mulveling

The W11jpn isn't at all weak in the bass department, but the L3000 has significantly more power, depth, speed, and texture to it. It's a pretty substantial difference IMO, and contributes to the greater sense of lifelike dynamics in the L3000. Also, I did have some strange issue with the W11jpn where I found it fatiguing to listen to at times...like there was some sort of spike in the upper mids/lower treble. The L3000 is utterly smooth, refined, and non-fatiguing across the spectrum. But then you all know I'm an L3000 fanboy so take my opinions with a grain

Would there any electrical issues with using my old-chassis SDS as a preamp in my speaker rig? As I splurged on the speakers and power amp, I'm not immediately going to have the funds for a high quality dedicated preamp. The SDS doesn't have RCA outputs, so I've been using a 1/4" -> RCA Y cable from the headphone output. My current SS monoblocks have an input impedance of 33K, the new tube monos I have on the way will be 100K. Would the output impedance of the SDS be a concern for preamp duties? I've got the 5687 output tubes in my SDS; can I assume those will be better than the 6sn7 for preamp use as well? I have briefly tried this (lesson learned - keep volume at 0 while starting the system up), and sonically it's definitely a bit sweeter than the Sugden Headmaster - the best thing about the Sugden is the remote. Before I continue I wanted to make sure this was safe for the tubes, amp, especially speakers, and also that it's technically kosher. Is it still ok for use with for interconnects 2m in length? Thanks! BTW I did have a Singlepower Square Wave on loan for a while, and it did a SUPER job as a preamp! Unfortunately it's gone now Heh, I need to write some impressions on that amp soon.

Heh, Eyris DC3 on steroids - that's actually an excellent way of describing the sound! Yeah, I always liked those Eyris - incredibly musical. Missed them dearly once I sold 'em. I signed up on audiogon since the retail price of $8K/pr is too hard to handle $4.5K shipped for the TD10's with the TDC center. That center weight almost 75 lbs, btw, and features 3 8" drivers (one of them dual concentric) plus a super tweeter - what a beast! Don't know what I'm going to do with the center yet - I figure I could sell it for at least $1800, making the deal on the TD10's alone quite a bargain IMO.

Ah, but Kef was founded in 1961. From what I've heard, Tannoy started manufacturing dual-concentric drivers in 1947 http://www.44bx.com/tannoy/

In the pics above, note how these are not like the average bear: * trapezoidal cabinet design * note the twin-roll fabric surround on the main driver, in contrast to the ubiquitous rubber surrounds * the main driver is a 10" dual-concentric with the tweeter horn-loaded into the throat of the woofer (the thing on the top is a super tweeter that only handles signal above 16kHz). All 3 drivers are positionally time-aligned. * super tweeter thingy on top is carved out of solid metal block * black velvet covering much of the front surface - this also helps damp reflections from the super tweeter

Here are the pics:

Sold my Legacy Signature III's last week and so was without floorstanding speakers for a total of, oh...3 hours before I hopped on audiogon and dealt a perilous blow to my unwitting Visa Now my speaker ownership history looks like this (* indicates previous favorites): Ascend Acoustics 340, 170 Polk LSi 15, 9 *Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitors *Tannoy Eyris DC3 Tyler Linbrook Signature Monitors *Legacy Signature III Tannoy Dimension TD10 <-- new So yesterday my new Tannoy Dimension TD10's arrived. They are very "interesting" looking - I love 'em I'll try to get some pics up soon. I really should get them in a bigger room than the one they're in, but I've had enough experience with other speakers in this room to make somewhat valid sonic judgements so far. The Tannoy Eyris DC3 I previously owned is positioned (significantly) under the Dimensions in the Tannoy line. I loved the Eyris - sweet, coherent sound that was incredibly well integrated from top to bottom. Great tone, slightly warm mids, and the sound didn't get messy when the music got fast and furious (great PRaT). Superb imaging and soundstage were also its hallmark. The Legacy Sig III's definitely killed the Eyris in bass slam and edged 'em out in transient response. Too bad the Sig III's were damn near impossible to satisfy in terms of amplification and room. Often something seemed slightly off, like the transitions between drivers wasn't exactly perfect. I probably heard them at their "best" a few times and something felt "off" every other time. When they're off the imaging is pretty bad and easily localized to the big boxes themselves. At their best, it's pretty good. Under ideal conditions I'd definitely rate the Sig III above the Eyris DC3 and Taylo monitors, but they never sounded great out of anything less than the Parasound Halo A21 or JC-1 amps (oddly, they sounded quite horrendous out of a 1200W/ch Sunfire). The Tyler Acoustic Taylo monitors had the cleanest, snappiest mids of all 3, and imaging/soundstage was up with (if not slightly better than) the Eyris. Unfortunately, being monitors, they had no bass extension or impact to speak of. These new TD10's seem to take the basic Eyris DC3 sounds, improve upon it noticeably in all areas (especially transient response) and add in serious bass slam without weakening the top-to-bottom integration. The TD10's look to be the undisputed best of the lot, as well they should be given the retail price of $8K. Looking forward to giving them a real workout in the coming weeks. I've got some VAC Auricle tube monos on the way that I plan to run them off of - I've got a nagging feeling they'll pair better with tubes than the high-powered sand of these JC-1 monos (plus I'm sick of lugging the 150lbs JC-1s every time I change rooms/setup). I've also heard the $1K/pr Tannoy Sensys DC1 monitors at the local hifi shop, and they're just killer for the price, IMO (can get them for like $640 online). I'm becoming a big fan of the Tannoy dual-concentric speakers.

