Hi Mitch
Leave to beaver. It should read Lessloss power cables.
The shootout that I had on the ac power cables in my system was conclude on Tuesday night.
Result was that the Aural Symphonics sounded or rather had the best synergy in my system. The sound stage was much bigger, the instruments had better localization both in height and in width. The depth was absolutely stunning. Dynamics at low volume and at high volume was terrific.
The CD7 is sounding better every day. Thanks for the nudge to get it.
Take care,

rugyboogie May 22, 2008 00:49

...never heard of lossless cables. What the skinny on them. Can you refer me to a source to read up on them? I did a search here on the 'Gon and didn't find anything.

mitch4t May 21, 2008 04:05

Thanks Mitch
You were absolutely right that I would enjoy this CD player.
I am hooked like a drug on this player. I get a good 2 hrs of music on it nightly.

At this moment I am doing a comparison of power cables for the CD7.
Cables on hand are the following.
Shunyata Python VX Helix
Aural Symphonics Magic Gem v2t
Synergistics Research AC Master Coupler
Nordost Brahma
Audience Power Chord "E" version

All of the power cords are plugged into the Audience aR12 Adept response conditioner.
I know that there is quite a spread in regards to their cost but I am doing this to satisfy my own curiosity.
It is to bad that I did not have the lossless cables on hand. I have been reading good things about these cables.

This is proving to be very interesting and also time consuming. We have had only one night for the comparison.
The differences are noticeable yet overall subtle.
Today we will have a longer listening session as its a holiday up here.

rugyboogie May 19, 2008 16:17

......

...I knew you'd like it.

congrats,

mitch

mitch4t May 18, 2008 05:10

First update on the CD7.
The unit has now 81 hrs of play time on it. The CD7 is great no let me correct myself, a phenomenal sounding CD player. The note in the box from Audio Research states that " This player will require 600 hours before truely sounding its best" I can hardly wait.
Dynamics are excellent, transients are lightning quick. The low end has lots of extension, really making the Maxx II put out lots of bass. The pitch of the low frequencies and the attack on some musical pieces is staggering. The space and height of the instruments along with any changes made on stage by the musicians is easily discernible. The player has so much going for it that all of the music that I have played so far sounds like a high resolution format. Compared to my previous CD player even with SACD being played on it, the AR CD7 playing CDs is much better and more enjoyable to listen to.
Music comes forth very naturally, piano is stunning.
My reference for piano is my wife's newest piano (now two in the house). The new one is a Beckstein Concert Grand. Talk about BIG sound. The piano is huge and takes up some serious real estate in our living room. When listening at live venues the pianos never look quite that big but now that its in the living room....
Talk about dynamics and tone. This is one sweet sounding piano.

Wondering if anyone has had any first hand experience on a powercord for their CD7?

Shunyata Helix VX Anaconda seems to be popular....

Will update again around 200 hrs.

rugyboogie May 14, 2008 04:58

That's why I insist upon using FedEx Ground when I buy or sell an item. I've had too many nightmarish episodes with UPS. I'll never ship anything worth over $100 with UPS again.

mitch4t May 09, 2008 03:37

The CD7 arrived today.
UPS left it at my back door on its side. No one signed for it. Nice one UPS.
I am glad that my wife came home in the middle of the day to find it. Otherwise anyone could have found it.
Getting it unpacked tubes installed and the break in-period starts.
Will post pics in the next few days.

rugyboogie May 09, 2008 03:01

I love the Squeezebox. Already I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the Modwright modded Transporter. I love the convenience of this thing. I don't think I'll ever go back to cd's as long as I'm short on time for critical listening. Maybe I'll get a cd player again when I retire in 10 yrs when I can justify the expense for a top flight cd player because I'll have the time to listen to it. For now, I'll probably continue on the upgrade path of a server based digital playback system until it can approach the sound of good high end cd player. Nothing like having all this music at my fingertips with the SlimServer.

I've ripped about 60 cd's so far....I'm going to pay my 11 year-old to son rip about 100 cd's every week for me until this gets done. I now mostly listen to the Rhapsody subscription service now since I've gotten the sqeezebox, so I'm in no hurry to get all of my cd's ripped.

mitch4t May 07, 2008 18:03

Mitch
You must have ESP. Audioark from Edmonton Alberta phoned me to give me the tracking number of the unit. It should arrive in a few days. You will be the first that I contact once its out of the box. How is your Slimserver doing ?
Hope that it's up and running. I am still importing music onto
my computer. I am managing close to about 40 Cds a day but when I look at what still remains to be brought in......
Anyways it will take some time before there all in.

Foster_9
Thanks for your kind words.

rugyboogie May 07, 2008 02:26

Unbelievably awesome!

foster_9 May 07, 2008 01:53

Wellllll, did it arrive from the dealer yet?

.....waiting on your first impressions out of the box.

mitch

mitch4t May 07, 2008 01:31

Thanks Moemoney for the link.

