MY Place sbayne

by sbayne on Ever Evolving

Description

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

    • Aerial Acoustics 20T V2
    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.
    • Synergistic Research: Atmosphere XL-4, Atmosphere, Mini-Atmosphere, FEQ X4 (2), UEF Dots, UEF Panels, ECT and GCT
    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.
    • 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 components.
    • Timbernation Stand and Platforms
    Solid maple platforms stained cherry.

Comments 595

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Owner
There is a new thread recommending you "charge" the E-Mats on your breaker box for a few days and then put them in your system. So, I switched the E-Mats from the breaker box and Yamaha. No doubt, better sound. Amazing.

sbayne

Owner
The new PPT stuff has only been in my system for a few days but the improvement is awesome. Very, very natural.

sbayne

Owner
Krissy made it possible for me to have a whole new bevy of PPT E-Mats, E-Mats+ and E-Cards stewing in my system. I've resisted listening for the first 24 hours, but I'm sure I'll give in soon!!!!

sbayne

Owner
This morning I was literally 4 feet away from a world class violist who was practicing his solo for a series of concerts this weekend.  As good as we think our stereo systems are they are humbled when compared against the real thing.  The power, warmth and emotion simply can’t be replicated.

sbayne

Owner
A long listening session tonight.  Just one more click on the subs’ output and one lower click on the crossover and .......wallah!  I even brought my wife (a professional musician in to confirm it) the mid-bass and lower bass is spot-on. Lesson learned. You must listen to other systems or great live performances and adjust accordingly!!!!!! Phew!! (more work than I anticipated!)

sbayne

Owner
So after hearing the ULFs it seemed the bass in my system wasn't in the same league as those speakers. I finally realized, I have powered subs that I can use to tailor the sound - duh !!  So, I slightly increased the sub-output and slightly changed the crossover point. I'm now much, much closer to what I heard with the ULFs. Sometimes the answer is right in-front of you!

sbayne

Owner
I heard the ULFs yesterday. They had well over $100k of world-class electronics driving them. The sound was spectacular!  How close is my system? From the midrange on up much closer than I expected. From the lower midrange on down the ULFs go lower and have more visceral impact. Hard to know, however, if it was the $40K amp or the ULF speakers bringing that bass. The answer is obviously they both were. At this point, I'm thinking my subs are close enough to what I heard but I may change my mind later.......ha!

sbayne

Owner
I talked to Krissy recently and decided to add PPT Stop-It duplex plugs and a few more E-Cards placed in strategic locations in my system. I've also added a pair of Audio Magic Pulsed Electron Alignment units. All of these things address Spintronics. They aren't even settled-in yet, but based on about 1/2 hour listening to familiar cuts - things are sounding VERY good!

sbayne

Owner

As before, I'm done with the forums for awhile. Many of the proclaimed "engineers" on these boards really seem ignorant. Just for the record, quantum physics is not new and using it to improve our equipment is not a pie in the sky idea. These articles explain Spintronics and how graphene can be used with other materials such as carbon, and thin layers of magnetic materials like cobalt and nickel, to produce predictable spin behavior in electrons. From one of the articles:

"Electronics is based on the manipulation of electrons and other charge carriers, but in addition to charge, electrons possess a property known as spin. When spin is manipulated with magnetic and electric fields, the result is a spin-polarized current that carries more information than is possible with charge alone."

sbayne

Owner

Well, for about 6 months now, I've resisted going back to the forums and reading about PPT and Tekton. As I should have known, its the same old boring spittle of the objective people demanding scientific evidence of the subjective listening experience. It really does get old. I presented the same articles I've used in the past regarding Spintronics and how graphene interacts with other materials to affect electron spin. Seems like people either can't comprehend what is said in those articles, refuse to accept it or are too lazy to even read them. I'm sure I'll be attacked personally before the "discussion" ends. To be continued....


*****

Just thought I'd share some interesting reading:

Spintronics

A conventional digital electronic system conveys a binary signal (think 1s and 0s) through pulses of electrons carried through a conductive wire. Spintronics can convey additional information via another characteristic of electrons, their spin direction (think up or down). Spin is related to magnetism. So spintronics uses magnetism to align electrons of a certain spin, or "inject" spin into a system.

