[rave959]

Hi,

I noticed some people posted their speakers on earlier threads.  Here's mine:








Cheers,
Ian

[dwr]

Very nice Ian !!!!

[DougSmith]

Yes, very nice setup.  You may want to try elevating the speaker height by 6 inches or so and also reducing the height of that equipment rack.  By the way, what receiver/preamp is that? 

[dwr]

Rave,
Are you the same Ian that bought the 12A baffles from Earl and had them shipped over to England and finished them yourself??

Dan

[rodge827]

Hey Geddes owners,

I have been reading about Dr. Geddes and his speakers for some time now. I'm very interested in listening to a pair.

Are there any Geddes owners in the NJ , NY, Eastern PA, DE, MD, DC area who would be kind enough to help me out?

The Cleveland area, may also be a possibility. I get out there every so often to visit some family. 

I live in South Jersey (08087) and will drive up to a few hours away for a listen.

Question : How many watts are needed to drive these puppies ?

My system is all tube, with an 8w 300b amp. Enough power?

Thanks,

Chris
 

 

[mgalusha]

Question : How many watts are needed to drive these puppies ?

My system is all tube, with an 8w 300b amp. Enough power?

I'm in Denver, so that doesn't help. As for 8W being enough, depends on how loud you like to listen. I have a pair of 211 SET's that will manage 16W and those do quite a nice job but they will run out of power if you want to crank it. Last week a friend brought over the new Eastern Electric M88 integrated, I believe it's rated for 40WPC. That drove them nicely but he asked me to crank up ZZ Top La Grange and we did mange to get it sounding strained. My McIntosh MC275 is about 85WPC and it never ran out of power with the Abbey's, no matter if we turned it up to 11.

[rodge827]

Hi Mike,
If I ever get to Denver I'll be sure to look you up. I don't listen too loud, but like most of us I do crank it up now and then.
I guess if I decide to go the Geddes route I'll be looking for some extra power.
Thanks,
Chris

[dwr]

 I'm in Detroit which is a bit closer but still too far to drive, but I have wondered about the sound with low wattage SET amps for a while now. Thanks for answering that Mike, they wouldn't work for me as I like cranking it up every once in a while myself and La Grange is one of the ones I let fly at about 101dB at the listening seat, I use a Jolida 1000P, 100 watts ultra linear and it never runs out of gas at all. That Mac has got to sound real sweet with these speakers.

Dan

[rave959]

Very nice Ian !!!!

Thanks Dwr!

 

[rave959]

Yes, very nice setup.  You may want to try elevating the speaker height by 6 inches or so and also reducing the height of that equipment rack.  By the way, what receiver/preamp is that?

Yeah, I need better stands.  I live in an apartment, so I guess I'm gonna have to go with a custom builder or something.  I have nothing fancy as far as preamp.  I gave my Ava TSLR 7 to my brother.  I'm currently using Integra Research RDC 7 as pre.  It works well!  LOL. 

[rave959]

Rave,
Are you the same Ian that bought the 12A baffles from Earl and had them shipped over to England and finished them yourself??

Dan

No, I'm not.  I just got mine at the end of August.  I bought mine already built. 

[jtwrace]

What a day!

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you to Anand and his family for opening their doors and allowing me in for hours of Anand's time away from his familiy.   

The first thing that struck me upon entering the listening room was the size.  They're not nearly as big as I thought.  Actually they're smaller than the 3-way I use now.  I could really care less about aesthetics anyway at this point.  I like a clean professional look and they accomplish that.  Performance is everything to me.  It's taken awhile but I've reached it. 

Anand had a playlist ready for me that he made so we first started with some tracks of his that he thinks show off the speaker.  Music selection was all over the place which I really liked.  He played a track from Celtic Woman that was just in your face with female vocals.  It was absolutely superb in every way. 

After coming home and listening what really strikes me is the soundstage.  It  is just awesome!  The best part is that it doesn't stop there...

Some quick points in no particular order:
Volume-WOW!!!!  These things will crank the music at concert levels with NO distortion.  I've read the comments from all the other owners but really couldn't grasp it until I heard it.  Anand says it best:  "You are row 1 at a concert.  You're not at it, you're in it."  Truly an experience.  Wish I had brought my SPL meter.   

Dynamics-A very dynamic speaker that just does most right. 

The tone of this speaker is different but in a good way. Still extrememly musical, non fatiguing and FUN.  I'm sure I've heard speakers with an incredible amount of engineering applied to them but I highly doubt that I've heard a speaker that not only had engineering applied to them but the listener was also considered (i.e. hearing and psychoacoustics).  Dr. Geddes has truly immersed himself in the "behind the scenes" part of audio. 

This is where Dr. Geddes and others will probably disagree: electronics do make a difference.  First let me say that Anand is a very talented diy'er.  Really, just great work.  I wish I had his talent.   

Fortunetely I've been able to purchase some great equipment.     When we switched to my front end it opened the sound up to another level.  I even think that Anand was surprised.  Now, the cost to do that we'll leave out.     The cost for that much performance gain VS the speaker suddenly makes the speaker, subs and crossover look like an absolute bargain.  No joke!  The Abbey with 2x GedLee subs and two Rythmik subs is still less than my dac.  Yes, it's true but we will not go there.  Crazy?  Yes, it sure is but the last bit is always tough no matter what you're doing.  Right?

So I came home, hooked my equipment back up and pressed play on a couple of tracks that I was in awe over on the Abbeys.  The first track was from the Manger test cd.  It sounded really good and clear but so darn compressed.  The sound stage seemed 5' narrower.  It just doesn't have the same "feel".  Next track was Igor "Poker Face".  Absolutely no comparison on the Abbeys.  I've always thought this was insane at my house...until I drove 1 hr north.  This track REALLY brings out everything of the Abbey.  It's truly a winner! 

