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samberger0357

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Posts posted by samberger0357

  1. 2 hours ago, frankmarsi said:

    Reading this post, I wonder what has changed since?

    Have most folks switched to higher power or?

    Or, even if the lower-lumbar area is still intact.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    606

     

     

     

    Assuming you're directing this primarily at me, I no longer own the 2300. Had too many problems so unfortunately I had to let it go. 

     

    I'm currently using a MC2105 to drive my AR3's. But I'll also piss you off by saying that I've  enjoyed them in the recent past with both an MC240 and MC30's. Cause yeah, in a smaller room, at reasonable levels, I find that they sound incredibly sweet with mid power tube amps of  a certain vintage.

     

    Hope that addresses your concerns, Frank.

  2. Just got a pair of CR8's locally today myself. I agree, they do sound stunning. I'm really surprised. I had a pair of CR9's years ago, but different place and time and gear and life and so probably didn't give them a fair tryout.

     

    In any event, it's nice to finally have a small pair of speakers to rotate with some of the big boys in the collection.

    E8-F6-E29-D-5-DFE-439-A-A217-44-E15765-E

     

  3. The 302's have been getting a lot of play since I got them last week. They don't do anything wrong. I suppose at this second I had to choose one pair to live with it would be them.

    But I'm a huge fan of AR3's and have been for a long time. They match up beautifully with the MC240. Having the mids and tweets rebuilt really turned them into fabulous speakers.

    The La Scala's are completely stock, where the other two are restored. But they sound wonderful with MC30's, and obviously they don't take much to get very loud, if that's the mood I'm in so they tend to be my kick out the jams pair.

    They all bring something different to the party. I also own a pair of Allison One's, which are terrific(and probably as close as I'll ever come to owning AR LST's) as well as Klipsch Cornwall's  and a very early pair of KLH Model Six's. The Cornwall's are presently seeing duty in a second bedroom system. The other two are bench warmers for the time being.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  4. 9 minutes ago, JohnnyTheG said:

    Wow, that a beautiful setup.  Bozaks, ARs and Macs.  IS there anything better?

    Yeah, I'm a lucky guy. And certainly very grateful.

     

    Oh, and they're blocked by the 302's, but there's a pair of 1977 La Scala's that the AR3's are sitting on top of. The 3's have since been put on stands on the floor. The LS's are driven by McIntosh MC30's and the 3's by the MC240 in the picture.  I rotate between the 3 sets of speakers and the 3 amps, pretty much daily.

  5. Just acquired  a pair of restored, Tobinfied 302A's and they are as good a speaker that I think I've ever owned.

     

    I originally placed them in corners, but found the bass to be a little much, so moved them out into the room and they're perfect. It's really all about moving them about to what sounds best. They're not picky, it just depends on what sounds best to the listener. 

     

    I rotate them with AR3's, and Klipsch La Scala's, and drive them with a McIntosh MC225. I also tried them with a McIntosh MC2120 and they sound incredible with that. It turned them into true rock'n'roll speakers. But I have a bias to my Mac tube gear, so...

     

    0-E5-E0-DC5-0092-4-EEF-A431-BD48-E63-BAC

  6. Not looking to debate the subject and I won’t since I’ve been there/done that. I’ll just say that while I have found using larger solid state amps used with a modicum of caution sound terrific with 2AX and 3 and 3a, my most enjoyable coupling to date has been using a pair of McIntosh MC30’s with my 3’s. They tested at just over 40 watts, and in my smaller space, with how loud I like to listen and what I listen to, it’s the most musical pairing I’ve ever had in the decades of music listening I’ve experienced. So I’d suggest it’s a very personal choice and if you can to try both types of amps and decide for yourself. The 2AX’s are easier to drive then 3/3a so you do have more flexibility. 

  7. 30 minutes ago, Elliotfish said:

    THANKS VERY MUCH for all input. So far, so good with my sixes paired with a new YAMAHA R-N803. Sometimes I think they sound a little "thin" but a few minutes later they sound so full...must be my ears. And the "soundstage" on the sixes is very impressive. 

    Probably everything warming up helps flesh things out.

