Okay, the system is finally complete! Hopefully it will sit in this state for a while so i can once again continue to buy more music and stop obsessing over upgrades!
At the heart of the system is the Audible Illusions Modulus 3A tube preamp. Everything is fed to this pre and every time i turn it on, i am more and more satisified. Bass is deep and tight, treble is smooth yet detailed and refined and the midrange is very silky smooth.
Recently i added the Classe CDP-1 to be my main source since i have left vinyl for a while. In my price range, i feel it is as close to analog as i am going to get. Air, detail, dynamics, its all there. Time after time it delivers the music.
And finally i am sure all the feedback i am going to receive is going to be about the media center. Baiscally i have it set up so that it is as stand alone as a CD player. Turn it on and use the remote to navigate trhough the music on the hard drive. The old mac sits on a custom made box to make it look more like a piece of high end audio gear. The music is output through an external firewire DAC made by M-Audio. When i want to add more music or create playlists i simply control the mac from another room via a remote desktop software program called "Chicken of the VNC." Fianlly all song information is displayed on the Samsung 32" flat panel LCD TV.
Every piece of gear sits on solid brass footers made by Mapleshade. The power supply for the Mac and the preamp also sit on solid maple platforms made by Mapleshade.
All interconnects, power cables, HDMI and speaker cables are made by Signal Cable.
Nice solid DVD player. This was my primary digital source before i bought the Classe. Now it sits a lot. Every once in a while i throw a DVD its way and it never dissapoints. Video looks great in 720p on the flat panel.
Monster Power HTS-2500 MK II Reference
What can i say about the Monster Power HTS-2500? Well, it handles my AC current load, cleaned up the picture on my LCD tv and seems to do nice things to my stereo. The Monster brand is far and away from my favorite company, but for the money, it gives me a little piece of mind. And the best of it all is that it is NOT a surge strip (i hate power strips). Eventually this is going to be replaced by an MIT Z-Iso or a PS Audio unit.
B&K Components Reference 4420
Nice warm sound. This seems to be a very good match for the B&W CDM9NT's. I have always been a fan of B&K and this amp is no slouch. This amp can really put the bass in my chest with very little effort. When i step up to mono blocks it might be a set of B&K's.
Classe Audio CDP-1
Great CD player, does everything that my universal player did not... Deliver the goods whilst sounding very muciscal. When i put this CD player into my system, i finally knew what reviewers meant when they mention the air around voices and instruments.
Audible Illusions Modulus 3A
Just picked up a M3A to pick up the duties of preamplification. In my opinion this is a major step in the right direction versus my old Classe CP-35 pre. Bass and midrange are just right for my ears. Tubes have been replaced with some NOS russian 6H23's.
Apple MAC G4 Cube Media Center
Here is my beloved old MAC. After i upgraded to a new G5, i couldnt see letting this fine computer go to a waste. So i converted it into a stand alone media center. Handling all of the files without a keyboard and mouse is done seamlessly using a program called Front Row and a USB remote control made by Kensington. Front Row is a a very nice looking user interface that allows me to flip through audio tracks including the artwork, watch movies stored on the hard drive, view pictures and even watch movie trailers from the web. Heading up the audio duties is a external firewire DAC made by M-Audio. Its capabilites as a DAC are decent, but far from the
Signal Cable Analog 2
Full compliment.
Signal Cable Ultra
Double run; one 6ft pair for the highs and one 6ft pair for the lows.
Signal Cable Magic
One on the amp and one on the preamp
M-Audio Audiphile Firewire External
M-Audio's "Audiophile" firewire DAC hooked up to the MAC cube.
Signal Cable Video Reference
One hooked up to the DVD player and one hooked up to the MAC cube's power supply.
Signal Cable Digital Reference
Hooked up to the Classe CDP-1
B&W CDM-9nt
Very nice full range speakers in beautiful light cherry.
VTI BL304
Great little rack for the money, plus the shelves match my speakers!
Mapleshade Solid Maple Isolation
Two custom Mapleshade solid maple platforms. Spiked feet couple them to the floor. Perfect fit for my external power supplies.
Mapleshade Surefoot v.3
Six sets of Mapleshade Surefeet under every component.
Nice system- never thought about hooking a mac mini to the MDA1000- how does that work- optical cable? Very cool. I am using a Mac Mini with a Wavelength Cosecant and it kicks butt. One thing though is that I notice you are using a monster power conditioner to plug everything into- have you heard your system with out it? I have a feeling it might actually sound better with it out of the way- at least don't plug your power amps into them- they filter in stages which is great for cleaning the noise off the line, but in the process it limits current delivery. My system sounds better with out it!
My MAC is not hooked up to a DAC that nice. Though i the future i may go with a Scott Nixon USB tube dac. Dont know really. My media MAC sounds great, but is no where near the quality of my CD player.
Finally i took updated pics of the setup. I will try to take some more soon. If anyone would like to see more pics of the MAC, just let me know.
Great System !! I am also using a MAC. I hooked my MAC Mini up to a McIntosh MDA1000 DAC with awsome results. I can't tell the difference between that and the CD player. It may be evan better.
My musical taste is all over the place, for instance; last night i listened to, "the Mlada Suite by Rimsky Korsakov", then "Earth Wind & Fire's Greattest Hits," a little Kill Bill volume 1, some Moody Blues, a little Belle & Sebastion and then finally some Alan Parsons.
Its such a hard question to ask when someone asks me what type of music i listen to. So i have found that it is far easier to say what i dont listen to, and that is; country (unless its really classic), reggae, new rock and rap (unless its really old school like Run DMC, Beastie Boys or Grandmaster Flash).
I think i am going to spend the rest of the evening tweaking the VTA on my table. That like upgradtis is a disorder, lol.
