i have been trying ot authenticated info out of PI for years. The Raths are very suspicious of anyone india. maybe i should call myslef Bob from california the next time i call 
The DIY market in India is very small. It used to be bigger in the 70s when video was not around. A few yers ago there was sort of a small revival in audio but that was mostly due to HT/AV not pure audio and also the balooning stock market made eveyone feel rich and hence disposable income was diverted towards audio.
today the audio market is very slow. I know Priyesh at LaKozy (Dynaudio, Definitive etc..) and Sushil at Nova (Monitor Audio, Maratnz etc..) and also have met a few local manufacterers (incl. Shyam at Norge, the Raths, and AM at Sonodyne). I also know Mehul at AVmax. Usually I dont talk shop with them this way I dont have to carry tales from one to ther other. but i know they are all hurting.
I first met Rath at KH Fink's office in Essen (Fink was chief techie and partner of ALR Jordan). Despite all that is said about the Raths I respect them for putting indian audio on the world map. They export to AR, Infinity, etc..
Getting info out of PI is very difficult. Maybe I can ask Lithos to help. Between Torvin and Lithos we might be able to get more info. info has to be authentic or it is useless. T/S specs most be close to real (max 10% deviation are tolerable). In fact I'd prefer less than 5% deviation.
The DIY market in India is very small. It used to be bigger in the 70s when video was not around. A few yers ago there was sort of a small revival in audio but that was mostly due to HT/AV not pure audio and also the balooning stock market made eveyone feel rich and hence disposable income was diverted towards audio.
today the audio market is very slow. I know Priyesh at LaKozy (Dynaudio, Definitive etc..) and Sushil at Nova (Monitor Audio, Maratnz etc..) and also have met a few local manufacterers (incl. Shyam at Norge, the Raths, and AM at Sonodyne). I also know Mehul at AVmax. Usually I dont talk shop with them this way I dont have to carry tales from one to ther other. but i know they are all hurting.
I first met Rath at KH Fink's office in Essen (Fink was chief techie and partner of ALR Jordan). Despite all that is said about the Raths I respect them for putting indian audio on the world map. They export to AR, Infinity, etc..
Getting info out of PI is very difficult. Maybe I can ask Lithos to help. Between Torvin and Lithos we might be able to get more info. info has to be authentic or it is useless. T/S specs most be close to real (max 10% deviation are tolerable). In fact I'd prefer less than 5% deviation.
Heybrook.
Ajju,
Heybrooks are pretty good. How much are they going for ? I used to be a Wharfedale fan in the 70's when we had the Dovedales around. Really tight and deep bass . I haven't heard an equivalent all these years ( in a similar sized cabinet ). The source those days was the phono of course.
Have you heard the Wharfedale Diamonds ? The model 8.1 is very well reviewed and cost about Rs10,000 in Mumbai.
Takes reviews with a pinch of salt. I have read many revews of speakers that I eventually got to listen to. There can be variations is all I can say.
Who is selling Heybrooks and where?
Cheers,
Ashok.
Ajju,
Heybrooks are pretty good. How much are they going for ? I used to be a Wharfedale fan in the 70's when we had the Dovedales around. Really tight and deep bass . I haven't heard an equivalent all these years ( in a similar sized cabinet ). The source those days was the phono of course.
Have you heard the Wharfedale Diamonds ? The model 8.1 is very well reviewed and cost about Rs10,000 in Mumbai.
Takes reviews with a pinch of salt. I have read many revews of speakers that I eventually got to listen to. There can be variations is all I can say.
Who is selling Heybrooks and where?
Cheers,
Ashok.
Navin, Sangram
What would be your recommendation on a pair of speakers for a small Class A SE amp using 6V6-GT tube?
PO is approx 5 watts/channel. I intend to use this amp with my computer to monitor Vinyl restorations. Therefore, I’m looking for a pair that will produce everything faithfully if not loudly. I’m looking for something under 15K
I can participate in your planned Vifa group buy if you rather suggest building my own pair
What would be your recommendation on a pair of speakers for a small Class A SE amp using 6V6-GT tube?
