David Neel's magical system

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David Neel
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David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

Wow! After all this time, I'm going to introduce my system, and something of how I got here.

I'm very lucky - when I first bought a hifi system I had a lot of money to spend as I'd had a really good year and lots of bonus! So I read all the magazines and settled on some best buys - IMF speakers (super compacts) Sugden amplifier (A48-2), but didn't know what to do for a turntable. Luckily for me my local hifi shop (this was 1976) had just got in a new turntable which they claimed sounded better - yeah, right! But they persuaded me to listen to it and I ended up with an LP12/Grace/Supex. So I may just be the longest-standing LP12 owner on here. That LP12 ended up with a DV505 arm and FR-7 cartridge, feeding Naim 12/250 and Gale 401a speakers, later replaced by early Linn Saras.

Then I moved continents, sold my system and bought another, and got married. The new system was LP12/Ittok/AsakT/Naim 42/110/Kans. The Kans were only temporary until I could save up for Isobariks. 27 years later, I finally replaced them.....

Nothing changed for a long time, but finally I started to have disposable income again (my youngest has just finished university). Over the last seven years I have slowly assembled a full-house LP12 (Akiva not Kandid) which now has a Booplinth - a stunning upgrade. I now have Majik 109s and an AK/1 and 6100D. I have never heard vinyl so good! Source first works for me.

The original Aurex tuner was replaced by a Pekin ex-demo at the same time I finally adopted CD and bought an old Karik, then an Ikemi, and finally I bought an ADS/1 and built an LSNAS. My latest purchase is a Kremlin - factory refurbished in 2006 when it was already 15 years old. It's a keeper!

Where do I go next? Well, I've got to change a couple of things over time. I can't see how to improve on the LP12 or Kremlin. I'm not unhappy with the AK/1 and 6100/D, but I'd prefer (I think) to go Tundra rather than active - I never bought the active cards, then Exakt came out and made me pause.

The only problem I have is digital. Whilst the ADS/1 as a useful improvement on the Ikemi, it is a million miles behind the analogue sources. I'm sure my LSNAS is not optimised, and I've never been able to compare it meaningfully, but I do suspect that the key issue is that Linn DS players sound better but are less musical.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Charlie1 »

Nice post. Didn't realise you'd owned an LP12 for so long. I wonder what you'd think of your classic Linn/Naim set-up today.

Keen to check out the Booplinth sometime, and the new Tundra Stereo.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

Charlie1 wrote:Keen to check out the Booplinth sometime, and the new Tundra Stereo.
Me too, the Tundra I mean. When I bought the 6100 ex-demo, I could have bought a s/h Tundra instead, but I hadn't heard one and didn't want to buy blind (or deaf??). I probably got that call wrong....
Charlie1 wrote: I wonder what you'd think of your classic Linn/Naim set-up today.
I'd love the energy, but not the "Naim strain" on the sound - today's setup is MUCH better! A couple of years ago, nostalgia made me buy and refurbish some Saras. Whilst they boogie like bastards (to quote another Sara owner), they are not in the same league musically as the 109s. What I'd really like is a time machine so I could see how my current sources would work into the Gale GS401As. Now they would really need Tundra Monos!
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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David Neel wrote:What I'd really like is a time machine so I could see how my current sources would work into the Gale GS401As. Now they would really need Tundra Monos!
I'd not heard or seen photos of them before. I presume their design was cutting edge for the time. They look like something from the Space 1999 set.

I like the "Naim Strain" term.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by ThomasOK »

We carried the Gale GS401s at the time and I thought they were quite good. However, it must be said that this was before I experienced the original Isobariks which simply killed anything else I had ever heard, including the original Quad ESL that I owned at the time. If you think the 401s look like a space ship you should see their turntable!

David, I wouldn't feel too bad about not making the Isobarik upgrade. As I was told by Julian Vereker himself that "A 110 can't drive Isobariks" you would have had a badly mismatched system with the 110. (I did confirm this for myself.)

