The good thing of having own dairy-oriented site is that I can look at what I was positing during the year and to have good grip of what was going on over the passed year. Still, although everything is on the surface, I would like to bring up few brief observations about what was not reflected within the site’s articles. Those observations will be about my audio occurrences and thoughts during the year 2006.

First off all, (and it is applicable to me personally, your mileage might wary) sumizing what happened in 2006 in my own audio world I would not consider recordings, musical discoveries, read music books or interesting performances that “evented” in 2006. When I talk about audio I’M TALKING ABOUT AUDIO and I’m not wiling to mislead myself with substitution of audio events with musical progression. As I told before, I have no interest in “Hysterical Audio” where a person, sells to himself/herself musical ideas recognizing them as audio accomplishments (and vise versa). I practice audio more on the pure (“abstract”) side where audio has honest audio values and honest audio methods. If does not mean that in my world the audio values are not evaluated by their musical merits. I juts know precisely the methodology and the patterns how exactly it should be done and therefore I do not need to sentimental, overly-romantic or hyper-spiritual over the trivial audio tasks.  Let live this duty to the dirt like John Marks who gets paid to misquote “big” composers in order to sell crapy audio. In my world, with a lack of better name I call my currant outlook on audio as “Abstract Audio” and I’m fine with it. There are musical merits and musical interests in my life built they, although they are “extentuatable” within the scope of audio, are NOT based on audio and would stay alive if I never even did audio at all.

http://www.GoodSoundClub.com/TreeItem.aspx?PostID=3400

Anyhow, you might call my view of the subject as primitivism or maturely but I care less as call it “whatever I feel”.

So, striping out from this thread any musical content let see what was the most prominent in my audio views during 2006? Within a next few weeks I will come up with a few summarizing articles with my observations. If others have anything to share about your audio happening in 2006 then please post with. Please do not REPLAY to the post in this threads but only “create new”. If you’re desperately would like to discuss the mentioned in this thread then go to other peaces with this site or wherever else. This thread I would like to keep only as set of dairy-compilations with impressions about my (or perhaps yours) audio experiences in 2006.

First major audio observation that I made is that my Super Melquiades should be revised. After a year and a half of using the amp I came across to some conclusions that outlined the prospective changes in my DSET.

1) The phase inverters after output transformers will remove. The Super Milq has in each channel remote control managed high quality relays after the output transforms that invert the phase sent to speakers. Although I would not question the necessity of absolute phase inverter (the correct phase is clearly audible) there is something else. Despite that to flip the phase is very easy and comfortable to do with my remote control but I observed that I did not do it most of the time. I used the phase inverter mostly during audio assessment what I wanted to set “better Sound” for a perfect methodological environment. However, during casual music listening I hardly paid attention to correctness of absolute phase.

2) The HF channel of the Super Melquiades should be revised. Something is wrong in there and it does not sound as I would like to. It mostly relates to improper amount of “density” of sound at HF. Interesting that the full range Milq had no such a problem. Also, the HF channels in the Super Milq are not high-passable for whatever reasons. The only different between the Super Milq and full range Milq is the output transformer, use of half of the tube of the last cap in B+. I observed the high amount of capacitance in B+ make HF “hard”. I am planning to go from 15.000uf to 1000-2000 and change output transformer. In addition I presume that the way in which I used my current HF OPTS was a bad way to do it. I use 0.9H transformer with 4 primaries and 8 secondaryes and in order to load the tube properly I use one of the primary as secondary… As I was informed it is not kosher way to get the best out of transformer in case of serious demands.

This pretty much all revisions that I intend to do. I have two brands of other output transforms that I will be trying. I will propone those changes until I get my new tweeters (another month or so) as when I get the tweeters I will be contemplating to put another “tweeter” channel in the super Milq – I have all enclosure work ready to go.

This idea keeps to fascinate me.

