Here is my system. Mixture of modern and vintage equipment. Choice of solid state or tube sound, analog or digital. I like this sytem very much specially the speakers. I guess i'm a single-driver guy.
Tube output CDP with upsampler option and 7308 Siemens
Bent Audio NOH
Passive transformer-based volume control using S&B TX102. Nothing added or subtracted from the music.
Odyssey Audio Stratos
Stratos, silver face with cap upgrade.
Dynaco Stereo 70
St-70 fully rebuilt with Welborne Labs mods. Highly musical St-70 compared to 2 others (modded) I previously owned.
Bob Brines Design Fostex FT2000
Single driver speakers using the highly regarded Fostex 200A drivers in a folded transmission line. Also using Fostex T90A tweeters.
Fully Loaded back Horn Fostex 168EZ Sigma
DIY backhorn using the 168 EZ sigma drivers in the Fostex recommended horn.
Acoustic Zen and DIY MKII and unamed
The AZ is the MKII copper version and my other ICs are all DIY using silver wires and solid coppers. Eichman plugs and cardas rhodiums are the connectors of choice
Acoustic Zen/Purist audio Satori/Museaus
The Satori is 10ft in lenght with banana terminations while the Museaus is 3 meters with bi-wire configuration on the speaker side terminated with spades
Virtual Dynamics Power1, 2 and 3
Very quiet power cable. Very stiff too!
McIntosh 1700
A receiver used as a tuner. Tube-tuner with SS preamp and amp.
Teres Audio 160
Lead-filled platter and base. Battery powered with upgraded wood clamp. Origin Live Illustrious arm with AT OC-9 cartridge.
K&K Phono SE
Hybrid tube phonostage, transformer coupled.
Tribute Step-Up Transformer
Cobalt-Core step-Up at 1:10 ratio
Nuforce Reference 8b
Analog switching monobloc wonder.
ATI AT-6012
12 channel Ss amp with 6 zones and adjustable level control for each zone. 60 watts/channel of clean power.
Linkwitz Lab Orions
3-way with active crossover utilizing Seas tweeters and mid drivers and a pair of Peerless 10 inch woofers in puss pull configuration. Open baffle design.
Paul, I asked Bob for the cut-outs. I really think it will take a lot of time and precision to built or duplicate what Bob can do. I however, built and designed the stuffing, braces and other minor things like how the round baffle should join the front baffle of the cabs.
I tried my FT2000A with an 8-watt SET, 12 watt 6Bq5 amp, 40 watt PP amp and 22,40 and 150 watt SS. The speaker will work on all of the mentioned amps but like what Bob mentioned, these babies really need about 30 watts for you to hear what they can really do. About the bass, just to illustrate an example, I used to have a 2 way speaker with 2 Scan Speak 8545 per. We all know how legendary the bass response and force of the Scan Speaks but they are no match with the single Fostex 200 in Bob's box. Your chest will thump with the bass slam these babies can produce. off course it depends on the BSC. The more you increase the Fb resistor in the BSC, the greater the bass response. Yes, I'm endorsing using the BSC designed by Bob. I tried numerous configurations, numerous amps, positions and cabling using the FTA2000 without the BSC but they always sound thinner and shoutier without it. May this be of help. Godspeed.
Hi Doc. I did see the pics of your system before. How hard was it to build the FT2000A cabinets? I remember reading somewhere that you have built them. What amp do you drive them with and how much of a bass are you getting? Do you feel that 10 watts or 9 watts 300B power are enough? Are you using correction circuitry with them?
