Active speakers with DAC and remote controlled pre amp

[darrenwm]

Apart from the obvious, are there any offer solutions out there?

 

The requirements:

 

-Active speakers.

-Digital inputs, and maybe an analogue one too.

-Remote control for volume and input selection.

-Domestically acceptable

 

I really can't think of any.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I really haven't seen any matching the exact description. Built-in DAC is a big separator.

 

[klausesser]

there´s lots of stuff in the professional audio range. like:

http://www.dynaudioacoustics.com/Default.asp?Id=321&AjrNws=317&AjrNwsPg=1

http://www.sennheiser.com/klein-hummel/icm_en.nsf/root/prof-monitoring_studio-monitors_nearfield-monitors_O110D

http://www.sennheiser.com/klein-hummel/icm_en.nsf/root/prof-monitoring_studio-monitors_nearfield-monitors_O300D

http://www.sennheiser.com/klein-hummel/icm_en.nsf/root/prof-monitoring_studio-monitors_midfield-monitors_O410

 

all with highend-digital input and fully remotecontrollable.

 

"Q 16...24-Bit, 20...216 kHz digital input stage (DIM 1) for AES3, AES 3id and S/P-DIF signals

Q Electronics can be remotely accessed when the cabinet is flush mounted (REK 1 and CP 2, CP 5, CP 10, CP 15, CP 20, CP 25, or CP 30)"

 

Familiar products come from others too.

 

 

 

[Tonyc]

I'd say Modwright Transporter and Adam S3A Studio monitors. The end. Oh and you can plug an Adam sub into the mix too. Would give ADM9.1 a run for their money. May blow the budget a little.

 

[Ashley James]

I realise I'm biased but I know what I'd put my money on!

 

Ash

 

[darrenwm]

I looked up the Modwright Transporter and see that it a Transporter with a couple of lightbulbs poking out of the top.

 

Therefore, have they made it worse by increasing distortion?

 

[darrenwm]

Ashley,

 

Do you use ADM9 yourself?

 

What other 'speakers have you owned and used at home?

 

I read somewhere that you've replaced B&W801 and some Quads?

 

[Ashley James]

My first was an 18" BTH from a Cinema near Hampton Court, I bought it to go with a valve amplifier I'd built, then I teamed up with a Service Engineer for RCA Gt. Britain whose job was to repair Amplifiers and loudspeaker systems in Cinemas. I learnt a great deal and we founded a hi fi company that was an immediate success. I was 13 and still at schools and my parents that I should get a proper job! That was the late fifties.

 

Since that time I'd had a fascination with audio and I slowly worked my way through all the Quad speakers and amplifiers (7 pairs of ESLs and 5 pairs of ESL63s) various B&Ws, a Voight Corner Horn, some Tannoys, even Heathkit speakers, various Kefs, Rogers LS3/5As and LS5/8As, even 801 Matrix IIIs and of course the entire ATC range including having 300's in my sitting room for a time!

 

Currently I have what for me is the most exciting development in audio of my lifetime that I've been involved in.

I have two pairs of ADM9.1s and matching Subs, Apple TV and AE as sources, I have Neutron 5s and I've kept a pair of Rosewood Neutrons 4s because, although they've been surpassed now, they were our most successful and biggest selling product. Small classical record labels, broadcasters, scoring mixers, studios and thousands of hi fi enthusiasts bought them and they were tiny and pretty as well as punching way above their weight. In big rooms big speakers have advantages but I love small speakers and all they can do, especially as we can now seamlessly integrate very powerful subs and use very high powered amps that are cost effective. ADM9.1s are already selling faster but the little Neutrons have been around since '94.

 

I apologise for the advertorial and pray that the enthusiasm wins through.

 

Ash

 

[Tonyc]

Hi Darren

 

the tubes placed at output stage and modifications made to power supply and rectifier of the Modwright Transporter create the closest sound to analogue I've ever heard... which I know sounds like a contradiction, but hey, you should have a listen.

 

[darrenwm]

Tony,

 

Everything we hear is analogue!

 

Instead of adding light bulbs couldn't iTunes equaliser be used to colour the sound?

