I’ll never go back to a box!
2 Likes
Best move I ever made was from boxes, first to a pair of cheap Maggies which were a revelation but now very content with my Spatial Audio TM3 OB speakers.
Since getting these maybe 4 years ago I honestly have not looked at speakers to purchase.
4 Likes
Same. Open baffle for the win.
3 Likes
I popped up to Quad HQ to collect some amplifiers and they gave me a copy. It’s currently resolving an issue with my printer, need to elevate it to open the paper tray. It’s just the right size for Brother laser printers.
I had a pair of Quad-rebuilt ESL63 for about a month before my wife threatened to dump them on the street. Remarkable speakers for the right kind of music.
5 Likes
Thank goodness I’m the wife in my household and this wife thinks the Quads look just fine in the living room!! Actually, I think they fit in more than nicely. Most of my visitors seem to agree.
I’ve always read that the Quads are ideally suited for classical and jazz and not well suited to rock. I agree. I acquired them after reading a review of them in Opera News that they were the ideal speakers for opera lovers. Since I am an opera lover i wasted about five seconds before looking up a place to hear them. . When I auditioned them I fell instantly in love. Unfortunately, their price was well over my budget but after twisting Quad’s arms they finally consented to give me the names of some dealers in the UK where I discovered they were priced at about half their US price. I imported mine in 1985 and feel very lucky to have found my forever speakers.
BTW, nice job on scoring the Kessler book for free! Though it sounds like you have to print off your copy. Still, the price is definitely right!
1 Like
This is the same IAN Canada PurePi II powersupply. It provides 5V through supercapacitors and 3.3V via LiFePo batteries, both galvanically separated from the power supply.
This particular transport has a Raspberry Pi 3B (less heat generated than 4/5) and an Ian Canada ShieldPi which shields the transport on top from most of the RFI/EMI generated by the Pi.
On top of that there is the FiFoPi Q7 which clocks the i2s stream in a pretty manner through to the TransportPi AES on top. Both of them takes 3.3V directly from the PurePi.
Finally, MonitorPi displays sample rate info and allows for configuration of the FiFoPi.
All in all an eyebrow raising transport! (running DietPi preferably, or Ropieee)
19 Likes
I’m an opera lover as well, but I can’t listen to it through speakers. I listen to some vocal music, but opera, oratorios, masses etc., - live only. Maybe if I had a pair of ESL63 … Off to see Andrea Chénier tomorrow night, Pappano’s last performance as musical director of the Royal Opera, Jonas Kaufmann and Sondra Radvanovsky in the lead roles. Looking forward to it. Two other good shows lined up later this week.
That Wood rack is gorgeous…even impressive with Wheels that can carry that much weight…When I was a Vinyl fan, I went through a few “Straight-Line trackers” and the B&O 4004 was one of them…made sense to play the record exactly like the grooves were cut…I also though it was cool when the Tone Arm went into it’s own “garage”. My other SLT tables were a Harmon Kardon and a Yamaha.
2 Likes
What a quandary 
I bought mine in 1986 , they ran beautifully until I emigrated to South Africa in 1996 , living at 1700m with extremely dry atmospheric conditions in winter was the death knell. The diaphragm movement was that much higher than sea level and finally they developed pin holes in the diaphragms which arc’ed and popped.
I had them mended when I moved to the coast , again flawless , but moved back to Johannesburg in 2005 , the same thing happened . I just had to give up. Importing panels was very expensive and finding some one to repair them was difficult. Quad no longer sell in South Africa as far as I know.
I miss them still , they were just so good for classical music , alas .
These days I am 100% headphone but would go back to the ESL’s in a flash.
Thank you so much from my husband for the very nice compliments, but in all fairness he insists I take credit for my part in the project too. The design was entirely my own, as was the choice of wood, the choice of hardware, the choice of finish, and the choice of casters. The finish material was nothing exotic, just Watco Teak Oil. I have used Watco a lot and it is so easy!! When it starts to look tired a new coat of oil is completely rejuvenating.