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/GetPost.aspx?PostID=4063

and I really would like to try  and to see what might happen.  I’ have decided of move this task on my levels of priorities as something that I would like to do even before finishing the Dima’s Zaratustra. If the 6E5P with its 2W will sound fine with Macondo then, considering that it will be insultingly small I would be able to integrate the new ultra short Milq into the new Macondo frame… I might be very interesting, not to mention sonically very explorative

What do you mean “I have been against this on principle”? I do use a cap and coil on ribbon and I do not see that they might be changing over time. My idea of trying to get rid of the Milq’s output stage has nothing to do with “HF alternative”.  I’m considering doing it for all my 109dB sensitive channels, it will exclude only the lower bass channels... In fact I most likely will try to do it this weekend and will preliminary see how it 6E5P will behave….

It was an audio eventful year and I have experimented and discovered many fascinating things. Here is a brief summary of the 2007 audio-events and a short look what my audio happening will might take please in 2008.

1)    In the very begging of 2007 the idea of employing a ribbon tweeter for Macondo:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/LatestPosts.aspx?ThreadID=2974

got finally realized in a custom solution from RAAL – the  109dB sensitive “Water Drop” tweeter:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=3766

Then there were 2 major revisions of the “Water Drop” solution: one that I am not at a liberty to divulge and another was an introduction of dedicated amp for the tweeter driving it with a single 175:1 transformer directly from the plate. The project generally turns out to be a success and the Macondo was finalized with objective to use this 21cm ribbon HF transducer. I still have in my head one area what I would like to improve the “Water Drop”, I might got for it in 2008

2)    There was very major advancement of my Macondo Acoustic System that started innocently with “How to USE “Resonating Oops” in loudspeakers”:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/LatestPosts.aspx?ThreadID=3833

and ended up with invention of “Oops mimicking” Injection Channel:

http://www.GoodSoundClub.com/TreeItem.aspx?PostID=4373

The concept is superbly powerful so powerful that I am even revising some of my view about the tonal quietly of some vintage drivers. The Injection Channel was a huge move in Macondo, lead to creation of own dedicated full range amp in 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades. The concept, the implantation and the result turned out to be a very substantial success. I am not planning to change anything in the way how I use the Injection Channel, this if I design Macondo Acoustic System from scratch now then I would use the Injection Channel slightly differently.

3)    The 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades was another big event

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=4973

that started form the idea to use one-stage Melquiades:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?postID=4241

The prose of conversion of Super Melquiades into 6-ways DSET had been going on for 6 month and I estimate that it will have another month or two. The result is very interning so far and I will be talking about the final observations… when I will have them

4)    In the 2007, like during the former year I was searching for cure of the electricity problems:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2931

The 2007 brought new solution but no satisfactory results. My fight with bad electricity so far has a lot of blood but no stimulation consequences.

5)    I revised my digital recording capacity. Experimented with other ways to use my Lavry 924 DAC, introduced Pacific Microsonics processor, introduced reel-to-reel machine (Stellavox SU8) and made a number of accommodation to be able to read tapes properly. I am still not finalized my DAW playback and I will look into it further in 2008.

That basically was it among the major revisions of my audio. My listening habits and some of my audio view become more and more radical and moved deeper into the realm of the purer abstract audio:

http://www.GoodSoundClub.com/TreeItem.aspx?PostID=3400

I am planning to post a write up about my interests, objectives and habits in audio, in fact I was already written a few month-weeks-days ago… I will post up when I feel to do it.

In the 2008 I have a few immediate goals:

1)    Finalize the 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades and integrate it with Macondo

2)    Finalize the “End of Life" Phonostage: http://www.goodsoundclub.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=5856

3)    Revise my preamp and rewire my playback with more preamps inputs

4)    Dima and I “invented” a very interning concept how to adopt the invented by Dima Zarathustra’s “Newton Bias” to deal with electricity problem. It is in a way a revolutionary approach and I very much look forward to try it in 2008.

