HIFI CAVE RUclips channel www.youtube.com/@hificave Sound Demo ruclips.net/video/4kkBrItZj5M/видео.html Check out my latest video on the RETHM single driver speaker ruclips.net/video/AHGKjQajgik/видео.html&ab_channel=THEABSOLUTESOUND
Journey of the open baffle speaker: DIY Open Baffles ruclips.net/p/PLhPRXwzAk-Q-zDkEURHdemyvyNWIDmqBb My end End game tips and philosophy: Hi-fi End GAME Tips ruclips.net/p/PLhPRXwzAk-Q9_vP6yaeaXfSNErOc2laZ1
Yep, finding reasonable priced combinations that blow minds is what it’s all about when you get your audiophile black belt:) I moved to tube and high efficiency a few years ago and haven’t looked back.
@@dougg1075 Yup... I've had Cornwalls since mid 80's now driven by a Class A SET tube amp 8wpc (I think)... Could not be happier. Never understood amps in the multi hundred / thousands of watts when I bet the normal operating range for regular listening levels would be hard pressed to push 20wpc RMS (average) for less efficient speakers. I don't get it.
It actually is, because great measuring components and drivers aren't that expensive, so they start reinventing stuff that doesn't need reinventing, throwing exotic shapes and materials into the mix and ultimately introduce problems that aren't meant to be there, that need even more stuff thrown at them to fix them, driving prices up even more.
Without some skills, you can spend a lot of money without getting great sound. A lot of money is not equivalent with good sound reproduction. Heard expensive stuff that was simply underwhelming.
I love it when reasonable priced equipment sounds just as good or better than over the top components. Good sound doesn't always have to be crazy expensive.
Was fun having you and Mr Kanta over! For added context and perspective: Its funny, as when we say oh it does orchestral at 30% but thats relative to our expectations. As orchestral does sound good too. But not like a 100k system. If we ranked in terms of dollars(conceptually), the performance of my system in music genres My system does this: Blues, jazz, acoustic, singer voices: 100k + performance Rock and classic rock: 20k… Metal and electronic: 10k… Orchestral: 10k So for the genres at 10k its not bad, its just not holly shit wow compared to the other genres are performing. The Key thing, is to be open minded about trying things to reach what we want in terms of sound. I chose to max out the genres I listen to the most.
@@ThomasAndStereo Indeed, we all have preferences for certain genres of music, and it's logical to create a system that can accommodate these preferences. Btw, when are you coming down to Australia? We have a big stereonet community here in Melbourne and our annual Hifi show is in Oct.
@@hificave i mean a double blind. if you see what your listening to it doesn't count. otherwise the whole medical industry can retire and we can do comparative studies instead of comparing it to water.(palcebo)
Grew up on AU101 in my father’s HiFi system. A quadrophonic system with reverb units on the rear speakers. Celestion speakers in diy cabinets … sounded awesome.
Spent £5.5k in total on my system , about £2k of that after having built my own 40mm thick oak open baffles for £1300 based on a $30 Decware ZF15M plan/licence. The one pair of Li Song 15" full range drivers made all the difference, which is what prompted me to spend the additional 2K on a Gustard R26 DAC and Singxer SU2 digital convertor. Ever since then, have been very satisfied with my system. Probably end game for me. I would tentatively suggest people invest in (or build their own) open baffles before making any other upgrades. Only then, upgrade other kit if needed. Makes much more sense to me than trying to put together a system including box speaker designs -- could end up saving thousands!
Braavoo Loic!! Great!! I am delighted about this! And yes, bravooo to Thomas for his sincery opinions. I am also doing such a way into hi-fi experimenting with my own speakers with fullrange drivers and testing them with different gears. But patience counts... I will need for sure a year or two or more to make a really great system for my ears. I guess I will also end with at least two speaker designs and two or three pre amps and amps. Somehow I am more and more realising that not every typ of music and also the source quality does not suit to the same system.. ok you can listen to all music on one system, but some music on some sources just shines through a specific system and speakers of course.
20:30 That upward pointing Ladybug, reminds me of the legendary Swedish speakers made by Carlson. Also had a very open, floating sound, using the room to play music.
@@tallpaull9367 if you live off-grid, it should be a no-brainer, cheaper, more efficient and from audiophile perspective a huge improvement over all the useless power conditioner and intermediate power supply issues caused by AC and especially SMPS..also avoids EM pollution. charge one bank of batteries while using your secondary air gapped battery bank. and switch between banks when charging is necessary. Think about it, the major cost of an amplifier is the power supply used to achieve at best imperfect DC power rails. I knew a HiFi guy who did this his entire life ( 70 years ) using 2v lead acid batteries, before Lithium batteries existed.
I have always loved music and hifi from a very young age Now being a Fossil i wish i had learnt more regarding electronics..I find it most interesting that people like you two guys can dabble into home designed speakers and use common sense annd basically some simple ideas and nail it .. What amazes me the most the big high end of town manufacturers have all the technological help and money behind them and they still can't achieve what you guys have done for $35000... You have to wonder why ?.. Keep up the great work. From your hifi friends Down Under.....🙏👍
Great video guys! And I'm with Loic, the main reason my system sounds the way it does is every which way I've tried to clean up the power path. Fuses in integrated and streamer, upgraded power supply in the streamer, Puritan psm156, good cables, LessLoss firewall for loudspeakers, upgraded tubes and room treatments. The little stuff 😅
This excellent review affirms my DIY open baffle experiments using Lii Audio F-15's and bass woofers bi-amped with a 2a3 SET and powerful class D amp. The only large FR drivers I've experienced that top the F-15's in open baffles are the 12 inch Zenith 49CZ alnico's from the 1950's. Steve D. even commented on how the F-15's sound is close to the big tube friendly wide band alnico's of that era.
