Finally a EMT 950

[arj]

The legend of the Radio Shack cable! We used to always have (in the US) the occasional poster who would always mention RS cable in a cable debate. Needless to say we would dismiss the guy as just another cable skeptic. Amazing to see that the RS cable more than handle its own in a showdown with the legendary Cobra of all things. And generic 14 AWG computer power cord. Wow! Some great options for experimentation down the line.

As I said to Prem yesterday ... the more you learn the more you learn. Just speechless.


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My experience as well ! I remember being a very active participant in a forum some years back which used to be run by Hifichoice and there was this gentleman who only used RS cables and we always ignored his view on cables calling him a "Non Believer" and skeptic.

Regarding power, Prem has a dedicated power circuit for audio with proper grounding and there is hardly any RFI interference hence the background is really black.. this is another very difficult thing to get right as most of our power is pretty "Corrupted" by refrigerators and also hash from SMPS power supplies.

Also to be considered is that prems equipment as well as his acoustic setup is razor sharp and precise ( just the setup..the sound is very natural and as close to reference sound as I have heard) . During one of the sessions I remember sitting with him and changing speaker positions by 2 mm each time to get the exact position ( To compare, my setup changes are by 2 inches ! )

So cable differences show up a lot more in his setup, and cables which may sound good in his , may sound very different as will they show up a lot of problems in other systems and hence not sound so good. and some of this may be the compromises we have to live with

 

[prem]

As Arj has mentioned I spend maximum time in precisely setting up the speakers. That according to me has the biggest influence on sound. Post that only do I experiment with cables and isolation.

In placement, I work to a precision of 0.5 cm, both from side wall and front wall. It’s pretty much only in one position that your speakers will sing with the room. Identifying this position is important.

 

[rikhav]

@jls001 has put up everything nicely what we heard at prem's place
This would be probably the only analogue setup I heard which would put many digital setups to shame as far as frequency extension goes but still retaining every bit of the musicality in the sound

 

[sunder]

As Arj has mentioned I spend maximum time in precisely setting up the speakers. That according to me has the biggest influence on sound. Post that only do I experiment with cables and isolation.

In placement, I work to a precision of 0.5 cm, both from side wall and front wall. It’s pretty much only in one position that your speakers will sing with the room. Identifying this position is important.

Prem, what speakers you are using? Is it rear ported? Thanks.

 

[prem]

Sunder, I am using Tekton DI SE speakers. They are rear ported

 

[sunder]

Sunder, I am using Tekton DI SE speakers. They are rear ported

Ok well. But , i think, the placement is easier with front ported enclosure than the rear ported. Isn't it? Thanks.

 

[prem]

Not really. I have owned all kinds of speakers. From OB to single drivers to electrostats to low efficiency dynamic speakers to high efficiency speakers. It always takes quite a bit of time to locate the optimum position for the speakers in a room. The challenge here is understanding the room. All speakers, in all probability, will sound best in that position in that room

 

[arj]

Ok well. But , i think, the placement is easier with front ported enclosure than the rear ported. Isn't it? Thanks.

This is one of those myths. ported speakers cannot be kept right next to the rear walls since that will disturb the air flow out from a port and hence the sound of around that frequency. but after 1 m (or maybe even less) distance rear/front/downward etc dont matter and it is only the room nodes as prem mentioned..need to get that right.

In fact I was reading in another forum about how many folks takes Months to get that exact position.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

PPS: an important caveat--- the Polk Cobra is not for every amp as it has very low inductance but very high capacitance and can send certain unstable amps into oscillation that could even blow up the amp.

How come a speaker cable can damage an amp unless it is shorted? What target amps are we considering here?

 

[jls001]

How come a speaker cable can damage an amp unless it is shorted? What target amps are we considering here?

Some poorly designed amplifiers can oscillate if it sees too much capacitance in its load.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

Some poorly designed amplifiers can oscillate if it sees too much capacitance in its load.

Then those amps cannot be used with passive speakers I believe. Because passive XOs are having microfarad level capacitance which will burn the hell out of the amp if the above theory is considered to be true. Cables impose capacitance at merely picofqrad level.

 

[Hari Iyer]

If you connect only the tweeter with the capacitor (without the woofer), this will damage the amplifier in no time.

 

[jls001]

Then those amps cannot be used with passive speakers I believe. Because passive XOs are having microfarad level capacitance which will burn the hell out of the amp if the above theory is considered to be true. Cables impose capacitance at merely picofqrad level.

Check out discussions on this page.

I'm not competent to answer your question.

 

[saikatbiswas82]

Check out discussions on this page.

I'm not competent to answer your question.

Thanks. I'll take a look at it.

 

[Suraj75]

Congratulations Prem. Have fun.

 

[antoniodias]

Fine tuned music. Enjoy and keep us updated.

 

[souravin]

My experience with Prem's latest audio set up

Let me be very clear on my goal of life other than humankind that is music and music only. The medium comes as a second priority. Even a simple mp3 listening from mobile or Apple IPOD Classic on the move or on solitary travel days make me feel immensely satisfied. A good audio system is thus a cherry on the cake for me. Off late, a few passionate audio enthusiasts like Bhaskar, Prem and Sanjoy Dhar inspired me to think like an audiophile and I took a foray into this beautiful world but without over-killing music or my shoestring budget.

In the past few years, I have been interacting with Prem discussing music and audio. With more and more passing days, my respect towards him is progressively mounting. It’s his sense and love towards music which then extolled with his know-how, regular R&D, excellent ears, unconventional mind and considerable investment are making a corpus of the state of the art audio environment at his place.

It was my latest visit to experience EMT 950 and JBL 4343 speakers. The visual impression made me wonder about the gargantuan JBL and pro looking EMT. I had a question on mind, does this speaker really meant for real world homes? I sat on the sofa and music started.

Oh Man! What I listened to….. It’s just pure analogue music. Entire rig is just epitomizing a smooth musical flow. It’s compact, energetic yet polite. Surprisingly my attention was not caught by lows, mids and highs rather it has been a total unforced and natural music. Our listening session comprised of latest vinyl like Barfi to R.D. Burman to Jazz and Jagjit Singh. To my surprise, Teesri Manzil LP, a not so well recorded LP in my opinion, sounded so relaxed and smooth. The overall sound is free from artificial hardness.

The pro like conclusion is, this audio rig as a composite electronics is quite rewarding. The truthful sound reproduction with nothing taken away or added back is enough to live with. The easy flow won’t let you tussle over audio findings rather coddle with music.

Thank you Prem for such a lovely audio session. Shall come back for more such evenings. Some photos

 

[prem]

Thanks Souravin. It was great having you over. By the end of April, my speakers would have completely broken in. So do visit the next time you come to Mumbai

 

[Sandip Das]

Congrats Prem

 

[reubensm]

Great setup, noticed Prem has new speakers

Sourav, a video of them playing would have been great but I managed to search out a youtube video of the speakers. Really great.

Prem, did you rebuild the cabs or change the veneer? just curious