5)    I really would like the APS Purepower people in 2008 talk led out of their liturgic and lazy asses and to fix my damn regenerators. I still feel that if then Purepower unit will be done properly and will not be just faulty-made then it might be a very useful mashie to fight with electricity.

It is pretty much it as I see now. Happy New year to anyone… Well, not to anyone, OK, you know what I mean…

It has been 1 year since I started working with the ML2s with all new tubes installed.  The ML2s have been, by far, the biggest step I have taken in hi-fi in 45 years, and the "upgrades" I have done since the ML2s have necessarily been in areas "illuminated" by the ML2s.  I have been lucky to find and integrate the maxed/modded K&K phono stage, a Bent Tap TVC pre-amp (no AC!), an Accustic Arts Drive 1 CD transport, a maxed/modded Museatex iDAT-44+ DAC (adapted for battery power; no AC!), and the Belkin Synopsis digital cable (important!).  I also found and integrated more-efficient Audaphon JP2.0 "naked" ribbons into my DEBZs.

All of this "stuff" has eventually resulted in a lot of great music in my home, including a return to regular classical music, which I had pretty much written off as a casualty of a system I had "optimized" for jazz prior to the integration of the ML2s. 

Upside of changes?  Everything is better, when the electricity permits.  Because of battery power CD is at its best more often than LPs, although the best from LPs is still the best I have.

Downside?  As ever, I generally only really "submerge" in music from my system when it's at its best, and now the difference between "good" and bad is more pronounced than ever.  Also, I have to "work harder" to get the best from LPs/the K&K, since it so obviously (and richly) rewards optimal VTA; again, when the electricity is good.

I closed out the year messing with all solid silver IC; "interesting", and some definite positives; but no conclusions yet.

Still waiting for a chance to hear the new Ortofon "PW" phono cartridge.

FM would be nice, but San Diego programming offers preciouis little reason to do it.

I still harbor faint hopes for some sort of answer to the eff-ing electricity, and I have been staying alert for possible solutions.  I think I want nicely formed electricity plus inter-component and neutral/ground isolation, but I would accept a tinfoil hat if that got the desired results.  We mostly act like bad electricity is merely a nuisance, but it has become for me pretty much the main sticking point for my system, about the only real sonic thorn in my side right now.

Here's wishing you all the best for 2008!

Happy New Year,
Paul S

Mark your calendars:
01-20-09:  W's LAST DAY IN OFFICE!!!

Paul S wrote:

a maxed/modded Museatex iDAT-44+ DAC (adapted for battery power; no AC!)

Yes, Paul it is good that you remind me it as I have been thinking about it for a few years and never put my hands on it. I am not a bit fun of batteries but I feel there is in Bidat an area that should be improved. Bidat has 3 power rectifiers and they all are crappy diode bridges bypassed with fast ceramic capacitirs to handle the switching noise. I do not know why John never addressed it and did not replace the rectifiers with better diodes, the diodes get better and better each year…. In my experience it should be an important modification and it might “open” up the Bidat bass a little.  I would need to go for it in 2008.

Romy the Cat wrote:

In the 2008 I have a few immediate goals: 1)    Finalize the 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades and integrate it with Macondo 2)    Finalize the “End of Life" Phonostage: 3)    Revise my preamp and rewire my playback with more preamps inputs 4)    Dima and I “invented” a very interning concept how to adopt the invented by Dima Zarathustra’s “Newton Bias” to deal with electricity problem. It is in a way a revolutionary approach and I very much look forward to try it in 2008. 5)    I really would like the APS Purepower people in 2008 talk led out of their liturgic and lazy asses and to fix my damn regenerators. I still feel that if then Purepower unit will be done properly and will not be just faulty-made then it might be a very useful mashie to fight with electricity.

