[Hegemony]

Hi all,

Just sitting here listening to my Lifeforce 55, via my lovely V-Sonics....And I was thinking how many pleasureable hours I have sat here.  It must number somewhere around 1500 hrs now.  I have never been dissappointed when I have selected a cd and sat down to relax and listen.  It always works, sounds fantastic and I feel better.  This has indeed increased my quality of life!  Keep up the good work! 

Listening to Paganini's violin concertos at the moment....just stunning, almost know them off by heart. 

Thanks Hugh.

[LM]

Hi Russ,

Couldn't have put it better and I'm also hugely grateful to Hugh for his efforts.  I'm probably still only at the two or three hundred hour mark with my current setup but won't it be nice when I can report the 10,000 hour mark.

[raptor]

You guys are just not working hard enough at it I've had my Swift and Lifeforce, since upgraded to a Soraya, for 15 months now and I would have between 1,000 to 1,500 hours up.

I heartily endorse your thanks to Hugh sentiments; his equipment has reinvigorated my passion for music. The downside is the expense; I have bought hundreds of discs since getting the amps; to make it worse I now seek out XRCD's and HDCD's to get the best sound I can. I find that RBCD's, particularly modern recordings, often don't have the dynamic range to do the equipment justice

Oh well, I'd rather be poor and have a smile on my face and my feet tapping.

[LM]

Yeah, one tends to forget the associated costs but at least (unlike some of the other things I spend my money on), the CDs and LPs can be used over and over again, and yes I have bought a lot of both recently though most LPs have been second hand.

Neil, I must admit that your light-hearted challenge and Heggers post both strike a bit of a nerve with me.  It’s all very well pursuing the latest and greatest upgrades but settling down and just listening to the music should be what it’s all about.  So I will make a bit of a pledge with myself to get my latest system changes burned in and bedded down ASAP and see if I can follow Russ’s lead.

[AKSA]

Thanks Guys,

This is heartening;  I guess we all seek some meaning to our lives, the notion of designing amps which can pass on musical engagement is quite a challenge, actually the most intellectually challenging thing I have ever taken on, much more difficult than my tertiary education (though not the math!!).   

Anyone here interested in headphone amps?  I was asked by Raptor (Neil, the WRX man, you know who you are!!) if I had done one, and aside from my workshop tasks, it has dominated most of my waking hours for a week, doodling endlessly on cafe napkins.      I now reckon I have something, and it incorporates just about everything I've learned in 15 years. 

In the meantime, I've to finish the 200W amp, Robert's Swift, and move right along.  Damn, life is not hard enough, I need to get a move on.......   

Cheers,

Hugh

[raptor]

Hi Hugh,

I'm sorry I asked about a headphone amp, I blame Seano as he was the one who mentioned it to me.

I've actually bought a Ming-Da which you can listen to tomorrow, though if you do design one I will be interested of course.

I was hoping that you'd become fascinated by HT and design a 7.1 power amp for my new room

I just changed my avatar, I realised that I was still showing the Lifeforce. 

[DSK]

I dread to think of how many thousands of hours I have spent in AKSAland (my happy place) listening to wonderful music. We built my GK-1 in 2002 (and modded it many times since then) and it replaced my BAT valve pre-amp. Some time after that I upgraded from my big Plinius heater to the 100N+ and more recently to the LifeForce 100. 

I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to how many hours I've listened to Hugh's creations, lets just say that there is a depression in my listening seat that matches my ever widening rear end perfectly 

Thankyou Hugh! 

[Seano]

I'm sorry I asked about a headphone amp, I blame Seano as he was the one who mentioned it to me.

Oi!! S'not my fault!!  But it wasn't a bad idea though 

Regrettably, I haven't been in AKSA land for a while.  The GK-1 has laid in the cupboard for the last three years while the 100N+ is simply offline for the moment because I'm a bit lazy when it comes to fiddling with speaker cables and the binding posts I have on the amp don't like lots of cable.......

