMM Series VIIA subwoofer towers based system but for now I continue to thoroughly enjoy my new Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver preamplifier/46 SET-DHT amplifier/ Loth-X Troubadour - Stamm driver system.

Here are a few gems from last night’s listening session:

Carlos, it all sounds amazing coming through on my iPad .. I’m sure it sounds incredible up close in person. What are you using to record these selections ? I wish I was your neighbor !
I did like some of your previous selections as well, You introduced me to Shelby Lynne with one of your previous recordings.. I thank you for that and have been enjoying her music Ever since.
You have some amazing knowledge and equipment going on there ! Appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing this information and music.. I keep being introduced and learning about these systems and combinations I could never experience or afford otherwise.. MUCH appreciated! Glad you’re enjoying it all as well !

 

[cjfrbw]

Interesting. The 75 inch BG ribbon I have spliced on to my Analysis speakers are similar to the ones in the Adrenaline Rush and the Gryphon Pendragon. The ones I have in hand are mysteriously efficient and are driven quite well by 45 tubes with crossover 300Hz-7KHz. I have never been able to find information that cites them at more than 88db efficiency or so, so unless some new information comes to light their efficiency remains a mystery. The pair I have are ostensibly from a closeout when the BG factory went out of business in Nevada and I have no other information on their origin.

At one point, I think Wisdom Audio made a model with three of the 75 inch ribbons per channel in an even more ultra chassis.

 

[Carlos269]

Carlos, it all sounds amazing coming through on my iPad .. I’m sure it sounds incredible up close in person. What are you using to record these selections ? I wish I was your neighbor !
I did like some of your previous selections as well, You introduced me to Shelby Lynne with one of your previous recordings.. I thank you for that and have been enjoying her music Ever since.
You have some amazing knowledge and equipment going on there ! Appreciate the time and effort you put into sharing this information and music.. I keep being introduced and learning about these systems and combinations I could never experience or afford otherwise.. MUCH appreciated! Glad you’re enjoying it all as well !

I use a Rode X-Y microphone on top of my camera. The advantage of the X-Y microphone arrangement is that the resultant recordings easily collapse for mono-compatibility, for playback on devices such as iPads or iPhones, without phase cancellations when recorded in stereo.

Regarding the music, the key is to not get caught up with only listening to demonstration tracks but to enjoy your entire music collection and library. One of my favorite things about visiting this and other audio forums is that you get exposed to new music.

 

[Carlos269]

At one point, I think Wisdom Audio made a model with three of the 75 inch ribbons per channel in an even more ultra chassis.

Yes, kind of, Wisdom Audio did offer the “Infinite” Series which added additional 75” ribbon drivers and massive 12” under-hung woofer/subwoofer drivers:



Culminating in the series’ flagship model, the Wisdom Audio Infinite Wisdom Grande loudspeaker system, which used six 75” ribbon drivers and twelve 12” bass drivers per channel/side:





The Infinite Wisdom Grande were $700K back in 2007. These 3,800 pounds, 13 foot tall speakers were designed to produce higher sound pressure levels and were targeted for use in "multi-level rooms in the largest homes and palaces, great halls and ballrooms".





But in terms of ultimate sound refinement, the Adrenaline Rush with the latest microprocessor controlled analog “Brain” were the highest caliber speaker system offered by Wisdom Audio for home and studio use. The Adrenaline Rush were the speakers selected and used not only in CBS Studios‘ screening room but also in the Sony Classical Music Studio’s mastering reference playback system.



I don’t know how many of the “Infinite” series speaker systems were made or sold. I only recall them being demonstrated and used at shows and have not seen a reference or pictures of end-users in domestic environments.

 

[cjfrbw]

I would think a single ribbon per side would offer the greatest coherency for home use.

 

[Carlos269]

I would think a single ribbon per side would offer the greatest coherency for home use.

