ribbon hybrids..

I'd just be a little wary of the combination of switching amp with low-impedance speaker, not only from the frequency response point of view, but the damping factor will be quite limited due to the relatively high output impedance of switching amps. It could work perfectly well, but it might not.

 

The only fly in the ointment Chris would be that you'd have to get rid of the valves. Why would you want to do that?

 

How about JJs Lumley Lampros series?

They've got ribbon tweeters but I'm not sure if they're rear ported or not. I know that some of the models have a rear firing driver so perhaps not room placement friendly.

The 200 series 2 are just outside your budget at list and the 300 S2 is quite a bit more, but he may have some ex dem s/h ones floating about. He's always a man to do a deal so it can't hurt to ask, particularly over the slow summer months.

reg :Quad:

 

Hi! He has some 300 series (cancelled order apparently) for 3,500. I reckon he'd drop to 3,000. (5,000 new).

Im interested in them as it looks a lot of speaker for the money, but I know a lot of forum people have heard them and found them a bit lacking. Id like to visit and make my own mind up (which I might do) but in truth its still too dear..

Mike - I think that valves really shine with sensitive speakers, and if I had to leave the clarity of single ended valve amps in favour for something chunky and meaty, Id rather go with a solid state or digital powerhouse..

Whats really stopping me is guilt about doing up my place with the money instead!

:S theres no answer to that quandry!

but if I can work it so it doesnt cost me a penny - just by selling and buying used then theres no reason why not..

 

chris,
the lampros speakers image like nothing else i've heard really awesome but they aren't the most lively speakers around. definately worth a listen if you can get down there.
cheers


julian

 

Hi Chris,

There are a pair of Martin Logan Aerius I loudspeakers at Midland Audio Exchange going for £1399. I don't know if these will fit the bill. May be worth a listen. They are in the special offers section.

http://www.midlandaudiox-change.co.uk/

SCIDB

 

Thanks Dean!

I think I need to do some auditioning (difficult with models no longer in production)..

Currently I dont know if Id prefer quads, Martin Logans, Apogees, some sort of hybrid or indeed what I already have !! :O

A good starting point seems to be visiting the hifiguy in Brighton. He currently has Martin Logans, apogees, maggies and some ribbon hybrids like the proac future .5's in..



Trying new kit is 1/2 the fun I think!
Chris

 

The one thing I have discovered, is like early quads Apogees need new Ribbons to make them sound good, the old ones are worn and flabby by now (mostly)..
This puts an extra 1500 or so on the purchase price of a second hand pair..

Rapidly going off them..!!!

 

Before you do consider these...

"Apogee Stage Price: £1500 (RRP: £3000)
Completly rebuilt with new bass and tweeter ribbons, sound better than new. Finished in Taupe with mahogany sides."

Of interest?
G

 

There is an awful lot of clap trap talked about Apogees IMO.

There are thousands of pairs out there with absolutely no problems with the ribbons.

However replacement ribbons are available for all models if needed. They come complete with fitting instructions and all fitting aids, CD Roms with all fitting instructions are also available (maybe also DVD's).

Amplifiers are only a problem with the larger models, The Full Range (also known as THE Apogee), Scintilla's and Diva's. Although the Callipers requires some careful matching but don't all speakers.

I have a pair of Mini Grands and they are awesome especially in the Bass and sheer believability of the mid range. I also have a pair of Yamaha NS1000's they are good but the Bass is a couple of octave short of the Mini Grands. I even drove the Stages with a Leak Stereo 50, gorgeous sound.

Duetta's are no real problem to drive.

Do not under estimate the hybrid Apogees (Centaur Range) I think there was 3 models, you get a good 90% of the beauty without the WAF problems.

There is a guy in the states that has developed new amps, Stereo for $2000, Monoblocks for $3000 a pair. They were designed to drive the 1 Ohm Scintilla's everybody that has heard them is selling the usual amps, (Krell, Classe' etc.) They are called ICE H2O. You can find details on the Apogee Acoustics Users Group website. I have ordered mine, yes 240V/50Hz. Anybody fancy a Krell or Classe' power amp?

If you want the ribbon sound but don't fancy the Apogee size, try the Perigee FK1. There are suppliers in England and Switzerland, anywhere else, contact the manufacturer, (he is the same guy that makes all replacement parts for Apogees). He is called Graz, you can find details on the Apogee Acoustics Users Group website.

