Single driver full range speakers

[miklorsmith]

Very nice - the doped paper cones and battery Tripath thing is super - I'm doing the same myself.

[richidoo]

I agree, paper has something that no other transducer can match. Call it distortion if you want, I don't care what it is I like it.  Hoping to hear Red Wine amp soon.

[jrebman]

Michael,

Yes, those Lamhorns are very, very nice, and of course, way out of my budget .

I predict you will love the 30.2 -- it's really a completely different animal from the previous RWA Signature amps, and in very good ways.

Are you in CO yet?

-- Jim

[miklorsmith]

I agree, paper has something that no other transducer can match. Call it distortion if you want, I don't care what it is I like it. 

Funny - "distortion" is probably just what the engineering-only folks would call it.  Their loss, it sounds like music to me.

[richidoo]

I like Charles Altmann's take on it. C37, Mother of Tone and all...

Charles Altmann

[canyoneagle]

Hi Jim, WOW, what a memory!!!!
Nope, we're not in CO quite yet, although we are closer.  We moved to Sandy, Utah (Salt Lake Valley), and are about 4.5 hours away - close enough to go camping, etc on odd weekends.  My son and I were hiking the land last weekend and came across two newborn bear cubs, about 15 feet off the trail in some heavy sage & rabbitbrush!  No momma in sight, but I'm certain she was close.

Those Maxhemps are SUPER nice.  I sat and listened for a while last night, tweaking the positioning, etc.  I talked to Louis (ordered some cables) and he gave me some pointers, and also mentioned that the Siggie will have alot more bass than my Clari-T knockoff, so what works for me now may not work with the Sig.  I anticipate the Sig to be delivered today or tomorrow.  Woohooo!

Once the cables arrive (Hudson 'R' interconnects and speaker cable), I'll be set for quite a while, and will venture into some DIY speaker projects for fun - horns and OB mainly.

[miklorsmith]

That's a real music lover's setup, one to forget about the gear and upgrades and all that.  Settle in and spin!  It's OK to take a break to report back on findings though.   

[canyoneagle]

The system is DEFINITELY a music lover's delight, and it is still coming together.
My wife said that a box from Red Wine Audio arrived today, which is my newly purchased 30 with the 30.2 mods. /  I had the previous owner send it to Vinnie directly, so I've never "met" it yet.
Needless to say I'm counting the minutes before I leave work!!!!!!!!
Then it'll be time to grab a good handcrafted ale, and slip the 30.2 into the system 

Right in time for the weekend!

Warmly,
Michael

[miklorsmith]

Awesome.  You're gonna love it.

[richidoo]

Michael, enjoy your new toy. I can't wait to hear about it....

[canyoneagle]

HOLY CRAP, that sig 30.2 is amazing!
The maxhemps are 96 dB sensitivity, but the extra headroom that the siggie provides with its 30w versus the 6w of my Clari-T knockoff makes a HUGE difference with dynamics.  The sound quality is markedly better than the little DIY amp too.  Much warmer and more engaging, with incredible depth and richness.

I sat in amazement for 4 hours last night, spinning CD's on the Rega and lossless files on the iMod.

I be one happy camper.

So, with that prelude, I can say I am mightily impressed with the bass response (in addition to that intoxicating midrange) that these single-drivers are producing.  Mightily impressed.

Mightily.

These might even sound better than Bose   

Some of my reference tracks for bass response, overall smoothness and soundstaging/imaging:
- Mickey Hart, Planet Drum tracks 7 and 8 (track 7 is excellent for checking for boominess and rolloff - the max's were awesome on this track - NO discernable rolloff on the deep bass (low 30's))
- Loreena McKennitt - Ancient Muse, track 2 (gates of Istanbul)
- Antonio Forcione - Acoustic revenge (Naim CD) - "Heartbeat" - very well recorded acoustic guitar
- Dead Can Dance - "Indus" (Spiritchaser album)
- Beck - "No Complaints"
- Four Tet "You could ruin my day" and "she moves she"
- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master and Everyone, Track 8
- K'Naan - Dusty Foot Philosopher, Track 13

Anyway, these speakers are proof (to me) that single driver speakers CAN be full-range, and relatively affordable.

