Sydney Audio Club Meeting - August 2022
Pitt & Giblin Speakers. Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin from Pitt and Giblin speakers (Hobart) presented their Pitt and Giblin speakers. https://www.pittandgiblin.com.au
August Follow Up Report
Continuing the recent club meetings that start with a technical talk, Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin provided a discussion on their design journey in developing their speakers which included:
This informative and interesting discussion provided the club members with an insight and understanding of the technical expertise required and the practical issues of designing speakers, particularly with a unique design such as the waveguide. The amount of time required and technical expertise for developing any audio product is quite overwhelming and a real passion was evident from Jack and Ross.
After a short break the regular meeting started with Jack and Ross playing a selection of music of their choice.
The Pitt & Giblin Superwax active speakers are a large speaker, the large cabinet reminds you of speakers from quite a while ago, however a beautiful cast bronze waveguide which your eyes are immediately drawn sets them apart and is a unique feature of these speakers. The speakers are also active and include DSP which is the latest technology, with 3 preset settings – natural, live and clean.
Ross and Jack had explained the process for developing and manufacturing the waveguide with final polishing by hand. The hand polishing and very small imperfections (no effect on the sound) in the waveguide add to the beauty of the waveguide and many members (including myself) closely inspected with admiration the waveguide during the afternoon tea break.
The Superwax speakers with a single 10” midrange and the 2 x 15” woofers easily filled our large meeting room with a full and clear sound and the meeting passed quickly with a wide variety of genres of music being played.
Overall it was another very interesting and enjoyable meeting, it was especially interesting to hear from the designers of a new audio product and then to hear the successful implementation of their hard work.
Special thanks to Jack and Ross from Pitt and Giblin for providing the Superwax speakers and taking the time to travel from Tasmania to provide the membership with an informative insight into the complete speaker design process particularly the challenges of developing a unique product.
--------------------------------
Meeting Invitation:
Dear members and friends of Sydney Audio Club,
The next meeting of Sydney Audio Club will be on Sunday 14th August with a unique and exclusive chance to audition the Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers. As they are a small batch manufacturer who sell direct to the customer, this will be your only chance to hear these remarkable speakers in Sydney.
The Covid-Safe Rules as set down by the Epping Creative Centre have been changed so that there is now no restriction on vaccination status before entry. It is still a requirement that you sign in the Visitor’s Book and notify me if you contract COVID within the week following the meeting. Wearing a mask is not mandated but with the increase in COVID numbers it is recommended.
Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin from Hobart have developed these amazing active speakers and are bringing them to Sydney not only for you to hear but also a special opportunity to ‘meet the makers’ in our TechTalk session ‘The Design and Development of Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers’. Please arrive around 12.15 pm for this unique interactive discussion. Please note that to avoid disruption the usual door will be closed and the entrance door will be down the hall near the kitchen. If you happen to be late just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion. As our club is based on mutual respect, especially in these open presentations, let us remain respectful towards one another’s views and opinions.
There will be a break from 1.30 pm – 2 pm to grab a bite and a drink before the meeting starts at 2 pm. There will be another break for afternoon tea around 3.15 pm or so.
Guests are welcome – we are a very friendly club so you don't need to know anyone to join us for an afternoon of fine music and sound.
The Superwax speakers feature a visually stunning bronze waveguide (the product of a PhD Thesis) sitting on top three drivers in a handcrafted cabinet delivering a musically detailed, full and rich sound experience.
Details of the system:
Speakers: Pitt & Giblin Superwax
A constant directivity waveguide has been specifically matched to a 1” exit compression driver to provide uniform high frequency dispersion, resulting in unparalleled acoustic performance. This piece is cast from bronze and hand finished to a soft, smooth lustre.
Dual 15” neodymium woofers provide exceptional bass performance and are accompanied by a 10” midrange driver - both mounted inside of a Blackbutt veneered birch cabinet.
All three bands are driven by cutting edge Hypex NCore amplification.