 

[jcbrum]

darrenwm,

 

Do you really want to color the sound ?

 

I live about two miles from one of the best concert halls in the world. To see and hear Sir Simon Rattle conducting a world famous symphony orchestra is a great experience and a privilege.

 

Are you suggesting it should be 'altered' by some inadequate electronics which happen to be preferred by some 'uneducated' philistinic audiophile (in the audio sense) whose defective judgement and misplaced ideology leads him to think he can do better and achieve something that "he prefers".

 

That concept is ridiculous. YNWOAN, I hope you too are reading this.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hey Guys - I hope this is all a tongue in cheek conversation. I'm willing to bet nobody wants to color the sound. Solid State and tubes color the sound in their own way. Ideally SS and Tubes sound the same. For those who haven't heard some of the best tube systems I highly recommend it. Audio Research has some very transparent components.

 

 

 

[jcbrum]

Hi Chris,

 

I quote you - "I'm willing to bet nobody wants to color the sound."

 

That is my sentiment exactly.

 

We wouldn't need hifi if we had live performers available on tap, but we don't, so we use recordings instead. Making those recordings sound different from the original event is to corrupt it.

 

So the best hifi is one which doesn't alter the sound at all and is one that accurately reflects the original performance. Not a hifi which is selected according to the whim of some person who happens to think that he is 'entertained' by the 'sonic interpretation' of some particular piece of kit.

 

Hifi is supposed to be entertaining and rewarding by it's accuracy, - not by it's colorations, be they ss or tube.

 

Scientists and engineers with test equipment, and people who make their own recordings can judge this.

 

Hifi enthusiasts using their ears and preferences can't, because they didn't hear the original performance.

 

[Tonyc]

"Everything we hear is analogue! ;)"

 

Exactly the point I'm trying to make.

 

[radar2886]

I really hope this thread does not fall into the category of petty name calling. One of the things I like about this website is that this does not happen as seems to be the case with so many other forums. Good gear is good gear, and as someone who uses ADM9s with a tube phono stage and turntable as my prefered source I enjoy both.

 

[Innertuber]

Me too Radar. I use tubes and SS, lots of different stuff and it doesn't all sound the same so defacto it must be colored. However, that being said, and in an attempt to not be offensive, I think the politically correct term might be sonically minoritized since "colored" implies targeting one specific sound group. At best, we likely should use "sound of color" since we are talking about multiple ethnic origins of music. Sound of color actually sounds to me like a perfect audiophile term. Although many strive, only a select few hear it. The common listener can only see it.

 

I'll bet my Cornwalls can crush your speakers! I mean physically of course, not sonically. They are colored too, birch right now. Have fun.

 

[Tonyc]

The best of both worlds...

 

Solid state and valve and... digital and analogue.

 

Just adding to the discussion around coloured sound...

 

I do have to admit there's qualities I like about solid state and valve gear. If I can add another analogy, adding valves to a setup is like adding honey to ones tea. It just makes it sweeter. Generally. Which is probably the second most desired adjustment to sound that we want to make after the beloved grail of sounding live. Although a lot of people don't have live music as a reference point to start with, so the start point for a lot of people is, well... do I have to say more. There doesn't seem to be a common reference point, but there should if we are all audiophools...

 

[Ashley James]

I really don't want to offend anyone, but it's very important to remember that Transistor Amplifiers ousted valves forty years ago because they sounded and measured better. To me Tubes (I'm in America here!) sound harsh and unacceptable and Transistors sweet and effortless and this experience would be supported by the measurements. There is a huge difference.

 

Having said all that, the only reason AVI exists is because Martin bought a very well reviewed SS pre/power combination in the early eighties and although it was OK with vinyl, it sounded appalling with an early Philips CD player. He traced out the circuit diagrams of the preamp that turned out to be from RCA in the late fifties and the power amp was straight from the Sinclair P60 kit book. He'd already built one and found it to be awful, so he climbed up into his attic and got out a Williamson he'd built when he was twelve and subsequently much modified and tried the CD player with that and it sounded excellent. Now when I hear Tube amps, they appear quite harsh and fatiguing, so I'm inclined to think there are still some poor sounding solid state amplifiers kicking around, especially as there is a fair sized resurgence of interest in them in the UK where most amplifiers are very low powered and don't really have enough headroom for modern recordings. I think people buy more powerful amps in the US so may be less inclined to try Tubes.

