B2

Gone active...
I've been listening to active speakers for the last 13 years.

The KRKs with the Hornshoppe line stage: much, much better sound quality than the C2x and the B-2 and a number of other well regarded Japanese amps into the Altec Valencias via the Accuphase F-25 active crossover.

I had the Altec set-up sounding pretty damn good. A friend who listened to my active Altecs came with me to audition a system in Brisbane at a dealership showroom. The system consisted of a Ayre disc player, ASL tube preamp, Krell FBP poweramp and JM Lab Alto Utopia Be speakers. The room was a nice sized room full of room treatments. The speakers were well away from the walls. There were scads of anaconda-like interconnects,power cords and speaker cables. Apparently the total price of the system was $93,000(this was in early 2006).

I thought that it was incredibly boring sounding. 2D. No dynamics. No soundstage. I've heard clock radios which have held my interest in the music more than that system. The local laundrette has speakers which hold my attention better than that system. I loathed it.

Afterward my friend volunteered, without me asking, that he preferred the sound of my system. :yes:

The system I have now is leaps and bounds better than the Altec system he listened to back then. Most of the components fly under the radar and attract no interest from anyone. That's great because I'll score another pair of KRKs and assemble the multi channel system from heaven. I got these KRKs for $1700(worth $6,000) on ebay and there wasn't another bidder. No-one knows about them. No-one wants to know about them. Lots of really reputable recording professionals own them, but no-one else is interested because the are KRKs and they are expensive compared to the rest of the KRK line-up.
 
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Interesting stuff. We know about 'em now!

Things have come a long way since 1978. You would have seen many changes in the active speaker area also no doubt...
 
Interesting stuff. We know about 'em now!

Things have come a long way since 1978. You would have seen many changes in the active speaker area also no doubt...

I'd love to hear one of Nelson Pass' V-fet amps. I'm sure that the v-fet technology would benefit from simpler signal paths. All of the reviews and testimonials have been glowing. I'd love to hear a single-ended v-fet amp. :yes:

I first read about active speakers in Australian H-Fi magazine in 1979. I wanted to go active ever since. The Altecs were/are awesome. No apology necessary for a 1964 speaker. I'm usually unimpressed by most systems I hear. Most sound shithouse. I generally don't blame the individual components. Most of the blame lies with individuals who have no clue how to put together a great system. Most people read a good review and think that the item will work with what they already have, even when the reviewer's system and room are completely different to the prospective system they envisage the item going into.

I'll tell you: I got lucky with the KRKs. I bought them on a whim. I'd never heard any KRKs before I bought them. I bought them because they were under a year old and were being sold at less than 25% of the new price. My reasoning was that I could always listen to them and if I didn't like them I could definitely recoup my investment with the possibility that I might even be able to make a meager profit. The icing on the cake was that the seller lived about 40 kilometers from where I live. No need for delivery. I picked them up in person. :D

I was completely blown away when I switched them on. Utterly gobsmacked. I had to buy something to sit them on because if I put them on the floor, they would be too low. I bought two ottomans from K-Mart and placed them just next to the Altecs. I couldn't believe how good they sounded and you know what? They are still sitting on those K-mart ottomans in the exact same place that I initially placed them. It just sounds so good that I've been loathe to change anything. If it ain't broke..

They are about 13 feet apart and about 9 feet from my listening chair. Toed in to directly face me. Despite the distance between them they completely fill the space between them and have a really solid center image. They throw excellent images all around them when the system and recording allows it. The soundstage is a revelation. Again the system has to be providing it and the recording has to be suitable. They are chameleons. They only sound like what is being fed into them. They change in sound mightily with system changes and according to what is on the recording.

That is what High Fidelity should be. :yes:
 
I couldn't believe how good they sounded and you know what?

With all due respect, I really have a hard time excepting that those could sound better than a B-2 driving a pair of NS-1K(M) speakers ... but since you've experienced both first hand I won't argue with you to the contrary; they must truly be exceptional if that's the case because that's what the aforementioned are.
 
Remember to replace the only electrolytic on the NA06747 B2 drive board

: 100uf 6.3 Bipolar electrolytic, (2)one for each PCB
 
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Music is so subjective, even AB auditioning will differ in opinion with reviewer bias but I can remember a time after Yamaha’s introduction of these models when a true aficionado of the VFet that was given insight into the design of VFet’s amps and realized their potential and its significance to electronics and the hi fi world in general, with its valve like sound would never had sold of any of these Yamaha combinations.
The Yamaha B2 matched to some of the best speakers in the world gives a sound that is unique and wonderful
 
What about enhancements to the B-2? Lets take it up even more. This is a 1970's design reckon we could do some serious yet sympathetic improvements to get the very best from it...
 
Yeah -- I've read that and his other stuff on vfets little while ago.

What's your opinion of Pass with respect to vfets? I'm a little skeptical-- like he's "suddenly" discovered jfets? -- Why, to sell more amps? Colour me cynical -- I dunno, but I reckon there are a heap of guys on forums like this one, that know a shit load more about the history and application of vfets than Pass.
 
Yeah -- I've read that and his other stuff on vfets little while ago.

What's your opinion of Pass with respect to vfets? I'm a little skeptical-- like he's "suddenly" discovered jfets? -- Why, to sell more amps? Colour me cynical -- I dunno, but I reckon there are a heap of guys on forums like this one, that know a shit load more about the history and application of vfets than Pass.

The guy is a genius. That simple. There is no-one at all in Audio who disrespects the guy. Not one.

Pass is doing with v-fets what all the others 40 years before should have done, but they didn't have Nelson Pass to design for them. :yes:

As he said; He and another company had to put these transistors into production again. Everyone else including Sony and Yamaha had walked away from them for Audio. He should be applauded for his conviction towards the v-fet and if you are a fan of v-fets you should be in awe of the guy. There were some Japanese designers who had drawn SET-like circuits for the v-fets. I posted one here on AK years ago. No-one ever ran with the ball until Pass.
 
How can you speak for everyone in audio? Yeah I like v-fet stuff, hey but at the end of the day, its a.....transistor.

In awe of the guy?? Nah, he's a business man and audio engineer... The guy that goes into the burning house and pulls out the kid -- I'm in awe of him.

No doubt NP is smart, but just cause he looks like JC I aint gunna worship the dude.

Now perhaps we can get him on here to recommend some pimping for the B2!
 
How can you speak for everyone in audio? Yeah I like v-fet stuff, hey but at the end of the day, its a.....transistor.

In awe of the guy?? Nah, he's a business man and audio engineer... The guy that goes into the burning house and pulls out the kid -- I'm in awe of him.

No doubt NP is smart, but just cause he looks like JC I aint gunna worship the dude.

Now perhaps we can get him on here to recommend some pimping for the B2!

Thank you for that post. You have inspired me.
 
Now perhaps we can get him on here to recommend some pimping for the B2!

I'm sure most here would agree with me that there's no pimping, as you put it, required with the B-2; it sounds superb and since you don't seem to be satisfied with yours as is I would recommend you sell it to someone that appreciates it for what it is and move on. :thmbsp: :yes:
 
No, no -- I really like my B-2. I aint selling it...In fact the B-2 in the system with my new tube preamplifier is a real nice sound. But I do reckon you could pimp it...eeerr sorry "tune or enhance" the B-2 to get even better performance.

Highly recommend trying a tube preamp with the B-2.

 
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