[painkiller]

I'm very curious about the sound of the V-sonics. I'm looking for a speaker with a real physical impact, especially in the bass region. How are the V sonics in this matter? I'm growing tired of the standard hifi sound. My speakers sound pleasant but ever so boring. 

[kyrill]

hi Painkiller

I discovered yesterday something funny
i finally got in the 3.3V and 5V Paul Hynes pws for the Squeezebox3.
Before that one i had very kindly Of Wayne a basic modded Elpac 3.3V + 5V
pws on a loan try out basis to compare. But i never really listened for long times. The sound was clean 3D but uninspired
and my tuner had a slightly sweeter sound
Then i put in Paul Hynes pws. Immediatley the sound was much cleaner, more details but very thin sounding, flat 2D. I stopped listening after 2 minutes.

6 hrs continues playing ( without listening) i listened again with not much hope coz Paul wrote me, the PWS needed a week to become loose and a month (continued playing!) to sound at its best. So l listened, now  a bit more 3D, still thin but with more bass BUT it made me dance!! I listened to 12 Reggae numbers i could not listen to finish a single song before, and now I stood up and danced on my own!! I am older than Hugh!
Then i got a small tear in my eyes, i felt joy because of the music. The sound was still imperfect but the rhythm and pace was soo spot on. I listened and danced thru all 12 numbers. Now it is the next morning ( not even 24 hrs play) and 3D is >60% back, the thinness is mostly gone and i got at least 3 layers more refined nuances.. Especially wood based instruments like piano violin guitar but also the drum sound as instruments standing completely apart from the others
any uninspiredness is completely evaporated. The SB3 with a good pws is a champ. With terrific speakers and setup a joy to have

[Sparkie]

HI Painkiller,

I do not own V-Sonic speakers but would very much like to own a pair.  I suppose that I am biased. But i have sold sound gear professionally for over 20 years and I have a fairly good judgement when I hear a very good speaker and amp system. I was privileged to hear the V-Sonic speakers during development. They were pushed bu a Life_Force 100 amp. IMHO they the V-Sonics are a truly outstanding transmission line DIY speaker. The bass is musically articulate without any hint of boom or colouration. The bass is fast with a vital slam. Actually, with the volume cranked up a bit, about to live levels with a good CD playing a kick drum sound hits one in the chest, and that's power and as for a volley of rim shots you duck for cover. Drums sound like drums and a each note from a double bass is like it was in the room with you, all very delicate too. Singers appear to be in the room with you too, such is the transparency. The top end is very natural and clean too. The sound of a delicately struck chime, vibe harp or even acoustic guitar will just hover before you with pinpoint imaging 'till it fades away.
IMHO the V-Sonics will liven up your musical experience.

Cheers,

Barry.

[AKSA]

Thanks Sparkie,

Much appreciated.  I didn't want to comment until someone who had heard them chimed in.

My feeling is this:

The bass driver is 8" and performs like a 10", but extreme low level bass, below 30Hz, will require a sub IFF you love visceral rock 'n roll bass (which is probably unlikely since Jurgen is not exactly 18!).

The aspect which is significant with this speaker is the quality of the bass;  it's not so much played, as placed.  There is a precision and musical sense to the bass which I've come to associate with transmission lines.  They really are different to bass reflex designs, which leverage off the resonant peak to enhance bass levels and which therefore tend to sound 'one note'.

As kit speakers go, the VSonics are not cheap.  BUT, they are designed with flair, and I believe you would be very happy with them.  And if you want bowel-loosening bass, build a 12" isobaric! (I have one of them which goes down to 17 Hz but I NEVER use it!)

