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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 9, 2017 1:21:57 GMT -6
I've tried XPA-2 on amphion 18s and it slew the amp100 with ease. gen2 can be bought for around $600 and they can be sold relatively easily so give it a go if you can. It does 500 W per channel (4 ohms) btw. That sounds great! Based on your tests.. that should smoke the Amp500 then! And god, that is PLENTY of wattage, haha. How many gens are there? Maybe I'll get that and save myself the mod process since that is basically the same price.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 8, 2017 2:05:35 GMT -6
Yep, I totally agree! I have my room treatment completely taken care of though (clouds and the whole 9 yards), and have decided on the Amphion Two18s with the Amp500 for the monitor upgrade. So the conversion and monitor controller is my next step. I haven't heard the greatest things about the Amphion amps. I bet you could find a used Bryston or Lexicon for similar or less. Sorry I am just now revisiting this topic btw. I need to get better at taking some time to check RGO. Is there a particular model Bryston that you would recommend? These Amphion Two18s are 4ohm and say 50-200 watts per channel... so I'll go with 200 or so watts per channel since that is close enough to the Amp500. Again, if I could avoid a mod process, that would be great. But if getting a modded Adcom will sound the best, that is what I will do.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 8, 2017 1:59:30 GMT -6
But does anyone have any objections against the Amphion monitors themselves... minus the amps? Amphions are great nearfield monitors, but not what I would consider a full range mastering speaker, find a used pair of B&W 801's. Also, are the 802s and 803s even better? Soooo many models of the 800 series and B&W is one of those companies I know very little about... besides the fact that I had a pair of their headphones once back in the day. One side of them died... so I got a new pair... and the same thing happened. Moderate listening levels, definitely wasn't blasting them.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 8, 2017 1:50:07 GMT -6
But does anyone have any objections against the Amphion monitors themselves... minus the amps? Amphions are great nearfield monitors, but not what I would consider a full range mastering speaker, find a used pair of B&W 801's. Are the Series 3 ones the most recent? And aren't they floor standing?
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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 8, 2017 1:49:34 GMT -6
Well. That was weird. Contacted VK to see if they had hem I. Stock here in Nashville. He said no, they weren't in high demand. Said they had one but no one bought after comparing to other DAs. Idk, th hat sounds pretty suspect to me. I have a dbox now - a 10 year old product - that still smokes most other DAs I've tried. VK can be kindve snobby...which makes me think there's some ulterior motive in play here. I currently have a D Box as well and love it, though I plan on getting a Crane Song Avocet IIA after I get the Amphion Two18s, and I guess... a Jim Williams modded GFA 555. I'm wondering if I can find a stock amp which would be just as good in that $600 or so price range to save myself the mod time. That is really the only amp I have explicitly seen people say is a great match for Two18s besides the $1,800 Amp500, which I am trying to avoid now if possible. Also, I know Vintage King has some deals with certain companies... so maybe that is a contributing factor to the whole Convert 2 thing. My original thoughts were a Monitor ST and Convert 2, until I found the Avocet IIA, which just seems more practical. Dangerous is one of my favorite companies though. A 2Bus+ is high on my list. Anyways, it seems like the 545s may be pushing it in terms of power. I see that getting a used pair of B&W 801's was mentioned... but I am still pretty sold on the Amphions. I preferred them over everything I tested that was $10k or less. Again, I plan on these being my first "real set of mastering monitors".
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Post by topshelfmg on Jul 8, 2017 1:42:29 GMT -6
But does anyone have any objections against the Amphion monitors themselves... minus the amps? Amphions are great nearfield monitors, but not what I would consider a full range mastering speaker, find a used pair of B&W 801's. Really? You think so? They are significantly less expensive, which would be nice. You mean a used pair of their most current version? I really loved the Amphions but I will do some research!
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 20:26:46 GMT -6
But does anyone have any objections against the Amphion monitors themselves... minus the amps?
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 15:48:58 GMT -6
The SVART box is going to be hard to beat one of the best sounding boxes you will find period, Amps Jim Williams modded Adcom GFA series, will hold its own against Krell, Rowland or anything else! For mastering treat the room , treat the room, the monitoring system and rooom need to be able to reproduce 20HZ-20KHZ, you have to be able to hear it to fix it ! Gotcha, that's what I was just told as far as amps! Save a bunch of cash and get a Jim Williams modded Adcom 545 or 555 for a total of $500 after mods and it'll sound better.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 15:48:12 GMT -6
Yep, I totally agree! I have my room treatment completely taken care of though (clouds and the whole 9 yards), and have decided on the Amphion Two18s with the Amp500 for the monitor upgrade. So the conversion and monitor controller is my next step. I haven't heard the greatest things about the Amphion amps. I bet you could find a used Bryston or Lexicon for similar or less. I was actually just talking to someone about this who said the same thing! They said I should get a Jim Williams modded Adcom 545 or 555 and it'll apparently smoke the Amphion amp and save me $1,300...
