What audio stuff do you use to listen reggae?

[Max]

Since all of you play lots of juicy reggae, I'm sure you all have your personal champion sound at home - and I want to see it! I'm expecting some Super Scoopers, Mostec preamps and dub sirens... or just some fun hifi stuff. Post away!

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This year I built my first two pairs of speakers for the [Fostex FE166En](http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs ... E166En.pdf) 6.5" full-range driver.

The first pair I built was a TQWT very similar to, if not exactly, [these](http://www.bonavolta.ch/hobby/images/audio/tqwt1.gif) plans. They sound great in my opinion. Nice punch and the bass goes surprisingly deep but is not out of control, however lack sharpness in the tops. Great for rub-a-dub! [Real life photo](http://i.imgur.com/I8gzoBd.jpg). (The color is not the one I aimed for...)

I just finished the second pair. They are ["angular spiral" speakers](http://i.imgur.com/0UKHfQz.gif) designed with the same driver in mind. The bass is much more constrained and the rest is more or less unchanged. I can crank up the volume and get a bit more out of the tops without irritating the neighbors, though. Still sound pretty good, but not for the roots and culture.

My power amp is a [SMSL SA-36a Pro](http://www.amazon.com/SA-36A-TPA3118D2D ... B00JXCEDGS), $50 Chinese T-Amp, and I use a cheap ($25) Chinese tube headphone/preamp, model Little Bear P2-1.

[Siegi]

Luxman L10

[Lick It Back]

see www.lickitback.co.uk

[I-Lion Tafari]

Rotel pre-amp pimped by Wollenweber
Rotel power amp
Dynaudio Audience 70 2way speakers
T + A speaker six cables
Rega Planet CD
Technics tangential rec. player + phono pre-amp
ProJect rec. pl. with Goldring Eroicia system plus Heavenly sound silver cable
Technics 2 x 12 band eq
Behringer dualfex
Sony tape deck
Philips CD recorder
Van den Hul nf cables + Oehlbach cables


.....@Max: Those Fostex remind me of Lowther drive units I used to run in ancient times...)

[vlad]

Klipschorn + thorens124

[Max]

Nice to see some replies! You people have some very fancy equipment.

@ Lick It Back: Wow! What kind of enclosure are those V-Rocket, Active and Tip-A-Tone sound boxes? They look like some simple kind of bass-reflex enclosure. Fantastic that they are still around.

@ I-Lion Tafari: Yes, they have a similar look but the Fostex ones are cheaper and newer. I have no idea how they compare in sound, though.

I tried to figure out how old the Fostex model is, but can't find any info. All I know is that there was a previous model, FE166E, which is pretty much the same speaker, and that Fostex started making speakers in '73. Lowthers have been around for a looong time!

@ vlad: That's quite a setup. I hope you have more things to listen to than crackly JA pressings.

[Lick It Back]

V Rocket is JA 50's - one full range speaker within simple letter box porting. Great sound- I play 78's on it as well. Goodman's Axiom speaker

Actives are Mids and typical sixties set up with Tubby's being a very early reflex ported bass bin, with two mid's and horns.

Tip-A-Tone is UK with 18" bass bins, with letter box porting. Large specially made 10 KT 88 value amp.

I like the old hand made and painted stuff before technology took over in the 1980's...and it all got professional..

[Max]

Thanks for the info. Do you know why they used hardwood for speakers? MDF wasn't invented until the mid sixties, but there must have been some alternatives like plywood.

[Karlson style](http://img.canuckaudiomart.com/uploads/ ... _4168c.jpg) enclosures were popular for PA stuff back in the day. Do you know if they were ever used by reggae sounds?

[Lick It Back]

Kalson: no - no money!
The quality of wood is important to provide resonance and also not flex and bounce. Older boxes in JA were hard wood but in UK cheaper wood - that needs strengthening as speakers got more powerful.

I have attached my Tip-a-Tone sound at the Nottingham show: as you can see an add collection of amps and the like. One amp was found in a skip by a Hospital - where it had powered the scanner..which was being upgraded.
In the early 80's cheaply manufactured kit took over and the hand built era died out...

http://www.nae.org.uk/

[DarkDeepRed]

Technics SL-1200 MK2/Ortofon
Ecler Hak 380 Mixer
Yamaha P2100 power amp
Tannoy T125 Speakers