Lastly don't be fooled by people telling you that the Maggies are as good or better and easier to set up and drive, they are not, most people I know of got to Apogees via Maggies (me included) there is no going back.

Two links;

Apogee Acoustics Users Group


http://audioworld.com/cgi-bin/sw/fo...+Users+Group&number=1&DaysPrune=45&LastLogin=

Apogee Speaker Users website

http://www.apogeespeakers.info/


If you are interested, get out there and listen to them and the alternatives, there are plenty of Apogees for sale, in England at the moment I know of Diva's, Duetta's Stage's and Mini Grands.

 

JC, who uses (or used) apogee duetta sigs, was using perigee speakers at the bristol show, btw...

 

Thanks everyone!

Ive found some stages for about a grand, some mini grands (with new ribbons but tatty subs) for 2 grand, and some duetta sigs for 1850.

If anyone knows of any Apogee users in the midlands who wouldnt mind an interested person comming for a sniff of what they sound like (not even heard em yet!! - just their reputation) let me know!

So far my best offer of a listen is Brighton, which is a bit far..

Cheers
Thanks again
Chris

 

Where is JC, can't believe that he hasn't replied to this yet... pm him. See if his duettas are still for sale, cos they were up for less than that.

https://www.audio-forums.com/as-rediect/showthread.php?t=4334

 

dude... "Apogee Stage Price: £1500 (RRP: £3000)
Completly rebuilt with new bass and tweeter ribbons, sound better than new. Finished in Taupe with mahogany sides."

These are in the midlands - ribbons replaced! got to be a contender surely?
PM me if you need the details.
Greg

 

Hi greg,

Thanks for the link - as above though, if Im after stages Ive found some for 1k- 500 quid less.
The apogee website though describes these as the cheapest of the apogee range, and being bass-shy unless mated with subs, as in the mini grand. If Im going to do it, I want some arse kicking ones.

Being in the midlands is good though - Ive yet to hear em.

NB Ken it was Graz himself on the apogee website who I was quoting when I said that most older apogees with original ribbons dont sound their best until the ribbons have been replaced, at great expense..

Maybe I should post on the apogee forum asking to do some listenin at peoples places?



Cheers
Chris

 

Ken -

are you familiar with the Dali Skylines? I heard these and loved them.
They are a full length ribbon mated to conventional paper cones for mids and bass, all open baffle...

have you heard the centaur range you mentioned? they look on paper very similar to the skylines that made my jaw drop.

 

Hi Ken... That's easier said than done. I mean you don't ever see Apogees come up for sale or available for dem in shops, so that inevitably means travelling to a private owner's place - which also means that you'd likely be travelling with view to a purchase too... I mean it'd be a bit cheeky just to drop in for listen just for the sake of a listen without intent to buy if the guy's selling.

Some very interesting points in your post by the way... So what are NS1000's like compared to the panels/stats you've experience of. Never ever heard a pair of NS1000 speakers, although of course it's (legendary) status proceeds it. The berilyum (or however it's spelt ) material on the mid/tweeter domes are quite special apparently and comparable with panel/stats for transparency so say the fans? I've often wondered about the integration and coherence side of things, seeing as it's a 3 way design, it's the one thing I've become particularly choosey on i.e. not being able to hear the join between multiple drive units. I was particularly disappointed with the Sound Lab Millenium 3 stats I heard once which use multiple panels each to cover different frequencies ranges just like a conventional multi way, the sound was big and disjointed - yuk. So far Quad ESL's (especially the 989's) are the only thing I've heard which do it for me. Have yet to actually hear an Apogee. Again this is only reiterated through hear say, but isn't the sweet spot supposed to be quite narrow with the bigger Apoggees?


Greg - Could you PM me the details of the Apogees you know of please. You seeem to be pretty keen on giving it a good old plug, belong to a mate of yours then?

EDIT: Didn't read the post properly. Thought they were Duetta's instead of Stages.

 

Hi,

I will reply more fully tomorrow, however the comment;

"That's easier said than done. I mean you don't ever see Apogees come up for sale or available for dem in shops"

kind of threw me, the latest magazine I have is HI-Fi World June 2004, a quick search shows UK based dealers having, Mini Grands, Stage's, Calliper's and Duetta's available for sale. I am no longer UK based, but I don't think they would all sell out so quickly.

I also think a guy in Birmingham (that now has Perigee FK-1's' has Diva's for sale).

Ken

Ken

 

No not a mate, I just keep my eyes open for various bits and I noticed them recently - the ribbon replacements stuck in my mind.