My system has continued to evolve over the past 5 years with the one constant being the Rockport Arrakis 2 bi-amplified speakers. They have continued to amaze me that as my electronics have changed and continued to improve, the Arrakis have continued to grow with the electronics as well. Every time I thought I had reached their sonic limit, I have been proven wrong and I am very happy about that.
I have now completely eliminated all tube based components in my system. I have always felt that if I could get the sound that I wanted without tubes, that would be wonderful but I never thought that would be possible. The combination of the TotalDAC digital front end and the Steve Dobbins Beat SE turntable and LT tonearm paired with the CH Precision P1 phono stage, the CH Precision L10 line stage and the CH Precision M10 amplifiers (run in active bi-amplification mode) have achieved this for me.
I have upgraded to the CH C10 replacing the CH C1.2 DAC with X1 power supply.
Roon Nucleus Plus
Nordost QNET
Nordost QNET Switch powered by the Nordost QSOURCE LPS.
Nordost Odin Gold power cord
I am using a Nordost Odin Gold power cord for Nordost QSOURCE LPS that powers the Nordost QNET Switch and several Nordost QPOINT resonators.
Nordost Valhalla 2 Ethernet Cables (2)
I am using 2 of the Nordost Valhalla 2 ethernet cables. The first one connects between the QNET Switch and the Roon Nucleus Plus. The second is from the QNET switch to the CH Precision C10 DAC.
Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC
Nordost Odin 2 Balanced IC's from the CH Precision C10 DAC to the CH Precision L10 true monaural preamp.
Shunyata Research Everest 8000 Power Distributor
I am now using the Shunyata Everest 8000 power distributor which has replaced the Shunyata Triton V3 in my system for my front end electronics. I use a Nordost Odin Gold power cord for the Everest.
Shunyata Research Hydra DPC 6 V3 power conditioner
I have the Shunyata DPC 6 V3 power conditioner for my computer based audio gear. I have my Nordost Qsource LPS plugged into the DPC 6 V3.
The DPC 6 V3 is powered by an Echole Omnia power cord from a wall outlet.
Steve Dobbins The Beat SE
I have recently replaced my wonderful Steve Dobbins The Beat turntable with Steve's latest turntable, The Beat SE. The Beat SE is a complete and thorough re-design of the original Beat turntable with about 99% of the table different from the original Beat. I have had the original Beat in my system for 8 years and it has undergone several upgrades during this timeframe that always further improved the sonics, but nothing prepared me for the improvement that the Beat SE has made in my analog playback.
June 29 2021 Update: I just replaced the umbilical power cord connection between the Beat SE power supply and the Beat SE turntable with a new umbilical power cord that Steve worked on with Nordost. The results are simply amazing.
October 1 2021 Update: Steve has now done further modifications to the Beat SE external power supply with internal wire upgrades with wiring from Nordost as well as adding an external grounding connection that enables me to ground the Beat SE power supply to my CAD GCR reference ground box.
Nordost Odin 2 Power Cord
This Odin 2 power cord is used on the outboard power supply for The Beat SE turntable. This is plugged into the Shunyata Everest 8000 power conditioner.
Schroeder LT Tonearm with Magnesium arm tube
I had my previous Schroeder LT tonearm with wood arm tube modified to the even better LT tonearm with Magnesium arm tube. It has the Lyra Olympus SL cartridge mounted on it and it is truly amazing to hear this combination. This arm has replaced the Reed 2A tonearm on my "Beat" turntable. The Olympus SL has never sounded anything like this.
June 29 2021 Update: I have upgraded the LT arm cartridge mounting plate for my Lyra Atlas SL Lambda to a new one that consists of a carbon fiber top and bottom plate with a copper plate in the middle between the 2 carbon fiber layers.
Schroeder LT tone arm with Magenisum arm tube
This is a new LT tonearm but now with an arm tube made from Magnesium instead of wood. It is a very significant upgrade in sonics. I plan to have my existing LT arm modified to have the Magnesium arm tube as well.
Lyra Atlas SL Lambda cartridge
I have now replaced my wonderful Lyra Etna SL cartridge with the new Lyra Atlas SL Lambda cartridge. My previous experience was that the original Etna SL cartridge was the best sounding of all of the Lyra cartridges. But not any longer. I was fortunate enough to be able to compare the new Lambda versions of the Etna SL and the Atlas SL in my system and the Atlas SL Lambda is simply stunning to hear in my system. The new Lambda Etna SL is also wonderful and better than the original Etna SL, but the Lambda Atlas SL is superior in every way.
CH Precision True Dual Monaural P10 phono stage
I have now upgraded my 4 box true mono CH P1/X1 phono stage to the CH Precision P10 4 box True Dual Monaural phono stage.
Nordost Odin Gold Power Cords
I am now using two of the Nordost Odin Gold Power Cords to power the two power supplies for the CH Precision P10 true dual monaural phono stage.
Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC
I am now using Nordost Odin 2 balanced IC's between the CH Precision P10 true dual monaural phono stage and the CH Precision L10 true dual monaural preamp.
