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Post by sandawa on Jul 15, 2005 11:20:47 GMT 7
since both me and diego have been bitten by the surplus hifi bug, i'm opening this thread to show what we have acquired lately and give members ideas on what to expect when they visit Durian City. btw, i got inquiries from other sites on location of Davao surplus shops and advised that the easiest link is thru PinoyAudio's threads. diego, i believe, got a new Yamaha integrated amp, while i got the following equipment today, July 15: 1. Sony SA-S900 powered speakers (with electrostatic tweeters) @ P800/pair (not P1.8K as previously quoted) 2. Nakamichi BX-125 tape deck - P250 (a big discount from the regular P500 price for tape deck) the sony speakers are similar to what i got last month, only both electrostatic tweeters are working (the first pair had one defective tweeter). i now have two pairs of these speakers. built in amp for each is rated at 50wpc. the Nakamichi, i found out is not working but has power - motor turns off when play button is pushed. here's what the new acquisitions look like: the Sony speakers are placed on top of the Nakamichi tape deck. medyo hindi pa nalilinis ng maayos.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 16, 2005 6:57:28 GMT 7
had installed the new Sony electrostatic speakers on a preamp last night to check how it performs in comparison with smaller speakers and the result was disappointing.
my first pair was hooked to a mini-compo with the original amp disabled, now running in my kitchen and i thought it sounds nice for its P1.8K price. the second pair, bought yesterday at P800, was installed in my room last night in the company of more serious gear. it's sound was simply bad compared even with the Sonic T-amp, both the Tono driven and the standalone unit. it does sound good on the highs but below that was simply an earful trash.
but na lang mura ko binili.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 24, 2005 13:53:47 GMT 7
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Lordfoo
Audionut
Listen to be heard.
Posts: 225
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Post by Lordfoo on Jul 24, 2005 18:54:54 GMT 7
Hi, those yamaha monitors look tempting. I went back to the pier a few hours ago to get a Sony 337 ESD CDP. They were gone. Instead, I brought home a Sony TA5650 a few hours ago. I was partly influenced by the VFET thread which I read some time ago. I hooked it up with my AR90. It sounded okay for a while. Then after about three songs played (not loud at that), the speakers went silent. Was i wrong in hooking up the 50 watt amp and the AR90? I heard somewhere that the AR90 is an amp killer. I've been successfully using it with a Yamaha rxv740 and a Pioneer SX1080. I haven't attempted to do anything about the AR speaker nor the Sony amp yet. What do i do? I intend to bring the amp back to the store. But could my AR be the culprit? No music from the AR tonite!!! Someone from AK suggested i check out if the headphone still works. But I am still wondering if powering up the unit may exacerbate the problem.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 25, 2005 7:34:40 GMT 7
Sir, never had an AR-90 before, only up to AR-3a and 10pi on upscale models, but i heard AR-90 needs high-powered amps and could pose a problem for some Jap gear. TA-5650 is VFET but if you followed the posts at AK, most VFETs discovered by members easily fail, not necessarily the transistors. Diego's Sony TA-4650 here in Davao was returned to seller after technicians failed to eliminate distortions on both channels.
getting a lemon is a risk one has to take in the case of VFETs, seems a little less for Yamaha units probably because there were fewer such products sold compared with Sony's. anyway, if you can return it, better. an option is have it checked by technicians in Raon (i used to know a Jap-Sony trained oldtimer there that resigned from Solid back in early '80s - second shop, Evangelista corner Raon if i'm not mistaken). leave it only to one who knows what VFET is all about. ang problema sir, if the VFETs inside were fried, no more such transistors available, and your Sony TA-5650 would be as good as scrap.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 26, 2005 17:23:07 GMT 7
hindi ako mapakali after reading a Denon/Columbia briefer last night on the company's early speakers and their cabinets. one Japanese website said Denon used premium lauan veneers for their speaker boxes. where did those lauan veneers come from? none other than Alcantara & Sons' Davao wood plant. those were the days when Davao was supplying Japan with logs and wood products instead of bananas (did you know that 2 out 3 bananas consumed in Japan now come from Davao?) anyway, got the old Denon SC-104 that has a handsome wood veneer box from a Fil-Jap warehouse today at P1.5K. it was produced in mid '70s using Davao's lauan wood veneer. it would surely be a collectors' item once its speakers are back in condition. i will post its photos after cleaning and repair of the speakers, specifically the woofer and midrange edges/sorrounds. in the meantime, here's the original link to Denon SC-104 vintage speakers: www11.plala.or.jp/se_ke5583/DENON/speaker/sc-104.html
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Lordfoo
Audionut
Listen to be heard.
