Blumenstein Ultra Fi
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Grainger49
New member
Not to take anything away from Clark, but how tall are the stands? I'm aiming at having the speakers at the height of my old and ailing ears.
Here's a link to a video of the presentation that Clark and I gave a few weeks ago. You can see the Orcas on the stands:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F9Odr1w80I7k&h=4AQFalDEJAQFS71gt9DpAXG6XL2bUYC2G8Y6vvQJBQfRMTw
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F9Odr1w80I7k&h=4AQFalDEJAQFS71gt9DpAXG6XL2bUYC2G8Y6vvQJBQfRMTw
Clark B.
New member
Hi Y'all, sorry for the delay there. Have been very busy in the shop catching up after some minor foot surgery last week (so happy to have a full recovery!) and Molly has been putting together a major website update which will give the stands their own page and own photo set. Furthermore, I loaned out my Orcas on stands before I had a chance to get some photos of them a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting them back today. Will have some shots tonight.
The stands we're making are 25" tall with the Orcas sitting on top of that. This puts the driver height at 32" high. These are $400/pr. I know, not a cheap stand, but we realized during prototyping that the Orcas really needed to be done proper justice with our own stand model or we should just not make one at all.
The stands are a mass loading type - a several layer thick chunk of in house laminated bamboo panels - edge grain matched - something that we can easily offer because of our unique machining processes. This hunka burnin love is much heavier than it looks, but not grossly overdone. They are polished to the same 600 grit as the Orca. The bases and tops of the stands are detachable and they physically screw into the bottom of the Orcas (also detachable if need be). I tried alot of methods here, and as it turns out, a physical coupling gave the Orcas the best sound, and took the stand's sound out of the picture. They can also be fitted to existing Orcas via a drill bit, marking template, and instructions that we can include at no extra charge. I can't wait to get some good pictures of them.
Some more details to come soon (hopefully as soon as tonight), and thanks so much for everyone's support and patience! It means so much to Molly and I that we are actually able to be kept just that little bit "beyond" busy in our woodshop
Its been really fun lately making so much dust.
-Clark
The stands we're making are 25" tall with the Orcas sitting on top of that. This puts the driver height at 32" high. These are $400/pr. I know, not a cheap stand, but we realized during prototyping that the Orcas really needed to be done proper justice with our own stand model or we should just not make one at all.
The stands are a mass loading type - a several layer thick chunk of in house laminated bamboo panels - edge grain matched - something that we can easily offer because of our unique machining processes. This hunka burnin love is much heavier than it looks, but not grossly overdone. They are polished to the same 600 grit as the Orca. The bases and tops of the stands are detachable and they physically screw into the bottom of the Orcas (also detachable if need be). I tried alot of methods here, and as it turns out, a physical coupling gave the Orcas the best sound, and took the stand's sound out of the picture. They can also be fitted to existing Orcas via a drill bit, marking template, and instructions that we can include at no extra charge. I can't wait to get some good pictures of them.
Some more details to come soon (hopefully as soon as tonight), and thanks so much for everyone's support and patience! It means so much to Molly and I that we are actually able to be kept just that little bit "beyond" busy in our woodshop
Its been really fun lately making so much dust.-Clark
FYI...picture of Orcas on stands now on the Blumenstain website.
http://blumensteinultrafi.bigcartel.com/product/stands-for-orcas
http://blumensteinultrafi.bigcartel.com/product/stands-for-orcas
Natural Sound
New member
GlenW said:
Very nice, thanks for the link. I notice that the "complete systems" page has been stripped down though.
Tom,
I think there is just some shuffling and web page redesign going on, plus now with the stands there may be another full system option -- thinking something along the lines of 1 sub and 2 orcas on stands, and probably more that I don't even know about.
It really is just Clark and now Molly too, and things have got pretty busy lately.
-- Jim
I think there is just some shuffling and web page redesign going on, plus now with the stands there may be another full system option -- thinking something along the lines of 1 sub and 2 orcas on stands, and probably more that I don't even know about.
It really is just Clark and now Molly too, and things have got pretty busy lately.
-- Jim
Clark B.
New member
Grainger49 said:
Grainger, The Orca driver sits 32" of the ground which should generally do it for most people while they are relaxing back, eyes shut on most couches. The Orcas also have excellent high frequency and bass dispersion characteristics, so they are not nearly as sensitive to room placement as is typical for full rangers. It all works out well too because we are able to get 2 pair of them per cutting sequence with our saw method. They are edge grain matched making it not a totally straightforward task to cut and align the 5 layers of the plywood, but we like the look alot and it lets us flex our muscle a bit with the capabilities of our equipment. Its actually alot of bamboo that goes into them, and the stuff ain't cheap so we have made them just as big as they need to be without getting to a point of diminishing returns for unnecessary added weight/height.