More details at the website https://www.pittandgiblin.com.au
Front end: Streaming services and the Reavon UBR-X200 UHD Universal Blu-Ray Player. This unit was recently purchased by our club with the generous assistance of Len Wallis Audio.
https://reavon.com/bluray-player-ubr-x200/
https://lenwallisaudio.com
After the tea break, the second half of the music sessions will be our popular BYO. Members and guests are welcome to offer music to share with us all. So, bring along your favourite music on CD, SACD, USB thumb/flash drives or your favourite track on the streaming service. All we ask is that the music and recordings be interesting.
We'll ask you to tell us a little about the artist/recording before it is played. Tracks over 6 minutes will be faded out, to give everyone a fair go.
Whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran, you will have the opportunity to listen, learn and share your experiences with others.
Feel free to come and hear the capabilities of the system, or to just share the experience with like-minded music lovers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
*** IMPORTANT ***
Please note the current COVID rules for the Epping Creative Centre:
Sign the Visitor’s Book on entry, either on the member’s page or if you are a guest, please add your contact details for follow up if required.
You are not required to wear a mask but with the recent increase in COVID numbers it is recommended.
You may use the kitchen during the break and tea, coffee, sugar in individual sachets and fruit juice will be provided. Please bring your own individual snack if you wish to eat something.
Venue: Epping Creative Centre, Dence Park
Address: 26 Stanley Road, Epping
When: Sunday 14th August 2022
Doors open to members and friends from 12.15pm for the TechTalk discussion starting at 12.30 pm featuring Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin on the topic ‘The Design and Development of Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers’. If you are late, please use the side door down the hall and just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion.
From 1.30 to 2 pm there will be a break to meet and chat with members and maybe grab a bite to eat. (Please bring your own snack – tea, coffee and fruit juice provided)
The meeting starts at 2 pm and finishes at 5 pm.
Hope to see you there.
John McEvoy
Club President
Sydney Audio Club Inc.
August Follow Up Report
Continuing the recent club meetings that start with a technical talk, Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin provided a discussion on their design journey in developing their speakers which included:
- Details on the design process on the development of the waveguide which included extensive modeling and many iterations and measurements to finally arrive at the current design
- Discussion on the importance of the crossover between the woofer and tweeter
- Explained the principal of directivity and practical application.
- General discussion on room effects and reverberation.
- The advantage of active speakers, particularly when DSP is included and the ability to tailor the sound to compensate for end users room characteristics.
This informative and interesting discussion provided the club members with an insight and understanding of the technical expertise required and the practical issues of designing speakers, particularly with a unique design such as the waveguide. The amount of time required and technical expertise for developing any audio product is quite overwhelming and a real passion was evident from Jack and Ross.
After a short break the regular meeting started with Jack and Ross playing a selection of music of their choice.
The Pitt & Giblin Superwax active speakers are a large speaker, the large cabinet reminds you of speakers from quite a while ago, however a beautiful cast bronze waveguide which your eyes are immediately drawn sets them apart and is a unique feature of these speakers. The speakers are also active and include DSP which is the latest technology, with 3 preset settings – natural, live and clean.
Ross and Jack had explained the process for developing and manufacturing the waveguide with final polishing by hand. The hand polishing and very small imperfections (no effect on the sound) in the waveguide add to the beauty of the waveguide and many members (including myself) closely inspected with admiration the waveguide during the afternoon tea break.
The Superwax speakers with a single 10” midrange and the 2 x 15” woofers easily filled our large meeting room with a full and clear sound and the meeting passed quickly with a wide variety of genres of music being played.
Overall it was another very interesting and enjoyable meeting, it was especially interesting to hear from the designers of a new audio product and then to hear the successful implementation of their hard work.
Special thanks to Jack and Ross from Pitt and Giblin for providing the Superwax speakers and taking the time to travel from Tasmania to provide the membership with an informative insight into the complete speaker design process particularly the challenges of developing a unique product.