I agree completely with balancing the bass with the amount of highs and mids is essential to good quality balanced sound. Such a pleasure when you get this balance right.
That idea, that you need to consider the WHOLE package and how it works together, instead of just focusing on one piece of it doesn't get enough attention in the audio world. Most of the time people seem to be focused on just picking one part of the system and improving it, without giving enough attention to how that one part will interact with the rest of the system. i think it is very true that a system is more than just the sum of the separate parts. Isn't that what we mean by synergy? Loic seems to have given much thought to how all of the interacting parts work when assembled together and how to successfully balance it all out. That can only be gained by a lot of experience and trial and error. Good job!
Beautiful system, never underestimate the electronics of the crown amplifiers which are a secret sauce for a lot of us that like many modifications and tubes rolling.
Fascinating video. I like the free form discussion format. Loic has a similar view to me. One system can't do everything well, so mix and match and be flexible. I use low output tube amps for acoustic music and high power class AB for dynamic, complex music. My speakers are Elysian 4s which are excellent all rounders, but I also have Sansui gear from the 70s which will soon hopefully be joined by vintage Tannoy Eatons for that distinctive vintage sound.
I completely get the DIY speaker bug but who wants a bit of roughly cut and unfinished plywood on display in their lounge! With open baffle designs it's particularly easy to make the wood look beautiful.
I made a pair very similar if those are the F-15s. Also used a separate sub woofer. It sounded great but was lacking in the high treble and overall clarity compared to my Ohm 1000 speakers. I will hook the OBs up again and compare, because the amplification has improved . Thanks for the video.
Well actually, I dabble in solidstate poweramp design. Ive absolutely seen that fuses introduce measurable distortion. So I designed an amp with savage PSRR so it doesnt get to the output. So when you test those fancy fuses. Test them with as many amps you can. Itll also reveal to quality of the amplifiers!
If you’re running a transparent system that’s based on a very simple design with minimal parts and full range drivers, then every part in the signal path will make a difference, including fuses.
I listened pretty carefully, but I didn't hear the brand of speakers on that larger baffles Dedicated power, Thomas, that's step one for any and everybody's system. I'm excited to make an open baffle more than ever!
Wow, Thomas and Loic, this is really interesting. Hats off to you both in your fearless pursuit of emotive sound. I haven’t even finished the video yet and needed to tell you this. The points related to dealing with strengths and weaknesses are good food for thought. And for future efforts of my own.
The SECRET is Luis, end of speculation! He is the DIY king. 😅 Methodical and every component down to the smallest part. (With the best video on RUclips about what matters that showcase his metalogy.) So forget it is NOT the speakers it is a whole system just there and then. Yes, but this showcase the potential of the speaker has.🎉❤
The reason why some sound systems cost $20k+ is they include various quantities of snake oil which you must lather all over your body in order to numb the pain your wallet is experiencing by getting suckered by the big AudioFool companies.
Fantastic dedication to create something special. I have my doubts with the big face area of the speakers. This will cause lots of unwanted reflections. And with 19 tubes in the signal path, yes you get a lot of decay. Which i happen to like. But the system is not really affordable. Nice that the speakers are affordable, but i do ask myself the question how they sound on a less heavy tweaked system. If you like open baffle, you could check out GR in Texas. The guy there has amazing open Baffle speakers for diy. Great channel, thanks for showing this great setup.
My point of view for what it's worth, the room and the speakers are doing the heavy lifting and all that esoteric gear is just psycho acoustics at work. You jokingly mentioned blind A/B testing, I think that would be very interesting for everyone involved.
Sup fellas. Yes crown amp secret is smart. All u need is directed power! Bass might not always be in balance when u put in corner. Especally with open baf. Speading truth. I think this is where digital comes in. It just plays everythung at 99% in most circumstances.
Its interesting that the speakers being used at the back for the sub 90hz and below are behind the equipment and are kind of pointing towards it all and its also in fairly close proximity to all the equipment as well. That's probably not a great idea. But, if it is sounding good then let it be.
Please discuss the cabling loom….., in my mind the most vital cable is the IC’s from one’s DAC into their preampfification stage, using inferior IC’s further down the chain, can’t restore musicality.
Great review. As you said Thomas there are a variety of reasons why this system plays well like the room, electronics, combination of tubes and the diy speakers. I would be curious if you take Mr. Kantas speakers to Loïc and test them against the DIY to see is the magic is more related to the room and electronics. Not sure if I would want to put up with speakers that are only good for certain types of music and not so good for others types. You claim it is one of the best system you ever heard but with probably the type of music Loïc selected. I am sure if you would select different varieties of music the outcome of your impression might have been different.
From looking at it from a physics point of view lets hope Farther Xmas brings him an active crossover for him on the 25th of December to complete the package.
how much has the original audio signal changed? A good deal, I think, since you use so many vacuum tubes. connect earphones to the sound source signal and compare it with what comes out of the amplifier and you will hear the difference. one should not use equipment such as an equalizer if you understand
Woof. I too am an audiophile. But I sold my equipment decades ago (Bryston/Threshold/Mirage/Linn). On a extreme budget, I have come to appreciate some small portable, battery operated Mp3 players. I am amazed at the quality of musical enjoyment I get from my exclusive S.W.E.A.D.R.E. files. I have perfected a process of eliminating square waves & enhancing dynamic range. If you're interested, I can share my version of the album Space Cadet by Nigel Good. Let me know.
