How it looks / not how it sounds

Yes great Mag - I did let my subscription lapse for a year when it did become a bit too Naim focussed but otherwise it’s a fine read and i’m enjoying it again. Shame to see Paul Messenger has left though. Another fine reviewer.

And now for something completely different…

I once had a pair of these:
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Well, mine had the same the main cabinets, but with different upper mid/HF horn, and an array of supertweeter horns, all in black.

Very industrial pro-audio look. Not exactly the stuff of normal domestic bliss! I had them for a mobile rock disco, and the best compliment I had was when a group of people came into a club where I was playing and said it sounded like a live band. But I tried them in my lounge once and was disappointed with the sound - quite different from when played at gig levels!

The main speaker is Altec Voice of the Theatre A5, about 3’6” by 2’6” by 2’, with a single 15” driver. I used to run them using my Radford 50Wpc hifi amp. With sensitivity ~105dB/W, they provided enough volume for even a 400 capacity club, though by the end of a good session everything was wound up to max…

They had wheels set into the bottom rear, such that when tilted back they were manouvrabe - but they were far too heavy for me to lift by myself, so I cut them in half just below the main flare and devised a robust clip system and seal to lock them together when in use - still very heavy!

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Those Altec’s could play to frightening volume levels when driven by BGW 750’s !

With what looks like a Tangerine Karmen top plate?

I fear I’m acquiring a reputation :slight_smile:

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Very much a Khan. Take the top plate off and you’ll see the typical spiral milled into the surface.

For top plate read outer platter - too late in the evening obviously!

Quobi preamp/ dac 24/96, to listen in bluetooth.

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You see a lot of horns of similar size in my neck if the woods. Which is perplexing given how small all the homes are here.

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Bremen2 insideblue3

:small_blue_diamond:Bremen No.1…A legendary DAC from Sweden,that swept the track with its competitors world wide.
Its superb analogue sound.
Each copy,…handbuilt by the constructor himself.
Chassis of pure copper.
PCB in Teflon.
:black_small_square:All-in as usual,when it comes to Peter Steindls (fd Bremen) creations.

This was the best DAC you could buy around 1996 onwards.
This hifi friend is an extreme perfectionist even today.
I remember when he sat at my dining table,and told the rest of us how he built this DAC,…it was extremely.
All components are heat-matched to an extremely low level as an example,…and I mean extremely low.
Two out of one hundred components matched😉.

Below from one of many,many reviews world wide.

”The Bremen No.1 from Sweden is the best sounding,most musically correct digital to analog converter available for compact disc playback.

If you like the Forsell Air Reference converter, you’ll really enjoy the Bremen No.1.

Here’s why:
The Forsell Air Reference and Bremen No.1 digital to analog converters share a similar circuit design.

Where they differ is in their final voicing through fine tuning with careful component selection.
Listening to the Bremen No.1 will change your reference of how a CD can sound.
Never before have you heard CDs with such life-like vocal presence,instrument tonality,and dynamics!

Features:
Delta-Sigma 1-bit digital converter.
All discrete class A analog circuitry.
Proprietary constant current loop power supply circuitry.
Primary power supply on separate circuit board, and isolated from audio circuitry.
Large toroidal power transformer.
S/PDIF and AES/EBU inputs.
All copper chassis.
WBT output connectors.

U.S. Retail Price: $7500,Discontinued.

The predecessor to the Bremen,called the Licence No.1, was rated “World’s Best” in Hi-Fi & Musik magazine,and many,many other magazines world wide.

The legendary high-end store “Sounds Of Singers” in New York,had Bremen No1 in its high end range
/Peder🙂

:small_blue_diamond:Maybe I’ll add that…The Forsell Air Reference Converter,mentioned in the post above,was also Peter Steindl’s construction.

But because of a conflict with Dr.Forsell,…Peter chose to develop his DAC under his own name.

/Peder :slightly_smiling_face:

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i didn’t know that forsell was sweden. The turntable from Forsell was impressive too.

image

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:small_blue_diamond: Frenchrooster,…Yes Dr.Forsell is from Sweden.

The tonearm on that record player is really legendary,it is another Swedish gentleman who has constructed it, namely…
:black_small_square:Leif Häggmark,…see picture below.

Leif has throughout his life been the distributor of various classic High-End brands,…this through his firm AudioNord.
Leif Häggmark is known and respected all over the world in High-End Hifi circuitry.

For some brands Leif has also had the European Agency,…Krell,Audio Research,etc,etc.
Leif Häggmark is today over 70 years old,but still works with High-End HiFi.

/Peder🙂

plaza-0912-10
:black_small_square:Leif Häggmark in his home.


:black_small_square:Leif,and his employee,…Ludwig during a Hifi-Show.

:black_small_square:Krell Monoblock,…Internal image.
1766002951
:black_small_square:These speakers probably need no presentation.

These above and many,many,many more High-End brands have been under Leif’s distribution. A very nice gentleman.

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:small_blue_diamond:Leif has so much goodies from the other side of this interest,…outside of Naim,and also Linn.
So I have to add some more pics…

bkpam250607_varumarkesbild_1
:black_small_square:Air Tangent turntable,with Leif’s tonearm.


:black_small_square:Audio Research Mono-block.

h58951-0-58951_600x600
:black_small_square:Lyra Catridge.


:black_small_square:From one of Leif’s demonstration rooms.

As I said,…A lot of goodies from the other side😁.

/Peder🙂

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i like the tw acoustics turntables.

image

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There is something beguiling about horns, while the lowpower they require means class A can be used without such concern for the heat and power consumption, though they require amps with very low noise. The trouble is low frequencies dictate really huge dimensions: in 1974 Wireless World published plans for a ‘no compromise’ full range folded horn design - though not quite full range as it only went down to 40Hz, where the cutoff would have been sharp. It was designed as a rectangular box, with dimensions something like 6-7ft high, 4ft wide and 3 or 4 ft deep, with bass horn mouth 4ft square. Of course, if building a house, one could build in concrete horns with all except the mouths outside the room…

i like the look of the belcanto reference black system. Only 3 boxes, preamp / dac/ streamer / amp. But 56 k. Never listened to it . Perhaps somebody ?

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astell kern makes not only portable devices. Here is the AK 500 n, preamp / streamer / server/ ripper/ dac in one box. Around 10 k.
Very special look, not for everyone probably.

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I’ve heard this, paired with the matching A & K amp and power supply, played through Kef Reference 3s - whilst not quite in Classic Naim territory it wasn’t far away!

String is diamond plated silver/gold Core. Earpiece and noise activator is nano graphene encapsulated neodymium.

3A483E47-E1F8-4CF4-93B3-4F54296DF107-10295-00000A36BC05DF59

92869FC4-034F-4A5B-B9C5-3A588F484D90-10295-00000A3DB0CD2ECC

Zirconium bucket is the exotic upgrade for those with the most deepest of pockets.

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