An update & an upgrade

[mahiruha]

Hi Guys,
Have been away from the forum for a while as I was shifting apartments. My old home is being extensively renovated and am hence living temporarily in a relative's empty apartment.

Have set up my system in a dedicated room which is 16 ft X 18 ft. My problems (at my own apt) have always been my 'room' and there is only so much one can do when space is a problem. If all goes as per plan then my music room should be about 14 X 13 which is the largest I can go.

Fortunately I have an understanding wife who did not hit the roof when I made our bedroom smaller to increase the music area.

Sorry to bore but the points I am making is as follows:

1)Room is extremely important. Can make or break the way the set up sounds. I have now positioned my speakers about 3 ft away from the rear walls and about 4 ft away from side walls. Speakers are seperated 7 ft and listening position (sofa) is about 12 ft away. Sound is superb. If i pull the speakers furthur away from the rear the bass sound timid. Close to the rear wall there is boominess (duh what did I expect)


I know most of us struggle with the basics i.e the room but at least in my case I kept trying to improve things by doing the very audiophile things of upgrading cables et cetc

This has been the single most effective upgrade and IMO the set up sounds wonderful. The set up has been tuned ONLY by the ear as to me thats the most important. By all means keep the basic set up parameters in mind but play around with positioning as each room is different as one can only find out by trying it for yourself.

Hopefully I will get it to sound almost as good when I move back to my own home in about 4/6 months time.

Rgds

Hi dinyaar,
that is very interesting. I am also experimenting with speaker positions to reduce the boom. Arj suggested me this very useful tool to model the room. You can check whether your real findings matches with the software predictions.hunecke.de | Loudspeakers Calculator
Enjoy the optimum performence of your speaker.
Thanks.

 

[vinod_david]

Hi Dinyaar:

Good luck on your future dedicated room.

 

[GeorgeO]

Dinyaar:

Asit's offer of Bangla sweets especially now that the Nolen Gurer stuff is in full flow is not to be turned down!

George

 

[rikhav]

Hi Dinyaar
Is the room otherwise empty? I say that since you could quiet a distance from backwalls and sidewalls

 

[dinyaar]

Hi Dinyaar,

Wonderful to see you back. How long would it take to finish the renovation and then the moving-back operation. I know all about moving - have done 3 inter-continental moving and in India already once and late this year or early next year we shall move again to a new place that is currently under construction.

How is the 450 doing. Have you decided or bought the new CDP that you were contemplating.

BTW, next month, probably 9th to 14th I may be in Bbay. Since you said 'imaginary sweets won't do' (You definitely must remember the context because you have the memory of an elephant ), this is your big opportunity to get the real sweets from Kolkata if you can meet me in Bbay. I'll be staying in TIFR (Sothern tip of Colaba) and probably also for a day with my nephew in Juhu.

Regards.

Hi Asit & all my other HFV buddies,
Asit the renovation should take about 3/4 months as the apartment is small. I know of apts that go on & on and ...... This was planned to be done between Jan to april as in Dec we had a family wedding which is now done & dusted!
U are more than welcome to come over & have a meal with us. I will be at my temporary home but that is not an issue at all. U will have to bear the minimal furniture & unkept flat though! I shattered my dining table glass so no dining table too!!!!!! Seriously just come it will be lovely.
And yes I have not forgotten the sweets. Dont get anything elaborate but get me some Ras Gullas. ( I get to eat too much of bengali sweets as my cousin is married to a bengali man who runs a few bengali eateries in bbay)
Regarding the 450, well I love it. It excels what I expected from a quality integrated.
I tried a few cdps namely the Esoteric XO - 5 and the Accuphase DP 500 but was undecided and then my priority was the home renovation so that plan is temporarily shelved (Will probably run out of money too) CDP at the moment is my Yamaha CDS 2000 which sounds better to me than anything in the budget that I have tried. U could hear it with an Arcam CD 192 too. Cables are Accuphase ( I love them) currently & speaker cables are my old trusted Kimbers.
Anyway I have tons of inventory & we can swap to anything that U like. I live in South Bbay too & colaba is 15 minutes away at night. I have some of my music at hand & most is stored in cartons as I surely cannot listen to so much in a few months but in any case bring some cds if u like. I ' ll make copies of some of the music that I like for u. Asit I have a few thousand cds between two homes so am sure u will be entertained for the evening!

Rikhav the apartment is so large that I can keep this room relatively empty. My cd unit, another rack for cds, a divan, a bean bag and the set up naturally is all that is there in that room. I like this feel of open, uncluttered living as I get quite the opposite in my own home!
Rgds

 

[arj]

I know most of us struggle with the basics i.e the room but at least in my case I kept trying to improve things by doing the very audiophile things of upgrading cables et cetc

How true Dinyaar, once you get the Room (+ positioning) and the power right then many of the cable upgrades done earlier could actually become downgrades !

All the best with your new setup..not many of us get a chance to redo a music room theway one wants it... so best to get it done best the 1st time itself

 

[Asit]

Hi Dinyaar,

Great! So looks like we are going to meet and I'll have a chance to hear the Accuphase 450 amp. I am yet to finalize the plan and only then I'll buy the tickets. These TIFR guys want me around in the evening too, so one of those evenings I'll just quietly sneak away. Wanted to go to Boomarang to hear other stuff and also to Nova audio to see what is the situation with mid-level TTs. Not sure how many of these goals will be achieved, that's why planning to stay one extra night at my nephew's place.

