love the system. but please kill that television! it's evil.

That picture is a few years old, I still have that TV, it's from the mid-90's and doesn't get much use anymore except during college football season. I moved out of that house into a much smaller apartment.

i have the same topaz transformer as you. mine hums and it's too audible.

The six that I have are all fairly quite, not noticeable at all. I've wired them for balanced power operation.

I will be making a big change in my system sometime in the next year. First, I have to move out of the apartmentand in to a place that has enough room.

darkmoebius June 22, 2011 16:30

In your Era/JLTI comparison, had the Slee been powered up for 24 hours or more? If not, give it a try after a few days. Although, the price comparison between the two is no longer fair seeing that the JLTI costs twice as much as the Era Gold. I would love to see how the newer Gram Slee Reflex stands up, though. Even if it is still costs 60% less.

The Era/Lundahl was tonally very close, but had a fuller softer bass. It did not come close in resolution the JLTI; there was much more texture and decay to drums. Also the JLTI went much further into the corners with better separation of instruments

I have a feeling the EXP stepup would have helped make up a lot ground in those areas. But, the Era Gold is a far older design and execution, so I would still expect the JLTI to come out on top in an absolute sense.

With the log list of preamps I tried, I should really put together a long review sometime and write things up. The one preamp I still long to try is the K&K or Art Audio Vinyl Reference.

Yep. those two are still on my "must try" list. Though, a lot of the reading I've done on forums seem to indicate that a lot of Art Audio fans prefer the Vinyl One over the Reference in head to head comparisons. At least, they feel the slight benefits do not warrant the extra expense.

What did you think of the ARC PH3SE & Rossner Canofer?

I'm also contemplating a used Sonic Frontiers Phono-1 SE and Line 3 SE+ preamp.

So many choices, so little money & room...

On the headphone end, I've been doing a lot of reading the last few days. Kinda excited to get system up and running pretty soon, I've been without any (real)music for almost 4 months now.

darkmoebius July 30, 2008 19:14

That's a helluva list. In fact, it's just about every phono I've had an interest in the last couple of years.

I used to own the Gram Slee Era Gold mkV w/ the transformer-less GS EXP stepup amp. Fantastic combo. I mean really fantastic with the carts and system I have/had.

I had the chance to compare the Era w/ the JLTI at the home of Audio Revelation's owner. Man, Jay has a killer system - Avalon Eidelon's, top of the line Airtight preamp/phono, and I think monster Jeff Rowland monoblock amps(or Airtight monos), full Brinkman turntable system, etc.

Anyway, it wasn't just how expensive or exotic the components he used, it was how he integrated the whole, musically, into an unconventional room and how seamless the sound was. Extremely natural with an almost horn-like ease.

We A/B'd the Era and JLTI over a few hours - back and forth, back and forth. What stuck out the most was how incredibly similar they sounded. I mean almost no discernible difference...except an extremely slight hardness with the Era in the dynamic "blat" of a trumpet or other horn in some jazz pieces. It was really, really, subtle.

Funny, because I noticed it, but the effect was so faint and slight in duration that I chalked it up to a side-effect of concentrating too hard on particular parts of a musical whole.

When Jay stopped the music and asked what I thought and I mentioned the hardness. He just smiled and said he noticed it too. We went replayed the parts where each of us noticed the effect and there it was.

Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than discovering a flaw in a well loved, long used, piece of equipment. Once noticed, the minor becomes major. That's probably part of the neurosis of this hobby.

Regardless, the difference between the JLTI and Era were so slight, that it was impossible to justify the expense and effort. Surprisingly, Jay agreed(sign of a really honest dealer).

Of course, I couldn't wait to get home to obsess about the newly discovered "flaw". Two hours of driving with the object of my scorn sitting on the seat next to me. I fired up the PX-25, plugged the GS back in, and cued some Miles Davis "Sketches of Spain"...and there it was, the hardness. Or was it a brittleness? Whatever.

It wasn't constant, just at the leading edge of trumpet transients. The "blat". But, damned if it wasn't there. I must have gone through 10 LP's and it always surfaced.