PO is approx 5 watts/channel. I intend to use this amp with my computer to monitor Vinyl restorations. Therefore, I’m looking for a pair that will produce everything faithfully if not loudly. I’m looking for something under 15K
I can participate in your planned Vifa group buy if you rather suggest building my own pair
Good monitor
Hi Corbato,
If you are looking for a good 'monitor' then it might be better to buy a ready made system like a Wharfedale Diamond 8.1. It will be quite revealing. You can also upgrade it by using better crossover components and damping the box internally. That would be easier than building from scratch and possibly cheaper.
Sam had mentioned that the 8.1 costs about Rs10,000/-. If you have a bigger budget you could get a Dynaudio Audience 42 or 52. It would be hard to duplicate that at a low price.
I love DIY but it takes time and patience ! Often also lots of
unplanned expenses by the time you finish with it.
If you need it quickly and don't have time to play around with the design , maybe a readymade unit is preferable. You can still tweak it later !
Cheers.
Hi Corbato,
If you are looking for a good 'monitor' then it might be better to buy a ready made system like a Wharfedale Diamond 8.1. It will be quite revealing. You can also upgrade it by using better crossover components and damping the box internally. That would be easier than building from scratch and possibly cheaper.
Sam had mentioned that the 8.1 costs about Rs10,000/-. If you have a bigger budget you could get a Dynaudio Audience 42 or 52. It would be hard to duplicate that at a low price.
I love DIY but it takes time and patience ! Often also lots of
unplanned expenses by the time you finish with it.
If you need it quickly and don't have time to play around with the design , maybe a readymade unit is preferable. You can still tweak it later !
Cheers.
of the lot that is available of the shelf and of the ones i have heard i like the Quad 11L.the bass is limited but the rest is pretty good. the small Castles are also quite good but expensive. my brother in law (sis's hubby) used to use these castles for vinyl monitoring work too.
at 5W rms you are sort of limited. small speakers tend to be inefficient. i dont trust reviews incl those from HFNRR or Sterophile so AVmax is a long way from being accepted at face value. Also I like my sound a bit laid back. Hence my preference for the Audience 50/52.
You in Jamshedpur right. shipping anything from here would be murder.
i have a friend who is working on a vifa 6" 2 way TC series using a series XO. It would be great at your budget but the friend is retired and works at a very slow pace. the cabinets though local (made at tellcabs bombay) are quite good.
at 5W rms you are sort of limited. small speakers tend to be inefficient. i dont trust reviews incl those from HFNRR or Sterophile so AVmax is a long way from being accepted at face value. Also I like my sound a bit laid back. Hence my preference for the Audience 50/52.
You in Jamshedpur right. shipping anything from here would be murder.
i have a friend who is working on a vifa 6" 2 way TC series using a series XO. It would be great at your budget but the friend is retired and works at a very slow pace. the cabinets though local (made at tellcabs bombay) are quite good.
had a chat with Shyam Bajaj of Norge. he is 75% retired. he has some vifa tc series drivers but is not willing to part with them as of now as another manufacter wants to buy the whole lot as is.
he has given the other manufacturer (i cannot divulge the name as of now) 10 days from today to confirm the order. if not he says he will build the speakers.
he has access to some very nice cabinets from tellcabs. he has been exprimenting with a series XO after i told him of my experiences with the same drivers. shyam hopes to market this system commercially if he cannot sell the drivers (he has about 30 pairs).
he has given the other manufacturer (i cannot divulge the name as of now) 10 days from today to confirm the order. if not he says he will build the speakers.
he has access to some very nice cabinets from tellcabs. he has been exprimenting with a series XO after i told him of my experiences with the same drivers. shyam hopes to market this system commercially if he cannot sell the drivers (he has about 30 pairs).
