What New Stuff Have You Bought? If You Care To Share Thead! :)

[Johnny2Bad]

While cruising Craigslist, I happened upon a bargain for something I wasn't really looking for and bought them as fast as I could. With a list price of $349.99 each, to get four of them for $100 each was a deal not to be passed up.

Now I don't really have plans (just hopes and dreams) of someday having a 5.1.4 Atmos system. If I did, I might want the $800 apiece Ci200RR to better match my current speakers and/or any future upgrade to those. So perhaps these go to my son. He has a 7.1 system now with Q300 for L-R, Q200C center, Q800ds surrounds and iQ10 rear surrounds. With his room being bigger than mine and closed in on all four sides, this might be the better place for the Ci200QR's. We'll just have to figure a receiver/amp solution. recommendations welcome.

I was ill-prepared to spend that money but the deal got the better of my senses. After all, I'd just spent nearly $700 on a new stove. Funny how I bought two $10 scratch off tickets for me & wife on the way home, hoping to warm her up before telling her what I'd done. And mine hit for $500, hers for $10. I gave her $100 to make her happier and the indulgence is covered. Free speakers, new in box. Today rocks!

Install them in your car (or 2 each in two cars). They will rock.

 

[j_garcia]

Did you like the movie?

Have not watched it yet. This week.

 

[KenM10759]

Install them in your car (or 2 each in two cars). They will rock.

Great idea, though several problems with that. One, I drive a leased company car and my wife's is a two-years older exact same thing. I can't install anything in mine that alters the car from "as ordered." Hers is my off-lease previous car, she wouldn't benefit even if I could find a place to put them. We're talking about a woman who can't tell the difference between my home system and a Bose sub-sat HTIB setup.

The other issue is that my son is working his way to a rather complete 7.2.4 Atmos system and these would be key. He needs time (and probably help cuz Bose is laying off and moving tech support to Phiilipines) to get a receiver and/or amps capable of delivering. I'll do what I can because it's his interest in stereo and HT that booted me in the butt to revamp my aging decrepit system. And for that I'm eternally grateful.

Those Ci200QR speakers deserve to be used "as intended" IMO, and that's why I'll sit on them for him and seek out a similar bargain for myself in some Ci200RR.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Great idea, though several problems with that. One, I drive a leased company car and my wife's is a two-years older exact same thing. I can't install anything in mine that alters the car from "as ordered." Hers is my off-lease previous car, she wouldn't benefit even if I could find a place to put them. We're talking about a woman who can't tell the difference between my home system and a Bose sub-sat HTIB setup.

The other issue is that my son is working his way to a rather complete 7.2.4 Atmos system and these would be key. He needs time (and probably help cuz Bose is laying off and moving tech support to Phiilipines) to get a receiver and/or amps capable of delivering. I'll do what I can because it's his interest in stereo and HT that booted me in the butt to revamp my aging decrepit system. And for that I'm eternally grateful.

Those Ci200QR speakers deserve to be used "as intended" IMO, and that's why I'll sit on them for him and seek out a similar bargain for myself in some Ci200RR.

Too bad about the leased vehicles. Just so you know, I've built more than one Autosound system with the KEF Coaxial Architectural drivers, they work extremely well in the application (although we don't usually use the most expensive ones we can find, and use smaller units than the 8" CI200's ... but at $100 a pop yours are well within the typical budget ;-)).

And I mean extremely well. In fact the Architectural drivers from many manufacturers make great Autosound systems, sounding better than, and most of the time costing less than, those drivers sold specifically for car installations.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

KEF LS50 limited edition (matte black with blue woofer) expecting delivery today

Envoyé de mon SGH-I337M en utilisant Tapatalk

Awesome. I love these speakers; a bit too much $ for me right now. What are you using for stands?

 

[Goodband]

Awesome. I love these speakers; a bit too much $ for me right now. What are you using for stands?

Thanks!

They are not on stand for now. They sit on top of isolating pads on top of my 24" DIY AV shelves

Envoyé de mon SGH-I337M en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[KenM10759]

Too bad about the leased vehicles. Just so you know, I've built more than one Autosound system with the KEF Coaxial Architectural drivers, they work extremely well in the application (although we don't usually use the most expensive ones we can find, and use smaller units than the 8" CI200's ... but at $100 a pop yours are well within the typical budget ;-)).

And I mean extremely well. In fact the Architectural drivers from many manufacturers make great Autosound systems, sounding better than, and most of the time costing less than, those drivers sold specifically for car installations.