Computer Audio Design (CAD) GC3 Ground Controls
I am using 2 of the CAD GC3 Ground Controls. One GC3 is used for signal ground with each of my CH Precision M10 amplifiers and the second GC3 is used for Earth Ground with my Rockport Arrakis external active crossover.
Computer Audio Design (CAD) Ground Control GCR
I am using the CAD Ground Control Reference (GCR) in my system. This is used for signal grounds for my front end components and the earth ground for my Shunyata Everest 8000 power distributor.
CH Precision L10 True Dual Monaural LInestage
The new CH Precision L10 True Dual Monaural linestage has replaced my long time reference, the CH Precision L1 true dual monaural linestage. As good as the 4 box version of the CH L1 linestage is, The CH Precision L10 True Dual Monaural (4 box) linestage surpasses it in every audio parameter.
Nordost Odin Gold Power Cords
I am using two of the Nordost Odin Gold Power Cords to power the two CH Precision L10 external power supplies for my CH Precision L10 true dual monaural preamp.
CH Precision M10 amplifiers
I now am using the CH Precision M10 mono block amplifiers. I have 2 of these and I run them in their active bi-amplification mode. These have just replaced (11/30/2021) my wonderful CH Precision M1.1 mono block amplifiers.
Nordost Odin Gold Power Cords (4)
I am using 4 of the Nordost Odin Gold power cords on my CH Precision M10 amps. Each CH M10 amp outboard power supply requires 2 power cords each with 20 amp IEC connectors.
Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC
I use a 9 meter run of Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC's from the CH Precision L10 true dual monaural preamp to the Rockport Arrakis 2 external crossover.
This is the active external crossover for the Rockport Arrakis 2 speaker. It takes the feed from the preamplifier and then splits the signal for the bass drivers and all of the upper frequency drivers.
Nordost Odin Gold Power Cord
I am now using a Nordost Odin Gold power cord on my Rockport Arrakis external crossover. This replaced the already great Nordost Odin 2 power cord.
Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC
I am now using 2 pairs of Nordost Odin 2 XLR IC's to connect the Rockport external crossover to the CH Precision M10 amplifiers.
Nordost Odin Gold Speaker Cables
I am using 2 pairs of Nordost Odin Gold speaker cables to bi-amplify the Rockport Arrakis 2 speakers.
Rockport Arrakis 2
My speakers are the bi ampified version of the Rockport Arrakis 2 with the active external crossover. I am driving the speakers with a pair of CH Precision M10 amplifiers run in active bi amplification mode.
Furutech GTX/NCF outlets
I have 13 of the Furutech GTX/NCF outlets with the GTX outlet Frames and the 105D NCF Carbon Fiber outlet covers.
HRS SXR
I have 3 of the HRS SXR audio racks. Each rack is a 4 shelf version and I am using M3X2 isolation bases with G7 footers. These racks and bases hold the majority of my front end components. For the SXR base that holds my Beat SE turntable, I have added the SXR solid brace insert.
HRS SRX with M3X2 isolation base
I have 4 of the HRS SRX amp stands with the M3X2 isolation bases with G7 footers, These are for the power supplies and my CH Precision M10 amps.
Nordost Sort Kones
I am now using Nordost Sort Kones under many of my components. I am using a combination of both the BC and TC sort kones. I am using them under all of my TotalDAC digital components - both DACs, the Outboard Reclocker, the Streamer, the Live Power supply, the D1 player and the NAS. I also use them under my Beat SE turntable outboard power supply (not the turntable itself) and my Rockport Arrakis external crossover.
Isonic Ultrasonic RCM
I have added the Isonic ultrasonic RCM. This is a wonderful RCM. I can do up to 10 LP's at once. It doesn't dry the records - but that is simple to do on my Loricraft.
Custom LP Record Cabinets
There are now 3 of these beautiful LP record cabinets that I commissioned a friend to build for me. Its so much easier to find the LP that I am looking for and to put it back than it was with more traditional shelves that I was using before.
wow, what a system. one of the best . is your room structurally ok with the possible bass output from 6 huge subs plus what your main speakers put out? must be awesome for movies
Arnie,...sorry for the delay in responding and thanks for the background on your decision to move forward with the REL 6-pack.. Your room and setup like Mike L's and a couple of others is that perfect combination of beautiful room, purpose-built for audio and an insanely great system! You are very fortunate and have one kick-ass and musical setup!
I have had 2 REL Studio III sub bass systems for the past few years and I really liked what they did sonically. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to visit with someone who had the REL G1 "sixpack" setup in his system that uses Rockport Avior speakers. His room was about the same size as mine. I am very familiar with how Aviors sound so I was quite surprised by how realistic his system sounded and how it was able to pressurize such a large room when the REL G1 "sixpack" was engaged (as I iistened to his system with and without it). I had some discussions with REL after hearing this and I ended up moving forward. I am very happy that I did.