It is interesting that I completely lost interest to anything that is going on out there in audio. People produce some kind of products out there, exercise some kind of ideas and push some kind of objectives. I do look what they do but it picks juts my purely observatory interest and I do not feel any interest to be engaged. I generally have no interest to try their new products/idea or co-experience their new discoveries. I do not know why it is so. Perhaps that over the years I have seen quite a lot of it and know the typical dissatisfactory level audio is uselessly is implemented out there? I admit that I am cynical toward to other audio people, but it is what it is.

Anyhow, I would like to add some addition to my “to do” list for 2008.

6) To finish and to test “alternative” Sansui TX-1U

7) Review Bidat’s PS

8) Try my new experimental AHFS in context of my RAAL “Water Drop”

9) Re-parallel the drivers in my woofers tower and to drive them with 1.1R, 25W, .5A, 7Hz, amorphous OPT.

The task # 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are the immediate and perusable tasks. The task #5 is out of my hands – I have return the faulty board to APS – I have no idea what they do, I think they have also no idea what they do.

The tasks # 7, 8, and 9 are more like strategic task and I would do them “sometimes in futures” and I have general interest in subject but no immediate stimulations to do. They are kind of research subjects that have no guaranteed results.

With the rest of it I would like to get my playback back (after 3 month distraction by 6-ch Melquiades) and to stop “fucking with audio” – it was too long and this think began to get in my nerves.

Romy the Cat wrote:

In the 2008 I have a few immediate goals: 1)    Finalize the 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades and integrate it with Macondo 2)    Finalize the “End of Life" Phonostage: 3)    Revise my preamp and rewire my playback with more preamps inputs 4)    Dima and I “invented” a very interning concept how to adopt the invented by Dima Zarathustra’s “Newton Bias” to deal with electricity problem. It is in a way a revolutionary approach and I very much look forward to try it in 2008. 5)    I really would like the APS Purepower people in 2008 talk led out of their liturgic and lazy asses and to fix my damn regenerators. I still feel that if then Purepower unit will be done properly and will not be just faulty-made then it might be a very useful mashie to fight with electricity. 6) To finish and to test “alternative” Sansui TX-1U 7) Review Bidat’s PS 8) Try my new experimental AHFS in context of my RAAL “Water Drop” 9) Re-parallel the drivers in my woofers tower and to drive them with 1.1R, 25W, .5A, 7Hz, amorphous OPT. The task # 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are the immediate and perusable tasks. The task #5 is out of my hands – I have return the faulty board to APS – I have no idea what they do, I think they have also no idea what they do. The tasks # 7, 8, and 9 are more like strategic task and I would do them “sometimes in futures” and I have general interest in subject but no immediate stimulations to do. They are kind of research subjects that have no guaranteed results. With the rest of it I would like to get my playback back (after 3 month distraction by 6-ch Melquiades) and to stop “fucking with audio” – it was too long and this think began to get in my nerves. It is pretty much it as I see now. Happy New year to anyone… Well, not to anyone, OK, you know what I mean…

In the begging of the last year I outlined what I would like to do with my audio in 2008. Let sop a brief summation.

1)    Finalization the 6-chennals version of Super Melquiades and integrate it with Macondo was done

2)    The “End of Life" Phonostage was done with great success.

3)    The preamp was revised and it has not more able PS and 11 inputs.

4)    The Zarathustra’s “Newton Bias” lead to a conceiving the Avicenna power regenerator. It is done and it is in the mail but not tested yet.

5)    The APS Purepower people gave a birth to the 2000 model that accidentally tuner out to be exactly what I would like it to be. My 1.5 year of sufferings from the Purepower failures was well-justifiable.

6) The “alternative” Sansui TU-1X turned out to be a failure as it did not beat my main Sansui TU-1X.

7) The Bidat’s power supply was revised. It was in a way successful but I kind of lost interest to better 16 bit DAC – whatever it does is fine to me.

8) The “Active High Frequency Solution” concept for RAAL “Water Drop” turned out to be if not fatly but rather not useful or not necessary.

9) I did not go for re-parallel the drivers in my woofers tower and did not build amorphous LF transformers.

