Free Hi-Fi System Available

[peter taft]

Hi Guys and Gals. With Christmas time almost upon us, i sat thinking what i could design next. Being a music lover, and i have a wide variety - From Heavy Rock, to Classical. I am also a VINYL person, CD's are too mechanical in sound, Vinyl has a much better tonal quality IMO. So with all this in mind, i came up with this Hi-Fi System. It's very easy to build, the only part remotely difficult is the Turn table, this just has some tiny parts to contend with. The Tone arm is moveable. I have supplied a Record cover and Disc to compliment it - these can be easily changed to suit your music preferences. The model will be available in the downloads section here SOON :thumb: I hope you have fun and enjoy making this model - Merry Christmas one and all

 

[Zathros]

Right on Pete! You Headbanger!!

 

[peter taft]

Right on Pete! You Headbanger!!

Hey John, i just wish i still had the gear to do it all again, but i guess my health would surely pull the plug on it... cest lavie :cry:

 

[Zathros]

I'm in good company, because we're in the same boat!

 

[peter taft]

and two more components to add - The Cassette Deck and Tuner :thumb: and a smaller deck {just downsized the first one}

 

[allhallowseve]

Old school ! Were if a recorded skip its sounded like nails on chalkboard !
then CD's came out ! you got the Max headroom affect , affect affffffeeeccct "LOL
Now my ipod touch just freeze's

Nice model !

 

[Zathros]

I have a really High End audio system. One system for surround sounds, that's just an Onkyo blah blah blah. I do make my own speakers however and the system I use for listening to music is a 1969 H.H. Scott LC290 Laboratory Amplifier with the matching Tube Pre-amplifier that goes into a pair of tapered 1/4 wave tubes I made with an F/2 of 29 Hz. I have a Miller-Kreisel subwoofer for anything under 29 Hz down to infrasonic.

My Brother in law brought over his I-Pod, dying to hook it up to "show me" the fidelity it has. It failed, miserably. When the sound expands into the speakers, so much sonic information is lost, playing a CD (which aren't that great either) of the same song yielded startling results, for him. I know that these little units are fine, actually, excellent, for music on the go, but when home, crank up the real Hi-Fi system.

Generations of kids are growing up not hearing true Hi Fidelity. My nieces come over my house and one in particular begged me to put a system together for her. Sadly, I was able to easily do it with things that people "throw away" in the interests of miniaturizing. Tiny speakers make tiny sound. It's physics. A long throw subwoofer doesn't have the time to make the sound, and there is no midrange anymore. Which is why people rarely know the lyrics to songs without looking them up.

Vinyl sounded best, the first 5 times you played it, then the treble would start to go, and the drums would just turn into white noise and pretty soon you were left with the rumble of the turntable accompanied by it's cousin, wow and flutter.

 

[peter taft]

John i couldn't agree more. These transistors {for what they're worth} just don't cut the mustard. I have designed amplifiers in the past, but never had the cash to go for a Valve type design. Transistors clip the sound, even when the limits aren't reached. Having transformers on the output stage really helped, depending on the class of the amplifier of course. Digital, well.... yes it's cool for the surround sound and theatre effects for the home, high speed channel switching for audio effects through several channels, these come into there own. But for what i consider REAL sound, analogue wins hands down. The Bottles {tubes/Valves} or what ever people like to refer to them has, have far better characteristics and the spectrum of sound on output is far more forgiving to what ever you push through them via the pre-amplifier. When you see a amplifier with a socket on the back {for the add on} VALVE SOUND, this tells you something about the amplifier and it's manufacturer. A good speaker system like that which you designed, is the last part of the system, and the part that will let the rest down if those aren't correctly loaded. When my Dad was still alive, he had a pair of WD Stantoriuns, these sounded remarkable. Can you remember the KIT you could buy to convert Drainage Pipes into loudspeakers ? We were lucky, not far away was a firm that made and supplied these to the sewer networks - awesome sound detail when loaded right ! There used to be a thing with people and Hi-Fi's that made me laugh, in there belief that if you had a 100 watt per channel Amplifier, and wanted something to be twice has powerful, then a 200 watt per channel would do just that, you know this isn't the case. To hear the overall affect of twice the amplification of a 100 watt amp, you would at least need to go to 1000 watts - ears just cant and wont cope with the overall difference. On test, a really well made 5 watt per channel valve amplifier through the correct loudspeakers will be all you'll ever need in the average sized room - anything more, the walls and furniture soak up the difference, and the sound reflected back to the cones just causes distortion. Hey... look at me writing toooo much and so to the next two components of this easy build {nice to look at} Hi-Fi system, the 8 Track player/Recorder and a CD Player. :thumb: All these have been up-loaded to the Downloads.