Will have some photos of a natural set soon as Jim Rebman's get glued up today.
Cheers man!
-Clark
Grainger49
New member
Clark B. said:
Clark,
Thanks for the detailed reply. In my "Maxell Man" position in my La-Z-Boy recliner, reclined, my ears are about 38" above the floor. That is, just evenly spaced between the tweeter in my Zerius speakers and the super tweeter augmenting my hearing loss sitting on top of the Zerius speakers.
And this is, of course, the reason for asking. I would need a 6" booster seat, I think.
BTW, since I have been accused of it so often the Maxell Man poster is framed on my listening room wall.
randy@matrixq.com
New member
Grainger, I'm also a big fan of the "Maxell Man". I have the same poster framed above my bottlehead gear in my listening room. That iconic poster has been the symbol for serious listening for as long as I can remember. To me, it is not only nostalgic, but is sums up what the room is all about very nicely.
One of the best and most memorable ads I can think of and they didn't even place the product in the picture. Instead, they placed the picture on the product. I have several sealed Maxell cassette tapes that have the image prominently placed on the packaging.
I haven't yet been accused of actually being the Maxell man but it's probably just a matter of time.
You have great taste, Grainger.
One of the best and most memorable ads I can think of and they didn't even place the product in the picture. Instead, they placed the picture on the product. I have several sealed Maxell cassette tapes that have the image prominently placed on the packaging.
I haven't yet been accused of actually being the Maxell man but it's probably just a matter of time.
You have great taste, Grainger.
Curious, What configuration are the stereomour/orca users using for the stereomour - 2a3 or 45?
The speakers look beautiful, bamboo is such a great choice - I was going to veneer some DIY PI-2 Towers in bamboo - a friend helping me build them had suggested a natural bamboo with a caramelized stripe, If i ever finish I'll post pictures . . . based on the reviews around here and their beautiful aesthetic, i might just pick these up instead ;D The fiance might agree to have these just sitting out in the living room as oppose to the small coffins I'm currently building.
The speakers look beautiful, bamboo is such a great choice - I was going to veneer some DIY PI-2 Towers in bamboo - a friend helping me build them had suggested a natural bamboo with a caramelized stripe, If i ever finish I'll post pictures . . . based on the reviews around here and their beautiful aesthetic, i might just pick these up instead ;D The fiance might agree to have these just sitting out in the living room as oppose to the small coffins I'm currently building.
Grainger49
New member
Randall,
Thanks, from one Maxell man to another.
Thanks, from one Maxell man to another.
Hi Sean,
I think most would opt to use the 2a3 -- that is what I'm doing with mine (stereomour still under construction), but in a small space the 45 could work too as it has approxcimately the same output power as the s.e.x. amp -- though that isn't all there is to take under consideration).
I've got a new 3 watt single ended el84 amp arriving on Friday and you can bet that that will get connected to my Orcas with dual subs very shortly after it arrives.
As for the speakers, bamboo does look nice )at least I'm pretty partial to it), but in the Orca, it plays a far more significant role than just appearance and I assure you that a veneered MDF Orca could never sound anything like a bamboo ply one. The material of the cabinet, as well as paints, coatings, and veneers can all effect sound pretty significantly. Even people who have heard the older, baltic birch ply version of the Orca and the bamboo version say the bamboo is a real step up. Of course, if you've followed this thread, Clark has made some changes to his original design or the Orca and now uses a different finishing product and I got the first of these new models with the new finish, and I have to say that they sound simply amazing regardless of their size. Again, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Evrybody I've recommended them to now who has gone ahead and bought a pair is amazed and elated with their performance, and none of these folks has anywhere near full break-in time on them. Being a veteran of breaking in many, many fostex drivers I can also say that it is no exaggeration that something very special happens after 400 hours of break-in time and when you get there you will absolutely know it.
Good luck,
Jim
I think most would opt to use the 2a3 -- that is what I'm doing with mine (stereomour still under construction), but in a small space the 45 could work too as it has approxcimately the same output power as the s.e.x. amp -- though that isn't all there is to take under consideration).
I've got a new 3 watt single ended el84 amp arriving on Friday and you can bet that that will get connected to my Orcas with dual subs very shortly after it arrives.
