Description

High priority on tone, soundstage and overall balance of sound.
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Components Toggle details

    • Tekton Design MOAB
    These speakers use a double tweeter array to produce the midrange. The Be tweeter between the arrays is used as the actual tweeter. Then two big ass woofers are added. Extremely well reviewed and high value speakers!
    • Innuos PULSE
    Network Streamer internal with a RECAP2 power supply by Dr. Sean Jacobs built-in. Uses the innuOS 2.0 and Sense software. Its the best sounding streamer, OS and control software I've every used.
    • Audio-GD Vacuum HE 1 XLR MK2
    This is Audio-GD's top-of-the-line fully balanced MK2 tube preamp with a built-in regenerative power supply. The transformers are huge and normally what you find in power amps. The sound is lush and gigantic.
    • Audio-GD Master 3A
    Fully balanced with 50 watts of Class A power. Very well built power amp that has a very seductive yet authoritative sound with the Moabs.
    • Audio-GD R-7HE MK2
    I've recently gone back to the world of Non-oversampling DACs. They simply sound more natural than high-resolution oversampling DACs. The Audio-GD is a very well built R2R NOS DAC with a built-in regenerative power supply. It took a couple hundred hours to fully bloom but it was worth the wait.
    • Network Acoustics Muon System
    This is a complete digital cable system (filter, LAN cable, USB cable). This at a higher level than the famed EVO system.
    • Earthquake Sound SuperNova MKIV Distributed Bass Array
    I run 4 subs in a distributed bass array or "swarm".  I get excellent bass because the subs are asymmetric to each other and one pair is run out-of-phase - much like Eric does with his woofers and arrays. The Synergistic Research Black Box works as a bass resonator and in-tandem with the distributed array. With my amp the Moabs are very good to about 40Hz so I crossover at that point. The crossover should be set by ear since its very dependent on your amp.
    • Synergistic Research Powercell 12 UEF
    This is a classic power conditioner. It's UEF/EM based and compliments every component plugged in to it!
    • DIY speaker, interconnects and power cables
    DIY speaker, interconnects and power cables. They use multi-strand copper, an open weave, cotton cord in the center and ERS cloth at both ends. It's the formula Danny Richie uses for his cables. They have an open, airy yet very solid sound. The key is to break them in for hundreds of hours and use them as a "full loom" throughout your system.
    • Synergistic Research Black Box

    The Black Box is a Low Frequency Resonator Array that works in conjunction with the Subwoofers, Atmospheres and FEQ X4 to solve bass node issues.  

    • Synergistic Research ART System
    This is Synergistic Research's older acoustic system that's based on resonators. It works very well with their current UEF system and provides excellent results. Complete ART systems are getting hard to find.
    • Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums
    These decouple and "float" your speakers on a spring-loaded metal base. It opens-up the sound and adds solidity to the bass but doesn't make the sound harsh like most metal speaker bases.
    • Synergistic Research: Atmosphere XL-4, Atmosphere, Mini-Atmosphere, FEQ X4 (2), UEF Dots, UEF Panels, Risers,ECT and GCT
    The UEF Panels, UEF Dots, Black Box, Risers, ECT and GCT are all types of sound resonators. I use an Atmosphere XL-4 (green ATM), Atmosphere (red ATM), FEQ X4 (2) (red ATMs) and Mini-Atmosphere (green ATM) - when used with the Synergistic Research control software they generate various frequencies of Schumann Resonances around the room. Bottom line they work: create a huge/realistic listening experience!
    • Synergistic Research Grounding Block
    This is SR's basic grounding block but it works very well. Makes the system absolutely silent at idle and It eliminated a slight hum on a power supply. I made my own "high definition" grounding cables.
    • Akiko Audio Tuning Stick; Kemp QA Plug (2) and Zero One (2)
    The Akiko Audio, Kemp and Zero One products treat the signal and power in my system keeping the electrons spinning around the electronic signals as uniform as possible or by adding more standard frequency Schumann Resonances. These products are excellent at making your system sound more "natural".
    • Perfect Path Technologies Total Contact, RCA caps, Stop-It duplex plugs, E-Mats & E-Cards
    This company has now closed because the owner has passed away. These products work to achieve a uniform and consistent RF/EMI and electron treatment around my components which greatly helps the sonics.
    • Synergistic Research Tranquility Bases and Tranquility Pod
    I use original MIGs under the Tranquility Bases.
    • Audio Magic Pulsed Electron Alignment
    The PEAs are battery powered. Spintronics is the ability to control or manipulate how electrons spin. Electrons spinning around electronic signals carry audio information. The goal of the PEA devices its to get the electrons spinning as uniformly as possible. It opens up the sound and makes subtle cues in the music even more real.
    • Puritan 156, ADD-Powr Sorcer and ElectraClear EAU-1
    The Puritan is an excellent line conditioner. The ADD-Powr and ElectraClear devices actually add electromagnetics (EM) to the AC line using an active circuit and algorithm. Contrary to popular belief not all EM is bad for sound quality in stereo systems. The proof is in the listening.
    • Timbernation and Bright Star Audio Platforms
    Solid maple platforms stained cherry for electronics and Bright Star platforms for the subs.
    • Puron AC Line Conditioner
    I've added two of these line conditioners into the same outlet that feeds my Puritan 156 line conditioner. They open the sound soundstage, give a more realistic presentation of vocals and reveal a little more texture and impact to the bass. Highly recommended!
    • Stein H2 Harmonizer system
    I have 4 Stein H2s in my system.I went with one in each of corner of the room with a Stein stone at each and a Stein diamond on the ceiling in the center of the room. They add layers and layers of depth with each vocalist/instrument being in their own separate but integrated spaces.

