A great time was had by all who attended, it was neat to put a face with the AK members handle. I heard some great tunes today, Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon was the best experience for me on The Klipsch speakers!! Well, my camera is a POS (Piece of $$hit) but I'll post what I have, enjoy!! :)

Dr. Echowars hard at work bringing the Sansui receiver back to life, he wouldn't stay still long enough to get a picture, oh well!!

The 50-50 raffle;

Grumpy alert!!

A work of art!!!

Crank it up!!!

Center that chair!!!

Looks cool. Did Grumpy get his haircut or is it in a ponytail? He actually looks fairly respectable from a distance. :D

mOOn

My camera lies!!!! He actually had himself all dolled up for this event!!:confused:

HDTV??

Marantz rules!!! :uzi:

Klipsch in tropics?? Check out the foilage!!

Way Cool!!! I never realized Hemp was a good electrical conductor!!:confused:

Another fine product out of Brighton, MI!! Horns rule!! These are real beauties!! That's all the pics I have, sorry, Dave.

Next time, weather permitting, I'll bring some Altec A7's!!

Great Pics! Thanks for posting them. :)

Carl

Originally posted by CarlV
Great Pics! Thanks for posting them. :)

Carl
Your welcome, it was nice only being 35 minutes from the Hotel!!

That sure makes things easy! This one time I'm jealous of snow
country!

Carl

The assembled, all in one place and no arguing at all for one brief moment.

.

ok, whos the one face you can defintively pick out of the crowd without being there?

Reel2Reel ! lol

of course grumpy COULDNT smile for a pic! that would ruin his reputation! And thers Glenn our member of the year (for good reason) front and center! wish i was there!

This is a Foreplay, I think. Simplicity, but in the most complex way possible. Laudable for the craft factor alone, but the concept is mindblowing.

Pioneer SX-1250 and 9191 cassette, with rare Kenwood audio scope. SACD player source. (Which one is this again, LVB?). Not shown: room clearing JBL L-65 Jubal speakers. This rig passed the Stupid Loud Test with flying colors.

Buggtussel Amygdala speaker. So pretty you want to get down on one knee and give it a ring.

Yeah, that's a grin on Grumpius Maximus.

Rogers LS3/5A speakers, Royd speakers, Sony XA20ES CD player (I must get this from LVB somehow), SE 6SL7/45 headphone amp, The Ultimate Williamson/Heath 4.5 monos and their power controller, and mug of cold audiophile grade coffee. A typical Bauhausler last minute redeye lashup.

Just to cool :)

Thanks for posting pics guys. Keep em' coming :thmbsp:

John

hey dgwojo, if you bring your A7's next year give Pink Floyd a call, maybe they can demo them for ya..........kool.............

Wow! all those Golden Ears in one room. I was thinking about you guys while at work today. The arguements on who was hearing what, and pretending to hear what everyone else was hearing. The fighting over who gets the sweet spot. The in and out swapping of gear to compare which is better, and all the beer sampling to determine which beer was best when listening to music. And finally the joy that swept across all the Aker's faces in attendance when the police came in to shut the event down because of the foundation cracks they created by playing all those powerfull speakers.
I wish I could have been there.:pity:

Originally posted by soundhd
hey dgwojo, if you bring your A7's next year give Pink Floyd a call, maybe they can demo them for ya..........kool............. If they're willing to show up, I'll bring 12 A7's, a pair of Model 19's, and a pair of Model 17's, would that entice them?? I'm sure we can come up with all the amplifier watts, we'll just need alot of muscle and moving truck. :)

Originally posted by dgwojo
If they're willing to show up, I'll bring 12 A7's, a pair of Model 19's, and a pair of Model 17's, would that entice them?? I'm sure we can come up with all the amplifier watts, we'll just need alot of muscle and moving truck. :)

Hey Grumpy, better plan on getting the "big" room that was across the lobby next year ...........Floyd is coming............:rockon:

Originally posted by Haoleb
ok, whos the one face you can defintively pick out of the crowd without being there?

Reel2Reel ! lol

That wasn't me..that was my 'NICE' twin...I'm the 'EVIL' one...I sent him in my place.....

I didn't see this at the time, but the pics of the insides of this extraordinary preamp show a tiny man in there. LVB says it's something to do with the remote control. I think it's time for someone to come forward and explain this thing.

while in the chat i forget who it was said those are transformer volume controls :dunno: i never heard of anything like that before. perhaps someone can explain!