Do you still have your B&O 4004? I’m so spoiled by the ease of streaming with Roon that it takes an effort to turn to the turntable. Or the SACD player. I will definitely sell the Nakamichi. I had it restored less than a year ago and I’ve played it once. The turntable is also just restored but it’s a keeper. I love the tangential tone arm. I love the automatic operation and I love the looks.
Oh my goodness, I sympathize with your troubles with your Quads! To give mine up would be unthinkable! I had no idea that climate would be so troublesome. I hope the headphones give you equal pleasure.
That’s a new one on me :). But if you remember, the Opera News article that was instrumental in introducing me to my Quads said they were ideally suited to opera and jazz (and vocals and piano, etc) my recommendation would be to audition some Quads to see if that cures you.
That said I am super envious that you can attend an Andrea Chenier with such a wonderful cast! I hope you enjoy it!
Chenier was good, it was emotional because it was the last performance of our artistic director after 22 years at the helm.
You’re not exactly starved in San Francisco. Currently you have the acclaimed Kosky/Andrade Magic Flute and lots of good stuff coming up. Handmaid’s Tale, which was on here at English National Opera earlier this year, Tristan und Isolde which is worth the money for the music alone, given its position in the Romantic movement.
Ballet-wise, you are hugely fortunate to have Tamara Rojo as artistic director, who was one of the most popular dancers at the Royal Ballet, hugely successful as director of the English National Ballet and she seems to be doing great things your way. You have coming up Manon (McMillan), my wife’s favourite ballet, Cool Britannia (Wheeldon, McGregor, Akram Khan), three completely different pieces and all magnificent, Raymonda, which was a Rojo favourite at ENB, Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein (the boy wonder at Royal Ballet who unfortunately committed suicide), a Hans Van Manen programme and Broken Love, which is a piece about Frida Kahlo that was created for Rojo to dance at ENB by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Marguerite and Armand, which is some very tricky dance to Liszt’s B Minor sonata, created by Ashton for Nureyev and Fonteyn at the Royal Ballet, which Rojo danced with the enfant terrible Polunin.
If the weather’s bad here, think I might move to SF for a few months! Meanwhile, here’s Marienela Nunez and Roberto Bolle after doing Manon earlier this year.
1 Like
Not my main head-if rig, but is my mobile (around the house) rig.
iPad 5th gen, a gift from work
Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt
Audio Technica ATH-M50X headphones or Hifiman Sundara closed
Some m3 sticky pads hold the Apple adaptor in place, with another safely holding the Cobalt. The case with built in stand works well. Normally remains on charge, the battery life isn’t the best, drains over an 8 hour day from 100 to 60% with no use, except the Cobalt drawing power constantly.
14 Likes
Just bought a pair, got them yesterday! They have some really nice properties, as well as feeling a bit congested in the mids/voice registers, but they might need some more usage.
I drive mine with a Chord Hugo2 which is fed by an IAN Canada TransportPi Digi over toslink.
6 Likes
Give them time and they sound great for the money. Also check out https://autoeq.app/
Use them for a good week or so before applying the conv EQ. You’ll appreciate the difference more. I mainly use them without any conv EQ tweaks.
I drive mine with either a FiiO R7, Chord Poly/Mojo 2 or the iPad/Cobalt. Each have their own merits, but for music that has greater detail, they, errr, sing 
1 Like
I’m glad you enjoyed the Chenier; it’s one of my favorite operas, though not at the top of my list. I was a season subscriber at SFO from 1968-2000 and saw many many wonderful performances. My seat partner moved away at that point and I was unwilling to make the lengthy one hour and often more drive alone, so a good thing came to an end. I would very occasionally ask my husband, but opera isn’t something he enjoys, though to his credit, he doesn’t complain. Now, my back problems won’t tolerate the lengthy sitting required so I watch the Met Opera performances thanks to its app and catch online performances as often as I find them and my DVD collection continues to grow. We do have a first rate ballet and orchestra, but I’ve never attended regularly.
1 Like
Ya Honda 
Ahem, I’m looking forward to seeing and reading about more systems …
3 Likes