AudioCircle

Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Owner's Circles => Vandersteen Speakers => Topic started by: jeffreybehr on 4 Jul 2023, 01:15 am

Title: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 4 Jul 2023, 01:15 am
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254355) (https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254356)

Will be retrieving them Thursday the 6th in New Jersey and will have them home by Sunday the 9th.  Have purchased a new set of tubes from Tube Depot and will send them to VS to verify they're within biasing limits.  I'm a firm believer in isolating speakers and electronics from the always-vibrating concrete-slab floor, so after initial placement probably will have them on ISOAcoustic Gaia Is.

Am really looking forward to hearing these.   :D
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 14 Jul 2023, 05:33 pm
Home, happily running, and sounding fabulous they are!
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254662)

The trip to and from Newark (Metuchen), NJ was mildly exhausting, but my adult daughter and I got the 2500-mile job done.  The VERY nice seller sort-of-insisted that we put the amps in their crates, so those 2 took more space than I had planned in the Pathfinder I rented, but we got them in.  We wrapped the speakers in two thick furniture blankets, duct-taped that all together, and slid them into the back on their sides.

Here's an amp.  FWIW, mine run quite hot.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254664)

In the top pic, the screen is 'down' in movie-watching position; I usually chain its bottom to the front wall for music listening.  The system is the most resolving I've ever heard.  My fellowaudiofool goodbuddy and I got the bassamp adjusted, but altho the speakers are measured to be the same (= within 1/4") distance from my nose, the speakers are pointed only generally; I plan to ask our former VS dealer if they still have the measuring equipment and will come to adjust them properly.

Meanwhile, beautiful music.

FWIW, I still have a pair of Aethetix Atlas Eclipse monoamps coming probably next month; they're the ones with the variable-frequency hipass filters; we'll see how they sound with the Sevens.
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: JackD on 14 Jul 2023, 06:34 pm
Congrats on getting them home Jeffrey.
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 19 Jul 2023, 05:22 pm
Congrats on getting them home Jeffrey.

TY, Jack.
Title: Being an Isolatist and not a Couplist, I've started installing Gaia-I footers...
Post by: jeffreybehr on 19 Jul 2023, 05:46 pm
...which is somewhat of a project with the 7.2s' 9/16-18 spike threads.  Already had these spike bars...
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254798)
...which I easily attached with 1"-long* capscrews (and double flatwashers) screwed into the original spike holes in the bottom of the bottom plate.  The bars have 1/4-NC threads for the spikes, and the Gaias come with that size stud adapters, but the quarter-inch screw looks quite puny for the weight of the speaker.  I'll be drilling and tapping the holes to 12M-1.25 to use the full-diameter (= no stepdown of diameter) stud supplied with the G-Is.  The rear will require a special 9/16"-diameter stud with M12-1.25 male threads on its bottom to screw the Gaias onto; that's in process.

Moved the poweramps, too.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=254799)

* that is the maximum length that will enter the two blind holes at the front of the bottom plate.
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 24 Jul 2023, 08:05 pm
Had a goodbuddyfellowaudiofool over to hear the Sevens; he thought it was the best my system has sounded...EVER; made me feel good.
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 31 Jul 2023, 06:02 am
Got the spikebars drilled and tapped to the 12mm threads that are native to the Gaia-Is; they look MUCH better to me, and I know they're stonger.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=255206)
Also received the smaller spikebars (for the rear) from AudioExpress and will have them done in a week or so.

Received the AQ Dragon PCs for the M7s and Blizzard Extreme PCs for the bassamps; wiring looks MUCH better now and is easier to keep isolated.  Am plugging these PCs into the wall outlets fed by my two 20A. dedicated lines. 
 (https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=255207)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=255208)

Will be having the 4 AQ Edison 20A. duplex outlets...
https://www.audioquest.com/ac-power/ac-power-outlets/nrg-edison-duplex-wall-outlet
...installed this week.

This Vandersteen system continues to sound EXCELLENT!   :D   :D

FWIW, I'll soon be cutting a largish rectangle of carpet away from the front wall so that the system-backend-equipment lowboy and speakers, etc., will not have carpet under them.  Will also be building a new lowboy cabinet much like my current one but which will have 3cm (c. 1.2")-thick granite shelves instead of wooden ones.

Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: Rocket on 31 Jul 2023, 11:57 am
Hi,

Enjoy your new speakers. I just checked the price out in Australia and they are over 100k. I bet they sound superb.

Cheers Rod
Title: Re: My 'new' Seven.2s and M7-HPA amps
Post by: jeffreybehr on 20 Sep 2023, 08:02 pm
News, FINALLY, on the Aesthetix Atlas Eclipse poweramps I ordered in July--they indicate they'll be shipping them to me in two weeks.. We'll see.  I'm anxious to get them broken in and evaluated when driving the VS 7.2s.. I chose these amps based on (1) two glowing reviews on sonic quality, (2) each uses a 6SN7GT for Voltage gain, and I have many premium versions of those, and (3) each has a variable-frequency lowpass filter for VS and similar speakers.


http://www.aesthetix.net/atlas.php?aac_mobile=no