uglymusic's Scalford pix

uglymusic

 

Possibly the best sounding of the lot. Snell Js, driven by valves (looked like Audio Innovations integrated) and a Voyd with a humungous PSU (@Jim - can you supply any more info?)

The surprise of the show. HoopsOnToast's Philips CD850, Sony TA-F670ES and Keesonic Kolts on Target R2 stands. Sounded fantastic on some material - some of the best drum sounds we heard all day, would you believe?



Flapland's Toshiba DVD/Mac mini into Trichord Pulsar DAC, Michel Orbe/Audiomods vta/Lyra Delos and Whest PS-30R phono, Eastern Electric Avant pre or Passive TVC pre into Adam Compact Classic active speakers sounded pretty good.



(@Jim. Can you help me on this one, please?).



nigel c's MF xv8 and sep DAC, Linn turntable, MF XT100 and triple X170s into Hi-Fi News Transmission Line rebuild from the 70s.



russ abbott's Resolution Audio CD50, Voyd, CR Developments amp and Audio Note Es.



Karlinamillion and Voiceofthemysterons' B&O CD 7000, Modded Source TT/Trans-fi Arm/Goldring 2400/MF X-Phono, Tact 2.2x pre and S2150 power into JM Reynald Offrandes.



Myrman's Halcro EC800, Oracle Delphi III/SME V/Benz Micro Wood SL/Whest PS30RDT, Emille Ara and Zingali Overture 3Ss.



Amdismal and JVS's Nagra CDP, Oracle Delphi Mk5/Graham Phantom/Lyra Titan 1, Jeff Rowland Cadence, Coherence Mk2 pre and BPS2 with Coco-San 801A into Lampizator OBs.



Gromit's MacBook/MF V-Link/CA DacMagic, SL1210M3D/TimeStep HE/Vantage Audio Bearing/KAB Damper/2M Black, Sony ES amp and Royd Merlins & Dean Altos (love those Royds).



Baggawire's EAR Acute, Acoustic Solid Small/Cartridgeman Conductor/Cartridgeman Classic, Modified Canary CA-608, Border Patrol PSU, Yamaha NS1000M.



(I think) BoBC and Turning Japanese's TEAC VRDS 25, Garrard 401, Audio Note IO, AN6, Acoustic Masterpiece 201 or NAF 2A3 Integrated, Air Tight 211 Monos, Leben Power, Leben sexy pre, 12" Tannot GRF, 15" Tannoy GRF, active and passive.



i_should_coco, Speedysteve and MJ's Shanling transport & Lampizator DSC, Voyd Reference/Strain guage cartridge/DIY pre, Voyd Ref with Fidelity Research FR64s & IO gold, TVC, T-amp TA 2022, 2x Icon EL84, T-Amp TP60, Steve's DIY 5-way Horn Loudspeakers.



barney's dad's MF A1 CD Pro, Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace, Hadcock/Koetsu & NAS/Music Maker Mono, Eastern Electric Minimax & Art Audio pre & power, Quad ESL 989, REL T1 sub & Townshend supertweeters.



Uzinusa's MacBook/Young DAC, DIY Starfish, DIY NCC200, mini T-amp and Revel M22. My choice of the show, as it's very similar to, and nearly as good as my rig :-)

Docfoster

Brilliant Dave.
Thanks.

Gromit

Nice pics Dave - good to see some sharp, correctly exposed ones.

My little rig's System 10.

Uzinusa

I like the bass traps Gromit.  Wish I'd thought to try that as bass control was a tad difficult in my room (Sys 15).

uglymusic

Thanks both. I had recognised both of those.

Systems 4, 7, 8 and 9 will need a bit more work, and of course, I don't remember all the individual components in any of them. I'll need to find the sheet they gave us on the day. 

And, as for sharpness and correct exposure, you should have seen some that I chucked out. But that's the joy of digital 'innit?

Alan

Nice pics Dave, I'll have a root around the forums and see if I can see who owns what.

I hear those Merlins did the business again this year Richard - they don't seem to mind what amps they have up 'em. They were Bi-amped with A80/A40 when I heard them last and they were wonderful then. There is something about a really good standmount that even decent floorstanders cannot touch IMHO.

In that vein, what was your opinion on all the large Tannoys then? I remain unconvinced myself (but maybe I never heard a really good setup) - were all the big DC's providing audio nirvana?

uglymusic

Thanks Alan. Don't go to too much bother now. I haven't looked out my Scalford sheet yet.

I just wanted to get the pix up, partly to see what I had.

Alan

Scraped from other forums (fori? Furore? )

System 9: Amdismal & JVS

System 8: Myerman

System 7: karlinamillion & voiceofthemysterons

System 4 beat me!

PAC

System 13:  that's "Speedysteves" home built horn speakers, some SET amps, SP10,FR64's, and some T-amps.

One of the most phenomenal home built 'speaker set ups ever and beautifully engineered with incredible detail to response/phasing.  

uglymusic

Thanks Paul

Yup. I know that one - I never finished going through my Scalford sheet. Maybe I'll do some more now.