Interesting video. Would be nice to be able to reproduce these loudspeakers. Information would be great. I don't know if I'd call anything except the speakers and the Crown amplifier "budget" however. Seems very high dollar to me. Thanks Thomas.
Very cool system, great variety of choices. Only thing is how about getting a furniture grade baffle for the main? The ugly plywood doesn't do the presentation justice.
Diy is great…but there is no way to me to go with open baffles. So I desided to go for a closed small box with a 8“ koax chassis (you can find some infos in german…it’s called Pointhino).
@@ThomasAndStereo Ohhhh, very nice. Thank you. I know someone who measured those Li Song 15 drivers and they did not measure well. I would only be interested in the better version of it, if they ever put them on the market.
A system that shines with certain genres and sucks at others is just not for me. Im sure this system will appeal to many people. This system also shows DIY is the route to go especially when it comes to suiting personal preference.
I bought an Luxman M-03 for under 1000$, change some new quality stuff that have big impact on the sound from old crap. Added my old my Proac supertablets mk 2. (That midrange kills my Utopia and Wilson audio) 2 high end sub, for 1600€ Embla Classic as a c and stream unit.
Thomas, a suggestion, do your own experiment. The shown DYI speakers, Galion Amp with various tube rotations, preamp and DAC and Streamer and see how it compares with much less brain damage.
I have a pair of f15 to build dipoles , If you’de be so kind just to explain me one point!? If in the future i want to buy a pair of w15 woofers , which “crossover/ component “ should I beter use ? And should i try different values of that same component or components in the “ crossover” depending on room acoustics ? If you would be so kind to try and help me , i would apreciate a lot . Thank you. Cheers
I'm so glad someone has the energy for all this complexity, and I'm a audiophile. I just like things more simple then multiples of boxes 📦 connected. It's just too much and the cost, unreal. I do love tubes and I love speakers and have several quirky types of speakers. Don't get me wrong, this is georgious but I was exhausted by the complexity shared.
I get that. Passion and curiosity over time leads to this. As complicated as this seems, when it’s done in increments over time it’s not bad. Actually it can only happen in increments over time, thinking one can do this all in one try, will be overwhelming and frustrating. All the gear I have used over the years brought something that made me learn and contribute to my choices and direction to go to maximize my taste in sonic character.
Hi Thomas, would you consider reviewing the Gold Note DS-1000 EVO or the DS-10 with its PSU-10 EVO external power supply? These two are on my list of Streamer/DAC gear.
I have a friend of mine who I call the audio Snob. If it doesn't. Have all the Bells and whistles. And it's not the most expensive technology. He doesn't want it. He's got a system in his house. I guarantee you've got a cost 35 to $40000. And I turned around and built myself a pair of old tech Lansing, who is in the theater speakers?My own pair of mono block amplifiers.Amplifiers my own preampt Set this system up in my living room. Brought him over, let him listen to It. He would not believe that I built it. Until I showed him the Receipts for all the materials and proved proved that I did. He turned around and offered me $10000 for the system that I built and it only cost me about 4000 to do it. I turned him down. And then I turned around and said to him, if you want one I will build you 1 for $15000. And he says okay, so I did. Annie has that system sitting in his guest house. And that's the only system he listens to. If you have some know how and you are, have some ability to do something. Just go out and do it thand don't let anybody tell you you can't. And you don't always need all the Bells and whistles in all the fancy cables. Because yes, somebody has been pricked to believing that it makes the music sound better. I can walk into a room and tell you if ypure assistant is off. Just by listening to it. I have a very good year for music. I can balance a system so perfectly even if it's a cheap system. I can make it sound better just by positioning speakers. You have the position things right? And all depends on the acoustics of the, not all the fancy equipmeit's. All about your snake oil.
you have to make sure the subwoofers are a metre behind exactly from the front of the baffle of the main speaker to the front of the baffle of the subwoofer, you can make this half a metre if you're limited on space but you're lose lower frequency it could be why hes getting phase issues losing some bass mid-range. the crown amplifier should have a delay switch what does the same thing as placement.
If you can get the midbass to sound good, then it will be ok. I personally need the W15 to consider it acceptable. If you try to solve it with a big baffle or cabinet, it is just not good enough for me.
@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas. I will try minidsp and external crossover from bryston and add bass and tweeter later. I will let you know how they sound.
OK Thomas, since your now in the manufacturing business I guess you could easily expand to doing open baffle speakers that use Lisong drivers, just an idea.
Great video as always. I have the same setup (F15 and W15 ) and use a baffle step correction on my F15. Is Loic using one? I know Decware offers one with the purchase of their open baffle speakers. Thought maybe Steve sent one with the Sarah.
@@TombstoneTube Did you buy the Sarah from Steve direct or on the used market. If it was purchased direct I bet he would sell you a set of the baffle steps.
That's awesome lots of work tuning to taste ' thanks for the video ' I was using the corners of my room to amplify the bass back in 1989 !! 😆 I was a bass head ! Open baffle though great idea
An interesting mix of optimized digital front end, tube amplification and single driver, open baffle transducers with bass reinforcement. But NO way does this system come in under $30k when ALL the upgrades, accessories and tweaks are included. Maybe... $50k. That said, Thomas makes some important points; these speakers shine in a room whose size is compatible with the speaker's demands. This system shines with music played through acoustic instruments. Foremost among the system's qualities is "emotional engagement". The synergy of the components appears to be focused upon achieving the maximum amount of "emotional engagement", tonality, transparency and soundstage.
