A great sounding all tube preamp which sounds amazing, with tone controls, built in dac, fully remote adjustable MC loading.
McIntosh MC 302 Power Amplifier
300wpc of solid state, output transformers and McIntosh goodness
Golden Ear Triton Reference Speakers
Golden Ear's flagship tower and rightly so. Sound is delicate, effortless and very dynamic with bass to die for.
Technics SL1200G Direct Drive Turntable
Giant Killer Turntable for the 21st Century.
Zu Audio DL103 MC Cartridge Modified
Low output moving coil cartridge that brings all my Rock records to life.
Sony HAP-Z1ES Music Server/Player
Music server with 1TB had drive, excellent dac abd a great all in one solution. Has the option of using an external dac (but why would you want to) and external USB drive for more space.
Apple iPad Pro
iPad Pro with 32gb of storage. Used in conjunction with Sony software app as a remote control for the Sony HAP-Z1ES Music Server.
Esoteric UX-3 CD/SACD/DVD Audio Player
Plays everything but Blu-Ray.. Built like a tank and a keeper. This player uses the Burr Brown PCM1704 r to r dac.
McIntosh MR88 Tuner
FM, HD Tuner
Canare Cable Canare 4S11 Speaker Cable
A 25 Foot pair of a very inexpensive speaker cables. After break in, these cables bested a pair of $1500.00 speaker cables. Great bass slam and silky smooth treble.
Acrolink 6N-D5050II Digital cable
Digital cable to go between the Esoteric UX-3 SACD Player to the built in DAC on the McIntosh C2500 Tube Preamp
Acrolink 6N-DA5500 Interconnect
This cable brought my Esoteric SACD up a couple of notches! Bass is deeper and more refined midrange is neutral and treble has sweetened.
VPI Phono Cable
I meter phono cable. The cable is manufactured by Discovery.
VH Audio Custom Interconnect
A custom interconnect 1.5 meters built by VH Audio to compliment my McIntosh preamp and amp. This goes between them.
Nordost Red Dawn Interconnect
I am using this excellent sounding cable between my FM Tuner and Preamp.
Accuphase AL 10 Interconnect
1 meter audio cable
Acrolink 6N-P4030 Power Cord
High end power cord connecting the Esoteric UX-3 to Hydra 4 power conditioner.
Shunyata Copperhead Power Cord
Power Cord for amplifier and pre-amplifier. also two 20 amp versions for Hydra 2 and Hydra 4
Shunyata Diamondback Platinum Power Cord
Power Cord. 2-15 amp cords
Pangea AC-9 Power Cord
(2) Pangea 2 meter AC-9 power cords for the GE Triton References. They are plugged into the Shunyata Hydra 4 PLC.
Shunyata Hydra 2 Power Conditioner
Two outlet Hydra power conditioner. This does not limit current and dramatically lowers the noise floor.
Shunyata Hydra 4 Power Conditioner (Black)
Power line conditioner that does not limit current. Used specifically for the Golden Ear Triton References
Shunyata Hydra 4 Power Contitioner (Silver)
Power Conditioner. All source components are plugged into this.
HRS Lightweight Record Weight
The combination of this record clamp and the Oracle record mat has kicked up the sound of my Technics SL1200G turntable quite a bit.
System edited: Added a Furutech E-80 PLC for the Golden Ear Triton One Speakers. A heavy duty Furutech power cord connects the PLC to the wall outlet. Each Triton One is connected to the Furutech PLC with a Shunyata Venom power cord. This eliminated the occasional static I was getting from the speakers and Dynamics have very noticeably increased as well.
My living room is 16 by 18 feet. The left speaker is about 8 inches from the wall and the right speaker is20 inches from the wall. I lowered the subwoofers output on the left speaker to 10 o clock, the right channel is still in the center position. As the stereo is in the living room, I have to make compromises. The speakers are set up on the long wall. The short wall has a window and front door to the house. The speakers sound amazing in my room, bass is to die for and mids and highs are very smooth. Absolutely no listening fatigue. The left speaker is now at a sharp angle to the tv and I don't hear any ill side effects.
Also a happy T1 owner. Question: yours are pushed back to the wall. One is next to a tv screen it appears. Heavy reflections? Anyhoo, is it a small room? Is there a long wall you have tried? My room is rectangular; tried both ways, the long wall much better. Initially on short wall but image wasn't right. You can see my rig on this site.
Even now after having them two months, I still adjust the placement: wider apart, then closer, etc. I know I'll find it eventually.
The Triton Ones offer a different presentation than the Odyssey Kismet speakers. I am very familiar with the Kismet because I listen to them 8+ hours a day connected to a tube integrated as it's my office system. As good as the Kismets are, the Triton Ones are more in every way. Bass goes deeper in the Tritons as well as the highs are much more refined. The Tritons will also play MUCH louder and has a better dynamic range. The Odyssey Kismets are absolutely no slouch but the Tritons are better.
The Tritons are a fantastic match with the Odyssey. I gained musicality and bass which was absent before. I get Goosebumps every time I put the system on. Very happy.
System edited: MAJOR UPDATE: Replaced the Von Schweikert VR-33 Speakers with the Golden Ear Triton One Speakers. Just started breaking them in but loving what I hear already. Stay tuned.
In many ways I like my Kismet Reference Floorstanding Speakers better than the VR33's but in other ways I like the VR33's more than the Kismet. My main reason for going with the VR33's was because the Kismet speakers had to be out into the room to sound its best where the VR33's sound great 8 inches from the wall. The deep bass is better in the VR33's, but the midbass is better in the Kismets.
If you look online at Positive Feedback Issue 51, Greg Weaver did a good review of the VR33's and he compared them to the Kismet speakers I have. He said basically the same as I have said that some aspects of one speaker is better than the other and vice versa. He did say the VR33 was the better speaker.
I love them both and wouldn't want to give either of them up.
Love your system! I have kismet in khartago monos driving tekton lore speakers with a candela pre on the way. I was looking into getting a pair of kismet bookshelves klaus is getting back and said he'd sell to me b-stock (for a very good price!!) but the other speakers I was considering were the vr-33's.... Which you have had both. I am very torn between the two (especially since I haven't listened to either!) do you think the vr-33's would be worth a significant price jump? Could you voice some of the differences between the speakers that you've noticed? Thanks!
Love your system! I have kismet in khartago monos driving tekton lore speakers with a candela pre on the way. I was looking into getting a pair of kismet bookshelves klaus is getting back and said he'd sell to me b-stock (for a very good price!!) but the other speakers I was considering were the vr-33's.... Which you have had both. I am very torn between the two (especially since I haven't listened to either!) do you think the vr-33's would be worth a significant price jump? Could you voice some of the differences between the speakers that you've noticed? Thanks!
Thanks so much for the compliments. A troll on Audiogon told me my system is subpar. I have put a lot of time and effort into my system and I am truly enjoying it. Next up is a either a new SUT or a new cartridge that puts out more than .3 millivolts.
System edited: 03-15-2014 Replaced the Kismet Reference Speakers with Von Schweikert VR-33 speakers. My primary reason was so I could see the TV as the Kismets were blocking the view a little. These speakers throw a large sound and are designed to be placed close to the walls.