If you've ever done the old science experiment of turning a nail into a magnet by repeatedly dragging a magnet along its length, then you've already dabbled in spintronics. The magnet transfers information to the nail. The trick is then transporting and manipulating that information, which requires devices and materials with finely tuned properties. Researchers are working toward the milestone of a spin transistor, a spintronics version of the electronic components found in practically all modern electronics. Such a device requires a semiconductor material in which a magnetic field can easily manipulate the direction of electrons' spin -- a property called spin-orbit coupling. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190110160941.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150505082944.htm

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-graphene-layered-magnetic-materials-ultrathin.html

sbayne

Owner
Yeah, I'm going to try them horizontally, one pair on stands next to the other pair of monitors, both monitors stacked on stands (with the subs in-between or even in the corners of the room) and different wiring possibilities, etc. I'm currently crossing the subs over at 50 hz but I'm going to experiment with that crossover point too. Its all very interesting to me.

sbayne

Sounds like a really enjoyable evening! Are you considering any other setup configurations...for kicks? Sub in between or, dare I say, a horizontal one? : )

david_ten

Owner
I added pics of the new setup.

sbayne

Owner
I stayed up way too late and drank way too much last night listening to my system! I got the HFT and Black Box locations worked-out and fine tuned the subs. The lower midrange/upper bass really is fantastic with these speakers. I'm not sure what Eric has up his sleeve next but I'm guessing he is going to add yet another array to his top-of-the-line speakers and probably active subs. Its hard to deny that two arrays per channel make sense so I could see a speaker with multiple smaller arrays as a viable product as well.

sbayne

Thanks.

david_ten

Owner
David - I just added them to the top of the first pair of monitors. Its seems kind of crazy but in reality they are just a little taller than the Encores. They can be knocked over but I have a separate listening room, my dog is 16 years old - doesn't jump on anything (I have no cats) and all my kids are grown. Ha,ha.  I was a little concerned about driving two pairs of 4 ohm speakers but there has been no problems so far, even at high volume levels. I plan on spending a lot more time with them tonight and I'll post some pictures.

sbayne

Scott, how are the double pairs setup? Will you be adding a photo?

david_ten

Owner
I added another pair of Impact Monitors to my system! I run them off the B channel of my amp. They integrate perfectly. The lower midrange and upper bass is much better than just one pair of Impact Monitors. The soundstage is also much larger in all respects. The whole sound is more life like. I spent 4 hours listening last night. I'll be adding HFTs, Ground Control adapters and Perfect Path Technology E-Cards to the new pair of monitors. These are now basically Tekton Encores but with controllable stereo subs.

sbayne

Owner
I was advised today what I plan to do “won’t work”.  Hmmm, we shall see.

sbayne

Owner
I've now heard a pair of Encores. To be honest, its what I expected which is sound very much like my Impact Monitors/Servo Subs but with a larger presentation. I found them to be a little more forward sounding in the upper midrange and treble than my speakers which I attribute to the upgraded crossover parts/wire in my speakers. The lower midrange is where I found the Encores to clearly best my set-up. I'm not totally sure, but I think that comes from the additional array the Encores have that the Impact Monitors do not. So.....I have a few thoughts on how to alleviate this "problem" which I will be putting together in the next few weeks.

sbayne

Owner
I've been contacted about a pair of Moabs in the area I can audition. So, hopefully, I'll hear both the Encores and the Moabs before the end of the year.

sbayne

Owner
I'm in North Carolina. I know of 2 pairs of Encores in the State which I hope to audition. If anyone has the Ulfs or Moabs in North Carolina or South Carolina and wouldn't mind if I stopped-by for a listen please let me know! Thanks.

sbayne

Owner
In the past month I've been asked how Impact Monitors sound versus the bigger speakers in Tekton's line. I've answered those folks but I thought I'd post it here: 

"Hi -I've spent considerable time with the Double Impacts. Most of it when I helped another audiophile set a pair up. I can confidently say my upgraded Impact Monitors with stereo servo subs are better than a stock pair of Double Impacts. The biggest difference is in the lower midrange and bass. With the lower notes being handled by very quick powered subs, that (obviously) are in a different enclosure from the monitors, you get a very musical and slightly more powerful sound.

Up top, my monitors have more air, have a larger soundstage and simply sound more natural than the Double Impacts. I'm sure thats because of the massive parts upgrades to the crossover and internal wiring. 

So, would I sell my monitors to get a pair of Double Impacts? No way. The bigger question for me is how my speakers/subs sound as compared to the Ulf, Encore and especially the Moab. They are all much bigger speakers that use two 7-arrays per speaker with a tweeter sandwiched between the two arrays. The main difference in them is the number and location of the midrange drivers used. All the reviews I've read have been very positive except for the occasional qualm about them being too big for many rooms. Eric doesn't agree with that assessment and has even released a video on the subject. I'll attempt to hear these larger Tekton speakers in the next couple months. Thanks for asking. I'll get back to you." 

sbayne

Owner
More exciting research on graphene and quantum physics.  The next 10 years are going to be very interesting!

sbayne

Owner
Nordstrom Qpoint.  An electromagnetic resonance generator.  Hmmm...another company realizing the benefits of these devices.

sbayne

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