Really liking the idea of the Vanguard and Warp 1 system and really appreciate offering to help mod it to have sub outputs, looks like it would be pretty easy to do using the single ended inputs as outputs!
I have two very good Arc Audio 10's I could use, I have a well built BB enclosure I built for testing years ago, I copy it for the second sub. It would be best to run two subs and plenty of room for them behind the monitors.
I like the AKM DACs, just have a topping E30 right now on an Li battery, really decent, there is a new E30 II with a slightly different dual AKM out now but also the new E70 Velvet with dual AKM 4499EX that is $449, balanced and single ended so would pair nicely with the Warp 1 balanced inputs I imagine
I should still have some nice Canare cable, quality XLR cables in storage that I built over 20 years ago. If not I still have a lot of the cable so can easily build whatever I need.
I better start selling a bunch of my old gear I am not planning to ever use to fund the new system.
Thanks!
Rick
I have two very good Arc Audio 10's I could use, I have a well built BB enclosure I built for testing years ago, I copy it for the second sub. It would be best to run two subs and plenty of room for them behind the monitors.
I like the AKM DACs, just have a topping E30 right now on an Li battery, really decent, there is a new E30 II with a slightly different dual AKM out now but also the new E70 Velvet with dual AKM 4499EX that is $449, balanced and single ended so would pair nicely with the Warp 1 balanced inputs I imagine
I should still have some nice Canare cable, quality XLR cables in storage that I built over 20 years ago. If not I still have a lot of the cable so can easily build whatever I need.
I better start selling a bunch of my old gear I am not planning to ever use to fund the new system.
Thanks!
Rick
With dual sealed 10" subs, "Warp 1 and E70 Velvet on desk, sofa moved for one seat centered, can move as needed for movies, etc.
DIY fold down TV on ceiling, Martin Logan Vision X soundbar for general listening, Laptop for streaming Qobuz. BDP under desk, sub amp behind desk.
Sofa is triple recliner Ekhornes, super comfy, compact, cost $7k, bought mint for $700.
I think this would look dang fine, sound damn fine and lead to a more open space feeling.
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I apologize for getting a bit off track on this thread, just get excited about things acting like I am still a kid at 70.....
Kudos on the great reviews on a great product
I will go back and look as interested in how the Vanguards work on your 40 watt class A amp even though I should stick with D since going to be running on solar eventually.
Rick
Kudos on the great reviews on a great product
I will go back and look as interested in how the Vanguards work on your 40 watt class A amp even though I should stick with D since going to be running on solar eventually.
Rick
Thanks!
I would imagine the energy used by pure class A at 50 watts would not be a huge amount more than the 160 watt D class when cranked up but at idle and low levels, it will use most of the rated energy, all the time. That is as my limited understanding goes.
Since in an RV that we eventually want to go solar for all power it might be an issue.
That is also partly why looking at more efficient sub amp(s) and my beloved Baby Sophia tube amp which is only rated at 10 watts per channel.
I have at least 2-3 years more work on the remodel before I get into the solar part of the plans so on "shore power" until then. Designing to not need a bit solar system, already converted to evap cooling and will have a very good wood stove we can cook on a bake with as needed, likely DIY designed and built.
Let me know if I am on track with the A versus D power consumption, please
Rick
I would imagine the energy used by pure class A at 50 watts would not be a huge amount more than the 160 watt D class when cranked up but at idle and low levels, it will use most of the rated energy, all the time. That is as my limited understanding goes.
Since in an RV that we eventually want to go solar for all power it might be an issue.
That is also partly why looking at more efficient sub amp(s) and my beloved Baby Sophia tube amp which is only rated at 10 watts per channel.
I have at least 2-3 years more work on the remodel before I get into the solar part of the plans so on "shore power" until then. Designing to not need a bit solar system, already converted to evap cooling and will have a very good wood stove we can cook on a bake with as needed, likely DIY designed and built.