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 2:46:26 GMT -6
Crookwood will also do you a nice custom solution. I have a combination 2 x DAC, ADC, monitor controller, VU meter, headphone amplifier, source/destination router etc., can volume match 4 digi and 4 analogue sources to within a quarter dB. Couldn't be without mine! That sounds like a great option. How does the price point and conversion quality / quality in general stack up to the other options that have been listed? I think it's awesome a router and VU meter was able to be built in in your case.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 2:44:21 GMT -6
Thanks Dave, I'll have a think about it. It might not be worth it as I'm very happy with how the mic sounds now into my Chandler TG2 at 300 Ohm, already very coloured/saturated in an extremely nice way! Yeah... I feel like I would be happy either way especially when paired with the right preamps, compressors, etc. Maybe I'll get a BV8 one and upload some samples!
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 20, 2017 0:25:38 GMT -6
Great to hear! Those Tyler's look incredible, I've been thinking about those as well vs the Amphions. What is the process of getting the new tweeters installed, and what is the cost? Also, the D1Xs are passive, correct? What amp are you going to go with? So do you think the M905 would be higher quality than the Dangerous Music ST paired with the Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt? Tyler offers a partial upgrade for all of his products so you can just ask him to put in whatever units you want to put in your speaker. I paid $400 to put in the millennium tweeters. They are passive speakers and I'm planning on using emotiva xpa 2 for the time being because I've heard that they are great for their price. Maybe I'll upgrade to something else when I can (or not if I'm happy with emotiva ) I'm sure ST and Hilo are great but for the monitoring purpose, but I think m905 is hard to beat from a functionality point of view. Gotcha! So in that case, you would put in your order directly through Tyler, not one of his distributors? I very well may get a pair sometime down the line as my towers, and use the Amphions as my nearfields. I'm not familiar with the tweeter you're going with, is it one of his tweeters that's of higher quality or 3rd party? After getting the advice on here, I'm realllly considering the Crane Song Avocet IIA, or possibly the Grace. Since they are both self contained, and I believe both have optical / digital inputs, that may be my best get. And it'll save me about $1,000. I'm going to do some research on the Grace's conversion vs the Crane Song's conversion.... though I'm biased cause I love the Dave Hill stuff.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 23:33:31 GMT -6
Crane Song Avocet. If not "right in the price range" it's pretty close... I have one of the older models -- The newer one is on my list. Wow, I forgot about the Crane Song! That would certainly be more affordable than both a Dangerous Monitor ST and stand alone converter would be. Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to start doing some research and see how the conversion stacks up. Love the Dave Hill stuff... the next processor purchase I'm going to make is a pair of Dave Hill Titans for both mixing and mastering. Do you think he quality of the Avocet exceeds the quality of the Dangerous Monitor ST? And I'd be giving up an AD stage like a lot of the other converters have, but considering monitoring is what I'll be using it for 99% of the time... if it can square up with a Lynx Hilo (which it looks like it can), than this may be my best choice.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 23:13:29 GMT -6
I'm using pure2 as my DA and lyra2 as my AD as well as my monitoring unit at the moment but when I have enough fund I'm getting a grace design m905. Best monitoring controller + DA in its price range in my opinion. *I have a pair of Tyler D1x with SEAS Millennium tweetwers installed coming my way massivemastering. Can't wait to hear them! Great to hear! Those Tyler's look incredible, I've been thinking about those as well vs the Amphions. What is the process of getting the new tweeters installed, and what is the cost? Also, the D1Xs are passive, correct? What amp are you going to go with? So do you think the M905 would be higher quality than the Dangerous Music ST paired with the Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt?
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 21:29:24 GMT -6
Very cool. So these are converters you built? Do you have any dynamic range or THD+N specs for them? I know that's all to be taken with a grain of salt, but still something I'm typically interested in checking out.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 21:24:17 GMT -6
I think monitors and the room are the most important when we talk Mastering. Definitely are more important than a dedicated DAC... I would rather have ATC and my Apollo than say a avocet plus latte and 1031/ ns10/ other run of the mill monitor ... Other wise I would go with a Crane Song Avocet for DAC or possibly a lynx hill for all in one AD and DA solution and then go with a Coleman or Dangerous Source since budget is of the essence... Yep, I totally agree! I have my room treatment completely taken care of though (clouds and the whole 9 yards), and have decided on the Amphion Two18s with the Amp500 for the monitor upgrade. So the conversion and monitor controller is my next step.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 3:38:55 GMT -6
Well aamicrophones , I'll give you my thoughts after I sing into it a few times. I wish I still had access to the Wagner U47W I had tried. That was a hell of a mic. I'm going to try and replicate what I recorded with it and I can send you some files privately. I'm looking forward to hearing it vs the Flea 47. My thoughts initially are that the BV8 will give some of the tube artifacts that people expect to hear in the U47ish mic. I agree! I thinking using a BV8 would be a cool counter contrast to your 47 models with BV18s. As he said.. add some more "vintage" sounding tube artifacts / saturation. I'm likely going to leave NAMM with one... or a MT8016. Ugh but there are so many other studio purchases as I get offered more and more mastering work here... and I want to keep upgrading that side. We shall see what happens...
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 3:35:10 GMT -6
Hi John, duhhh!!! Thanks for catching the typo. I have edited it. Crazy day as we are moving and then I just realized my passport expires the last day of the NAMM Show in Nashville so I had to get the paperwork together to re-new it. We will be at NAMM in Nashville from July 12 to July 15th. It seems NAMM has reduced the number of guest badges which means free admission to the NAMM show. However, I will have 6 passes left that I am saving for RGO members but I need confirmation by June 28th, 2017. We are at booth 331 which is a stones throw for our friends at Warm Audio and Matt from Roswell microphone is just across from us. Folks don't have to buy a microphone from me just come and enjoy the show. Cheers, Dave Looking forward to hanging out next month!
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 19, 2017 3:19:56 GMT -6
Hey guys, I'm getting more and more mastering work, so I'm going to be slowly making upgrades to reflect that throughout the next year (as there is a LOT I want to get). Unfortunately, I don't have an unlimited budget, but I'm certainly trying to get some stuff I won't feel the need to outgrow for some time. Luckily, a lot of this will also work wonders for mixing as well, so it won't strictly benefit mastering gigs.
I'm starting with upgrading my monitor DAC and monitor controller... though I'd love the converter to have both AD and DA just for the added versatility. I know that I'm going to get the Dangerous Music ST as the controller.. cause I have really loved all of the Dangerous stuff I've tried out. Though having the DA and controller in one with the Grace Design 905 looks cool... if it doesn't compromise quality in comparison. I know we are talking relatively really subtle differences at this point also.
So conversion wise... in order, I'm considering:
Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt (it seems like great quality + the most flexible)
Dangerous Music Convert 2
Grace Design 905?
Maaaaaaybe the Antelope Pure 2, but that's probably at the bottom of the list right now
But I am up for recommendations! What am I missing? I'd love to keep the budget around $2,500 or less (including used prices) for the converter, but if I'm really sold I could possibly wiggle to around $3,000. Ideally, I'd love to put that extra $500+ towards the next purchase though. Lavry looks cool but I can't find a unit that is both AD and DA. I guess if the quality is that much superior though, I would consider a dedicated DA monitor converter... which might actually be more practical. Thunderbolt is a BIG plus, and a headphone amp would be really great as well, though the Dangerous Monitor ST headphone amp should just plenty. A great master clock built in would be great as well, but I don't mind buying an external if it comes down to it. It would still earn the unit bonus points though.
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Post by topshelfmg on Jun 9, 2017 0:46:55 GMT -6
Also, unfortunately until I move into my new facility in the next couple months, it's pretty much stuck within ear shot. I have a feeling a change of thank will at least attenuate the noise. Ever get this thing sorted? I took it into my tech and a big part of it is how it's designed, and each reverb tank makes a big difference to the output level. If it's too quiet, I have to turn down the send a bunch to not overload the tank, and then crank the output to make up for it, which also cranks the noise floor. Unfortunately, the manufacturer was unable to supply us with any schematics or useful specs, so we were really unable to do a lot, and I determined it wasn't worth the money poking around in the dark. If I do get schematics or something for my tech, I was going to add Jenson transformer balanced ins and outs that were purposes for line level, but currently, that isn't realistic. Till I do that, I don't find it worth it to build a new box to have the 4+ tanks wired at once with a switcher, so essentially I'll just use it as a guitar pedal in the meantime. For that, and in general, it still sounds great. Just noisy. The Little Walter Tube Amp TubeVerb doesn't have these problems, but it is also 3 times the price, so that makes sense.