The unsettling thing was that I had never noticed it in two years. Not the slightest hint. And I pride myself on having a fairly revealing system, sometimes ruthlessly. What other flaws hadn't I noticed in my components?

So, I immediately started doing web searches to see if anyone else had ever noticed this trait of the Era. No real mention of that trait. I ended up calling Gram Slee, himself (he actually answers the phone) to see if there was any solution. Without the slightest hesitation, he said "Leave it plugged in for 72 hours".

He went on to explain that he intends his components to be powered up 24/7. Yes, everyone says that, but he really means it. That there is a discernible difference in performance after 72 hours. At the very least, 24 hours before critical listening.

I did as he said - lo and behold - no blat. No hardness or brittleness on highs and transients. Just to be sure, I unplugged the Era for a couple of days, then listened again. There it was. Left it powered up for a few days and couldn't find anything objectionable in the sections of tracks that bothered before.

So, it just goes to show, that some components do need to warm up before performing their best. Although, I did notice the Gram Slee released the new "Reflex" phono not too long after which promised improved HF performance and smoothness.

Anyway, I sold the Era + Exp about 4-6 months ago intending to make a big jump up the food chain via a tubed unit. But, the apartment change has kept everything boxed up.

I was doing some research on headphones and head amps...high performance isn't all that cheap, either, but hell of a lot better than speakers. AKG K-701's seem intriguing, Grado GS1000 since I love my Grado "The Statement" cart, Senn HD650, etc.

darkmoebius July 29, 2008 21:05

Thanks for the compliment, Gawdbless.

First off, my Bailey subs are the passive version without the integrated plate amp/crossover, so I need the Paradigm X-30 to integrate them. I am using an IcePower ASP-500 module in summed mono to drive them. I have both the X-20(speaker & line level input) and the X-30(just line level).

Moving the system from the open side to the closed side definitely yielded greater bass output, but I'm not entirely sure that was a good thing. It seemed that bass is cleaner and sound depth is greater in the original position.

When I originally had the speakers on the open side of the room, I tried two Pro amps to drive my subs - Hafler 500 and something else - without realizing that pro amp input is ~7V compared to 2V for home amps. So, that's was probably why I was getting very little bass.

Now, with the consumer version DH-500 or the IcePower, I get bass galore.

darkmoebius November 28, 2006 18:47

Hi Mitch,

This is going to sound neurotic, but I've actually been thinking about moving the speakers back over to the open side the last few weeks. Unfortunately, I can't remeber clearly what it really sounded like that way.

The main problem I have now is an overall imbalance caused by one side of the room behind the speakers being mostly windows and the other being regular walls with stucco on the outside. It really throws off the bass reinforcement because most of it passes through the windows, yet the other side gets a 6dB boost.

Now, just to make things even more wacky, the middle of the side that gets the bass boost has a 10'x 7' opening into the high-ceilinged entryway. And the other side has a fireplace that sticks out in the middle of the wall. So, that pulls imaging to one side fairly hard.

If I move the speakers back to the open side, at least the walls behind both sides will be symmetrical. Though that causes a bass suckout, but I can compensate with the dual subs.

Good system, bad room - what can you do?

One thing the HE2006 show reinforced for me is the absolute importance of proper room treatments.

darkmoebius June 07, 2006 07:42

Hey Chris,

Man, your system is all-world!! Avantguards and Audio Note, nice. The 47 Labs fits in perfectly. I love the tonality and texture of my system, but there is nothing the blistering dynamics of true comression horns. And nothing does horns like horns.

Right now, all my love is with the Art Audio PX-25 (should be at ~4x the cost). This is as close as I have ever come to "the complete amp" - rich, textured, revealing, transparent, agile, yet powerful, and always extremely musical. It can lay bare bad recordings, but even that is appreciated.

Next in line would be the Welbornes, they simply do that magical 300B spatial thing so well it's spooky without the common ovverripe midrange most often found in 300b amps. I'd call them "holographic", that "walk around the recording venue" feel.