Posts: 225
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Post by Lordfoo on Jul 26, 2005 18:21:29 GMT 7
Sandawa, thanks for the VFET tip. I brought back the VFET to the store and have been informed that it is up and running now. I haven't picked it up though. I am thinking now of just getting a different unit if the store allows it. What interested me about the amp was a post i read that the VFET sounds "tube like". Did you come across such a review?
I think i mentioned before that i haven't seen a speaker i like at the Pier. The likes of the yamaha NS10x that you have there in davao, i have never seen here in manila. Denon speakers abound there. Ano po ba ung mga good performes sa vintage denon speakers? I saw one like your Sony. Lots of diatones, technics, A&D, a few pioneer CS, Sony Privates. I can't make heads or tails of which of these are good ones. I havent tried auditioning them right at the pier since the stores aren't conducive to listening well.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 26, 2005 20:00:27 GMT 7
Sir Foo, that's what Axel Dahl of The Vintage Knob claims. VFET's sonic characteristics were patterned after the old valves but with better specs on paper. it was produced after the global shift to solid state probably to appease those that were loyal to valve during the '60s and '70s (my Dad shifted to SS in the '60s but never heard of the VFET from him). ang problema nga lang the Japs did not sustain its production since VFET was expensive. my Yamaha B-3 VFET, i admit, sounds different from my other SS gear, but it lacks the punch of the Yamaha B-4 MOSFET and my Sansui beasts. for speakers, the upscale Diatones are comparable with good British and American speakers. check the niji site for the pricing but the DS-a... series and DS-1000 up are premium units. naka-suwerte ako dito sa Davao ng Diatone DS-a7 (P3.5K/pair), talo ang modified KEF 101/2 ko and almost comparable with Epos 14 despite the fact it was at the bottom of Diatone's upscale models in mid '90s. here's a link to a Diatone DS-a7: www11.plala.or.jp/se_ke5583/DIATONE/diatoneds/ds-a7.htmlmy experience with Technics linear phase speakers is also okay, mine is a two-way 12-inch woofer floorstander bought at P1.6K/pair and it can go low. it's tweeter is quite efficient, but there's bit missing when you play vocals. here's the link to my Technics SB-5300: www11.plala.or.jp/se_ke5583/TECHNICS/speaker/sb-5300.htmlang prime consideration ko sa speakers, mura, yung hindi ako talo, and yet mabigat at confirmed good from Internet resources. forget about the Sony electrostatic, puwede lang yan sa mini-compo, not a serious speaker. kaya lang, my last pair was bought at P800 - di na lugi!
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Post by D0Hbert on Jul 26, 2005 22:29:51 GMT 7
Sir, saw the same Sony SA-S900 powered speakers (with electrostatic tweeters) last week at the pier, selling at P3,000 without transformer. Had it tested, ok yung highs, but then again, because of the single 4 1/2" driver tasked to produce the mids and highs, considering further the construction was not even solid, puro buga nalang yung bass, mids are muddled. Di ko na kinuha
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Post by sandawa on Jul 27, 2005 6:28:47 GMT 7
true. neutral sounding siya only at comparatively low volume. pump the volume up, you get too much of bass (even muddled), but good high, and forget the mid! never buy at P3K. not worth even P1.8K, the price of the first pair i got now used in our kitchen. but at less than P1K, puwede na - you have two mono amps and 2 speakers in one trade, i.e. that's about P250 for one amp, or one pair of woofer and electrostatic tweeter.
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Post by diego on Jul 27, 2005 14:23:51 GMT 7
sir sandawa, Have you seen the big diatone ds-50cs at our suki? floorstanding and solid wood enclosure pa. will audition it when i get the chance. asking 7k for it though but i think we can get it down to about 5k. A friend of mine bought the polk speakers (rt3 ata) at 5.5k yesterday mids are really detailed and bass sufficient for a small bookshelf. Compared it with their bose and walang sinabi ang bose. The bose sounded "bungol" but old series ito not their 201, 301 ....Had I auditioned the polk before , i would have bought it. I think there is a new container but they couldn't bring it out wala pa raw funds ang importer. baka bukas ok na . will let you know if i see another treasure.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 27, 2005 15:34:54 GMT 7
sir diego, yang Diatone DS-50CS ang iniikutan ko nuon. maayos ang tunog niya, used to be upper-mid model for Diatone, and i even tested it with the Sonic T-amp (50CS has 92db sensitivity). ang sabi sa 'kin P7K daw, tinawaran ko ng P5.5K ayaw ibigay as early as May pa. almost 1 meter in height, 35kgs. each. ang ganda ng kahoy niyan sir parang lauan din tulad ng Denon (galing pala sa atin ang wood cabinets na ginagamit ng mga Hapon nuon). here's the link: www11.plala.or.jp/se_ke5583/DIATONE/diatoneds/ds-50c.html
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Post by sandawa on Jul 27, 2005 19:56:44 GMT 7
i'm excited to post photos of my new toy: Denon SC-104. i think it was released top of the company's speaker line in 1975, that makes it 30 years old now. the speakers were made by Peerless of Denmark for Denon while the wood cabinet was lauan (likely imported from Mindanao) said one website. i bought this at P1.5K/pair, had the surrounds of the woofer and mid-range replaced, and the binding posts changed to banana-friendly assembly. i bought wood oil which i wiped on the speaker box. total expense is roughly P2,100 for the pair. my first impression is that it's a bit hot and too high-efficient for my taste. well, Epos 14, is also hot compared with KEF 101/2 and EV Interface A. Epos 14, however, sounds better as you push it harder. in the case of SC-104, it would probably take a few hours of continuous listening to determine if its sonic characteristics would result in hearing strain. the sound it produces though is mid to upscale, which reminds me of Infinity's RS series starting from RS8 to RS6. the clarity of the mid, as in piano notes, however, is something only upscale speakers could produce. it would likely reveal its weakness in the coming days. here are some photos: reminds me of Infinity speakers but my old magazines showed it's quite similar in design to KEF Concerto and Cambridge Monitor which were sold in early '70s. with its truly vintage grill and the small Denon logo on the upper side, it's a KEF concerto clone. still nice looking especially the wood which is quite attractive (lauan from Davao ba naman?) at the back are two attenuators for high and mid-range while below are two screw type wire connectors which i replaced with banana-capable assembly.