As for the speakers, bamboo does look nice )at least I'm pretty partial to it), but in the Orca, it plays a far more significant role than just appearance and I assure you that a veneered MDF Orca could never sound anything like a bamboo ply one. The material of the cabinet, as well as paints, coatings, and veneers can all effect sound pretty significantly. Even people who have heard the older, baltic birch ply version of the Orca and the bamboo version say the bamboo is a real step up. Of course, if you've followed this thread, Clark has made some changes to his original design or the Orca and now uses a different finishing product and I got the first of these new models with the new finish, and I have to say that they sound simply amazing regardless of their size. Again, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Evrybody I've recommended them to now who has gone ahead and bought a pair is amazed and elated with their performance, and none of these folks has anywhere near full break-in time on them. Being a veteran of breaking in many, many fostex drivers I can also say that it is no exaggeration that something very special happens after 400 hours of break-in time and when you get there you will absolutely know it.
Good luck,
Jim
Deborah,
Yes, that is true that the caramelized is a bit harder than the natural but I can't yet tell you how significant the sonic difference is, but the natural is a bi8t warmer and may have a bit more depth of tone and the caramelized a bit more dynamic and neutral -- but we're not tlaking huge differences here.
My Nagas are natural and my orcas caramelized but the Nagas have much more time on them and are in a completely different system and a treated room, so it is not a good comparison. My new Orcas that are coming will be Natural and after I get enough time on both sets of Orcas it will be easy to compare them, though in all honesty I expect the differences to be pretty subtle.
I think most people are simply choosing the look they like more than anything as the room and front end gear are likely to have a much greater influence on the sound.
HTH,
Jim
Yes, that is true that the caramelized is a bit harder than the natural but I can't yet tell you how significant the sonic difference is, but the natural is a bi8t warmer and may have a bit more depth of tone and the caramelized a bit more dynamic and neutral -- but we're not tlaking huge differences here.
My Nagas are natural and my orcas caramelized but the Nagas have much more time on them and are in a completely different system and a treated room, so it is not a good comparison. My new Orcas that are coming will be Natural and after I get enough time on both sets of Orcas it will be easy to compare them, though in all honesty I expect the differences to be pretty subtle.
I think most people are simply choosing the look they like more than anything as the room and front end gear are likely to have a much greater influence on the sound.
HTH,
Jim
Clark B.
New member
Grainger, So glad you chimed in with the Maxell man reference! That's one of my favorite pieces of HiFi art. Particularly impressionable to me when I was a little kid making beastie boys and Jane's Addiction mix tapes (sure shows my age, I know!)
If you need some added HF reinforcement then we could work a method to get them taller, but still mass loaded effectively as the stands do. We could either angle them a few degrees upwards for you (easy) Or, for some extra money to cover the bamboo, we could make them physically taller.
One note is that to toe them in pointed directly at your ears will get you the flattest, strongest HF presence in the mix. They kindof work like a stationary set of headphones in that case. I totally understand your listening requirements btw, everyone has their own set of ears to please to be sure. I actually got into HiFi originally (more than the quoted ten years ago) because of my interest and study of the mechanisms behind hearing loss after a brush with a month of solid tinitus after a rock concert when I was young. It went away, and I "never did THAT again..." but the concern over maintaining my hearing put it in my mind that I should start thinking about how I might help peoples' health with my engineering tendencies. And it turns out that a more "pleasant" set of overtones will cause less hearing loss than a more "ragged" sounding set, given the same volume level (I wish I remember where I found that article...). But in either case, it made me realize that I needed to start listening to higher fidelity equipment, because of all the music listening I was doing at the time.
And yes I really have to echo, Jim's comments that everything really does matter. Molly has been putting together an article about our approach to construction on the new website that should paint a much clearer picture of why it is that we build small speakers that you wouldn't know are small unless you opened your eyes to look at them.
I actually wore my TJ 45 tubes out during the development phase of the Orca and Jim is being really kind to be sending me some NOS ones to try out as well. Also, I'll be picking up a set of EL 45s to mess around with pretty soon here because they were also Terry Cain's reference tubes in his Electronluv monoblocks. And man, did those things sound good!
So suffice it to say that the 45 does work with the Orca, its just that I haven't heard them recently. Also, in time we'll be picking up a set of JJ 2A3s which are supposed to be very fine sounding as well.
And Sean, indeed, the Orca was designed as a crossover product in so many ways - they are well made and fun to listen to so they can serve as excellent "mean-time" speakers until a big project is finished up... but they also might find themselves assured living room residency in either case.
My stereo system before I met Molly was actually the PA system I was putting together last year before it sent off to our client, who at the time was the CEO and founder of Etsy.com. I was serious with this project. It took a year to conceive, build and fully tune, and I even rented a space in the industrial district that I could live in and test with loud music legally 24/7! To give you an idea, there were many hours spent adjusting and designing it while I was wearing hearing protection But funny enough though, besides an RTA, I was actually using a set of Orcas and subs as my reference speakers to tune this PA system's fully programmable phase, eq, and crossover slopes. It was really cool to be able to get the two totally different systems sounding so similar to each other, just that the big one got louder. So much louder...
