Hey Mike...... I really felt the difference between what I had in the Reimyo and what I got in the P-03/D-03 was a whole other level of performance. I loved the analog sound of the Reimyo and I might have sacrificed a bit of that but I gained speed, decay, separation and what I consider to be a "wall of sound" from the Esoteric. From my perspective, the improvement was immense and when I added the G-0's clock, I was in another league altogether. The Reimyo is an outstanding single box player but getting into the Esoteric was a definite move up the rung in both price and sound.

twopippis February 20, 2008 03:59

Hi, glad to see you're posting again. How does your Esoteric gear compare to the Reimyo you had before?

honest1 February 20, 2008 00:04

Twopippis,

Thanks for your reply. You have me tempted. How do you have your cables positioned. Side by side or separated by a few inches or a foot? Do you find the bass fuller? More speed would be ideal but the Onyx are so fast it is incredible. Esp compared to other speaker cables. I would add that I have a massive soundstage, but do lack the last bit of three dimensionality. On the other hand, if I had more treble extension I wonder if it would be a good thing. I might just do it. Thank you again.

dgad February 19, 2008 02:00

Darren, I can send you some technical information on the differences in the Gold and Onyx cables that I received directly from Tara. I never compared the Gold vs. Black Zero so I can't really tell you the sonic differences there. However, I did compare back to back the Onyx vs. Gold speaker cable and found the improvement to be substantial. The speed, decay, separation all improved providing a much greater sense of "being there". Openness or air between instruments is evident and the soundstage is massive. Bass is full and well defined on the very low end. I always loved the Onyx so wasn't able to imagine how it could improve. I was amazingly surprised.

twopippis February 18, 2008 23:29

Wendy,

Another Agon member mentioned you had Omega Golds. I switched from Transparent to home made to Omega Onyx/Black or whatever it is. I was thinking gold. I see you went for the new Zero Golds. I am curious if you compared them to the Zero Onyx and same for the Omega. I am just curious what the differences are?

dgad February 09, 2008 23:50

Wow!! I love your gear and I dream about the Tara Labs cables that you have. Could you post some pics of the Tara Labs cables too? Great system!! It's gotta sound great.

talon4 February 04, 2008 02:06

Never give up...

dcstep February 03, 2008 22:44

Hi there. Fantastic system. Just curious about your thoughts on the Esoteric clock. I have the Esoteric P3 D5 combo (not the D3 because I wanted upsampling for my digital music input). I am considering getting the Esoteric clock and was curious of your opinion on how it improves the sound.

BTW, I am now using Tara Labs The One speaker cables and am very happy. I hope to upgrade my interconnects to either The One or The 0.8 soon.

tboooe February 03, 2008 22:33

System edited: I've changed nearly every piece in my system over the past 18 months and am extremely pleased with the outcome. I'm thinking this should be moved to the All Out Assault category very soon or Done For Now because changes from here on will be minimal. For those of you who were not happy with my rear projection TV, you will see that I was able to modify my existing cabinet in order to add the plasma. I'll be adding all new photos soon.

twopippis February 03, 2008 21:57

Very nice system....congrats

mitch4t February 26, 2007 05:19

You've a wonderful system. If you are settled on the speaker location then get them coupled to the floor and off the tiles on the rug. They float on the rug and will sound a lot better coupled to the floor with the spikes going through the rug. Enjoy, PH

peterh February 04, 2007 00:37

HI Wendy,

I was talking to Marty and he told me about you and your system(only nice things of course) Anyway, I thought I would say hi since apparently we live pretty close to one another. I am in Sherman Oaks.

P.S. I have not heard any of your equipment but it looks very nice.

nrostov January 25, 2007 04:20

Hello Wendy,

Your system is simply beautiful! I really admire your passion in audio reproduction. Have a nice holiday~ I hope to see pictures of your most recent gear and discovery.

philck_sjsu December 27, 2006 07:55

Hi, Twopippis, I saw that you recently sold your Reimyo CDP777. What did you replace it with, and how does it differ from the Reimyo?

honest1 October 28, 2006 05:06

P.S. Rcandpc, I believe the pictures do not do the cabinet justice. It is actually quite a beautiful piece in solid maple and was rather expensive. When I discuss moving it and putting a plasma on the wall, most (including audiophile friends) react by saying how it would be such a shame to get rid of the beautiful cabinet. So, to each his own re: aesthetics.