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Post by topshelfmg on Apr 17, 2017 0:45:25 GMT -6
The Daking Mic Pre IV gets lots of use here. And sounds excellent on most anything Man, I've been looking at a Pre/EQ for so long! Will definitely own one if not a pair here in the near future. Any experience with the Daking FET IIs?
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Post by topshelfmg on Apr 6, 2017 22:30:32 GMT -6
As stated above, commonly kick drums will have two microphones, one for the sub / body and one for the attack. I really have been loving ribbon microphones as the proximity effect gives you a ton of really natural sub to blend in. Compression wise, if you have the attack set to that it lets the initial transient through, and then compresses, when you turn it up it will accentuate that attack. Transient designers are also a solid idea, and the SPL emulations at Plugin Alliance have proved very useful for me.
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Post by topshelfmg on Apr 6, 2017 22:25:49 GMT -6
The ISA is great, in a very clean kind of way that has subtle "warmth" from the transformer. As said above, the Audient ASP800 would be your best deal. The first two channels have "Retro" preamps, which have 2 saturation options. IRON puts a real transformer in the signal path, HMX is a MOSFET circuit that emulates a tube. Turned off, or the other 6 preamps are very fast and clean. Think Precision 8 or even Grace Designs. The conversion is all very solid. Fantastic value, and I use it all of the time next to preamps costing much more.
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Post by topshelfmg on Apr 6, 2017 22:16:49 GMT -6
This is really cool to hear! So, to clarify, the Nebula plugins are just the saturation / coloration characteristics... it doesn't actually do any signal processing? Is that left to the Aqua (or however they spell it) plugs with the separate GUIs? Sorry if this has been addressed, only had a chance to skim this thread. The Nebula tools are able to "sample"(simplification, but it is a number if sample processes) more than just the saturation character. Although there are some programs from Harry Olonga that do exactly this, giving you the icing on the cake, the saturation only. There are Nebula programs that are e.g. compressors and spring reverbs, giving you more than just saturation. The Acqua plugins are Nebula instances that got a nice graphical user interface instead of the standard one, and are meant to be used like any other plugins that try to emulate a specific hardware, hiding the parameters and possibilities, that the full-fledged Nebula UI has (and that is much less intuitive and has a bit of a steep learning factor). So, technically, the Acqua plugins ARE Nebula + GUI. Same possibilities soundwise. And both can do much more than saturation. Test out the "TAN" Acqa plugin, it is free glueing compressor that is pretty awesome, the other free Acqua plugins are EQs. There is also a free version of Nebula with a free library of programs, there is a lot more to explore.... Gotcha! Thanks for the info. So you can indeed compress, EQ, etc with the Nebula, good to know. Wasn't sure by looking at the GUI of the Nebula how they would fit the parameters of an EQ for example, but I'm sure its hidden down there somewhere. So, is the relatively large increase in price for the Acqua plugins strictly due to the GUI development? Any added features, etc? The friend of mine who turned me on to them also said to try out the TAN compressor and the free EQs. I will give it a go here, just never really understood Nebula.
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Post by topshelfmg on Apr 6, 2017 20:40:18 GMT -6
Reverb tank return coils do pick up hum, buzz and other noises. Short out that return coil and watch that noise floor go way down. You can either wrap it in mumetal (expensive and no guarentee) or order custom reverb tanks from Accutronics. When I used to build these back in the early 1980's I used two tanks. One was ordered with a reversed charged magnet on one tank. Connect them together and you get a hum-cancelling reverb tank, essentially silent. Good to know! I will relay this to my tech. Just got two more tanks in the mail from the seller, and he told me the one is grounded much better, and the other (long 3 spring medium decay Accutronics) will be much quieter wired in reverse. So, when it came with this stock tank, the RCA cables were white connector to red input, and red connector to white input. Does this mean it was accidently wired in reverse from the get go? This stock tank is set up so there is no benefit in doing that, and I always thought it was supposed to be red to red, and white to white.... at least in all of the other applications I've used RCA cables in. I also attached a picture of the noise in a comment I posted right before this one. Lots of 60Hz hum with some broadband buzz that has a weird peak around 12K. Thanks for the suggestions!
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