Used SBL's ..... Holy Cow!
Posted by: JohnMak on 25 February 2004
I've just hooked up the SBL's - not set them up - just joined the wires from my Dynaudio 1.3SE's with Cellotape (I don't have any banana plugs), sat the SB:'s on the carpet - no spikes,
and of course no sealed gasket.
They're bloody fantastic, tight bass and superbly crisp .... takes me back to my old Isobariks. They cream the Dynaudio's for the kind of sound that I like anyway ...... and all this just running off two channels of my Sony 9000ES Home Theater amp. Mind you, I have had to turn the gain up from 9 o'clock for the Dyn's to 12 o'clock for the SBL's ..... I'm in love.
How could they sound properly set up and with a Naim amp??
I'm still a bit worried about their condition though. No spikes, the foam grilles are looking very droopy and I need to know how to reseal the gasket. Even in ugly black, the sound alone is soooo tempting.
and of course no sealed gasket.
They're bloody fantastic, tight bass and superbly crisp .... takes me back to my old Isobariks. They cream the Dynaudio's for the kind of sound that I like anyway ...... and all this just running off two channels of my Sony 9000ES Home Theater amp. Mind you, I have had to turn the gain up from 9 o'clock for the Dyn's to 12 o'clock for the SBL's ..... I'm in love.
How could they sound properly set up and with a Naim amp??
I'm still a bit worried about their condition though. No spikes, the foam grilles are looking very droopy and I need to know how to reseal the gasket. Even in ugly black, the sound alone is soooo tempting.
Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Martin D
Wait till you've set them up as per here:
http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/images/rebuildSBLs.pdf
From Mike Seas website, its what I've used to do mine in the past.
Martin
http://members.shaw.ca/mikesae/images/rebuildSBLs.pdf
From Mike Seas website, its what I've used to do mine in the past.
Martin
Posted on: 25 February 2004 by Robert Derwae
John:
Your reaction is identical to mine when I first heard my SBLs (which I purchased never having heard SBLs; just went on the consensus of this forum). I started out with a Nait 3 on them, then went to a 72/140/hicap, then a 72/250/hicap, then a 102/250/hicap and, finally what I have now, a 102/250/hicap/active system. The whole process took me 3-4 years, but now when I get my hands on a properly recorded CD...yikes. The sound quality is fantastic, especially if you like solid, controlled, realistic-sounding bass (not that oversold, flabby stuff that comes out of so many American speakers).
By the way, how is Vietnam these days? I lived in Bien Hoa and Can Tho in 1970 (guess what I was doing there?).
Your reaction is identical to mine when I first heard my SBLs (which I purchased never having heard SBLs; just went on the consensus of this forum). I started out with a Nait 3 on them, then went to a 72/140/hicap, then a 72/250/hicap, then a 102/250/hicap and, finally what I have now, a 102/250/hicap/active system. The whole process took me 3-4 years, but now when I get my hands on a properly recorded CD...yikes. The sound quality is fantastic, especially if you like solid, controlled, realistic-sounding bass (not that oversold, flabby stuff that comes out of so many American speakers).
By the way, how is Vietnam these days? I lived in Bien Hoa and Can Tho in 1970 (guess what I was doing there?).
Posted on: 25 February 2004 by JohnMak
Hi Robert,
I'm on the coast down in Vung Tau City - I think it used to be an R & R town for servicemen ..... now it's an R & R town for offshore oil workers. It's a great place but I've been here for 9 years now and the changes have been amazing in that time.
It is developing rapidly and there is a great amount of wealth about but sadly it is shared among very few people. The government is doing a great job trying to stamp out corruption but it will take a while because it is so entrenched at every level.
It's a great lesson in capatilism (which used to be a dirty word here, but now they could teach us a thing or two about it)as they had the Russians here for 30 or 40 years and the country was a poor-house. Now after 13 years of western capitalism, the country is booming.
If they would let foreigners buy houses here, I think I would stay forever. I love it.
I'm on the coast down in Vung Tau City - I think it used to be an R & R town for servicemen ..... now it's an R & R town for offshore oil workers. It's a great place but I've been here for 9 years now and the changes have been amazing in that time.
It is developing rapidly and there is a great amount of wealth about but sadly it is shared among very few people. The government is doing a great job trying to stamp out corruption but it will take a while because it is so entrenched at every level.
It's a great lesson in capatilism (which used to be a dirty word here, but now they could teach us a thing or two about it)as they had the Russians here for 30 or 40 years and the country was a poor-house. Now after 13 years of western capitalism, the country is booming.
If they would let foreigners buy houses here, I think I would stay forever. I love it.
Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Robert Derwae
John:
Yes, I remember that Vung Tau was the "in-country" R&R place, although I never knew anyone who went there. But I heard good things about it through the grapevine; lovely beach and all. On the one occasion when I was able to go where I wanted for a week (as a chaplain's assistant, I was between priests for a couple of weeks one time - perhaps I should rephrase that - and so I did what I wanted until the new guy showed up). A friend and I hitchhiked transport planes and flew from Can Tho to Saigon and then, after a few days, on to Nha Trang where a brother-in-law was stationed.
