When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby jadis » Mon Sep 26, 2011 6:42 pm

Chuckyboy wrote:
audiostar wrote:
kabubi wrote:the newest newest addition may be a new phono stage. ;)

I hate to disappoint you brader, i'm happily married with my fono stage designed by my brother. No chance of ever upgrading to a new one :-)


Sometimes extra-marital affairs are more exciting... ;)

Believe others when they say 'it wont hurt to try' :D :D :D


Got to believe in 'magic', Chuck. But we've got to brace for 'havoc' too. :lol:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby jadis » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:38 pm

Dapat may room na rin si Pat Morita sa Dusit Hifi Show.

His banner will read: "TRANSFIGURATION OF SAUDADES INTO KILLER BEES INTO DAFOS!!!" :lol: :lol:

And another banner will read: 'BUY A RYTHMIK AND GET A FREE GIMMIK!' (There are many 'upper floors in Dusit anyway) :lol: :D
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby jadis » Mon Sep 26, 2011 7:52 pm

JAA wrote:
I'm flattered Val! But the blame should be pointed to our mentor, Pat Morita. He taught me his self-made doctrine in audio, and I'm just doing my acquired knowledge in audio based from proven theories and experience. The big deal here is Pat's ability to pin point and match his target gears regardless of price and specs, but primarily on the design platform and the creator's personality. That's Miyagi San's magic! :clap: :clap: :clap:


Although he looks like Pat Morita, his style is more like Ip Man :lol: , mentor of Bruce Lee. Internal strength which is all hidden and unleashed as a single power. :lol: In Hokkien, it's called 'Dien Lai Kong'. The training of strength is from within your body. And it's lethal. :lol: Pat has many secrets. X10Ds, secret tube types, :lol: and other secret things which by definition I SHOULD NOT EVEN KNOW. But I know... :lol: Truth serum works. :lol: It's true that he knows how to match brand and things, and that is born out of his experience in audio back in the early 70s when he was playing around with ARC's SP3 and Marantz electronics. He is not an overnight sensation and I have learned a lot from him as well. He loves recordings that puts a good system to its limits because that way he will be able to tell how worthy his investments in gears has become. He once asked me, 'do you think Arnie Nudell designed the IRS for people to judge it with a solo piano recording? You've got to test it to its limits'. Hence, he has also treasured great recordings like Gerhard's The Plague, Saudades, Killer Bees, Dafos and Pig's Eye Jass. He likes to be 'wow'ed' by these recordings. I see his point. And he goes on by saying that if it's music you want, and all music alone, then why not just get a Rogers 3/5a and be done with it. Wala nang sakit ng ulo. This is what I call 'audio philosophy', and in effect leads to choosing your gears to what you are looking for and what you want you want to play instead to following a theoretical absolute sound. The way of Pat, as seen in the journey of Val and John, is the 'all-out' path (pardon the pun) :lol: and push the design envelope to its limits, no matter what brands they are.
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby camotecue » Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:16 pm

val,

does this mean that your quest for audio nirvana is finally over?

what we often hear said that "big speakers (especially horns) are not fit for smaller rooms" is just a myth. Your system proves that. i have big speakers also (presently a 4-way and soon to become 5-way) in my small listening room that i enjoy very much. brings out the best in my flea powered amp (and a solid state amp for bass duties). :)

btw, lin is very happy now with his creation. time to go back to sta. rosa!

congrats val!
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:56 pm

Looks like it Larry. It took us 7 years, several speaker prototypes to finally settle with Angelina. It took us exactly one year until this day to get the right blend of sonics that we've always wanted. JAA and I had a game plan and stuck by it: tri-amp, SET amps with an active crossover dividing each network. What started as an experiment has now become something to cherish. My main concern now is how to maintain the system to its tip-top best - rebiasing the amps every now and then, testing the tubes quality, cleaning the room, etc. The journey was not easy but it had always been fun. Maybe we'll still do some tweaking from time to time and that's just about it. It's time to enjoy the music. Now, I have extra time to go back to and devote on my old hobby: photography :-)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby JAA » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:07 pm

jadis wrote:
JAA wrote:
I'm flattered Val! But the blame should be pointed to our mentor, Pat Morita. He taught me his self-made doctrine in audio, and I'm just doing my acquired knowledge in audio based from proven theories and experience. The big deal here is Pat's ability to pin point and match his target gears regardless of price and specs, but primarily on the design platform and the creator's personality. That's Miyagi San's magic! :clap: :clap: :clap:


