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Linbrook Signature monitors...questions

I have a pair of new Silverline SR17 version III & a new Rogue Audio Tempest II both of which I was able to buy near or at dealer cost .I had a Creek CD MkII that I shopped quite carefully for unlike the other pieces as l recently became a semi shut in due to a neurogenerative disease.

I bought some wires & a IC very inexpensively from designer Alan Yun who seems like a real good guy as he even sent me a beautifully recorded CD that is full of the most inspirational & well recorded instrumentals & vocals you can imagine .I still have several pairs of JMLabs speakers(Cobalt 816 & Daline 3.1) that I would like to sell up here in Canada along with my newly acquired SR-17V3. The 17 are just a liitle bit too hard in the upper mids as I am very sensitive to sibilance plus at a real world 85 db efficiency & my low current tube amp I just can not get much in the way of dynamic range from these speakers .Not-with-standing a little sibilance(which most people don’t even notice) the speakers are amongst the best I have heard especially if I add a little of my top of the line Stratus series PSB modified sub to them from the pre out

.I also have some Analysis Plus Oval 12 cable & thier crystal oval IC which is the top of line in AP. The single wire arrangement Alan suggested sounded better than the biwire AP as well as thier IC. I am keeping the AP products because they sounded so good on both JML speakers & will sell the Silverline audio conductor cable along with the IC because it is obviously “voiced” for the17V3 .I need a slightly warmish smooth in the upper mids but accurate speaker(the Silverlines are dynaudio driver based & thus very musical & accurate) that is fairly efficient.

Well I think from all my research & many emails that I just described the Linbrook Signature Monitors from Tyler Acoustics. I talked to Ty, & he always seems to have some nicely broken in used ones that are still warrantied for around 2K.What a deal.I just need to sell the 17 around $1500 then one pair of JML about $750 each(they were in the $2300 range new 6 years ago)& I am into some Linbrooks. This may take me a while even though my speakers are on CAM(our Audiogon) up here but I am willing to be patient even it takes a year to complete the whole deal. I have to move slowly in that I am somewhat dependent on my adult son due to a illness I have,

I have several questions remaining about the Linbrooks however most of them to do with sonics have been answered by a never ending list of enthusiastic owners.

My first question is will these match up with my Tempest II ?.It does have a 4 ohm tap however only produces about 25 watts at 4 ohms in my favorite triode mode. Which will rival most SET systems I have heard..

I am need to get more bass which I am sure,l even at 25 watts should be there at abot 40 Hz obviating the need to use the sub except when one wants to R & R a bit..The amp is actually rated at 90 wps into 8 ohms but only produces about 60 into * ohms in regular mode .It uses 4 inexpensive KT88 output tubes that are independently biased which saves on matching tubes & allows for a little tweaking .Evidentially, these amps really respond to tube rolling, however that would come last.

I love this amp with the Creek as the two are very synergistic. If my Silverlines were just a tad less agressive in the uppermids (I had to put 500 hours on them just to get them to reasonable HF wise)& would play louder with more bass I would keep them as with a high powered SS amp & the right environment, cables,jumpers,perhapos a zodel ciciut, etc they would be fantastic.It’s just that I don't have the coin to make them sing the way they can plus I think I want something a little more mellow without losing a lot of detail & musicality..

Also ,how are the stands? I have some sand filled beefy 26 inchers however is it worth the money & the shipping (I live in Canada) to buy the stands? Are mine too high at 26"?.Does anyone have experience with the Rougue Audio tube gear or the analysis Plus cabling & the Linbrooks?

Any & all feedback would be welcomed

Bill Mc

Kelowna B.C.

Canada
audiopath49
jax2
3,031 posts
 
Interesting. I've had all three versions of Alan's SR17's and currently own the VIII as well. The VIII is certainly the most refined of the lot, and all have been very impressive, coherent speakers, so that is saying alot. I haven't had the same impressions of the upper mids, in either this version, nor any of the previous ones. I have had similar impressions of the speakers not quite living up to their 89db claimed efficiency. I don't know if I'd say they're as low as 85 though. My first thought was break-in, but 500 hours certainly covers that. I biwire as well, but haven't noticed much of a difference. I wonder if you just got yours, whether they are bone stock, or whether Alan incorporated the newer crossover from the V. IV? I've found the best results with the SR17's to come from throwing some power their way. I know they are voiced for tubes, according to Alan, but I've also had great results with at least two SS solutions, currently using a 180wpc Odyssey Dual Mono. If I asked anything of them, it would be to go a bit lower, though I'm still amazed at how low small boxes like these can go. I certainly can't complain about the quality of the bass though. No experience beyond that to convey, except to suggest trying something with more muscle behind them, tube or SS. Perhaps you have a friend with a system with more muscle that you could try them on. Speaker height should allign your ears with the tweeters by conventional wisdom. That will depend on your measurements and the seat you use to listen. My SR17's are on 28" stands.

