These speakers are version 2 of Aerial Acoustics' pinnacle speaker design. The workmanship is outstanding. They have 2" thick cabinet walls with heavy cherry veneer. The wiring and components are all premium grade. They use a 4" ribbon tweeter and proprietary Scan-Speak drivers. A true 20HZ to 20,000HZ speaker that is very musical.
Line Magnetic LM-845 Premium
The LM-845 Premium is a SET integrated amp that uses massive output transformers and a massive separate power supply. The driver tubes are 300B and output tubes are 845. I've upgraded the tubes to Western Electric. The authority, richness and soundstage this amp provides is outstanding. With the Aerial 20T V2 speakers it presents a huge soundstage that is silky smooth and powerful.
Eversolo Play & Gustard A26 streamer/DAC combo
This is Eversolo's all-in-one component which I have found makes an excellent stand alone streamer. I'm feeding it to a Gustard A26 DAC that combines two AK4499EX DAC chips with one AK4191 modulator from Asahi Kasei Microdevices. With independent power supplies and grounding for each channel when run fully balanced it makes a huge, natural soundstage and very realistic presentation of the music.
ModWright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES
ModWright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES with external tube rectified power supply. I've added Sophia Electric blue 6SN7 tubes to the output stage. I still have a significant CD collection. Overall, great analog type sound.
AR-ES1, SME, Origin Live, Hagerman Labs and LTA analog system
Heavy modified custom AR-ES1 with Origin Live speed box and SME 309 tonearm. Phono preamp is a Hagerman Labs Trumpet MC with LTA power supply. Very high value and excellent performing analog system.
Audioquest Dragon Interconnects, Power Cables and Speaker Cables
Expensive but worth it if you want the absolute best out of your system.
Synergistic Research Black Box
The Black Box is a Low Frequency Resonator Array that works in conjunction with the 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.
The UEF Panels, UEF Dots, Black Box, 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.
Synergistic Research Tranquility Pod
The Tranquility Pod has powered UEF and SR grounding technology. It works with the SR Atmospheres that I have distributed around the room. Very effective with digital sources.
Electric Bamboo, ADD-Powr Sorcer and ElectraClear EAU-1
The Electric Bamboo is an excellent but very rare line conditioner. Hand-built around a massive transformer thats wired and grounded in the classic star configuration. The ADD-Powr and ElectraClear devices 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.
Vera-Fi Audio MainStream, SnubWay and Puron AC Line Conditioners
I use these conditioners as additives to my power conditioner. They give a more realistic presentation/soundstage and reveal more texture and impact to the overall sound especially in the bass.
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 on 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.
Akiko Audio Tuning Stick; Kemp QA Plug (2) and Zero One (2)
The Akiko Audio tuning stick is another grounding product that works with internal crystals. The Kemp and Zero One products keep the electrons spinning around the electronic signals as uniform as possible and add a more standard frequency Schumann Resonance as compared to the Synergistic Research products which have variable Schumann frequencies.
Audio Magic Pulsed Electron Alignment
The PEAs are battery powered and affect Spintronics: electrons spinning around electronic signals. 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.
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 components.
I had a good audiophile friend over last night and we listened to the Audio-GD R-7HE for about an hour. He is a BIG analog guy - his analog rig is over $50K. He has chastised me for getting rid of my analog system and albums. He said the Audio-GD is at least "listenable" Haha, thats pretty high praise coming from him!
I've now been running the Audio-GD R-7HE MK2 DAC 24/7 for a week. I've listened to it everyday along the way. Like in all audio equipment good power supplies need a lot of run time to sound their best. It was great straight out the box but its now over-the-top good. It's also very susceptible to different power cords. Every change being easily heard.
Thank You for the details and sharing your experience sbayne.
Good to know that you have finally found a DAC that suits your listening preference. While 5-6 years is huge in "digital life" terms, it is still a valid experience and it helps others understand what the reviewer's preference is. I am not surprised because I have read a few user discussions that stated that mega $$$$ DACs not necessarily impressed them. It also probably, depends on system matching.
And like you said - far too many choices in DACs with new ones coming either monthly or weekly. But I think you landed with a long term keeper. Have fun listening to your music!
