Final upgrade

[prem]

It took me nearly 3 years to finalise my amp. As far as amplification goes, Thoress is end game for me. It joins the EMT 950 and the JBL 4343.

The built in phono in the EMT 950 was something that I had been looking to upgrade. But I wanted to get to it once I had finalised my end game amp. Now that the amp is finalised, I will be upgrading from the built in EMT phono to the Thoress Phono Enhancer.

Once that is done I may look at some minor room treatment, if required. Treatment will be more in terms of diffusers, if at all.

When I said final upgrade, I didn’t mean it’s the best sound possible. There are enough systems that sound better than mine. But they also cost a lot more. I don’t have a room to justify those spends. It will be like buying a Ferrari and trying to drive on the Mumbai roads

 

[arj]

there is never a Final upgrade..there is a pre final, final final., pre post final, , post final..and so on

But this is a mouth watering Phono !!!!!

 

[souravin]

A very close notion to the phrase ""Men will be men" would be "audiophile will be an audiophile"" . Please read this as an encomium .

Congratulations Prem. Your mastery on sound and especially the way you define/ describe/ disseminate /cite the same during our multiple conversations have always been a delight to me. You love music and audio rig is a canvas to you.

I am sure your decision would give you more fulfilment. Shall eager to listen someday

 

[Analogous]

It took me nearly 3 years to finalise my amp. As far as amplification goes, Thoress is end game for me. It joins the EMT 950 and the JBL 4343.

The built in phono in the EMT 950 was something that I had been looking to upgrade. But I wanted to get to it once I had finalised my end game amp. Now that the amp is finalised, I will be upgrading from the built in EMT phono to the Thoress Phono Enhancer.

Once that is done I may look at some minor room treatment, if required. Treatment will be more in terms of diffusers, if at all.

Researching, Planning for three years for very specific components and getting them indicates painstaking effort. I hope the journey was enjoyable and you get many hours of satisfaction and bliss listening to your set up.

 

[spirovious]

It took me nearly 3 years to finalise my amp. As far as amplification goes, Thoress is end game for me.

That's great. But what if you change your current speakers by chance

 

[prem]

Once used to a 15 inch driver, I don’t see going back ever to a 10 or 12 inch driver. So even if I do change it will be high efficiency 15 inch driver stuff. So the amp should have no problem.

 

[reubensm]

A curious question Prem, what is your normal LP staple? I read here about your EMT and the rest of your rig, really great going!
very curious due to the 4343s, quite interested to know about why you selected these?

 

[prem]

I listen mainly to classic rock, Bollywood, Indian classical and a bit of jazz and fusion.

When it comes to speakers and turntables, I don’t think any advances have happened over the years. This is strictly my viewpoint. Others may have a different take. So personally I was fine with using speakers made in the 70s

I like Alnico magnets. The 4343 uses Alnico in all their drivers. So that attracted me. The next model 4344 does not use Alnico. JBL started facing competition in the studio market and they had to cut costs. So they moved away from Alnico.

Being a studio monitor, the 4343 is extremely coherent even in near field listening. That’s something I look for. Also the 4343 uses a 15 inch bass driver and a 10 inch mid bass driver. Once you hear a 15 inch, you can’t go back. I have heard 15 inchers in studios and the ease of presentation is magical. So I always wanted a speaker with 15 inch drivers. Very few new speakers use a 15 inch. And those that do, I can’t afford them. The 4343 kind of was perfect for me budget wise too.

 

[reubensm]

this is great, the premise of the query was to understand the genre vs speaker-choice logic

 

[prem]

I believe a good speaker should play all kinds of music within its specs. Choosing equipment according to genre doesn’t make sense to me. Equipment understands frequencies not genre.

 

[raghupb]

@prem
So are you saying that "rent control" has finally hit your home/rig.
Tenants are here to stay

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[prem]

Yes sir. In Mumbai we live in apartments.

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Prem, it's wonderful to hear that you are close to making a final upgrade. Considering the research you have done, I'm sure the Thoress phono will play superior to the built in EMT phono. But you know every hobby is a journey, not an end point. So it will be interesting to see where the journey takes you from here.

I'm looking forward to hearing your set up sometime soon.

 

[raghupb]

I am experiencing what you alluded to as "venue sound".
Big drivers can deliver this with ease on live music.

PS:
Listening to some live "Dead" now. Very noticeable.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Analogous]

I am experiencing what you alluded to as "venue sound".
Big drivers can deliver this with ease on live music.

PS:
Listening to some live "Dead" now. Very noticeable.

Cheers,
Raghu

“Wall of sound”?

 

[raghupb]

“Wall of sound”?

No. Just the "sub bass" effect.
The venue brings a whole new dimension to sound

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[Hari Iyer]

So even if I do change it will be high efficiency 15 inch driver stuff. So the amp should have no problem.

I am smelling something fishy here going on the background.

 

[prem]

Nothing fishy Hari. Am not planning to change.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

A pro audio 12 and 15 will be very similar if they have the same parameters and from the same company. Often excursion,thermal handling and sensitivity is the same/similar. The 15 will have more sd, that will help a tiny bit on the low end if the speaker is actually going down to 40Hz. Many companies list extension to be lower than it actually is. Other than that they are both good choices, no surprise people like them.

Enjoy your "Final" upgrade!

 

[Hari Iyer]

A pro audio 12 and 15 will be very similar if they have the same parameters and from the same company. Often excursion,thermal handling and sensitivity is the same/similar. The 15 will have more sd, that will help a tiny bit on the low end if the speaker is actually going down to 40Hz. Many companies list extension to be lower than it actually is. Other than that they are both good choices, no surprise people like them.

Enjoy your "Final" upgrade!

I am using an Ahuja 12" Pro audio speakers and have mixed opinion about them.These are for mid-bass around 100 Hz to 400 Hz. I prefer using a first order crossover, but due to peaky response of this woofer, I was forced to use a second order filter. I may some time later replace these with a 12" Guitar soeaker as currently I have exhausted all my budget for any modifications.