jt1stcav Posted April 3, 2005 Author Share Posted April 3, 2005 So far, it hasn't been an issue here either. All 3 cats seem to know when the system's powered up and show no interest in those hot glass bulbs! I have found lil' wet spots on top of my 300Bs where Sammy's cold wet nose has made contact when she sniffed them, though...maybe she's already learned her lesson while I was out of the room. Just once... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted April 30, 2005 Author Share Posted April 30, 2005 As brothers often do, we three sometimes make purchases that we like so much that older gear will often sit idle until we swap them out from eachother's systems and try them out in our own. While my one brother was using a pair of '98 Zephyr II 2-way towers from Triangle Electroacoustique, he stumbled across an entire timbre-matched home theatre setup from Definitive Technology on Audiogon for only $1200 that he couldn't pass up! BP10B towers and associated center (huge) and bipolar surrounds that look like new and sound mint...just what he was looking for! My other brother had a pair of KEF Coda 90 2-way towers that for whatever reason he grew tired of and later sold. He used the Triangles for a short time, but was quite interested in the Athena Technologies AS-F2 towers I just bought to replace my Cornwalls in my small room. He asked if I wanted to trade loudspeakers for awhile just to see how the AS-F2s would sound with his HT setup (he already owns Athena's S.5 satellite monitors and matching center/surrounds and is quite pleased with their performance). So we agreed...and if we weren't happy we'd simply switch back. Well, it's been over a month, and the French made Triangles are STILL hooked up and singing proudly in my music room! These discontinued 2-way towers (retailed at $1200/pair when new) are remarkable with 8 watts of SET power...at only 91dB efficiency, they sound much more powerful, especially with my favorite pipe organ recordings. They're only 3' tall and weigh a little over 30 lbs. each (much smaller than my Athenas). Their cabinets are sturdy 3/4" MDF but with a plain black satin vinyl cladding (blah); the slightly curved front baffle is reddish-brown and quite attractive (almost looks like real wood veneer), and houses a 1" titanium-dome tweeter with a dispersion faceplate (sorta horn-like), and a 6" impregnated paper-cone woofer with a folded-paper surround similar to the Cornwall's (and Triangle manufactures all their own drivers...cool). Their cabinets are ported near the bottoms for better bass response (I think), and they're biwirable with chunky brass binding posts that'll easily accept the 11 AWG Canare Star Quad 4SII speaker cables I'm using again (bought 'em cheap from some dude on AudiogoN who called them "Orbeck Stratti" several years ago). These floorstanders can handle up to 150 WPC and are rated at only 45Hz-20kHz +/-3dB, but I swear even with my 300B amp's lowly 8 WPC, these cellulose woofers put out a punchier bass response than does my Athenas at a 10Hz lower rating! Maybe it's also due to the Zephyrs being a 4 ohm load, or to the network's 5kHz crossover point...whatever the case may be, bass response is definately more noticable, more neutral, and more pronounced with these lil' 6" paper woofers, as opposed to the F2's dual 8" polypropylene woofers! Amazing 32' organ pedal reproduction; as good if not slightly better than my Cornwalls! If I keep these, I may still want to try a deep, powerful subwoofer someday for the lowest octave...wonder which Klipsch sub that'll go down to 20Hz would mate well with the Zephyrs? These loudspeakers are so easy to drive with my SET amp; even with their lower sensitivity rating, dynamics didn't seem compressed at higher volumes. The Zephyrs have very good imaging and soundstage IMO (not like RB75s or other bookshelf/minimonitors), but I have noticed that while seated in my sweet spot, the sound tends to stay a little close to the ground...they sound better when I'm seated on the floor! There is an air and clarity about them; they're fast and precise, which reminds me of my old Magnepans. And they're extremely dynamic and musical, especially with female vocals...they even sound much bigger than they really are. They'll play loud, too; up to 90dB and more before any noticable clipping occurs...SWEET! I'd still like to eventually own a pair of Klipsch RB75 monitors on tall sturdy stands (and a deep sub) for this small room...I think I'd achieve the best imaging and soundstage with this type of arrangement. Unfortunantly, I'm still broke with debt out the whaazoo, so if I decide to keep the Triangles (and my bro wants my Athenas indefinately), this will be by far the best sound I've ever achieved in this room with any amp and loudspeaker combo thus far. Soon I'll post pics of the Triangles with my system...The Zephyr IIs may not be Klipsch, but they're even better to my ears than were the Athenas in this little room IMHO! I think an even swap is in order! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 7, 2005 Author Share Posted May 7, 2005 The more I play these Zephyrs, the more I appreciate their realitively high 91dB sensitivity...my 8 watt SET amp seems to really make 'em sing, even at a nominal 4 ohm load. If I had a flea-powered 3.5 watter or less, I don't think the Zephyrs would be a good match sonically. I can't play 'em stupid loud like I could my Cornwalls, but they'll perform nicely at over 90dB without strain or compression. The doughnut shaped, one piece(?), anti-resonant horn-like phase plug that surrounds the 1" titanium-dome tweeter is no Tractrix, but it does seem to project a wide dispersion like a horn IMO. Thank goodness they're not sizzlers...in my small room I really appreciate the soft-sound from tubes, all the while the Zephyr's tweeters are astonishingly crisp, clear, and defined. And the paper-cone bass/midrange driver with its pleated paper surround is awfully fast, tight, and full-bodied; it'll move when playing 32' organ pedal bass notes, even though it only reaches down to 45Hz! I still sit in open-mouth amazement when I hear low D of the 32' Contra Bombarde playing through these 6" woofers at over 90dB...damn if these low notes don't sound almost as good as the 15" woofers on my Cornwalls! I wonder what a better 300B output tube from KR Audio or Emission Labs would do for my bass response instead of my current 300BC Shuguang graphite-anode? I do miss the lowest bottom octave, though; a subwoofer is still up for debate. I don't really miss the Athenas anymore...the Zephyrs really are the ticket for this room. I can see now why this model from Triangle was listed in Class C of Stereophile's Recommended Components for 2000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 7, 2005 Author Share Posted May 7, 2005 Did a Google search on the Triangle Zephyr just to read up on some reviews (all very good, BTW), and came across this extremely fine Zephyr...and I thought these loudspeakers were sexy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrot Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 That's a beautiful kitty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Thanks, Paul...she's a sweety...uh, which one are you referring to? My kitty below, or the one in the pic above? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 jt1stcav I gotta give it to you, this has got to be the longest surving thread on this entire board. This was your original post date... 2/2/2003 6:57:40 PM It's like the enegerizer bunny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 13, 2005 Author Share Posted May 13, 2005 Thanks, m00n...it keeps on going, and then fizzeling, and then going, and then dwindeling away, and then going again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 I'd like to see Ze fur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 14, 2005 Author Share Posted May 14, 2005 Wouldn't we all, Gregg... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted May 14, 2005 Share Posted May 14, 2005 It keeps going because he keeps getting different equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 14, 2005 Author Share Posted May 14, 2005 Too true, Marvel...LOL! Just wait until I either buy a pair of RB-75s and a Klipsch or SVS sub, or I finally relocate my system to another larger room and resurrect my beloved Cornwalls (damn, I do miss listening to 'em)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 22, 2005 Author Share Posted May 22, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 22, 2005 Author Share Posted May 22, 2005 Just received in yesterday's mail a carton containing a pair of matched 2003 TJ (Tianjin) Full Music 300B/n mesh plate anode globes to replace the BEZ's original 2003 Shuguang 300BC graphite anode output tubes (won 'em on eBay). Popped them in and after a 30 minute warm-up period noticed a cleaner, more natural sound! There is absolutely NO hum coming from the Zephyr's tweeters, plus these balloon globes are way cooler looking (gotta take new pics real soon)! Didn't think I'd hear much of a difference...what a pleasant surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted May 22, 2005 Share Posted May 22, 2005 ---------------- On 5/14/2005 8:01:56 PM jt1stcav wrote: Too true, Marvel...LOL! Just wait until I either buy a pair of RB-75s and a Klipsch or SVS sub... ---------------- I reckon an RSW12 would be a match made in heaven with a pair of RB-75's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Lemme guess Jim, a nice rich robust sound? I'm using 2A3W/5930's now. I still have the 2.5 volt TJ solid plate 300B's, but one is kinda wanked. I may try another cathode/filament stripping....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 23, 2005 Author Share Posted May 23, 2005 I dunno how robust my TJ 300B/n are since they still need to burn in, Mike, but straight out of the box they do seem to sound better than my Shuguang 300BCs. Does the TJ's mesh plate anodes and balloon globes add to the improved sonics over the Shuguang's solid graphite anodes, or is it all crap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 "Does the TJ's mesh plate anodes and balloon globes add to the improved sonics over the Shuguang's solid graphite anodes, or is it all crap?" Who knows...a guy would have to compare. Run thje TJ's for a week, then swap back to the Shuguangs. That should give a idea between the sonic differences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 29, 2005 Author Share Posted May 29, 2005 Finally, the latest pics of my system with the new TJ 300Bs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted May 29, 2005 Author Share Posted May 29, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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