Just a little more follow up...
I have been able to try some different amplification over the last few days with these speakers...
First off there is a bloke on AVSA classifieds advertising his Audionote clone and Nelson Pass DIY aleph3.
Well it did sound good with more resolution than the Arcam Alpha 8r integrated that I am now using. The amp definitely tightened the bass up a bit. Did it do enough to make me wanna immediately raid my account of R7000.00. Nope. Not at this stage of the game. Working for myself makes income less than steady and winter months are always lean. Maybe if he had caught me 6 months ago and I was feeling flush I woulda done it. That said the difference was there and I will definitely be watching the F5 build threads closely (
http://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,9346.0.html ). The audionote clone looked lovely!!! If anyone is in the market I can recommend the combo and to top it all Jozua the seller is a real audionut!!!
After that I borrowed the JVC A-X7 from Andre (
http://www.avforums.co.za/index.php/topic,9289.0.html ). This amp offers real beef at 90wpc. Again the bass was more controlled than the arcam and the detailing was good (slight edge over the Arcam but not at all volume levels - the Arcam excels at late night listening low level playing). The price for the unit is peanuts (even in lean winter months) but is it that much better that I will take a walloping on the domestic front (the amp is a low WAF beast in comparison to the Arcam) and forgo a remote. Nope. Nice but no cigar...
This experimenting has given me ideas for the future... These speakers definitely like more juice... Then again it might just be a case of better amplification configurations (since the Aleph 3 is only 30wpc but does have a higher damping factor)...
I have grown fond of these speakers... On the finish front the Woodoc 10 + Wax is holding up well. I was concerned as I heard a few first hand horror stories from guys saying their woodoced woodwork was bone dry after six months. Mine are not. That said, once I make those grills within the next month I will probably remove the drivers again and give it another wax+steelwool once over. Another concern of mine was the solid oak front baffle. Again, many horror stories of shifting warping solid wood baffles. The elements have thrown all sorts at the cabs now and they are holding up fine with minimal (negligible) movement. What I think might of helped is that I laminated 6mm MDF onto the back of the baffles.
BTW. they are also on Troels builders report section of his site:
http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Maja_Jacques.htmpss. I am not French despite the name... I always blame Jacques Brel