Comments 556

Owner
I started a thread here on Audiogon about going off the grid and how impressed I am with the Bluetti AC200MAX. As what normally happens it quickly turned into childish bickering. I tried to broker a truce but they just keep going at each other - totally killing any meaningful conversation. So frustrating.

sbayne

Owner
The Bluetti AC200MAX is working out extremely well. It handles my system like it is nothing. The cooling fans have not kicked on even once which is important. I threw some very loud bass heavy music at it and there was no problem.  The sound comes from a completely black background and the soundstage is huge and natural.

sbayne

Owner

I purchased the Bluetti 200MAX

  • 2,200W AC Pure Sine Wave Inverter (4,800W Surge)
  • 2,048Wh Capacity
  • LiFePO4 Battery with 3,500+ Life Cycles to 80%

Reviews show the fan, if it comes on, is very quiet and it has heat sinks so hopefully it will be ok in my listening room. My equipment will be drawing about 500 watts so the load shouldn't be too bad. I'll report back on how it works out. 

sbayne

Owner
Brain fart on the ACSS interconnects. I bought the "mini" size which is wrong and now another audiophile has pointed-out my preamp doesn't even support ACSS! Total stupidity on my part. Urgh!

sbayne

Owner
I'm going to try Audio GD's ACSS connections between the R8, HE1 and the 3A. I decided on The Reference by Robertson Audio. The cables are 24AWG 99.99% solid core pure silver. Most "silver" cables are actually silver-plated and can sound fairly bright. According to the reviews, these Robertson cables are extremely natural yet with extreme resolution and soundstage. I have high hopes for these. I should have them in a couple weeks.

sbayne

Owner
Eric Alexander makes very high value Tekton speakers by using well known physics and science. He uses large band tweeters in an array that are wired in and out of phase to reproduce the midrange frequencies. He realized they will respond faster and sound more realistic in this configuration. He took that idea to another level by producing a double tweeter array wired in series which produced an even more realistic sound. For best sound quality, he has always recommended a 4 ohm speaker over an 8 ohm speaker. Now, he is going the next step and is starting to produce 2 ohm speakers because he knows scientifically that will allow the drivers to receive more current which, again, allows the speaker to sound more real.  All of this is no problem if you have the proper amplifier. The OUTPUT TRANSFORMERS must be able to handle these loads. The wattage doesn't matter because the sensitivity of these speakers is very high - you will get enough volume, it just won't sound the best. The other "solution" is to use a Class D amplifier since the new designs really don't care what the impedance of the speaker is. This is a hard concept for people to accept but Eric is using very well understood science to produce some excellent speakers.

sbayne

Owner
The DI-20HE and R8 have been playing for 9 days straight, so over 200 hours. The sound is now "reach out and touch it" real. I think it's the lower midrange that has changed the most. There is a solidity to the sound that wasn't there before. The very low bass seems faster, not necessarily lower, but hits with more authority and moves on. The upper frequencies are just a touch more rounded but with a little more micro-detail (I didn't know that was even possible since it seems like a contradiction) This is a very real, refined sound. The regenerative power supply in the DI-20HE probably plays a big role in this. Kingwa has been "upgrading" pretty much all of his preamps and DACS with his regenerative power supply. My HE-1 preamp already has one so I may have to explore one of his regenerative DACs next.

sbayne

Owner
People really don’t seem to understand how their stereos work. There is a guy I’ve encountered (who designs and builds amplifiers!) who seems to think if sensitivity is high then low impedance speakers are simply a waste.  He totally disregards Ohms Law that the flow of electricity to a speaker is HIGHER with lower impedances. I guess he believes if the speaker makes high decibels at 1 meter with 1 watt then you are good to go. Another guy even told me Ohms Law has nothing to do with speakers because the audio signal is not electrical!! I didn’t have the heart to tell him this understanding of electrical science has been around for a 100 years!  It’s no wonder “new” science like quantum mechanics and it’s effect on sound is “snake oil” to these people.  Oh well....

sbayne

Owner
It took me awhile to get the DI-20HE going.  I was using a RCA coax into the R8 DAC and outputting XLR balanced from the R8. Well, duh, the R8 doesn’t convert the signal!! After I realized what the problem was the sound was really nice but not amazing. I’m going to let it play for 4 or 5 days before serious listening or judgment.  I think it needs to open-up and settle.

