Awesome.

millercarbon May 18, 2021 19:59

Based on a number of recommendations I purchased a set of Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums for my Tekton Moabs. They decouple and "float" the 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 most metal speaker bases. Pictures added.

sbayne May 18, 2021 11:15

I went ahead and added a complete Synergistic Research ART acoustic system. It's based on resonators and even though its SR's "old" acoustic system it integrates very well and compliments the overall sound that you can achieve with their current UEF acoustic items. Synergistic Research realizes this, of course, and is re-releasing the Vibratron which is the large multi-resonator in the middle/upper part of the wall between the speakers. Pictures added.

sbayne April 27, 2021 17:39

ksnel331 - The tweeters are the Satori TW29B-B. It fits the opening exactly and comes in 4 ohm which is what I needed. It uses a regular ferrite magnet and costs less than the TW29BN-B which uses a neodymium magnet. You can even get a silver flange on these but I decided against that. Madisound is the US distributor for Satori but if you want to take a chance I've seen them on EBay at a decent discount. I wouldn't say the upgrade was "easy".  I had to do a little cutting to get the terminals to fit and redrill the screw holes. Also, you really should solder the wire back into place. The main problem is getting the old tweeter out without chipping the paint so you have to take your time. Thanks for checking out my system and good luck with the tweeter upgrade if you decide to do it.

sbayne April 17, 2021 13:49

I was checking out your system. Specifically the Moabs because I also have them. Curious about your tweeter upgrade. Was it easy to do and where did you get them from? Thanks and your system looks great and I am sure sounds even better.

ksnel331 April 17, 2021 12:21

Thanks b_limo - I do have a lot of "voodoo" going on! haha If you are ever in the North Carolina area let me know. You can stop by for a listen.

sbayne April 16, 2021 16:00

Man I would love to hear this setup.  You have a lot of voodoo going on there and I bet it’s sublime.  I don’t know how I can have so many favorites here but yours is one of them! That SR stuff is awesome as are your speakers.  I’d get moabs spec’d exactly like you did yours.  Super sweet set-up!

b_limo April 16, 2021 15:33

I now use 3 different Atmospheres in my system. The original Atmosphere, FEQ x4 and the Mini x4 so that I have complete coverage of the room. It's a lot like what SR is doing with their Infinity setups. I use Red ATMs. The sound is HUGE. I've updated the system pics.

sbayne April 15, 2021 20:32

I installed beryllium Sartori TW29B-B tweeters in the Moabs. As far as I can tell its the same tweeter that Tekton uses for it's upgrades. It was pretty much a direct fit. It adds micro detail and open-ups the soundstage but it's not harsh. In fact, I think it's smoother than the tweeter it replaced. Well worth the expense and effort.

sbayne March 30, 2021 12:13

I finally finished making my own "high definition" grounding cables for my Synergistic Research Grounding block. Very nice improvement across the board in micro-detail. The biggest improvement (this was a surprise) is when I grounded the chassis of the Powercell 12 UEF!

sbayne March 24, 2021 15:21

The last piece of the overhaul (for awhile at least) is the Synergistic Research Powercell 12 UEF. It's obviously UEF based and uses EM in its conditioning. The sound is immediate and clear yet delicate and settle. It's a study in contrasts at this level of stereo performance. Amazing, sit and listen for hours type of sound.

sbayne March 16, 2021 18:08

I've also gradually moved to a full-loom of Synergistic Research Foundation power cables, interconnects and speaker cables. I was using very high value Western Electric cables before but, as should be expected, the Synergistic Research are a clear step up - especially in the quality of the bass.

sbayne March 09, 2021 12:06

Massive overhaul of my system. I changed pretty much everything except for the Moabs. The biggest change was to my amp. I had an excellent Melody AN845 integrated that gave glorious sound but I wanted to at least try the new Purifi amp modules. I ended up with the Apollon which has dual power supplies and the Sparkos Pro input buffer. WOW - everything that people have said about these amps is true! Absolute control of the bass, the mids are clear/very realistic, the highs are never hot, they just sound natural and the soundstage is huge. I hated to see it go but I sold the Melody.

