Blumenstein Ultra Fi
- Thread starter Doc B
- Start date
Clark B.
New member
Here are some pictures of the prototype Thrashers ("I" and "II" versions) as promised. New Zealand was absolutely amazing. Molly and I are still working on getting some good photos up online. probably the most stunning place was "pupu springs" which, despite the name, is the clearest, cleanest, most amazing looking water on the planet. Well worth the trip for that site alone. But there was so much more: Kiwi birds, Wekas, Tui birds. Such great people too.
I also had to "hermit in" for a week after the trip to get several customers' orders out: Joe now has a set of Bamboo Orcas and BUF Subs. Jim and I were REALLY pleased with his Bamboo Orcas and SEX amp with Bamboo base combo. Darren got some older Orcas and a Prototype model BUF Sub, and I've been putting together several sets of speakers for Tamara Murphy's Reading Room of the old Elliott Bay Cafe and her upcoming new restaurant "Terra Plata." http://terraplata.com/ So needless to say, a little busy since we've been back.
This week, I'm gonna start making a run of "alpha" Thrasher Is and IIs (again, just the prototypes shown in pics) along side some bamboo Nagas and BUF Subs that are in progress...Being able to effectively juggle so many projects, the new shop is so nice!
Cheers,
Clark
P.S. to all those I wished to see at RMAF this year, it does not look like I'll be making it afterall. Very busy catching up from our honeymoon, etc. I'll catch you next year!
I also had to "hermit in" for a week after the trip to get several customers' orders out: Joe now has a set of Bamboo Orcas and BUF Subs. Jim and I were REALLY pleased with his Bamboo Orcas and SEX amp with Bamboo base combo. Darren got some older Orcas and a Prototype model BUF Sub, and I've been putting together several sets of speakers for Tamara Murphy's Reading Room of the old Elliott Bay Cafe and her upcoming new restaurant "Terra Plata." http://terraplata.com/ So needless to say, a little busy since we've been back.
This week, I'm gonna start making a run of "alpha" Thrasher Is and IIs (again, just the prototypes shown in pics) along side some bamboo Nagas and BUF Subs that are in progress...Being able to effectively juggle so many projects, the new shop is so nice!
Cheers,
Clark
P.S. to all those I wished to see at RMAF this year, it does not look like I'll be making it afterall. Very busy catching up from our honeymoon, etc. I'll catch you next year!
Clark,
Good stuff! Hey, if any of you guys who have the Orca/BUF sub combo and are using either the stereomour or se.e.x. amp with them tell us how you likee your setup?
I'm really curious about this setup for our bedroom and maybe possibly for the living room (which is only 14 feet wide).
And if any of you guys have the Orcas stacked on a pair of BUF subs, that would be even more interesting to hear about.
Thanks,
Jim
Good stuff! Hey, if any of you guys who have the Orca/BUF sub combo and are using either the stereomour or se.e.x. amp with them tell us how you likee your setup?
I'm really curious about this setup for our bedroom and maybe possibly for the living room (which is only 14 feet wide).
And if any of you guys have the Orcas stacked on a pair of BUF subs, that would be even more interesting to hear about.
Thanks,
Jim
Grainger49
New member
Clark,
With my wood working skills/age your prototypes look better than anything I would cobble together. I do have a friend who might help me make something that looked good but I have to travel 3 hours to get to his house.
I would love to hear you speakers sometime! Anywhere around, Knoxville or Atlanta?
BTW, Doc's recommendation carries a lot of weight here. (Naturally!)
With my wood working skills/age your prototypes look better than anything I would cobble together. I do have a friend who might help me make something that looked good but I have to travel 3 hours to get to his house.
I would love to hear you speakers sometime! Anywhere around, Knoxville or Atlanta?
BTW, Doc's recommendation carries a lot of weight here. (Naturally!)
Clark B.
New member
Thanks!
Grainger: I have made some sales of stuff over the years down south, but it might be a little hard to track people down. What I can offer is a guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you do get a pair.