sbayne

Owner
I'm adding Audio GD's DI-20HE that has its own regenerative  Class A balanced power supplies for the digital interface. Should be interesting.

sbayne

Owner
I went ahead and got the Audio GD Master 3A. It’s a 50 watt pure class A amp with massive power supplies and transformers. 80lbs worth. The sound is lush and real. Now fully understanding why people love these type of amps.

sbayne

Owner
Pictures of the new system are now posted. I've decided to go with 30 watt Class A mono-blocks for the time being. The new Audio-GD vacuum tube HE-1 preamp is fully balanced with regenerative power supplies. Very seductive yet authoritative sound with the Moabs.

sbayne

Owner
I've made some fairly significant changes to my system. The biggest change is going to a balanced tube preamp and a different GaN amp. Everything is still breaking-in and I'm making some rack/configuration changes. I'll post pics and a write-up once everything is settled.

sbayne

Owner
A guy on Facebook in the Tekton group was trying to tell me an output transformer in an amp has nothing to do with impedance matching. I cited him an article I found literally within 30 seconds and he still denied it.....Haha. I truly don't know why I even get into those types of debates anymore.

sbayne

Owner
Another one I'm saving:

This is a very relevant discussion since many folks are driving their Tektons with low power tube amps and low power solid state amps - if you do this you better be certain the transformers on your amp are more than capable of driving a 4 ohm load or your SOUND QUALITY will suffer. An amp's output transformer is nothing more than an impedance matching device with the reflected load coming off the speakers so it must be able to handle the various swings in impedance. Since Erik's speakers are high sensitivity (usually over 95db) you will get adequate sound coming out of the speakers but that tells you nothing about sound quality - it just tells you how loud it is in your room. As Erik's demonstration in the video shows a 4 ohm load produces less noise and is the "modern" way to make a speaker especially with high sensitivity - just make sure your amp is up to the task - and don't rely on the old phrase "it plays loud enough for me" unless loudness is all you care about.

sbayne

Owner
I have moved up the line of Audio-GD DACs. I now have the R8 MK2. Its mind-blowing how good these DACs are for the price. Extreme build quality.

sbayne

Owner
On another forum, I recently had a guy go nuts about me using a "cheap Class D amp" to power my system and also claimed there is no way I'm getting the best sound without using a preamp. I'm going to post my reply here so I can find it easily in the future: 

"I guess I should be flattered you have so much concern about my system but I don't have to justify what I use to you or anyone else. I will say I've LOTS of amps over the years including high-end solid-state (Pass, Krell and many others) and tube (Shindo, Cary and many others). I've also owed Tri-Path, Hypex Ncore and Purifi Class D amps. This cheap little GaN amp is the best I've heard. The higher end GaN amps use better power supplies and I will probably upgrade to one in the future. As to using no preamp, I don't need the gain, my system is very dynamic without one and its quiet at idle (which is not always true with many preamps). There is no reason to add another piece of equipment and cables when I don't need it." 

sbayne

Owner
The new cabling from Network Acoustics and Synergistic Research are simply amazing. Musicians have taken on a "wholeness" with subtle details completely surrounding them in the soundstage. All of this with a NOS DAC and 44.1 resolution. Just more evidence that how we treat the audio signal and acoustics are the most important parts of stereo playback since amps and sources have gotten so good.

sbayne

Owner
I've recently gone to Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria cabling with the Gold (Galileo SX) tuning bullets. Very natural sounding with a huge soundstage. I now have more money into my cabling, acoustic treatments and signal enhancements than I do my speakers and components! But I can confidentially say my system has never sounded better!

sbayne

Owner
72 hours and the Muon system is incredible!!! Walk through 3D realism! Wow!

sbayne

Owner
In a few days, I should have Network Acoustics' new Muon filter/cabling and Synergistic Research's gold tuning modules in my system. The next couple of weeks are going to be interesting.....

sbayne

Owner
My biggest upgrade is to my digital source. I'm now have an Innuos ZENMini Mk3 with LPSU. It uses Innuos proprietary OS and streaming software called SENSE. It provides super quick access and excellent sound quality. 

The DAC is now an Audio-GD R2R-1which is Non-Oversampling/ladder based. The power supply is overbuilt for a DAC. With about 150 hours on it the sound is really starting to bloom - very, very nice. 

sbayne

Owner
My new amp is the Premium Audio Mini Gan 5 which uses Gallium Nitride modules for 200 w/ch. It's truly one of the best amps I've ever owned and is definitely the way for future amp design.

sbayne

Owner
I'm doing my annual re-vamping of my system. I have a number of new-to-me components that came from their previous owners not fully broken-in. I never understand why you sell something before its reached its full potential. I'm going to let them run, try some different cables and different positioning in my rack. Things, however, are sounding very good already!

sbayne

Owner
ricmech23 - I really like the FOZ SS-X. The Jim Fosgate speaker crosstalk circuit really works well. I've changed my system around recently and ended-up selling it, however. It was adding too much gain to my system. I tried some gain attenuators but it didn't help. I'll be posting the updates to my system in the next couple weeks.

sbayne

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