Ashok I guess 5WRMS is really very low to drive any off the shelf speakers. Maybe the Philips FRs but those are very upfront and aggressive. The very sensitive speakers are the PA and instrument speakers, which will not serve a good monitoring purpose.
If you're willing to spend upto Rs. 15K, I would actually recommend a pair of computer speakers - The Altec Lansing 621s. These are as good as stereo monitoring speakers and have a nice inbuilt 200WRMS amp - good for severe SPL and for good monitoring. I know some people who are using this on another homerecording forum, and they are full of praise as it matches expensive 600 buck (US) monitoring speakers. Not really, but they're close enough.
As computer systems go, they're fairly pricey at just under 10 grand for a 2.1 and 20 grand for a 4.1 set, but I believe they're worth it. Maybe you'll have better luck there? Remember for monitoring you don't need stuff that sounds good, but accurate. If the speakers are warm, you will compensate for them tonally when remastering, and your mixes will end up cold and harsh. If the speakers lack bass, your recordings will end up boomy and full of bass - your masters will be the exact opposite of the speakers. Be careful on that and listen plenty of times. A good measure of a mix is that it should play well on at least three different kinds of systems, including a small boombox/two-in-one (though bass will be truncated it should still sound decent) and a car system... That's how I measure my mixes...
If you're willing to spend upto Rs. 15K, I would actually recommend a pair of computer speakers - The Altec Lansing 621s. These are as good as stereo monitoring speakers and have a nice inbuilt 200WRMS amp - good for severe SPL and for good monitoring. I know some people who are using this on another homerecording forum, and they are full of praise as it matches expensive 600 buck (US) monitoring speakers. Not really, but they're close enough.
As computer systems go, they're fairly pricey at just under 10 grand for a 2.1 and 20 grand for a 4.1 set, but I believe they're worth it. Maybe you'll have better luck there? Remember for monitoring you don't need stuff that sounds good, but accurate. If the speakers are warm, you will compensate for them tonally when remastering, and your mixes will end up cold and harsh. If the speakers lack bass, your recordings will end up boomy and full of bass - your masters will be the exact opposite of the speakers. Be careful on that and listen plenty of times. A good measure of a mix is that it should play well on at least three different kinds of systems, including a small boombox/two-in-one (though bass will be truncated it should still sound decent) and a car system... That's how I measure my mixes...
Thanks Ashok and Navin
Last year I was gifted a pair of JPW210. Looks cute but limited dynamics. Used it for a few months in my 6BQ5 Amp, but I had to crack up the volume way too high. So the JPW is back in its box and the early 70's single driver Sonodyne is back with the 6BQ5. Better dynamics overall, but similar sensitivity.
Who sells Wharfedale or Audience ? Any websites perhaps?
Freighting from Mumbai is ok with me. Easier than other metros.
Ashok I fully agree with your thoughts on DIY. The last enclosours I made was in 70’s using 12" Phillips drivers. I had a books called "Build and Test your own speaker" or to something like that. I also had lots of spare times then. That was when I first heard of T/S parameters. The Philip had those data. So did the Bolton.
The Vifa group purchase would be a last resort. It will also mean that my 6V6 will go without a decent speaker for a much longer period.
Navin can you make a purchase on my behalf? Wharfedale 8.1, Audience or Mordant Short.
Last year I was gifted a pair of JPW210. Looks cute but limited dynamics. Used it for a few months in my 6BQ5 Amp, but I had to crack up the volume way too high. So the JPW is back in its box and the early 70's single driver Sonodyne is back with the 6BQ5. Better dynamics overall, but similar sensitivity.
Who sells Wharfedale or Audience ? Any websites perhaps?
Freighting from Mumbai is ok with me. Easier than other metros.
Ashok I fully agree with your thoughts on DIY. The last enclosours I made was in 70’s using 12" Phillips drivers. I had a books called "Build and Test your own speaker" or to something like that. I also had lots of spare times then. That was when I first heard of T/S parameters. The Philip had those data. So did the Bolton.