Let me know if I am on track with the A versus D power consumption, please
Rick
Class A always burns the same amount and it’s not efficient. So a 50W Class A amp is burning 110W all the time no matter what. So 220W heater when it’s on. It actually runs a bit cooler when music is playing loudly since less is spent on heat. Class D can have very low idle losses. On the Warp-1 about 10W total idle. When running full power it is 90% efficient. A solar powered RV would not be a good candidate for a large Class A amp.
Bigger difference than I realized, thanks! I will go D and see if I can figure out what my Baby Sophia uses.
One of my sub amps rated at 1,000 watts is AB but they claim 85% efficient, single band parametric EQ, variable phase and slope, I was able to adjust it quite well in my last house. It is just so big and heavy for where I want to put an amp and it is mono......I do have a great Arc Audio D class, 1,100 watts but 12 volt and 30 ft run to power off the batteries so not a good choice.
I really like the Vanguards and could still use them for later projects like sitting on top of the 8x8 SLOBS just for fun.....
One of my sub amps rated at 1,000 watts is AB but they claim 85% efficient, single band parametric EQ, variable phase and slope, I was able to adjust it quite well in my last house. It is just so big and heavy for where I want to put an amp and it is mono......I do have a great Arc Audio D class, 1,100 watts but 12 volt and 30 ft run to power off the batteries so not a good choice.
I really like the Vanguards and could still use them for later projects like sitting on top of the 8x8 SLOBS just for fun.....
Not able to find all the specs on Baby Sophia amp but it will sure use a lot more juice than it puts out though in the winter, as long as I have it to spare, nice heater though I suppose I will have to sell it as I never expect to live in a house again nor be on the grid, hopefully I last long enough to get there!
Vanguards are now in Thailand!
This is very nice rig complete with reel to reel and palace to go with it.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...apGNkuLXsl&id=100063577304129&mibextid=l066kq
This is very nice rig complete with reel to reel and palace to go with it.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...apGNkuLXsl&id=100063577304129&mibextid=l066kq
Hi folks,
The Vanguard has been received very well by reviewers and we have a few more YouTube reviews coming soon.
The initial introductory price however, had come to an end. The new retail prices are $995 for the bamboo and stained birch with satin finish and $1095 for the high gloss blonde birch finish.
https://www.xsa-labs.com/
We appreciate everyone’s support and kind words.
The Vanguard has been received very well by reviewers and we have a few more YouTube reviews coming soon.
The initial introductory price however, had come to an end. The new retail prices are $995 for the bamboo and stained birch with satin finish and $1095 for the high gloss blonde birch finish.
https://www.xsa-labs.com/
We appreciate everyone’s support and kind words.
A new review of Vanguard just came out.
https://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/xsa_vanguard_e.html
“…The speakers have a fundamental rightness of sound that is exceptionally hard to describe but is readily heard from the outset. At first, The Vanguards just made me relax and settle myself into the music. Later, when I began to think about what I was hearing I noted the following. First, from a tonal standpoint the Vanguards simply refuse to call attention to how they do what they do. There's never a sense of what the tweeter's doing or what the woofer's up to. Instead, there's a strong impression of integration. Second, the top end while nicely extended was very smooth. Would I describe the top end as a polite? Maybe, but it's a very musical and involving kind of politeness. Third, I make no excuses for the my appreciation for small sealed-box speakers. There's something about the gradual rolloff of a non-ported achieves. It's not a question of more bass but the reality of better bass. That said, the lower mids and upper bass of the Vanguards are really very good. Best of all, the speakers never sound ruffled at any reasonable listening levels. The Vanguards are exceptionally suave and well-worked out designs.”
https://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/xsa_vanguard_e.html
“…The speakers have a fundamental rightness of sound that is exceptionally hard to describe but is readily heard from the outset. At first, The Vanguards just made me relax and settle myself into the music. Later, when I began to think about what I was hearing I noted the following. First, from a tonal standpoint the Vanguards simply refuse to call attention to how they do what they do. There's never a sense of what the tweeter's doing or what the woofer's up to. Instead, there's a strong impression of integration. Second, the top end while nicely extended was very smooth. Would I describe the top end as a polite? Maybe, but it's a very musical and involving kind of politeness. Third, I make no excuses for the my appreciation for small sealed-box speakers. There's something about the gradual rolloff of a non-ported achieves. It's not a question of more bass but the reality of better bass. That said, the lower mids and upper bass of the Vanguards are really very good. Best of all, the speakers never sound ruffled at any reasonable listening levels. The Vanguards are exceptionally suave and well-worked out designs.”