I also went through the marriage and kids postponement of Hi-Fi upgrades. However, when I was married (and became an almost immediate father of three) I already owned an LP12/Ittok/Asak, 32/HICAP/250 and Isobariks. As I was in the industry I was able to make some upgrades without having to put out significant money to do so which allowed me to go to 135s and then LK1 and 2 and also to a Karma. In 1988 I bought a new pair of the convertible Isobariks planning to go Aktiv with LK2s but was informed that the LK280 was coming out and would be a lot better then the LK2. As it was only supposed to go up about $100 (from $895) I held off. Imagine my surprise when the LK280 was introduced at about double the price of the LK2 which put my Aktiv system on hold indefinitely. My system would have remained the same for the next decade except for one of my stepdaughters causing bad Karma - literally. Stylus at about a 90 degree angle to where it should have been. Perfectly good excuse to get a Troika in 1990.

No longer being in the Hi-Fi industry but instead selling Macintosh computers my system, although well used and loved, remained without change. But in 1998 a confluence of circumstances lead to the upgrade bug hitting in force. First, I was divorced and my two step daughters were both in college, my daughter finished high school and was headed to college as well, and I discovered eBay in the early days when you could regularly find good deals if you knew how to shop. I was also doing pretty well in the computer industry and making some decent money (and my ex was paying me child support as our daughter had chosen to live with me). It turned out I was pretty good at buying low and selling high on eBay (all those years in sales weren't for nothing). So by buying and selling gear I had an early 90s LP12 with all the Cirkus parts and the motor stud, a Lingo II, an Ekos II and an Arkiv (this required buying a couple of different LP12s and combining all the best parts and then selling what was left). I upgraded my LK1 to a Kairn and got an LK280/SPARK. Then an opportunity came up to acquire three more LK280 SPARKS at a good price and I jumped at it and got an Isobarik Aktiv crossover and was happily finally Aktiv. This all occurred in a flurry of activity over the period of a couple of years (you can get a lot done when it doesn't have to be run by SWMBO!) and it was quite a system.

I came back in the industry in 2001 and have made all the various upgrades over time to get me to where I am now, but I still own those 1988 Isobariks and an LK280/SPARK which are in the front of my home theater. And they still sound great.

Congratulations on the Kremlin - I bought one a few years ago and sold my Pekin as well. It is quite a nice piece. I would definitely check out the Sagatun and Tundra. They bring a level of musical engagement that is well beyond your current electronics and IMO is right up there with the top Klimax gear, if not better. Fredrik used the M109s (along with other speakers) when designing the Tundra so there is no question they work well together. Should make for a really fun system. Then all you need is a Kandid...
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

ThomasOK wrote: I would definitely check out the Sagatun and Tundra. They bring a level of musical engagement that is well beyond your current electronics and IMO is right up there with the top Klimax gear, if not better. Fredrik used the M109s (along with other speakers) when designing the Tundra so there is no question they work well together. Should make for a really fun system. Then all you need is a Kandid...
Thanks, Thomas - a large amount of money in one short paragraph! But it's probably the direction I shall aim in now. I just need to sell the AK/1 first.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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This morning I unplugged the aerial from my Kremlin - and the f-connector fell off behind the rack. I couldn't see where it had gone, so fumbled around and found nothing. At this point the obvious solution would have been to go and buy another f-connector....

But instead I started to dismantle the system and isoblue rack to find it. No luck, and when I got to the base of the isoblue, I saw that the hole in the floorboards where the speaker cables go under was big enough to have swallowed the f-connector. So then I did go and buy another....

Then I had to reassemble it all. Although I've previously taken reasonable care with cable dressing, I figured I could try to improve it. So I used channels 5/6 instead of 1/2 on the 6100 (the 109s are passive) to move the speaker cables away from the power cables. Then I changed the shelf order from 6100 - Radikal - ADS/1 - AK/1 - Kremlin, by moving the Radikal up two, and dropping the AK and ADS one each. This reduced the crossover of the signal and radikal cables.

