xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
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Post by xerxes on Sept 13, 2011 21:28:42 GMT
I don't see any reason why a small T-amp should be restricted to "desktop" duties. Certainly their small size lends them very readily to that, but there are plenty of valve amp users that would consider 15w per channel to be something of a power house. I think there are many people using T-amps as a main system amp, albeit with type of high efficiency, 90+ db/w, type speakers that you would use with a valve amp, rather than the low efficiency monitor type speakers I have. I tried it, not with any view of replacing my existing amp, but purely to hear the amp with a better and more revealing pair of speakers than the ones I have on my desk.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 13, 2011 21:40:07 GMT
OK, I'll hook it into my main rig.
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xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
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Post by xerxes on Sept 13, 2011 22:34:24 GMT
Just a suggestion, not an order.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2011 22:43:17 GMT
Just a suggestion, not an order. That was an hour ago now, do you reckon he's got trapped in the "snake-pit"! I don't want to see this on the news next week... MAN FOUND BEHIND HIFI
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xerxes
Been here a while!
Posts: 1,115
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Post by xerxes on Sept 14, 2011 0:04:41 GMT
Maybe he's blown away by the sound and is rediscovering his record collection. But, on the subject of cables, mains cables, computer cables etc., it never ceases to amaze me how tangled these things end up getting and how often they seem to snag on things when you try to pull one out. I bet if I fell down a well with nothing but an ethernet cable to try and extricate myself with, it wouldn't snag on anything in a month of Sundays, but try an pull one behind a desk or book case and it'll snag on something every bloody time.
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Post by pcourtney1 on Sept 15, 2011 21:20:28 GMT
Peter, those short cables that come with the speakers are a bit of a bonus as you can use the gold plated 4mm banana plugs on other cables i'm keeping mine as is because one of the amps in my office has those speaker fittings, and those Mistral cables will be just perfect www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zuchv9-XvQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Z
Fully Modded
Posts: 3,391
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Post by Z on Sept 15, 2011 23:14:26 GMT
I'm sure i've seen something very similar some 10 years ago. It might have been Orb speakers, , not sure though. Even less sure if they were raved about on TNT-Audio, maybe someone else remembers. there were/are some very expensive full range speakers with a similar design. i forget the brand. people said they suck.
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mrarroyo
Been here a while!
Our man in Miami!
Posts: 1,003
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Post by mrarroyo on Sept 20, 2011 0:19:22 GMT
Peter, those short cables that come with the speakers are a bit of a bonus as you can use the gold plated 4mm banana plugs on other cables i'm keeping mine as is because one of the amps in my office has binding posts, and those Mistral cables will be just right for it www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zuchv9-XvQ&feature=youtube_gdata_playerLove the YouTube information, very useful.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 22, 2011 20:26:36 GMT
Peter..... I had a bit of spare time this afternoon and was DETERMINED to have a look under the bonnet (even if it involved a saw!). First off I was assuming "bayonet" type fixing for the driver and was trying to unlock it by rotating anti clockwise..... I then thought to myself "surely not THAT simple?" and it WAS!! Grabbed the outer ring with two fingers and lifted it off! As simple as that! The trim ring basically has 4 recessed magnets in it and these are attracted to the screws which hold the driver in place.... very simple and very effective! OK, simple case of pulling the trim rings off to expose the driver fixing screws.... undo the four screws and remove the driver: Nice weighty magnet and pressed steel basket.... not as good as a cast alloy basket but the pressed steel types can be quite easily damped with butyl rubber to reduce ringing. They really HAVE built these from the ground up! The crossover (from what I can see of it) is good quality, not just a low value film cap in series with the tweeter. The components are your usual electrolytic type axial caps, ceramic wirewound resistors, air core inductors etc. I say "built from the ground up", let me explain..... the connectors have been bolted down "and" glued onto the rear...they have then added a few layers of MDF and connected the crossover to the input connectors.... they have glued the crossover into the cabinet in a couple of machined grooves.... they have then added the rest of the "layers"..... a very time consuming process indeed! Here's a shot of the Crossover in situ: May I also add, the MDF "inside" the cabinet has been treated with a compound (you may be able to see where I scraped some of it off) so a LOT of effort has been put into the building of these. Most of the internal wadding: Wadding back in place: The good news...... We have got ourselves a REALLY fantastic bargain, the build quality is superb (as is the SQ). The bad news..... I wish I'd bought ALL of them from that guy Tweakability is limited due to the crossover, essentially, being WELDED onto the enclosure.... BUT, I am already hearing an improvement with the trim rings removed and will be experimenting with different damping type materials.... the drivers are actually spot on and would give a few of the Euro drivers a run for their money..... Look after these Peter, they are little gems Mike.