  8. Just wanted to add to the thread that I recently acquired a McIntosh MC225. I have been using it with a pair of Klipsch La Scala's and Cornwalls. Great sound, obviously. But yesterday I hooked it up to a completely stock, sealed pair of Six's. These are quite early, with serial numbers in the high teens. They have always sounded excellent with pretty much any amp I've run with them. No lack of highs, great bass, etc. But the combination of the 225 with them might be the best I've ever heard them. While the 225 is an old tube amp(yes, it's been completely restored) I find it to be quicker and less heavy then other tube amps of the same era. I also own McIntosh MC30 mono blocks, and they definitely have more of that traditional, warm, slightly thicker presentation. Tube rectification I presume has something to do with that. They sound perfect teamed up with the La Scala's. But the 225 is solid state rectification, and while officially rated at 25 watts, is closer to 35. Whatever. The point is that at least in this case, tube gear teamed up with unrestored Six's worked out extremely well. I don't plan on putting the 225 on any other speaker at this point.

  9. Enjoy!

     

    I had a pair of restored 3's that I traded to a local dealer not long ago for some other stuff. He put a high price tag on them, and I started missing them, so the other day we worked out another trade and I'll be getting them back. I'll be running them in a small room second system driven by a MC240. 50 watts is low for them in a main system, but for this second system they'll be used for quiet time listening mostly to opera and classical. Preamp is a McIntosh C11 so it will be like 1963 again in that room.

  10. 49 minutes ago, Mcintoshkid said:

    Vary much looking forward to adding AR3 to my collection i have AR4X, AR2AX as well. I'm listening to the AR2AX at the moment thinking about the 3s. These present well in the photos grills are fair compared to some I've seen. Hopefully the seller will be available today I'd like to collect my new toys.

    Congrats! Your handle being what it is are you going to drive them with a Mac?

  11. 3 minutes ago, AR55 said:

    I know this is a little off topic, but I wanted to give some support to the those that believe that McIntosh amplifiers are conservatively rated.

    I’m the original owner of a McIntosh MC7270 power amp with a rating of 270wpc into 2, 4 or 8 ohms.  A few years after I purchased the amp, I had the opportunity to have its rating confirmed at a McIntosh Amplifier Clinic run by McIntosh’s Dave O’Brien.  The following are the results of his tests:

    • Confirmed the amp’s rms rated output of 270wpc @ a measured .015% distortion. 
    • Measured a maximum rms output of 380wpc prior to the amp’s Power Guard circuit engaging. 
    • Overdrove the amp by 6 dB (4 times its rated power) with a measured distortion of .25%.  The test simulated the overdrive caused by a music source.  The amp was fed 2 tones, 14 kHz and 15 kHz, with the input level adjusted to the amp’s rated power. The input level was then increased by 6dB and the IM & THD distortion measured.

    Even with Power Guard, the MC7270 is probably too much power for an AR-3a.  My MC7270 originally powered a pair of 98LS’, but now it powers my AR-9LSi’s.  The 2 are advertised to handle up to 250wpc & 400wpc respectively.  For those that are unfamiliar with McIntosh amps, they have a protection circuit to prevent overload that McIntosh calls Power Guard:

    “McIntosh designed and patented a circuit that prevents speaker clipping. Photo-optics react in 1/1000th of a second to regulate power levels to speaker, protecting the speakers and the amplifier.  A waveform comparison circuit continuously monitors both input and output signals. Power Guard dynamically adjusts the input level to avoid clipping while preventing harsh sounding distortion.”

    Does Power Guard work?  It appears that it did for me.  A number of years ago I left my then 3 year old daughter alone in the living room with my system playing and the cabinet doors open.  Up to that point she followed her dad’s orders & never touched the system.  That day she didn’t.  A sudden very large increase in volume brought me rushing back into the room to find that she had turned the volume up all the way on my preamp.  The indicators for the MC7270’s Power Guard circuits were brightly lit and the sound level was painfully loud, but it was not distorted.  Fortunately, both the speakers (AR-98LS’) and the amp were undamaged.  I found my daughter hiding in our bedroom closet.  It scared her enough that she never messed with the preamp again.  She now owns those 98LS’.

     

    Great story. Thanks.

  12. 37 minutes ago, newandold said:

    It was fun and interesting to try those different location possibilities afforded by the A1’s!

     In the 35 years that I owned them, they spent around 14 years on adjacent walls and the balance on one wall. Eleven of those “same” wall years they were kept company by the Velodyne HGS 18 Subwoofer, that brought the response clean down to 15hz.

    The opposite wall test failed….room constraints at that time prevented me from getting them close enough to the end of the room to kick the bass up.

    I've been very pleased with them in this opposite wall placement. Room filling sound(granted, it's a small room) and excellent imaging. However today decided to experiment with them on same wall on either side of door. I looked again at the placement guidelines regarding proper distance from sidewalls and found that it was more then 2 feet. For some reason I had 3 feet as the proper distance. So now I have them both about 26” from their closest sidewall and again they sound good. I will leave them like this for awhile and see which I prefer. 

