Amp upgrade with Canton speakers: Feasibility study
- Thread starter Asit
- Start date
Hi folks,
A final update for this thread.
Finally the speaker-stands conceived, designed and fabricated by Cranky and his friend Arup (not a forum member, and not the person owning the Symphonic Line amp whom I also know
) have arrived yesterday.
They weigh more than 20kg each. Each stand comprises of a pair of horizontal platforms connected by a vertical column and three height adjustable spikes are the contact points with the floor. Each horizontal platform is actually two metal plates which sandwich an acrylic sheet between them. The vertical column is actually made from many french-fry-like small pieces of MDF all glued together to form the column which is then finished by veneer on the outside. The spikes rest on small metal plates underside of each of which has a thin rough buffer which are actually in contact with the slippery floor.
After the installation at my place, the three of us drove to Pratim's (forum member pratimboyal) place some 20kms away because Pratim who has the Jaton Operetta power amp and the Usher BE-718 speakers also received similar stands (with different dimensions than mine).
My speakers are now positioned more than 2.5 feet from the back wall and they have significantly more space around them than before. Cranky played around with the positioning for half an hour and was finally very satisfied. They are now slightly toed in.
All I can say is that this is by far the best I have heard these speakers sound. Everything desirable has improved, most notably the bass, the openness of the sound, microdynamics, clarity, soundstage and imaging. I did not think more clarity was possible, but with the new stands and positioning that has happened, almost unbelievably. The attack of stringed instruments (for example piano) and the extension is almost addictive.
My wife who is NOT an audiophile has termed the improvement of the sound as remarkable.
I am forever grateful to Cranky and Arup for these stands. I know they had to make many many trips to various markets for trying out various components.
Sridhar, I know people talk about the matching of Leben and Harbeth, but if that is better than what I am hearing now, I would not know how to react.
Here are some pictures (Cranky, these are not the ones you took)
Regards.
A final update for this thread.
Finally the speaker-stands conceived, designed and fabricated by Cranky and his friend Arup (not a forum member, and not the person owning the Symphonic Line amp whom I also know
) have arrived yesterday.They weigh more than 20kg each. Each stand comprises of a pair of horizontal platforms connected by a vertical column and three height adjustable spikes are the contact points with the floor. Each horizontal platform is actually two metal plates which sandwich an acrylic sheet between them. The vertical column is actually made from many french-fry-like small pieces of MDF all glued together to form the column which is then finished by veneer on the outside. The spikes rest on small metal plates underside of each of which has a thin rough buffer which are actually in contact with the slippery floor.
After the installation at my place, the three of us drove to Pratim's (forum member pratimboyal) place some 20kms away because Pratim who has the Jaton Operetta power amp and the Usher BE-718 speakers also received similar stands (with different dimensions than mine).
My speakers are now positioned more than 2.5 feet from the back wall and they have significantly more space around them than before. Cranky played around with the positioning for half an hour and was finally very satisfied. They are now slightly toed in.
All I can say is that this is by far the best I have heard these speakers sound. Everything desirable has improved, most notably the bass, the openness of the sound, microdynamics, clarity, soundstage and imaging. I did not think more clarity was possible, but with the new stands and positioning that has happened, almost unbelievably. The attack of stringed instruments (for example piano) and the extension is almost addictive.
My wife who is NOT an audiophile has termed the improvement of the sound as remarkable.
I am forever grateful to Cranky and Arup for these stands. I know they had to make many many trips to various markets for trying out various components.
Sridhar, I know people talk about the matching of Leben and Harbeth, but if that is better than what I am hearing now, I would not know how to react.
Here are some pictures (Cranky, these are not the ones you took)
Regards.
Hi all,
I have edited my first post of this thread to include a rough index to the various topics discussed and reported in this very long thread.
Over the months I have received many many PMs and messages in other forms that centres around this thread. I know many people have found this thread very useful, but there are 2 general complaints: 1) the name is misleading, because people would think this is only applicable to Canton speakers while mostly there are a lot of general discussion on amps etc. (Well I think unless a mod helps, I cannot change the title of the thread) 2) it is very difficult to find what one is looking for in such a long thread )that's why I have now included the indexing in the 1st post of the thread).
Regards.
I have edited my first post of this thread to include a rough index to the various topics discussed and reported in this very long thread.
Over the months I have received many many PMs and messages in other forms that centres around this thread. I know many people have found this thread very useful, but there are 2 general complaints: 1) the name is misleading, because people would think this is only applicable to Canton speakers while mostly there are a lot of general discussion on amps etc. (Well I think unless a mod helps, I cannot change the title of the thread) 2) it is very difficult to find what one is looking for in such a long thread )that's why I have now included the indexing in the 1st post of the thread).
Regards.
soundsgreat
New Member
Hi,
Asit congrats on the new addition :clapping: ! It looks superb
hyeah: !!
Khudos to Cranky and team for doing such a fabulous job :clapping:!!
If you don't mind can you indicate how much it cost ?
Regards.
Asit congrats on the new addition :clapping: ! It looks superb
hyeah: !!Khudos to Cranky and team for doing such a fabulous job :clapping:!!
If you don't mind can you indicate how much it cost ?
Regards.
reignofchaos
Well-Known Member
They Krafts are my dream amplifiers. I've never heard beyond the RG7 but if RG7 can do so much, I can't imagine how good the Krafts are going to be!
BTW Asit those stands look beautiful! Congratulations.
BTW Asit those stands look beautiful! Congratulations.
rikhav
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
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- 2,666
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Congrats Asit on the stands.
I think it was the only major thing missing in your hifi rig. Glad to know that they did what they were meant to do (improve the overall sound and imaging)
Are the speakers screwed to the plate? If yes were the holes already made in your speakers?