The Almarro and Audion are fantastic, but proved to be better matches(in my system) with speakers in the 90db range where they get to flex a little muscle. Their tone tends to flesh out more at higher output levels than the 97dB Bens allow before it gets too loud. With my former 90dB/4ohm Jean Marie Reynaud Twins mkII's, both integrateds sounded really good at low to normal listening levels.

darkmoebius January 27, 2006 01:18

Mre,

John Wright told me that one of the best low-cost transports for the Bitsream would be a used Theta Pearl. Perhaps, even better than Melior/Museatex's own CD-D (which I own) because they are still fully serviceable. Anything goes wrong with a CD-D and it's a paper weight. The same probably applies to the Cal Audio.

Pearls seem to sell for ~$350-400 around here.

darkmoebius January 25, 2006 01:31

Hi Mre2007,

John Wright, former Museatex/Melior/Meitner engineer, does the mods for for those lines. The standard Bitstream upgrade to lastest specs cost $350, mine has extra power supply mods that bumped the cost to ~$550. The performance is worth every penny. Honestly, it seriously shrinks the performance gap between quality analog and digital. The Bitsream now is just as musical and smooth as my vinyl setup while still retaining detail.

John lists all the different Museatex/Melior/Meitner equipment he mods on his website Museatex.com.

As to dac comparisons, I have to admit that since I got the upgraded Bitsream, I've done none. I have absolutley no desire to look any farther in the digital domain (for now). The addition of a Moray James digital coax cable was the final touch.

The Bitsream is so good relative to my vinyl rig, that it has allowed me to focus time and money on other aspects of my system like amps and room treatments, where there's a far greater performance improvement possible for each dollar.

The only thing that could make me jump from the Bitsream is (possibly) the all new, designed from the ground up, dac JW is suposedly finalizing work on sometime soon.

darkmoebius January 24, 2006 03:01

Interesting idea, Gmood1.

I don't know. Checkout the new graph of my results.

If I'm not mistaken(and I am a lot), the (double) horn loading is really supposed to work for enhancing the lowest bass, but maybe it's actually tuned for the midbass. That certainly would explain the immediate and huge jump at 70-74Hz and up.

I need to see how far that mega-boost reaches into the midrange and treble. I'll also shoot Terry Cain an email and see waht he thinks of this.

BTW, I am in no hurry to do this by hand again. Tedious and time consuming is an understatement. I will probably buy Rives Audio's $150 ETF software which automatically runs the entire frequency range and records it all. It also provides time decay in it's graphs so you can see how long notes take to die out after they are played.

All you have to do is hit "start" and then come back in an hour or so.

darkmoebius September 29, 2005 09:46

System edited: Added an in-room frequency test from 20Hz-150Hz for my main speakers only, no subwoofers. The blue line is the famous $25 Radio Shack 33-2050 analog SPL meter, it is now discontinued. The Red line is the newer 33-4050 analog meter. There seems to be a semi-consistent 2-3dB difference between the two. I have no idea which is more accurate. The final results were adjusted with using a well known online compensation chart for correcting the 33-2050's famous reading errors.

darkmoebius September 29, 2005 09:34

No subwoofers used in my readings. Just the IM-Ben double horns.

I used 80dB as the base level because of how far the lows dipped under the "0" level, needed some padding. To compnesate for the extra high ratings, at 70 Hz I set the meters to 100dB and subtracted the difference (e.g. -6dB at 100db setting is 94dB or +14dB above my 80dB setting).

Anyway, here's a graph of the adjusted figures for 20-140Hz. I'll do 140-200Hz tonight, but don't expect much to change. The BLUE line is the famous 33-2050 and the RED line is the newer 33-4050. I have a feeling that the older 33-2050 is more accurate.

I can thoroughly believe what is going on below 70Hz because my room is open on the rear wall and looks down 6 ft. onto my diing room. So, it is likely that I lose a lot of bass via that end.