--------------------------------
Meeting Invitation:
Dear members and friends of Sydney Audio Club,
The next meeting of Sydney Audio Club will be on Sunday 14th August with a unique and exclusive chance to audition the Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers. As they are a small batch manufacturer who sell direct to the customer, this will be your only chance to hear these remarkable speakers in Sydney.
The Covid-Safe Rules as set down by the Epping Creative Centre have been changed so that there is now no restriction on vaccination status before entry. It is still a requirement that you sign in the Visitor’s Book and notify me if you contract COVID within the week following the meeting. Wearing a mask is not mandated but with the increase in COVID numbers it is recommended.
Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin from Hobart have developed these amazing active speakers and are bringing them to Sydney not only for you to hear but also a special opportunity to ‘meet the makers’ in our TechTalk session ‘The Design and Development of Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers’. Please arrive around 12.15 pm for this unique interactive discussion. Please note that to avoid disruption the usual door will be closed and the entrance door will be down the hall near the kitchen. If you happen to be late just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion. As our club is based on mutual respect, especially in these open presentations, let us remain respectful towards one another’s views and opinions.
There will be a break from 1.30 pm – 2 pm to grab a bite and a drink before the meeting starts at 2 pm. There will be another break for afternoon tea around 3.15 pm or so.
Guests are welcome – we are a very friendly club so you don't need to know anyone to join us for an afternoon of fine music and sound.
The Superwax speakers feature a visually stunning bronze waveguide (the product of a PhD Thesis) sitting on top three drivers in a handcrafted cabinet delivering a musically detailed, full and rich sound experience.
Details of the system:
Speakers: Pitt & Giblin Superwax
A constant directivity waveguide has been specifically matched to a 1” exit compression driver to provide uniform high frequency dispersion, resulting in unparalleled acoustic performance. This piece is cast from bronze and hand finished to a soft, smooth lustre.
Dual 15” neodymium woofers provide exceptional bass performance and are accompanied by a 10” midrange driver - both mounted inside of a Blackbutt veneered birch cabinet.
All three bands are driven by cutting edge Hypex NCore amplification.
More details at the website https://www.pittandgiblin.com.au
Front end: Streaming services and the Reavon UBR-X200 UHD Universal Blu-Ray Player. This unit was recently purchased by our club with the generous assistance of Len Wallis Audio.
https://reavon.com/bluray-player-ubr-x200/
https://lenwallisaudio.com
After the tea break, the second half of the music sessions will be our popular BYO. Members and guests are welcome to offer music to share with us all. So, bring along your favourite music on CD, SACD, USB thumb/flash drives or your favourite track on the streaming service. All we ask is that the music and recordings be interesting.
We'll ask you to tell us a little about the artist/recording before it is played. Tracks over 6 minutes will be faded out, to give everyone a fair go.
Whether you are a novice or a seasoned veteran, you will have the opportunity to listen, learn and share your experiences with others.
Feel free to come and hear the capabilities of the system, or to just share the experience with like-minded music lovers in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
*** IMPORTANT ***
Please note the current COVID rules for the Epping Creative Centre:
Sign the Visitor’s Book on entry, either on the member’s page or if you are a guest, please add your contact details for follow up if required.
You are not required to wear a mask but with the recent increase in COVID numbers it is recommended.
You may use the kitchen during the break and tea, coffee, sugar in individual sachets and fruit juice will be provided. Please bring your own individual snack if you wish to eat something.
Venue: Epping Creative Centre, Dence Park
Address: 26 Stanley Road, Epping
When: Sunday 14th August 2022
Doors open to members and friends from 12.15pm for the TechTalk discussion starting at 12.30 pm featuring Jack Pitt and Ross Giblin on the topic ‘The Design and Development of Pitt & Giblin Superwax speakers’. If you are late, please use the side door down the hall and just quietly slide into a seat and join the discussion.
From 1.30 to 2 pm there will be a break to meet and chat with members and maybe grab a bite to eat. (Please bring your own snack – tea, coffee and fruit juice provided)
The meeting starts at 2 pm and finishes at 5 pm.
Hope to see you there.
John McEvoy
Club President
Sydney Audio Club Inc.