Thats a figure of Doc Bottlehead. Dang - it is his spitting image!
It is really a Bottlehead Foreplay preamp highly modded

TVC used as volume attenuators S&B TX 102 copper windings. Check it out at Bent Audio ( John Chapman)
Can easily be adapted for use as passive attenuators :uzi:

Originally posted by ImTweaked
Thats a figure of Doc Bottlehead. Dang - it is his spitting image!
It is really a Bottlehead Foreplay preamp highly modded

TVC used as volume attenuators S&B TX 102 copper windings. Check it out at Bent Audio ( John Chapman)
Can easily be adapted for use as passive attenuators :uzi:

Thanks for the insight. I follow you on the tapped inductors used as attenuators, but I'm not familiar with this particular transformer or Bent Audio. Can you supply links for the curious?

ImTweaked, is that yours?


Very cool. Both from the mod/component aspect and visually! I would have loved to see/listen to it.



Bauhausler, You can find information on the Bent Audio preamps at Bent Audio (http://www.bentaudio.com/index2.html). You can buy the S&B Tx102 attenuation transformers outright, or in the NOH preamp kit...or in the assembled NOH preamp from Bent Audio.
There are also a few other manufacturers using different versions of the Tx102 out there. It's nice!

Bauhausler
They also make a unit for use as a step up for phono use....I have heard it and it is smooth..pricey but smooth. John has a forum where the people are helpful also.

gonefishing
Yes thats my preamp and Thanks for the compliment. It took ahwile to complete :) Too many projects ....
BTW- I am waiting for my salad bowl from Bruce! Heard the Titans at the Lima MAF in the big room; then at VSAC in a tiny room and again at CES2004 They sounded great in all venues! Decided to comit! I have a pair of mint original D 130 for the bass bin Although at this time I am trying to use it without a cabinet and do an exosketal rigid external framing.With alot of damping. Bruce seem to thin it should work.
Sald bowl gets the JBL 2240 with 2241 Diaphram and Fane on top ...Magnetar has been mentioning Fostex 903? Have you tried diff tweets on your Edgars?
At CES(04) Alex Peychev (SACD1000 guru) told me that at that time there are only 2 units with his 4 parallel DAC version of the mod- His and Mine. This unit is eerily good. I have been all vinyl for over 30 years and only collected CD within the last 3 and can begin to say in some recordings .......its very close.
Your "Factory production lineup " of Titans is sweet!!:) From Pics looks like beautiful cabinet work.
Check out my 300B pics http://wardsweb.org/tonyho/Bauhausler

Thanks for the link to the Bent Audio site. If I don't pry myself loose from this site I'll never get anything done today. That's beautiful stuff.
I'm with you on the need for high quality attenuators to preserve the best of the sound. My favorite 'preamp' is a custom made shunt/variable attenuator built on a huge Shallco rotary switch. The pass element is a Vishay bulk foil resistor and the switch position selects a single Dale resistor as the shunt for that volume setting. It has two switched inputs and 2 outputs. The sound is very clean and sounds better to me than any active preamp I have compared it to. Being a passive, it has serious functional limitations involving source and load impedance so it can't be used in every system configuration. In some configurations a powered preamp sounds noticably more dynamic if slightly less clear. I'll have to investigate the tapped transformer option. I know of one other company that makes them. The name Silver Rock comes to mind. They're costy compared to an Alps pot, but not if you're contemplating a high quality resistive attenuator like a Daven or a DACT.
I would be concerned about the bandwidth, maximum level and phase shift. That will have to be investigated. Great concept, though. When using magnetic products to pass line level signals, phase splitting and 'balanced' operation is an attractive option. There are benefits in reducing common mode noise, and presenting a 'split' signal to a Push Pull tube avoids having to engineer that part of the circuit. It allows the amp to be entirely symmetrical from input to speaker taps.
Regarding this preamp, I wish I had sought you out to chat about it. I came in the room multiple times to stare but you were engaged in conversation. It's quite an achievement. The cylindrical copper bits look like they were adapted from water pipe fittings. Am I right? I love the baroque mad scientist-y look. This piece is not for every system, and it should sit by itself for best aesthetic effect, but what a statement. Knowing the Foreplay circuit, it probably sounds pretty grand as well.
Is the copper clear coated or did you spend half a day polishing it for the show?

