Description

There have been many updates starting with the upgrade to Legacy Valor speakers & Wavelet v1 in June 2020, moving to Wavelet v2 later and continuing on through various upgrades across the entire system through May 2023.  The combined effect of all these upgrades is a significant up-leveling of all aspects of system playback and musical realism.

Many system configurations have come and gone since the 1970s growing up.  

My first exposure to RTR Tape and Vinyl as well as playing music was with my father who had a local jazz swing band, played trumpet & piano and arranged music. He taught me the love of playing and listening to great music, how important it was in life and so much more.  I also spent many years from age 4, until my late 20s playing jazz, swing, classical, wind ensemble and drum corp.

Many thanks to the countless people I have spoken with, read posts from, interacted with and learned much from over the years. The system has attained a state of organic and natural qualities and pure enjoyment of music that I have sought for a very long time!!!

Read more...

Room Details

Dimensions: 17’ × 14’  Medium
Ceiling: 8’


Components Toggle details

    • Overall Photos System Views....
    Various photos of the system....
    • Overall cable layout Elrod, Tubulus and Shunyata Research cables...
    Various photos of the cable management method and layout...
    • Legacy Audio VALOR
    Valor is an amazing speaker and these are built such that I need 4-channels of external amps to drive midrange & mid-bass via one set of binding posts and treble via a separate pair of binding posts for ultimate flexibility and resolving power.

    I had heard these many times since their introduction and since; my dream of owning them has finally come true!
    • Legacy Audio Wavelet V2
    The new Legacy V2 Wavelet platform with updated VALOR speaker Wavelet algorithms including Room Correction and active 4-way crossover and the latest Legacy-Boehmer "Stereo Unfold Technology" (SUT) which is groundbreaking sound!
    • Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums
    Custom size & weight configuration for Legacy Valor collaboration with Townshend Audio.  The results far exceeded even the highest expectations that I had.
    • Esoteric Audio Master SoundWorks C-02X Preamplifier
    An amazing SOTA dual-mono preamp containing technology and know-how derived from the development of the Grandioso C1 preamp...
    • Esoteric Audio S-02 Master SoundWorks Stereo Amplifier (2)
    A beautifully built and sounding stereo amplifier based upon the Grandioso S1 and identical build to it except for the Grandioso case work and binding posts.
    • Esoteric Audio Grandioso P1 Transport and Power Unit
    Grandioso P1 and PSU power chassis, a 2-channel SOTA transport
    • Esoteric Audio Grandioso D1 Dual Monoblock DACs
    Dual-mono separate chassis SOTA DAC implementatkon
    • Cybershaft OCXO (Type-2 curated) Premium Ltd V2 10 MHz Masterclock
    The best clock of any kind I've had in my system including many worthwhile contenders.  This 10 MHz master clock has the lowest phase noise, lowest effective jitter and most profound effect on sound quality of any out there!
    • Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Chassis Ground plane
    An outstanding power conditioner on its own. Propels the system forward in terms of ultra quiet black backgrounds and detail plus musicality even more advanced than the prior combination of TRITON v3 and TYPHON QR.
    • Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone1: Amps, Preamp and Legacy Wavelet)
    A great addition to the system, compliments the chassis grounding I already leverage via the chassis ground block on the Shunyata Triton v3 power conditioner.  The Altaira SG-NR hubs are allocated one per component-type "zone" in my system and serve to siphon internal circuit and component noise always present in any audio component that introduces subtle aberrations to the analog and digital signal flow.
    • Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone2: Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU, dual D1 DACs)
    A second Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground hub to specifically isolate the signal grounding plane for my digital front-end components...
    • Shunyata Research SIGMA v3 SGC/CGC Ground Cables with STIS v3 terminations (20)
    Four 6-meter Sigma v3 cables used for chassis grounding for my Esoteric C-02X preamp, two S-02 amps to my TRITON v3's chassis ground plane.  Interchangeable Shunyata STIS v3 spades or bananas are used on the source and destination ends.

    The remaining fourteen Sigma v3 cables are all 1.5 meter and used for signal grounding multiple SG points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2.  Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...

    All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
    • Shunyata Research VTX-ag Ground Tails, various connector ends (14)
    Used with SIGMA v3 SGC VTX-ag ground cables for signal grounding multiple signal grounding points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2.  Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...