The website is starting to finally take shape to include all the things I've been working on past, present and future. I've been very busy between the orders in the shop this week and moving our apartment into a house (finally!) Our house will have a nice demo space in some weeks as well, which will really facilitate introducing people to the sonic magic of these single driver designs and doc's amps. I'll also cobble together a home theater system as well in some time - we've have had a number of people put them together with the Orcas and be really pleased.
Cheers!
-Clark
Grainger: I have made some sales of stuff over the years down south, but it might be a little hard to track people down. What I can offer is a guarantee that you won't be disappointed if you do get a pair.
The website is starting to finally take shape to include all the things I've been working on past, present and future. I've been very busy between the orders in the shop this week and moving our apartment into a house (finally!) Our house will have a nice demo space in some weeks as well, which will really facilitate introducing people to the sonic magic of these single driver designs and doc's amps. I'll also cobble together a home theater system as well in some time - we've have had a number of people put them together with the Orcas and be really pleased.
Cheers!
-Clark
Grainger49
New member
Clark,
So... where are you? (I didn't look too far up the thread, I'm being lazy.) I get to the North West coast about every other year. Sometimes I get a side trip. I'm assuming you are near Dan.
So... where are you? (I didn't look too far up the thread, I'm being lazy.) I get to the North West coast about every other year. Sometimes I get a side trip. I'm assuming you are near Dan.
Clark B.
New member
Had alot of fun at the Bottlehead meetup this weekend. So nice to meet everybody who came, Everyone had such interesting backgrounds.
I ended up bringing birch Orcas, caramelized bamboo Orcas and caramelized bamboo BUF Subs that we got to hear through the new SEX 2.1 which I have to say is a great acheivement. I've always loved the surprisingly stout, relaxed sound of my old SEX amp modded with Jensen PIO caps, alps pot and whatnot, but the 2.1 really ups the ante on resolution and bass response with the new transformers.
Jim Rebman's (really awesome) system that he was so kind to let us bring to the meet are these natural bamboo Nagas and natural bamboo BUF Subs that we got to power with a Stereomour. Jim actually sent me the Koa wood used for his front baffle plates. And woah! Amazingly gorgeous stuff that is just the right density for optimal sound with the Nagas. A new feature on his speakers is that they've got all brass, natural rubber, and gold plated hardware, standard on all models now. Even though the drivers only had 2 hours on them by the end of the night, they had a wonderful presentation already there. The combination had surprising upper volume capability, a bit stronger than my old paramours which is something I'm guessing is owed to the new transformers and other improvements. All in all, really great to hear some different combinations of things. I'm really falling in love with the Naga all over again with Jim's speakers. His have probably the best job I've done yet at properly destressing the cabinets during all the clamping procedures and it really shows in the final sound quality.
Also, a really nice guy (forgot his name) brought by some very intriguing 8" tangband widebanders - the ones with paper cones and neo magnets. He had them in a diy hinged open baffle and they were doing some intriguing things...
And of course, Dan's "Big Rig" speaker system was there running on all cylinders. Such awesome dynamics at high volumes.
Shawn got to help with a bunch of folks' amps, and there was some super nice master tapes being played through the Nagra rig - its the first time I've gotten to hear tape through my fostex designs. (got to hear plenty while at Feastrex though. I have to say, after a bit of hanging out in various friend's mastering studios over the years, the tape project cuts have gotta be some of the best tape audio quality I've heard. Such an acheivement!
Well, this is getting to be a long post about the meetup and I should let other people chime in. I'm really looking forward to future meetups! For instance, Its looking like Dec. 10th Dan and I are going to be throwing a meet, greet, drink and listen party at the Two beers brewery behind my shop in Sodo. More details will follow on that in short order as the plans shape up.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful time Dan, Eileen, and everyone who showed up!
-Clark
I ended up bringing birch Orcas, caramelized bamboo Orcas and caramelized bamboo BUF Subs that we got to hear through the new SEX 2.1 which I have to say is a great acheivement. I've always loved the surprisingly stout, relaxed sound of my old SEX amp modded with Jensen PIO caps, alps pot and whatnot, but the 2.1 really ups the ante on resolution and bass response with the new transformers.