And finally measurements, the beloved (or not) Amir.
I like it when a product has good measurements in addition to good sound...and that's also possible with DIY since REW and U-MIC...
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/xsa-labs-vanguard-speaker-review.46629/
Have fun reading and thinking about what your own money is invested in.
Amir.I like it when a product has good measurements in addition to good sound...and that's also possible with DIY since REW and U-MIC...
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/xsa-labs-vanguard-speaker-review.46629/
Have fun reading and thinking about what your own money is invested in.
Amir is about great flat measurements. How do BBC LS3/5A’s measure? The Vanguard was designed to have a similar step function to the LS3/5A but with a bit more bass and smoother impedance using a different crossover philosophy: higher crossover frequency near 5kHz and using an inverted passive Harsch (4th order on woofer and 2nd order on tweeter with a quasi transient perfect step response).
The 700Hz to 3kHz hump he measured is strange and should not be like that if you look at my measurements posted on post 1.
For background, here is Sterling LS3/5A (BBC licensed) - would ASR call this a good neutral response?:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/bbc-ls35a-loudspeaker-stirling-measurements
The 700Hz to 3kHz hump he measured is strange and should not be like that if you look at my measurements posted on post 1.
For background, here is Sterling LS3/5A (BBC licensed) - would ASR call this a good neutral response?:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/bbc-ls35a-loudspeaker-stirling-measurements
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Hi Folks,
The ASR review had me scratching my head as to why the response was so off. I have measured this speaker many times before and it never looked like that. So I think it may have something to do with the variability in the driver responses or off-spec drivers.
I had a set of Vanguards from a later production run, serial number 105. I put it up on my test stand and took a measurement and was very surprised to see that it looked similar to the ASR response with a bump from about 700Hz to 3kHz and a depressed upper tweeter range. I compared that to earlier units: the first foam core SN00A, SN001, and later production ones in birch SN035 and SN036. We can see that recently with SN 105, the tweeter is low in sensitivity by about 5dB and the woofer is not as smooth. This can really be seen in the step function, also shown below. The tweeter response in ASR appears really off in its high pass function as it shows quite a high level at 2kHz whereas the response as designed falls off about 7dB more by then.
I would say that unfortunately, the test unit provided to ASR most likely had some bad drivers (both woofer annd tweeter) and this resulted in a response that is rough and not what was designed. I would be happy to replace the units tested by ASR with a set that is operating nominally, as designed.
Here is the frequency response measurements showing SN105 being out of family:
Here is the step response for SN001 (nominal):
Here is step response for SN105 (anomalous):
The ASR review had me scratching my head as to why the response was so off. I have measured this speaker many times before and it never looked like that. So I think it may have something to do with the variability in the driver responses or off-spec drivers.
I had a set of Vanguards from a later production run, serial number 105. I put it up on my test stand and took a measurement and was very surprised to see that it looked similar to the ASR response with a bump from about 700Hz to 3kHz and a depressed upper tweeter range. I compared that to earlier units: the first foam core SN00A, SN001, and later production ones in birch SN035 and SN036. We can see that recently with SN 105, the tweeter is low in sensitivity by about 5dB and the woofer is not as smooth. This can really be seen in the step function, also shown below. The tweeter response in ASR appears really off in its high pass function as it shows quite a high level at 2kHz whereas the response as designed falls off about 7dB more by then.
I would say that unfortunately, the test unit provided to ASR most likely had some bad drivers (both woofer annd tweeter) and this resulted in a response that is rough and not what was designed. I would be happy to replace the units tested by ASR with a set that is operating nominally, as designed.
Here is the frequency response measurements showing SN105 being out of family:
Here is the step response for SN001 (nominal):
Here is step response for SN105 (anomalous):
Please start a conversation with me here or on ASR Forum and we can arrange to test another sample. Do need to make sure somehow that whatever you send is what customers are buying.