But, the massive difference at exactly 70Hz and primarily staying +10dB above 80db with the lowest being +6dB seems odd. I'll try posting this over on the Rives Audio forum on AA to see what Ethan Whiner and the other Pros have to say. Perhaps this is normal?

darkmoebius September 28, 2005 23:31

Gmood1,

Well, my test had some bizarre results again. I used both the famous (and discontinued) Radio Shack 33-2050 & brand new RS 33-4050 Analog SPL meters simultaneously. Of course to make things confusing, the reading differences between the two meters varied from 2dB to 5.5db at certain frequencies. Mostly, it averaged a 2-3dB variance.

Oddly, for some reason, everything above 80Hz is ~+15 dB or more. I stopped at 140Hz because it hadn't varied much in between.

I don't think that's room gain, no way it's that uniform over such a large range of frequencies. Nor is it speaker problems because that would make them unlistenable. I think it has to do something with how my cd burner transferred the tones.

Any ideas?

Another annoying problem was that in the high 60's-70's Hz range, varying windows in my living room and entryway started to audibly buzz. And I mean fairly loud.

darkmoebius September 28, 2005 20:08

Sounds good. I added an extra column to my Excel sheet so I can enter SPL readings from both meters. I'll do 20-200Hz again tonight.

darkmoebius September 28, 2005 02:54

System edited: 255 wpc Hafler DH-500 added to power both passive subs

darkmoebius September 26, 2005 08:59

Hi Restock,

I can't figure out anyway to tell which of the meters is closer to reality(if they are) other than getting a true SPL/frequency meter intended for the job. At which point, it really doesn't matter.

I chose the 1Hz increment Test CD because the 1/3 octave cd's were to coarse to tell what's going on. And yes, it is very tedius and time consuming. I'm in no hurry to do that again.

But, I want an accurate sonic map of my room before I start some heavy duty treatments. I'd like to be able to quantify the changes.

For $150, I may just go all out and get ETF5 software to it up in a big way - frequency response, decay time, etc. And it's totally automated, just setup the microphone and run the software.

darkmoebius September 24, 2005 06:07

What a night!

Got lots of info to pass on. First and foremost, don't do test after a long day of work.

I set the famous(and discontinued)$25 Radio Shack 33-2050 analog to read "0" at 80dB volume using the Real Traps Test CD. In order to do that, I had to run back and forth between the meter 12 feet away and the Audion integrated to fine tune the volume level before the 10 second track ended. Took me a couple of trips before I wised up to setting the track on repeat.

Ok, I hand drew a sheet with 4 columns of 50 boxes each representing 1 Hz. (Printer was out of ink)I settled onto the back of the couch so I could see the analog meter on top of a milk crate on top of the couch, raising the meter to my ear position when listeing to music.

On the Real Traps CD, each track contains ten 10 second tones at increasing 1Hz intervals. So, each track(10 Hz) is one minute, forty seconds long.

I start watching and writing down measurements. Everything is going great except after a few minutes my neck is getting tired from bending over to see the meter. Anyway, at 70Hz I notice that every multiple of 10Hz is exactly -6dB (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, etc.). That's strange, what are the odds of that?

Not much later, I notice that my room really isn't that bad - no peaks at all and I'm up to 100Hz(17 minutes). In fact, everything is pretty balanced from 20-100Hz. It's all between -5 and -2dB.

At 120Hz(20 minutes) it suddenly dawns on me that something is really wrong. The readings are identical every 10 hertz group. I forgot to take the cd player off repeat on the pink noise track.

So, I do it all over again. This time, when I get to 70Hz the output jumps exponentially and the meter stays pegged at it's max +6dB reading. Everything above that point is maxxed out.

Well, I reset the volume level so that the meter reads "0" at 20 dB lower (60dB). At this level, some of the lower are going to be below the meters sensitivity. But, damned if it doesn't still peg out at 70Hz and above(another 20 minutes).

On a whim, I decided to try a brand new updated version of the RS 33-2050, the 33-4050. Guess what? The two don't give the same reading on the Pink Noise track. The older meter reads 2dB higher. Even worse, the difference isn't consistent, at some frequencies(22Hz) it is a 4dB or higher.

