KeithR's "Dream Speaker" Search

[Steve Williams]

Interesting thread guys

It's Super Bowl Sunday and I wake up to reported posts and ad hominem attacks

This is not the way we do things here on WBF. As the saying goes, "challenge the post not the poster"

Any other personal comments are unnecessary and in the future will be deleted

We do have an ignore button and suggest members use it if the posting ozone member is so annoying to you

Lets have a good day here as most eyes will be on the game

 

[bonzo75]

You have bashed horns in the past And you are mentioning that people try the Alsyvox non-stop even though you never heard it.

I think he is a closet horn fan and must have confused himself between the Alsyvox Olympian. That's what happens when you read show reports.

 

[ddk]

Yes, I was aware of the existence of many models and variants. It is why I think that duplicating the performance of a particular custom assembled model is an hard job.

I could have tried a pair of Westminster's for some time long ago - needing space in despair the owner sold them at a very low price. Unfortunately (or fortunately ...) this time the size and weight put fear on me! Anyway I have heard great sound from Tannoy Edinburgh's, but it was a long ago experience.

I agree with you that under normal circumstances it’s even pointless to compare DIY cabinets made by amateurs but this is Ked, he WILL convince these guys to swap out drivers in and out of their cabinets for him or else!

 

[microstrip]

I'm not sure why you try to argue everything just to argue. Jeez.

Apologies, I was just thinking about the many other people in this forum who have technical understanding enough to understand that a conditioning transformer does not protect our amplifiers from mains variations, one of the main causes of tubes amplifier problems. The Exactpower EP15 does protect from them.

BTW, I usually post on subjects I have experience and fortunately sometimes some technical knowledge about.

 

[KeithR]

Apologies, I was just thinking about the many other people in this forum who have technical understanding enough to understand that a conditioning transformer does not protect our amplifiers from mains variations, one of the main causes of tubes amplifier problems. The Exactpower EP15 does protect from them.

BTW, I usually post on subjects I have experience and fortunately sometimes some technical knowledge about.

Micro- you have no such knowledge on my amp and this experience.

1. ARC tube went after a few thousand hours - it wasn't a faulty tube
2. New tubes inserted and the unit wouldn't bias properly as a resistor was blown - this is very common among ARC amplifiers as they have no auto-bias circuit. Ask any technician, including the one who did my warranty service
3. ARC was on a Torus with automatic voltage stabilization - and my voltage never gets below 119 to begin with as easily discernable from the LED display
4. The unit has a dim light and the power meter was taking an hour or two to function, so I assume there is another issue that was caused by the outtage and the tech is fixing

So with all due respect, maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

 

[DaveyF]

You have bashed horns in the past and we have gone round about it even. And yes, you are mentioning that people try the Alsyvox non-stop even though you never heard it. I have heard it twice and liked it both times so if I said give it a try at least I have an experience based reason ...you have nothing to base a recommendation on.

Once again, assumptions are being made. I have a very good friend, who not only heard them, but put his money where his mouth is...and bought them! My friend has excellent ears and listens to a ton of music ( unlike a lot of naysayers here, IME) Therefore, my suggestion as to the fact that members should at least hear the Alsyvox speakers for themselves seems to me to be perfectly logical. I have made it very clear that I am NOT a horn fanboy like so many on this forum, but that doesn't mean that I 'hate' all horns. Unfortunately, as Keith pointed out above, there seem to be folks here who enjoy an argument...and are unwilling to have an open mind when it comes to music reproduction. Several of these folks get very defensive if their 'favorite' type of speaker or arm or amp or? gets called into question...or has an opinion offered about said gear that could possibly vary from theirs. Personally, I think that is a very weak attitude, but that's just IMHO.

 

[DaveyF]

I think he is a closet horn fan and must have confused himself between the Alsyvox Olympian. That's what happens when you read show reports.

I think you need to reconsider a little. Your besotted attitude towards all horn based systems is severely limiting your exposure and possibly your enjoyment of a whole bunch of reproduced music. I know you are a classical fan, but there are many different types of music that perhaps you should expose yourself to. You might be surprised and actually hear something that might make you decide to get a little 'mojo' in your life...wouldn't be a bad thing from where I stand- and having read so many of your posts. Oh, and it might even lead you to pull the trigger on a system of your own!

 

[bonzo75]

Oh, and it might even lead you to pull the trigger on a system of your own!

Yes there was a point I liked Maggie and Linn lp12 but luckily my travels helped me to get past that, and these are the exact kind of mistakes I am trying to not get sunk into. Then I will be stuck with a system and will have to tell everyone to sell theirs based on what a friend heard at a hifi show

 

[Steve Williams]

Davey

With all due resoect

That’s why there is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. You like what you like and others the same and the more I read this thread you seem to be trying to inflict your likes onto others here where it all too oft seems to be quite bothersome. I suggest you back down a bit here.