Jim Rebman's (really awesome) system that he was so kind to let us bring to the meet are these natural bamboo Nagas and natural bamboo BUF Subs that we got to power with a Stereomour. Jim actually sent me the Koa wood used for his front baffle plates. And woah! Amazingly gorgeous stuff that is just the right density for optimal sound with the Nagas. A new feature on his speakers is that they've got all brass, natural rubber, and gold plated hardware, standard on all models now. Even though the drivers only had 2 hours on them by the end of the night, they had a wonderful presentation already there. The combination had surprising upper volume capability, a bit stronger than my old paramours which is something I'm guessing is owed to the new transformers and other improvements. All in all, really great to hear some different combinations of things. I'm really falling in love with the Naga all over again with Jim's speakers. His have probably the best job I've done yet at properly destressing the cabinets during all the clamping procedures and it really shows in the final sound quality.
Also, a really nice guy (forgot his name) brought by some very intriguing 8" tangband widebanders - the ones with paper cones and neo magnets. He had them in a diy hinged open baffle and they were doing some intriguing things...
And of course, Dan's "Big Rig" speaker system was there running on all cylinders. Such awesome dynamics at high volumes.
Shawn got to help with a bunch of folks' amps, and there was some super nice master tapes being played through the Nagra rig - its the first time I've gotten to hear tape through my fostex designs. (got to hear plenty while at Feastrex though
. I have to say, after a bit of hanging out in various friend's mastering studios over the years, the tape project cuts have gotta be some of the best tape audio quality I've heard. Such an acheivement!Well, this is getting to be a long post about the meetup and I should let other people chime in. I'm really looking forward to future meetups! For instance, Its looking like Dec. 10th Dan and I are going to be throwing a meet, greet, drink and listen party at the Two beers brewery behind my shop in Sodo. More details will follow on that in short order as the plans shape up.
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful time Dan, Eileen, and everyone who showed up!
-Clark
Attachments
Thanks for the kind words and double thanks for the pics! My camera was at HQ yesterday but I seem to have short term memory loss when it comes to taking pics at these events.
At the end of the day we fired up the Nagas one more time and played with room position a bit. Clark found a spot where they really came to life. Just amazing how he gets that much good sound out of those teeny little drivers. After everyone was gone we took one last listen to the Orca/BUF sub setup in the lobby. The lobby still has very primitive treatment, but again, when the speakers were moved a little closer to the front wall and into a more realistic home listening position they really came to life.
I plan to get the lobby properly treated and we are hoping to have a set of Orcas, Nagas and BUF subs running at BHQ in the future. And we're going to set Clark up with a Stereomour and a S.E.X. 2.1 that he can demo with on the Seattle side. That way folks will have a couple of different places to hear how nice our gear plays together.
At the end of the day we fired up the Nagas one more time and played with room position a bit. Clark found a spot where they really came to life. Just amazing how he gets that much good sound out of those teeny little drivers. After everyone was gone we took one last listen to the Orca/BUF sub setup in the lobby. The lobby still has very primitive treatment, but again, when the speakers were moved a little closer to the front wall and into a more realistic home listening position they really came to life.
I plan to get the lobby properly treated and we are hoping to have a set of Orcas, Nagas and BUF subs running at BHQ in the future. And we're going to set Clark up with a Stereomour and a S.E.X. 2.1 that he can demo with on the Seattle side. That way folks will have a couple of different places to hear how nice our gear plays together.
Thanks, Clark for the additional details on the Nagas, and also for the extra nice job it sounds like you have done on these. I'm really looking forward looking forward to how they're going to sound in my room.
Dan, great news on the BH/BUF gear swap, and one of these days there may be a place in Colorado where folks can also hear these combinations as well.
Just curious if the Nagas ever got a tur with the Paramounts and the new preamp. Of course I understand that things like this are a lot of work in the middle of a meet, so I'm guessing not, but would love to hear impressions of that setup someday too.
-- Jim
Dan, great news on the BH/BUF gear swap, and one of these days there may be a place in Colorado where folks can also hear these combinations as well
.Just curious if the Nagas ever got a tur with the Paramounts and the new preamp. Of course I understand that things like this are a lot of work in the middle of a meet, so I'm guessing not, but would love to hear impressions of that setup someday too.
-- Jim
Unfortunately we just didn't have time for all of the combos we would liked to have tried. Along with the things already mentioned the guys who have been involved in the low impedance OTL preamp project at various times wanted to hear a few of the variants we had around to get a point of reference, so that was something else we squoze into the short time we had. The complexity of my multi amp setup makes it pretty daunting to reconfigure stuff to run a standard one-amp-per-channel setup, as everything is wired for different impedances and it takes a while just to figure how to disconnect and re-rig everything, and then a while to get it back together the right way. But I'm sure we will get a chance to try the Nagas with Paramounts in the near future.
Clark, since you're a Feastrex distributor, can you tell us more about these drivers? Specifically, since your Fostex designs have had such good reviews here, what do you get more with the Feastrexes? I'm referring to the "entry level" models both with permanent magnets and field coils (I love field coils, you know?).
Also, do you think a small minimonitor/sub system such as that around your Orcas (or the Sexy speakers which seem to be of the same family not only because of the drivers but because of the philosophy as well) would be a good idea with these drivers?
thanks
Also, do you think a small minimonitor/sub system such as that around your Orcas (or the Sexy speakers which seem to be of the same family not only because of the drivers but because of the philosophy as well) would be a good idea with these drivers?
thanks
Clark B.
New member
Xcortes,
I'm so sorry I did not see your post until now. By some bizarre glitch in my browser cache it held an old page and I was wondering today if there had been any posts recently. Went out and then back into the forum and here was your post!
So indeed, the Feastrex drivers really are the cat's meow. The permendur field coils especially, Teramoto-san and Akiyama-san describe them jokingly, but effectively as "drugs without the delivery."
I'll mention up front, however, that I'm also not sure if they've ever truly shown well at audio shows in the US as nicely as I heard them in Japan. They can't be hurried. Often times, the drivers at the shows had only a few hours on them. (except for the Lotus group's "Granada" which received rave reviews).
My Oniyanma design is awesome, but I never got the chance to take it around the circuit of audio shows. One time I got the chance, family matters intervened. By now, I am ready to push the design (and envelope) further and am actually selling the original Oniyanma enclosures to help finance the next generation of RnD work to be done.
Over the course of my involvement with the drivers, I have heard Feastrexes in hundreds of settings and I've also heard (and built parts for) every model in their production line while I was an apprentice of theirs, including my own pair of drivers built from start to finish at the end of the apprenticeship. It was a true honor to work with those guys.
There are some idiosyncracies to the way one designs for these drivers, however. In some manners, they sound better in a cardboard box than a back loaded horn, (in my opinion). They have so much energy that to try to contain it is foolish. They'll make you hear deeper into the inner purities or impurities of the cabinet materials, to a degree no other driver has for me. (I've even owned a pair of the FE208ES-R). Feastrex, by comparison, makes deep excitation of the cabinet. It also "leaps" its sound into the room like none other. And so this is why it is a bad idea to tune them very low (and into the higher energy domain of cabinet wall excitation). Mr. Teramoto used to say that "If I was so interested in getting bass out of them, then concrete is a good option. Silly Americans..." But I (and Feastrex) like the tonality of wood, and especially the way that the Feastrex drivers positively interact with it when everything is truly done well.
I've never used the Oniyanmas with subs, but the next generation I will most likely explore some subwoofer options. Getting their best requires a similar approach to the way I tune my Orcas (to not stress out the full range driver by tuning it too low). Basically, in light of them not being advisable to be tuned super low, then indeed, some subs (20-60hz) would be awesome. Rythmik servos would be good, as would some nice field coil or alnico 15" woofers. GPA, Kilimanjaro, Goto, options as well.
Also, it is important especially to cut, clamp and assemble the cabinet with utmost respect to acheive a destressed cabinet environment. To do so requires prolonged processes on the tooling, run carefully, slowly, and "dead nuts on" (which among cabinet makers is a technical term
But yeah, definitely respectful to the requirements of every step to achieve good sound. To do any less is to blatantly disrespect the effort put into the drivers themselves.
In regards to the next generation of Feastrex cabinets being released, I'll mention that I do have something pretty exciting planned, but it will be into the new year before it is formally released...
Best,
Clark
I'm so sorry I did not see your post until now. By some bizarre glitch in my browser cache it held an old page and I was wondering today if there had been any posts recently. Went out and then back into the forum and here was your post!
So indeed, the Feastrex drivers really are the cat's meow. The permendur field coils especially, Teramoto-san and Akiyama-san describe them jokingly, but effectively as "drugs without the delivery."
I'll mention up front, however, that I'm also not sure if they've ever truly shown well at audio shows in the US as nicely as I heard them in Japan. They can't be hurried. Often times, the drivers at the shows had only a few hours on them. (except for the Lotus group's "Granada" which received rave reviews).
My Oniyanma design is awesome, but I never got the chance to take it around the circuit of audio shows. One time I got the chance, family matters intervened. By now, I am ready to push the design (and envelope) further and am actually selling the original Oniyanma enclosures to help finance the next generation of RnD work to be done.
Over the course of my involvement with the drivers, I have heard Feastrexes in hundreds of settings and I've also heard (and built parts for) every model in their production line while I was an apprentice of theirs, including my own pair of drivers built from start to finish at the end of the apprenticeship. It was a true honor to work with those guys.
There are some idiosyncracies to the way one designs for these drivers, however. In some manners, they sound better in a cardboard box than a back loaded horn, (in my opinion). They have so much energy that to try to contain it is foolish. They'll make you hear deeper into the inner purities or impurities of the cabinet materials, to a degree no other driver has for me. (I've even owned a pair of the FE208ES-R). Feastrex, by comparison, makes deep excitation of the cabinet. It also "leaps" its sound into the room like none other. And so this is why it is a bad idea to tune them very low (and into the higher energy domain of cabinet wall excitation). Mr. Teramoto used to say that "If I was so interested in getting bass out of them, then concrete is a good option. Silly Americans..." But I (and Feastrex) like the tonality of wood, and especially the way that the Feastrex drivers positively interact with it when everything is truly done well.
I've never used the Oniyanmas with subs, but the next generation I will most likely explore some subwoofer options. Getting their best requires a similar approach to the way I tune my Orcas (to not stress out the full range driver by tuning it too low). Basically, in light of them not being advisable to be tuned super low, then indeed, some subs (20-60hz) would be awesome. Rythmik servos would be good, as would some nice field coil or alnico 15" woofers. GPA, Kilimanjaro, Goto, options as well.
Also, it is important especially to cut, clamp and assemble the cabinet with utmost respect to acheive a destressed cabinet environment. To do so requires prolonged processes on the tooling, run carefully, slowly, and "dead nuts on" (which among cabinet makers is a technical term
But yeah, definitely respectful to the requirements of every step to achieve good sound. To do any less is to blatantly disrespect the effort put into the drivers themselves.In regards to the next generation of Feastrex cabinets being released, I'll mention that I do have something pretty exciting planned, but it will be into the new year before it is formally released...
Best,
Clark
Clark B.
New member
Hi all,
I've been meaning to put up photos from the party Dan and I threw a few weeks back. It was a blast.
However, until my camera battery is charged and I get some time out of the shop finishing orders, I only had time to put up a few teasers on my website's home page...Happy 2012!
-Clark
I've been meaning to put up photos from the party Dan and I threw a few weeks back. It was a blast.
However, until my camera battery is charged and I get some time out of the shop finishing orders, I only had time to put up a few teasers on my website's home page...Happy 2012!
-Clark
I put up some party pics on the Bottlehead Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bottlehead-Corp/112709328764825
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bottlehead-Corp/112709328764825
Time for a long overdue update on my Nagas...