But oh right! Back to my wife... When Molly and I married it was clear that, while she loved the sound of the PA system I was building she was not quite willing to take the leap to live in the industrial district of south downtown, Seattle with me so that another one could be built and tested. So we moved into her place in Belltown and brought the Orcas with us. Several larger speakers were given a shot as well. I should preface this by saying that Molly is a VERY patient and understanding woman, so she was even open to the idea of a pair of Thrashers with my FE166ES-R drivers in them (which sounded great, but didn't quite allow us to walk all the way around the room without loosing the high frequencies or be able to understand the lyrics while listening at background volume levels. But after a while, as more evenings were being spent with our eyes actually closed, sitting back and enjoying the music, she (and I) had to admit that we came to prefer the sound of the Orcas with or without the Sub to whatever else I was able to cook up. They just sounded better, so we kept them.
But back to the Maxell Man, gosh am I looking forward to being able to being "blown away" by 45 tubes again soon!
Cheers,
Clark
If you need some added HF reinforcement then we could work a method to get them taller, but still mass loaded effectively as the stands do. We could either angle them a few degrees upwards for you (easy) Or, for some extra money to cover the bamboo, we could make them physically taller.
One note is that to toe them in pointed directly at your ears will get you the flattest, strongest HF presence in the mix. They kindof work like a stationary set of headphones in that case. I totally understand your listening requirements btw, everyone has their own set of ears to please to be sure. I actually got into HiFi originally (more than the quoted ten years ago) because of my interest and study of the mechanisms behind hearing loss after a brush with a month of solid tinitus after a rock concert when I was young. It went away, and I "never did THAT again..." but the concern over maintaining my hearing put it in my mind that I should start thinking about how I might help peoples' health with my engineering tendencies. And it turns out that a more "pleasant" set of overtones will cause less hearing loss than a more "ragged" sounding set, given the same volume level (I wish I remember where I found that article...). But in either case, it made me realize that I needed to start listening to higher fidelity equipment, because of all the music listening I was doing at the time.
And yes I really have to echo, Jim's comments that everything really does matter. Molly has been putting together an article about our approach to construction on the new website that should paint a much clearer picture of why it is that we build small speakers that you wouldn't know are small unless you opened your eyes to look at them.
I actually wore my TJ 45 tubes out during the development phase of the Orca and Jim is being really kind to be sending me some NOS ones to try out as well. Also, I'll be picking up a set of EL 45s to mess around with pretty soon here because they were also Terry Cain's reference tubes in his Electronluv monoblocks. And man, did those things sound good!
So suffice it to say that the 45 does work with the Orca, its just that I haven't heard them recently. Also, in time we'll be picking up a set of JJ 2A3s which are supposed to be very fine sounding as well.
And Sean, indeed, the Orca was designed as a crossover product in so many ways - they are well made and fun to listen to so they can serve as excellent "mean-time" speakers until a big project is finished up... but they also might find themselves assured living room residency in either case.
My stereo system before I met Molly was actually the PA system I was putting together last year before it sent off to our client, who at the time was the CEO and founder of Etsy.com. I was serious with this project. It took a year to conceive, build and fully tune, and I even rented a space in the industrial district that I could live in and test with loud music legally 24/7! To give you an idea, there were many hours spent adjusting and designing it while I was wearing hearing protection
But funny enough though, besides an RTA, I was actually using a set of Orcas and subs as my reference speakers to tune this PA system's fully programmable phase, eq, and crossover slopes. It was really cool to be able to get the two totally different systems sounding so similar to each other, just that the big one got louder. So much louder...But oh right! Back to my wife... When Molly and I married it was clear that, while she loved the sound of the PA system I was building she was not quite willing to take the leap to live in the industrial district of south downtown, Seattle with me so that another one could be built and tested. So we moved into her place in Belltown and brought the Orcas with us. Several larger speakers were given a shot as well. I should preface this by saying that Molly is a VERY patient and understanding woman, so she was even open to the idea of a pair of Thrashers with my FE166ES-R drivers in them (which sounded great, but didn't quite allow us to walk all the way around the room without loosing the high frequencies or be able to understand the lyrics while listening at background volume levels. But after a while, as more evenings were being spent with our eyes actually closed, sitting back and enjoying the music, she (and I) had to admit that we came to prefer the sound of the Orcas with or without the Sub to whatever else I was able to cook up. They just sounded better, so we kept them.
But back to the Maxell Man, gosh am I looking forward to being able to being "blown away" by 45 tubes again soon!
Cheers,
Clark
