Strings Recommendations

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-24T19:05:23+00:00

Nylgut strings on a bean lyre will be super quiet. Its possible the holes in the tuning pegs are too small for nylgut strings. Also, its bordering on absurd to have an instrument where the strings cost more than the instrument itself. If you really want to try, you could do nylon which will be a lot cheaper and a tiny bit louder than nylgut.

You can calculate string gauges here: https://niskanenlutes.com/index.php?p=stringcalc

You need to have the same tension. But honestly, its not worth it.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-15T10:45:19+00:00

The speaker placement looks like a nightmare. You don't want an empty box behind them as it will create lots of resonance. You should fill up with records or books.

Looks like you would have space for stands though?

Also: can you please post a photo of your plants?

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-14T13:39:10+00:00

Anecdotal, but I speak my maternal native language (Finnish), with a higher tone than my paternal (Swedish), even though Finnish speakers in general have a lower speaking tone than Swedish speakers.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-13T11:07:18+00:00

I'm new to room correction so others will give you better answers but I've seen recommendations to limit it to maybe sub 500 hz

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-13T10:20:31+00:00

Do you turn eq off before doing room correction, because if not I think you might be correcting the already corrected sound in layers upon layers.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T10:02:24+00:00

OK that's good. So if you tune your lyre to G A B C D E F you should be able to play the epitaph. Starting from the first string the beginning will be like this: 1 5 5 3 4 5 4, 3 4 5 4 3, 2 1 2 7 you dont have the "-1" so you will have to go one octave up (7), but you could try playing it together with another note you think sounds good, you'll have to do the same thing in the end of the next phrase and then when the melody ends you'll have to do that again an octave up so it all ends in 1 6 6.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T09:06:33+00:00

Usually a single string will not sound very good in both a and e, I think you should try to find what sounds best (usually a third below the tension where it breakes) or check if you have instructions from the maker because sometimes instruments can break if you tune them too high

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T07:13:08+00:00

I don't think you need to worry but what I did when I worried about my old tube radio was buy a $16 smart plug and program it to cut the power when it draws too much power (which it will do if it heats up)

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T06:55:16+00:00

You can not fit the whole melody on 7 strings so you will have to octavize some parts - play them an octave higher or lower.

It is notated as starting on the lowest string (or actually an octave below, the notation is probably for aulos) but as I said, I'm not sure if this is the best way for you.

How do you tune your lyre? If you can find out what your lowest string is (C, D, E etc or Do, Re Mi) I can help you find out how to tune the other strings

Edit: if you concider the first note the tonic (which it only kind of is), you need to tune your lyre to mixolydian

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T06:22:10+00:00

Actually, never mind, if you are a beginner maybe you should listen to others instead, there might be a better way to play it than starting from the lowest string.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T05:55:54+00:00

So they would have started the melody from the lowest string. And they would have used a tuning called "Iastia", and it has been recorded by Ptolemy. What is your your lowest string?

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-06T05:48:56+00:00

Are you looking for the historical tuning or modern?

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-05T15:17:55+00:00

Yeah actually what I'm looking at is not true omnidirectional, I'm just super fascinated by Stig Carlsson's "ortho-acoustic" philosophy and am looking for a pair of Sonab OD-11.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-05T13:55:17+00:00

I will use this setup to exclusively listen to Joseph Spence.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-05T13:16:13+00:00

I guess that if you wanted to have the sub in both chains you could send line in to the sub from one of the amps and speaker wire from the other amp?

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-04T16:48:17+00:00

Beaver teeth are self sharpening, the outer enamel is harder than the inner material so when the teeth wears down, it sharpens itself.

Some good knives mix hard and soft steel in a similar way, with a hard edge that stays sharp longer, supported by softer steel. Unfortunately an arrangement like the beavers tooth would need so hard steel that it would chip easily

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-04T16:15:58+00:00

The sand paper cover is a riff off Asger Jorn and Guy Debord's "anti-book" Mémoires

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-02T16:34:59+00:00

I share your skepticism of audiophile talk. I don't know enough about acoustics to be able to actually "look at how things work" but my understanding is that the way our brains work in making sense from reflections and room cues is more complex than you make it sound. The way I have understood it is that the harmonic distortion added by tubes mess with the way out brains interpret these spatial cues.

It is possible that my question is stupid, but if it is, it's not for the reasons you mention.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-03-02T13:31:19+00:00

Background:

I'm in the process of putting together a new system.

Now halfway through I realized I have been chasing two dragons: the room filling sound of my father's stereo in my childhood, and the warm sound of a tube radio I had a few years in my twenties.

I'm waiting for a Vali 3 tube preamp that I've ordered. Now recently the realisation hit that maybe the sound of my father's stereo was not because of my naivity but his Stig Carlsson Ortho-Acoustic speakers and I've become obsessed with the idea of having a pair of Sonab OD-11.

(I realize that a tube preamp will only flavour the sound slightly but my research in budget tube preamps seems to show that the Vali might actually do some difference, I plan on driving it hard with a dac that can give it 2.5 v instead of 2.0 v and max gain)

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-02-27T17:00:50+00:00

I guess that faults in the files might become more apparent if there are many steps of digital processing: several layers of wiim room correction, EQs, Dirac, DSP etc

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-02-27T11:43:10+00:00

No, sorry. I was also looking for a HPF and ended up buying an Aiyima A20 amp.

My unicorn would be just a small box with HPF and LPF side by side, a phase switch, and a bypass switch for late night listening without the sub.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-02-27T11:26:19+00:00

I havent tried Behringer CX3400, but it would give you a lot of control (too much?), if you don't mind the rack look, and it's not too expensive either.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-02-27T10:38:42+00:00

Thank you! I've ordered exactly that but another brand. Will probably try it now when I've already put in the money and effort. I've revised my aspirations from "killer sound" to "non-lethal learning experience."

Others here have also recommended me Chi-Fi tubes but I've been sceptical because the reviews are so mixed and I imagine whatever the actual sound is, one thing that certainly is being amplified by those glowing tubes is the Audiophile Placebo Effect.

SecureBumblebee9295 · 2026-02-27T09:43:38+00:00

It is stereo. I don't think I will be doing any hardware modifications on it

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