Warm regards,
Michael

[richidoo]

Congrats Michael, you did good....  Enjoy!

[canyoneagle]

Ahhh, yes.  I have been enjoying the new setup.
WAF is there, too.  Kathy LOVES the Max's and the amp and has remarked on the quality of the sound.
She was hypersensitive to the 'shoutiness' of the hemptones with the little amp.  I could hear it too, but those speakers sounded soooooo nice, the shoutiness never became an issue for me.
However, the Max's are much smoother, especially with the siggie.

The hemptones are currently boxed up, but I've considered bringing 'em out to see how the gel with the sig 30.2.

Anyway, I'm still dialing in the positioning on the Max's

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I've posted my listening room layout over at AC on the Omega discussion under "New (used) Maxhemps".

I just had dinner tonight with my ex-boss/fellow audio nut (who just offered me a job in Coer D'Alene), and I'm going to be heading over to his place for some listening before he moves to Idaho.
He has replaced his vinyl-driven, super high dollar two-channel setup with a high-tech multi-channel rig with Wilson/Mark Levinson gear on all corners.  Should be interesting.   

Okay, time to go sit and listen.

Warrmly,
Michael

[richidoo]

I read your AC posts. Sounds fun Michael. The 16 foot peak is an acute angle to the vertical wall right? That is a nasty spot for double reflections, and is a big horn aimed right at your head, so the mud gets amplified toward you. Consider a row of 8th nerve rectangles to quiet that giant horn at the source. Or cheaper is a strip of 12" wide x 1-2" absorbtion covered in fabric placed on either the ceiling or wall surface adjacent to the joint. You would really hear the difference. Corner distortion is wicked, and acute angles are even worse. The frequencies that are most annoying for corner distortion are midrange up to lower treble, and their frequencies are short enough that you can stop their being ruined from the double wall bounce with a strip of absorbtion just wide enough to catch their wavelength. The corner creates phase distortion in that mid frequency range. Only one surface needs to be treated to stop the bounce. You will have to think up funny tales to tell your visitors. "Ventilation system" or "convertible roof latch."

SOunds like you are getting some bass reinforcement from the front wall. That's a good thing. But for kicks try pulling the speakers out away from the wall, maybe 4-6 feet and move in closer to them, maybe only 6-8 feet away, with a pretty wide spread, at least 90 degrees. WIth a single way speaker you can get in that close, and with such a good amp imaging won;t fall apart when you spread em wide. You will lose some bass, but I think the improvement of tone and soundstaging and the reduction of front wall reflection in your mental "mix" might be enjoyable if not even better overall than the bassier position close to the walls. You never know, but with light speakers it is fun to try. Kathy's decorating taste may not agree though!!

As I posted in Ken's thread, I like to start the toe setting with the drivers pointing straight at me, then roll them out slowly until good compromise between soundstage width and image density. It all changes with seat position and wall distance though... Some speakers even like to cross beams in front of the seat.
Have fun!!
Rich

[canyoneagle]

Great stuff, thanks!
The ceiling/wall angle is acute.  In fact, it's adorable.   

I'll experiment with some methods to treat that area.  The vertical wall above the listening position is mostly covered with a long killim (flatweave) carpet, but it is unlikely that it is making much difference with the horn effect.

It is interesting you mention the speaker positioning - I was messing around last night and moved the speakers further from the back wall - about 26"-28" to the rear of the pedestals (36" to the front of the speakers) and liked the change in the sound.  I'll pull them even further today and do some listening.

My former boss has software package where you can model your room (surfaces, shapes, etc) and it will optimize the speaker positioning and recommend treatments.  Sounds pretty cool if only to mess around.

Thanks again for the great info.
Warmly,
Michael