The Vifa group purchase would be a last resort. It will also mean that my 6V6 will go without a decent speaker for a much longer period.
Navin can you make a purchase on my behalf? Wharfedale 8.1, Audience or Mordant Short.
Hi Sangram
5 Class-A watts from a vacuum tube are surprisingly loud. And for monitoring work it is fantastic. Trust me. You will agree when you are finished building your 6BQB outfit. Currently my main system is made up of a 6BQ5 SE paired up with a Rega turntable and Sony CD. I prefer this to a Yamaha power amp that I had been using for last several years. The 6V6 that I’m building it actually should give around 5.5 watts in my proposed configuration.
I had my mind on the Klipcsh, but then last time you vetoed it. Good cause I recently had a chance to listen and found that horns are not something that I’m going to like.
I really don not do any mixing or multi tracking sessions. I restore Vinyl only. Cleaning the sound, removing all clicks and pops etc before burning onto a CDR. Nothing really fancy. But I love doing this.
Do you still get imported driver in Metro galli ? Or Madan Street?
5 Class-A watts from a vacuum tube are surprisingly loud. And for monitoring work it is fantastic. Trust me. You will agree when you are finished building your 6BQB outfit. Currently my main system is made up of a 6BQ5 SE paired up with a Rega turntable and Sony CD. I prefer this to a Yamaha power amp that I had been using for last several years. The 6V6 that I’m building it actually should give around 5.5 watts in my proposed configuration.
I had my mind on the Klipcsh, but then last time you vetoed it. Good cause I recently had a chance to listen and found that horns are not something that I’m going to like.
I really don not do any mixing or multi tracking sessions. I restore Vinyl only. Cleaning the sound, removing all clicks and pops etc before burning onto a CDR. Nothing really fancy. But I love doing this.
Do you still get imported driver in Metro galli ? Or Madan Street?
JPW
Hi Corbato,
That is a shame. I would have thought that the JPW210 was pretty good ( because of reputation). If the limitation to playing loud was bass overload you should consider using an active crossover and add a sub . You will be surprised at how loud the system will go this way. Dynamic range will increase and so will the quality of everything else. The JPW will be able to play louder and cleaner.
Check it out. I would not recommend a passive crossover for this application.
Cheers.
Hi Corbato,
That is a shame. I would have thought that the JPW210 was pretty good ( because of reputation). If the limitation to playing loud was bass overload you should consider using an active crossover and add a sub . You will be surprised at how loud the system will go this way. Dynamic range will increase and so will the quality of everything else. The JPW will be able to play louder and cleaner.
Check it out. I would not recommend a passive crossover for this application.
Cheers.
Corbato,
Yes, 5 tube watts is plenty loud, but only through extremely efficient speakers. As you would have experienced with the JPW.... Really for vinyl monitoring you may need a little more power, specially as suggested listening levels for monitoring work is about 80 dBa. You can back-calculate, and you will see that even with quality speakers you need minimum 20WRMS amp to listen clearly - average power of 200mW, 2WRMS, and 20 watt peak....
Of course tube amps have different characteristics, and me also be suitable but you will require more power if you're not running single FR drivers (which I find the best combo with tubed amps anyway, but that's another story). Remember most speaker boxes are extremely complex loads to drive, unlike an FR driver. Tubes like these guys...
No, you do not get imported drivers in Cal anymore. Actually you do, but only for PA/Disco. Not hifi...
ashok
I get my tube transformers off the shelf. One shop in the whole of the city still sells them. They are the 'delta' brand, made in Delhi. The most oversized cores I have seen, if I may say so. Also zero hum and heat problems. Mabe slightly old stock, but not bad. Unfortunately they do not make SE so you have to buy the PP transformer for 2X rating and operate it in SE mode. Smallest transfomer is 14 watts....