Unfortunately, the system didn't cut it for me. I can see what it was (seemed to be) about, but it was almost diametrically opposite to what I seek from a system. And maybe it just wasn't at its best in that room.

uglymusic

There we go. Finally all labelled. 

Please shout if I've got anything wrong.

karlinamillion

Pleased to see pics of my speakers here. I also had a Rotel RCD 1070 CD player on the go, plus a squeezebox Touch. The CD players & SB Touch were all going in digital to the Tact 2.2x then digits to the Tact 2150. The Tact way means there is no DAC in the normal sence of the word. Digits all the way!
The green digital display is the clock from the staff room of the very last branch of C&A's in the UK, for which i paid the princely sum of £5.

Alan

Hi Karl(?), thanks for stopping by. Your rig certainly looks very interesting, I would love to had been there to hear it.

Is the TACT gear Lyngdorf? Or at least similar? Also, without conventional D to A conversion, where is that taking place?

karlinamillion

Hi Alan,
Peter Lyndorf, to the best of my knowledge, designed all the Tact stuff & then later bought the European arm, & renamed it Lyndorf. The two companies have diverged as time has passed, but many of the products look identical bar the name badge. I believe there may be different algorithms going on inside, but the end result in both cases is the same, ie excellent sound.
The S2150 power amp has no DAC as normally thought of, TTBOMK it converts the digital signal to a pulse width modulated square wave (I think it's about 300kHz) which has the current to drive the speakers. The carrier frequency is filtered out with one inductor and one capacitor. So that LC filter is the nearest it gets to a DAC.
The 'pre-amp' is really a digital sorter, digits in, digits out, (plus a data cable telling the power amp the volume level) and, if its fitted, room correction. Mine also has a ADC input board.
I had a touch of room correction running at Scalford, there was a hump at about 60hz, which was smoothed out. I was very pleased with the sound, very non-hifi. Quite a few room visitors commented on how clean & fresh it sounded.

Alan

That is the key, isn't it - a 'non hifi' sound. I read good things too about your room at Scalford.

Thanks for explaining about Tact & Lyndorf, I knew nothing about them. TbH, I am struggling to grasp how it works staying within the digital domain. I have read on other forums arguments as whether it really is all digital or not, but the main thing is if it sounds good. Building room correction in is a good idea also.

uglymusic

I must say, I'm flummoxed, too. But, as you say, if it sounds good, WTH?

Gromit

Nice pics Dave, I'll have a root around the forums and see if I can see who owns what.

I hear those Merlins did the business again this year Richard - they don't seem to mind what amps they have up 'em. They were Bi-amped with A80/A40 when I heard them last and they were wonderful then. There is something about a really good standmount that even decent floorstanders cannot touch IMHO.

In that vein, what was your opinion on all the large Tannoys then? I remain unconvinced myself (but maybe I never heard a really good setup) - were all the big DC's providing audio nirvana?

Hi Alan,

To be honest, I've never been convinced by Tannoys - I appreciate they have their fans but having heard more than one or 2 I've yet to like them in any shape or form. They sound fine on old mono jazz recordings (which have limited bandwidth) and some rock music, but stick on anything more challenging recording-wise and they just come across as desperately coloured. Each to their own I guess.

uglymusic

There were a few rigs with that kind of disease, I thought. I'm not entirely sure that all of the old gear really stood up.

Jim

Nice pics Dave, I'll have a root around the forums and see if I can see who owns what.

I hear those Merlins did the business again this year Richard - they don't seem to mind what amps they have up 'em. They were Bi-amped with A80/A40 when I heard them last and they were wonderful then. There is something about a really good standmount that even decent floorstanders cannot touch IMHO.

In that vein, what was your opinion on all the large Tannoys then? I remain unconvinced myself (but maybe I never heard a really good setup) - were all the big DC's providing audio nirvana?

Hi Alan,

To be honest, I've never been convinced by Tannoys - I appreciate they have their fans but having heard more than one or 2 I've yet to like them in any shape or form. They sound fine on old mono jazz recordings (which have limited bandwidth) and some rock music, but stick on anything more challenging recording-wise and they just come across as desperately coloured. Each to their own I guess.

Can't help but agree Richard.  They do loud, they do deep but not much else I like.  Saying that a mate has a pair in a beautiful pair of DIY GRFs with refurbbed 15 Golds that are bloody good and are the closest I get to liking them a lot.  A lot of that could be the 401 though 
B-)

Uzinusa

I find the Autograph Mini quite alluring ... the treble just seems to shimmer and is rather magical.

Andy

karlinamillion

That is the key, isn't it - a 'non hifi' sound. I read good things too about your room at Scalford.

Thanks for explaining about Tact & Lyndorf, I knew nothing about them. TbH, I am struggling to grasp how it works staying within the digital domain. I have read on other forums arguments as whether it really is all digital or not, but the main thing is if it sounds good. Building room correction in is a good idea also.

The conversion of digits to a square wave with variable mark space ratio is a mathmatical algorithm. Removial of the carrier frequency is a simple low pass filter, leaving the original wave form behind.
This video, althogh it's about a USP with a pure sine wave out, explanes the pricible well.
watch 1.50 to 2.40 & 3.10-4.30

karlinamillion

Heres the link!
Mark space