I do not see any major changes coming in 2009, nor do I feel a need for them. Recalling all my dids and my thoughts here a brief outline of Audio Projects that I will be involved in 2009 and of cause anything else might come alone in future…

1)      It is not strictly audio project but it kind of related: I need to move my audio site out of my static IP DSL line to a data center. I have high-speed ADSL but the site has a lot of traffic and my crappy DSL like runs over 100% of utilization. I think I will take a few day efforts to set up a one or two ProLiants and dump them closer to data access point.

2)      Put in use Avicenna Power Regenerator, test it and find a final power configuration of my entire playback, perhaps running it along with APS PurePower, perhaps instead of PurePower or to conclude that the PurePower is better. I think this might take a month of experiments.

3)      Finish, test and integrate the MiniMe pilot speaker project. I have very good feeling about it and it actually I think will be a huge fun to play with. The only thing that I am slightly afraid is that if the MiniMe turn out to be good sounding pilot speaker then I might go for a better SS cool-running power amp to drive MiniMe. I think it will be one-two month worth efforts.

4)      Continue to investigate my DHT subject. Built the new Sun Audio amp with a new properly sounding circuit, at this point around 2A3 and to see if it is warranted to replace the Melquiades’ MF channel with it. I think this project will be a couple month in length.

5)      Introduce to Macondo the long-expected 7th channel and learn how to use it. I might be a few months project, and it might take a few years to learn how to use it. To implement the 7th channel, upon it completion, will take a few days.

6)      To decide which Rohde & Schwarz multiplex decoder is better. I have two MSDS and MSDS2. Both are absolutely wonderful and modified to do their best. I still can’t decide which it “better” as they are in a way different, even though I have a slight bias to MSDS. I still would like to keep juts one multiplex decoder, why would I need two?

7)      Research the AIC subject. My abbreviation of AIC stands from Active Imaging Control, the idea that fascinated me for a while and I have some practical hypothesis that I might try to implement. It might take from a few months to a few years… who knows…

8)      Try the “Absurd Driver”. Your do not know about it. I have discovered an “unknown” in audio vacuum tube that I would be very much interested to try for sound; it never was used for sound, at least for the high-end sound. The tube is absolutely unique and has no resemblance to anything else in existence, and I am not taking about the construction but about the whole another design concept, it has no conventional, cathode, grid and screen… it is very-very different. It is direct heard and only God know how it might sound, the design is superbly interesting though… It might take a few days to put it in use…

9)      To try the Dima’s DAC. Last year Dima invented a completely new “concept” of digital to analog conversion and what is the most astonishing the analog to digital conversion with the same concept (though the A/D is not tested yet). The “concept” is ridicules as the D/A and A/D conversion takes place by the means that never ever were used in audio. How different is it. Well, it is pure analog. I mean there is no single digital element in the whole D/A converter for instance. It might be along transistors or even tubes - it does not matter. Dima is building his tubes-only DAC that will have no single digital element. I really would like to hear this thing….

7)      Macondo and DPoLS? I think it is the time to go for it....

That is pretty much all that I have at the top of my mind as now. I am sure something else will come by…

Romy the Cat wrote:

8)      Try the “Absurd Driver”. Your do not know about it. I have discovered an “unknown” in audio vacuum tube that I would be very much interested to try for sound; it never was used for sound, at least for the high-end sound. The tube is absolutely unique and has no resemblance to anything else in existence, and I am not taking about the construction but about the whole another design concept, it has no conventional, cathode, grid and screen… it is very-very different. It is direct heard and only God know how it might sound, the design is superbly interesting though… It might take a few days to put it in use…

Romy the Cat wrote:

1)      It is not strictly audio project but it kind of related: I need to move my audio site out of my static IP DSL line to a data center. I have high-speed ADSL but the site has a lot of traffic and my crappy DSL like runs over 100% of utilization. I think I will take a few day efforts to set up a one or two ProLiants and dump them closer to data access point.

