Topic: audio room pics, revisited

[Nick's Picks]

I just read a *very* good review about the Vdac from MF in this months stereophile
http://www.musicalfidelity.com/products/vseries/vdac.html
its cheap too.  relatively speaking.

[Gutbucket]

Yeah 'desk in the way' is one reason I mentioned the tilt possibility.  If you get a bug about it you could throw a blanket or something over the desk when listening from the chair, might help.

I like a bit wider spread of the speakers as long as they image well enough to support a strong center at that width.  More like an equilateral triangle / 60 degrees apart (same distance to each speaker as between them) or even a bit more.  All depends.  The toughest problem I've had in similar looking rooms in the past is bass nodes.  I can move things to get the imaging right, but nice flat bass curves are tougher. I've considered trying stacks of fiberglass insulation rolls in the corners as bass traps but i've never done it. 

I'll bow out now to Nick's experienced ear with whore-loads of different speakers including MLs.

[Nick's Picks]

ELS logans are an entirely different beast though.  you use a flashlight on your head to dial panels in.  true true, got that direct from ML's techs as *the absolute best way* for the electorstats to be setup.
but...thats another tale for another day.

whore loads.
yup, thats me

[Jimna]

I'll bow out now to Nick's experienced ear with whore-loads of different speakers including MLs.

i think i need to finish the break in before i scrutinize the bass to much, although i see a huge difference in the bottom when they are loud compared to quiet.  i just repositioned them again, thanks for all the help.  now i need to find something to gain tilt....


days off in the man cave = me happy.

[Colin Liston]

Some pictures of cool setups here:

http://i.gizmodo.com/5216733/130-audio-setups-that-will-make-you-very-very-jealous

[mfrench]

I've been agonizing over this all week - and I just pulled the trigger!




Its a Thorens TD-146 semi-automatic TT
yeah,... I know, semi-automatic,......
I have my motivations,..
This is going in my bedroom. So, I'm either going to lay down and fall asleep, or (more likely), Sarge will distract me and call me out of the room, and I'll forget all about the table spinning away. 
So, this deck has an autolift and auto shutoff system built into it at the factory.  If it dies, the table reverts to a normal manual table. Its an optical-sensor lift.
I like some automation in my tables. I even mounted a tonearm lifter on my Rega TT ::shrugs::

This Thorens table has been refurbished, lubed, new belt, comes with a new heavy duty 16v power supply, has been rewired to be an RCA output pair on the rear of the deck (rather than the typical cheesy oem hardwired cables of the day). The bottom-plate has been upgraded from cardboard to 1/2" HDF. An anti-static mat has been included, as well as an rca cable pair, and disc washing supplies.
Its friggin immaculate!
I'm pretty damn stoked right now!

[terrapinj]

very nice!

i miss the auto-return from my cheap technics table

that thorens looks pretty cherry

[mfrench]

Those pics are the sister deck to the one that I bought.  The guy selling it has assured me that the deck that I'm getting is 100% its equal, as far as its condition, and, has all the mentioned upgrades.  The pictured deck does not have the auto-functions.
I hit Ebay, looking for decks, and, came on this listing.
I asked him about the functionality of the auto-function of the deck, and was told that it did not have that feature (it has to be factory installed, with the factory oem arm). He told me about the deck that he had that was the clone of this one, and it did have the functioning features, and was equally upgraded and refurbed. He's guaranteed my satisfaction with it, cosmetically, and functionally.
We've been discussing it all week, and he's been really responsive at every step, and I feel I can trust his judgement, and character at this point - and his feedback is 100%, so,...

I know what you mean about missing the auto-functions.  I had them for a long time with my technics deck, and the Rega Planars are all manual. It took me quite a bit to get used to lifting the arm off manually.  When I got the tonearm lifter, quite frankly, I've loved it! unfortunately, it was one of ten, from a small production run built by a guy in the phillipines, and is not easily accessible, if available at all.

[nickgregory]

nice Mike.  I actually have a Thorens TD165, which I flat out love.  It honestly was a nice improvement over the Rega I had.  I think the highs and lows are more accurately reproduced on a suspension type table.  Only complaint I have with it is I really want a tonearm lift for it (similar reason that you had mentioned) and they are hard to come across...

[mfrench]

nice Mike.  I actually have a Thorens TD165, which I flat out love.  It honestly was a nice improvement over the Rega I had.  I think the highs and lows are more accurately reproduced on a suspension type table.  Only complaint I have with it is I really want a tonearm lift for it (similar reason that you had mentioned) and they are hard to come across...

We should look into a group buy.
I have the contact information for the fabricator of the lifter that I have the "TonaL" (acronym for for TonearmLifter).
Its a fabulous piece! But its not cheap, at $100 when I got mine last year, and, possibly more to talk him into doing another batch.
I'm telling you what,... its just the greatest little piece of gear that I've bought in years!! And the engineering and fabrication of it are nothing short of swiss watch caliber fabrication - an amazing thing.

going to fetch some information,.... check back.

maybe a group buy might convince him to build more? there is a market for them out there, I know!!

[nickgregory]

definitely something I would be interested in...the thorens version that isnt manufactured anymore can be found online at times for $125 and up...

[mfrench]

here is a sideview of Mandy's work, the TonaL
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=1445303#post1445303

It has a brass counterweight to reload it. The opposite end has a rare earth magnet and there is also a corresponding magnet that is attached to the tonearm. The little "leg" that extend 90º is a tripping mechanism. As the tonearm reaches the run out groove,  the trip lowers the TonaL magnet, which attracts to the tonearm magnet, and lifts it. Built in stop screws within the Tonal allow for fine adjustments.

I have a working vid of mine posted,... let me fetch the link,...

My TonaL, in action:
http://www.tapers.org/mfrench/tonal_arm_lifter/tonal_tonearm_lifter.avi
This vid is from when I first installed it. I've since made the fine adjustment that lifts the tonearm more smoothly and higher from the platter. It now lifts as high as my cuing lift, far clear of the record surface.
Look to the rear of the tonearm to see the action!

fat fingered the crap out of this one ::laffs::

[Tim]

purty

[nickgregory]

so made some recent changes, getting a new ikea shelf for record storage, adding a VPI16.5 and adding a new dedicated AC unit to my third floor:



cleared this unit out...so now I have room for expansion for vinyl



and here is a long shot of the room...that minisplit AC unit you see towards the ceiling is new as well...love it...easy way to add AC to the floor (the unit covering the 2nd and 3rd floors just wasnt big enough and if I wanted to upsize it and dual zone, it would have cost twice what putting the minisplit up there did)

[mfrench]

I went from this:


to this:


The changes are:
New TV. The Sony LCD turned out to be a great POS, and needed to be replaced.
So we went to a wall hanging Vizio 55"
This freed up the library table for my new Lenco L75 turntable custom build.
The 'books' are 78 record album sets, as well as the ones on the floor. These represent the smallest fraction of the 78 collection that I bought.