sbayne March 07, 2021 14:10

Like I've discussed many times before the key to getting good sound is to manipulate the power feeding our system and the audio signal itself. Science shows electronic signals (which obviously include audio and power) are affected by electromagnetic fields (EM). If we manipulate EM (by either adding or subtracting it) in our systems we can getter better sound. Ever since alternating current was adopted as the choice for power distribution we have manipulated EM in transformers, phono cartridges and, of course, speakers via their magnets or powered field coils. For the last 10 years or more companies have been manipulating specific types of EM to make stereo systems sound better. Here is a list of companies I know do this: Nordost, Furutech, High Fidelity, Synergistic Research, Kemp Electronics, Shunyata Research, Virtual Dynamics, Akiko Audio, Audio Magic, Audioquest, Acoustic Revive, ADD-Powr, Bybee and Perfect Path Technologies. They are many different techniques to manipulate EM such as using normal magnets, magnets painted with graphene, crystals, schumann resonance generators (which are nothing more than low-frequency EM fields) and active circuits. Old-school electrical engineers, who claim to be audiophiles, don't seem to understand this, or admit it's possible, even when it's explained to them. Oh well, it's their loss for being closed-minded, stubborn and arrogant.

sbayne March 02, 2021 13:01

Moabs, Mats, tons of Synergistic, Melody amp- "Music is just exploding out of this setup!" For some reason, easy for me to believe! 😘

millercarbon February 02, 2021 07:09

Working on some fairly major updates and changes. It's a grand experiment but so far so good.

sbayne February 01, 2021 18:14

The previous post had a strange light font. Weird. I have no idea what that’s all about.  Whatever.

sbayne January 21, 2021 03:12

I found some good deals on a used Synergistic Research ground box and Tranquility Pod. I built my own "high-def" cables for the grounding box. I must say it works very well. Absolute blackness between the notes and the detail is better without sounding harsh. The Tranquility Pod I'm not so sure about. It really hasn't made much a difference in the sound I'm getting. Granted, I have Tranquility Bases under all my equipment and multiple layers of Perfect Path pads. I'm going to keep messing with it though and let it sit longer in a specific location before moving it.

sbayne January 14, 2021 17:33

Snuck in a short listening session today. Hard to believe a fuse could make such a big difference in sound. Also guessing the Lumin wasn’t fully broken in when I got it.  Whatever the case may be its the best sound I’ve had in my system so far!

sbayne December 27, 2020 22:21

Music is just exploding out of this setup! The Lumin D2 with the Synergistic Research Fuse/ECTs, Supra LAN cables and Perfect Path E-mats/E-Cards is getting to the point of REAL! This combo has over 100 hours on it - going to let them play another 48 hours and revaluate.

sbayne December 22, 2020 00:21

I've switched the BlueSound NODE 2i out for a Lumin D2. I'll be adding a Synergistic Research Orange fuse to it. Already, the sound is bigger, more layered and open. Things have calmed down on the crazy rectifier switching - I've settled on a NOS RCA. Very extended and smooth.

sbayne December 15, 2020 14:29

I bought a set of fairly expensive "used" rectifier tubes that supposedly had about 100 hours on them. There is absolutely no way these tubes have that amount of hours. They sounded weak & thin for about the first 30 hours - then they just bloomed. I guess people buy stuff, expect to be blown away immediately and when they aren't they sell it. Thats a "good" thing for those of us who buy used gear but then again its sort of sad. The same thing happens with sports cars, high-end watches and other luxury goods. So, whatever, but I'm still amazed people don't take more time with stuff even if they have money to blow. Just shows we are an instant gratification society.

sbayne December 04, 2020 18:51

I'm now trying different rectifiers from the 5U4 family. The Melody AN845 lets you hear every little change. I've also added a SOtM iSO-CAT6 isolator & Supra Cat 8+ ethernet cable to my BlueSound Node2i which has taken it up a step or two in sound quality.

sbayne December 01, 2020 21:41

I've got about 125 hours on the Melody AN845. I'm gobsmacked by this amp. It's only 22 watts but it has complete control over the Moabs drivers. When the music calls for slam its there instantly but when its soft and delicate the music just floats. I'm sure it's mostly because of the massive transformers. Looking back on all the excellent amps I've had (Shindo, Quicksilver, Cary, Bel Canto, Deja Vu, TRL, Odyssey to name a few) they never had this HUGE of transformers like the Melody has. The SET 845 tubes are also a factor but I'm betting the overall sound would be similar with most single ended triodes if these transformers were used in the design.

sbayne November 27, 2020 15:17