So, now I have no idea which is more accurate if they are at all. It's 1am here in LA and I need to go to bed. I'll try again tomorrow to check the variance between the two meters across a wider frequency range.

darkmoebius September 23, 2005 07:53

I couldn't get to it tonight, but tomorrow I'll try to do 20-200Hz at my listeining point, the exact midpoint of my room.

My first run produced some wacky results. While the analog meters are supposed to be more accurate in the low frequencies, they are limited in the maximum deviation from "0dB" to -10dB & +6dB.

Well, some ranges had the needle pegged out, meaning they could have +30dB or -20dB for all I know. A digital would be useful in that sense, especially when I remeasure after adding bass traps and Room Lens.

I've got an Excel sheet made up that provide some graphs to show the sonic mess that my room, and most, rooms are.

I'd love to use some of the more advanced software that maps not only the freq/dB variation, but also time duration of the ringing.

Anyway, some rudimentary numbers tomorrow.

darkmoebius September 22, 2005 07:17

To pick up on Gmood1's comments from another thread about the in-room response of my IM-Bens and the Fostex FE-168 Sigma driver:

"With the help of your BLH cabinets the bass rolls off around 60hz in your room ..I'm guessing.There's probably not much useable bass below this point. This is where your subs kick in and take over down to 40/45 Hz. Now if you wanted to add more weight to the music. The simplest solution would be to go with sealed powered subs that can do the duty from 60 hz down to the 20 hz range."

I got curious after reading this because it kind of made sense. So, I whipped out my trusty burned copies of Real Trap's excellent free Test CD (1Hz increments) and discontinued $30 Radio Shack 33-2050 SPL meter for a look-see.

The cheapie RSL meter is not all that accurate on it's own, but 7 years ago some audio engineers used lab equipment to produce accurate 1/3 octave compensation values to correct the meter readings. This was published in PSACS Sound Bytes magazine. Here's a much more finely detailed compensation chart produced by someone else.

Of course, this is far more a rough measurement of my room acoustics than the speakers themselves as you'll see by some of the following numbers.

*** Measurements Tomorrow*****

darkmoebius September 21, 2005 07:52

New Amps:

Audion Sterling ETSE EL34 integrated (12 wpc) w/ JJ/Tesla "Teslovak" EL34's, cryo'd Russian 6H2n-EB/6922, cryo'd 1950's NOS Tung Sol 5687.

Art Audio PX-25 stereo amp - 6 wpc transformer-coupled, zero-feedback, pure Class A triode stereo amplifier.

darkmoebius September 17, 2005 08:14

System edited: Really beginning to enjoy this Audion integrated - smooth, rich, and very engaging. Has a deep soundstage and terrifc tonality. A fantastic used buy for cheap.

darkmoebius September 17, 2005 08:06

Thanks Phd,

I have nice stereo system and an old, beat up, 1991 Honda Accord LX to drive around. Talk about twisted priorities. Luckily, my girlfriend is not the "image" type.

I do like the new retro Mustangs a lot, especially the silver and black. Perhaps we could trade for a few months.

Checkout the new addition below. I finally got my dream amp. Now, I need to finally settle on a decent equipment rack.

darkmoebius September 17, 2005 07:45

Hmmm, my system for a full-sized Bullie - hold on give me a minute.....Maybe.

I love my system, but I gotta say I get more all around enjoyment day in, day out from my pups. In fact, they've got their own version of WWF going on behind my chair right now. AND, I can take them on vacation with me (Yosemite next month).

As for my room, I need to get on with building my bass traps and diffusers. I'm loosing so much fine detail and articulation because of reflections from the bare walls an room modes. It sounds good right now, but I can tell with treatments it'll be superb.

JBL Room Mode Caluculator

Another usefull tool is Sound-Map.com's Smart Stereo Setup. The Cardas speaker positioning calculator section didn't work for me, but the Early Reflection calculator was invaluable for finding the 1st reflections in my room.

Worth a try and FREE!!!

darkmoebius September 17, 2005 00:23

Hey Bigjoe,

You are right, the Bullies are a fantastic, lovable, breed as long as the owners respect and train them. These guys need a lot of attention and human contact, maybe one of the most needy breeds I've ever owned. My trainer tends to think that neglect/lack of attention is just as great a factor in aggressivness as abuse.

