La scala

Did you get to sample their Burmeister BC-350 or Gryphon Trident whilst there to compare ! . I agree in the lack of effort that’s made in room treatment optimisation in general , especially upon demo’ing speakers in that tax bracket. Shame nowhere to sample TAD Speakers which deserve high praise. Hope you get closer to finding your ideal speaker ear gasm …the hunt is the best part.

Oh wow, those Line Magnetic LM3 were music makers. The mood they create let’s you slip away into another realm. Sure their initial impression makes you thing it’s laid back with a mellow top end and other non musical aspects differ from what the Magicos offer such as black backgrounds , focus , spatial information and recording artefacts etc. But man o man these LM3 Horns take you away with their soundstage depth , life like dynamics and freaky transient response , however in such a relaxed ease that’s simply captivating. Their naturalness , harmonic resolution , tone colour and liquidity engages you intimately as only well excecuted horns can , it’s not Hi Fi anymore , I’d call it Lo Fi for Lovely Fidelity. If they were mine , I’d add to the top end / tweeter projection to match the glorious mid horn +++ . Be so much fun tuning these…still so much more potential to extract if so inclined and in doing so would potentially bridge any gaps in the qualities the Magicos offer to get the best of both worlds for truely incredible musical enjoyment. Love em … and thanks again Chan for a memorable experience. Happy days V

Thanks for making the time Chan to share your fab system , really enjoyed my time there and experience such well sorted setup of tasty gear and more than meets the eye , cheers Steve for sharing. Oh your room is superb , greeted with a nicely balanced enormous overall soundstage , scary good imaging , that has you on the edge of your seat and just enveloped in the sound while tracing the instruments pin point placements and more. Amazing how cupping ones ears to focus sound made such minimal difference ….it shows how well the numerous room treatments reward the Magicos and or whatever speakers to reside to really bloom in such well sorted environment. Later upping the anti with changing to the vintage Horns juiced with great vinyl transported me. To be continued … happy days

Oh us HornyTubers… A nice surprise visits from Mick today, reluctantly parting with classic gear he had great times with, Azura Bass Horns plus the almighty JBL 2360 Elephant ears sized Horns. Excited , Tuyen sure will put these to good use. Thanks for Launch and good vibes. A pic from early days from the Azura Boss Horn thread

A rather emotionally enticing vibe, with that Vocal being simply immersive via Horns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFRxxHxEkuo&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD

Thought id mention a spinny effect to concentrate ones system imaging proweness upon cupping ones ears with both hand behind ears. The centre images takes on a trippy clarity by funnelling some of the lost highs into ones flappers. Sure it'll cut out some unwanted room reflections also. Easy simply fun to try , just dont get too into it as per first pick ...

Satisfactory Room measurement correlation to actual desired sound quality seems a rather limited guarantee. Sure, its a brilliant tuning tool to see how ones room combines with ones Speakers and to id discrepancies, enabling to test out for positive remedies, wish things were that simple but ultimately ones ears are the final decider. Little article may be of interest to us System Tuners.. https://www.soundstageultra.com/opinion/20100501.htm

Horn spacing atm seem spot on at 1.65m apart , horns to bass X over at 500hz / 18db , the horns spacing roughly equals just over 2 X 500hz wavelength . This has achieved my goal to enjoy a solid centre image form speakers / horns to semi disappear , create a vast soundstage plus offer deep imaging. Note however some of this is going to be different on other horns / rooms etc …but maybe a starting point for a tight setup. The Cardas rule set up not ideal for horns. For desired bass, Ideally allow a whole wavelength if room allows. Some Pointers in found . Sound out the maximum off axis SQ on one horns outer limit and measure it , the Azura should be great for wide off axis integrity. If it’s say 1 m from horn edge then start with horns 2m apart and +/- from there till centre image blooms and horns start to disappear. . Sound out the horns sweet spot relative to placement height in your room . Width apart vs Toe in or out or extreme toe in , whatever you prefer, but once the horns are starting to disappear , is optimum . Aiming entire horn to Equal distance to ears , aim top edge , sides, and bottom horn edge equally. . bass posi / integration is another chapter , bass boxes do not have to be positioned directly under horn , the more point source and time aligned is the goal. The Geddes style open cell foam alters sound and easy to try and effective , Its a handy aid to tame comp drivers , throats initially.. Cheers Started out with JBL 2440 std alloy 2441 std alloy ant Ti 2445s . .