 

[Zathros]

30 Watts through my speakers and it is so loud, you can barely stand it. 60 Watts, fogeddaboutit, you're deaf!

I also have a pair of Wharfdale VariFlex Loudspeakers I am planning to re-foam next year, circa 1969. I think they are sand filled because you almost need a Forklift to move them! I pulled this image off the web, mine are in storage (in my Barn{insulated from weather, sealed Barn}).

I think they will go well with the Scott. I also am planing to make another pair of electrostatics. I have made and sold a few pairs, but will no longer make them as they require maintenance and if someone understands what they need well enough, then they can make them. The last pair I sold for $1000 dollars were, qty.= 4, 2'x3' panels, 1/4" thick. The idiot blew them out 6 months later by dropping a needle from his turntable while a 2/3's volume. His bad, I don't warranty stupidity. He wanted me to make another pair, but they are difficult to make and sometimes, you have to make a few panels before you get them just right. Too much labor. it sounds like a lot of money, but the materials ate up a lot of that, and they really took a long time to make. He purchased a pair of Martin Logan's which sounded almost as good, they just did not have the dispersal mine did, as these are line source speakers anyway and a wider panel means wider sound. They cost him $2500 a pair. Most people are better off with point source speakers anyways, unless you have a dedicated room, then of course, the dreaded corners of the ceilings of the rooms and everything else that can make audiophiles seem like drug addicts!!

 

[peter taft]

And now the Reel to Reel for your enjoyment - in the downloads soon !

 

[Zathros]

I had a beautiful 15" Reel to Reel with a couple of Milk crates of professionally recorded tapes. I gave them to my wife's Aunt as the music was from her generation. I may have given away some really hard to obtain music, but she really enjoys t. I went through the machine before I gave it to her and it still sounds great.

Now, you have to build a Valve amp. How about this one?

And this Pre-Amp?

This is what I have (stored, still working, with FM Tuner, all Gold anodized!).

I plan to use it with my Wharfdale Variflex speakers. I was offered a ridiculous price for this system when the economy was good. It is the only amp (LC 290) the H.H. Scott museum (Private) does not have.

I also have a pile of other ones, Harmon Khardon, etc, and a Carver Cube, (Solid State). It has a current source, great for electrostatic speakers.

 

[PaperAir]

And now the Reel to Reel for your enjoyment - when it reaches the downloads !

Needs a EQ and it,s done.

 

[peter taft]

Needs a EQ and it,s done.

Funny you just had to mention that, and....... well here it is, and it will be in the downloads soon.

 

[PaperAir]

Very cool Peter Taft.Bose 901,s on stands would have been my choice.Totally 70,s

 

[peter taft]

Very cool Peter Taft.Bose 901,s on stands would have been my choice.Totally 70,s

Totally agree - Who know what will come along next :twisted:

 

[peter taft]

Here's an up-grade to the System - Some Large and Powerful Loud Speakers. Enjoy. :thumb:

 

[peter taft]

Hi everyone. All the models are now available in the "Toys" Section of the downloads - no other category where to put them. Have fun.

 

[peter taft]

Very innovative.I loved it.Kindly share the tips for making such a system.I would love to have a similar system in my room.Kindly let me know whether it will cause any compatibility differences with my musical equipment.

The Model is very easy to make - in reality, John {Zathros} and myself, could probably show you the way to go in Reality building a SUPER system... Wrong forum for that though ! The model will give you great and true sound if you stand it aloft some good speakers :thumb:

 

[Zathros]

You know Pete, with the right "insides" of a computer speaker set up, one could probably make a really nice "retro" looking Computer Speaker System!

 

[peter taft]

You know Pete, with the right "insides" of a computer speaker set up, one could probably make a really nice "retro" looking Computer Speaker System!

I think you are right on the money here, who says you can't bring out the old with the new ? The young people of today haven't heard anything "properly" yet ! I am sooooo blessed with being born "in the right decade", but this has a draw back.... i compare everything to what went before - nothing comes close :cry: