My audio system has gone through quite a bit changes in the last few months. I wanted to simplify my system – no tubes, no mono blocks ore even separate pre/power amps, just a solid state integrated amplifier. Not that I don’t like tube amps. They sound great, they are fun and looks cool (actually hot). But I found that I have listened less and less music because I couldn’t bother to turn on the valve amps, worrying that I may forget to turn them off when I am distracted by the kids. It would be nice to have a solild state system that I can just turn on in the morning and turn off at night – no big deal if I forget to turn it off. Continue reading →

Now I have lived with the Pi speakers for over 3 months, and I can say I am really happy with it. The soundstage feels very real and natural, not exaggerated. I find that I do not need to concentrate on ‘audiophile qualities’ such as imaging, soundstage etc anymore, but rather, on the music itself. Just like listening to live music, you won’t try to locate where the musicians/instruments are on the stage, they are ‘just there’. Continue reading →

After two months of hard work, I have finally completed my first pair of DIY speakers – the 3 Pi. Interestingly, it is also my first high efficiency speakers – they are rated at 98dB. I really love to write about them here but at the moment I am too busy enjoying the speakers – and tidy up my mess around the house. So I will leave the details out but in summary, I am happy with it. Not as fine and smooth as my Merlin TSM, but it is very well balance, and very detailed and open midrange. It is less accurate than the Merlin but heaps of fun. Below shows a couple of photos of my DIY 3pi as a preview. I still need to house the crossover probably but I am not too fuzzy about it at this stage.