twopippis October 19, 2006 20:46

I really need to update my pictures because I've made quite a few changes. Islandbird, the marble tiles I use to have under the Talon's were actually purchased by Mike Farnsworth when setting up my speakers. Since the flooring under the thin carpet is concrete, this simple add really helped the sound and therefore it was not felt that replacing with a large one would make much of a difference. Having said that, I did remove the tiles and am now using the RF-999T tuning feet from Harmonix which made a huge difference to the sound. They look really nice too. For the rest who seem to focus on the rear projection TV and cabinet, I certainly understand and agree with you. If it were as simple a project as it seems, I would have done it long ago. I live in a two bedroom condo. My audio/video area is my only living space. With 18 foot ceilings, the place does really beg for some height and I do want to have a home that looks like a home as opposed to an audio shop. But more than that, you must consider what it takes to dismantle an entire system, find someone willing to take this large cabinet down three flights of stairs to the street, have an electrician come in to re-do the wiring and then decide on how to house all of these components! It's a big job and one that I have not had time to tackle (considering I work alot to pay for all of this!) And, I don't enjoy this hobby in a vacuum. I do have some very savy audio friends who have heard my system numerous times and simply cannot believe the soundstaging and depth of imaging I get despite the cabinet! It's something that has to be heard to believed! In addition, I've added a couple of HRS platforms in the mix and the balance of components are supported by Neuance shelves so I have addressed the vibration control issues. 2 channel audio is my first love so my attention and funds always go that direction first while video takes a back seat. Thanks for the input! I'll take volunteers to help move the cabinet!

twopippis October 19, 2006 20:35

I think that the response from Ozzy62 was more along the lines of what I was getting at. And it is quite possible to have a high-end 2 channel system and display it in a high-end way, TV or no TV. My point was that the wood cabinet took a lot away from the system both acoustically and visually, that's just my opinion. I have always been one for the "clean look".

rcandpc October 16, 2006 21:26

"I just wonder why the HUGE difference in caliber of the components and the way you have chosen to display them? Sight and sound go hand in hand don't you think?"
-Rcandpc

I think the audio component is WAAAAAYYYYYY more important than the T.V. That's why I'm called an AUDIOphile. I'm MUCH less psychotically perfectionistic about the video part of the system; in fact it's something I tolerate due to space limitations only. Furthermore, I will NOT be buying a surround sound system any time soon (years, if ever--not even on the radar screen for now). Finally there are plenty of us with much worse entertainment centers than that one.

mdhoover October 15, 2006 20:58

Good question. And not only is it the aesthetic issue, but that big ole honking entertainment center is not providing any isolation benefits to the equipment. It's just large and resonant. A good rack is definitely called for in a system of that caliber.

Oz

ozzy62 October 15, 2006 13:09

I can't help but wonder why you would spend all the dough on the system and display it in that type of innexpensive entertainment center with the dated RPTV? Please understand that I am not here to poke fun at your system, it is really amazing. I just wonder why the HUGE difference in caliber of the components and the way you have chosen to display them? Sight and sound go hand in hand don't you think?

rcandpc October 14, 2006 16:48

Wendy and Eugene2,

I have a pair of Firebirds driven by a Pass X350.5 via VD Master bi-wires. The VD cables really filled out the tonal balance. I'm anticipating the arrival of Pass XA100 amps to replace the X350.5. I find that I'm not using anywhere near even half the power potential of the 350.5, and I love (and miss) that SE sound after a couple years with an Aleph. MF assured me the XA100 would be a great match (not that the X350.5 wasn't).

Wendy, from your pictures it looks like you have your speakers on ceramic floor tiles over wall-to-wall carpet? I'd strongly recommend that you have a couple granite slabs(absolute black=perfect match for Talon met blk) made that will provide a more solid foundation and tighten the bass while opening up the lower mid-upper bass transition. It's really amazing how much getting the bass right opens up and focuses the midrange.

The dimensions on mine are 21" X 22" X 1.25" with 1.5" radiused corners. This radius matches the brass cups provided by Talon. "Absolute black" granite is not only a great match cosmetically, it's also a very, very dense granite.

I have a suspended oak strip-over-joists floor that I place the slabs directly onto. I had the bottoms of the slabs partially finished and I also waxed them so I can reposition the speakers fairly easily once I make sure there is no dirt nearby and the floor is also waxed. I use Minwax finishing wax; it wears like iron.

I find that I too can place my speakers near the back wall, I have cathedral ceiling sloping up from that wall to a 16' peak. I've moved the speakers back half inch at a time till the sound closed in and then moved them back only enough to open them back up. They are toed-in only about 2-3 degrees and are out only 41.5" from the back wall (measured at the woofer caps).

Tom

islandbird September 26, 2006 01:26

Please upgrade your TV.

audiofilemoe April 24, 2006 14:50

I also love the HRS and have them under my Reimyo, preamp and amps. Well done!

artg February 05, 2006 02:01

System edited: I added the Isoclean Power Conditioning system several months ago and it was one of, if not the biggest improvement to my system I've made. The power conditioner alone deafens the background with its silence, allows for an expansive soundstage and provides for realism beyond words. The transformers surprise you by improving on the conditioner another 70-80%. I most recently added the HRS stand under the Reimyo CDP. This simple addtion was mind boggling. The immediacy in clarity, dynamics and extension was striking. I plan to purchase a couple more.

twopippis February 04, 2006 18:40

I have the Talon Firebird Diamonds with the latest upgrades. Have read your email threads. I am still looking for the right cables to use between my Pass x350.5 and the firebirds. Have you tried Virtual Dynamics Masters, Michael Wolff cables, Jena Labs or Synergistic Absolute Reference? Is your new cable of choice Stage III vacuum reference cables?

eugene2 December 27, 2005 03:33