Although he looks like Pat Morita, his style is more like Ip Man :lol: , mentor of Bruce Lee. Internal strength which is all hidden and unleashed as a single power. :lol: In Hokkien, it's called 'Dien Lai Kong'. The training of strength is from within your body. And it's lethal. :lol: Pat has many secrets. X10Ds, secret tube types, :lol: and other secret things which by definition I SHOULD NOT EVEN KNOW. But I know... :lol: Truth serum works. :lol: It's true that he knows how to match brand and things, and that is born out of his experience in audio back in the early 70s when he was playing around with ARC's SP3 and Marantz electronics. He is not an overnight sensation and I have learned a lot from him as well. He loves recordings that puts a good system to its limits because that way he will be able to tell how worthy his investments in gears has become. He once asked me, 'do you think Arnie Nudell designed the IRS for people to judge it with a solo piano recording? You've got to test it to its limits'. Hence, he has also treasured great recordings like Gerhard's The Plague, Saudades, Killer Bees, Dafos and Pig's Eye Jass. He likes to be 'wow'ed' by these recordings. I see his point. And he goes on by saying that if it's music you want, and all music alone, then why not just get a Rogers 3/5a and be done with it. Wala nang sakit ng ulo. This is what I call 'audio philosophy', and in effect leads to choosing your gears to what you are looking for and what you want you want to play instead to following a theoretical absolute sound. The way of Pat, as seen in the journey of Val and John, is the 'all-out' path (pardon the pun) :lol: and push the design envelope to its limits, no matter what brands they are.


Well said Phil!........ Pat aims for a system that can deliver the sound from his treasured LP's in full grace and control so he can react uncontrollably! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby Tjaderman » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:46 pm

audiostar wrote:... and the latest addition to the chain, tjaderman's ICs, both rca and xlrs :clap:


Thanks a lot, Val! :bow: :bow: I'm glad that IC's inherent sonics and neutrality integrates very well with your system.....Can't wait to visit and hear angelina sings and :rock: again !!! :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:40 am

Chuckyboy wrote:
audiostar wrote:
kabubi wrote:the newest newest addition may be a new phono stage. ;)

I hate to disappoint you brader, i'm happily married with my fono stage designed by my brother. No chance of ever upgrading to a new one :-)


Sometimes extra-marital affairs are more exciting... ;)

Believe others when they say 'it wont hurt to try' :D :D :D

He he he.. But I have already achieved the desired synergy in my system. Sabi nga nila 'why fix it when it ain't broke?' :)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby qguy » Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:56 am

Hi Val, JAA

How was the "voicing" done on the system, was it by ear or did you guys use some software applications to pinpoint the things to correct ?



JAA wrote:Thanks for the review Philip,........Val and I spent almost a year tweaking the "Twin Tower" system of Val, as described by Senyor Gelano. No matter how ardous it is, we always see to it that our preferred sonic priorities are always in place. Honestly, there were times that derailment occur in a midst of our critical listening tests, compelling us to call it a day and rest our ears for a week. This is just a hobby, and not a single pressure barred us in a correct path.

Adding the Rythmik servo woofer is essential in achieving a full range output with finesse. The 15" woofers of the Angelina enclosed in a standard ported enclosure were designed to generate mid bass and bass frequency down to 40Hz. The Rythmik occupied the remaining sub frequency in full control, meaning no looseness nor boominess in sound that can ruin the entire sonic output........Just the way it should be.

Also, the transfiguration cart did a lot in controlling the overall sound, and revealed more details hidden in a groove. It's lushness, dynamics, and natural in character makes our job easier and more enjoyable.

It is very rewarding for us to receive positive feedback from you......... :) :) :)
Last edited by qguy on Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby qguy » Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:59 am

When this happens, this would be very interesting,

..mukhang apat ata required for the room size :lol:


jadis wrote:
audiostar wrote: and pat morita for providing me with the right equipment :-)


one of these days i shall ask ponytail pat to provide me with some equipment too! :lol: like the QUAD 57s....then to provide me with some rythmiks to blow the neighborhood down. i have been stocking up on nuclear O.W.N. LPs in anticipation of a future D-day - ARMAGEDDON!!! :devil: pinadadala ni pat sa akin kahapon pero sabi ko di pa panahon. :D :D
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:49 pm

qguy wrote:Hi Val, JAA

How was the "voicing" done on the system ...


Hi Q, we initially used our ears in tuning the system, then we used the cd tone test (20hz to 20khz) to gauge whether there may missing frequency (butas) and finally just two weeks ago the RTA tool (audio control sa 3055) which i ordered arrived. We tested whether what we were hearing was accurate by measuring the curve. Voila! we've got a linear freq response from 20hz to 20khz. :-)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:36 pm

Audio Control SA-3055 (not the actual pic)

Image
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby JoeyGS » Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:44 pm

Nice to hear that audio nirvana is achieved. Would like to have a listen one of this days. Congrats :clap:

Oh and BTW, don't leave out HiDef digital sources as a challenge to be part of your arsenal. It's another source to be reckoned with as digital technology is catching up to equal the analog source and take advantage of the HiRes music downloads. Well....just another journey to spice up our hobby.

