RnR's system (updated)

[RnR]

Hey guys,

Pretty excited about some changes I'v made to my current setup, so I wanted to share the sinergy   that I'v found with the rest of the forum.

What I'm Running:

AMP - Carverfest 20wpc el-84 design with NOS RCA tubes -- Borrowed (thanx rev)
PRE - Carver C-1 (modded)
SPEAKERS - Klipsch Forte II with Crites crossovers and titanium tweeter diaphragms
TT - Project debut III with Grado gold cart
TUNER - Carver TX-2 paired with Magnum Dynalab antenna
CD - Rega Planet 2000
CASSETTE - Nakamichi CR-1a

I rearranged my room lately and made sure to take my time and get the forte II's properly setup with the room.  First  played music with prominent bass and closed my eyes as I placed them closer/further from the rear/side walls until I found what I thought was an ideal placement.  It ended up being around 14 inches from the rear wall and 6 inches from the side walls.  Ah, also towed them in 1.5 inches and put a DVD case under the front of each to raise their front a hair.  I was pretty surprised how sensitive to placement they were, but most of the low bass is produced by a rear-mounted passive radiator.  Once set up properly I not only enjoyed a true sweet spot, but I finally experienced the Carver sonic holography as it was intended.  Pretty cool for airy ambient stuff, and also stuff that is panned wide (large lush interactive soundstage), but not so useful with fast, driving, bass straight down the middle type music.  Sweet spot sits around 12-15 feet form the speakers in an equilateral triangle. 
The 20 wpc el-84 based Carver tube amp was an awesome addition to the system as a whole.  Most notably the Klipsch speakers, because their brighter horn design mates best with low powered tube amplifiers, it really is true, not so say SS cant sound awesome as well, SS may have the upper hand with bass in certain styles (read as faster, more modern).  Nevertheless it is a noticeable upgrade in all styles, airy female vox are.. IN the room.  The Grado is miles ahead of my stock cartridge (orotofon om5e) in warmth and again matched with brighter forte II's.  The Rega Planet 2000 is an awesome sounding CD player, very warm, fast, and very full, though I have had some issues with skipping..  Nakamichi is a workhorse, it sounds good and just keeps playing.  I do need to figure out why I cant get anything to happen when I press record (more or less a dead button, does nothing) because i am really eager to do some recording on cassettes.
What else.. ahh who knows heres some pics, I'm going to flip the record.

[RuralTom]

Looks great, I bet it sounds better!

Did you find the Crites XO made a discernible difference?

[RnR]

RT,

I did.  I thought it tightened up the speaker overall, maybe it was an illusion, but id say it wasn't.  It just made them sound more.. balanced.  My speakers are also 1990 models,  Im sure the older your speakers are (like 60s/70s) the more they will benefit from the upgrade. Sorry I cant comment more on it, I bought the tweeters and x-overs simultaneously, got excited, and didn't demo each component separately for long enough time. The titanium tweeter sounds just as they say on all the forums, smoother.  It also seems to allow cymbals decay a little longer, and nuances like where the stick hits (bell, edge) on the cymbal seem a tad more apparent.  Strings, brass, female vox, anything dependent on the higher end of the spectrum is better.  All this stuff is obviously subtle, like most changes, but if the recap ensures that X drivers are in charge of X frequencies, when they are all running in spec (esp in 3 way) the portrayal is that much more realistic.  Same with the tweeters/highs.  When I listen I "zoom in and out" and when I zoom in on the individual parts they are more separated, and when I zoom out and listen to the piece more as a whole things seemed more balanced and it makes for an overall better portrayal of the recording.

[RuralTom]

What more can you ask for?!

I felt the same way about the ALK Universal XOs I put in my CWs.  Much better balanced with an overall more modern palate vs. the old V2 XOs.