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Post by southpeak on Jul 28, 2005 7:52:30 GMT 7
congratulation on your new toys nani. very nice looking pair especially the lauan wood finish.
speaking of the Infinity Rs series, are they the ones having emit tweeters? how do they compare to the standard metal and soft dome ones. big difference? preferential listening?..
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Post by diego on Jul 28, 2005 7:56:41 GMT 7
nice score. when i saw your earlier link , i thought tweeters were peerless and you just confirmed it. Nice things are being said about peerless tweeters at AK but don't know what makes them special. Price of tweeters alone might be more than the cost of your purchase.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 28, 2005 8:31:45 GMT 7
...speaking of the Infinity Rs series, are they the ones having emit tweeters? how do they compare to the standard metal and soft dome ones. big difference? preferential listening?.. ben, i had experiences owning speakers with electrostatics, EMIT and regular HF units and Infinity's EMITs are electrostatic in characteristics almost similar to ESS's specialized tweeters. it can go very high cleanly, but it still all depends on one's listening taste.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 28, 2005 8:43:53 GMT 7
nice score. when i saw your earlier link , i thought tweeters were peerless and you just confirmed it. Nice things are being said about peerless tweeters at AK but don't know what makes them special. Price of tweeters alone might be more than the cost of your purchase. this is the unit i was telling you about last month. if you didn't give me the tip on the magnet misalignment, i wouldn't have gone back to look at it. the clincher, however, was when i read on one website Tuesday night that the cabinet was lauan veneer, which means Denon's wood suplier could be a Davao firm, likely Alsons. i had listened to it 3 hours already last night and it was great. couldn't imagine that an 80,000-yen speaker made 30 years ago would sound this good. it was apparently made for analog audio but was incredible playing my Sheffields and Cheskys. it almost matches the sonic quality of Epos 14, as of last night's tests. it sounds fantastic on Sonic T-amp/Tono combination, hot but dynamics and clarity are something else. makes me wonder how those 200,000 yen Diatones made in the '70s would sound like.
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Post by diego on Jul 28, 2005 9:19:03 GMT 7
The peerless silk dome tweeters were used by older model polk audio speakers before they switched to their metal dome tweets. They are now back to silk domes again. I guess they realized the sonic superiority of silk domes. I have upgraded the tweets of my polks to their new silk dome tweets and sound really improved. More natural and less fatiguing sound. I can give you my old tweets for you compare if you want . Mukhang exact shape nang tweets mo.
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Post by sandawa on Jul 28, 2005 9:50:35 GMT 7
minsan subukan natin, pero mahirap mag-tanggal ng speakers nito. sealed ng alketran lahat parang yung mga lumang AR. kahit tanggal na ang turnilyo parang naka-glue pa rin, ang dumi sa kamay ng black tar.
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Lordfoo
Audionut
Listen to be heard.
Posts: 225
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Post by Lordfoo on Jul 28, 2005 13:18:32 GMT 7
Nice looking Denon sc104 sir sandawa.
Would the SC306 be in the same league as the SC104? Also at the pier were
I also some Denon DS speakers (DS66E, DS30b, DS32B, DS 77EX). also Diatone SS600
and some Technics (mostly phase linear):
SB-m5 SB2170 SB4500 SB2090 SB1850 SB2070.
Onkyo D77x
Pioneer SHe10 CS710C CSe700
p.s. What brand of wood oil are you using? available ba yan locally?
Foo
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