My weekend

Poor James is bound to be a bit restless. He's just learnt that all those ferrous spikes need replacing with stainless steel ones. Otherwise, Mana is horribly compromised. It just doesn't ring properly, even using the knee-jerk method. Nonetheless, we should all hang on every word of James's speaker experience. After all, it includes a pair of Epos and some giant studio monitors and, er, that's it.

 

Pot-kettle-black, Merlin.

And there are some systems out there which are considerably better than others, but I'm not allowed to say which ones.

Hi Alex,

Well I've heard your tin things (dire), various Isobariks (highly variable), Paul D's Dyns (excellent), ART things (promising), various Naim speakers (dire), Quad ESL 63s (excellent), Linn Saras (dire in one instance, good in another), Spendor SP100s (dire in a bad room), Rogers LS7s (hmmm), ... need I go on? I've been a hi-fi geek for over 20 years, and I've heard a lot of stuff.

 

well said merlin.

 

And there are some playground scooters out there which are considerably better than others, but I'm not allowed to say which ones, Billy said.

 

I know chaps, why don't we remove the sticky at the top of the page 'my kit' and instead post a picture of our colonel's along with a verified measurement, can I perhaps suggest a signed note from a female who's not your mother.
Then we will all know who has the biggest todger, and there will be no need for exhibitionism of the order we're currently seeing
I thank-you

 

Jeez, I'm only giving an opinion! The truth really DOES hurt if you must resort to calling it willy-waving.

 

Tony no brown belts in ITF TKD next belt is black tags then black, bit rusty had a year out due to work commitments so a bit stiff, slow and inflexible at the mo, My we mate Sean McGoldrick (was Scottish champ four times)is small fast and deadly, the wee bampot can still do about 100 pressups in a minute and he's just turned 43,may take you up on your offer but the girls would beat me at the mo, too may fags and too much time sat on my arse, I'll wait till my fitness improves, also got to brown belt in Judo many moons ago then discovered beer and birds, ridge hand one of me faves especially if you dummy a backfist first, spinning back kick my fave weapon of choice, what is yer particular discipline oh and TKD is prolly better than yours, better IMO than older MA's as so many angles of attack. i prefer the art side than the sparring(getting old you know) and not as healthy a competition circuit up here as there is south of the border, Does Frank Murphy (6th dan) not have some clubs down your way. Our style much like his, Sean nicks a lot of stuff from other disciplines especially close contact stuff.

Bub you really don't like bass do you quad esl's no bass to go into floor. So will it sound ok sans ****?

 

"Bub you really don't like bass do you quad esl's no bass to go into floor. So will it sound ok sans ****?"

Hi Paul,

I love bass, but in the air, not in the floor. I think the reason for your midrange muddle is that the bass modules are energising your floor - you can feel the floor shaking around. The system sounded a lot more coherent with the bass modules disconnected.

Have a good listen on Friday.

 

The truth eh bub, the truth is that you have self admitedly not heard the Kestrals, so your talking shit.

 

I don't think I mentioned the Kestrals, whatever they might be. My point was, and is, that, in general, pro speakers are far better than "hi-fi" speakers because the latter tend to have lifts in both the bass and treble. The engineers NEED to hear what is going onto the master: their reputations depend on it.

Then it comes down to whether you want to hear what's on the recording, or whether you choose to compromise sound quality for looks.

The same goes for expensive, machined front panels/knobs/flashing lights/etc on amplifiers, CDPs, and the rest. Looks great, but the customer has to pay for the looks, and gets inferior sound (per pound) as a result. B&O have made a career out of the lifestyle look.

 

Meadowlark = Manufacturer
Kestrals = Model

Apart from that i do agree with what you, to an extent.
But in fairness James, you have jumped on my happy times with a size 12boot and yet have not heard the speakers in question.

Wish there was an accelerated run in process.

 

Well I didn't mean to, I'm just surprised that the Dynaudios (if they are pro models, which I don't know) didn't walk all over them.

I genuinely hope that you like the new speakers. 750 hours run-in has got to be nonsense, though. Don't 'cane them' during the run-in, btw.

 

James,
The shearwaters really did take over 3 months of permant use to come on song, I nearly ditched because they were just so ordinary, yet pursiverence paid off, but it took ages, pretty much 500 hours, the shearwater manual recommends at least 300 hours
750 hours (B/H 2's have twice the drivers the Shearwaters have) is the time I've had the radio hooked upto them playing 24/7, at modest volume levels, so not at concert hall levels.
I've checked them from time to time, and they're changed every time I've done this.

Review snippets

"The Shearwater is a stickler about its room placement, requires an incredibly long breakin, and errs slightly toward the dark side of tonality. The Hot Rod Shearwater is likewise a widely applicable high performance speaker system that images like a demon."

"Swooning in a Sepia Glow
For the Shearwaters' initial break-in period, Meadowlark suggests at least 300 hours! Over time, I observed how the tweeter's performance grew sweeter and more open, while the bass driver's focus grew firmer and more dynamic. Thereafter, week by week, they had a greater sense of ease, balance, and focus, which translated into improved midrange lucidity with a commensurate increase in depth and detail"

Sometimes James, things really do happen as peoplesay they do.

 

James,
The Dyns are Contour 1.1, so not pro i believe.
Final judgement is a way off yet, I will decide when things have settled in.
I do like the Dyn's, but they weren't room filling enough for me. I also listen at lower volumes quite often, and unfortunatly the Dyn's just cant do that, and that was the crunch to be honest.
I hope i like them aswell, i think (from what i have gleemed between the lines) that 250 hours should be seeing them come on song.

 

Goosfraba.....goosfraba....goosfraba...... :MILD:

 

"Sometimes James, things really do happen as peoplesay they do."

Yes, only never with Mana, Tony.

 

no mana goes the other way - the more you use it the more out of tune it goes
cheers


julian

 

I think it's Kestrel - as in the bird of prey

 

But im from Bristol innit,
so it is a Kestral

 

Enjoy your mid-fi, Jules, because that's the way it'll stay without Mana.