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Post by pcourtney1 on Sept 22, 2011 22:28:25 GMT
thanks for looking inside, I wanted to have a go as well, but resisted :-)
a mate of mine brought his MF X-A2 amp round (75w / ch), the Mistrals sounded good, and I mean really really good !
he offered me double what I paid for them, but I kept them, and now I'm on the look out for a cheap X-A2 or something equally good and small to pair them up for the dining room
thanks again Mike for the ebay link, nice one !
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 23, 2011 20:42:33 GMT
I tried them on my humble Yamaha AS-500 and, yes, they respond very well to an amp that can grip them by the balls.... Tried them with the (again humble) Acoustic Energy active woofer and they are pretty fantastic little things aren't they?
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Post by pcourtney1 on Sept 23, 2011 22:38:33 GMT
I noticed our newest RG member is mistralaudio who was online earlier this evening, welcome to RG :-)
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Post by PinkFloyd on Sept 24, 2011 9:48:12 GMT
I noticed our newest RG member is mistralaudio who was online earlier this evening, welcome to RG :-) Yes, I e-mailed them asking a few questions about the Mistral "range" and it is due to be officially released at the Manchester show www.manchestershow.co.uk/Apparantly, we "did" get a great bargain on these.... the car parts guy bought a fair bit of stock before they decided to officially launch the range and our £99 punts were well worth it! I have been informed that this www.hifiklubben.no/produkter/stereo/forsterkere/argon_ha2-tube_forforsterker_sort.htm will be introduced into the UK in 2012.... looks nice.
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Post by tvemanden on Sept 30, 2011 12:46:26 GMT
Hi' there ... After intensively reading here, I've ALL TO LATE tried to grap a pair of MISTRAL DT-307s in the UK (shipped to Denmark) ... David Telford from ADS, told me about the official UK launch (oct. 23), and why he couldn't sell me a pair yet. To buy a pair, he told me to contact TheAudioWorks.co.uk - and Larry there, told me the price: GBP 270 (including shipment) ... My question now - is the speakers the GBP 270 worth ... in your opinion? I have the AUNE X1 + X2 in house for testing, from next week - and the only speakers relevant (in my house) is a pair of Scandyna Minipods ... Thanks in advance - for the greatest reading around :-)
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Post by pcourtney1 on Oct 15, 2011 13:13:35 GMT
they probably are worth £300, the more I have listened to them with different amps, the more I like them, but there are other speakers that cost less and probably have just as good sq, my advice would be to listen to as many other bookshelf speakers as you can with the Aune, and go with the sound that you like best, compile a CD with 10 of your favourite songs and hit the shops, Mike took a chance and bought the Mistrals blind, when I read what he said about them I snagged a pair for my Dining Room, the source being a Squeezebox Duet, and now that I have finally run some Cat5 cable from our dining room to the Squeezebox server in the garage, I'm on the lookout for a small amp to drive them. The remote control for the Squeezebox is always a talking point when I leave it on the table and fiddle with it during dinner, changing playlists at will, the remote and the Mistrals look like they are part of the same system, the amp and the Duet will be hidden away, so it is a very minimalist approach, the charger for the remote sits on the same shelf as the Mistral speakers
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 16, 2011 22:58:50 GMT
Hi' there ... After intensively reading here, I've ALL TO LATE tried to grap a pair of MISTRAL DT-307s in the UK (shipped to Denmark) ... David Telford from ADS, told me about the official UK launch (oct. 23), and why he couldn't sell me a pair yet. To buy a pair, he told me to contact TheAudioWorks.co.uk - and Larry there, told me the price: GBP 270 (including shipment) ... My question now - is the speakers the GBP 270 worth ... in your opinion? I have the AUNE X1 + X2 in house for testing, from next week - and the only speakers relevant (in my house) is a pair of Scandyna Minipods ... Thanks in advance - for the greatest reading around :-) £270 shipped to Denmark from the UK seems fair (considering the weight of them), it's just a pity you didn't take a punt when they were being sold for £99. I probably would pay £270 for them though, they are very well made (solid) they are stylish and they sound very nice for mini monitors..... if you like the shape of them and want a nice pair of mini monitors then, yes.... they are worth £270 IMO. Mike.