Mugsy's nickname is Mr. Wiggles because no matter how much you pet him, he keeps wiggling in for more until he;s in your lap. Both are great with young children, too. They really tone down their play when little ones are near. Like yours, Mugs tries hard, but he's not a great thinker.

And at 100 lbs. your "kitty" is a full-figured gal. There is a couple in my town that have a male and female Americans that are both Kitty's size, maybe a little bigger. Great dogs. I like Mugs at ~60 lbs. because of his size, but I had 175 lb. Old English Mastiff before and am partial to the biggest breeds - mastiff, Burnese Mountain Dogs, Danes, etc.

If you have one, post a picture of your pup.

darkmoebius September 02, 2005 19:07

Good call, BigJoe

Yep, pure bred American Bulldog - named "Mugsy". Fantastic pup, 1.5 years old, and funny as can be. He's the original breed size at 62 lbs as compared to the more recent Mastiff hybrids at 100-130 lbs.

And he's hopelessly in love with my female Pit. Both are worthless lap dogs at best.

The only downside is that they love to wrestle whenever I listen to music

Check these pictures out:

Bullies
True Love
Mia
Mugs
Mugs2
At attention

darkmoebius August 22, 2005 19:49

Hey Skush,

That article on Audioholics is killer. I've read the Harmon article before, that's where I downloaded the Room Mode Calculator spreadsheet. If you get a chance, try it out. It will save you a lot of hassles and let you know if your current setup is maximized according to the laws of physics.

I've taken a week or two off fiddling with my setup because I've got a backlog of other audio projects to finish - new TVC enclusure and wiring, DIY Argent Room Lens clones, and some bass traps.

After I get the room treatments done, I'll start up the fiddling again. My girlfriend is out of town this weekend, so I;ve got a hallpass to focus on mysystem.

darkmoebius August 16, 2005 17:50

Hi Skushino,

The serial number is #89, so I'm pretty sure it needs the C-lock T circuit upgrade. It is in mint condition. I bought it from a guy who's had it for the last 5 years(bought from original owner) and he says it has performed flawlessly in that time.

I ended up paying $380 for it, which is kind of ridiculous for a 10+ year old transport. But, the cosmetics are stunning, it matches the DAC, and I'm hoping the matching C-Lock transmitter and receiver in the dac will result in great sound.

BTW, if you think we're obsessed, you should have seen this guys "audio shed". I'm betting he had 50-75 amplifiers, preamps, etc. in there. He also has speakers, horns, drivers out the wazoo.

He listens to all of it, studies the design/circuit, upgrades some, sells the others and buys more to check out. Real nice person to hang out with, too. Lots of knowledge.

On another note, I've got 3 or 4 different toslink and coax digital cables on the way via loan from Fatwyre.com. Great service and advice, too. Total cost for checking out some big $$ cables - $35.

darkmoebius August 11, 2005 01:02

System edited: Added Meitner/Melior by Museatex CD-D transport that matches the Museatex Bitstream Data II DAC I have. Gives an opportunity to compare 75 ohm digital to Toslink cable input.

darkmoebius August 04, 2005 17:39

System edited: Just moved my speakers and setup to the otehr side of the room after being told about the midrange suck-out I must be experiencing. Needless to say, they were right. Much more mids and even less bass problems. Just a 24Hz boost and 60Hz suckout. I'm listening to the system at a much lower level of amplification now. Now, it's time for some room treatments - diffusors at the reflection points and bass traps for the corners.

darkmoebius July 25, 2005 21:34

Skushino, we seem to be following a similar path....

I haven't received my Bitsream yet, it is in transit as we speak. But, from the great things that 've read, I have high expectations.

As for the Welbornes, I've had a few SET amps through here on loan (Cary, ASL, Decware) and the DRD's seem to be the most neutral and pleasing to my ears.

Although, I know exactly what you mean when you could use a little "more power". As of yet, I'm not getting the "startling" or explosive dynamics and speed that I am supposed to with these speakers. It's smooth and engaging as all "getout", just not explosive.