I don't think people worry about time alignment when they add a subwoofer into their system. Perhaps below a certain frequency, phase is more important than time alignment? No idea.
those liisong are really cool,, and that MP D2 DAC is nice. i have the mk3 deluxe, which is of modular design and is meant for all those add-ones. for my musical MP-D2 mk3 deluxe require no modification whtasoever. which version does he have?
DYI is the way to go, and you can see and hear it perform with a 16lbs. amp. just click on my name and play, 2024 prototypes. No need to spend mega bucks to enjoy. My next version will be way better. I was a tube amp lover decades ago, but shelling out lots of money and spending time searching for replacement, tubes, that will change quality in a few short months in most cases made me turn to class D amplification, that came a long way babe............
I feel that system matching is a market niche. I know what kind of sound I want, but I don't know what I need to buy to get it. Shops only sell individual components while everyone always says system matching is crucial. So why doesn't anyone make proper recommendations for complete systems?
@@hificave Sorry, I did not. I wish I could but anyone who says a fuse makes a 'giant' difference I cannot take serious anymore. Maybe, maybe on a good day I could go along with it and just forget about it if it was the main fuse for the whole system. But the fuse in an external battery powered clock.. Mate ...
@@nielsv2025 fascinating. I never said it was the fuse for a battery clock, its battery operated why would there be a fuse there? The battery operated clock is connected to the dac’s ESS chipset. The fuse refered to is for the main dac as part of the upgrades Thomas asked about. Which is where the noise starts having a bigger impact in the chain, as it does in a preamp and amp. I find it fascinating that you would shut off so fast, and over an incorrect perception. Your comment made me curious, have a good one mate.
HIFI CAVE RUclips channel www.youtube.com/@hificave
Sound Demo ruclips.net/video/4kkBrItZj5M/видео.html
Check out my latest video on the RETHM single driver speaker ruclips.net/video/AHGKjQajgik/видео.html&ab_channel=THEABSOLUTESOUND
Interesting, thx for sharing 👍
Journey of the open baffle speaker:
DIY Open Baffles
ruclips.net/p/PLhPRXwzAk-Q-zDkEURHdemyvyNWIDmqBb
My end End game tips and philosophy:
Hi-fi End GAME Tips
ruclips.net/p/PLhPRXwzAk-Q9_vP6yaeaXfSNErOc2laZ1
Sound clip
ruclips.net/video/cdDrmnrh4iE/видео.html
It does not take much skill to get great sound when price is no object. The real talent is to get great sound at down to earth prices. BRAVO !
Yep, finding reasonable priced combinations that blow minds is what it’s all about when you get your audiophile black belt:) I moved to tube and high efficiency a few years ago and haven’t looked back.
@@dougg1075 Yup... I've had Cornwalls since mid 80's now driven by a Class A SET tube amp 8wpc (I think)... Could not be happier. Never understood amps in the multi hundred / thousands of watts when I bet the normal operating range for regular listening levels would be hard pressed to push 20wpc RMS (average) for less efficient speakers. I don't get it.
@@dougg1075 you find tubes that much better? I am trying to balance quality with running cost hence class A is out of the question
It actually is, because great measuring components and drivers aren't that expensive, so they start reinventing stuff that doesn't need reinventing, throwing exotic shapes and materials into the mix and ultimately introduce problems that aren't meant to be there, that need even more stuff thrown at them to fix them, driving prices up even more.
Without some skills, you can spend a lot of money without getting great sound. A lot of money is not equivalent with good sound reproduction. Heard expensive stuff that was simply underwhelming.
I love it when reasonable priced equipment sounds just as good or better than over the top components. Good sound doesn't always have to be crazy expensive.
Absolutely!
I pride myself on getting good deals on great home stereo pieces. Sales, open box,used, buy and sell…I do it all
@@bigmacfullerton7870 I do the same thing. I am master at canuckaudiomart.
@@ThomasAndStereo I do Facebook marketplace and the thirty other local selling sites they offer.
There is nothing here that is reasonably priced. The main HiFi component is the bank account.
Was fun having you and Mr Kanta over!
For added context and perspective:
Its funny, as when we say oh it does orchestral at 30% but thats relative to our expectations. As orchestral does sound good too. But not like a 100k system.
If we ranked in terms of dollars(conceptually), the performance of my system in music genres
My system does this:
Blues, jazz, acoustic, singer voices: 100k + performance
Rock and classic rock: 20k…
Metal and electronic: 10k…
Orchestral: 10k
So for the genres at 10k its not bad, its just not holly shit wow compared to the other genres are performing. The Key thing, is to be open minded about trying things to reach what we want in terms of sound. I chose to max out the genres I listen to the most.
Yup, I should have said, for vocal and small band, A+, for Orchestra, B score. It is not 'bad', just not an A+
@@ThomasAndStereo Indeed, we all have preferences for certain genres of music, and it's logical to create a system that can accommodate these preferences. Btw, when are you coming down to Australia? We have a big stereonet community here in Melbourne and our annual Hifi show is in Oct.
how long would you take to notice if someone swaps out the fancy cables, ddc and rectifier from the chain. no network switch though.
@@teachonlywhatiseasywe did that. Immediately. But, I know my rig so well, I have not changed much in a while. So its all relative.
@@hificave i mean a double blind. if you see what your listening to it doesn't count. otherwise the whole medical industry can retire and we can do comparative studies instead of comparing it to water.(palcebo)
I like very much this kind of videos tour, true audiophile people
Loic might be one of the most articulated and interesting hi-fi youtubers around. It's great to follow his journey through is Patron page.
I bought a Sansui AU-101 for £20 and a pair of B&W DM2 for 40 and it sounds amazing. It really is stunning what you can get if you hunt around enough.