Well, today, for the first time in my home, the Nagas came to life in a system that was about as new as one can get -- basically everything from the circuit breaker in the electrical panel to the speakers was brand new except that the speakers have had some time on them before they were shipped to me, and my Virtue Piano CDP has plenty of time on it -- everything else, amp, cabling, rack, was all new and thus my expectations were fairly low...
Man was I wrong! even though the Nagas are running at their full range (rolling off below 150 hz) and no subs connected yet, I heard some of the most satisfying and incridible music I've ever heard. Folks, these are some beautiful speakers -- and don't let those 3" drivers fool you into thinking these are shrill, honky, thin speakers -- they are not. They are warm, full, detailed, sound superb on all those difficult things such as pianos, female vocals, mass strings, etc. -- no trace of glare, nasties, resonances or shout anywhere and even without the subs, a very listenable and satisfying bass register.
Even quick and dirty first guess placement got me a huge coherent wall of sound in which I could not locate the drivers -- that in itself is amazing as it can usually take me weeks or months offine adjustments to get previous systems to that state.
Now as I bring the better sources online and things get more time on them, I'm sure this system is going to easily be the best I've ever had and right up there with the best I've heard.d and one of the best I've heard anywhere from a musical enjoyment perspective.
No regrets here and to prove it, there are a pair of Orcas en route to me now, and I just sent in payment for a second set of BUF subs -- this for my living room system.
Fan-tastic!
More as things progress...
-- Jim
Well, today, for the first time in my home, the Nagas came to life in a system that was about as new as one can get -- basically everything from the circuit breaker in the electrical panel to the speakers was brand new except that the speakers have had some time on them before they were shipped to me, and my Virtue Piano CDP has plenty of time on it -- everything else, amp, cabling, rack, was all new and thus my expectations were fairly low...
Man was I wrong! even though the Nagas are running at their full range (rolling off below 150 hz) and no subs connected yet, I heard some of the most satisfying and incridible music I've ever heard. Folks, these are some beautiful speakers -- and don't let those 3" drivers fool you into thinking these are shrill, honky, thin speakers -- they are not. They are warm, full, detailed, sound superb on all those difficult things such as pianos, female vocals, mass strings, etc. -- no trace of glare, nasties, resonances or shout anywhere and even without the subs, a very listenable and satisfying bass register.
Even quick and dirty first guess placement got me a huge coherent wall of sound in which I could not locate the drivers -- that in itself is amazing as it can usually take me weeks or months offine adjustments to get previous systems to that state.
Now as I bring the better sources online and things get more time on them, I'm sure this system is going to easily be the best I've ever had and right up there with the best I've heard.d and one of the best I've heard anywhere from a musical enjoyment perspective.
No regrets here and to prove it, there are a pair of Orcas en route to me now, and I just sent in payment for a second set of BUF subs -- this for my living room system.
Fan-tastic!
More as things progress...
-- Jim
InfernoSTi
New member
Wow, what a great treat for your first listen, Jim! Congrats on the new system....
John
John
That's great to hear! As the guy who talked you into them I was concerned since everyone has different taste in speakers. I agree with your description. The imaging from those "virtual point sources" is really impressive. They make my big old multiway system sound a little vague by comparison. I think vocals sound very real out of the Nagas too.
Clark has recently updated the Orcas after we talked a bit about the differences in sound between the two speakers and he says that they are now very close to the Nagas sonically. We're rearranging things at BHQ in conjunction with our flood recovery (which is taking forf***ingever, still bare sheetrock and no carpet in the hallway). Eileen has moved to the lobby area and the headphone listening station will be in the corner office with me. We will have a rig with some of Clark's speakers and a Stereomour playing in Eileen's room.
Clark has recently updated the Orcas after we talked a bit about the differences in sound between the two speakers and he says that they are now very close to the Nagas sonically. We're rearranging things at BHQ in conjunction with our flood recovery (which is taking forf***ingever, still bare sheetrock and no carpet in the hallway). Eileen has moved to the lobby area and the headphone listening station will be in the corner office with me. We will have a rig with some of Clark's speakers and a Stereomour playing in Eileen's room.
