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Visited HHR Exotic Speakers in Cleveland Friday and today

98.177.47.90
Posted on October 30, 2022 at 01:10:10
jeffreybehr
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Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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  Since: December 13, 2004
 The larger TLS-2s were VERY impressive, and I bought them.. They'll be here in about a month.. The HHRs use Dale's dozens of improvements of the Walsh driver.

And let me tell you that, indeed, there is no capacitor that sounds as good as no capacitor, and there's no pastiche of multiple drivers that sounds as good as a properly executed single full-range-driver*; with these, there's nothing between the amp and the voicecoil but speakercable.

.
* THERE's a troll if I've ever posted one!

 

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I have no doubt that those sound superb. Have myself had some experience in this realm,..., posted on October 30, 2022 at 08:00:04
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 having bought a used pair of Ohm Fs quite a number of years ago, after wanting a pair for years, ever since learning about them while in high school. Unfortunately, in spite of having had the drivers reworked at a shop in Michigan that supposedly specialized in rebuilding them, I never could succeed in getting rid of a kind of a "pinched", very nasal sound from them. Amp was a Bryston 4BSST. Ended up selling them, after a while, to a fellow who drove down from New York State to my home in North Carolina to buy them.
I suspect that the rebuild was suboptimal; no doubt that these completely reworked HHR units very likely don't have that problem and perform marvelously. You are very fortunate to be able to acquire these speakers.


Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

Wow, what a thoughtful, helpful reply; TYVM., posted on October 30, 2022 at 14:35:32
jeffreybehr
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 I heard some of that, I believe, when listening to the smaller (but NOT small) TLS-1s Friday evening; I just never fell in love with their sounds.. If Saturday's TLS-2s had not sound significantly better overall, I would not have purchased them.

The 2 most-audible differences between the 1s and the 2s were overall resolution (including spaciousness) and a coherency--an all-togetherness--that I've never heard before...or wasn't perceptive enough to recognise.

I'm REALLY looking forward to getting these in my larger room.

 

It's intriguing to me that the larger "A" models these cones made of...-, posted on October 30, 2022 at 15:02:57
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 just the two materials (titanium and aluminum, IIRC), while the "F" models had cones made of titanium, aluminum, and paper. It would be of great interest to know the technical design considerations as regards the difference between the two when these were developed. However, it seems doubtful to me that much of that information is still around at this point, unless Dale is in the know on this matter. On second thought, I suppose he may very well be.
Many of us will be looking forward to hearing your evaluations of your new speakers when you get them in your own listening environment.
Sorry, I forgot the word "in" in my subject line.



Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

Congratulations- I am sure it will be excellent., posted on October 30, 2022 at 17:34:44
G Squared
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  Since: May 23, 2023
 They look awe inspiring. Please share your observations and some pictures when they arrive.
Gsquared

 

RE: Visited HHR Exotic Speakers in Cleveland Friday and today, posted on October 30, 2022 at 18:40:17
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 Must be a Neo. magnet?. Pretty small.

 

you are buying one of the best speakers in the world ....... n/t, posted on October 30, 2022 at 19:43:29
trioderob
Audiophile

Posts: 753
Joined: May 15, 2015
 ....

 

It's some sort of magnet alloy, and the 2's magnet weighs..., posted on October 30, 2022 at 21:24:11
jeffreybehr
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Location: Phoenix, Arizona
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  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...almost 11 pounds.

 

TYVM. , posted on October 30, 2022 at 21:25:18
jeffreybehr
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Posts: 5719
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 13, 2004
 .

 

RE: It's intriguing to me that the larger "A" models these cones made of...-, posted on November 1, 2022 at 03:09:43
hahax@verizon.net
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Posts: 4310
Location: New Jersey
Joined: March 22, 2006
 But the A version was so inefficient that it made an LS3/5a seem almost like a high efficiency speaker. There was almost nothing to drive it reliably in the late 60s when it came out. I recall a figure of 78dB making the Acoustic Research 3a, a popular speaker of the day high efficiency too. The F model while still low efficiency was a huge improvement.