Grew up on AU101 in my father’s HiFi system. A quadrophonic system with reverb units on the rear speakers. Celestion speakers in diy cabinets … sounded awesome.
Spent £5.5k in total on my system , about £2k of that after having built my own 40mm thick oak open baffles for £1300 based on a $30 Decware ZF15M plan/licence. The one pair of Li Song 15" full range drivers made all the difference, which is what prompted me to spend the additional 2K on a Gustard R26 DAC and Singxer SU2 digital convertor. Ever since then, have been very satisfied with my system. Probably end game for me.
I would tentatively suggest people invest in (or build their own) open baffles before making any other upgrades. Only then, upgrade other kit if needed. Makes much more sense to me than trying to put together a system including box speaker designs -- could end up saving thousands!
1:46 "Of course I love it, I dip my bread in snake oil everyday"
hahahahaha fan!
Braavoo Loic!! Great!! I am delighted about this! And yes, bravooo to Thomas for his sincery opinions. I am also doing such a way into hi-fi experimenting with my own speakers with fullrange drivers and testing them with different gears. But patience counts... I will need for sure a year or two or more to make a really great system for my ears. I guess I will also end with at least two speaker designs and two or three pre amps and amps. Somehow I am more and more realising that not every typ of music and also the source quality does not suit to the same system.. ok you can listen to all music on one system, but some music on some sources just shines through a specific system and speakers of course.
Thomas and Loic. Just awesome guys and great rundown!! 🎉🎉🎉
ABX !!! I love your channel man. 🫵😎👍
Thanks! Now I can go buy more instant noodles!
20:30 That upward pointing Ladybug, reminds me of the legendary Swedish speakers made by Carlson. Also had a very open, floating sound, using the room to play music.
Yes, dedicated AC lines, 20A breaker, 10awg wire is a must if you want to do hifi. This guy is smart
This guy is NOT smart
forget AC, try pure DC rails from big batteries !!!!!!
as ALL Hi-Fi runs on DC not AC.
@@elvisburgerking8675 That’s OCD Smart !
@@tallpaull9367 if you live off-grid, it should be a no-brainer, cheaper, more efficient and from audiophile perspective a huge improvement over all the useless power conditioner and intermediate power supply issues caused by AC and especially SMPS..also avoids EM pollution. charge one bank of batteries while using your secondary air gapped battery bank. and switch between banks when charging is necessary.
Think about it, the major cost of an amplifier is the power supply used to achieve at best imperfect DC power rails. I knew a HiFi guy who did this his entire life ( 70 years ) using 2v lead acid batteries, before Lithium batteries existed.
Stunning home and equipment! Do not change!
I have always loved music and hifi from a very young age Now being a Fossil i wish i had learnt more regarding electronics..I find it most interesting that people like you two guys can dabble into home designed speakers and use common sense annd basically some simple ideas and nail it .. What amazes me the most the big high end of town manufacturers have all the technological help and money behind them and they still can't achieve what you guys have done for $35000... You have to wonder why ?.. Keep up the great work. From your hifi friends Down Under.....🙏👍
Great video guys! And I'm with Loic, the main reason my system sounds the way it does is every which way I've tried to clean up the power path. Fuses in integrated and streamer, upgraded power supply in the streamer, Puritan psm156, good cables, LessLoss firewall for loudspeakers, upgraded tubes and room treatments. The little stuff 😅
This excellent review affirms my DIY open baffle experiments using Lii Audio F-15's and bass woofers bi-amped with a 2a3 SET and powerful class D amp. The only large FR drivers I've experienced that top the F-15's in open baffles are the 12 inch Zenith 49CZ alnico's from the 1950's. Steve D. even commented on how the F-15's sound is close to the big tube friendly wide band alnico's of that era.
A system like this will be highly personal. I imagine great for vocals and Jazz and not great for metal techno or dub. Great to see so much passion
He did a good job recessing the driver into the baffle. You don’t see this often with DIY.
I agree completely with balancing the bass with the amount of highs and mids is essential to good quality balanced sound. Such a pleasure when you get this balance right.
That idea, that you need to consider the WHOLE package and how it works together, instead of just focusing on one piece of it doesn't get enough attention in the audio world. Most of the time people seem to be focused on just picking one part of the system and improving it, without giving enough attention to how that one part will interact with the rest of the system.
i think it is very true that a system is more than just the sum of the separate parts.
Isn't that what we mean by synergy?
Loic seems to have given much thought to how all of the interacting parts work when assembled together and how to successfully balance it all out. That can only be gained by a lot of experience and trial and error.
Good job!
Beautiful system, never underestimate the electronics of the crown amplifiers which are a secret sauce for a lot of us that like many modifications and tubes rolling.
Fascinating video. I like the free form discussion format. Loic has a similar view to me. One system can't do everything well, so mix and match and be flexible. I use low output tube amps for acoustic music and high power class AB for dynamic, complex music. My speakers are Elysian 4s which are excellent all rounders, but I also have Sansui gear from the 70s which will soon hopefully be joined by vintage Tannoy Eatons for that distinctive vintage sound.
I completely get the DIY speaker bug but who wants a bit of roughly cut and unfinished plywood on display in their lounge! With open baffle designs it's particularly easy to make the wood look beautiful.
Thank you for showing his system this thing is very impressive. he has modified and fine tunes so well, I’m sure it’s pure Bliss
Couldn't agree more!
It’s a shame I don’t live in Canada and he’s not my buddy because I would be over there enjoying that sound!!