The result is a modest but noticeable improvement on vinyl, in terms of reduced hash or noise, with cleaner bass and ambience. This could be due to any (or all!) of the following: shelf order; cable dressing; unplugging and re-plugging all interconnects; removal of a year's dust from the cables; and possibly the phase of the moon. After what turned from a five-minute job into a two-hour rebuild, I'm just happy that it sounds better!

Happy Christmas to everyone!
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

Now settled in for an evening's listening, and very happy - the cheapest upgrade I can remember, at £1 for the f-connector and two hours to clean and re-assemble! Not earth-shattering, but a nice improvement, and all because I wanted to swap the Kremlin's black interconnects with the ADS/1's silvers.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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Well, after all the rebuild and cable optimisation, I was happy. The LP12 benefited as described earlier, and the Kremlin too, thanks to giving it the silvers that had been connecting the ADS/1 to the AK/1.

The ADS/1 was relegated to near bottom of the rack, just above the 6100, and now has blacks not silvers. And as I have said before, it was not a patch on my analogue sources. But it has benefited from the rebuild as much as (or maybe more than) the analogue sources! Despite being downgraded to blacks, digital is now sounding much better. I can only assume that some of my previous dissatisfaction with digital was down to poor cable dressing. It's still not an LP12, but it's now MUCH nicer to listen to. Maybe I'll be back to looking for a good ripping solution.....
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Charlie1 »

Glad it was worth the effort and you've had a small upgrade. Will you take the 109s aktiv this year? Will the new Linn speaker cable make this easier to achieve?
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

Hi Charlie!

I'm not planning to go active any longer - I currently have 5m runs of K400, which was laid under the floorboards about twenty years ago. Any speaker cabling change, whether active or exakt, would involve taking up floorboards again, or re-siting the electronics, or both. The next move will probably be a choice between going Lejonklou for electronics, or going exakt. But this will be some time ahead, as money is currently very short!

So I'm happy to stick with what I have - the system currently seems to be in a bit of a "sweet spot" after my unplanned rebuild of rack and electronics. Probably the only upgrade activity in 2016 will be to determine the best ripping solution for the LSNAS, then re-rip my CDs.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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David Neel wrote:Probably the only upgrade activity in 2016 will be to determine the best ripping solution for the LSNAS, then re-rip my CDs.
Well, 24 months on and I still haven't done this!

But I replaced my Akiva with a Kandid last year, and I'm currently awaiting delivery of Sagatun Monos and a Tundra...
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Tendaberry »

What did you think of the step from Akiva to Kandid?
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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Tendaberry wrote:What did you think of the step from Akiva to Kandid?
I always knew it was going to be big, as my Akiva was truly end of life. But I heard a direct comparison when the Kandid was released, and I knew I'd have to have one sooner or later. Yes, it's a big step....
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Tendaberry »

I couldn't afford a Kandid, so I had my Akiva renovated by Roberto Torlai in Italy. Very happy with the results, cost about € 600,- He sourced a boron cantilever with an Ogura diamond most likely from the same supplier as Linn.
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I've now made one upgrade and one downgrade! The Lejonklou electronics were so good I decided to go the whole hog (or the full grizzly) and get Tundra Monos. The downgrade was moving home. My new room is smaller and most importantly, DOESN'T HAVE A VIEW!

So I'm taking it on trust that the Tundra Monos are better, as I can't directly compare, and awaiting the MC Slipsik....
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Steven »

And what a view it was ....

Image
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Post by David Neel »

Billy Connolly says that Glasgow has two seasons, June and Winter... this was winter, an unusually nice day!

I was very lucky to have that flat, and that view. In the other direction, I could see Eaglesham, but not that factory... between the two I could see the Clyde and the chimney of the Chivas Regal distillery.

Just as good music is important, so is a good view.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by tokenbrit »

That's a good point of view as well as a good view (& viewpoint :)
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by ThomasOK »

That is indeed a nice view. I live in a one story house so don't get to see the views on high all that much. I do rather like them as I grew up climbing on top of a three story house all the time to enjoy the view from the roof!