    All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
    • Shunyata Research Sigma v3 SGC/CGC Grounding cables with STIS v3 terminations (5)
    Used for chassis ground of my Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU and two D1 DACs plus my Cybershaft clock to the chassis ground plane on my TRITON v3 power conditioner.  Lengths are 3-meter and four 2-meter cables with STIS v3 terminations.
    • pArtScience QRD64 2D 3-inch SpaceArray Diffusor Wood Panels
    Added 8 of these extremely effective quadratic diffusor panels on the back wall of the room.  pArtScience QRD 64-well 2D panels are a cut above other options available as stock commercial offerings from the usual sources.  Very impressive results...
    • Adona Corporation Master Reference Zero GX3, Zero GX2 (2) and Zero GX (3) Racks
    After almost 20 years with Adona's AV45-series racks that were a great long-term investment, I have done a massive upgrade to Adona's Zero GX Master Reference racks across my entire system. These raise the performance bar even higher!
    • Composite Audio CF-2010 Platforms (7)
    Wonderful and reasonably priced refinement to all the attributes of the Adona rack system,...I have yet to find any situation or external effect impacting sound quality or stability after adding these platforms many years ago.
    • Avatar Acoustics AfterBurner8 Duplex Outlets...
    The Avatar AfterBurner8 are back in the system,...pure copper and brass with minimal coating to prevent corrosion is the way to go!
    • Harmonic Resolution Systems DPX Damping Plates (16)
    Reported to pull in and dissipate airborne and chassis vibrations from all types of components...
    • Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold Speaker Cables 9-foot (2 pair)
    Pair #1 is full-range, and utilized to drive Valor's mid-bass and midrange

    Pair #2 is custom built and optimized for upper frequency playback.
    • Shunyata Research OMEGA CLOCK-50 50-ohm BNC:BNC 1.5-meter (2)
    All OMEGA digital cables beat the seemingly unbeatable SIGMA V2 digital cables and deliver additional perfection in sonics and musical results!
    • Elrod Power Systems Master Series Diamond XLR 2-meter (1 pair)
    Outrageously good interconnect!
    • Elrod Power Systems Master Series Statement Gold Y-Cable (custom)
    An incredible bespoke Y-Cable pair built beyond any quality measure I could imagine. Sonically amazing and imparts great musicality, dynamics and tonality to the midrange and Legacy Valor SUT Array's impact and sound quality.
    • Elrod Power Systems Diamond XLR Interconnects 6-foot (1 pair)
    A fantastic analog XLR interconnect!
    • Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold XLR 13ft pair and 6ft pair
    Amazing Elrod Statement Gold XLR Analog interconnects!!!
    • Shunyata Research Anaconda Zitron XLR (with KPIP process) 6-meter
    A tremendous long-run, super quiet, extremely quiet analog XLR!!!
    • Tubulus CONCENTUS HDMI 1.5 meter
    Outstanding HDMI cables optimized for use with high-speed data protocols using by the Esoteric Grandioso P1 and dual D1 stack....
    • Shunyata Research OMEGA QR-s 15-amp
    A true SOTA power cable tailor-made to connect any critical source directly to the wall including having its own noise-filtering and suppression in the cable; used to power the critical HDPLEX 300-watt LPSU for my Legacy Wavelet...
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Diamond SE 10-foot 15-amp (2) and 20-amp (1)
    Great SOTA power cords.....
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold 3-meter 15-amp (2)
    New smaller main center section and longer flexible ends; equal in performance to the original Master Series but much more easily placed and positioned in an audio system!
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold Power Cords 15-amp (4)

    Fantastic power cords,...

    • HDPLEX 300 Watt Quad-Rail LPSU (LT3045-enabled)
    An outstanding multi-output DC Linear Regulated Power Supply to drive the Legacy Wavelet
    • Revelation Audio Labs 'Passage' Cryo-Silver Reference XLR3::XLR5 DC Umbilical
    This is my 3rd setup to utilize this amazing DC Umbilical...
    • Music Collection Many Genres CD XRCD/2/24/K2/DXD/UltraHD SACD
    I love music, all kinds, shapes, colors and types; this is an extensive collection of music in many genres and formats from pipe organ, classical, jazz, all the way to hard rock, electronica/techno and everything in between. 