Thanks
I have used the word ecclectic with my Audio packaging enclosures. Spent 30 years doing black boxes and middle ground enclosures for general market - it does get to yer :) Even the awards were appreciated but the satisfaction wanes...
When I decided to get back to audio DIY I kept reminding myself of the times( at the corporate offices) that I wish I had a free hand in the design direction - now I do and and liking it ! my goal is enjoy myself in the whole process with significant audio results for a "reasonable" ( relative of course) budget.

I have tested the direct passive and seem to edge towards the Foreplay with the TVC in place ; instead of a bank of resistors or the passive alone. Yes I will concurr that in a direct passive; there is a clarity edge ( albeit minute in my system)...........I have a preference for the delicate warmth and musicality through my tweaked Foreplay. It has been awhile I may check the passive again using the TVC

Before the decision to purchase the Seidens and TVC I did consider various top quality resistors a (few changed their designs) ; some were new names to me and it seemed to be a commitment to a product with high variables- Not to mention availability downstream. Price came out to be about the same now but the TVC is a constant with no resistor chase . I always wanted to minimize using resistors( especially in signal path) and capcitors where possible and this is one step in that direction.
This modded FP have bested a few pricey preamps :)
If it is Audio related - Just do it!

No tooling money or machinist relatives- Yes copper fittings
Actually have not polished since VSAC. Fingermarks all over
Oh ! there is a remote control for volume - Lost my exercise program:smsex:

Originally posted by ImTweaked
No tooling money or machinist relatives- Yes copper fittings
Actually have not polished since VSAC. Fingermarks all over
Oh ! there is a remote control for volume - Lost my exercise program:smsex:

Thanks for the responses. I'm looking at the S&B tapped transformers with interest. It's not the kind of thing I can pick up on a whim to experiment with but if it looks like a good solution I can make it a future project.
Yes I did see your remote control arrangement. The tiny toothed belts look look so cool and industrial. Is that remote rig the one with the stepper motor that Bent Audio sells for the DACT attenuators? Their price ($225 all up) seems extremely reasonable for that functionality.
You're certainly making up for time lost doing black boxes for 30 years! That's about as un-boxy and non-black as you can get.
I have a weakness for the unusual in audio. My Maplenoll turntable is an example. I rarely use it but it looks nice. See the members' gallery for pics. There's also a shot of the rosewood armboard I made for my Thorens ttbl to replace the boring black one. Turntables generally seem to be fertile ground for odd aesthetic ideas to sprout and to work well.
I'm so sick of the black box thing. There's no excuse for a consumer product that you have to press your nose up to to see the markings on the controls. Nothing has worse ergo than consumer audio gear. I think the reason people accept boring and minimally functional front panels is the remote control. Back in the day of fancy tube receivers you were face to face with your gear on a frequent basis and how it looked and felt mattered. Now you never have to go near the thing to do anything so why should it look good? What we have instead is some great looking remote controls, although they could be better too. On a lot of gear I'm finding there are functions that can only be done from the remote, and maybe that makes sense for setting up a HT receiver.
Well, I gotta drive across town for a chip to fix this crossover thingy but I'll return to this thread later today.
I'm curious about ImTweaked's location. I'm near the Detroit Zoo. Where are you?

One more thing. You still haven't explained the elf standing on the attenuator switch in your preamp.

Originally posted by ImTweaked
Bauhausler
BTW- I am waiting for my salad bowl from Bruce! Heard the Titans at the Lima MAF in the big room; then at VSAC in a tiny room and again at CES2004 They sounded great in all venues! Decided to comit! I have a pair of mint original D 130 for the bass bin Although at this time I am trying to use it without a cabinet and do an exosketal rigid external framing.With alot of damping. Bruce seem to thin it should work.
Sald bowl gets the JBL 2240 with 2241 Diaphram and Fane on top ...Magnetar has been mentioning Fostex 903? Have you tried diff tweets on your Edgars? [/B]


Good deal!

Which saladbowl are ya gettin'? the 350Hz or the 500Hz?

I haven't tried different teeters with them. I've heard different compression drivers...but with the tweeters...I just figured I'd go with the Fane's...basically...because I liked what I heard on the TiTans.
Sometimes to keep costs down...a man's got to go with what he knows sounds good, instead of spending money to find something that may perform better.


