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Shigaraki and other simplistic gear

I am fed up. I have amassed a collection of to date, 4 amplifiers, 2 preamps, as well as 3-4 pairs of speakers, and the more that I try to achieve a pleasing performance, spending not inconsiderate amounts of money, I soon become desillusioned. Therefore, I am in the last stage of my audiophilia ridiculosa....I have ordered some cabinets from a speaker maker, to properly have my fostex full range driver housed, and I am in the path of either running them with my stashed 300B Platinum edition Assemblage amplifier along with WE tubes...or, I am truly considering acquiring the 47 labs Shigaraki integrated. What I wonder is the type of sound I will get from the Shigaraki set up. Some people have loved the Gaincard to death, but then, the Shigaraki seems to have a different sound. Have anyone here compared the Gaincard with SET tube amp and also heard the new integrated? I wonder. If you are the unlikely candidate who have the fortune of comparing all the about, then, what sort of speaker was used for the set up. Will I reach nirvana with the combination of shiny aluminum and ceramic pieces?
bemopti123
viggen
838 posts
 
Those Jordan drivers are 4.8 ohms. I wonder if they will benefit with autoformers that are on the ads here in low wattage application.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,854 posts
 
Ed:

Is that (the impedance) a problem for the 47 Labs chip amp?

Changing it does alter the sound (my Bottlehead amps have 4 and 8 ohm transformer taps, plus some of my vintage amps have 4, 8 and 16 ohm taps), but if you are already in the synergistic ballpark then adjusting the impedance one way or the other offers no benefit.

Is this what the auto formers do, or is their more to them?

Ask Yoshi, @ 47 Labs USA/Sakura, about your amps characteristics VS the speaker load. Chances are that he may have an opinion based on using various speakers with the amplifier.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,854 posts
 
Bemopti:

Which Fostex drivers will you be using (208S), also what type of enclosure?
bemopti123 OP
303 posts
 
I am going to drop in a pair of Fostex FE208 sigmas. I want to use what I already have, not having to plunge into another pair of drivers like the Jordan drivers. I think the Fostex will have better highs than the Jordans. The cabinets are those Garudas from ZHorn, a cross between many different designs....a back loaded horn with front output. I am running out of space, do not want to get more gear...cannot sleep on top of speaker cabinets and boxes, therefore of my choice of getting these cabinets and even getting the Shigaraki. If I am absolutely satisfied, I might be unloading gear via Audiogon. Strange how I used to be able to carry 60+ lbs amps without a problem, but now, I am either getting weak, old or do not feel the effort of moving and setting gear up is worth the effort.
viggen
838 posts
 
Bemopti, I know exactly how you feel. I moved many times in the last ten years without any help. And, this was including the times when I had home theater gear including 60lbs amps, 80lbs+ speakers and a 120lbs TV. During my last move, even with smaller audio gear, I deferred my muscles to a moving company. I just can't carry anything heavy anymore.

Anyways, I think the Garudas is a good choice. Incase you don't know, visit http://www.thehornshoppe.com/. I think it is something similar and has a lot of good reviews.

Dave, I don't think I have any impedance problems. The Jordans and Gaincard are matched together by 47Labs after all. Even the 6moons' review of the Essence speaker is driven by the Shigaraki which has a much smaller PSU and 5 less wpc. But, I read a lot of posts stating the Gaincard and Shigaraki likes 8ohms or higher speakers. So, I am just wondering whether the autoformers will be a good tweak in my system. I am very weary about whether the autoformer will change the sound of my system though (adding impurities to the signal).

Regarding the autoformer, I think all it does it reduce the speakers resistance to make it easier to drive by the amp. I am not sure if there is anything more to them, or if I am correct at all.
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