 

To have that kind of subterranean efficiency, the cone on the..., posted on November 1, 2022 at 05:18:53
MWE
Audiophile

Posts: 2202
Location: Burlington, NC
Joined: June 8, 2000
 "A" model must have been even heavier than that on the "F" model. And I can tell you from personal experience that the cone on the "F" was one heavy SOB.
I have to say that, even though it didn't work out for me from a sound quality standpoint, that Ohm F was the absolute coolest-looking and -designed speaker I've ever seen.


Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon

 

RE: Visited HHR Exotic Speakers in Cleveland Friday and today, posted on November 3, 2022 at 12:39:39
pbarach
Audiophile

Posts: 3307
Location: Ohio
Joined: June 22, 2008
 Never heard of this company, and yesterday I had lunch in the park just around the corner from their location.

 

Call or e-mail him and visit.. Maybe you can get a look..., posted on November 4, 2022 at 11:24:33
jeffreybehr
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Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
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  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...at my TLS-2s being finished with WATCO Danish Finishing Oil and post some pics.

 

so gice me a mini review ....., posted on November 5, 2022 at 08:58:23
trioderob
Audiophile

Posts: 753
Joined: May 15, 2015
 the big boys ..... what did they sound like ?

 

First, and this took some time for me to recognise..., posted on November 5, 2022 at 12:14:46
jeffreybehr
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Posts: 5719
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...the TLSs' sounds are very coherent...'all of one cloth'.. My excellent Serenity Super-7s didn't sound this good then I played them after I got home.. IMO this is another testament to the saying that there's no capacitor as good sounding as no capacitor (or resistor or inductor); there's nothing but speakercable between the amps' terminals and the voicecoils.

They're QUITE full-range, apparently extending to below 20Hz--orchestral low-tuned bass drums have thrillingly huge amouts of bottom-octave energy that's VERY characterful (even better than the EXCELLENT open-baffle, servo-controlled bass of my Super-7s)--to 20KHz+ (the latter per Dale).. They're very resolving of tiny spacial info including the tails of musical notes.. These LARGE speakers simply disappeared in Dale's admittedly too-small room.

Tonally they're very full and complete without ever sounding thick or slow, but this fullness took many minutes to get used to, the same way the coherency required many minutes for me to recognise.. Neither system imaged 'precisely' and narrowly the way modern, ordinary speaker systems do, but that way is quite inaccurate for recordings and live perfomances by big orchestras; the TLSs placed the sounds of instruments within the orchestra in their correct positions without them sounding the way cardboard cutouts look.. The one pop recording (Rosanne Cash's 'The List') focused her voice in the center quite nicely, again without razor-sharp edges.

After a half-hour or so I gave Dale my deposit check and just sat and grinned and got goosebumps.. :-)

 

Dale is still working on the finishing.. At my request, he's using..., posted on November 8, 2022 at 12:36:49
jeffreybehr
Audiophile

Posts: 5719
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...WATCO Danish Finish Oil, a first for him, so he's going slowly.

I still believe I'm in some danger of receiving these before the end of the month. :-)

 

I've used Watco, posted on November 8, 2022 at 12:47:03
Story
Audiophile

Posts: 10458
Location: NJ
Joined: December 11, 2000
 and depending on type of wood soft or hard, may require many coats for many days, even over weeks. It's really nice when it's done and you may, MAY have to do some on your own but it'll be worth it



 

TYVM.. I've used the WATCO staining oils, and they..., posted on November 9, 2022 at 12:02:34
jeffreybehr
Audiophile

Posts: 5719
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...couldn't be easier to apply--just rub them on with a cloth and wipe off excess within a few minutes.. Apparently, the clear finishing oil is somewhat different.

 

The TLS-2s were shipped yesterday the 29th; Dale had some now-resolved problems..., posted on November 30, 2022 at 11:55:28
jeffreybehr
Audiophile

Posts: 5719
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Joined: December 10, 2004
Contributor
  Since: December 13, 2004
 ...with the finish I chose.

Have resurrected my Atma-Spere MA-1 (OTL) amps to drive the Serenity Super-7s.. These amps are Mk.3.1 versions which I've had since spring of 2019.. I've upgraded some parts in them, and they sound EXCELLENT.. A-S now rates them at 140 Watts per chassis into 4 or 8, and they'll be the first amps to drive the TLS-2s when they get here next week.

I've had recently a best-ever-sound evening with these amps; see the linked note.

 

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