Yeah, that was a great price and would've been my cost if I hadn't hit the lottery scratch-off ticket on the way home which brought the price to zero.

I had been looking at the "KEF Museum" on their website and was surprised to see they made actual car speakers in the recent past. I wouldn't hesitate to put some of those in my car, and my son would go nuts to have some in his.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

A few things came in the mail in the last week:

REGA VTA Adjuster for RB 300 Series Tonearms, ordered direct from the UK manufacturer Soundsupports; silver anodized aluminum at a good price of $US 38.50 (other models are priced over $US 100).

A Ruby SubPlatter Bearing for the REGA; also from the UK, purchased via eBay $US 19.60

Two Printed Circuit Boards for my next DIY project, a 40W RMS Monoblock Solid State Amplifier, from Tom Christiansen of Neurochrome, Calgary Alberta. Total Cost (so far) $US 124.00

The Bill of Materials is going to run about $C 160, plus I will have to source an enclosure. It's perhaps enlightening to Audioholics members to realize that the enclosure could run over $150; yes, that's where some of your electronics buying money goes (one third the MSRP for cosmetics and safety).

So, all in about $400 for yet another hobby amp (I have built several). The Power Supply will support two channels, so this could be 2x 40W for about another $130.

Oh well, keeps me out of jail ;-)

Well, that's plenty for now.

 

[fuzz092888]

Did you like the movie?

The movie was ok IMO. Special effects were pretty good though.

 

[j_garcia]

The movie was ok IMO. Special effects were pretty good though.

I only bought it for the popcorn aspect. Sound, FX and spectacle. Did not expect story

 

[slipperybidness]

Two Printed Circuit Boards for my next DIY project, a 40W RMS Monoblock Solid State Amplifier, from Tom Christiansen of Neurochrome, Calgary Alberta. Total Cost (so far) $US 124.00

The Bill of Materials is going to run about $C 160, plus I will have to source an enclosure. It's perhaps enlightening to Audioholics members to realize that the enclosure could run over $150; yes, that's where some of your electronics buying money goes (one third the MSRP for cosmetics and safety).

So, all in about $400 for yet another hobby amp (I have built several). The Power Supply will support two channels, so this could be 2x 40W for about another $130.

Oh well, keeps me out of jail ;-)

View attachment 17380

View attachment 17381

Well, that's plenty for now.

Giggity!!!

I've been eyeballing that Neurochrome for a while now! I'm assuming that is the Modulus PCB??? Is it the v2 PCB?

Would you mind starting a thread in the DIY section dedicated to that build?

Share as much info as you want to, BOM, etc would be awesome!

I'm pretty busy right now, but I may be able to point you towards a good chassis for it. Did you see my "chipamp" thread? I think I have a pic in there.

What kind of gain are you targeting?

Are you going to do any type of measurements when you are done? FR, Av, Power, THD? I currently have a distortion analyzer that I borrowed from a friend.....but I don't have a low distortion oscillator to complete those types of measurements on my gear.

 

[3db]

Amazon today for $25.00

 

[afterlife2]

Let Me Go On...

 

[j_garcia]

Why can't I get just one...kiss

 

[3db]

Why can't I get just one...kiss

They are exceeedingly cynical but I like their sound and most of their lyrics. I heard they are releasing a new album in March sometime.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Giggity!!!

I've been eyeballing that Neurochrome for a while now! I'm assuming that is the Modulus PCB??? Is it the v2 PCB?

Would you mind starting a thread in the DIY section dedicated to that build?

Share as much info as you want to, BOM, etc would be awesome!

I'm pretty busy right now, but I may be able to point you towards a good chassis for it. Did you see my "chipamp" thread? I think I have a pic in there.

What kind of gain are you targeting?

Are you going to do any type of measurements when you are done? FR, Av, Power, THD? I currently have a distortion analyzer that I borrowed from a friend.....but I don't have a low distortion oscillator to complete those types of measurements on my gear.

Yes, it's the Modulus-86 v2 board, and the Power Supply board, bare (unpopulated). Standard (I think 27 dB) gain with 28v power rail voltage. I will poke around for your chipamp post(s) when I get a few minutes.

When you buy the boards, Tom provides you with a set of documentation which includes a Bill Of Materials (BOM) plus he has built a Project BOM at Mouser; mine at Mouser Canada comes in at $C 123.00 ($US 92), plus a transformer, the recommended model is not sold by Mouser but is available direct from the MFR for about $US 40 (plus shipping, in my case + $US 20).