     

    CFF76BFC-9908-4378-8525-1E41AE9696B4.jpeg

  13. Happy New Year all…

    My days of rowdy celebrations are long gone so I decided to move my A1’s into the spare room that I have set up a second system in. And for experimentation and practical purposes I have placed them on opposite long walls, more then a few feet from the front wall, facing each other, about 12 feet apart. And as I have read from others, they do indeed sound great this way. In fact even though this room is considerably smaller then my living room where they were, they are perhaps better suited for this room from a distance from walls perspective. 

    Feline Chelsea enjoys the new set up as well.

     

     

     

     

    D811B40B-F002-45A8-94EB-6E3E9E44E8CC.jpeg

  14. Back is good. I don't lift the Allison's, and the 3's(not 3a's) are heavy but I'm in pretty good shape.

     

    But ultimately, I've decided to use my 3's in a second bedroom system, so the A1's are back by themselves.

     

     I know somebody who'll be happy to hear that.

  15. I assume your Six's are early enough so that getting into them would be difficult, although I'm guessing that the caps might be getting a bit tired by now. But if you are able to remove the grilles it would certainly be worthwhile redoping the woofer. Details on how to do that and with what are easy to find on this site if you do a search but suffice to say it's extremely easy to accomplish and will help improve the bottom end of the speaker.

     

    As to what to drive them with a good quality amp with at least 35-40 watts would be my suggestion. Either the Onkyo or Kenwood should make those speakers sing(especially the Kenwood) assuming they are in relatively good shape. Yes they are old, and may very well be somewhat out of spec, but how much that is going to affect what you're actually hearing is debatable IMO.

     

    If you decide to find a vintage amp(which I concur with) for solid state some examples might be  the Harman Kardon HK430 or 730, or Sony STR 6060/6120, Sherwood S7900/8900, Marantz 2230/2245 and up(also the 1060 integrated. As for tube, Dynaco ST70, Fisher 400 or 500C, and other examples from Eico/Heathkit/Pilot/Sherwood. Of course there are many more examples. All of these would need to have at least basic restoration done to them by a trusted tech, assuming you are not going to do it yourself.

  16. Just now, genek said:

    I had my 3a's on the floor while I was refurbishing and testing them, and put them on the X stands after. I actually don't notice much of a difference in the sound. The stands reduce the chances that someone will accidentally kick the woofer, and our cats seem much less interested in picking at the grills when the cabinets are raised.

    Ah yes the feline problem. Very real in  my house. I'll keep it mind but I will still do a quick experiment to see if I notice any difference.

    If I'm correct RA didn't produce any speakers after he left AR that were designed for stands. Either directly on floor, or on shelves(Allison Four). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

  17. Roy and Ed seemed liked pretty cool, laid back guys. Ed worked 3 days a week in Cambridge, and then headed home to Woodstock.

     

    I like this from an interview with Roy in Stereophile:

     

    "

    Allison: Almost every day that he was in Cambridge, after the workday was over, we went into Eddie's office and had a conference, which consisted mainly of eating macadamia nuts and drinking Johnnie Walker scotch.

    Lander: Red or Black label? [laughter]

    Allison: Black. There was a liquor locker with all kinds of alcoholic beverages available for the senior executives, including fine wines like Chteau Lafite. We all had company cars—Chevrolets. We didn't even have to buy gasoline; we had a caretaker who checked the cars and filled them with gas.

    Lander: A manager could justify all that by saying it kept you at work longer.

    Allison: Actually, some useful discussions occurred over the little jiggers of Johnnie Walker Black."

     

    https://www.stereophile.com/content/glorious-time-ars-edgar-villchur-and-roy-allison-allison-part-1

     

     

  18. 12 minutes ago, newandold said:

    No surprise coming from Tom (and no one knows better than he).

    Tom owned the most pristine pair of Allison Ones I had ever seen…..If I recall correctly, the very last pair ever made.

     

    ☺️

  19. "Two absolute classic loudspeaker systems!  Both speakers were the best of their times and still superb!  It is fortunate that you drive them with a transformer-coupled McIntosh amplifier—capable of easily handling any load.  Paralleling the AR-3 (whose impedance drops below 3 ohms over part of the range) and the A:1 would pose some difficulty for most amplifiers.

     

    Very nice, Sam! "- Tom Tyson comments made in the Allison Speakers Google group.

  20. Just now, frankmarsi said:

    It is as it appears "The antithesis of a proper hi-fi system." 

    That's not the goal Frank. The goal is to use what I have and make it sound great. Which it does.

    You seem to be the antithesis of a happy human being. Wonder why?

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