For a non-single driver alternative, look at the Tannoy Sensys DC1. The Tannoy dual-concentrics are definitely worth a listen - the main tweeter is actually located in the throat of the woofer, so it approximates a point source and you get near perfect time alignment, super imaging, etc. The tweeter you see on top is a time-aligned super tweeter that handles from 16kHz to 50kHz. At 88db/Watt it's not as efficient as the single-drivers, but in your room for nearfield listening, 18 quality Watts at 88db/Watt should be more than sufficient. Haven't heard a single-driver speak yet (well, other than headphones), but I listened to these Tannoys when I went to pick up my SOTA turntable at Audio Atlanta. The dealer hooked my SOTA up to the DC1's with a PS Audio GCA-250 plus a Rogue pre, and plopped down a 30+ yr old classical vinyl. What a performace - it sounded awesome! Definitely was a pleasant surprise for $1K speakers (less at discount); I wouldn't have expected that sort of performance at all. http://www.tannoy-speakers.com/s.php?product=129&title=Sensys+DC1&s=26 $640/pr here; not sure about warranty though: http://www.audiophileliquidator.net/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=41&products_id=1046

Wow, time limits for edits, eh? Not a bad idea really Also wanted to add: I'd already sold the R10 when I got my turntable; I admit that I kind of wish I'd heard them together. I've since become a full-blown vinyl junkie and I believe vinyl excels in spacial cues, soundtstage, and tone, all of which play into the R10's strengths. Vinyl has really opened up the HD650, and I wonder if it would do similar for the R10.

Hello all! I was in a similar position last year, with L3000 on my head and R10 in my mind. I found a lot to love about the R10. Incredibly natural, beautiful tone. Soundstage & imaging that almost defies the limits of a headphone. Detail & resolution that beats out anything that's not a Qualia 010. But damn, the L3000 is quite the powerhouse with hard rock/progressive rock and metal (think Jethro Tull, older Rush, Iced Earth, Iron Maiden), which I've found myself listening to more in the last year. The L3000 is capable of a muscular, meaty sound that keeps pace perfectly with this kind of music. The R10 makes this music sound malnourished by comparison. It's also incredibly difficult to drive properly - probably the most difficult headphone I've ever owned. Don't even think about driving these with a 3x 6sn7 Singlepower - the bass will significantly distort during crescendos if you listen loud. With the 5687s in my SDS, the distortion is kept in check but at the expense of some soundstage and "midrgange magic". I know that recently popular tube complements are more optimal and Purk has found some amazing combos. With his upgraded/modified SDS (at additional expense) things should be much better, though I haven't spent much time with his new system yet. I can get impatient with gear and these cans just weren't ideal for my music & my amp. I bought them based on their performance with classical/opera (which is stunning), but as soon as I needed the money for something else, the $4K offers were starting to look really good. So, in the end I sold them after perhaps 4 months of ownership. By contrast I know I'll always own at least 1 L3000 - it's a better fit for my music preferences, system, and sonic ideals. I'm back to the L3000 as my main cans, with HD650 and Qualia 010 for backup ALSO keep in mind there are at least two different-sounding types of R10 floating around. One version is a bit light on bass. The other version has even less bass (significantly less) but supposedly carries the advantage of a larger soundstage and slightly sweeter mids. I have heard both types, but owner the former type (more bass) and my comments mainly pertain to that. I wouldn't have liked to own the less-bass type at all. Typically most of the R10s over serial number 350 are the more-bass type, and below that they're pretty much only the less-bass type.