I'll let you know the schedule and will make a plan.

George,
I am really impressed. So you know about the sweets made from Nolen Gud (also called notun gud). Very true, they are seasonal and available only around the cooler season. I thought you knew only about DIY, tubes and single-drivers and perhaps also barbequeing (BTW, I am very fond of barbeque, even brought my barbeque oven, but unfortunately have never tried in Kolkata).

Regards.

 

[rikhav]

Hi Dinyaar
Even with the room being pretty empty you don't face problem with reflections?

 

[GeorgeO]

Hi Asit



Calcutta is my favourite city and I have been coming there at least once a year, sometimes more than that, over the past 10 years, so not only are Bangla sweets high up among my favorites, but so also is Royal Calcutta, Oh Calcutta, Bhojohari Manna, and 6 Ballygunge Place( loved their Mongsho Dak Bangla-mmmm!). Have played at Tollygunge few times but RCGC is definitely a better course.

I went to XLRI in the mid 70's for my MBA, and have many friends there too, so Golmuri and Beldih are also on my beat! I sampled some excellent sweets from Burdwan on a recent trip.I have also been a couple of times to Bangla Desh and enjoyed their cuisine, especially the fish, chingri and lobster.

Oh and BTW, I do know a thing or two about Single Malts, and I love to travel-have played golf in about 35 courses( am now on the verge of equalling Sunil Gavaskar's score in the first World Cup-no prizes for guessing that!), done about 13-14 wildlife sanctuaries. Plan is to reach a total of 50 courses, and 25 sanctuaries over the next 2-3 years!

So yes, I also know a thing or two about valves, speakers and music too :lol:

Joi Bangla

George

Hi Dinyaar,

Great! So looks like we are going to meet and I'll have a chance to hear the Accuphase 450 amp. I am yet to finalize the plan and only then I'll buy the tickets. These TIFR guys want me around in the evening too, so one of those evenings I'll just quietly sneak away. Wanted to go to Boomarang to hear other stuff and also to Nova audio to see what is the situation with mid-level TTs. Not sure how many of these goals will be achieved, that's why planning to stay one extra night at my nephew's place.

I'll let you know the schedule and will make a plan.

George,
I am really impressed. So you know about the sweets made from Nolen Gud (also called notun gud). Very true, they are seasonal and available only around the cooler season. I thought you knew only about DIY, tubes and single-drivers and perhaps also barbequeing (BTW, I am very fond of barbeque, even brought my barbeque oven, but unfortunately have never tried in Kolkata).

Regards.

 

[dinyaar]

Thanks audio engr. I am keen on the onboard Dac for sure though I was quoted a much higher amount for the same. Will explore. Then I plan to use the yamaha as a solid transport.
Asit there is a town outlet of boomerang across the GPO which is very close to where u are at in colaba. U may or may not get to demo everything that the Juhu outlet has though.
Arj u are right. Our needs keep changing and the way we had done our flat earlier could be bettered and if I can get a better area for my audio it seems worth the money.
Rikhav there is minimal furniture but a huge rug between the speaker & the sofa and thick curtains all around. Come over if u like and hear for yourself.
Rgds

 

[GeorgeO]

Hi Dinyaar

I would love to come by your place and do an audition- I may stop over in Bombay on my way to the US in end April, if that occurs I will plan out things in advance.

Audio Engr: Definitely have a visit to East Africa in my sights. I hear that golf is also good there.

George

 

[spirovious]

So is there a Hifivision,India meeting in Mumbai?

 

[thevortex]

I wonder how I missed this thread!

Dinyaar - congratulations on the new amp and the moving! Hope this works out in the long term for you.

 

[dinyaar]

George all my HFV friends are welcome. Just hope they all dont come together April is fine, I just hope Its not in between me shifting back to my old home.

Spiro no clue of any such meet. I personally have met quite a few of the bbay guys on HFV and yes I would be happy to meet up with all the bbay HFV members, so count me in.

Thanks Vortex . Actually the amp has been with me a few months now but the shift has been only last week. Bala, at our temporary residence my wife insisted on not getting a TV connection so NO SPORTS for me for 2/3 months and its killing me!!!! But the plus is that I listen to loads of music instead and play chess & carrom:lol:
Rgds

 

[spirovious]

Spiro no clue of any such meet. I personally have met quite a few of the bbay guys on HFV and yes I would be happy to meet up with all the bbay HFV members, so count me in.

No initiatives from Mumbai guys like other places(say Chennai,B'lore,Delhi)
:sad:

 

[thevortex]

Thanks Vortex . Actually the amp has been with me a few months now but the shift has been only last week. Bala, at our temporary residence my wife insisted on not getting a TV connection so NO SPORTS for me for 2/3 months and its killing me!!!! But the plus is that I listen to loads of music instead and play chess & carrom:lol:
Rgds

Oh, that is a big plus, Dinyaar! I juar dont know if I would be able to make the compromise you made!

 

[neo]

Hey! Dinyaar. I must've missed this thread during the diwali vacation.
I'm glad that you are making a dedicated listening room. Congrats If it ends up well, it could be the biggest upgrade you'll make. It makes a world of a diff.
I wonder when i'll be able to make mine.
All the best.
Cheers.

@ Asit. I could be in mumbai as well arnd the 13th. Would certainley love to meet you.
Cheers