Think it’s time for a little horn post. Positive results and rewarding progress on the horn diy front, sounding like getting half way there ….. at time of attached vid , comparing horn spacing and diffraction panel positions effect. Recent highlights in modified horn driver being a single coaxial driver , The insane benefit in rounding off speaker edges to null those horrible edge diffractions , Off axis sound now remains greatly intact , imaging starts to bloom and coherence takes shape. Rounded horn edges , like Aries Cerat , Le Clac , Acapella horns sport aren’t just for looks nor qualify for the asking price tag , but rather essential . I am surprised not more recognise the edge diffraction effect , it’s extremely audible and surprisingly also very much on bass enclosures. Oh the effect of Room treatments is a whole new frontier , also with great effect. happy days

Russell I think I wasted 20 odd years on the different Power Amplifier merry go round. Sure Class A is great and declining from there , yet Tubes are for me for their speed and tone , anyhow… Assuming one’s Speakers , power amp and room treatments etc etc etc etc gives desirable synergy and touch on audio nirvana , it’s the pre amp that’s the magic maker. Yes power amps have evolved a great deal over the last 40 years or so , however not so much with pre amps. I’d say if you compare a $10k power amp to a $100k unit , it roughly may give a 20% improvement , yet listening to same scenario with pre amps , I find more like a 200% improvement. Workshop got the Conrad Johnson Premier 7 and home the ARC SP11 Mk11. Thought the Supratek Cabernet and Cortesse pre amps were amazing , but these vintage top shelf pre amps are radically amazing mind benders on what they bring out in the music. Keep us up with your progress in the new Basement , lucky , I’d love a basement too.

Pull the Linns out more till they disappear , nice deeper soundstage should be audible ++ that’s the fun part. Although long wall placement is much preferred , make most of what’s achievable closer together and equally away from your side walls. Good to see your winter snow pics and bet your excited having the basement , the roof panels should be complimentary for sound. Only recently retired your old Supratek Cortese , its was great and never missed a beat. Learned that in the end it’s in the pre amp. Get In to it , enjoy

If you get stuck i can possible help you at my shop in Dianella.

Have you tried adjusting the Level trim Pots at all ?

All the above would be a treat , have heard the Zu on 300b really pleasant. Fairly nice affordable speaker that comes to mind are the Wharfdale Lintons. Also look at the the old Klipsch Cornwall. Yes all the set friendly Speakers won’t be compact however.

Earthing certain HIFI Components can respond well to SQ gains, some are even fussy excactly where on the chassis it’s placed. Gives more ease and insight to the sound in spades. Have had a Copper coated metal 1.5m Rod in the home system for 15 years or more before it gained traction. Some of the Alloy framed speakers the Germans release feature an Earthing terminal nowadays. Thanks to my mentor for all the nitty grittys - Roy Chan , RIP.

The Peavey Horn Model is unknown, very vintage large format unit, however came loaded with the Peavey A/A - 4000T monster sized 4" voicecoil compression driver, a rare and surprising unit that to my ears sounds far superior for Hi Fi to others i have on hand such as the normally famed genuine diaphragmed JBL 2240, 2241, 2425s.

The Daft Punk video sounds pretty spot on. You tube audio vids work well enough to determine what’s going on , I think it’s rather handy and offers good insight , well done. Been playing around with a similar 402 sized horn on top of the old La Scalas , sounding much easier on the ears via the large mid horn. Be nice to have another BMS Coaxial comp driver to play with in the workshop system as much prefer the point source arrangement over multiple horns for mids and highs.

My old 59 looks very similar , about as much HP as my Set Amps , yet tons of Drive / Torque that delights. It’s a keeper , much prefer the joy of taking in the rides surroundings than getting gobsmacked with adrenaline these days. Sold the Hypersonic License muncher last week end.

Yeah try the Passive route , you can maintain a smaller box, tune the resonant freq with altering cone weight on the radiator by adding modelling clay etc , unless you score a tuneable radiator , be a fun diy project for tidy bass. Something I’d like to try soon myself.

Off to work on a 43 degree Roaster….sure you want to come Tula ? Of course Reached a balmy 40 degrees with the Evaps and Fans spinning , at least the Office sheltered her.

Agree with a moveable panel on the RHS near first reflection be worth a trial . Biggest evil is the poor old TV screen , soundstage and imaging takes a hard hit till speakers are 1/3 or so into one’s room , a limited luxury for most. So much fun treating the room , when it at gels the overall SQ gains are priceless.

Kiki’s shading came out beautifully with her maturity , wow doesn’t time fly….

Be a nice NewYears eve party at studio 23 , but just too hot and too shagged this year. I envy my Berlin friends with their effort and clusters of vintage TMS 3 Turbosound full range horn boxes in pic below , Man , it surely be great Happy Days and Happy New Year 2024