Pursuing the Music

by maprik on

Description

Always improving, testing, comparing, its a process and its been great fun for 25 years!!!

3/22/2026: Added a Schiit Saga 2 as passive remote volume control. Love it!!!!!

2/01/2026: Replaced the Denafrips Pontus II and Isis combo with a Merason DAC1 Mk2. Digital source is fantastic. Eversolo and Tidal are responsible for a huge increase in listening. Just going down musical rabbit holes and discovering so many incredible recordings. Vinyl is still better in every way but digital can be damn good. 


12/19/2025: The Romulus has moved the Hegel into back-up status. The Romulus is just soooo good. Tube magic AND slam. Tonight I had to move the Hegel off the main rack to make room for a new DAC for the Node N130: the Denafrips Pontus II. 


7/12/2025: In search of a wider and deeper soundstage I bought longer speaker cables and moved my speakers from a 1/2 room longwall set up to a full room short wall set up but with my speakers basically at the 2/3 point. What a huge improvement!! Went from a sound "picture" on my wall in front of me to having 3D images of musicians in the room behind my speakers. Also using extreme toe-in so 3 people get a solid soundstage with center imaging. 

11/06/2025: Bought some old ESS AMT 10B speakers and they are so good I ended up trading the Anteros for  CR Developments Romulus Tube Integrated. With 2 integrateds I needed to make the back of my amps more accessible for switching so I switched up my setup for easy access to the cables. No more moving components or pulling out the stands and I actually like seeing the entire component instead of just the face poking out of the rack. 
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Room Details

Dimensions: 30’ × 18’  X large
Ceiling: 9’

Components Toggle details

    • Well Tempered Labs Classic mkV
    With upgraded black delrin platter and reference arm and reference motor.
    • Hana Xl-SL
    What can I say? Great cart and reasonable price! 

    Previous: 
    Cartridgeman Music Maker III
    Denon DL-103R
    • Hegel H200
    Amazing integrated. Crystal clear, effortless music flowing. Amazing detail but never harsh and a huge holographic soundstage with rock solid imaging. Using as amplifier only via HT bypass. 

    Previous amps:
    Almarro A318B
    Jeff Rowland Concentra
    Audio Research CA-50
    YBA integre DT 
    Decware SE34i.2+. 
    Classe CAP-150
    Cary CAD 120S MkII
    Unison Research Unico 50
    Music Reference RM-9
    Quicksilver 8417 tube monoblocks
    • ESS AMT 10B
    Incredibly transparent and accurate. Incredible bass. Easy to drive at 90db/6ohms. Bought them for $190. I love em!!! That Heil tweeter is something special. Replaced woofers, tweeter diaphragms and upgrade caps to Jantzen Superior Zcaps.

    Previous speakers:
    Sound Dynamics 300Ti
    Magnepan 1.6
    Reference 3A MM DeCapo
    Gershman Acoustics Avant Garde R1
    Shamrock Eire
    Spendor SP1
    Klipsch Heresy 
    NHT Superone
    NHT 2.5i
    Audio Physic Tempo
    Audio Physic Virgo II
    Vandersteen 2ci
    Silverline Audio Sonatina MkII
    Sonus Faber Grand Piano 
    Vienna Acoustics Mozart 
    Avalon Eclipse
    Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1
    PSB Image 2B
    PSB Stratus Gold 
    Totem Acoustic Arro
    Totem Acoustic Forest 
    Thiel CS 1.6
    Silverline SR-15
    Klipsch Forte II w/ Bob Crites upgrades
    Wavetouch Grand Teton
    Wavetouch Antero 
    • Cardas Audio Quadlink 5C speaker cables and ICs
    Clear, clean and dynamic. 

    Previous speaker cables:
    Virtual Dynamics David 
    Anti-cables
    Cardas Neutral Reference
    Synergistic Resolution Reference .5
    Nordost Red Dawn
    Audience Au24
    • Sony SCD-XA5400es
    Super sound. Bomb proof build quality. Incredible Redbook as well. TELEFUNKEN in V1, Amperex in V2, V3
    • EAR 834P
    This is a Chinese 834P clone with Level 2 mods by Mitch Singerman. It's MM so I have a Echo Audio/Jena Labs step up for my Hana SL. 
    Amperex tubes. 
    • Myrtlewood Cuboids
    Myrtlewood blocks are under all of my audio components.
    • SAP Relaxa
    A magnetic levitation shelf that holds my turntable.
    • Eversolo DMP-A6
    Just added. Has Beatechnik linear power supply. Sounds amazing. Connected to Tidal on MAX quality and it is excellent. On par with my CDP. LOVE the display and no more weirdness between the Tidal App and the Node App.
    • IsoAcoustics GAIA III
    Great addition to my speaker stands and improvement over the sorbothane half-spheres that I was previously using. Everything is just tighter.
    • CR Developments ROMULUS
    30w/channel Class AB tube integrated. 6L6 power tubes, 5 inputs, super lush detailed midrange and treble!!  Using as preamp.
    • Merason DAC-1
    DAC for my Eversolo DMP-A6. A6 connected by Supra Excalibur USB.
    • Furman Elite 15 DM i
    Great Power Conditioner and surge protection!
    • Schiit Audio SAGA 2 Preamp
    Killed 2 birds with one stone with the Saga 2. Using my Romulus as a tube preamp to the Hegel's amp section i could only get the Romulus volume knob up to about 9 o'clock before the volume was shaking the house. Also, no remote volume control. Using the Saga 2 as a passive remote preamp solved that problem. Also, the volume now is much more sensitive allowing me minute volume changes AND my Romulus tubes sound better with the volume set at 1 o'clock. So they get to run nice a hot but the Saga 2 can keep the volume down. The Saga 2 is absolutely transparent. Can't tell its there at all. And I love having a remote.

Comments 26

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Great sounds with style. Great choices in gear. Always love to see systems with various brands of gear. It takes more time to arrive with the right mix perhaps, but a mixture of gear like a rainbow is a beautifull thing.

glenfihi

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