 

[DaveyF]

I

Yes there was a point I liked Maggie and Linn lp12 but luckily my travels helped me to get past that, and these are the exact kind of mistakes I am trying to not get sunk into. Then I will be stuck with a system and will have to tell everyone to sell theirs based on what a friend heard at a hifi show

Has it ever occurred to you that sometimes we learn by our mistakes! But by limiting ourselves to such closed mindedness as you suggest is actually far more harmful!
By suggesting that a listener goes and listens to a new speaker ( in this instance the new Alsyvox line) that is now getting some Incredible raves is not only for many a highly beneficial aspect, but could lead to a source of great enjoyment. Instead, I think you would rather have us just listen to one guru...is that you, and limit ourselves to just his opinion...isn’t that right!

Unfortunately for you, while all of us folks are busy enjoying our systems, you will be second guessing and contemplating which way to go...seemingly ad Infinitum, secure in your belief that you haven’t made a mistake, because you just haven’t heard what is right for you yet! I have to Pity you.

 

[bonzo75]

Dude I even fixed up a trip to Alsyvox. It was cancelled due to personal reasons, nothing to do with hifi, and there will be another one. I love listening, and have zero sunk costs

 

[DaveyF]

Davey

With all due resoect

That’s why there is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. You like what you like and others the same and the more I read this thread you seem to be trying to inflict your likes onto others here where it all too oft seems to be quite bothersome. I suggest you back down a bit here.

Steve, with all due respect, I am certainly understanding that any suggestion to the contrary of what many members feel comfortable with is met with derision...
My question to you is is that the way you want the forum norm to be, or are we going to be able to have a discussion about other possible alternatives that are new to the market, and which could offer a possible superior SQ to the listener, without such derision.
Because, if you want the former, then please count me out.

 

[DaveyF]

Dude I even fixed up a trip to Alsyvox. It was cancelled due to personal reasons, nothing to do with hifi, and there will be another one. I love listening, and have zero suck costs

What to you is a suck cost?

 

[morricab]

Steve, with all due respect, I am certainly understanding that any suggestion to the contrary of what many members feel comfortable with is met with derision...
My question to you is is that the way you want the forum norm to be, or are we going to be able to have a discussion about other possible alternatives that are new to the market, and which could offer a possible superior SQ to the listener, without such derision.
Because, if you want the former, then please count me out.

You just keep totally missing the point, Davey. It is NOT about Alsyvox speakers...many of us who have heard them actually liked them a lot. Think about it...

 

[DaveyF]

You just keep totally missing the point, Davey. It is NOT about Alsyvox speakers...many of us who have heard them actually liked them a lot. Think about it...

No, you are right, it’s not about Alsyvox speakers, it’s about any other speaker or gear that doesn’t fit into your realm of acceptability— and as such that gear and the poster who suggests that gear needs to be belittled and derided. Very weak IMHO.

 

[GSOphile]

Wasn't this thread supposed to be about helping Keith?

 

[Al M.]

Wasn't this thread supposed to be about helping Keith?

Sure, but like usual the discussion fans out. It's the nature of the internet that you have to live with.

Sometimes off-topic discussions have also side-tracked people's personal system threads (Member Gallery), including mine. What I usually do in such cases is letting the debate run for a while, and then politely asking that people return to the topic and debate further elsewhere. As I perceive it, Keith has done similarly on this thread.

 

[Tango]

I love listening, and have zero sunk costs

I actually have both "sunk" cost and "suck" cost.

Tang

 

[sujay]

I actually have both "sunk" cost and "suck" cost.

Tang

That is funny......really (-:

 

[microstrip]

Micro- you have no such knowledge on my amp and this experience.

1. ARC tube went after a few thousand hours - it wasn't a faulty tube
2. New tubes inserted and the unit wouldn't bias properly as a resistor was blown - this is very common among ARC amplifiers as they have no auto-bias circuit. Ask any technician, including the one who did my warranty service
3. ARC was on a Torus with automatic voltage stabilization - and my voltage never gets below 119 to begin with as easily discernable from the LED display
4. The unit has a dim light and the power meter was taking an hour or two to function, so I assume there is another issue that was caused by the outtage and the tech is fixing

So with all due respect, maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Once you give us the details we are able to figure exact things. My comments did not address just only your specific amplifier, but what happens generally with some ARC amplifiers. I have owned ARC REF150, REF250 and REF750 and for more than thirty years have been talking regularly about ARC technical matters with our official ARC technician and often exchanged faxes Lev from the ARC service department. I think we have many ARC users here and they may enjoy such comments.

1. Although you only give your general comment on tube age "few" is qualitative and useless information - but IMHO when a tube that becomes faulty because of excessive use it is still a faulty tube. Perhaps not your case.
2. In general the bias resistor opens because the tube was faulty. Surely if you replace the tube without replacing it the resistor the new tube usually breaks or burns the cathode resistor. And no, fortunately 2 is not common and is not related to auto-bias.
3. Nice to know your Torus is a model with automatic stabilization - most of them are not.
4. My point is that a problem with the meter was not an impeachment to listening.

For many years, particularly during the years that chinese tube reliability was very low, I have serviced my Audio Research gear - faults were typically the same as today. BTW, during a short period during the ARC ownership transition, ARC put all their service schematics online - with their help it is easy to understand the usual problems.

BTW, sometimes the cathode resistor/ tube burned due to a manufacturing problem with the coupling Teflon capacitor - it was an issue, quickly solved, of some amplfiers of the ARC 75/150/250 series.