I'm happy I never went overboard on the engineering. Focal 826 Ws with Unison Research Unico and... Done😊
I made a pair very similar if those are the F-15s. Also used a separate sub woofer. It sounded great but was lacking in the high treble and overall clarity compared to my Ohm 1000 speakers. I will hook the OBs up again and compare, because the amplification has improved . Thanks for the video.
Good luck
Audiophile paradise man! I bet that buckle pucker does sound good.
Well actually, I dabble in solidstate poweramp design. Ive absolutely seen that fuses introduce measurable distortion. So I designed an amp with savage PSRR so it doesnt get to the output. So when you test those fancy fuses. Test them with as many amps you can. Itll also reveal to quality of the amplifiers!
❤
Using a Crown XLS on the subs is an inspired choice, leftfield yet I would have done exactly the same.
If you’re running a transparent system that’s based on a very simple design with minimal parts and full range drivers, then every part in the signal path will make a difference, including fuses.
Load of bollocks.
I listened pretty carefully, but I didn't hear the brand of speakers on that larger baffles
Dedicated power, Thomas, that's step one for any and everybody's system.
I'm excited to make an open baffle more than ever!
Those are LiiSong drivers. I forgot which one, ask HIFI cave on this channel. Open baffle, your biggest challenge will be bass.
Thanks for the interesting video Thomas and thank you Loic for the detailed tour of your system!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Man..Loic sounds different has an accent! But in all seriousness, what an amazing system!
Wow, Thomas and Loic, this is really interesting. Hats off to you both in your fearless pursuit of emotive sound. I haven’t even finished the video yet and needed to tell you this. The points related to dealing with strengths and weaknesses are good food for thought. And for future efforts of my own.
great audio equipment tour.
Wow what an interesting video. I love what your friend is doing and he's clearly having lots of fun. Thats what it's all about. 🇦🇺☮️
Couldn't agree more!
Exactly right. Its a ton of fun.
THANKS 🙏 THOMAS,FOR SHARING LOIC’s SYSTEM, I WILL PUT IT ON MY LIST OF PLACES TO VISIT IN THE FUTURE…IF HE WILL SHARE IT WITH ME 🤗😁💚💚💚
Yes!
@@ThomasAndStereo I WILL LOOK 👀 FORWARD TO IT 🤗💚💚💚
The SECRET is Luis, end of speculation!
He is the DIY king. 😅
Methodical and every component down to the smallest part. (With the best video on RUclips about what matters that showcase his metalogy.)
So forget it is NOT the speakers it is a whole system just there and then.
Yes, but this showcase the potential of the speaker has.🎉❤
Open baffle virgin has euphoric experience. More laps to go yet. It goes well in certain small rooms…
The reason why some sound systems cost $20k+ is they include various quantities of snake oil which you must lather all over your body in order to numb the pain your wallet is experiencing by getting suckered by the big AudioFool companies.
@@LBCAndrew lol
Fantastic. Really awesome set up. Very interesting. Thank you 😊
My pleasure!
Une merveille! Ty sir for the share.
Fantastic system. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you like it!
This video is already a HiFi classic 🤩
The audiophile holy grail has been found👏👏
Fantastic dedication to create something special. I have my doubts with the big face area of the speakers. This will cause lots of unwanted reflections. And with 19 tubes in the signal path, yes you get a lot of decay. Which i happen to like.
But the system is not really affordable. Nice that the speakers are affordable, but i do ask myself the question how they sound on a less heavy tweaked system. If you like open baffle, you could check out GR in Texas. The guy there has amazing open Baffle speakers for diy.
Great channel, thanks for showing this great setup.
I see this more to help passionate hobbyists get ideas and hopefully give them confidence to let their curiosity drive their journey.
@@hificave
Wel that's a good point of view. Curiosity is on of the best driving forces to get nice results in our hobby.
What makes you Thomas a stand out winner is your sincerity.
Thank you thank you thank you.
Fuses indeed makes a huge difference as far as silence of notes count.
My point of view for what it's worth, the room and the speakers are doing the heavy lifting and all that esoteric gear is just psycho acoustics at work. You jokingly mentioned blind A/B testing, I think that would be very interesting for everyone involved.
What a beautiful Sarah, I love my SE34I.6 Rachel.
I agree the orange and purple fuses make a big difference.
Ah, I tried those...crazy expensive.
🤣
Sup fellas. Yes crown amp secret is smart. All u need is directed power! Bass might not always be in balance when u put in corner. Especally with open baf. Speading truth. I think this is where digital comes in. It just plays everythung at 99% in most circumstances.
Its interesting that the speakers being used at
the back for the sub 90hz and below are behind
the equipment and are kind of pointing towards
it all and its also in fairly close proximity to all the
equipment as well. That's probably not a great idea.
But, if it is sounding good then let it be.
No choice, we work with the space we have.
Please discuss the cabling loom….., in my mind the most vital cable is the IC’s from one’s DAC into their preampfification stage, using inferior IC’s further down the chain, can’t restore musicality.
Great review. As you said Thomas there are a variety of reasons why this system plays well like the room, electronics, combination of tubes and the diy speakers. I would be curious if you take Mr. Kantas speakers to Loïc and test them against the DIY to see is the magic is more related to the room and electronics. Not sure if I would want to put up with speakers that are only good for certain types of music and not so good for others types. You claim it is one of the best system you ever heard but with probably the type of music Loïc selected. I am sure if you would select different varieties of music the outcome of your impression might have been different.
From looking at it from a physics point of view
lets hope Farther Xmas brings him an active
crossover for him on the 25th of December to
complete the package.
how much has the original audio signal changed? A good deal, I think, since you use so many vacuum tubes. connect earphones to the sound source signal and compare it with what comes out of the amplifier and you will hear the difference. one should not use equipment such as an equalizer if you understand
For me, if the final result moves me, that is all that matters, put a microwave in the chain if you need to.