Up date on Transporter. Have been running it now 24/7 for the past 6 days. The dynamics are starting to come on now and the sound stage imaging is improving. Depth of sound stage is improving as well. Yes it does sound better with hours on it.
The early mornings are now being spent importing my Cds onto my Mac. I can see why some people send their Cds in to get burned on a hard drive. Very time consuming.

Stiltskin
Welcome to the ASR club. Yes Emitter's are really in a league of their own. I have had one small issue with the amp which was rectified within 7 days. Their after sales service can only be describes as first rate.
The only comparison that I would love to hear it against, is the Swiss Dartzeel components. The designer from Dartzeel also uses a battery for his preamp. So I think they are both onto something.
If this comparison between the Dart and ASR will ever happen who knows but this is still a big temptation for me.
The Stillpoint with risers make a noticeable improvement under the main box of the ASR. It becomes even more dynamic and also improves on depth of the soundstage.
Congrats on your new ASR and enjoy.

rugyboogie April 20, 2008 13:38

Hi Rugyboogie,
Congratulations on such a great system!

I jumped the fence from vacuum tubes to the solid state camp with the purchase of a ASR Emitter Exclusive one along with the Basis Exclusive phono pre.

Reading through your page I see you have no regrets with your Emitter over the years.

One last thing ,gotta like that Nordost wire...

stiltskin April 17, 2008 23:36

Well congratulation on the purchase of your New Transporter, I just received mind about two weeks ago and I love it. But keep in mind that it does need at least 200 hours to fully burn-in see below:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1153866020&openfrom&1&4#1

moemoney April 16, 2008 19:42

SYSTEM UPDATE
Received the Transporter and had it set up over two nights.
I am using the ethernet connection for the link between my Mac and the Transporter. I did require help from the slim people and their support was great.
First impressions......it smokes the Pioneer that was pressed into service until I get my new CDP. Very good sounding player, can I call it a player ?
The transporter has good depth, good soundstaging and and very good imaging. The one thing that it lacks is big dynamics. Having read the review from Srajan Ebaen www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright3/transporter.html on the Modwright Transporter along with the Music Vault I am tempted to get my new Transporter modified but will hold on to the stock unit for a bit so that I can learn all of its abilities.
But talk about convenience. The Transporter can play according to albums, genre, songs and artist. Hit the shuffle and I hear music that I have not listened to in years. This makes me dig out the CDs and want to listen to them. Only thing missing is the CD player.
Today I pulled the trigger and bought the .......
Audio Research CD7 in the silver finish.
Dealer said it should be here in about two weeks. Bought an extra set of replacement tubes, figure might as well.
So now back to listening.

rugyboogie April 16, 2008 01:04

SYSTEM REVISED
The new chair arrived(second chair was damaged in transit). It is starting to be moulded by yours truly. Still a little bit hard but nothing that seat time wont fix. The sitting position is very good and easily adjustable. A good feature is that it does not need more than 3 inches behind the chair to go from upright to full 180 degree/sleep mode. Highly recommended for long listening sessions.
Slim Devices Transporter will arrive tomorrow, so know on to the hard drive world. It will be interesting to see how this dinosaur (your truly) will make out with this. I will use my Mac to start with and will see how it goes from there. The dedicated hard drive may appear but too early to tell.
CDP is next.
Sold my SONY SCD-1. I honestly hope that I will not regret this sale. It was build like a battleship and was so cool with its loading mechanism.
Last night I used my old Pioneer DV-59AVI with some SACD last night for a music fix but..............YUCK.
My SACD collection is not a large one so I am leaning to a CDP and not to a player that can do it all. Audio Research CD-7 is starting to really get my interest right now.
Nice chatting with you Mitch. Thanks for your time.
Jonathan's new machine is also going to be interesting.
So for now just YUCK from the Pioneer and lets see what tomorrow will bring.

rugyboogie April 09, 2008 01:10

Well I finally joined the server community. Bought the Transporter in Black which should arrive next week.
This should change my listening habit and make my non audiophile wife happier that now she will be able to have her playlist at her finger tips.
Will it sound better than the CDP? Probably not but the convenience that it will provide for non critical listening will be huge.
Now on to the new CDP.
I am still deciding which CDP I should go with.
Wadia, Ayre, EMM, Audio Research........

rugyboogie March 28, 2008 02:39

Hi Vito

Thank you for your kind words. You have a very nice system and a great room as well.
The ASR gear is being used for listening to music with the Maxx II only. I am still using my Watt Puppies but now they are for my rear channel. They served me well for over 10 years as my main two channel speakers.
I had owned the 33h for a long time (great amp). After I bought the 33s I used the 33h s for my rear speakers, at that time with the Wilson Cubs.
I found when upgrading from the 33h to the 33 it made a significant step up in performance.
The areas that were the 33s improved were the depth of imaging more 3D like, micro and macro dynamics improved at both ends at loud and quiet listening levels. When we were comparing the 33 to the 33h my wife asked if I had the Watch Dog on with the Watt Puppies, it was not.
The big drawback with the 33s is their size and heat, but the sound is really much better, hence the Mark Levinson Reference term. As for the difference between the Maxx II and the Watt Puppies it is significant in all aspects.
The Maxx II vs the Watt Puppies well......
Everything that you have read about the Maxx II in the magazines is true as to how good they are. People that have own the Watt Puppies and friends that know my system well are awe struck with the differences in spades. They have made a big difference to the amount of time that I listen to music.