I think it was the only major thing missing in your hifi rig. Glad to know that they did what they were meant to do (improve the overall sound and imaging)
Are the speakers screwed to the plate? If yes were the holes already made in your speakers?
very very nice
I think you folks in Cal dont realize how luck you are to have Cranky there
A design like this is very time intensive, not to mention explaining this concept to the carpenter(s). I also like the fact that the color is quite close to the speaker (at least in the photo).
Asit, Synergy is an often overlooked aspect, the Leben/Harbeth is superb but that is more to do with the fact that the distributors in the US for both were the same for a period of time. It may sound as good or even better with the Cantons, you never know
How did the combo sound at Protim's place?
cheers
Sridhar
I think you folks in Cal dont realize how luck you are to have Cranky there
A design like this is very time intensive, not to mention explaining this concept to the carpenter(s). I also like the fact that the color is quite close to the speaker (at least in the photo).
Asit, Synergy is an often overlooked aspect, the Leben/Harbeth is superb but that is more to do with the fact that the distributors in the US for both were the same for a period of time. It may sound as good or even better with the Cantons, you never know
How did the combo sound at Protim's place?
cheers
Sridhar
square_wave
Well-Known Member
The stands looks just awesome ! I am more fascinated with the engineering and thought process behind the stands. A well thought out/made stand can improve the sound in all the important areas.
Congratulations Asit. Great Job Cranky !
Congratulations Asit. Great Job Cranky !
unleash_me
Well-Known Member
Those stands look excellent. Nice conception Cranky.
Asit, you must be one happy man! Congratulations.
Asit, you must be one happy man! Congratulations.
square_wave
Well-Known Member
Thank you Cranky for the writeup on the design.
wow cranky,those stands look out of this world!!!beautiful detailing,the veneer,very nice.just hearing how long it took to commission them was a revelation in itself.asit is a very lucky guy indeed.great job.very professionally done,as always 
.cheers
asit,congratulations.good to hear that even u were surprised with the sudden enhncements in microdynamics.esp considering u were already quite happy with the earlier placements of ur speakers
!!those stands look great.enjoy ur music,even more now!!cheers
.cheersasit,congratulations.good to hear that even u were surprised with the sudden enhncements in microdynamics.esp considering u were already quite happy with the earlier placements of ur speakers
!!those stands look great.enjoy ur music,even more now!!cheers
hifiashok
Well-Known Member
gr8 work!
if i may hazard a suggestion, the rack could now use a li'l addition/s.
if i may hazard a suggestion, the rack could now use a li'l addition/s.
Asit,
Congratulations on the SQ upgrade achieved!!
The veneer finish is awesome!! And it matches the speaker so well!!
Cranky, How did you manage the black grooved lines?
What brand and product is the veneer/laminate? I found nothing so lovely during my shopping in Bangalore. I would love to try and replicate the finish someday.
TIA
Regards
Congratulations on the SQ upgrade achieved!!
The veneer finish is awesome!! And it matches the speaker so well!!
Cranky, How did you manage the black grooved lines?
What brand and product is the veneer/laminate? I found nothing so lovely during my shopping in Bangalore. I would love to try and replicate the finish someday.
TIA
Regards
hifiashok
Well-Known Member
psychotropic
Well-Known Member
wow! utterly gorgeous! fantastic work cranky........if it hadn't been a 5-month, hair-loss heavy process I would have said "go commercial!" ......i'm sure there'd be chappies in the US who would pay 2-3 lakhs for stands like this.
Thanks soundsgreat, audio_engr, RoC, Rikhav, Rajiv, prem, odessey (sridhar), square_wave, unleash_me, rallynut, hifiashok, gobble, psychotropic, thevortex for the congratulatory words and for appreciating the stands.
I am just the beneficiary. All the credit goes to Cranky and his friend Arup. I am just touched by their dedication and sincerity and attention to details. These qualities are rare these days, and I am honoured to be in touch with people having such qualities.
Answers to most technical questions and details have been provided by Cranky.
Let me answer a few remaining ones.
Rikhav, my speakers do not have provisions for them to be screwed on to the top plates of the stands. Pratim's BE-718's do have and they have been affixed appropriately.
Sridhar, I knew the real worth of having somebody like Cranky around long before he came back to Kolkata, and since then I have consulted with him almost on all issues.
Ashok, I did not quite understand what you meant as additions in your recent first post. Did you mean a speaker upgrade? No way. I would not find a worthy replacement (forget about upgrade) within a sane amount of money.
BTW, I got a taste of Cranky's driving style the other day on our way to Pratim's place. He is a very very skilled driver. We both like what you may call power-driving, just that he is a bit younger and does not often know what is best for him. On the way back, I drove.
Regards.
I am just the beneficiary. All the credit goes to Cranky and his friend Arup. I am just touched by their dedication and sincerity and attention to details. These qualities are rare these days, and I am honoured to be in touch with people having such qualities.
Answers to most technical questions and details have been provided by Cranky.
Let me answer a few remaining ones.
Rikhav, my speakers do not have provisions for them to be screwed on to the top plates of the stands. Pratim's BE-718's do have and they have been affixed appropriately.
Sridhar, I knew the real worth of having somebody like Cranky around long before he came back to Kolkata, and since then I have consulted with him almost on all issues.
Ashok, I did not quite understand what you meant as additions in your recent first post. Did you mean a speaker upgrade? No way. I would not find a worthy replacement (forget about upgrade) within a sane amount of money.
BTW, I got a taste of Cranky's driving style the other day on our way to Pratim's place. He is a very very skilled driver. We both like what you may call power-driving, just that he is a bit younger and does not often know what is best for him. On the way back, I drove.
Regards.
grubyhalo
New Member
Fantastic build!
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