Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

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antonio66
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Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

Looks like I will be staying in Cambodia for quite a while yet so have upgraded my hifi.
At present it consists of the following:

Laptop with external HD to
Oehlbach Master Clock to
Topping D30 to
Topping PA3 to
JBL Control 1's

I have found the sound to be a little on the thin side with no real bass, the room has something to do with it, tiled floor and bare walls. :D So I have purchased from a pfm member, who is sending them by courier to me in Phnom Penh a pair of these. http://markaudio-sota.us/cesti-mb/
I have been thinking about a tube amp to go with them so have been searching the web for something suitable, and of course vfm. I have today pressed the buy now button on this, although not from this supplier. www.aliexpress.com/item/4001090654048.h ... =gps-id:pc
I'm hoping these will work together really well and give me a fuller/bigger sound. Will update when these arrive and are settled in.
After purchasing the speakers I took the grill off the JBL's only to find the rubber/foam seals have completely perished, only had them less than a year, so my guess is they were very old stock. I have ordered a re-sealing kit and it is being sent here, so will have a go at doing something I've never done before. There is a video on YT showing you how to do it which should be helpful.
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slinger (Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:49 pm)

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Fretless
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by Fretless »

Nice, straightforward setup there Antonio. My guess is that the bass problem is mainly due to the perished rubbers. If it persists when the new amp and speakers arrive then maybe a subwoofer might help in your room.
Don't think the source/DAC is any trouble as the D30 kicks out solid bass. A temporary fix might be to tweak the EQ in the computer output or use a DSP setting (I think Foobar has those).

Enjoy your time in Cambodia.

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith THX AAA 887
Headphones: German Maestro, Monolith & AQ

TheMarlin
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by TheMarlin »

I found the JBL Control 1 is very bass light, I really don’t like them at all.

Look for a set of Tannoy Reveal passive monitors (red front). They are not the best speaker in the world, but they are three thing:
1./ Plentiful on the used market
2./ cheap as chips. I have three sets , not paid more that £50 for any of them.
3./ really really decent speakers.

They’re not the best monitors in the world, and not like a proper set in of Tannoy Dual Concentrics, but they are immensely enjoyable to listen to, have a great range with a very strident bass, and are very detailed. Not at all fatiguing to listen to, and cheap... did I say cheap?

I build Hifis for friends and family member, and enjoy the challenge of putting together a very listenable starter Hifi for very little money.

These little Tannoys will kicks the JBL’s ass all over the place, and will be a delight until
You get something better further down the line.

They need a bit of power to drive them properly, but I used them with a NVA A30 happily enough

Anyway, for £50 a set on eBay (if you want and bide your time), they’re an utter bargain.
Modded Belles A150 MK2, P90SA, & NVA SSP cables, and LS5.
Leak Stereo 20 & First Audio Classic Copper V2
Modded Lenco GL75 with Saturn arm, heavy custom plinth. Nagaoka MP500.
Nottingham Audio Hyperspace + heavy kit, + Origin Live Conqueror + Koetsu Black
Tom Evans Micro Grove MK2 MC phono
Bluesound Node2i (x2) both with latest power upgrades.
Topping D90MQA and Topping D90SE
Audiolab 6000 CDT transport.
All NVA cables

antonio66
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

^^^^^^^^
The cost of shipping and taxes makes it nearly impossible to get a bargain on speaker purchases from the uk. Maybe you didn't click on the above link Marlin, but I have purchase a set of Mark Audio Cesti MB's which hopefully will be sent tomorrow. I nearly pressed the button on a pair of these which, simply because I like the look, and later I saw were given a couple of good reports on You Tube.
https://www.china-hifi-audio.com/en/sou ... f67aa7e76c
I'm still waiting on the mini computer to arrive that I mentioned on the 'Tinker Tailor' thread, and also will try and get a pair of wooden speaker stands made.
Should have mentioned you can see some wonderful kit from the manufacturers which are listed down the left hand side on the China HiFi link.