Tom cautions against substitution of parts, and I think that is a reasonable position for him to take, since the topology is somewhat unorthodox and stability can be an issue. Plus he has spent a lot of effort to optimize the board layout, and has plenty of data to support the value of doing so (eg THD measurements that are easily affected by simply changing the layout of internal wiring).

Having said that, he is of the "EE School" where parts are chosen to be as inexpensive as possible while maintaining adequate tolerance (and this is a valid approach; it's what the majority of OEMs do).

My experience is somewhat different in that I find subtle improvements are possible in some cases with certain manufacturers preferred over others, not to be confused with a scattergun approach of just throwing boutique parts at everything and calling it good.

So, I may substitute some parts that fall in the signal path for certain variants I prefer to use in builds; the cost won't be much more, especially compared to the overall cost. Naturally I have heard and understood Tom's warning and am not going to go whining at Tom if I screw it up somehow.

I can almost certainly install the amp in a fairly inexpensive chassis; in fact I could construct one from aluminum or steel (including Stainless or Mild) for not much money.

There are a couple of Metal suppliers in my city so I can easily buy the materials for probably well under $50 and bend my own case and faceplate. But you need proper heat sinking with the Power Chip used, so a heatsink is required, which might run another $40. The high chassis price I quoted in my parent post is for a very fancy one, "too much" heat sink area included, with lots of internal space to minimize noise issues.

Money for the rest of the build won't be available until February.

As for a review, unfortuantely my experience here at Audioholics with regard to reviewing isn't all that positive I'm afraid to say. For some reason it seems to attract people (and at the speed of light it seems, like they spend all day lurking for a new post to jump on), interested in a pissing contest rather than people who actually want to read a review.

So, I'm afraid my Audioholics reviewing days are over. I probably will eventually post a review elsewhere on the internet, though, so Google should be your friend.

 

[slipperybidness]

Yes, it's the Modulus-86 v2 board, and the Power Supply board, bare (unpopulated). Standard (I think 27 dB) gain with 28v power rail voltage. I will poke around for your chipamp post(s) when I get a few minutes.

When you buy the boards, Tom provides you with a set of documentation which includes a Bill Of Materials (BOM) plus he has built a Project BOM at Mouser; mine at Mouser Canada comes in at $C 123.00 ($US 92), plus a transformer, the recommended model is not sold by Mouser but is available direct from the MFR for about $US 40 (plus shipping, in my case + $US 20).

Tom cautions against substitution of parts, and I think that is a reasonable position for him to take, since the topology is somewhat unorthodox and stability can be an issue. Plus he has spent a lot of effort to optimize the board layout, and has plenty of data to support the value of doing so (eg THD measurements that are easily affected by simply changing the layout of internal wiring).

Having said that, he is of the "EE School" where parts are chosen to be as inexpensive as possible while maintaining adequate tolerance (and this is a valid approach; it's what the majority of OEMs do).

My experience is somewhat different in that I find subtle improvements are possible in some cases with certain manufacturers preferred over others, not to be confused with a scattergun approach of just throwing boutique parts at everything and calling it good.

So, I may substitute some parts that fall in the signal path for certain variants I prefer to use in builds; the cost won't be much more, especially compared to the overall cost. Naturally I have heard and understood Tom's warning and am not going to go whining at Tom if I screw it up somehow.

I can almost certainly install the amp in a fairly inexpensive chassis; in fact I could construct one from aluminum or steel (including Stainless or Mild) for not much money.

There are a couple of Metal suppliers in my city so I can easily buy the materials for probably well under $50 and bend my own case and faceplate. But you need proper heat sinking with the Power Chip used, so a heatsink is required, which might run another $40. The high chassis price I quoted in my parent post is for a very fancy one, "too much" heat sink area included, with lots of internal space to minimize noise issues.

Money for the rest of the build won't be available until February.

As for a review, unfortuantely my experience here at Audioholics with regard to reviewing isn't all that positive I'm afraid to say. For some reason it seems to attract people (and at the speed of light it seems, like they spend all day lurking for a new post to jump on), interested in a pissing contest rather than people who actually want to read a review.

So, I'm afraid my Audioholics reviewing days are over. I probably will eventually post a review elsewhere on the internet, though, so Google should be your friend.

If you don't like posting public reivews on this sight, then please PM me when you release the review on any other site!