    Formats: CD XRCD, XRCD2, XRCD24, K2HD, DXD, UltraHD, SACD
    • PRIOR 2-channel: Legacy Audio CaliberXD, Foundation, Wavelet, Esoteric, Cybershaft, Elrod, Shunyata
    Legacy Audio CaliberXD, Foundation, Wavelet, Esoteric A-02, Esoteric P-02, D-02, Cybershaft OP21A, Shunyata Triton V3, TYPHON QR, etc....
    • PRIOR 2-channel: TAD R1 MK2s, Esoteric, Cybershaft, Elrod, Isotek
    Loved this system in many ways, lasted about 2 years,....many things evolved during this time, power cords, interconnects, power conditioning, speaker cables, my overall listening tastes and a distinct missing/longing for the extremely musical experience of Legacy Audio speakers, active room correction, etc... Don't get me wrong, the TAD R1 MK2s are within their stated range as perfect a speaker as I've heard in many aspects but the bottom octave rolling off halfway up and the bottom half octave rolling off even more plus my preference for the Legacy AMT tweeter and super-tweeter sound led me back in very short order!
    • PRIOR 2-channel: with Legacy Audio Aeris, WAVELET Esoteric, Cybershaft, Shunyata & HDPlex
    I love this setup and will be sad to see the AERIS and all of its active-speaker benefits with great RoomEQ by the WAVELET and HDPlex Custom PSU leave my system.  This has impressed all who have heard it and me daily for the past 1-2 years. Truly Amazing!!!
    • PRIOR 2-ch with Legacy FocusSE
    Prior to the arrival of the AERIS statement reference speakers, this was the configuration of the system. I will miss the FocusSEs from the point of view they gave me several great years of listening and produced far more than their price point would have indicated. A great speaker in a great sounding setup!
    • PRIOR 2-channel: Legacy Focus HDs biamped...
    The system has evolved and been refined many levels over how it sounds quite a few years ago. Prior generations centered around high-end Tara, AQ and Shunyata with Classe pre-amplification and dual NL 12.1 amps in a vertical bi-amp configuration.
    • PRIOR 7.1 HT & 2-channel: All Legacy Audio
    This is the system configuration many years ago when I attempted to go all out for 7.1 HT and 2-channel all rolled into one system. The impact, musicality and overall enjoyment factor on the HT portion of the system based upon custom-built Edge amplification, Classe HT surround-proc, 2-channel pre-amp, multiple pairs of Legacy speakers in all positions plus a REL B1 subwoofer with Velodyne processor was off the charts however the 2-channel never attained what I have always hoped for in my primary system. It took about 2 years to reach the decision but several years ago I decided to focus on 2-channel listening and have not looked back ever since.

Comments 360

Owner
Sam: Great to hear from you! I could not agree more...massed strings in incredibly 'dense' passages at both low and more full dynamic levels are a definite measure of how a system is performing (IMHO). Vaughn-Williams, "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis..." is a case in point for a massed string piece as are countless examples from the "big" classical composers (when a system performs well, this last piece should make the hair on back of neck stand up as they say...). Full-on ensemble performance with a large orchestra (including percussion, brass, woodwinds, etc...for "big" symphonies as well as those that throw in vocal solos and chorus ensembles (various Mahler, Beethoven, Orff, Wagner, Verde, various other opera, etc...) are also true measures of system performance. And there there's great pipe organ :-) , another personal favorite over the years to truly put a system through its paces. I love all types of music; but for pushing a system to its limit and truly seeing where the gaps are, these types of material are where it's at...IMHO

zephyr24069

Hi Zephyr,

Excellent progress with your amps! I think classical music, especially massed strings, can be diagnostic of how well a system is behaving...given a well-recorded source and room.

Best,
Sam

c1ferrari

Owner
Threw a lot of big classical on demanding playback levels at the NL14 yesterday and today. At only 250 hours or so, this amp is opening my eyes further to the changes it brings. It has taken everything I've thrown at it in stride and rewards with very musical sounds, great imaging and overall and very impressive experience. Don't have time to write more but "HOLY SH%^& What an Amp!" comes to mind no matter whether it's rendering subtle violin, piano, sax flute or other delicate passages or is in full-on assault mode for any of the most demanding material I've thrown at it. Tom Maker has done it again and even better than the prior NL12.x and Sig One generations!

zephyr24069

Owner
System edited: Recently moved to a Kubala-Sosna EMOTION 1meter BNC:BNC 75-ohm clocking cable from the EXPRESSION level of KS. I expected some level of improvement however what happened took me by surprise this past week in terms of the sheer amount of additional air and naturalness of the instrumental notes and voices emanating from my system and the increase in accuracy of the sound stage. Admittedly, this is one of those ".2%" improvements we audiophiles make but the difference was very noticeable ever since this up-level on a single clock cable!!!

zephyr24069

Owner
Forgot to mention what's been spinning in the last hour;

VEGAS, The Crystal Method
LEGION of BOOM, The Crystal Method

Outstanding!