 

We get hundreds of emails from Chinese Tube Amplifier Companies hoping to find agents in the UK and there are already quite a few on offer at very good prices.

 

Ashley

 

[Tonyc]

"To me Tubes (I'm in America here!) sound harsh and unacceptable and Transistors sweet and effortless and this experience would be supported by the measurements. There is a huge difference."

 

That's a fairly outrageous claim Ashley. It doesn't offend me, but this kind of statement doesn't do you or your company any favors. I'm sure even non-valve people would find your claim a little incredulous.

 

I won't argue the toss over this one because it's right out there. (Shakes his head with disbelief).

 

 

 

 

[Ashley James]

Tony

I think more a question of experience. I detest harsh sound and I wouldn't dream of saying these things if I wasn't pretty sure I couldn't prove it. Good transistor amps really are much sweeter sounding because they don't produces lots of odd order harmonics, because they ought to have a great deal more headroom (no current or voltage clipping) and because they might have as much as 40 dB less noise and distortion.

 

Please don't umbrage but do keep an open mind on transistor amps. Tubes are fun and look lovely but you can so much better.

 

with sincere apologies

 

Ashley

 

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Ashley - Thanks for the honest opinion. Personally I like to hear information straight from manufacturers whether I agree with it I'd not. It can show honest charachter as opposed to smoke & mirrors.

 

Interesting conversation though. Very cool.

 

[Ashley James]

Chris

 

Thank you for your understanding, it was an honest opinion and I understand the scepticism.

 

There's no doubt that lots of SS Amps out there still aren't as good as the best Tubes, just as there are Class D Amps that better many Class B ones and it's because, as Daphne says, we are a cottage industry, we don't attract the best engineers, therefore we often don't do as well as the technology allows.

 

An influx of IT types into hi fi is a good thing, many are from a theoretical background and are sceptical of some of the beliefs held in audiophile circles. They didn't come a moment too soon, hopefully they will weigh on the side of reason and we'll all get a better idea of how to improve the sound of our systems.

 

As for my company's reputation, I've agreed with Martin that if I put my foot in it too often, I'll retire and he can tell the world I've been sectioned! Hopefully I haven't gone that far yet.

 

Ash

 

[Tonyc]

Hi Ashley

 

I understand your enthusiasm and also the interests vested that you have as a manufacturer. I can also understand that you have qualified yourself by relating this thread ever so obliquely back to the ADM9.1s.

 

Of course, few valve setups of the kind of value of the ADM9.1s, have a chance of coming close to their performance. I'm taking a leap into the unknown here, and making this assumption on the reviews and reputation of your company and products. And I guess the further out from the original value and spec we go, the further we have to get into some vigorous discussion.

 

I suspect you are talking about the low end stuff coming out of China. Now that's really colored sound!

 

However I was talking about valves in general, and the addition of them somewhere in the signal path and NOT necessarily in amplification. They could be in the preamp, CDP or even line buffer. My original comment didn't mention this and I guess you can't take much for granted around here. But the inclusion of valves somewhere can usually sweeten a system, and is usually a good thing -- synergy withstanding. That said, there's probably fodder for a dozen more threads on topics that have been touched on, but are tangential to this thread.

 

Ironically, the further up the chain you go, the more SS and valves sound alike, but for most ordinary folk, that kind of money is prohibative. I'm talking Halcos vs VTL Siegfreid etc. Scary money.

 

I appreciate your candour, I'm not sure I agree with all your comments, but certainly value your views, with all the years of experience in hi-fi.

 

best regards

 

Tony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CryoParts]

Check out the Sonicweld system, it is my reference:

 

http://www.sonicweld.com

 

I am close friends with the owner, so call me biased, but still check it out.

 

Peace,

 

Lee

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Lee - Welcome to Computer Audiophile. The Sonicweld system is sure a wonderfully engineered system. I think Jeff Dorgay reviewed this system in TONE Audio a while back.

 

Thanks for the post.