This week Steve Dobbins visited me and installed a second Schroeder LT tonearm with Magnesium arm tube on my "Beat" turntable. This particular LT arm was my previous LT tonearm with wooden arm tube that Steve upgraded for me to the Magnesium arm tube version. I have the Lyra Olympos SL cartridge mounted on this particular arm. I have never heard the Olympus SL sound this good before - it just has so much more life and energy and with that magical midrange it is a joy to listen to with the LT Magnesium warm.
In my listening in my system, I don't find that the Totaldac D1-Twelve setup that I have lacks any "liveliness or jump factor" at all. I continue to be impressed with how much I enjoy listening to music via the totaldac.
Hi Arnie. Your system is to die for. Congratulations. I am interested in the totaldac products, and I am curious as how it handles wide dynamic swings in the music. Do you find it lacks "livliness" or "jump factor". Thanks
I guess the best way to state for me is that if you have both an L1 and a P1 and a single X1, the choice would be between dedicating the X1 to the L1 or to have 2 regulator boards and share it between the 2 components. Which one sounds best in your system would be up to you to decide.
As for scoring, I don't like to do that. Instead, here is the description from my listening notes of what the X1 does for whatever component it is connected to and hopefully that helps you to better understand the value of the X1 in your system:
-An
even better bottom end foundation to the music
-More
body to the performers
-An
increase in soundstage depth and front to back layering of the performers
within the soundstage
Thank you for taking the time and sharing! This is quite useful.
So I learn that in your experience, in terms of upgrades, if you someone has only one X1, use it dedicated only to the L1, don't use it with the P1, and don't share with the P1.
If you don't mind me asking one more question, If you were to give a 100 score to a L1 with dedicated X1, which score would you give to a L1 without X1?
Thanks very much. Yes, the CH Precision components really surprised me in how good they are.
The question that you ask is a very good one so I will do my best to answer it.
When I did my in home auditioning of the CH gear, I had a single L1, a single P1 (phono stage) and a single X1 with dual regulator boards. So I was able to listen to the L1 (your option A), the L1 with a dedicated X1 (your option B) and both the L1 and P1 powered by the same X1 using both regulator boards.
Even without any X1's involved, the L1 and P1 are superb sounding components. As I went through the various configurations that I tried, the best sound from my system was with the L1 powered by the dedicated X1 (your option B) and the P1 using its internal power supply. The next best sound was using the dual regulator boards of the X1 to power both the L1 and the P1. If I had to speculate as to the sonics between your Option B and Option C, I would guess that Option B overall would be better sounding because of the sonic improvements that the dedicated X1 brings to the table. However, the advantage of Option C is that it would also sound spectacular, and you can just add either one X1 or two X1's down the road.
The Schroeder LT arm with the Magnesium arm tube is exactly the same arm as the standard LT arm with the wooden arm tube except for the difference in the arm tube material. Everything else is identical. We were able to do a direct comparison of the 2 versions of the arm in my system since the LT magnesium version was a brand new arm. We did the comparison with a Lyra Etna SL cartridge. Here is what I wrote from my listening notes: "The LT arm with magnesium
arm tube is magnificent. As good as
the stock LT arm is (and it’s superb), this arm is a definite step up. We
listened to the LT Magnesium version and then went back to the LT Wooden
version and the difference was quite remarkable. The LT Magnesium version has a
more lively, dynamic, and resolving sound with more air around performers than
the wood arm tube version. There was better overall clarity and the bottom end
was punchier and more textured with the Magnesium version. When we put the wooden
arm tube version back and listened with everything else being the same, in comparison, the sound
became somewhat thicker, slower and “warmish” in comparison. This was all very
easy to hear and not subtle at all."
There wasn't anything that I heard that was negative with the LT magnesium version. - it was just better. I am having my LT with the wooden arm tube upgraded to one with the Magnesium arm tube as well. Hope that helps.
Simply amazing....I cannot believe you added sub towers (2 x 3) to that already amazing system. That must hit the foundations of the house (!) with great sounds. When will you post new pics? You've been very busy :-) !!!
I have done a few upgrades over the past 5 months.
1. The TotalDAC D1-Server has had 2 hardware upgrades done to it. The first one modified both the D1-Server and the outboard re clocker unit as to how electric power is handled within those units.
2. A second outboard power supply (26V) was added to the D1-Server to power the cubox micro computer inside of the server leaving the original outboard power supply to now just power the audio circuits inside of the D1-server.
3. I added a REL G1 sub bass system called the "G1 Six Pack". This consists of 6 of the REL G1 sub bass systems stacked in two columns each of which has 3 REL G1's. The G1's were designed to be able to perform in this type of configuration and are daisy chained together. Each of the G1's is adjusted individually as to its frequency roll off point and its gain. They are located to the outside of each of the Rockport Arrakis 2 speakers and just about flush with the front baffle of the Arrakis speakers.
4. I added a new version of the Schroeder Linear Tracking tonearm. This one has an arm tube made from magnesium instead of wood.
5. I added a Lyra ETNA SL cartridge.
All of these changes have made a very nice sonic improvement to my system.