It was asked above to listen to the Abbey and subs....This speaker requires a minimum of three subs.  No question about it.  Further, I completely disagree with Dr. Geddes (sorry) that any sub can be used for best sound.  The Abbey is quick, very quick.  The two subs that you would use closest to the Abbey freq in my opionion should be the GedLee subs.  This is my thought.  Why should the speaker not be from the same family as the Abbey?  It just makes sense to me.  The third and fourth sub can be whatever you choose that can go low but it also must be fast.  I really do think speed is important here.  The Rythmik does just fine in this department. 

What my rambling above means is that if you're not willing or able to have any of the GedLee speakers with at least three subs you will not get optimal sound.   

If you're willing to make the investment this is a speaker that may be hard to beat without spending tens of thousands of dollars.  Even with that, I'm not sure you'll get better rather that just different.  With that said, my order will continue for a pari of Abbey 12A's and two GedLee subs (they need a name btw). 


**NOTE**
It was mentioned that I must be careful about the external crossovers that Anand had built as they are much better than the stock.  My response to this is that I'd bet money that my electronics had a larger overall impact than the crossovers.  Only Anand can answer this and I welcome his thoughts. 

[rave959]

Hey Geddes owners,

I have been reading about Dr. Geddes and his speakers for some time now. I'm very interested in listening to a pair.

Are there any Geddes owners in the NJ , NY, Eastern PA, DE, MD, DC area who would be kind enough to help me out?

The Cleveland area, may also be a possibility. I get out there every so often to visit some family. 

I live in South Jersey (08087) and will drive up to a few hours away for a listen.

Question : How many watts are needed to drive these puppies ?

My system is all tube, with an 8w 300b amp. Enough power?

Thanks,

Chris
 

I'm in north Jersey, Chris.


Ian
 

[rave959]

I found this hearing test, too:

http://www.noiseaddicts.com/2009/03/can-you-hear-this-hearing-test/

I'm not sure if it is thorough enough, though.   

I could hear all the way to 20 KHz, but would have to turn up the volume a bit (I'm 29, turning 30 soon).

[dwr]

Hi Jason,

Glad you enjoyed your listening session with these speakers, your thoughts and impressions pretty much mirrored mine when I went and listened to them at Earl's place. Now you understand how difficult it is to put into words how good these speakers sound to someone. You really have to hear them for yourself, like you the speakers I had when I went and listened to the Geddes speakers were no slouch at all, they were highly respected O.B. speakers with subs but when I heard the Geddes speakers and then went back home and listened to my system I ordered my Abbey 12As immediately.

Dan

[dwr]

One other thing Jason, what you said about the multiple subs is spot on, and I am in agreement with you on the quality equipment also. The thing I have come to realize about the multiple sub system is this. The Abbeys may not be the last pair of speakers I ever own, maybe somewhere down the line I will find something I like better (I doubt it though) but I will always use the multiple sub set up no matter what primary speakers may be.

Dan

[TomS]

Jason,

Sounds like you had a great day at Anand's.  Your comments pretty much sum up my feelings exactly after living with the Abbeys for a year and a half now.  I'm using a new front end today as I type, Alix/Linux USB server, Audiphilleo 1 USB->S/PDIF, Bryston BDA-1.  I always thought my Empirical Audio PaceCar2/Transporter/Bryston was pretty darn good, but this setup is several major clicks better in every way.  The imaging and inner detail I'm getting are mind boggling.  The Abbeys just let it all flow forth.

Oh, and they do crank as you found out, but a db meter might scare you.  I keep one next to me just to check once in awhile.  It is always way more than you think, but it's just so clean and distortion free you can't resist. 

Anyway, I'm listening to Genesis Firth of Fifth with the volume at 11 and it just rocks.  Pure pleasure.

I'm guessing the Crimson and those Clayton Class A's are going to be terrific with them.

Tom

[jtwrace]

I will always use the multiple sub set up no matter what primary speakers may be.

Dan

Yes, after hearing this approach first hand, it just makes sense and sounds like it too. 

[jtwrace]

Jason,

Sounds like you had a great day at Anand's.  Your comments pretty much sum up my feelings exactly after living with the Abbeys for a year and a half now. 

I'm glad that you and Dan seem to think that I was able to describe it well enough.  I don't claim to be a writer.   

I'm using a new front end today as I type, Alix/Linux USB server, Audiphilleo 1 USB->S/PDIF, Bryston BDA-1.  I always thought my Empirical Audio PaceCar2/Transporter/Bryston was pretty darn good, but this setup is several major clicks better in every way.  The imaging and inner detail I'm getting are mind boggling.  The Abbeys just let it all flow forth.

Glad to hear that you're happy.  I know that you struggles with the direction a bit.  This technology is moving so quick it's crazy. 

Oh, and they do crank as you found out, but a db meter might scare you.  I keep one next to me just to check once in awhile.  It is always way more than you think, but it's just so clean and distortion free you can't resist. 

  The only way (as you know) that I can describe it is remember being at a live concert that you say "this is too loud"?  Imagine if it was loud but crystal clear.  All of a sudden it doesn't seem so loud because of the lack of distortion.

[dwr]

I am like Tom, I keep my dB meter right in the drawer next to my listening seat to check the level every once in a while. When you have such low distortion you can get the volume level up to hearing damaging levels without realizing it, makes you realize how much the distortion in other speakers contributes to the overall perceived sound. On another note I picked up a mint copy of The Alan Parsons Project - I Robot on MFSL half speed mastered vinyl......it sounds mind boggling at higher volumes.