I'm guessing that's a result of having to run my cheap Denon multi-disc cd player directly into the DRD's and sub amp while I'm waiting on a new chasis for my S&B TVC and Museatex + suitable transport(as soon as I find one).

Anyway, I'm holding off on any lasting opinion on any single component until I get some serious room treatments going, a proper equipment rack, and the TVC(+6dB boost) back in my system. It's just too hard to tell right now.

As for adding a second sub, I don't know about that in your system. Dr. Edgar's shop is only 15 minutes away from my house and he has the Southern California Horn Owners group meeting there one a month. I've been a couple of times and heard your Edgarhorns with Seismic Sub, that's about as good as it gets.

In fact, those meetings are what got me started down the road to high(ish) efficiency. I was amazed at how smooth, coherent, and non-shouty those horns were. "Effortless" would be the word I use. Of course, he runs Cy Brennans SET amps, so you might want to consider that in the furture.

Unless you are going to test with a second Seismic(who's got that much room?), anything else is probably going to "muddy the waters".

I don't see a sub amp listed in your system, are you using one? What kind?

darkmoebius July 20, 2005 15:52

Hi Audiofankj,

I wish I could brag about how great it sounds, but due to finances, I had to acquire everything in a scattergraph fashion off the used market whenever something I wanted appeared at a good price. In reality, I've only been able to hook most of it up the last few weeks.

First, I got the S&B volume transformers, but didn't have any amps. Then, I got the Graham Slee phono amp + stepup months before the rest of the vinyl system. Had to wait a few months for the bank account to rebound. Then, I got the cartridges in flurry of used buying, but still had to wait a couple more months before getting the turntable and arm.

Finally, I got the DRD amps, but only had one good set of interconnects, so it was strictly cd's.(not to mention, I've never set up a TT and didn't have any of the tools) Then, the Cain & Cain speakers popped up at a "once in a lifetime" price and that seriously broke the bank again.

I still don't have enough interconnects to hook everything up. Or, an amp for the passive Bailey subwoofers. DIY interconnects are next, but it may be while for the sub amp. I'm looking for a tube amp that's got the current and speed capability to keep up with the fullrangers/DRD's. That won't come cheap, but I'm not gonna to settle for less at this point.

What I've heard so far is good, not great, but very promising. I've got to deal with all the room issues before I can even think of attempting to fine tune anything. Any sustained mid or low bass notes cause the room to overload.

But, the IM-Bens sound pretty amazing on their own when driven by the DRD's directly from the cd player. It's very smooth, coherent, and natural. Lot's of detail, but it is subtle, not the etched hyper-reality sometimes mistaken for a good thing. Vocals and wood instruments have "body" and resonance to die for. A super-wide soundstage with the craziest vertical dispersion.

But, I am lacking in the depth department right now. There's no distance between performers or any sense of "the back of the hall" that I have heard on other great systems.

Right now, I assume that is a result of room acoustics. I've got that massive 16' x 6' bare wall six feet behind the speakers. Got to get something up there to break up reflections. Then, there's the 1st reflections and roof/floor problems.

Arrggghh, this is going to take another few months before I'll be able to offer any type of informed opinion. And then there is the whole issue of an equipment rack.

darkmoebius July 09, 2005 07:28

System edited: Just added isolation transformers to remove AC line noise caused by all the flourescent bulbs we have in our house. Not to mention the regular appliances.

darkmoebius July 08, 2005 08:21

Wow, I didn't know a thread would be opened on my system, sorr it took so long to respond. Check out the new pictures of my room.

Grannyring, I would love to trade emails on proper speaker/sub placement. It is easy to get good sound, but fine tuning has really been a lesson in room acoustics.

Using JBL's Room Mode Calculator, I've been able to find all the critical placement spots at the mode nulls. My listening position is now between 20-21 ft.

darkmoebius July 06, 2005 23:22

System edited: Just added the Cain & Cain Bens and two subwoofers last weekend. almost ready to move this rig into the "Done for Now" category, just need a good equipment rack.

darkmoebius June 11, 2005 08:19