Thanks milpai! I use this as my personal blog to document the changes I've made in my system over the years. I've gone through a lot of gear and I haven't put every step of the way in here. As to DACs, I've found my strong previous is for non-oversampling (NOS) R2R ladder DACs. And, like most gear, that have robust power supplies.
Back 5 or 6 years ago, I had a friend (who as now dropped out of high-end audio) who owned a very expensive DCS stack and I listened to it fairly extensively. It was excellent but its just not as natural sounding as a good NOS in my opinion. Same with PS Audio but I have not heard their latest offerings/software upgrades. I've owned older models of Esoteric and Wavelength DACs and, at the time, my analog rig walked all over them. As to analog, I was really into idler turntables for many years having owned various Garrard 301 and Thorens TD-124.
I've owned a number of cheaper NOS and TDA1541A DACs from Chinese companies including a couple from MHDT Labs. They are excellent for the money. I've heard the Denafrip Ares II and it also seemed to be very good for the money. I had an Auralic for awhile and it sounded great but eventually got fatiguing sound-wise. So, I bought an Audio GD R8 NOS DAC, without hearing it first, and it was the best DAC I'd ever had in my system. Next, I made the mistake of buying a Denafrip Pontus II thinking it would be better than the R8 - I was wrong. The Pontus II sounded very analytical and dry to me (I realize its gotten great reviews). I bought it used and the seller very graciously let me return it to him.
I recently got a great deal on the Audio-GD R-7HE MK2 otherwise I would have stayed with the R8. I have not heard the most recent Denafrips Terminator II or the HoloAudio DACs - its rather "hard keeping up with the Jones" - I assume the Stereophile review is correct.
So, thats my digital journey so far - thanks for checking in.
Congratulations on the Audio-GD. This is one DAC that caught my eye because of 2 things - it is a pure DAC, meaning that there is no volume control. Second reason is the review from Stereophile. But the strange thing is - I have not seen much discussion on any other forums. The likes og Holo May and Terminator are discussed to death. But if this one tops those 2, I have not seen any discussion. But since you experienced other DACs and then compared this one, it would be pretty helpful to expand on what you liked in this one compared to the others, when you get a chance.
BTW, your system has evolved nicely over the years. Keep it up!
I've now added the Audio-GD R-7HE MK2 DAC. It's non-oversampling and has its own built-in regenerative power supply. Huge amounts of air around the instruments/voices with rock solid images and soundstage. Absolutely no harshness and the transparency is excellent. Easily the best digital I've owned and possibly ever heard. I've owned and heard many excellent digital sources over the years including DCS, Denafrip, Auralic, Esoteric, Wavelength and MHDT Labs.
I've also added a Puritan PSM156 Studio Master mains purifier to my system. It works very well. To the point where I'm not sure the Bluetti battery power is even needed. The key is to properly ground the Puritan. The jury is still out.
Thanks David. I've also started using large wool dryer balls for vibration control under my equipment and speakers. The idea came from Ginko Audio that is using something similar in their new products. I was shocked by how well they work. They make the midrange more open yet the bass is a little more solid. Ginko Audio sells bases for theirs. I've tried Vibrapods under mine since they have a center concave that holds the wool ball very nicely. Not sure though if I'll keep the Vibrapods under them since they may not be needed. I need to mess with them more.
I've now gone to 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.
I’ve been working on modifying speaker cables and interconnects. It seems lowering the EMI/RF riding on the cable is the key. The off-grid battery I use started me down this path because of the huge sonic gains it provides in reducing EMI/RF. There are lots of cable designs and materials to try out.
I don't know why I even bother with the Audiogon Forums. There are some people on there who are truly nuts. All the way from saying the US isn't on AC power to talking about 800lb flywheel UPS systems which apparently can turn into a bomb if not implemented correctly. They literally write paragraph after paragraph and seem totally serious - there is some type of psychosis going on.
Seems like the Bluetti thread is back on track. We think the main offender has been banned. We will see - he may have just been restricted for a while.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 are24AWG 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.
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.
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.
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....
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.
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.
