To @hilde45, yep its been a fun journey searching out the low-key / affordable / lower cost builders who don’t pay for advertising and don’t appear at the shows. Referrals like a few mentioned on this thread seems to be how these cats like to operate, and want to keep it that way. We all can appreciate how this allows people to dip their toe into this hobby, not having to overspend to get started - and be able to experience and enjoy what it can sound like along the way.
In your case you were able to utilize reasonably powered tube amps that offer a variety of different tubes also giving you the ability to try several different speakers.
I was fortunate growing up with mentors and a number of builders, manufacturers, and store owners around me in NorCal which exposed different avenues and explorations with different types of components, speakers, and people who created careers and life-long hobbies and/or dream systems out of it all for themselves. Its been a lot of fun and interesting seeing and learning from all sorts of hobbyists too. Working, seeing, and being in/around speaker manufacturing for a while was a fun chapter too. None of that exist around here any more, unfortunately.
Hey Man, you are well beyond liftoff, you are exploring the low power efficiency stuff now which leads to other books and many chapters there too, enjoy!
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hilde45
Add me to the Aric Audio (Aric Kimball) fan club, as I own his Motherlode XL preamp and his Transcend "Push Pull" EL34 amp.....and that is an example of what I've learned from these threads. If I ever get to a "low powered amp", it'll be Aric's 300b or Don Sachs/Lynn Olson Blackbird monoblocks
I had never heard of Aric Audio, or CODA, or Buchardt Audio, or Don Sachs & Lynn Olson, Clayton Shaw, AntiCables, Supratek, Backert Labs, Zavfino, Atma-Sphere, and on and on.....many of which I own, or my friends own, and I hold in high regard.
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@yogiboy Thanks for the reference. Will take a look. Nice to be back. I was hitting social media overload and life was pushing all that stuff to the rear burner. If I'm on Agon, it means I have time to listen, which means that things are better. Take care!
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I own the Fritz Carerra BE’s. I talked to Fritz about the Carbon 7 to see if they would work better in my system. The BE tweeter seemed to be a little too detailed in my room with my electronics. He suggested giving them a try. I currently have about 15 or so hours on them. About the time the Carbon 7’s arrived, a tube in my preamp started making some noise and was replaced. I also bought a Galion amp that has been in my system for a couple of weeks. I have not had a chance yet to compare the speakers. The Carbon 7’s also seemed a little brittle in the upper mid range and treble. Will this get better with break in or could it be from the new tube? It’s a Shuguang Treasure CV181-Z. The new tube has approximately 25 hours on it. After I do a comparison, I will probably sell one of the pairs of Fritz speakers. Really like these speakers and would love to keep both pairs! Thanks for any suggestions or comments.
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@johnc5
First, I owned the Carreras, too, and my listening impressions agree with yours. I didn’t keep them and I also sold a pair of Salks with that same tweeter. It is unforgiving.
The Carbon 7’s also seemed a little brittle in the upper mid-range and treble.
I suspect your gear, here. I have run the Carbons with every possible amp I can try (including a very dry, powerful class D) and it never sounds brittle. You may be confusing it with the Carreras or it may be a tube or something else. I don’t think the soft dome tweeter on the Carbons is making that happen. My two cents.
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Could it be due to the speakers only having 15 hours on them. I’m using a Dehavilland tube preamp.
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@Hilde45 Thank you for initiating this informative post. I too have been steering towards the smaller designers/builders with help from this forum and some useful YouTube videos. I own the QS MidMonos and have had some very helpful tube discussions with Mike. He’s a class act. A few years ago I purchased from another small outfit, Zu Audio, and found their owner Sean Casey to be very available, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I kept his Dirty Weekends for 3 years, in a second system, and wondered how they sounded so good for so very little money.
Same goes for Clayton Shaw who has developed the wonderful Caladan speaker which, unfortunately, I plan to sell. The buying process for the Caladan’s was a forum post on Audiogon last year.
The best experience I have had buying from a boutique was with Greg Roberts at Volti Audio. During my evaluation of his speaker line-up he took me into his home in Baxter, TN. He and his wife Lori fed me, we conducted multiple listening sessions while sharing drams of his favorite beverage, he toured me around the twisties of Tennessee in his sports car, and he helped sell my Klipsch Belle speakers that I had ordered new and had been part of our family for 40 years (selling the Belles was difficult...emotional).
So, I am currently in the market for stand mounts in my smaller room to replace the Caladans and I see Fritz has multiple speakers, all about the same size and all in the same relative price range, if I am reading his website correctly. What is your assessment of each model with lower powered amps, and how did you end up with the Carbon 7s? I will certainly reach out to Mr. Fritz but I’m curious to get your input. The MidMonos will continue to drive my Volti speakers but I do own 3 other low powered amps (Pass XA25, SIT3 and Cary 300SEI) that I plan to audition with the new stand mounts in my smaller room. Thoughts?
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@johnc5 I don't think that's would explain it. Maybe you should call Fritz.