Yes, 5 tube watts is plenty loud, but only through extremely efficient speakers. As you would have experienced with the JPW.... Really for vinyl monitoring you may need a little more power, specially as suggested listening levels for monitoring work is about 80 dBa. You can back-calculate, and you will see that even with quality speakers you need minimum 20WRMS amp to listen clearly - average power of 200mW, 2WRMS, and 20 watt peak....
Of course tube amps have different characteristics, and me also be suitable but you will require more power if you're not running single FR drivers (which I find the best combo with tubed amps anyway, but that's another story). Remember most speaker boxes are extremely complex loads to drive, unlike an FR driver. Tubes like these guys...
No, you do not get imported drivers in Cal anymore. Actually you do, but only for PA/Disco. Not hifi...
ashok
I get my tube transformers off the shelf. One shop in the whole of the city still sells them. They are the 'delta' brand, made in Delhi. The most oversized cores I have seen, if I may say so. Also zero hum and heat problems. Mabe slightly old stock, but not bad. Unfortunately they do not make SE so you have to buy the PP transformer for 2X rating and operate it in SE mode. Smallest transfomer is 14 watts....
corbato said:
I think 10 octaves distributes wharfdale and lakozy does dynaudio. 10 octaves is a div. of Peerless India and is run by Manas Ratha (Damodar's son).
Audience is way out of yor range price wise; the 52 i am told sells for 32K, however i still have to confirm the price from lakozy. if you are interested in them let me know. they are also horribly power hungry.
MS? now that is an option. I prefer Monitor Audio though. In any case I will help you source anything you want from Mumbai. I dont know a MS model at 15K. There should be one. MS is lower priced than MA.
Have you heard the MA Bronze 1 or B&W 303?
My fear is that you should buy something you like. I can help source it but you should atleast listen to it before i source it.
Re: Transformers.
I've never had a problem with bass saturation. That 6BQ5 play beutifully even at full gain. It is just that teh gain was being wasted by the JPW.
The 6V6 system will be exclsively for monitoring, so I don't want a dip/bump/phase shift that Bia-amping may introduce.
For my 6BQ5 I salvaged early 70's Philips tranny.
Amp: Small 5 watts
Use: Monitoring
Budget: 10 to 15k
I'd trust your suggestion.
Sangram, I live in quite locality and my room is well insulated. I could have built a EL34 PP amp, but then I wanted the detail that a 6V6 SE provides. And I listen near field. There are many compromises and I have to live with this samll power
QUOTE]Originally posted by ashok
..Transformers..[/QUOTE]
DELTA is available in Jamshedpur. But then they are limited to 80hz - 12kz for their PP range. As sangram has found, they dont have SE.
Last year I built a 4 x 6BQ5 amp Class AB1 (30 watts). I imported trannys from amplimo.nl. Landed cost was Rs. 6500 for the pair.
For my current build I bought Hammond from Germany. Not yet installed. But I'm exploring means to have them wound locally for my future requirement.
I'd never heard of JPW before I got them. So the expectations were not too high. I do use a 6DJ8 based active cross over now for my main system.ashok said:
I've never had a problem with bass saturation. That 6BQ5 play beutifully even at full gain. It is just that teh gain was being wasted by the JPW.
The 6V6 system will be exclsively for monitoring, so I don't want a dip/bump/phase shift that Bia-amping may introduce.
ashok said:
For my 6BQ5 I salvaged early 70's Philips tranny.
Is that Bronze B1? I've have heard them. Quite nice. What drivers do they use? ashok was recommending Wharfedale Diamond. I'm in Mumbai this 15th afternoon. Lets work out something. Here are my specs:navin said:
Amp: Small 5 watts
Use: Monitoring
Budget: 10 to 15k
I'd trust your suggestion.
sangram said:
Sangram, I live in quite locality and my room is well insulated. I could have built a EL34 PP amp, but then I wanted the detail that a 6V6 SE provides. And I listen near field. There are many compromises and I have to live with this samll power
QUOTE]Originally posted by ashok
..Transformers..[/QUOTE]
DELTA is available in Jamshedpur. But then they are limited to 80hz - 12kz for their PP range. As sangram has found, they dont have SE.