I agree and so did Wisdom Audio. Here are a couple more pictures of variants of the Infinite series speakers and another picture of the big Infinite Wisdom Grande speakers:

 

[cjfrbw]

Thank you, Carlos269 for those informations about Wisdom. Very interesting.

 

[Carlos269]

Some new videos of the new system really shinning with the different music that I listen to during my Friday night listening sessions:

 

[Carlos269]

I continue enjoying the new system. For the moment, I have managed to leave the set-up unchanged and surprisingly remain unmotivated to change anything :

 

[Carlos269]

Was in the mood for jazz last night and the new system delivered the goods. Not sure what more one can ask from this system, it excels with every track:

 

[Carlos269]

I hope that everyone else on What’s Best Forum is enjoying their music as much as I am with this latest system.

The musicality of the Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver preamplifier, the 46 amplifier and the original version of the Stamm full range drivers in the Loth-X Troubadour back horn loaded cabinets is a very special one.

It leads me to forget the dissection of the sound and just enjoy the music as a whole, but on a number of occasions this 1.25 watts system has blurred the lines and tricked me into believing that a sound was real and in the room when it was an artifact of the recording.

I know that the source: custom Roon and HQPLAYER-Core PC’s and one-of-a-kind LampizatOr DSD-only DAC are also part of my big Wisdom Audio Adrenaline Rush based reference system so they do not get mentioned often as they are not new, but in common, but they are also an essential part of the new system’s magic.

I set out to assemble the ultimate S.E.T. DHT low flea power/ultra-high efficiency single full range driver - horn loaded cabinets based system and I must say that all the research, planning and procurement has achieved the objective. This is a very special system. As I have mentioned numerous times, this system sounds great with all genres of my very eclectic and vast music palette but do not interpret that as sounding homogeneous in any way, just the opposite, as you can hear on these selections:

 

[Carlos269]

Another great Friday Night Listening session last night.

I have been so captured with the new system that it has pushed me to wonder and explore one of the other corners of this hobby, to hear and find out what magic high -efficiency single full-range high Qts drivers on Open Baffles can produce.

Over the last couple of months or so, I have been researching, learning and procuring components and equipment to assemble a set of OB speakers with a few special and very unique drivers that will be interchangeable through adapter plates to find out if the OB topology will yields gold and produces the magic that the SET/DHT/Ultra high efficiency back horn loaded cabinets have achieved. Many of the new components and equipment have not arrived yet but what exciting and fun times lie ahead.

Very excited and looking forward to the new audio exploration and experience, but for now I continue to enjoy and be delighted by the mammoth, in every sense of the word, Thomas Mayer 10Y Silver, custom 46 DHT, Loth-X Troubadours with the original version of the Stefan Stamm drivers:

 

[Carlos269]

Also listened to other styles of ear treats:

 

[Carlos269]

While I wait for the parts, pieces and components for my new all-out Open Baffle system to arrive, my son and I finally finished setting up the custom idler based on the Rek-O-Kut (ROK) Rondine BH12, with the massive Ashland hysteresis motor.



It features a massive custom TTWeights Momentus V2 arm pod, a 1700 Gram Copper Nickel Plated SuperMat on top of a German made leather mat, and carbon fiber & stainless steel record weight.


For arm I’m using a custom Dr. Robert Fuchs 13 inch tonearm, with an Ortofon SL-15 E MC cartridge into an Ortofon STM-72 SPU Moving Coil MC Phono Cartridge Step-Up Transformer.




The phonostage is a custom North Audio MM RIAA amplifier based on the Raytheon 5755 and Sylvania 5687 tubes.



This is my first idler and wow what a special turntable, unique, as are my Transrotor and Micro-Seiki turntables.

Using my Spectral preamplifier and monoblock amplifiers, driving a one-of-a-kind RTM Smooth monitor Plus speaker system this is a very high resolution system:

I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

 

[Mikem53]

What an awesome looking TT setup ! Must sound amazing I’m sure.. Enjoy !!