Resto/mod by Aural Hifi. Custom crossover using Mundorf Evo Oil film caps, two L-pads (one to adjust horn volume, the other to attenuate midrange), and charge-coupled capacitors (w/9V battery) on the horn.
Resto/mod by Woodsong Audio; turntable in grigio silvertone, plinth in figured mahogany, Retrotone top platter, Isoacoustics Gaia isolation feet.
Audio-Creative Groovemaster III
9” titanium
Ortofon SPU Royal G mkII
Topping E-70
ESS Sabre ES9028 Pro DAC
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Streambox S2 Ultra
Roon endpoint (wifi)
Wireworld Starlight USB cable (to DAC)
Cardas Audio Clear Cygnus Phono Interconnect
Tonearm to SUT
Triode Wire Labs Loom (analog side)
American speaker cable
Spirit II phono rca (SUT to phono pre)
Spirit II rca (phono pre to amp)
Seven Plus pc (amp)
Ten Plus pc (phono pre)
Twelve Plus pc (TT)
Audio Sensibility Impact SE
Star-grounded power strip
ANTICABLES Level 3 PC
for power strip
iFi Audio GND Defender
lifts ground safely
MJ Acoustics KENSINGTON SE
One of the Master-Class series of subwoofers. 550 watt Mosfet amp, in a custom walnut finish to match my Santiagos. Small footprint, but output down to 10 hz!
Very kind of you. I purchased the SPU very lightly used from Christopher Hildebrand, owner of Fern & Roby. It was serendipitous cuz when I first met him I, I decided I wanted to get my SUT from him - really beautiful industrial design that fits into the vintage vibe. I told him what cartridge I was trying to get - long delays at the time - and he happened to have one in his personal collection! If I replace it, I’m thinking about the Treehaus Audio SUT, which looks and sounds amazing.
Thank you! Yes, I really love this system. I found the ceiling material initially based on looks, but it turned out to be an acoustic material, with the wood veneer attached to a thick black felt background. So the overall sound is very warm, very much a jazz club vibe. Really stunning, and very gratifying. Took me 2+ years to put this system together. (And yes, the Leben gear is gorgeous, isn’t it?)
@mdalton I finally found your vintage system! This may be my favorite yet Leben gear is so gorgeous and sounds fantastic. And those Altec Santiago's look stunning great restoration. And I love the ceiling is that how the room came or did you put that in for acoustics? Gorgeous overall room also!
nope, still love their sound. they’ve been paired with an Audio Refinement Complete integrated (the old YBA budget line). I use a Raspberry Pi streamer, with an iFi Zen DAC Signature v2 in that system. In the next few days though, the Quads will be replaced by an old pair of JMLabs Cobalt 816s, and the Quads will move to my wife’s office, driven by a Sonos amp for the time being. Regardless, they’ll remain in use.
btw, am a huge fan of ProAcs - I’ve often seen them paired with Leben amps - and I’ve heard great things about Backert Labs (and btw, I still have a pair of Quad 11Ls in my bedroom system!).
@mdalton It's funny - you've got Fern and Roby and Rothwell SUTs. I think both use Lundhal transformers. These I would definitely like to hear - my hunch is that the presentation is more 'modern'. Maybe a nice balance for the SPU! I got my HM-3 SUT from tube-amps.net - goofy site, but the gentleman was very professional and the product is very well built.
@mdalton Hey there - I mean the upshot of my experience with the SUTs has lead me to the Hashimoto HM-3-based SUT from a guy in Michigan. Pricey, but oh wow the clarity you can get from a damn conical stylus! The other two - Cinemag-based from Ned Clayton and an entry level Audio Note UK unit that I got used on Audiogon - I guess I'd describe as variations on a theme, with the Cinemag based SUT having a slight 'opacity' to the sound, which is pleasing, for sure. Maybe tone-forward is a way to describe it. I have new tubes in my phono stage and so I'll try swapping them in and out and see if anything jumps out at me.
Thanks! And yes, I really love the SPU on the TD124 in that system. I was a little surprised how good the combo sounded relative to my big rig, where I have a Koetsu on a Reed tonearm (thus more $ invested). They’re a lot closer than I expected. The one component I need to upgrade in the big rig is the SUT - I notice you have 3! Could you describe your experience with them?
Thanks! lots of jazz selections in the collection. My preference is single malt scotch, but I always have some cold ones in the fridge for guests as well…
Thanks. Yes, my wife and I had a lot of fun decorating the room around the system! Note how we chose the color of the Altec horns to complement the green around the Leben amp (and then the green theme gets picked up in several of our paintings as well).