@@ThomasAndStereo
🤣
Use a good DSP. sound processor and the frequency becomes almost perfect.
You don't need expensive and great sound equipment.
😁 👍🏻
Woof.
I too am an audiophile. But I sold my equipment decades ago (Bryston/Threshold/Mirage/Linn). On a extreme budget, I have come to appreciate some small portable, battery operated Mp3 players. I am amazed at the quality of musical enjoyment I get from my exclusive S.W.E.A.D.R.E. files. I have perfected a process of eliminating square waves & enhancing dynamic range. If you're interested, I can share my version of the album Space Cadet by Nigel Good. Let me know.
Wow, interesting you can do that.
how can the system sound any good at all without cable risers??
Laugh 😃 yes, not a believer
Best comment ever. He is waiting for the Galion brand cable riser.
Interesting video. Would be nice to be able to reproduce these loudspeakers. Information would be great. I don't know if I'd call anything except the speakers and the Crown amplifier "budget" however. Seems very high dollar to me.
Thanks Thomas.
All the information is on the hifi cave channel.
Very cool system, great variety of choices. Only thing is how about getting a furniture grade baffle for the main? The ugly plywood doesn't do the presentation justice.
When Im done with speaker builds, the youngest of the babies will get the full treatment in terms of looks.
Diy is great…but there is no way to me to go with open baffles. So I desided to go for a closed small box with a 8“ koax chassis (you can find some infos in german…it’s called Pointhino).
wood finishing please consider a redo after some practice and research.
Really enjoyed seeing this!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome, but no sound clips.
There is, check the first comment and there is a link to it.
@@ThomasAndStereo Ohhhh, very nice. Thank you. I know someone who measured those Li Song 15 drivers and they did not measure well. I would only be interested in the better version of it, if they ever put them on the market.
A system that shines with certain genres and sucks at others is just not for me. Im sure this system will appeal to many people. This system also shows DIY is the route to go especially when it comes to suiting personal preference.
Well I would not say it sucks, just not as wow.
ahh - I want the TA S75 in silver.. I've emailed to inquire if they will be available
I bought an Luxman M-03 for under 1000$, change some new quality stuff that have big impact on the sound from old crap. Added my old my Proac supertablets mk 2.
(That midrange kills my Utopia and Wilson audio)
2 high end sub, for 1600€
Embla Classic as a c and stream unit.
Mega cool video Thomas!
Glad you liked it
He truly loves hi-fi!
He is also truly crazy.
He truly loves snake oil. He's overdosed on i!
Thomas, a suggestion, do your own experiment. The shown DYI speakers,
Galion Amp with various tube rotations, preamp and DAC and Streamer and see how it compares with much less brain damage.
I did put my Galion amp in to see what happened....I cut out that part of the video cause it was getting too long. In short, Loic was impressed.
@@ThomasAndStereo maybe a good follow up video
My first thought was these speakers reminded me of Maco Macaria speakers divided into separate components.
I have a pair of f15 to build dipoles ,
If you’de be so kind just to explain me one point!?
If in the future i want to buy a pair of w15 woofers , which “crossover/ component “ should I beter use ? And should i try different values of that same component or components in the “ crossover” depending on room acoustics ?
If you would be so kind to try and help me , i would apreciate a lot .
Thank you.
Cheers
Fuse make difference i can hear the difference using my hi-end headsets 😊😊
Well I came here from another video. Though there might be someone who had some knowledge about Cerwin Vega PD-9 Speakers 🔊
I'm so glad someone has the energy for all this complexity, and I'm a audiophile. I just like things more simple then multiples of boxes 📦 connected. It's just too much and the cost, unreal. I do love tubes and I love speakers and have several quirky types of speakers.
Don't get me wrong, this is georgious but I was exhausted by the complexity shared.
I get that. Passion and curiosity over time leads to this. As complicated as this seems, when it’s done in increments over time it’s not bad. Actually it can only happen in increments over time, thinking one can do this all in one try, will be overwhelming and frustrating. All the gear I have used over the years brought something that made me learn and contribute to my choices and direction to go to maximize my taste in sonic character.
One day Thomas will test those cryotone tubes on his own amp.
I will want to buy them if I did!
Hi Thomas, would you consider reviewing the Gold Note DS-1000 EVO or the DS-10 with its PSU-10 EVO external power supply? These two are on my list of Streamer/DAC gear.
Would love to if they send it to me.
I have a friend of mine who I call the audio Snob. If it doesn't.
Have all the Bells and whistles. And it's not the most expensive technology. He doesn't want it. He's got a system in his house. I guarantee you've got a cost 35 to $40000. And I turned around and built myself a pair of old tech Lansing, who is in the theater speakers?My own pair of mono block amplifiers.Amplifiers my own preampt Set this system up in my living room. Brought him over, let him listen to It. He would not believe that I built it. Until I showed him the Receipts for all the materials and proved proved that I did. He turned around and offered me $10000 for the system that I built and it only cost me about 4000 to do it. I turned him down. And then I turned around and said to him, if you want one I will build you 1 for $15000. And he says okay, so I did. Annie has that system sitting in his guest house. And that's the only system he listens to. If you have some know how and you are, have some ability to do something. Just go out and do it thand don't let anybody tell you you can't. And you don't always need all the Bells and whistles in all the fancy cables. Because yes, somebody has been pricked to believing that it makes the music sound better. I can walk into a room and tell you if ypure assistant is off. Just by listening to it. I have a very good year for music. I can balance a system so perfectly even if it's a cheap system. I can make it sound better just by positioning speakers. You have the position things right? And all depends on the acoustics of the, not all the fancy equipmeit's.