Marco
audiopath49 OP
50 posts
 
Thanks Marco for your reply. Many have found the esotec driver to be sibilant both those who used it DIY & those with the DA 1.4 & the 17v3 .See some of the recent post under speakers on the audio asylum. It may well be that driving these speakers with lots of power effects the upper mids in the 2K to 4 K range where this phomenon occurs..My speakers were Alan's demos & were one of the first verson III made so i doubt that the vesion IV was used as a experiment .If you read the review of this otherwise excellent tweeter that is also in the new Sonata III in 6 Moons you will find thatthey too find the esotec driver a tad sibilant. I can put up with lack of dynamic range in that I listen to jazz,vocals & acoustical therefore the Bob Marley,Dire Straits & Stevie Ray CDs albums etc not being optimum are not a huge issues. If I could just rid them of this sibilance & I have tried everything, I would keep them. Overall they are the best ,clearest,cleanest,most dtailed & ultimately musical speaker I have ever heard or had inclding my original quad ELS & it almost unparalleled midrange. I really have a hard time with sibilance & if you read my posts on AA yo uwill see that riding myself of this amusical audio gemelin was the reason I went to soft domes & tubes & away from SS & two much beloved JMlabs speakers which I still have for sale & will have to let go for a song (if you will pardon the pun) up here in Canada.

In the final analysis I will go with the always smooth detailed & musical Linbrook signature monitors.

Bill
audiopath49 OP
50 posts
 
Please excuse the clumsy grammar & the typos. I may have a neurogenerative disease, however I am not really that dumb just a little tired & lazy. I post regularly & it is easy to spot my morning posts, usually on the asylum.

I have had many systems over the past 30 years and even moonlighted at several local highend stores over the many years I spent as a chemical dependency counsellor(how we spell it up here in Canada).I had a half descent system both in my office & group room with appropriate music for every topic and every piece of work a client would do in a group session .Music really is the universal lanquage & I often used it to great healing effect with clients .Now that I am a semi shut in, I just want to put together one more good system that I can use to help with my own healing & pass on to my eldest song who turned out to be a much better audio video salesman than me having set a number of national sales records in the two large box stores where he was both a salesman & a manger. He has a good ear & appreciates the good stuff as opposed to the midfi stuff that most people want...or think they want.

Anway ,I am off topic here. I would appeciate any & all feedback around the issues I am experiencing with sibilance & some of the questions I am asking about the Linbrooks.

BTW,I am currently using three 8 inch square concrete blocks per side as speaker stands (24”high) & some blue tak.I often thought that using a quality cement glue(any suggestions) plus adding a large 2 inch thick flagstone base that this would be a way to create a super heavy non-resonance speaker stand for less than $20 other than cometics (and one could use some black concrete paint ) & this could be a very effective speaker stand.Are there reasons you techies have out there why this would not work? .Are there other elements to add to the construction to improve the isolation? Perhaps concrete is not a good medium for some reason...your comments would be welcomed.

Bill
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I haven't had the same experience with ssssssibilance on the VIII's as you describe, but then I've always used the VIII's with at least 100wpc SS power. In previous encarnations I've had I've used tubes, and do recall at least one combination that produced distracting sibilance, but I cannot recall which combination and it's probably irrelevant as Alan used a different tweeter, didn't he? The V. IV I was referring to is the SR-17.5 actually. My VIII's are late production. Don't know if any changes took place, but I doubt it.

I used concrete blocks as amp stands for a while and they worked fine. For the amps I topped them with rubber anti-fatigue matt. I bolted 2X6 boards through the middle to cover the openings on either side. For a bit more investment you could do the same with your speaker stands. One 2X6 board on either open end of the cinder blocks with a bolt going through to squeeze one to the other. A single long piece and 2-4 such bolts would hold the unit together as a unit that you could move around. Countersink the holes, paint the boards black...do whatever you like to make'em look to your liking. Add spikes or rubber, or whatever works to make them more effective for your room. Sounds like a good, economical solution to me.
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