zephyr24069

Owner
Had some of the big guns out yesterday+today as the Maker NL14 crosses 200 hours of break-in with amazing results...cannot wait to hear what this amp does after 500 hours or so. A very varied program of demanding break-in material;

Widor Symphony 5 and 6, Cavaille-Coll Organ, Saint-Ouen (van Oosten)
Widor Symphony 5 and 6, Cavaille-Coll Organ, Saint-Suplice (Roth)
WIdor Mass, Cavaille-Coll Organ, Saint-Suplice (Roth)
Four Great Toccatas&Fugues, Four Antiphonal Organs, Frieburg Cathedral (Power-Biggs)

21 Spices, Trilok Gurtu & NDR Big Band

Fujiyama, Ondekoza, Gold CD
Kyoten Douchi, Ondekoza, K2HD
Doutou Banri, Ondekoza, K2HD HQMastering
Legend, Odekoza 20-bit K2
Super Trio, FIM Music UDC Ultimate Disc

Fagen, Morph The Cat

Tathagatha, He Xun Tian
Sister Drum, Dadawa
Seven Days, Dadawa

TOUCH, YELLO (their best album to-date IMHO)
AIRBORNE, Dean Peer

Miscellaneous PHUTUREPRIMATIVE and ZeroOne tracks...
Miscellaneous Porcupine Tree tracks across several albums

THE ROAD HOME, Jordan Rudess

Various favorite Mahler #1, #2 and Shostakovich #5, #8, #10 tracks

Various Jazz tracks of Venus Hyper-magnum 24/192s and SACDs
Various Jazz tracks of FIM/LIM UDCs....

Extremely impressed....!!! More to come!

zephyr24069

Owner
Roxy/Doug: Thank you very much for your comments! I've clarified the item containing the terminal plate I had built for this speaker. It is not the stock terminal plate. I'm running this speaker in full active mode and using only 2 channels of outboard amplification (option #1 below); 10-binding post, 5, rows,
6-way terminal plate allows me the flexibility to externally jumper the AERIS using
SOTA jumpers that match my speaker cables in the following configurations;

1. stock using 2 sets of jumpers to replace the factory-supplied metal jumpers and
utilize the dual ICE amps in each AERIS tower to power the bass and sub-bass drivers
as designed and shipped "stock” with my amp to drive the mid-bass, mid-range and
upper frequency drivers of the AERIS. This is full active mode for this speaker. Jumpers
go between rows 2 and 3 and rows 4 and 5 respectively

2. utilize 1 set of jumpers with 2 pairs of speaker cables and 4 separate channels
of amplification to override the internal ICE amps and power both the bass and
sub-bass drivers with one external stereo amp (or mono blocks) coupled with
my existing stereo amp to drive the mid-bass, mid-range and upper frequency
drivers of the AERIS. Jumpers go between rows 3 and 4 only

3. utilize no jumpers with 3 pairs of speaker cables and 6 separate channels of
amplification to override the internal ICE amps and power both the bass and
sub-bass drivers with separate stereo amps or mono blocks then also using
my existing stereo amp to drive the mid-bass, mid-range and upper frequency
drivers of the AERIS. No jumpers utilized, connect speaker cables pairs to
rows 1, 3 and 4 independently

Layout is as follows (numbered from top-left moving left to right and down);

Row1: Binding posts 1-2 wired to Upper section
Row2: Binding posts 3-4 wired to Top ICE AMP
Row3: Binding posts 5-6 wired to Top 12” subs
Row4: Binding post 7-8 wired to Bottom 12” Subs
Row5: Binding post 9-10 wired to Bottom ICE AMP

The configuration possibilities with this customer terminal plate is an “audio nut’s dream” in terms of future upgrade and experimentation potential!!!

***Never feed a mid+high-level signal into Rows 2 or 5!!!

zephyr24069

Owner
System edited: Clarified and added more detail under several items including 10-post, multi-way terminal plate item listing.....

zephyr24069

That is true. I used tri-wireable Spendor SP100 speakers for years with single wire cables and high quality jumpers, and found after experimentation that they worked best with the wires on the bass driver and the jumpers on the mid and tweeter. I am sure every speaker is different, but it makes a difference for sure, and is worth the experimentation.

roxy54

Zephyr, I was looking at your wiring of the Aeris and noticed that you seem to be jumping from the tweeter posts to the Mid and Bass. Thus (without reading your posts) I assume you are running the speaker currently passively. If so, have you tried bringing in the speaker cable from the amp to the Midrange and jump to the Tweet and Woofer? Or, bringing in the speaker cable to the Woofer and jump to the Mid and Tweet?