Originally posted by ImTweaked
Bauhausler
At CES(04) Alex Peychev (SACD1000 guru) told me that at that time there are only 2 units with his 4 parallel DAC version of the mod- His and Mine. This unit is eerily good. I have been all vinyl for over 30 years and only collected CD within the last 3 and can begin to say in some recordings .......its very close.
Your "Factory production lineup " of Titans is sweet!!:) From Pics looks like beautiful cabinet work.
Check out my 300B pics http://wardsweb.org/tonyho/Bauhausler

You've got one of the modded sacd1000's?

I've been hoping that I could get mine modded one of these days...but as the price goes up and up...I don't know. it's really getting to expensive for me. After I'm done fooling around with amplification...I would like to look into getting either a better (pretty decent) CD player...or perhaps getting the sacd1000 modded.

If you wouldn't mind...would you be able to put a review of the stock & modded sacd1000 in the reviews&opinions forum?
What Cdp's did you have before, that you would compare the modded player to.

ok...suppose I'm getting a little off topic...maybe I'll wait for a new thread.

Bhaus...I've got the stand alone Bent Audio NOH tvc preamp...If you become more interested in one...if I could get a free day...maybe I could drive up and let ya try it.

We'd just have to wait until we both get a day that'll work. But hey...if your thinking about one...it may be worth a try :)

"Bhaus...I've got the stand alone Bent Audio NOH tvc preamp...If you become more interested in one...if I could get a free day...maybe I could drive up and let ya try it."

GF

If ya do that let me know since my place is only a mile or two from Bhaus.

Grumpy

Originally posted by grumpy
"Bhaus...I've got the stand alone Bent Audio NOH tvc preamp...If you become more interested in one...if I could get a free day...maybe I could drive up and let ya try it."

GF

If ya do that let me know since my place is only a mile or two from Bhaus.

Grumpy

:thmbsp:

Bauhausler
I thought I did!...the elf is Doc Bottlehead. It is my tribute to him for the Full bottlehead system I buildt. Thats why I said (tongue in cheek) "Dang it is the spitting image of him"

Grumpy
Just wanna say THANKS as part of the Team to set AK =Fest up. I know and appreciate the hard work!!!

gonefishing
You are scary to me!;)
first you are the first owner of the Titan that i am communicating with

Then you own SACD 1000
IMO there is no other guy to mod the SACD 1000 than Alex. The man knows CDP .Period. Way I look at it I have blown away Chords Dac ( English 3K I believe) and other high price Sonys.
I was at VSAC and heard the Mod wright ;Alan Wright and John Tuckers mods ...although the room was difficult to assess...just say I am very comfortable that I went with Alex.

If Grumpy and BHaus and you want to come by to listen just let me know. Heck you have a place to stay ...I am empty nested. That is if you dont mind sleeping with JBLs and audio parphanalias

And Then you flyfish - Shit ( I mean gosh darn it!) ( My nephew who lives in Chico ;Calif and a Dentist - owns a Fly fishing outfit for Salmon and Shad ( my Fav). I just found this out and have not fish with him except 25 years ago when he was a toddler!
If you wanna do a serious fishing trip in Calif. on the American river LET ME KNOW. He charters Salt Water FF in the caribean and Baja!- Now that is serious! BTW my nephew caught a Permit; Tarpon and Bonefish in a day...that is considered a grand slam in fly fishing.

BTW I have a Hardy 6 weight 4 piece graphite you would think it is a 2 piece if blindfolded : ) Comes with a 1/4 inchthick leather cylinderical container !
Is that enough to get you over here??? if not ..My other business is Flyfishing paintings --seriously!

350 hz salad bowl ( dang wish I did not skip typing class in high school this is slow....)
Everything is Bruce suggested. I am getting his 80 Hz bass shell and Xovers as well.

Originally posted by ImTweaked

gonefishing
You are scary to me!;)
first you are the first owner of the Titan that i am communicating with

Hi again Tweaked :D

I don't have the TiTans, but that would certainly be nice. The speakers I have are a DIY version...they're a bit different than the TiTans...but do sound similar.
Do to money and space constraints, I don't have the basshorns and sub. Instead, I have some TAD1601a woofers in a sealed cabinet with 2441's on 500Hz bowls(instead of the TiTAn 350Hz) and Fane tweeters.
However, I guy that lives near me does have the TiTan system...so that's kinda nice too ;)


Originally posted by ImTweaked

Then you own SACD 1000
IMO there is no other guy to mod the SACD 1000 than Alex. The man knows CDP .Period. Way I look at it I have blown away Chords Dac ( English 3K I believe) and other high price Sonys.
I was at VSAC and heard the Mod wright ;Alan Wright and John Tuckers mods ...although the room was difficult to assess...just say I am very comfortable that I went with Alex.


