B&W 805S - Where is the bass?

[chebby]

Any valve active crossovers out there?

That's taking things from unusual to downright oddball.

Might as well suggest a steam driven turntable or a purely valve driven DAC (might just fit one in an aircraft hanger if you could afford the gazillion valves and a 1950s atomic clock).

 

[Vladimir]

Any valve active crossovers out there?

That's taking things from unusual to downright oddball.

Might as well suggest a steam driven turntable or a purely valve driven DAC (might just fit one in an aircraft hanger if you could afford the gazillion valves and a 1950s atomic clock).

But imagine the sound!

 

[nopiano]

Surely two valve power amps and an electronic crossover and a pair of 2-way speakers with direct connections (no crossovers) will do the job.

As I said earlier, an active system doesn't mean the amplifiers have to live inside the speaker cabinets.

Linn and Naim make solid-state power amps and seperate electronic crossovers and also make (optional) speakers without built-in crossovers. (The first and most obvious brands to spring to mind, but i'm sure other companies make suitable electronic crossovers.)

It's not an outlandish idea to substitute valve power amps into such a configuration so long as the electronic crossover can be tailored to the speakers being used.

Expensive though.

This is making me scratch my head now... So active relates to the presence of crossovers customised to the drivers, and splitting the signal such that each amp/channel directly feeds one speaker?

For a moment, I was remembering active speakers that had some sort of sensor (strain gauge) on the cone to create feedback on how accurately it was reproducing the signal. Philips made one for sure, IIRC. Or am I cracking up again?

 

[chebby]

This is making me scratch my head now... So active relates to the presence of crossovers customised to the drivers, and splitting the signal such that each amp/channel directly feeds one speaker?

At it's simplest ...

... all - or parts - of this can be housed inside the speaker cabinets. Wherever you 'draw' the dotted lines representing the speaker cabinets on that picture, it will still be active.

Such systems range from speakers like the Quad 9AS (everything, including DAC/Pre + electronic crossover + four power amps + drivers, in the cabinets) all the way to something like a Naim active system with up to three separate power amps (or six mono power amps!) + Naxo 3-way crossover + separate Ovator speakers with their passive crossovers removed.

 

[davedotco]

This is making me scratch my head now... So active relates to the presence of crossovers customised to the drivers, and splitting the signal such that each amp/channel directly feeds one speaker?

At it's simplest ...

... all - or parts - of this can be housed inside the speaker cabinets. Wherever you 'draw' the dotted lines representing the speaker cabinets on that picture, it will still be active.

Such systems range from speakers like the Quad 9AS (everything, including DAC/Pre + electronic crossover + power amps + drivers, in the cabinets) all the way to something like a Naim active system with up to three separate power amps (or six mono power amps!) + Naxo 3-way crossover + separate Ovator speakers with their passive crossovers removed.

Thank you Chebby, saved me the bother.

I have worked with active studio monitors from the mid 1970s, active hi-fi from the 80s, (Naim, Linn, Nytech/ARC) and in all cases the amplifier and supporting electronics were outboard.

I can remember some studio monitors in the 80s and 90s that were 'activated' by bolt on (literally) amplifiers but these were, in the main, powered passives.

Back in the 70s we mostly used this to activate 4330 series monitors, we used 800hz 'cards' rather than the 1200hz in the photo, the 'cards' had the crossover point printed on them which alligned, poorly, with the windows on the front panel. The three way versions still used a passive to cross over to the 2405 'slot' tweeter.

 

[nopiano]

Thanks, chebby and vladimir. The simplest explantion then is: "The low-level audio signal is sent to an active crossover to split the audio signal into the appropriate frequency ranges before being sent to the power amplifiers and then on to the drivers."

And that is why they should sound better, because there is an amp dedicated to each speaker, and the crossover does not need to handle such high power.

To answer my own question, I've now found it was Motional Feedback speakers I was recalling. So not completely lost my marbles yet... (no comments, thanks!)

 

[CnoEvil]

So not completely lost my marbles yet...

.....only your piano! *wacko*

 

[chebby]

So not completely lost my marbles yet...

.....only your piano! *wacko*

Matthew took it.

 

[CnoEvil]

So not completely lost my marbles yet...

.....only your piano! *wacko*

Matthew took it...

....better a Piano than a Horn....as that would totally change the nomenclature of the two honorable gentlemen. *smile*

 

[Vladimir]

I think a windup record player produces the most pure audiophile sound. No electronics, vinyl source, direct transformation of energy from storing media to sound. Smack a bigger horn on it and it gets louder, simple as that. My Al Bowlly and Ivor Novello 78's never sounded better.

 

[CnoEvil]

I think a windup record player produces the most pure audiophile sound. No electronics, vinyl source, direct transformation of energy from storing media to sound. Smack a bigger horn on it and it gets louder, simple as that. My Al Bowlly and Ivor Novello 78's never sounded better.

That has to be a "Windup".

 

[Vladimir]

I think a windup record player produces the most pure audiophile sound. No electronics, vinyl source, direct transformation of energy from storing media to sound. Smack a bigger horn on it and it gets louder, simple as that. My Al Bowlly and Ivor Novello 78's never sounded better.

That has to be a "Windup".

Infidel!

 

[CnoEvil]

As luck would have it, Jamie Cullum is giving away his piano (Yamaha), as seen on The One Show, only a couple of minutes ago. *shok*

Edit. All you have to do is give your reason for wanting it....and NP has that, as he will get the sympathy vote. Carpe Diem.

 

[nopiano]

As luck would have it, Jamie Cullum is giving away his piano (Yamaha), as seen on The One Show, only a couple of minutes ago. *shok*

Yes, I just saw that. He plays it pretty well too! Will be pretty well used by now but Matthew will know whether that just makes it nicely run-in or clapped out.

[Just realised how way off topic this thread became!]

 

[CnoEvil]

Just realised how way off topic this thread became!

The OP disappeared long ago....and it makes a change from Ports and whether Bass has lost all direction.

 

[chebby]

I think a windup record player produces the most pure audiophile sound. No electronics, vinyl source, direct transformation of energy from storing media to sound. Smack a bigger horn on it and it gets louder, simple as that. My Al Bowlly and Ivor Novello 78's never sounded better.

Not too far from the truth. Just look at how Nimbus Records get music from old 78s onto CD for their 'Prima Voce' collection...

http://www.wyastone.co.uk/prima-voce-series