I'll make it easy to find my chipamp thread. It's LM4780--basically that chip is 2x LM3886 in 1 package. I have my amp with 1x LM4780 per channel, in a parallel configuration.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/new-chipamp-project-thread.92513/page-2

 

[KEW]

As for a review, unfortuantely my experience here at Audioholics with regard to reviewing isn't all that positive I'm afraid to say. For some reason it seems to attract people (and at the speed of light it seems, like they spend all day lurking for a new post to jump on), interested in a pissing contest rather than people who actually want to read a review.

So, I'm afraid my Audioholics reviewing days are over. I probably will eventually post a review elsewhere on the internet, though, so Google should be your friend.

Please come here and post a link to your review, if you would.

I love reading about projects like that, but my CRS will assure that I will not think to periodically seek it out in the future.

Or PM me too!

 

[fuzz092888]

As for a review, unfortuantely my experience here at Audioholics with regard to reviewing isn't all that positive I'm afraid to say. For some reason it seems to attract people (and at the speed of light it seems, like they spend all day lurking for a new post to jump on), interested in a pissing contest rather than people who actually want to read a review.

So, I'm afraid my Audioholics reviewing days are over. I probably will eventually post a review elsewhere on the internet, though, so Google should be your friend.

To be fair to both parties,

You came off as a bit hostile and defensive right off the bat. Especially to a question that was harmless and was just information seeking IMO.

They returned fire a bit prematurely, but they were also defending someone they know vs the "new guy". Additionally, this being an internet forum I think cooler heads should have prevailed, especially from the forum regulars since there is always a lot of room for interpretation in posts.

Either way the negative experience was equally your own fault as well as the other members involved IMHO.

I think you should try another review, if you feel so inclined, but be a little more open to questions and constructive criticism. There's nothing wrong with civilly agreeing to disagree after both points have been made.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

I haven't blamed anyone for anything; I'm just indicating my experience when I tried to contribute to the value of this website to others. I am sure those who participated in the thread did so with the best of intentions, but the net result is I won't be attempting any more reviews here, period, so it's of no value to ask me to do so.

As for the post I did make in the Review section, I am still debating whether to complete it by actually posting a review, once my own personal experience with the Device Under Test (DUT) is sufficient to make a conclusion one way or the other.

I am not particularly happy to have to say that, and I very much prefer to finish what I start, so I'm leaning toward completing my Original Post, but I do have to say I have not made a final decision as of yet.

A review is a review, period, it consists of opinion; it should stand on it's own, take it or leave it, and people who want to obtain value from reviews, whether here or anywhere else, know that they need to get to know the reviewer so that they can weigh how useful a particular reviewer's opinion is to them.

For example, I know that I often agreed with Wes Phillips (as in the gear I liked or disliked when I got the opportunity to listen to it myself, tended to be gear he also liked or disliked) when he wrote for Stereophile, for example, and I also know that I often disagree with what Michael Fremer likes and dislikes (he is a current Stereophile reviewer, Wes has moved on).

A single review from someone you are unfamiliar with is of very limited value (despite how so many people seek out and often act on such reviews in our modern web-connected world).

Now, we've taken this Off-Topic tangent as far, or maybe further, than is proper on a forum, so I won't be returning to this subject in this thread.

----------

Hey, back On Topic:

I had a Kill-A-Watt 4400 (about $20, on sale online) in a box delivered to me today. I've only gone so far as to plug it in, in the kitchen where the non-backlit display is actually readable. I am looking forward to playing with it a bit more in the future, but I can report one thing I've learned so far ... my Power Utility is sending me AC at 122V; and running the Microwave (1100W, Panasonic) on high on the same line (but not the same outlet) as the K-A-W drops the voltage 1V to 121V. Frequency is dead on at 60 Hz.

(The image attached here is just a generic one culled from the web and uploaded, so ignore the 120V indication on the display).

All the better since where I live the City owns the Power Utility; this due to historic reasons whereby they built a Power Grid at the turn of the 20th century when no other Utility was available. They have one Natural Gas fired Plant and they buy additional power from the Utility that typically operates elsewhere in the Province, as required. For residential customers they sell it at a rate 1.0c higher than elsewhere (I pay 13.5c per KwH), show a small profit every year, and use that to offset taxes.

In Canada it's illegal for a city to levy any tax other than Property Taxes (eg they can't have a Sales Tax like you would find in many US cities).

In Canada we expect a Utility to deliver 120V AC, not 117, etc.

If the actual power delivered is slightly above 120V, that should translate to just a few more watts from any Power Amp I might run in the house. Nice.