I've followed his posts...but man, the price is getting up there. I'd love to see/read your opinions on the stock versions Vs the modded unit.


Originally posted by ImTweaked

If Grumpy and BHaus and you want to come by to listen just let me know. Heck you have a place to stay ...I am empty nested. That is if you dont mind sleeping with JBLs and audio parphanalias


Are you kiddin'...I'd sleep with the audio paraphernalia just to get to the JBL's :naughty: just don't tell the wife that ;)


Originally posted by ImTweaked

And Then you flyfish - Shit ( I mean gosh darn it!) ( My nephew who lives in Chico ;Calif and a Dentist - owns a Fly fishing outfit for Salmon and Shad ( my Fav). I just found this out and have not fish with him except 25 years ago when he was a toddler!
If you wanna do a serious fishing trip in Calif. on the American river LET ME KNOW. He charters Salt Water FF in the caribean and Baja!- Now that is serious! BTW my nephew caught a Permit; Tarpon and Bonefish in a day...that is considered a grand slam in fly fishing.

BTW I have a Hardy 6 weight 4 piece graphite you would think it is a 2 piece if blindfolded : ) Comes with a 1/4 inchthick leather cylinderical container !
Is that enough to get you over here??? if not ..My other business is Flyfishing paintings --seriously!



FlyFish? Well, tho I like it...and appreciate it. MikE is really the fly-fisherman. Me, I mostly do small water/river fish. Don't get me wrong...I love all kindsa fishin'. But fly-fishing is an art form I could watch...but when I perform it...it is hardly anything close to an art form :(
Flyfishing paintings? Got any links?


Originally posted by ImTweaked


350 hz salad bowl ( dang wish I did not skip typing class in high school this is slow....)
Everything is Bruce suggested. I am getting his 80 Hz bass shell and Xovers as well.

Isn't Bruce one of the nicest gentlemen you could ever meet! Did you get a chance to listen to his new slimline signatures? I could imagine how they sound...from hearing some of the components separately.


so...do you have any more pictures of stuff you've made? I'd love ta see some more of your work. Have you tried any of the gainclones? We're getting a group project ready to start soon. Even if you still prefer tubes...you'll still be impressed how a "stock" low cost version of the gainclone can sound on a HE system such as the TiTans. After building the stock unit...I'm intersted in finding out how the amp improves when tweaked :D


take care>>>>>>>>

I've followed his posts...but man, the price is getting up there. I'd love to see/read your opinions on the stock versions Vs the modded unit.

I have a denon and a sony 333es and came across this SACD1K.
I seem to have saved 6db since modding it. i.e. I play at least 3 clicks less
redbook is so much closer . More dynamic and spatial - detailed with out being harsh across full spectrum.
Sound stage is very apparent compared to the other two and before moddingI've followed his posts...but man, the price is getting up there. I'd love to see/read your opinions on the stock versions Vs the modded unit.

No Gainclone experience...is there a site..on the other hand wait till I finish the Titan : )

New Slimlines at CES are better than the ones at MAF ...If i got them correctly, B edgar is the man!I've followed his posts...but man, the price is getting up there. I'd love to see/read your opinions on the stock versions Vs the modded unit.

Sorry for the srewup in trying to quote below.... new to site:confused:

In the group photo...who is the trippy looking dude with the beret and white moustache.

What do your name tags say? Do they have both your real first name and your AK handle?

Originally posted by rgrjit8
In the group photo...who is the trippy looking dude with the beret and white moustache.

What do your name tags say? Do they have both your real first name and your AK handle?

Fishstink. Don't remember his name, unfortunately. A real character.

He looked like he could have been David Crosby's relative; if i am remebering the same person.

Originally posted by Audio Flynn
He looked like he could have been David Crosby's relative; if i am remebering the same person.

That's the guy. I dunno where the name comes from. He smelled OK at the time.
Livonia, huh? I'm by the zoo in Hunt. Wds. Grumpy's in Berkley. I ran into him & his son Grumpless at the Berkley P.O today. Small world.
Come by this spring when Hunt Wds has the annual garage sale day. We're going to try to fill my front drive with as many vintage speakers as possible and if we're lucky not have to bring them back into the house. Never mind the address. Just roll down the car window and follow your ears.