Done. The Site is running from Datacenter with unlimited bandwidth to Web

Romy the Cat wrote:

2)      Put in use Avicenna Power Regenerator, test it and find a final power configuration of my entire playback, perhaps running it along with APS PurePower, perhaps instead of PurePower or to conclude that the PurePower is better. I think this might take a month of experiments.

Done. The PP200 turned out to be truly great and I run a whole playback from it. I consider to get another one

Romy the Cat wrote:

3)      Finish, test and integrate the MiniMe pilot speaker project. I have very good feeling about it and it actually I think will be a huge fun to play with. The only thing that I am slightly afraid is that if the MiniMe turn out to be good sounding pilot speaker then I might go for a better SS cool-running power amp to drive MiniMe. I think it will be one-two month worth efforts.

I do have no good MiniMe driven but YamahaB2 but it is not even remotely what I planned to me. Regardless what it is with the result I have I have no concerns or frustrations. Well. There is one “interest” that I have and I might look into this next year. There is one commercial speaker that I have been hunting for a while; I will keep it identity hidden for now. If I get it I would LOVE to use it instead of my current MiniMe but I will put the MiniMe tweeter in this new “another” speaker.

Romy the Cat wrote:

4)      Continue to investigate my DHT subject. Built the new Sun Audio amp with a new properly sounding circuit, at this point around 2A3 and to see if it is warranted to replace the Melquiades’ MF channel with it. I think this project will be a couple month in length.

Done. This project ended up with Melquiades 6th channel that accommodate 2.5V and 4V tubes. After many of experiments I ended up with YO186 to drive my MF

Romy the Cat wrote:

5)      Introduce to Macondo the long-expected 7th channel and learn how to use it. I might be a few months project, and it might take a few years to learn how to use it. To implement the 7th channel, upon it completion, will take a few days.

No progress in this front. I need probably to make a few called to see if the 7th channel will ever go anywhere…

Romy the Cat wrote:

6)      To decide which Rohde & Schwarz multiplex decoder is better. I have two MSDS and MSDS2. Both are absolutely wonderful and modified to do their best. I still can’t decide which it “better” as they are in a way different, even though I have a slight bias to MSDS. I still would like to keep juts one multiplex decoder, why would I need two?

Done. All concerns with configuration of my tuners are resolved. I let the MSDS decoder to go.

Romy the Cat wrote:

7)      Research the AIC subject. My abbreviation of AIC stands from Active Imaging Control, the idea that fascinated me for a while and I have some practical hypothesis that I might try to implement. It might take from a few months to a few years… who knows…

Abandoned.

Romy the Cat wrote:

8)      Try the “Absurd Driver”. Your do not know about it. I have discovered an “unknown” in audio vacuum tube that I would be very much interested to try for sound; it never was used for sound, at least for the high-end sound. The tube is absolutely unique and has no resemblance to anything else in existence, and I am not taking about the construction but about the whole another design concept, it has no conventional, cathode, grid and screen… it is very-very different. It is direct heard and only God know how it might sound, the design is superbly interesting though… It might take a few days to put it in use…

I did get those “Absurd Drivers”, the former post has their picture. I did not try to use it for sound yeat.

Romy the Cat wrote:

9)      To try the Dima’s DAC. Last year Dima invented a completely new “concept” of digital to analog conversion and what is the most astonishing the analog to digital conversion with the same concept (though the A/D is not tested yet). The “concept” is ridicules as the D/A and A/D conversion takes place by the means that never ever were used in audio. How different is it. Well, it is pure analog. I mean there is no single digital element in the whole D/A converter for instance. It might be along transistors or even tubes - it does not matter. Dima is building his tubes-only DAC that will have no single digital element. I really would like to hear this thing….

The Dima’s purely analog DAC  is gone to nowhere.

Romy the Cat wrote:

7)      Macondo and DPoLS? I think it is the time to go for it....

Sine I look forward to move I put this one on hold.