Here in Michigan we also have two seasons: Winter and road construction!
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Yes, I miss that view, and so far my move south has resulted in lots of snow rather than any warmer weather!

Yesterday my Linn dealer came out to help optimise speaker placement. By the time we'd finished, the speakers had moved and so had the rest of the kit and the listening position. A small bookcase went to the opposite wall, and the TV has been removed. Just having the TV in the room, face to wall, was degrading the sound.

Well, I thought I had it setup okayish, but this is just another level. Now I can hear what the Tundra Monos do....
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Re: David Neel's magical system

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For the last three months, I've had an itch that has needed scratching. Akubariks. When I first heard them, the original active version, I felt they were better, more musical, than 350s. I've since heard them quite a few times, including the Akubarik timeline at the factory in December. And of all the colour combinations, black ash with black arrays is my favourite. So my Linn dealer has a pair of ex-demo passive Akubariks, black/black, for sale.... you can see where this is going!

Yesterday, with a quartet of Lejonklou black boxes and a diverse selection of vinyl, I arrived only half an hour late. Their main demo room was turned back to front so the speakers were at the narrow end to better simulate my room. They had an LP12 to my exact (NOT Exakt) specification including Booplinth, and of course the Akubariks were all in position and looking magnificant in all black. So we plugged in my electronics and started listening. I allowed 30 minutes for a warm-up, so wasn't too critical at first, just allowed acclimatisation to a full-range speaker, and the added sophistication of the 3k array over my 109s 2k.

It was good! Hearing the fundamental frequencies rather than just the harmonics.... and the Lejonklou kit drove them brilliantly, the dealer said that it was working much better than when he previously heard them.

So, while I contemplate where I'm going to find the money, the dealer removes the Akubariks and brings in Graham LS5/9s. Ugly in cherry and the stands aren't exactly elegant (look at the website). Put back on the Mravinsky Tchaikovsky which finished the Akubarik session. Ugh, where's the bass gone, and we need to crank up the volume. Shock horror, Akubarik easier to drive than a 2-way standmount. What a let down, the Grahams seemed so good when I first heard them a few years ago. But, wait...

On with Jakob Bro's new album Streams. There's a track where the double bass and drums play a huge, foreground, part. Ah, now I start to understand, they are more subdued than on the Akubarik, but also more tuneful. And the integration of instruments is better, it's more... natural. The bass is less obvious but more subtle. A few more tracks, and it becomes apparent that the Graham shades to Akubarik on voice and ambience, as well as sounding more natural, or perhaps integrated is the best word. Back to the recording we started with, now I see how the Akubariks were so impressive I was blinded (deafened), but that the Grahams give more insight and tunefulness, more music.

And then I make a BIG mistake. There is also a pair of Graham LS5/8s...... Yes, I'd seen them before. BIG, they are half a metre wide... Anyway, what harm could it do to have a listen? They are GOOOOD!!! Amazingly, they seem easier to drive than the LS5/9, the dynamics are a bit better. What a shame that they are so big that they would go a long way towards making my flat a daylight-free zone (the back wall is a window).

So, I've scratched the Akubarik itch, but I'm going to buy something much uglier but more musical. Details and timing remain to be decided.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by Charlie1 »

Wow, you’re on a roll :)

I do like the old school look of both those Graham’s speakers.

My dealer has always said Akubariks are easier to drive than 242s, but like you, still a bit surprised they go louder than a 2-way.

Interesting read and glad it was a fruitful trip.

Will you stick with Linn speaker cable?
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by David Neel »

I'm using new K200 at home, and Linn silvers as interconnects. The demo replicated both. When i get a chance I'll experiment with old K200. Apart from that, no plans to play with cables.

Yes, I'm on a bit of a roll :) but it'll stop here. In reality the LS5/8s are just too big and expensive for me, I need to settle for the smaller LS5/9s.
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Re: David Neel's magical system

Post by tokenbrit »

No love for the LS6 or LS6/f?
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