[konut]

I've recently taken delivery of 2 components from Redwine Audio that have transformed my listening experience beyond my wildest dreams. The 1st is a Marchand XM46 line level passive high pass filter that Vinnie built and put in an enclosure with an attached interconnect. I swapped out the Behringer CX2300 I was using, and the increase in resolution was dramatic. I listened to the system for most of a day using a Toshiba SD-6980 as source and was extremely pleased with the transformation. Then I hooked up the 2nd component, a RWA modded SB3. This is the current mod with upgraded opamp. I needed this as I'm running a passive pre. UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE!!!!! I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face. The sound is simply stunning. I couldn't be happier!    I had ordered the SB3 back in Nov. when Vinnie was offering his own discount coupled with the intro discount of the SB3. Over the course of months, and many pleasurable phone calls with Vinnie, my audio fantasies were realized beyond anything I could have imagined. I can't thank Vinnie enough for putting up with my sometimes outlandish thoughts and requests and finding a way to make things happen. RWA is a unique resource in audio. As a one man shop, Vinnie has the ability to implement   quality designs in an unprecedentedly custom basis for a reasonable cost. I can't think of anyone else that is willing to do this. What is more impressive is that he did this with a backlog of work months long. At any point he could have told me to take a hike, and I would have understood as I do have some, ahem, unique ideas. Instead he patiently worked through my situation and explained things to me that left me satisfied both conceptually and materially. As is customary when a virtuoso gives an outstanding performance, I'm giving Vinnie a virtual standing ovation and multiple bravos, an audio Oscar, and the Audio Medal of Honor  for service above and beyond the call.

[Jampot]

Lucky ol'you!

Can we know more about the implimentation of the crossover, what amps & speakers are you using, and the length and type of cables?

I guess this info may be a few clicks away, if you would like to give us links.

Look forward to hearing more.....

Jim

[konut]

Out of the SB3 I'm running 1m Nordost Magic 1s to a Creek OBH12 passive remote attenuator. On the output of the Creek I'm splitting the signal with a custom RCA Y cable made by Bundles and More, a local guy here in Spokane named Korey using Mogami cable and the same brand of RCA plugs that Vinnie uses( I don't know the brand). 1 leg goes to the Marchand high pass filter which is 24db per octave at 70hz, and the other leg, using 25ft of A560XS Phoenix Gold, goes to a Onix Rocket UFW-12 subwoofer. Out of the Marchand I'm running 1.5m Eichmann Express 4s to a pair of Kenwood KM-X1000 monoblocks. Out of the Kenwoods is 39" of DNM Reson which came with my Omega Aperiodic 8s. The low pass duties are handled by the variable low pass filter built into the sub. I suspect the slope of the filter in the sub is shallower than 24db per octave as I've dailed the frequency slightly lower than 70hz to avoid a mid-bass hump. The transition is seemless to my ears. The speed of this sealed sub keeps up with the Visaton B200s in the A8s and the resolution and extention  is breathtaking. The modded SB3 really filled in the extreme highs which the Toshiba seemed to miss to a large extent. Its satisfied me to the point where I'll stop bugging Louis (at Omega) to make me a super tweeter.

[mcgsxr]

Konut, sounds like an interesting blend of gear!

I assume that you are using the Creek unit, because you have sources other than just the SB3, or you would otherwise just use the analog outs directly?

Interesting to hear about a sub fast enough to keep up with the b200's... that is the quandary I am presently in, and it is causing me to consider OB 15 inch sub solutions...

[konut]

Yes, I've got my TV, a wide screen Philips CRT,  and the tuner section of an old Advent 300 receiver    also plugged in to the Creek. I love the convenience of remote switching and volume. The sub is absolutely killer. Its been out for about 6 months now and if you're REALLY curious, you should sign up for the forum at AV123. Many members there are willing to personally audition gear and if you post a request in their forum you'd probably find someone near your area willing to host an audition. I've owned Sunfire and Velodyne subs and the UFW-12 is in a whole nuther galaxy. The customer service at AV123 is also WAY above the rest.

For clarity's sake, pun intended, I should explain exactly what the Marchand XM46 does. You can think of it as half of a crossover. Any crossover consists, basically, of a high pass filter, sending the high frequencies to a tweeter, and a low pass filter, sending the low freqs to the woofer. A regular passive xover is used after the power amp and resides in the speaker cabinet. An active electronic xover is used before the power amp(s) and separates the highs and lows and sends the respective signals to amps dedicated to the highs and lows. The XM46 is a passive line level, meaning it does not plug into the wall. There is less circuitry and no power supply to get in the way of the signal. The penalty is that there is an insertion loss, meaning there is a lessening of the signal, in the case of the XM46, 1db. Marchand has the ferrite core inductors hand wound to the specific frequency that is requested, in my case 70hz, at 24db per octave. You could also specify slopes of 6, 12. or 18 db per octave. I feel a steep slope is required in integrating a sub, as it lessens the chance of a mid-bass hump, and decreased localization when using a mono sub. I had considered a Behringer DCX digital crossover but it just adds SO much more circuitry and complication to the equation that I decided to opt for a simpler solution. I was kind of lucky that the DCXs were out of stock that caused me to look for another solution. Thanks go to planet10 at diyAudio forum for suggesting the Marchand.

I'm busy ripping discs to my hard drive and encoding to flac files on my days off and each disc, some I've owned for 25 years, is a revelation. I feel I'm getting sound better than the mastering house that mastered the CDs as I'm hearing stuff that, had the mastering engineer heard it, would have been done differently. Just stunning.

[Vinnie R.]

Then I hooked up the 2nd component, a RWA modded SB3. This is the current mod with upgraded opamp. I needed this as I'm running a passive pre. UN-FREAKIN-BELIEVABLE!!!!! I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face. The sound is simply stunning. I couldn't be happier! ...

Hi konut,

Thanks for posting and I am glad to hear how well everything is working out for you!  It really sounds like all your brainstorming and patience has really paid off and I am really happy to read about the outstanding results are you getting out of your customized setup....very nice!  

Thanks again for posting,

Vinnie