Question for Act 2 series 2 owners

[Jordanmj]

Greetings all,
I just hooked up my equipment and there are some issues. I am trying to diagnose the problem. My question is, what volume level are you at when you are your primary listening volume. Let’s say certainly high enough to drive everything. I am somewhere around the high 60s. I am thinking that is too high.

[AnotherJohnson]

What’s your amp?

What speakers?

What’s your source?

FWIW, the ACT2 s2 has 20.5 dB of gain. This is low compared to many other CJ preamps.

FWIW 2, a volume setting of 60 is not close to the max gain of the maximum capability, but is in the middle. Depending on the amp’s input impedance, 60 is in an acceptable range. I’ve needed to go that high with some CJ preamps, depending on amp, sources and speakers.

[admin]

As AJ alluded to, there is no one "listening volume." It will depend on all the components output levels and speaker efficiency,... not to mention desired listening levels. If there is a lot of background noise then that would be a concern or very low output levels with phono input but not other line level sources. I have seen this most often happen with a poor turntable cartridge to phono preamp mismatch.

[Jordanmj]

Thank you everyone. There is definitely something not right.
Speakers are Magnepan 3.7i
Amp is CJ Art monos
The CJ act/2s2 pre
Sources are esoteric/antipodes into lampozator dac
Cables are good. -mid to high to end nordost

The problem:
There is like no low end. The high and mids sound very high pitch and very much mushed/blended together. There is very little detail. I had entry level Maggie’s and entry level cJ gear in worse rooms and they sounded a world better. I can’t figure out what the problem is. Thanks again I advance.

[admin]

Are we sure it's the ACT2?

I wouldn't worry about cables as a cable failure is pretty rare and would happen in one channel only.

Can you swap out components to confidently identify a potential failure?

Any recent move? Maggies can be very easily damaged with shipping. I had a bass panel failure on my 20.1's. Very annoying and it was as you describe, no low end. But to have both speakers damaged in the same exact way.... less likely but who knows?

If you think the issue is only in specific frequencies, a calibration mic and frequency sweep analysis could help confirm this issue. I can give suggestions on calibration mic and software if needed.

[roberto]

Hola,
When there is not bass at all, one of the speaker's cable is reversed. Check on both sides + and - from the amplifier and at the speakers. I am almost sure that your problem is a wrong polarity connection somewhere.

On the other side, you have a tremendous sound system. Congratulations!

Happy listening!

[AnotherJohnson]

Roberto is right. If one speaker is wired out of phase with the other, you will cancel out your bass. It is a good place to look.

[admin]

If it is a phase issue, you can easily diagnose it by muting one channel and the low end should come back (in the one playing speaker obviously) as the sound will not be cancelling. But an inspection of the speaker cable should give you an answer much quicker.

[Jordanmj]

Okay. Gosh darn it. The speaker cables were reversed. I swear I checked it. THNK YOU! Anyhow. It made some positive headway. The mids and highs still seem like they are layered a top of each other or blended. Not the legendary soundstage either which is why I went with Maggie’s in the first place. I’ll try resistors, tube traps are coming, idk. It’s not yet an enjoyable listening experience.

[admin]

Make sure positioning is correct. Maggies are ultra sensitive to this. Take care as to what is behind the speakers. If there is a wall behind one and and empty space behind the other, it's not going to sound good. If you really think there is a major frequency drop, a calibration mic would be the best tool to tell you that information objectively. The 3.7i's should be super clear and precise. There should be no sense of "blended" sound. If you can, try playing L and R channel alone (with one speaker muted), does it clear up or still muddy?

[Big Dog RJ]

I would check your setup in the flowing sequence:

1. Make sure your source components Interconnects are connected in the right direction from L to R to the ACT2.

2. Make sure the ACT2 outputs (*ACT2 has two main outs, use only one, don't mix across) are connected to the ART monoblocks in correct sequence from L output to Left monoblock input, and R output to Right monoblock input.

3. Make sure you reverse the polarity of your speaker cables (+ & -) at the speaker terminals on both channels, this is because the ACT2 inverts phase. At the amplifiers output terminals, connect the speaker cables as normal + & - going out.

4. Make sure the Maggie's speaker plates where the fuses are located for mids & tweeter are not blown. Blown fuses can cause distorted sound. Make sure both fuses are intact. There should be separate fuses for the midrange and tweeter. Check the fuses and replace with the correct type.

5. Check all your tubes! There are quite a lot of tubes in your system; the ACT2 has 4 6N30P's and each of your ART monoblocks has 10 tubes (8 output tubes and 2 small signal tubes) that's a total of 20 tubes for just the monoblocks plus add another 4 for the ACT2 and you have 24 tubes. Plus your Lampi Dac has tubes as well...