I made to Definitive Audio's Music Matters III night in Seattle last week and I can say that I am REALLY good time.
Dave Wilson was playing the Alexandra II with the Ayre mono blocs. Ayre and also had their new Preamp there. It sounded great but the volume knob made so much noise when changing volume settings that all I could think of was a mid evil torture chamber stretching device. I was not the only one that made that comment.
They sources were the Ayre universal player, SME 20 and that Ayre phono stage.
It all sounded good, but my set up sounds much better.

Off to Portland this weekend to go to Powells ( HUGE bookstore ) and then cruise the record stores. Yes my wife will cruise the shoe stores in the Pearl district. Her Hobby.

Take care,

rugyboogie February 14, 2008 07:06

Beautiful system!!! Are you using both the ASR and
Levinson 33's to power the Wilsons? Biamping perhaps?
I am considering the purchase of Maxx 2s after owning
watt puppy 7s for 6 years. I would love your insight
as to the differences between the watt puppies and the Maxx 2s. Also I will be using Levison 33Hs. Any thoughts
on the synergy with Maxxs? Again congrats on a wonderful
room.
Thanks.
Vito

vmk February 10, 2008 13:06

Any one going to Definitive Audio for the "Music Matters night" ?
I will be heading to Seattle on Wednesday to buy some music and to take in the show. Anyone want to meet before going to the show ?

rugyboogie February 06, 2008 01:50

System edited: Updated photos, and the newest member of the gang the Audience ar12 20 amp model. Why are the photos getting cropped? Anybody???? If you have not had a chance to audition the Audience ar 12 you owe it to yourself to do so. This is a unit where you have to scratch your head to try to figure out how this can be.. The unit is plugged in to a dedicated 30 amp plug. I have the ASR, Sony, Bat, Watch Dog and the McIntosh plugged into the ar12. The improvement in sound quality is truthfully unbelievable. More later

rugyboogie January 15, 2008 04:38

Hi Mitch4t
I have to say that the difference lies more with the recording vs format.
But the SD-DVDs ( of which we have over 500 ) look much better with the Toshiba HD-XA2. This is due in part to Real video chip/processor. Images are much more solid, contrast of blacks are also better. Colours are much more 3-D like

Movie night at our house during the year is on Saturday night. My three kids alternate every week. The calendar is already marked for 2008 B,T,A.
This X-mas we watched lots of movies, bought lots of Blue Ray and HD-DVDs movies for our theater. Had lots of fun.

As for "You must work from home", not really but I do build homes for clients. At the end of the day I make sure that I listen to music for one to two hours every day. Some nights I fall asleep in my chair listening to my music CD only . I have had this chair for 25 years so it fits like a glove and it is so comfy. But the chair is showing its age ( unlike me ) so time to look for a new one. The looking started about a year ago, tried the zero gravity, ekornes, several home theater chairs but none worked for me. Last weekend came across the HTL chair model # 8018. This one fits like a glove and I ordered two.

Enjoy your music and have fun with the movies,

rugyboogie January 01, 2008 00:08

*
Rugyboogie ....I have the HD-XA2, and I have to concur with you that the picture is stunning....just a super player.

How does Blu-Ray compare to HD DVD in image quality?

You are killing me with your system....it is incredible.

You must work from home, because with a system like that, it's got to be impossible to leave the house.

*

mitch4t December 29, 2007 07:47

Just bought the 20 amp Audience Adept ar12.
Should be getting it next week. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the Nodrost Thor that I am presently using. I will report the results when ready.
Also the Toshiba HD-XA2 has a stunning picture, quite a bit better than the Sony BDP-300 when using SD-DVDs.
This weekend should have time to get some new pictures posted.

Happy New Year to all !!!!!!

rugyboogie December 29, 2007 06:51

Ok, finally have the Maxx II in their final resting spot. It took over 3 months to get them just right and boy does it sound good.
The Watt puppies are now being used for my rear speakers. Also I now have the Sony Blue ray for watching high def movies. Awesome for blue ray but so so for SD-DVD. I have decided to try the Toshiba HD-XA2, it is supposed to be spectacular with SD DVDs and a bonus that I can watch HD DVDs.
Will upload pictures this weekend on the new room setup.

rugyboogie November 27, 2007 04:11