My Mac now plays the Blues
I should really apologize for my approach: first I use the SB 36 and SB 18, which are really intended for music, to build a home theater, and now I’m turning around and using the SB 15 home theater boxes just for music. Why is that? The SB 36es are still great, but most of the day they’re just in the wrong room. I should have the music in my home office, I kept thinking – but in that case, I might as well have the Blues class. The SB15 made the cut because they are just a couple of liters smaller than the SB 18. After a couple rounds of email, my decision was quickly made. Visually, I like the smaller tweeter for the normal AB 15. My old AV receiver provides a powerful enough drive, and its D/A converter also processes the signals from the Mac with proven high quality.
This time I didn’t take any pictures of the assembly process – as a wise man once said, gluing seven boards together with joint glue shouldn’t be a hard puzzle for anyone – but instead limited myself to the finish. My desk didn’t require a sophisticated wood finish, but rather practicality and a lighter color, since it was close to the window. White boxes are actually easier to create with MDF and endless priming and spackling orgies, but I found some white stain at the hardware store and tried it out on a scrap of multiplex wood. The result was very encouraging: the white stain doesn’t emphasize the wood grain as usual, but it also doesn’t completely cover it up. The cut edges of the MPX are a little less obvious, and you can still see that the boxes are made of real wood. I rounded off the vertical edges with the router, and after staining them I rolled three coats of my favorite stair and parquet paint onto the boxes. All of that went fast with the little boxes. I probably spent a total of one working day on the assembly, interrupted by the drying times, once I had come home from the hardware store.
BeiDuring my first test listen, I found the presentation of the little SB 15 almost ridiculous: crystal-clear highs and – I couldn’t believe my ears – fairly deep, precise basses made it feel almost like I was sitting on the stage. Since then, Norah Jones has often seemed to be sitting right on my windowsill, but there is also room for complete rock combos with large bass drums, and every day I enjoy the very high precision of these little squallers more and more. Why had I put the much bigger SB 36es in my living room in the first place? I quickly found the answer when I put the SB 15 next to them for comparison. In the bigger room, from a greater distance, the basses got lost, and the precision and airiness also suffered from the countless reflections in the room. At the same time, the SB 36 was much more assertive here. Still, after several weeks of listening, I still think the SB 15 is nearly optimal when it comes to listening at close range from my desk. Blues class for the PC? I’d do it again in a heartbeat – the manageable extra price is absolutely worth it. Thanks once again to everyone for your support and above all these wonderful boxes.
I should really apologize for my approach: first I use the SB 36 and SB 18, which are really intended for music, to build a home theater, and now I’m turning around and using the SB 15 home theater boxes just for music. Why is that? The SB 36es are still great, but most of the day they’re just in the wrong room. I should have the music in my home office, I kept thinking – but in that case, I might as well have the Blues class. The SB15 made the cut because they are just a couple of liters smaller than the SB 18. After a couple rounds of email, my decision was quickly made. Visually, I like the smaller tweeter for the normal AB 15. My old AV receiver provides a powerful enough drive, and its D/A converter also processes the signals from the Mac with proven high quality.This time I didn’t take any pictures of the assembly process – as a wise man once said, gluing seven boards together with joint glue shouldn’t be a hard puzzle for anyone – but instead limited myself to the finish. My desk didn’t require a sophisticated wood finish, but rather practicality and a lighter color, since it was close to the window. White boxes are actually easier to create with MDF and endless priming and spackling orgies, but I found some white stain at the hardware store and tried it out on a scrap of multiplex wood. The result was very encouraging: the white stain doesn’t emphasize the wood grain as usual, but it also doesn’t completely cover it up. The cut edges of the MPX are a little less obvious, and you can still see that the boxes are made of real wood. I rounded off the vertical edges with the router, and after staining them I rolled three coats of my favorite stair and parquet paint onto the boxes. All of that went fast with the little boxes. I probably spent a total of one working day on the assembly, interrupted by the drying times, once I had come home from the hardware store.
BeiDuring my first test listen, I found the presentation of the little SB 15 almost ridiculous: crystal-clear highs and – I couldn’t believe my ears – fairly deep, precise basses made it feel almost like I was sitting on the stage. Since then, Norah Jones has often seemed to be sitting right on my windowsill, but there is also room for complete rock combos with large bass drums, and every day I enjoy the very high precision of these little squallers more and more. Why had I put the much bigger SB 36es in my living room in the first place? I quickly found the answer when I put the SB 15 next to them for comparison. In the bigger room, from a greater distance, the basses got lost, and the precision and airiness also suffered from the countless reflections in the room. At the same time, the SB 36 was much more assertive here. Still, after several weeks of listening, I still think the SB 15 is nearly optimal when it comes to listening at close range from my desk. Blues class for the PC? I’d do it again in a heartbeat – the manageable extra price is absolutely worth it. Thanks once again to everyone for your support and above all these wonderful boxes. Holger
