Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

I posted PMC DB1i then deleted it, after seeing where you have them. The port for the TL is at the back.

They are amazing little speakers

Cool, there’s a set on eBay right now. Nearly everything this size is rear ported for the sake of packaging. I can slide them forward when I’m having a proper session leaving about 300mm if space behind.

You want the + or the i (supposedly) as the tweeter is better.

A friend of mine bought KEF LSX after they liked my LS50s (but wanted something smaller) and i think they sounded excellent

I’ve got a hankering (and space) for some floor standers. Never really considered selling these but...

Mini Fonken based around a Fostex FE127e full range driver.

https://www.planet10-hifi.com/fonken.html

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They look great. So they’re a kit you built? I like the ‘high spouse approval factor’ bit of the blurb.

What would they set me back?

Appriciate it's a bit off-topic, but can anyone offer any suggestions on getting HDMI CEC/ARC to work properly?

Telly is a Samsung QE55Q7FAM and it's connected to a Yamaha RX-V673. Turning on the TV switches on the receiver ok but 90% of the time ARC doesn't work initially, I have to switch the receiver off and on again before it gets any audio. Even selecting the ARC input manually doesn't work, which suggests it's the TV not acually outputting anything. CEC behaves similarly, in that the TV remote doesn't control the receiver volume until the receiver has been power-cycled.

Recently swapped the generic HDMI cable for a specific 'high-speed' one in the hope that would improve things, but hasn't made any difference.

Most frustrating thing is that it has worked more reliably in the past, and still - occasionally - does now. Am left with the impression that this stuff is just generally flaky and I'll have to live with it.

A totally different setup but I had problems connecting my Cambridge Yoyo to my tv via the HDMI ARC when I first got it - was just as flaky as you're describing, could not get it to play through certain inputs & even then the volume sync was fucked - eventually solved it by disconnecting every single possible connector & power lead and leaving it for a while, then connected everything back up before switching it all back on again, started working perfectly - no lag, nothing, switches perfectly every time I change source now & volume sync is back - dunno what was up but that seemed to work.

The more I think about it the less I’m inclined to sell them actually - sorry for the carrot! You could make a pair yourself...

I just used the plans for the enclosure, built them from solid 20mm oak. I’m thinking about taking the drivers out and building the floor standing versions, though not sure how much more bass I’ll get just from a bigger box.

No worries. That's some lovely joinery!

I have a version of these : http://www.geocities.ws/rbrines1/Pages/FT-1600_MkII/Main.html

Fostex FE167e drivers - no longer available though....

Have you looked at back loaded horn designs?
For example:
http://www.madisound.com/pdf/fostexcabs/168ez_enclrev.pdf

I definitely would be trying a pair of active near-field monitors rather than hi-fi speakers for what you need here.

Thanks all for the suggestions, I think I've found a winner, the Dynaudio Emit M10. Pretty much the same size as the MA Bronze 1s but seemingly highly regarded for their detail. Found an ex-demo pair on a deal too.

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BLH are interesting, though the simplicity of the Fonken mkII floorstanders is very appealing. Could probably knock them up in a day.

Thanks for the suggestion. Thought I had everything turned off when I replaced the HDMI cable but will have another go and try giving it a few minutes. Stupid stuff.

there’s not a soft surface anywhere.

I hate to be that guy (again) but if you want detail, hard surfaces are not your friend!

Looking at your photo, is there any scope to get the speakers up higher? Wall mounted maybe? At least then the tweeters have a chance to get to your ears directly... That cabinet overhang is probably doing all sorts of weird things.

Yeah I’ll take the kitchen cabinets down and start collecting takeaway menus.

Edit: Sorry to sound so facetious. I do need to be pragmatic about this, any alterations have to make the system suit the room, the opposite is not an option.

Not suggesting a remodel, just wondered if there’s space to wall mount (where cabinets aren’t), which has the added bonus of freeing up countertop space. Bringing the speakers forward (out from right under the overhang) might have a positive effect - especially with rear ported cabs, as you mention.

Position-wise it’s not too bad as it goes. I slide the boxes forward to the front of the worktop when I sit at the table where the tweeters are right at ear height. Bass wasn’t boomy with the bigger speakers and the detail was lovely. The smaller ones (which are from the same series, just the smaller version) sound much less controlled, the bass does bloat a bit and the instruments blur together more. Having listened to both it seems that the big ones had some redundancy, they just did their thing in a relaxed fashion. It’s a no replacement for displacement thing but the little guys had a retail price 10 years ago of £200.00, so I reckon (hope) moving up a couple of price brackets for the same size units should get me sound at least as good as the £250 bigger boxes.

Turns out that Sonos are cunts. Totally fucked us over.

Agggggh

Some advice needed please: I'm upgrading my home hifi. I want wired speakers in two separate rooms. A single amp, with enough power to drive two sets of speakers , I already have a pair of Dynaudio audience 52 for the lounge, but need some small wall mounted speakers for the kitchen. A streaming device with Bluetooth, Alexa integration, that can be connected to NAS. Not keen on Sonos for the streaming . Probably looking at mid range prices ... Any suggestions please?

With the bricking?

are active speakers plus chromecast an option for the kitchen?

A question: if I invest in time and money into ripping my CD collection, am I going to listen to it?

I ask because I'm 3/5 of the cost of getting a brennan B2 and I'm all of the cost of getting an smsl amp which I can connect a Chromecast to.

Was thinking that last night as well.
I can't quite believe it. Especially with the price differential between the "old" kit and the new range. My "old" Play:5 cost me new half of the RRP of the current model.
All I'm asking is for the controller app to still work with my device in 10-15 years time. Seriously I have no intention or need to upgrade. And the sound is pretty good as it is.