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Post by tvemanden on Oct 31, 2011 8:11:07 GMT
pcourtney and mike, thanks for your answers. See this: www.redcoon.pl/B302421-Mistral-DT-307-S_G³oœniki-rega³oweShows the Mistral DT-307s listed for 364 zloty = EUR 84,- = GBP 74,- (price without shipping). I can't read Polish, so I don't know about VAT/TAX ... What I do know is that they will/can only deliver within Polen. Strange, how these speakers is priced. GBP 74,- crazy price - maybe I should buy real estate in Polen, for the money I save on the speakers...
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Post by PinkFloyd on Oct 31, 2011 9:28:51 GMT
May be worth getting a Polish person to e-mail them as £74 is a great price!! I see no problem why they can't ship them, they are in Europe aren't they?
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Post by tvemanden on Nov 8, 2011 10:24:23 GMT
I didn't get the DT-307s to the famous GBP 99,- ...But I did get the last two pairs of MISTRAL MM-2s from Steve (ebay.co.uk / stationary engine parts) ... And I must say that these speakers delivers amazing quality (and I do not want to write 'for-the-buck') ... Can't (at the moment) think of any bad thing to write - it's just incredible how much clear and tasty sounding music, you get out of these little speakers. Mike (again) thanks for the tip! Respect!
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 8, 2011 10:29:41 GMT
I didn't get the DT-307s to the famous GBP 99,- ...But I did buy the last two sets of MISTRAL MM-2s from Steve (ebay.co.uk / stationary engine parts) ... And I must say that these speakers delivers amazing quality (and I do not want to write 'for-the-buck') ... Can't (at the moment) think of any bad thing to write - it's just incredible how much clear and tasty sounding music, you get out of these little speakers. Mike (again) thanks for the tip! Respect! I was looking at those too, they seem superb for the money! Glad you are enjoying them, are they the black or white ones? Mike.
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Post by tvemanden on Nov 8, 2011 10:31:26 GMT
They are in piano-black-gloss ... and very stylish.
BTW: the Polish offer on DT-307s ... seem to be a 'duck' ... I get no respond, on any of my mails.
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 8, 2011 10:35:32 GMT
They are in piano-black-gloss ... and very stylish. Yes, the black is a nice finish. Superb build quality too! They get even better after a good few weeks running in, my little DT-307's are fizzing with energy now... I think your speakers employ the same drivers (and possibly the same crossover).... what is the "weight" like? Are they pretty heavy? Mike.
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Post by tvemanden on Nov 8, 2011 10:36:40 GMT
around 3 kilos per speaker ... The cabinet feel rock-solid (resin?) ... I will open them soon, and maybe (hopefully) see the same, as in your DT's ...
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Post by PinkFloyd on Nov 26, 2011 1:41:32 GMT
around 3 kilos per speaker ... The cabinet feel rock-solid (resin?) ... I will open them soon, and maybe (hopefully) see the same, as in your DT's ... How are you getting on with them? I have had mine playing away for months now and they are "possibly" the most revealing "mini" monitor I have ever heard... they beat the pants off the LS3/5A (and it's derivatives) and show "most" square box NFM's a clean pair of heels.... I just wish I'd bought them all up at that price...these are true gems
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Post by pcourtney1 on Apr 1, 2012 16:09:45 GMT
update, the DT-307's are now for sale in the UK at £215 from Audioworks, scroll down the page a little www.theaudioworks.co.uk/?p=2you will also see the Valve Hybrid amp that goes with it for £280, which was just the sort of thing that I was on the lookout for to pair with my 307's in the black dining room at my house. I have to say they sounded good, a really good combo IMHO, but then I asked my mate to come round with his Fatman iTube ValveDock Carbon edition 2 yesterday evening, it was way back in November that I took my Mistrals round to his house and listened to 5 different amps, including the Fatman below www.fat-man.co.uk/docs/product_07/iTube_ValveDock_Carbon_Edition_2.shtmlwe took a third amp, an old Kenwood from my daughters bedroom, and so we did some blind testing, A, B or C, and the Fatman was easily the winner to both our ears, so I bought his Fatman Carbon for £100 ( you can buy them on ebay for only £170 delivered with some low sq speakers), and he can now buy the Carbon Trinity below because it has USB as an extra source that will allow him to connect his laptop to it www.fat-man.co.uk/docs/product_07/Carbon_Trinity_Hybrid_Valve_Amplifier.shtmlAm writing this post after listening to some of my favourite playlists on the Squeezebox Duet, it's nice to put a little system like this together for only £200 quid, it looks classy and beautiful to look at, the sq is marvellous at low to mid volume, and oozes quality, the Mistrals and Fatman just look right together in a strange understated modernist way. Mike, the Fatman has Valve Types: 1x 6E2 2x 6N2 do you have any good alternatives to these in case I want to do some tube rolling ?
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