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Soundlab update

68.33.217.91

I posted this in the OTL forum earlier.

I talked to a few people, exchanged emails with Rob, and he needs a minimum of four pairs to make another build. I am interested in finding people who want to try it. I also talked to Brian Walsh, and he said he knows one more nutcase who is interested in trying the transformers. I asked him if he would act as a central receiving and shipping point, so people would not feel strange about laying out the moneys for shipping and the goods. Brian is an established entity and his trustworthiness is beyond any questions. So with all of that mumbo jumbo, here is the deal: The trannies are now 377 $AU apiece...you know, interest and material cost increases, and other factors drive the prices. Rob wants a 20% deposit to start the production run. He takes credit cards. He could bulk ship them to Brian who could forward them to the lunatics who want to mod their speakers. Brian also expressed his concerns, since he is an SL dealer, that this mod is by no means condoned, or covered by SL, so if you burn down your speakers, or backplates it is entirely your liability, and nothing is covered by SL. if repairs have to be made to one of these speakers it is not clear, that SL can or is willing to make any repairs to any of the modified parts.

Now beyond all the scare and warning, i have modified my backplates extensively and working on them is not a very complex thing, so i am confident that most lunatics who are willing to take out portions of the backplate, replace transformers, etc. are comfortable doing so.

So let me know if there are any takes, send me email through the asylum mail :)

dee
;-D
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.

quote by Kurt Vonnegut

Follow Ups:

RE: Soundlab update - Lew 07:34:49 04/26/12 (11)
Dear Penguin, That warning from Brian Walsh is of interest. As we both know, and as Brian must know, the Sound Labs speakers are not exactly trouble-free over the long term, even with no modifications to the backplate. However the issues that arise have to do with the panels themselves, specifically: holes or tears in the mylar, and stator problems. I am absolutely sure that the AU transformers pose zero danger to the panels, but I wonder in the course of events if SL may use the fact that the backplates have been modified as an excuse not to honor the warranty. Their track record as a company is quite the opposite; they do stand by their products despite the foibles. Therefore, I hope my fears are groundless, particularly since I just recently purchased my 845PXs, which ain't cheap. Man, do they sound phenomenal with the AU transformers and no crossover. You will be very happy. Just make sure you wire the AU transformers in phase with the SL bass transformer, and I can help with that.
- RE: Soundlab update - tyu 04:06:29 06/01/12 (0)
  Lew ....Just got one more pr of 121 Acoustat interfaces..
  An did the type of setup on them you guys have done here.... i pulled the caps an res. off the inputs......an i well say i am geting better highs than i ever got out of the stock setup....or any setup...An more output.....this is with the secdary side still stock...i put .005 6k oil caps in where the.01 are....an stayed with the 50k 50w....I did leve the 1ohm 30watt on the neg. input leg.......I put a 3amp fuse in where the stock 5amp was... so i would not over drive the tranfourmers....not one fuse popet...Thanks to all that made this post....goodluck
  
  goodluck
- RE: Soundlab update - KIS 12:52:26 04/26/12 (9)
  Funny.
  
  When I told Brian that Soundlab sounds dark when used with tube amplification, he dismissed my findings and said that the Atmasphere OTL drove them flawlessly, which made me feel like an idiot to have even brought it up for discussion with him in the first place.
  
  Perhaps I was another nut case.
  - RE: Soundlab update - Jwm 15:09:50 04/27/12 (6)
    Kis, you are right the speakers are on the dark side. It works with the Atmosphere's because they are thin amps, duh.
    - Are you serious... - Lew 19:12:55 04/27/12 (5)
      ... about Atma-sphere amplifiers sounding "thin"? Or were you being facetious?
      
      Even though I do not agree with the sentiment, even if it were true I do not see how "thin" complements "dark".
      - RE: Are you serious... - Jwm 16:25:24 04/28/12 (4)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Are you serious... posted by Lew on April 27, 2012 at 19:12:55
        
        Go listen and you will see. The same thing works for Vandersteens. Put a thinner sounding amp. on them and they sound great. Thiels are the opposite they are thin to begin with and would sound bad with these same amps. You obviously do not have enough experience or you would already know this.
        
        Yeah, that must be it, - Lew 16:53:19 04/30/12 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Are you serious... posted by Jwm on April 28, 2012 at 16:25:24
        
        clearly I do not have enough experience. Well, now I know you were serious, at least.
        
        this is seriously nuts :) - Penguin 18:44:09 04/29/12 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Are you serious... posted by Jwm on April 28, 2012 at 16:25:24
        
        I do not know what you reference is...but you statements do not correspond with my experience. It is very easy to make unsubstantiated claims without providing a baseline for your preferences. Thin sounding amplifiers will sound thin on Vandersteens too, I heard them before. and you cannot compensate for a dark sounding speaker with a thin sounding amplifier, and you cannot compensate for a thin sounding speaker with a sirupy tube amp. there is synergy, but it has nothing to do with thinness or darkness of the components.
        
        dee
        ;-D
        
        True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.
        
        quote by Kurt Vonnegut
        
        RE: this is seriously nuts :) - Jwm 16:20:45 05/02/12 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: this is seriously nuts :) posted by Penguin on April 29, 2012 at 18:44:09
        
        Go listen to Atmasphere that sounds thin on every system I heard it on, yet sounds good on the Soundlabs.
        
        RE: this is seriously nuts :) - Lew 10:41:36 05/07/12 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: this is seriously nuts :) posted by Jwm on May 02, 2012 at 16:20:45
        
        "Go listen to Atmasphere that sounds thin on every system I heard it on"
        Can you name specifically what speakers you are talking about? That would be helpful. IMO, the "sound" of an amplifier is inherently a product of how it interacts with the speaker. Since Atma amplifiers are tube OTL types that do not use NFB in stock form, they tend to have a high-ish output impedance. Thus the nature of the speaker that you ask them to drive will be particularly important, perhaps even more so than for other types of amplifiers. So, names please.
  - RE: Soundlab update - David M. 14:56:44 04/27/12 (1)
    With all due respect to Brian, Has he heard the modified speakers? I have Atma-Sphere MP1-MKIII and MA2-MKIII amps. I have AU 90:1 modified U-1 PX Soundlabs. I am not going to get into an argument about it but there are real problems with the stock PX Soundlabs. The improvements are beyond words and the speakers are World Class with the new transformers.
    
    Texas David
    - RE: Soundlab update - Lew 08:53:36 05/01/12 (0)
      David, I think you would agree with me that, when you (and I) say there are "real problems" with the Sound Lab speakers, we are referring to the special case where one tries to drive them with an OTL tube amplifier or a conventional tube amplifier with a high-ish output impedance. The speakers were voiced using powerful solid state amplifiers, which work just fine with the OEM crossover and treble transformer. Whether the transformer mod would be beneficial to owners who use solid state or high power tube amps is in fact unknown. I also want to say that the mod is exciting to me, because basically it is my opinion that the Sound Lab ESLs are among a very few of the best speakers available on the planet, and at the same time, I am very much a devotee' of OTL amplifiers; the mod permits mating the two together in a new and better way. The factory support for conventional issues that may arise is exceptional, too. If that were not the case, I would not be a 15-year owner. I, for one, do not in any way wish to appear to be critical of the product or the company.

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