[tinpan]

Very nice, it's a lot of fun when you get your system dialed in for the first time and you can notice noticeable changes. If you really want to have some fun with that Carver fest amp, Try a quad of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/E84L-7320-RTC-Siemens-Halske-made-EL84-6BQ5-NOS-NIB-TUBES-4-pcs-/121565627855?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c4de045cf

Mr. HP turned me onto them on the Carver forum

[RnR]

Tinpan,

Interesting.  I am borrowing the carverfest amp for now (working on purchasing) but it's interesting you mention those tubes, I just had another person tell me the same thing on FB.

[scorpio333]

I'll third those tubes, tinpan suggested them and I got a set in my Jolida and so far worth every penny.

[schwarcw]

I am interested what you heard in those Russian tubes that have your endorsement?

[RuralTom]

I belive they're German, no?

[scorpio333]

I don't want to derail the thread, but what I heard in the Siemens were much better defined mids, taller and wider soundstage.

As for where they were produced, the best info I could find was here: http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/EL84-6BQ5-Tube-Types/Siemens-E84L-EL84

These rare Siemens E84L (7320) tubes can be used in any EL84 tube amplifier. This stock was made in the 1960's by Siemens/Halske in Munich Germany, and were later repackaged in France for RTC in the early '80's. The Siemens E84L tubes are very dynamic, and have open highs. The overdrive is smooth and they are well balanced overall. The E84L / 7320 tube is an up-rated EL84 tube type that can handle more power output and higher voltage than standard EL84 Tube Types.

[tinpan]

"I am interested what you heard in those Russian tubes that have your endorsement?"

The sound man...it's all about the sound. 

At one point I had 4 Carverfest amps and 2 Baby Black Beauty's. Two concerns I ran into with those amps were the 1) the high plate voltage and 2) the noise I was hearing...which later turned out to be tube noise. It's rather alarming to hear sparkles coming out of one's 1954 Khorns.

I ended up unloading the Carverfest amps and both my Black Beauty's because I just didn't have the confidence in them. They sounded great but the sparkly noises were unsettling. I ended up buying another, actually, trading with Mr. HP, for one of his and tried these tubes he suggested. They can run the higher plate voltage and they sounded great.

Now they are one of my favorite tubes. If I ever scratch up an extra $1,500 I'll pull the trigger on 50 of them just to make sure I have them.

[schwarcw]

Hey guys!

This is great feedback, just the kind of information I was looking for, "the sound or the audio observations".  I have a couple of EL84 integrated amps (Fisher and Scott).  I am getting ready to roll in some different preamp tubes into the Scott and I saw the discussion on these tubes.  The seller seems to have good feedback.  I may give these a try.  He does have a lot of Russian tubes listed.  Fast shipping?  Anyone have experience to comment?

Regards,

[scorpio333]

Auction ended on a Sunday, no one else bid, tubes came two Wednesdays later via USPS. Had to sign for them as well when they were delivered.

[RnR]

Another thing I failed to mention in my original write-up was in regard to the Grado cartridge.

First of all, I don't make a lot of money, so I have to make smart moves, because I don't have the ability to take a loss in trying out a bunch of different gear.  When looking for a cartridge a few people suggested I read up on Grado, so I did.  What I found were many favorable reviews as well as ones stating there is a "hum" associated with it when paired with a lot of turntables.  Most notably ones with the motor mounted directly underneath the platter.   I just wanted to dispel that in my case.  The Project Debut III is the most entry level turntable made by project, and I have no hum whatsoever, in fact it sounds incredibly clean.  So this hum others are describing may have to do with other ancillary equipment?

One other thing I'v done (if you refer to the pics above) is I have taken away the other speakers (EPI) between the expedit and the klipsch.  They were clogging up the holes where the bass needs to "wrap around" the speaker.  It is more defined when they are freestanding, away from everything else (except the walls), and has better imaging.   

P.S if you haven't heard the grado, compared to my om5e it is fatter/more round, warmer, and has a higher output.   In closing you are always welcome to come check it out for yourself if you're interested in building a low wattage/high efficiency system.  You may get an idea what you liked/disliked, which will help you narrow down what future equip you'll be interested in.  I am not married and do not have kids so the door is always open. Thanks for reading