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Progress

Lots of tweaks and changes to the world's most undersized listening room.

I got a new amp, an AHB2, and spent some time comparing it to the A-21.




Conclusion: The AHB2 is a more refined amplifier -- audibly lower distortion, more air, more precise imaging, highs to die for -- the best I've ever heard. Not to mention that it's good for old backs and sips power while giving Class A performance. However, the A-21 has a warmer tonal balance with more midbass, and it's better on piano. The AHB2 doesn't get the ADSR envelope of the piano right. It rounds the initial transient and somehow the ringing that follows as the string vibration decays doesn't work right. And it has some kind of subtle glitch in the highs that the TAS review said made female voices sound "reedy."

After that, I installed my new screen and projector:




Watched "Gravity" in 3D, lots of fun even if I was cross eyed afterwards.

Then, last night, I mounted the QRD diffusers temporarily on moveable rails so I can slide them around while I experiment with speaker placement:




Properly positioned, the diffusers make a significant difference, the imaging is suddenly amazing. I listened to the Kubelik version of Dvorak's 6th last night, a wonderfully spacious recording, and suddenly had the kind of "feels like you're in the hall" imaging I've been after but hadn't until now heard from this setup.

Because I don't like blocking the window I'm looking at solutions for transparent diffusers. An acrylic QRD would be a bitch to build, so I'm leaning towards a transparent polycylindrical diffuser -- but that presents its own challenges, you can only bend plexiglass so far without heat and the oven isn't nearly big enough. A torch and form might work, but seem chancy at best. I could have a fabricator heat form it, but it would probably cost $1500 or something.

Ah well, time to go upstairs and mess with the left hand diffuser, as you can see it's hanging at an angle. Very hard to know what's going on in this room as both the floor and ceiling are warped -- I leveled the screen with a laser level so you can see in the picture above how badly warped the ceiling is!


Edits: 07/12/17 07/12/17 07/12/17
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.  

Topic - Progress - josh358 10:07:49 07/12/17 (85)
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