@whiteknee I know only the Carreras and the Carbons. From talking to Fritz, I know he is really focusing on the Carbons. I have powered both with my XA-25 (no problem) and with lower watt amps (tube amp with KT77 tubes). I've not tried the Carbons with even less power, alas. My guess is that the Sit 3 will run out of gas. I don't know the Cary. The Fritz do enjoy some power, though. When I hooked up at 300 wpc Class D amp they were really moving! But I think the mid-monos would do pretty well with the Carbons. I'd say call him. Super nice guy.
The Volti story is a hoot. I don't know how someone gets that kind of treatment and doesn't buy a speaker, in the end!
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@hilde45 Thanks for the reply. The Volti’s and the MidMonos are a match made in heaven in my big room. Couldn’t ask for more and a huge step up from the Belles in the low frequency and horn midrange dept. I’m in front of the system everyday streaming something that gets me involved in the music.
I forgot to mention earlier that I was also able to select my own unique “red gum” veneer from a diverse inventory of standard and exotic woods for Greg to use on the speakers. And then the first night I slept in a small bunk in the veneer/vacuum impregnating room in his shop only to be woken up the next morning by his crew and some not so quiet wood working tools. Surreal!
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I have spoken to Fritz several times over the past couple of years about his Carbon 7SE MK2's.(NEVER for SALE) and growing up with Muscle cars. For my second system, in a smaller room, 13x13' ATI AMP 6000- 2 channel,( a little known A/B BEAST) LA-4 Pre amp, Meitner MA1 V2 DAC, Audio lab Transport 6000, SVS SB3000 Sub, along with Qobuz. All I listen to is 60's 70's some 80's Rock and Roll. (will upgrade the transport sometime, funds allowing) But, unit still sound very good. (At least to my ears) His speakers just talk to me. They seem to offer my system a certain value between the ears that is just Nirvana. I have called him up a few time after listening to a session (bourbon included, BUFFALO TRACE, as I know someone will ask) and we have reminisced for awhile Music, his life and Cars of the 60's and 70's. Almost like talking with Bob Dylan. Fritz, just a shout out to say thanks for the speakers and the conversations. Robert TN
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Whiteknee
Which Volti speakers did you end up with? Greg's Lucera and Rival will be in the running for my next speaker, sometime in late 2025. I've got a friend with his Razz, and another with his Luceras......both LOVE them, and I am happy when they ant to get together for a listening session. The dynamics are something I've never experienced before, and work really well with lower powered Class A amps
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I love my Fritz speakers. That said, I live in southern Illinois, Baxter is ~5 hours away, on the way to western North Carolina where my son lives. Just may have to arrange with Greg to hear his Volti speakers one day.
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I bought a QS preamp at the end of last year. I had Cary SLP-98 F1, two Audio Research preamps, Schitt Kara, and others. The Cary is my favorite, but the QS is a very close second. No trouble using it in the best systems. If you consider price, it plays way above its weight.
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+1 @russ69 on both counts. What I really enjoy about my SLP98 is how you can run various vintage and new re-issue 6SN7s with interesting results. Also having an outboard power transformer, standby power-on, remote control, and dual Pre-Outs makes it nice for running multiple amplifiers and/or dual stereo subwoofers.
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@hilde45 Sorry I missed your follow up post. Thanks for taking the time to compare the Akitika to your Pass amp. As you pointed out, given the 10X cost difference, The Pass better have sounded better but it also sounds like the little kit amp did not embarrass itself. Sounds like your particular amp was really maxed out with nice upgrades! Did you build that? Let me know if you list it although I must admit, part of me wants to go back to my Dynaco days and custom build one myself.
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@corelli Sorry! Already sold it. I didn't build it. I did just buy a Dynaco ST-35 though ;-)
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Quicksilver has been one of my favs for a while but I have to give a shout out to Fritz Speakers. He read that I was looking for a small speaker and reached out to offer a trial of his speakers. Unfortunately I had already pulled the trigger on a different brand. just hours before . I appreciated his offer and will definitely keep him in mind in the future
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Hope everyone has a good 2025.
I am known to be a realist with the ability to stay hopeful under the grimmest circumstances, but it’s been waaaay worse than I could imagine.
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@hilde45 Interested in your purchase of the ST-35. Please post impressions in a separate thread when possible - I have a modified version running my Fritz Carbon 7s and am happy with the combination
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@burtlake That will be my next experiment -- ST35 + Carbon 7s!
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Hi Hilde! Been awhile... cool to see where you are with things now. Interesting about the be tweeters. I also like the soft domes or ribbons.
I'll check you systems page to see what you have now. I kind of quit posting for awhile but have had a bunch of stuff since our fritz days. Haven't talked to fritz forever either. I love Fritz! I hope he is well
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Hi Hilde! Been awhile... cool to see where you are with things now. Interesting about the be tweeters. I also like the soft domes or ribbons.
I'll check you systems page to see what you have now. I kind of quit posting for awhile but have had a bunch of stuff since our fritz days. Haven't talked to fritz forever either. I love Fritz! I hope he is well
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