So you really need to check all these tubes one by one, for each component... until you come across something not right. You'll find it but it will take a while.

First follow the above connection procedure then make sure all the fuses are intact at the back plates on the maggies then check all your tubes.

Once you find the culprit, obviously attend to it and check on other areas as well, just to make sure everything is operating to spec. Also, don't forget to properly bias those output tubes, that's a total of 16 output tubes to bias!

This sort of system takes a while to set up properly, it requires careful attention and proper setup procedures. There shouldn't be any muddiness or problems in transparency and layering of frequencies, it should be crystal clear with great midrange, top end frequency extension and that wonderful ribbon bass... so there's definitely something not right.

*forgot to mention, regarding the Lampi DAC, some have more than a pair, and other owners have come across early tube failures... because the rest of the gear has so many tubes, it's difficult to find which components are playing up. So go over carefully one by one...

*one more thing very important: check if the ribbon tweeter is blown? If it's snapped in two across the entire length... check both speakers. When a ribbon tweeter is snapped, the speakers will still play even with fuses intact but sound exactly the way you're describing. If the tweeters are snapped, they need replacing!

Do let us know what you find and what caused it.
Best, RJ

[Jordanmj]

Update:
First off, thank you everyone for all your help. I think I have things mostly set. I think the system is 90% there. I will know more when some cable upgrades come in next week. I still need to upgrade power cables.
I am also not in love with the placement of the Maggies at the moment.
Picture added to systems page.

In trying to diagnose a crackling sound and trying to isolate its source I broke a tube for the lampizator dac. I replaced the stock 6v6s with KT120s and it seems as though the soundstage closed a bit towards center. I had to order the stock tubes from China. The lampizator North American distributor mentioned that everyone is raving about the kt170s and 300 a piece. I don’t know.

I am using the kt120s in the ART monos. Any suggestions on upgrades there?

Thanks in advance again
Jordan

[AnotherJohnson]

Regarding the crackling, it seems that this is nearly always associated with a twin triode in an early stage that is on the way out. You can try to isolate it by tube swapping, left to right. Or you can replace the twin triodes on the crackling side to see if that fixes it. If the latter fixes it, you can then try to find the problem by left to right swapping.

Electrostatics can cause crackling too. A good cleaning often solves the problem.

[admin]

I am also not in love with the placement of the Maggies at the moment.
Picture added to systems page.

Maggies are always difficult to place optimally. I usually say they are best at least 4-5 ft off the back wall and a good distance from the side walls as well. Your gallery seems to have a good setup. The only possibility is that the rear wave is going directly into a corner. Looks like you may have some acoustic treatments behind it to help but if they are directly pointing into a corner, that may be something to look at. But I find that it comes down to a lot of trial and error.

I am using the kt120s in the ART monos. Any suggestions on upgrades there?

The kt120's is what CJ recommends. Is there a specific attribute that you are trying to get out of the ART's that are not served well with the current tubes?

[AnotherJohnson]

Following on admin’s comment … there really aren’t any “up paths” from the KT120s. You can mess with a range of less stout KTs, down to the KT88. Maybe others. With some of these there are assorted manufacturers and vintages. Whether you like their performance better, is pretty much a case of personal preference. As for the KT120s, there is only one manufacturer and no serious vintage choices.

[Big Dog RJ]

Oh! So this is your setup. Ok, now I understand your situation with the low end missing...

There are too many parameters in such a complex system, especially when everything is tube based... Also the Esoteric has selected playback modes, you need to select the right mode and right filters. I've got the K07-Xs which has various levels of playback and a series of digital filters to choose from. These need to be properly set up, otherwise the sound can be mediocre.

Also, make sure your Lampi Dac is upto spec with the original tubes that are meant for the Lampi. Since you're most probably using the Esoteric only as a transport and going through the Lampi Dac... I would disconnect the Lampi and go Eso direct, just to see if things improve. If it does then your issue is the Lampi Dac!

Check those fuses on the Maggie's!

Are all four tubes (6N30P's) in the ACT2 working perfectly? Sometimes these can play up with excessive hiss and unwanted noises, which is exactly what I experienced with my ACT2, hence the main reason why I sold it.

Check the small signal tubes in the ART monoblocks, since you mentioned crackling noises... sounds like a twin triode either the 6N30P or the single triode M8080 is playing up...

Have you biased the output tubes properly in the ART amplifiers? If you were experiencing no low end detail and thump, perhaps it's time to change the output tubes...

Don't forget to check on the phase? Have you swapped both speaker channels? Not just one... this will not achieve absolute phase.

All the best, RJ