Cheers,

Hugh

[Sparkie]

Hi Hugh & All,

I have also heard the V-Sonics with a equally impressive bass extension speaker, as I was told to call it. Some may call the bass extension speaker a sub-woofer. But the one I heard actually plays music with extreme power and finesse. Australian Blues is noted for a very uncompromising bass from drums and electric guitar like good rock. Any speaker with a 8" mid/woofer will not produce this type of music to its fullest, laws of physics apply somewhere here.  Pipe organ was heard to really rattle the place likewise the cannon in the 1812 Telarc CD. But generally I agree that a "woofer extension" is not really necessary, but boy is it nice!. If you are a HT nutter, you would not be without a bass thumper of some variety.

One thing I don't agree with is the cost of a V-Sonic kit. Ok, they are expensive for me at the moment but for what you get they are really cheap in the scheme of things. I'm told that the speakers can be built for under $2K. Now I estimate that would be a saving in the order of at least $4K to 5K considering their performance.  Most kit speakers that I have heard in the sub $2K range IMHO sound like a sub $2K speaker. The V-Sonics are verrrry good value for money.

Keep up the good work,

Cheers,


Barry.

[painkiller]

The bass driver is 8" and performs like a 10", but extreme low level bass, below 30Hz, will require a sub IFF you love visceral rock 'n roll bass (which is probably unlikely since Jurgen is not exactly 18!).

Hey, I may be 18 at heart you know. Certainly feels like it some times. Seriously though, I'm not too old to enjoy some heavy metal with double bass drums from time to time. I feel it's hard to get the realistic feeling without proper bass output, extension and speed. And that's the case with nearly all genres. Except perhaps a solo violin piece.

How are the V-sonics when it comes to explosive dynamics? Do they have the ability to make you jump out of the seat like a good horn system? That would really be something. Dynamics close to a horn speaker with the bass of a TL. I wish.

If I weren't in the middle of an OB project I would try out the V-sonics right away. I guess I'll be getting to the V-sonics in due time. I took a leap of faith buying the LifeForce amp and I haven't looked back.

[Sparkie]

Hi Painkiller,

IMHO the V-Sonics handle explosive dynamics very well. And at the same time the background instruments (turned into background instruments beacuse of the high volume level of the instant impact of the "explosion") remain clear but if the volume is too high one's hearing rattles and you can miss a bit of detail. The drivers are very fast in reacting to an input signqal. On one test CD there was a high powered rifle shot and I nearly looked for the bullet hole in me as I recon I felt it. I stand to be corrected but I feel that the V-Sonics were/are tuned to handle the dynamics produced by the Life-Force and newer ASPEN amps.  I do know that I heard a expensive Cary valve amp powering the V-Sonics one day with some neighbours at Dromana and the dynamics vanished to a degree. We all smiled when the Life-Force was fired up again.

I must apologise to Hugh if I might to appear to be stealing his thunder. But he does have a marvelous sound system for sale.

Cheers,
Barry.

[Sparkie]

HI All,

Things are not quiet on the VSonic front. Rather very enjoyable in fact. I was fortunate enough to hear the second pair of professionally finished VSonics rather than prototypes. NOt do they look good but sound even better due to recent auditioning and later use of the optimum grade of board for the internal wood work. I congratulate Laurie and Hugh for the perseverance and dedication they put in to the project. Going that extra fine tuning mile certainally pays off, congratulations boys. I heard them being pushed by a Life Force Mk 11 amp which makes them sound like a top shelf system. But i was told to wait a few weeks when Laurie gets his Soraya amp which apparently is a quantum leap ahead of the fantastic Life Force. Can't wait! The standalone woofer blends seamlessly giving that certain body to music in a very life like way. BUt the woofer is not necessary for general music ec except when there is very heavy powerfull and definitive bass called for. However, turn off the woofer after a while and you soon turn it on again, it makes lively music that bit more real.
 
The system has superb definition, imaging to kill for, detail as good as the cd provides and the slightly forward sound stage completely engages even envelops the listener. That said instrument s in an orchestra has front to back imaging too. I believe Hugh has another pair of professionally built Vsonics powered by a Soraya amp ready for all to experience.

A fine job,

Best of luck,

Sparkie.