You may wish to try these options if you haven't already, as they do subtlely change the sound. I think you may find a preference with one or the other.
:)

douglas_schroeder

Owner
System edited: Manifest of components/cables updated....

zephyr24069

Owner
Thank you! I do not know where you are located Aball but if you happen to be anywhere near the northwest part of SC in the first 2 weeks of April, I am going to have some downtime and can host multi-hour listening sessions many of those days so consider the invitation open! Send me an in-mail on Audiogon if interested....

The Signature SEs are a fantastic speaker for 2-ch and for HT. I once heard a system paired with the right subs where the sigs were used all around for multi-ch listening and HT and it was extremely impressive. They work very well for situations also where room size and volume or 'other factors' (WAF or budget for example) don't allow for going with a bigger speaker.

You've got one hell of a setup...it would be great to have a listen someday,...let me know where you are located and perhaps we can hook up.

You will be very happy with the Electrocompaniet AW60; it's a great amp from a manufacturer that impresses me with their natural and very liquid presentation of music. They pack one hell of a lot of performance in for a killer price as well!

The NL14 is an improvement over an amp I already loved (the Edge 12.1) and had for many years without thought of another until recently. My 12.1 went back to Maker Audio in trade and is being refurbed and will be on the market soon; that piece was the 2007 Spring review sample that I bought immediately after it was returned by the reviewer.

I'm always up for taking audio, great music selections, etc...drop me a note and we can hook up soon.....thanks again!

zephyr24069

Great system! A buddy of mine has the Legacy Signature SE and they are very impressive speakers for the money and I have recommended them to others in that price range. He lusts after the Aeris. And your amp is very interesting. I almost bought an Edge a few times but just haven't yet. I'd love to hear your system.
Arthur

aball

Owner
After only a day, I can say (again) that Maker has definitely raised the bar with the organic and musical attributes that the NL14 brings 'cold' right out of the box. I cannot wait to hear what this amp is capable of with 500-1000 hours on it. Soundstage density, depth and refinement have taken a big leap forward over and above the already impressive NL12.1. Packing the NL12.1 was like saying goodbye to an old and trusted friend however, based upon what i heard within 15 minutes of powering up the NL14, I will miss the NL12.1 but will not be looking back....NL14, first in North America from what I'm told. More people should hear this amp!!!

zephyr24069

Owner
Thanks Lak....very much appreciated! The new Maker Amps I'm told can come sheathed in exotic wood veneers, leather, CARBON FIBER, various high-end hot auto paint colors and other options.

zephyr24069

Very nice looking amp ;-)!
And when it breaks in...lookout!

lak

Owner
System edited: Maker Audio NL14 Stereo arrived and put into system...Fresh out of the box, this amp impresses with its sonics, dynamic range, musical nuances conveyed and breadth and depth of soundstage...once broken in, it should be amazing!!! Cannot believe an amp sounds this good in its 1st hour. Tom Maker has raised the bar substantially over and above the already impressive Edge NL products of years past with his new Maker Audio line!

zephyr24069

Owner
System edited: Added build pictures of a Maker Audio NL14 Stereo Amp with balanced input transformers and meticulously hand-matched caps, transistors, etc...on the bench at Maker Audio as of yesterday.....

zephyr24069

Owner
Thanks! Probably within 2-3 weeks. I've had well over 7 1/2, almost 8 years with this NL 12.1 and on some levels will be very sorry to see it go but what's coming in its place represents countless refinements on its design and I am very excited!

zephyr24069

Zephyr,
That amp looks sweet!
When do you expect it to arrive?

lak

Owner
Hell Yeah!!! After a healthy amount of break-in of course!!! Ah...the task of an audio-nut is never finished :-) !!!

zephyr24069

Oooh, that's gonna sound good, Zephyr.

cymbop

Owner
Maker Audio NL14 Stereo amp with hand-wound balanced transformer option build is underway.....:-)

After aLOT of research into potential tube amp matches, and finding some very good ones, I received from great input from a very ethical high-volume distributor of great tube amps who knows my speakers and equipment very well and seeing it matched with both tube and high-end SS amplification; the conclusion was high-end SS was the best route to go to drive these speakers to be at their best over the full range of music that I listen to.

Given that it came down to a short list of contenders; knowing Edge and Maker Audio sonics and quality well, I taking the upgrade path into the NL14 tweaked out for my setup.....

More fun on the horizon!

zephyr24069

Owner
Thank you Ozy...very much appreciated!

zephyr24069

Terrific choice of gear. very nicely put together. enjoy!

ozy

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