And...patulong ako sa inyo ni JAA sa tuning ha....thanks
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:11 pm

JoeyGS wrote:Nice to hear that audio nirvana is achieved. Would like to have a listen one of this days. Congrats :clap:

Oh and BTW, don't leave out HiDef digital sources as a challenge to be part of your arsenal. It's another source to be reckoned with as digital technology is catching up to equal the analog source and take advantage of the HiRes music downloads. Well....just another journey to spice up our hobby.

And...patulong ako sa inyo ni JAA sa tuning ha....thanks


We'll take up your suggestion Joey and of course we'll help you, just say when :)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby kabubi » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:40 pm

audiostar wrote:Audio Control SA-3055 (not the actual pic)

Image


Audiostar light, Audiostar bright
The one and only Audiostar tonight,
I wish i may, I wish i might
Have this wish i wish tonight...


i wish that the next time you visit my system, please bring this with you :hai:

(nakapikit pa ako habang nagwi-wish ako niyan)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby joe3rp » Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:55 pm

Val,
Congrats bossing, looks like your latest adjustments and new gear and with the use of ears and new instruments has pushed your system to NIRVANA :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

long live to JBL/Altec drivers .... :rock:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:24 pm

joe3rp wrote:Val,
Congrats bossing, looks like your latest adjustments and new gear and with the use of ears and new instruments has pushed your system to NIRVANA :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

long live to JBL/Altec drivers .... :rock:


Thanks Joey :) The inputs we get from people who visited my room to listen are invaluable. This is the reason I invite people and get their honest impressions to guide us where we should be headed sonically. The system now is immensely different from the last time you visited. FYI: Admittedly our main mistake then was when we cut the Altec woofers to 80hz leaving the subs to take care of most of the lower registers. The sound was clinical; yes it was linear but lacked the lushness of the Altecs. Lin correctly pointed out that my system was good only from 80Hz up. We finally let loose the full potential of the Altecs by no longer cutting its lower frequencies. The final configuration now is: Altec 421s: infinity to 300Hz; Altec 290: 300Hz to 2.5KHz; aurum cantus ribbon tweeters: 2.5KHz to infinity with all slopes at 6db per octave. The subs were cut at 30Hz at 12db per octave. The Audio Control RTA proved useful in integrating the subs. We ran the RTA on a slow mode while we were calibrating their SPLs. We were seeing in real time the actual curve such that we were able to accurately integrate the subs (30Hz down) without peaks and dips in the whole lower registers. With the Altecs being 'freed', It's full glory now brings up the whole system to another level, as Jadis must have experienced. You're right and also in my opinion, the Altecs and the JBLs are the best transducers ever made :inlove: :inlove: :clap: :clap:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby plasticman » Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:08 pm

kabubi wrote:
audiostar wrote:Audio Control SA-3055 (not the actual pic)

Image


Audiostar light, Audiostar bright
The one and only Audiostar tonight,
I wish i may, I wish i might
Have this wish i wish tonight...


i wish that the next time you visit my system, please bring this with you :hai:

(nakapikit pa ako habang nagwi-wish ako niyan)


That's exactly what i was wishing for too kabubs!

For u you and your system, i think you first have to pickup something from my house so that the wonder twins can do the RTA tuning w/ the M&_ in place :x ;)
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby qguy » Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:31 pm

YEAH let it rip, I think 80hz is too high a cutoff for audio, more so with your main speakers having 15 inch woofers, sayang parang naging midwoofer yung di kinse.

Congrats on the new toy

audiostar wrote:
The sound was clinical; yes it was linear but lacked the lushness of the Altecs. Lin correctly pointed out that my system was good only from 80Hz up. We finally let loose the full potential of the Altecs by no longer cutting its lower frequencies. The final configuration now is: Altec 421s: infinity to 300Hz; Altec 290: 300Hz to 2.5KHz; aurum cantus ribbon tweeters: 2.5KHz to infinity with all slopes at 6db per octave. The subs were cut at 30Hz at 12db per octave. The Audio Control RTA proved useful in integrating the subs. We ran the RTA on a slow mode while we were calibrating their SPLs. We were seeing in real time the actual curve such that we were able to accurately integrate the subs (30Hz down) without peaks and dips in the whole lower registers. With the Altecs being 'freed', It's full glory now brings up the whole system to another level, as Jadis must have experienced. You're right and also in my opinion, the Altecs and the JBLs are the best transducers ever made :inlove: :inlove: :clap: :clap:
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Re: When You Wish Upon A(udio) Star

Postby audiostar » Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:48 pm

Yup Q :-) This is the beauty of having an active electronic crossover. It gives you full control of your system. Our early configuration setting were at best experimental to try out different parameters. We were aware of the full potential of each driver, but opted to try out first how far we can under/over utilize them. Finding the right setting really brings out the magic in music ;-)
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