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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by Fretless »

Image

Those Chinese Speakers look very nice. As said above - Chi-fi is a hit-and-miss affair but if you're lucky you can find some good gear at bargain prices.

I have had good experiences with TeraDak products, DAC's and power supplies. They are made in Taiwan.
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Latteman (Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:39 am)

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
Allo DigiOne SIG + SMSL M300se + Douk G4 (x2)
Mission 760 + Monolith THX AAA 887
Headphones: German Maestro, Monolith & AQ

antonio66
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

Well the speakers have arrived from the uk, and to say I am pleased with them would be an understatement. I had a pair of 70cm speaker stands made, and have the speakers approx 30cm from the wall (manual says start at 100cm) and they sound damn good to me. When the new amplifier arrives I will probably experiment more with placement, although I do mainly sit of axis to the system, so I don't know how much difference it would make. There is a possibility I could place the hifi across the corner of the room which would be better from my listening position.
My one problem has been sorting out the mini pc/touchscreen monitor, I won't go into detail, but Fretless knows all about it. :lol:
I am going out soon to try and find a computer shop that can help.
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Fretless (Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:13 am)

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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by karatestu »

Placing the speakers across a corner is something you should try Dave. You can get bass reinforcement from the wall and still have space behind for a deep soundstage. Can help with room modes as well. Try it :dance:
DIY FREE ZONE

antonio66
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

My new amplifier arrived yesterday morning, it came very well packed with the tubes already fitted. My one concern was whether or not I would have to bias the power tubes, (no mention on the sales sites) apparently not, so it was an easy set-up. Well it sounds bloody good right from the get go. A much more room filling sound than my Topping, which is exactly what I was hoping for. This amp must be a real bargain for the £647 I paid including delivery. It appears on the outside to be well built, speaker and input terminal are of good quality, case/chassis is really well made and finished, plus it sounds fab. I will move the system a few feet, so it is placed across the corner of the room later today. I am still waiting on a shorter usb cable https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3294717 ... 4c4dfrSOnm to replace a 5 metre Maplin one and also a pair of these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001015 ... 4c4dfrSOnm
just to try in place of a 40cm pair of NVA SC. I will mention that underneath the speakers, I've put some Quadraspire supports kindly given away free by OrangeFixie.

antonio66
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

Finally got my lazy arse into gear and attached a couple of pieces of wood to the base of the speaker stands, that has certainly improved stability, although still not perfect, maybe it is only having two poles between base and top plate (I will do a pic when everything's finished) Just need to stain the wood now
Also yesterday, I refoamed my JBL Control 1's, and had a quick listen last night, obviously sound better: The valve amp makes them work more than the Topping, although I have to say to get them to sound anything like, the volume really has to be turned up, not the best speakers for lower level listening
Have the new cables made any difference to the sound? well I think they have, but I will insert the old ones again and re-assess when everything is complete
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karatestu (Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:22 am)

antonio66
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Re: Hi Fi in Phnom Penh

Unread post by antonio66 »

Did my first comparison of the the cable changes made today and since it was the easiest I swopped back in my old Maplins usb cable, this was only changed since it is 3m long and 1/2m was all that was needed: This is the cable that was purchased www.aliexpress.com/item/32947178602.htm ... 4c4dzQs63S The main differences were the bass and sound stage, the Maplin cable felt bass light compared to the YYTCG, and also 2 dimensional: I hadn't noticed this before since my usual seating position isn't perfect, but for this comparison I moved the chair and made myself comfortable: The YYTCG cable added so much depth to the Alison Krauss - Forget About It album I was a little taken aback: Listening to Chris Johns - Roadhouses & Automobiles, on one of the tracks I felt I should move the speakers away from the wall a foot or two, yet moving to where I normally sit, further away and slightly off centre, the bass seemed just about right, this would not be a problem on most albums since the bass is very strong on this album
I do have a question though, I have noticed that when I touch the case on my Topping D30 I can feel it vibrating, sometimes more than others, can anyone make a suggestion why? For now I have placed a weight (concrete block) on the top of the case

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