Talking about our kids is never "off topic"….
Sorry I haven't posted for a bit in regards to my system….
The carpet was removed last week and it took me a while to put the system back together again. I was able to implement a little tweak suggested by Merrill of Merrill Audio… Go to Ikea and buy a pair of bamboo cutting boards and put them under your amps or your rack; it tightens up the image a tad and they are $15- each… I put two under my main rack.
I kept a 7'x9' piece of the carpet as an area rug but the rest was pulled and replaced with faux wood vinyl - looks pretty good actually.
I set everything back up again and moved all the gear back in and let the system cook for 2 or 3 days…. I also pulled all of my absorption out and just left the diffusers on the walls.
I then brought back in the corner base traps and the side and rear wall absorption one at a time. The side wall absorption was subsequently removed as I didn't like the way it sounded and I pulled off all but the center rear wall absorber as well (and the center one has a wood scatter plate to reflect anything higher then about 200-250 hz.) The corner traps were a must.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!!
Now the room sounds the way it should! And I ordered 10 'Performance Acoustics Labs' Wings as the last step in diffusion. They are fantastic diffusers and are amongst he few diffusers that maintain full diffusion efficacy at 18-24". Most other diffusers needs 6' distance to listener to properly diffuse. They will go on my side walls and adjacent to the center rear wall absorper as I have DEFINITELY decided I like the sound of diffusion over absorption on my first side wall and rear wall reflection points. Absorption clearly gives finer image definition and specificity but you lose air, extension and soundstage width. And rear wall absorption sucks the punch and slam right out of the room (unless you stick to thin 1" diffusers on the rear wall, in which case Im not sure they are doing anything really)…
I will post pictures when I get a chance.
Speaker quest update:
I currently have a list of speakers in the house and am waiting for one last pair to arrive hopefully next Friday…
my current Der Muzik's
Hansen Prince E
Evolution Acoustics Micro Ones
(my Evolution Acoustics MM3's are in crates in my garage if anyone wants to buy them)
Marten Coltrane Tenors
Lawrence Double Bass (hopefully incoming next week)
Boaenicke W8se+
I spent the last 2 days comparing what I have in and trying to narrow them all down. I have definitely learned that with my shorter room and limitations on getting the speakers no more then about 36" off the front wall (wall to back of speaker) that any rear ported speaker is a challenge and probably not the best choice for my room.
my Der Muzik's are sensational and one of the best values in speakers (especially at their pre-owned price), but my totally sealed room with the speakers placed 3' from the short wall is not their ideal setup. Even with the carpet out, they still tend to activate nodes and sound a bit boomy. If I pull them 5' out into the room they sound totally different but I can't without sitting on top of them…. its a shame because if my room where open (like a family room or living room with an open wall) or 4-6' longer then I think I would just keep the Muziks and they would sound absolutely amazing! But for my purposes I made the final decision yesterday that rear ported speakers won't work and that bottom/front port or no port are the way to go in my room based on listening comparisons. They are up for sale and I would love to find them a good home….
I listened extensively to the Evolution Acoustics Micro One speakers. for $4K they are just off the chart ridiculous! Someone told me yesterday they are discontinued, which I think is just a rumor. But they are absolutely amazing and I am might just buy a pair for my office system and sell my Kef R500's which are excellent speakers in their own right…
Boenicke W8se+ arrived yesterday and the dealer could not have been more of a gentlemen. He felt the W13 would probably be a more fair contender for my needs but wanted me to hear the W8SE+ to get a feel for their sound. He also suggested I look into the Soulsonic speakers which look quite intriguing and may work well in my room - I'm continuing a dialogue with the dealer and seeing if he has a demo pair to try… The W8SE+ are SO good for the money. $18K retail and are the no brainer winner for speaker to put in a family room if wife approval factor is a priority! the little 6" driver puts out base that is extended, tight and makes you think there is a sub in the room. And their narrow baffle throws an incredible image and soundstage. In the end, the little 6" driver just couldn't provide the depth, impact and scale that the larger speakers I was listening to can provide. I am holding my final report for 4 days as I let them burn in - the dealer said it makes a big difference…
I currently have the Hansens and the Coltranes in the room and started comparing them yesterday. I have listened to both in the room alone and now compare them head to head. With the vinyl floor everything sounds different so my previous reports of the Hansens are not 100% accurate now, although they are close… When Ive completed my current round I'll report my findings…
I'll compare the winner of those 2 to the Lawrence Double Bass coming next week. I heard the Double Bass at a dealer in North Jersey and they sounded awesome! I look forward to hearing them in my room. they are bottom ported so should connect well with my room.
I only have a few other speakers to consider in the meantime:
Vandy 7
Soulsonic
Perfect8
Scaena
Audio Consulting of Switzerland
I went to John's to hear the Vandy 7 with CTSooner and although they were very good I was not completely taken emotionally by their performance. I am scheduling another visit with John putting his best gear on them and letting them really warm up. If they can't grab me then at least I know I've given them a good solid try…
Audio Consulting, Soulsonic, Scaena and Perfect8 all use ribbons or quasi ribbon tech and have their own special qualities. Some are practically impossible to get into my room to hear them and compare directly with what I currently have to audition. Which, to me, is a problem considering how expensive they are.
A local dealer has Scaena and I may see if he can bring them over… I'm waiting to hear what the Soulsonic dealer can do as well…
The only Audio Consulting of Switzerland dealer is in Nashville and Perfect8 is manufacturer direct and they will offer in home demo if you pay for the system in advance…
Thats where I stand all. Once I get my speaker selection settled then I can try some other DACS that have been offered to me for evaluation. Sorry for the huge side track, but its fun!!!!