All about your snake oil.
Shouldnt have shown him the receipts.... could have asked for 20k 😁
Thanks for sharing!
you have to make sure the subwoofers are a metre behind exactly from the front of the baffle of the main speaker to the front of the baffle of the subwoofer, you can make this half a metre if you're limited on space but you're lose lower frequency it could be why hes getting phase issues losing some bass mid-range. the crown amplifier should have a delay switch what does the same thing as placement.
Front & center blends best 👌
@@CarlVanDoren61 I don't know what you mean front and centre centre of what?
You are correct sir about distance to the bass drivers.
The rectifier killed me! (and the fuse) HAHAHAHAHAHA! Glad I'm loong out of fantasy high end.😁
The audible differences of all these things are great when the speakers are free of a crossover and the gear is using power that is not full of noise.
The bass setup ala Klipschorn the room becomes a speaker extension
🫵😎👍
Very interesting setup. I do own open baffles F15 and very very bad sound quality out of speakers.
If you can get the midbass to sound good, then it will be ok. I personally need the W15 to consider it acceptable. If you try to solve it with a big baffle or cabinet, it is just not good enough for me.
@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas. I will try minidsp and external crossover from bryston and add bass and tweeter later. I will let you know how they sound.
OK Thomas, since your now in the manufacturing business I guess you could easily expand to doing open baffle speakers that use Lisong drivers, just an idea.
Shipping will be a nightmare!!
Great video as always. I have the same setup (F15 and W15 ) and use a baffle step correction on my F15. Is Loic using one? I know Decware offers one with the purchase of their open baffle speakers. Thought maybe Steve sent one with the Sarah.
I’m about to by a OB Fast 15 speaker to pair with my Sarah. Can you tell me what is the baffle step correction? Thanks
@@TombstoneTube Did you buy the Sarah from Steve direct or on the used market. If it was purchased direct I bet he would sell you a set of the baffle steps.
@@Pioneerhip I bought it direct - I just don’t know what is a step correction - is it to use in the speakers or amplifier? Thanks for the insight
That's awesome lots of work tuning to taste ' thanks for the video ' I was using the corners of my room to amplify the bass back in 1989 !! 😆 I was a bass head ! Open baffle though great idea
Very cool!
An interesting mix of optimized digital front end, tube amplification and single driver, open baffle transducers with bass reinforcement. But NO way does this system come in under $30k when ALL the upgrades, accessories and tweaks are included. Maybe... $50k.
That said, Thomas makes some important points; these speakers shine in a room whose size is compatible with the speaker's demands. This system shines with music played through acoustic instruments. Foremost among the system's qualities is "emotional engagement". The synergy of the components appears to be focused upon achieving the maximum amount of "emotional engagement", tonality, transparency and soundstage.
I will always build a system.With subwoofers.
It's, it's a superior sound stage.
It does help deepen the soundstage.
Timelaignment - how do you timealign the bass with he main drivers? Also, should you not have a highpass on the "full range drivers"?
I don't think people worry about time alignment when they add a subwoofer into their system. Perhaps below a certain frequency, phase is more important than time alignment? No idea.
those liisong are really cool,, and that MP D2 DAC is nice. i have the mk3 deluxe, which is of modular design and is meant for all those add-ones. for my musical MP-D2 mk3 deluxe require no modification whtasoever. which version does he have?
I don't think it is the MK3
@@ThomasAndStereo ah ok.
I get it now
this Hi-Fi system review was uploaded 2 days early.
Hilarious, now that I worked it out.
DYI is the way to go, and you can see and hear it perform with a 16lbs. amp. just click on my name and play, 2024 prototypes. No need to spend mega bucks to enjoy. My next version will be way better. I was a tube amp lover decades ago, but shelling out lots of money and spending time searching for replacement, tubes, that will change quality in a few short months in most cases made me turn to class D amplification, that came a long way babe............
External tube rectifier and a DSP class D amp, what's that about?
Audiophiles are crazy!
I feel that system matching is a market niche. I know what kind of sound I want, but I don't know what I need to buy to get it. Shops only sell individual components while everyone always says system matching is crucial. So why doesn't anyone make proper recommendations for complete systems?
Everyone will just recommend their own system
Dyi is such a bargain if you know how to design speakers you can get so much more for your money
What happens if you play them from a Wilsington R8 and a Densfrips Aris II ?
Strong bass, good tone, spacious stage. Good combo actually.
I could handle the snake oil joke but stopped at the fuse part.
So you did not watch to the end?
@@hificave Sorry, I did not. I wish I could but anyone who says a fuse makes a 'giant' difference I cannot take serious anymore. Maybe, maybe on a good day I could go along with it and just forget about it if it was the main fuse for the whole system. But the fuse in an external battery powered clock.. Mate ...
@@nielsv2025 fascinating. I never said it was the fuse for a battery clock, its battery operated why would there be a fuse there? The battery operated clock is connected to the dac’s ESS chipset. The fuse refered to is for the main dac as part of the upgrades Thomas asked about. Which is where the noise starts having a bigger impact in the chain, as it does in a preamp and amp. I find it fascinating that you would shut off so fast, and over an incorrect perception. Your comment made me curious, have a good one mate.
I recently heard tubes need to heat up. How long does he need to heat them before rocking out? FYI I know nothing about tubes.
Just a few minutes.
What is a maku macarius driver ? And where can I find it ?
ruclips.net/video/DKxefJ2QsL8/видео.html