Last year I built a 4 x 6BQ5 amp Class AB1 (30 watts). I imported trannys from amplimo.nl. Landed cost was Rs. 6500 for the pair.
For my current build I bought Hammond from Germany. Not yet installed. But I'm exploring means to have them wound locally for my future requirement.
15th afternoon. just called Sushil (MD or Nova Audio official sole distributor for MA in India).
give me a call. i have arranged a demo for you. you can demo MS and MA at one place with some high end front ends.
Sushil is very very knowledgeable and expereinced, besides he makes a great cup of coffee.
I am in Prabhadevi, he is in Bandra. If you can come to my office at 2:30pm we can drive over. my office number is 5662 4444. my mobile is 98 200 NAVIN.
give me a call. i have arranged a demo for you. you can demo MS and MA at one place with some high end front ends.
Sushil is very very knowledgeable and expereinced, besides he makes a great cup of coffee.
I am in Prabhadevi, he is in Bandra. If you can come to my office at 2:30pm we can drive over. my office number is 5662 4444. my mobile is 98 200 NAVIN.
Re: Heybrook.
Heybrooks are pretty good. How much are they going for ?..... I used ....
Who is selling Heybrooks and where?
Ashok,
i guess 10 octaves sells them...!
the .5 costed around 7k or so(doubt if its available now....HB1's around 13k ....the've got a price list on their site...
If i remember correctly, Home Theatre once had a review for entry level set-ups using DM303 and another using heybrooks...! and the comparison was not bad...!
I dont own any branded equipment off now...just starting to build up..! so was considering options...
what i do have are home brewn ...majority using quality locally/easily sourced components...thats all that i cud afford as a student...plus some comparitive listening at a friends place....
he too had wharfdales....older ones....and my exposure to audiophile stuff remains limited to these and some onkyo's..
But hoping some betterments now
And recently i had a chance to listen to JM lab..HT set-up using cobalt's....only a brief intro though...!
ajju
Heybrooks are pretty good. How much are they going for ?..... I used ....
Who is selling Heybrooks and where?
Ashok,
i guess 10 octaves sells them...!
the .5 costed around 7k or so(doubt if its available now....HB1's around 13k ....the've got a price list on their site...
If i remember correctly, Home Theatre once had a review for entry level set-ups using DM303 and another using heybrooks...! and the comparison was not bad...!
I dont own any branded equipment off now...just starting to build up..! so was considering options...
what i do have are home brewn ...majority using quality locally/easily sourced components...thats all that i cud afford as a student...plus some comparitive listening at a friends place....
he too had wharfdales....older ones....and my exposure to audiophile stuff remains limited to these and some onkyo's..
But hoping some betterments now
And recently i had a chance to listen to JM lab..HT set-up using cobalt's....only a brief intro though...!
ajju
Homebrew.
Ajju,
Don't imagine that DIY will produce equipment lower in quality compared to high end equipment. You can make equally good equipment as long as you get proper parts and build it taking care of all the usual issues.
If you are a handyman ,better you make your own system. It will be better than stuff costing many times its cost.
For CD players you can buy a decent old machine and build on it. Old Marantz 50's etc are selling for Rs2,000/- or less. Check out the second hand market. You can even build an amp on a good old chassis . Getting a new chassis means lots of running around and finding a good shop.
Have fun - that's what it is all about.
Cheers.
Ajju,
Don't imagine that DIY will produce equipment lower in quality compared to high end equipment. You can make equally good equipment as long as you get proper parts and build it taking care of all the usual issues.
If you are a handyman ,better you make your own system. It will be better than stuff costing many times its cost.
For CD players you can buy a decent old machine and build on it. Old Marantz 50's etc are selling for Rs2,000/- or less. Check out the second hand market. You can even build an amp on a good old chassis . Getting a new chassis means lots of running around and finding a good shop.
Have fun - that's what it is all about.
Cheers.
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