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RE: Yuichi A290, TAD TH-4001, Yamamoto F350, Crowe ES290: Horn in Your 2 or 3-way Speakers?

Posted by cin5 (A) on October 5, 2024 at 16:18:17

In Reply to: RE: Yuichi A290, TAD TH-4001, Yamamoto F350, Crowe ES290: Horn in Your 2 or 3-way Speakers? posted by mnawaz3@aol.com on October 1, 2024 at 20:55:07:

I met Joe Bolger at Lynn's thread, circa 2016 https://www.diyaudio.com/community/members/hottattoo.54239/ , who invited me to his Brooklyn home to hear his speakers. The only thing more blessed than Joe's sterling hospitality were his breathtaking DIY skills, blazing through every aspect of his system-plus the extent to which his entire ~12,000 cu ft room was gutted and rebuilt. Please see this complete video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK-9yfvT1ds

Back when I heard Joe's system he may or may not have done those mods on the Cary SLP05 preamp; and I don't recall if it was a Cary or that Modwright Sony CD player. I do recall at the time it was a pair of Cary 300B p-p amps driving the speakers, not those Jack Elliano Electra-Print tube amps. But from what was described in the video the speakers don't appear to have changed much if at all, except that at the time Joe didn't have the subs working and so told me not to expect anything below ~ 55Hz.

I played several CD tracks (Sergio Mendes, Dominic Frontiere, Eric Burdon, Joni Mitchell, et al) and we listened to a few of his CDs. But during those sessions I was shocked to find myself questioning my hearing, even my sanity. Whether it was mine-or Joe's arguably better quality-source material, I was never more than mildly, if at all impressed with what I heard. With one of Joe's choir and/or opera recordings I did notice respectable sound stage depth, and which Joe had cued me to listen for. But overall, the rest of what I heard seemed to sound rather dull, though whether that was due to somewhat over compressed recordings I wouldn't know. But I now wonder if even the SACDs Joe presumably plays on that Modwright/Sony player mentioned in the video would have sounded much better.

Also, Joe had me sitting on this little swivel chair about 12 ft from the speakers, and every time I returned to my seat after changing a CD, he would get behind me to wheel me back precisely between the speakers. Thus, the speakers likely had had less than great off axis response. Smiles throughout the sessions were mostly driven by utter bewilderment, though which relieved me from dismaying Joe, who later took me on a tour of his workshop; then out to dinner where he shared stories about the notables he met and speakers he heard at the numerous shows he attended over the years. Joe mentioned hearing what was probably the largest Sound Lab ESL model, but said he wasn't impressed (??). He then drove me to Jamaica station and I thanked Joe for a truly unforgettable experience.

Due to what may have been serious off axis response, some kind of horn coloration and/or other problems, to my ears, Joes speakers (perhaps the speaker/amp combination??) were an astounding letdown from what I was expecting. However, perhaps due to or despite the apparent performance issues, Joe's speakers, from what I can recall from back then, might be classified as usually presenting a "they are here" soundscape.


Wow, NM! Land of Enchantment. You can't know how much I'd love to accept your invitation, but I couldn't fly from NY to Montreal to hear a friend's speakers, much less a six hour flight to ABQ. I've longed to visit places like Grant County, Mesilla, Los Lunas-or even crowded Rio Rancho, where someone from my town recently moved to. I've never been out west save for that Denver hospital for asthmatics as a kid. But the realities of accelerating climate change on top of the region's natural propensities killed those retirement plans. Instead, I often watch BDs of old Westerns and TV shows like Longmire and Dark Winds, which were filmed in Las Vegas, Eagle's Nest, (I think) around the Ilano Estacado escarpment, around what looked like the lava fields in Grants and many other places. The landscapes in those movies and TV episodes draw me like steel to a magnet, so it's long been a strained attraction.

As I am too lacking in DIY skills and theoretical knowledge on speaker design, that pair of sealed Altec 416s will be used by Troy Crowe to swap out the base horns of this system; Fostex T90A tweeter in low diffraction waveguide/B&C DCM50 midrange. https://josephcrowe.com/collections/finished-speakers-custom-order

Or, somewhat less likely, a pair of JBL 2450 beryllium drivers in a TH4001 horns, above the Altecs built by my friend Pierre, who built this two-way system; see posts 15266, 15276. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/beyond-the-ariel.100392/page-764

I'm presently seeking guidance from these guys and it will take my best informed wits to avoid any Quixotic leaps in deciding between what build they, Pierre and Troy may suggest.
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/looking-at-yuichi-a-290-or-tad-th-4001-clones-makers.375215/page-8

Why not stop by and check us out?

Regards,

Greg

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