Happened to have a spare T-Amp? An Ipod? A single phase motor? read on...

If you happened to have all the three of the above, you can actually do THIS!.
I am curious if this thing really work or not but heyyy, this is DIY! :D
It is good to know that someone's grey matter can be working 'outside the box'. Not an easy or usual thing to do but I guess we DIYers have this capability when we are short of 'things' if you know what I mean.. ;) We can be very resourceful !
For all intents and purposes, at least this might give us an idea to something else..
Who would believe a T-Amp to drive a motor! LOL.

DIY- The best so far...

DIY turntable and tonearm!
Have been thinking about this since my Systemdek II was out of action a long while back.
Buying new turntable, a really audiophile grade is financial suicide! LOL. Hard to explain to the missus too! ;)

I got this link from diyaudio.com

Have a look!

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-35189.html

Man! If only I have the time, money and energy.. ;)

Safety - An interesting read.

I got the link from diyaudio.com
Eventhough the article was written with tubes application in mind, we can take a point or two about hazard and safety when working with mains operated equipments. I had a fair share of being shocked while doing my DIY stuffs. Safety is paramount, let's be safe and alive to enjoy the fruits of our passion and labour!

The link: http://www.justradios.com/safetytips.html

Ramblings and another T-Amp!

If you have noticed, I've put up a new flag counter. The old flag counter went 'kaput' some time last week. That link was from "webseomasters" and their server seems to be 'dead'.. there goes my data and I have to start all over..

Earlier I wanted to puchase a LEPAI amp.- a Tripath TA2020 chip based amp. You might be aware that I have the 'smaller' power TA2024. Currently the 'supplier' of the LEPAI amp is waiting for new stocks to arrive...

This is an interesting read from some LEPAI user that did some modifications to the unit.. There's also a thread at diyaudio.com..

Here's the link: http://ta2020.huuryuu.com/index_e.html

Despite all the stuffs I got last week, there were absolutely NO progress whatsoever either the VSPS or the LDR volume control.. I am in this 'not in the mood' mode for DIY for the time being.. I may start with the PSU for the VSPS. Building a PSU is always my favourite past time.. we'll see how it goes...

GALE3030 - Further listening impressions

The Gale was set up in another system consisting of a Technics SU-V7K (80W RMS per channel) amplifier. Source are lossless files played by a PC and digitally decoded by an external DIY DAC, PCM58.

Compared to the Monitor Audio R252 that was in the same position, the sound is much much more neutral with well controlled and defined and extended bass. No subwoofer was used as the earlier setup was using one. Details were excellent albeit a little laid back sound stage! With louder volume, the overall sound does not 'shriek/shout'like the R252.. Then again, its no comparo.. the R252 is a bookshelf!
The 3030 is just like a well behaved 'gentlemen'.. That much I can say. It takes the pounding without much resistance and hesitations. Honestly will NOT induce 'fatigue' with long hours of listening pleasure...

Picture shows the size comparisons between the two floorstanders.. BTW, I got the 3030 at almost half price I paid for the RTL3! In terms of overall performance, if the RTL3 is a BMW M5, the 3030 would be the 3 series equivalent..

The Gale is currently being evaluated by Junior.. wait for the final conclusions!

GALE3030 Listening Impressions

I just had about an hour worth of listening with the GALE.
I'd say it's a 'smaller' version of my RTL3. Nice and sweet midrange and top. Sound stage was excellent and a very vivid depth! The bass if compared to the RTL3 is not overwhelming and sufficient for the complete enjoyment of the music. However the lower end were a bit 'woolly' probably because it is not on the spikes. The spikes was not installed as I do not want to scratch my well polished broken marble flooring!
Picture shows the GALE taking the place of the RTL3 position. Source was from a DIY CD transport using an IMATION CDRW drive with drive controller digitally feeding an Audio Alchemy's Digital Decoding Engine v1.1(DAC) powered by my DIY STK hybrid amplifier with a buffer preamp. All interconnects are DIYed including speaker cables.
I would have agreed with the second reviewer on the speakers being suitable in a 'small' room. But do not be misled the term 'small' and the size of the speakers! For a small speakers it sure sound BIG/HUGE! Reminds me of the ProAc Tablet speakers...

More later... need to hear more music on this baby.. ;)

GALE3030 Speakers

The latest HiFi gadget I just bought, a pair of GALE3030 speakers! Not new but a very good condition used unit. Picked up from the owner's house this afternoon. A YAMAHA AV amp was thrown in for 'free'! This is the third pair of speakers in my possession after the Monitor Audio R252, and TDL Electronic's RTL3. All of these are british made speakers! They don't make speakers like they used to, eh? ;)

Some description from the Net:
These finely tuned floorstanders are designed to give a deep, punchy bass, without compromising the sparkling treble response. And, boy do they sound good.

Features of the Gale 3030 include:
Nominal Power - 100 Watt RMS
Frequency Reponse - 39 Hz-20,000 Hz
Sensitivity - 90 dB
Impedance - 8 Ohm
Magnetically Shielded
Bi-amping
Woofer Material - Paper
Woofer Size - 5.5"
Tweeter Size - .98"
Indoor
Mounting - Floorstanding
Exterior Color - Black, Brown

REVIEWS:
1. "Reviewed by gary gilbert on 26/01/2008
As every ones ears, like their taste in food differ! i think i have a great taste in speakers. so three years ago`ish i visited my favorite sweet shop for grown ups! and sampled their wares. i was looking for a slim pair of speakers to fit nicely in my bed room. listened to the gale 3030s and knew straight away they were just right. i paired them up with a pair of missions i also use and the sound is excellent! from jazz to classical even dance music. these speakers are powerful enough and smooth enough for anyones taste! i have owned quite a few pairs of speakers over the years and these are precise, tight and the base is just right. i admit the missions are a bit too bassy when the volumes up! but these gales are more refind and balance my system out quite nicely. i think these 3030 gales are well worth every penny the £150 i spent! but as i say we all have different taste!"
(4 STARS)

2. "Reviewed by Angryman on 24/06/2006
I've had these for over a year and i cannot get over at how good they sound. Bass, Trebble, Mids... these speakers can produce it all at an affordable price in a nice compact package perfect for Bedrooms or smaller rooms. Will not shatter your windows as they distort at loud volumes but for my liking they are loud enough and the sound quality allows me to appreciate every style of music. Highly Recommended, except for really large Rooms.
(5 STARS)



The 'soft dome' tweeter.. high frequencies sound good on this... ;)

The single woofer (as opposed to two on my current RTL3). Not a huge unit, but I guess it would be sufficient.. we'll know when I test it tonight!

The back showing the terminals for biwiring/biamping.. note the missing metal connectors. Need to 'manufacture' 2 pairs so that I can test/audition the speakers tonight!