I also spent time in various small towns throughout the delta (generally driving or flying with the chaplain to remote posts for a quick service and a hasty retreat). I also remember driving a "deuce and a half" (a 2 and a half ton truck) down to some town on water in the southwest part of the delta (can't remember the name at the moment) to deliver a piano to an Army chapel. I remember feeling a fair amount of anxiety on that trip as we wandered around back roads guided only by meager instructions and best guesses.
But perhaps the best few days I spent in Vietnam were on an island called Phuoc Woc (sp?), in the South China Sea near the coast of Thailand. A beautiful, remote place that was a world apart (one didn't have to worry about mortar or rocket attacks on the island). There was a small garrison there; lucky guys.
In any event, I thought Vietnam and its people were lovely (those aou dais have to be the most alluring dress ever designed). It's too bad the country got caught in the crosshairs of the US when it was having one of its periodic bully fits; what a tragedy. I'm just glad I got out alive and that I got over my aversion to olive drab before I encountered Naim gear...
Enjoy your SBLs and Vietnam.
Robert
Yes, I remember that Vung Tau was the "in-country" R&R place, although I never knew anyone who went there. But I heard good things about it through the grapevine; lovely beach and all. On the one occasion when I was able to go where I wanted for a week (as a chaplain's assistant, I was between priests for a couple of weeks one time - perhaps I should rephrase that - and so I did what I wanted until the new guy showed up). A friend and I hitchhiked transport planes and flew from Can Tho to Saigon and then, after a few days, on to Nha Trang where a brother-in-law was stationed.
I also spent time in various small towns throughout the delta (generally driving or flying with the chaplain to remote posts for a quick service and a hasty retreat). I also remember driving a "deuce and a half" (a 2 and a half ton truck) down to some town on water in the southwest part of the delta (can't remember the name at the moment) to deliver a piano to an Army chapel. I remember feeling a fair amount of anxiety on that trip as we wandered around back roads guided only by meager instructions and best guesses.
But perhaps the best few days I spent in Vietnam were on an island called Phuoc Woc (sp?), in the South China Sea near the coast of Thailand. A beautiful, remote place that was a world apart (one didn't have to worry about mortar or rocket attacks on the island). There was a small garrison there; lucky guys.
In any event, I thought Vietnam and its people were lovely (those aou dais have to be the most alluring dress ever designed). It's too bad the country got caught in the crosshairs of the US when it was having one of its periodic bully fits; what a tragedy. I'm just glad I got out alive and that I got over my aversion to olive drab before I encountered Naim gear...
Enjoy your SBLs and Vietnam.
Robert
Posted on: 26 February 2004 by Stuart M
"I've just hooked up the SBL's - not set them up - just joined the wires from my Dynaudio 1.3SE's with Cellotape (I don't have any banana plugs), sat the SB:'s on the carpet - no spikes, and of course no sealed gasket."
When I got mine I thought the same - but sorry that (In my opinion) was psychological, different yes, better no – more music from a £100 pair of speakers. Listen carefully, my SBL’s were second hand and transported in their boxes and then plugged in - wow I thought all that bass (I had IBLs before) how can people say these are bass shy. But after a day or so on I realised that they did not work and play music, bass was all over the place and what had I done! They were all over the place, unrealistic and not good. So on I started on my quest of learning to set up SBLs. To cut a long story short, SBLs can be boomy, shrill, harsh, wet and must be set up and positioned well to work. For me if there is a tiny break in the seal in my set up they seem to suck the life out of female vocals but the midrange still sounds good on other recordings! They are they are very sensitive where they sit, on one side of the room spikes into cross head screws, another it took a couple of cheap paving slabs. But when they are setup and positioned right they can sing big time (OK the IBLs when driven by a 250 are stars in certain areas).
Iif your setting up the SBLs yourself. It’s not difficult but for me it took a few attempts, and a few practice goes (buy some spare sealant and practice on paper) helps, and you WILL need to do it more than once (i.e. if you move them you will need to re-do the seal). And if you forget the “washing up liquid” on the seal there is a special circle in hell ready and waiting for you ;-)
When I got mine I thought the same - but sorry that (In my opinion) was psychological, different yes, better no – more music from a £100 pair of speakers. Listen carefully, my SBL’s were second hand and transported in their boxes and then plugged in - wow I thought all that bass (I had IBLs before) how can people say these are bass shy. But after a day or so on I realised that they did not work and play music, bass was all over the place and what had I done! They were all over the place, unrealistic and not good. So on I started on my quest of learning to set up SBLs. To cut a long story short, SBLs can be boomy, shrill, harsh, wet and must be set up and positioned well to work. For me if there is a tiny break in the seal in my set up they seem to suck the life out of female vocals but the midrange still sounds good on other recordings! They are they are very sensitive where they sit, on one side of the room spikes into cross head screws, another it took a couple of cheap paving slabs. But when they are setup and positioned right they can sing big time (OK the IBLs when driven by a 250 are stars in certain areas).
Iif your setting up the SBLs yourself. It’s not difficult but for me it took a few attempts, and a few practice goes (buy some spare sealant and practice on paper) helps, and you WILL need to do it more than once (i.e. if you move them you will need to re-do the seal). And if you forget the “washing up liquid” on the seal there is a special circle in hell ready and waiting for you ;-)