Again, amazing room.

I do have one observation and question; the area behind the speakers appears quite live (hardwood floor, no signifcant absorption): why did you make that design choice?

(as contrasted against a dead behind-the-speaker-zone)

Thanks,

mprime November 19, 2004 17:40

WOW Mike, nice job. I think that my be the most well designed room I have ever had the pleasure of looking at.

Dave

sogood51 November 19, 2004 16:45

i forgot....the power cords on the amps have been changed from the EPS-3's to the Elrod Statements.

mikelavigne November 19, 2004 15:25

System edited: well.....the room is done....the pictures are updated. the only gear changes are the emmlabs modified Philips SACD 1000 changed to the emmlabs CDSD and the Tenor OTL's to the Tenor Hybrid 300 watt monoblocks. there is much to tell about the room....for now i will say it must be heard to be appreciated.

mikelavigne November 19, 2004 14:44

Most kind of you Mike and if I can ever take a trip to your area I would MORE than love a listen.

Once again, fabulous system and new room.

Dave

sogood51 October 24, 2004 16:22

Dave, i am just a hard working guy with a passion. it has taken 10 years to aquire and pay for my set-up. the room was part of the anticipated home expense when i moved last year.

you would be most welcome to visit. one thing i've really missed in the last year was the frequent listening sessions with fellow music lovers/audiophiles. send me an e-mail and we can set it up.

thanks Skip and Slipknot1 for the kind comments.....the tt is set-up and it sounds glorious (tt pics in the room are on the picture gallery).

Mprime, i loved my CD-12. it is still the most singularly elegant piece of audio gear i've ever seen/owned. when i first recieved the emmlabs gear i slightly preferred the CD-12 on redbook. i had both in my system for about 2 months.

after i had the modified Philips SACD 1000 for about a month i sent it back to Meitner for an upgrade to a chip (evidently the software of the SACD 1000 was only outputing 15 of the 16 bits). after this free mod the DAC6/SACD 1000 went to another level on redbook slightly beyond the CD-12. the Meitner combo now matches the CD-12 on detail, microdynamic snap, and naturalness......but the Meitner exceeds the CD-12 in the areas of dynamic slam, soundstage body, and a lower noise floor that approaches closer to my tt performance.

the CD-12 is still one of the very best Redbook players.

mikelavigne October 24, 2004 14:49

Absolutely spectacular Mike. You should be VERY proud. Kudos to both you and Richard. Get that TT installed, sit back, and enjoy! You've earned it.

slipknot1 October 23, 2004 21:39

Quite a room! Brilliant!

Mike, I know you've had the CD12; how does the emmlabs combo compare?

Thanks,

mprime October 23, 2004 20:23

Mike,

Congratulations on a job well done (soon)! Thesaurus does not have enough supperlatives to describe your work of art - it's sight & sonic beauty, I'm sure! I would love the opportunity to come see & hear your room and audio gear in all it's splendor someday.

Please, after all the tweeks and full evaluation by you & Rives, post an in depth review.

All the best.

Skip

shventus October 23, 2004 01:29

Outstanding setup Mike, your dedication to sound quality is only matched by your pocket-book it would seem. You either make more than you need or/and, your wife is the best wife in the world and you are deeply in debt but happy none the less.

Love your system and room, Should be on the cover of Stereophile for everything done right.

Can I come over sometime?

Dave

sogood51 October 23, 2004 01:14

the room is nearly completed. it's sonic performance is breathtaking. tonite i will finally be able to install my turntable.

below is a link to a picture of my room.

almost completed room

there are other pictures here.....scroll to the bottom 4 pictures for the most recent pictures.

my picture gallery at audioasylum

mikelavigne October 23, 2004 00:26

more contruction pictures.....it is almost done (move-in by mid-week or maybe tomorrow).

here is a quick picture.....

>http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mikel/hardwood_floor.jpg width=1024 height=768>

or if you want to see more pictures click here and scroll down (top pictures are from my old room.....bottom pictures are from the construction of the new room);

http://gallery.audioasylum.com/cgi/view.mpl?UserImages=4961&session=

mikelavigne October 09, 2004 14:45

Flying, i have no experience with the new Graham or Triplanar but would expect that the Colibri would/should be outstanding on either assuming your Colibri is spec'd for the arm by Mr. vdH.

the Colibri was certainly excellent with my Graham 2.2.

btw, sorry for the delay in my response.

mikelavigne October 09, 2004 14:37

Thanks for your reponse. I think I am going to go for a xcp. Thinking of mounting it on the new graham phantom or triplanar. Any special synergy on either of these arm? I have heard that colibri is very sensitve to VTA.
As for turntable, I have Linn at the moment, but will leave it and buy a new setup. Probably Oracle delphiV.

Thanks.

flying October 02, 2004 16:24

hi Frank,

i own both the XCP and XGW Colibri's.

the XCP (copper windings, polycarbonite body) has .85mv.....the XGW (gold windings, myrtlewood body) has .65mv. there is no myrtlwood body XCP (the 'P' means polycarbonite body).

Mr. vdH will make the Colibri with any body material you want and any output you want. the gold coils have fewer turns therefore less output than the copper. he makes copper coils up to 1mv output.

the XGW 6.5mv is not as dynamically alive and not as explosive as the XCP 8.5mv. the XGW 6.5mv is slightly smoother and more forgiving (a little darker) than the extremely immediate and totally open XCP. overall, i prefer the XCP in my particular system. i also own the Koetsu RSP II......which is waaay more laid back than either Colibri and has a wonderful color.

i had the Clearaudio Insider Gold for a couple of years and i believe that the Colibri's do improve on all the strengths of the Insider Gold and have none of the limitations. OTOH the Insider Gold was a less difficult cartridge to set up and will work easily with more arms. the 'nude' Colibri's can be a little intimidating to mount and are kinda fragile.

mikelavigne September 30, 2004 13:39

Hi Mike,

I read that you have both colibri xcp and the colibri xcp mytlewood.
wondering if you can give me some feedback on how the two compare.

would one have higher output?

thanks,

Frank

flying September 30, 2004 06:53

thanks Dlwask, for the kind comments.

mikelavigne September 28, 2004 03:56

Chalk this system/thread up as another reason why I can't get enough of this site. An excellent system going into what is obviously going to be a very well designed and executed room. Thanks for posting the images, especially the ones showing the details of the room, and for sharing your experiences!

dlwask September 27, 2004 22:16

if you go to my picture gallery ('mikel' on www.audioasylum.com or use the link below) and scroll to the bottom 5 pictures you will see about half my cabinets are now installed. these cabinets are about 2 weeks later than i thought (2 months later than my original expectations) but they are beautifully built. it is difficult to get too upset when they turned out so good.
after the cabinets are fully installed and stained (just a clear coat over the maple) i'll be about one week from move-in.

what is not yet completed and installed is the diffusers inside the left side frame, the entire right side diffuser panel, and the front diffuser panel.

new construction pictures

mikelavigne September 27, 2004 14:00

Sorry, 2 post for the same argument (cause the impression that the system not post my first).

luke72 September 04, 2004 23:13

Dear Mike, in Europe 02-09-04 means September, 2 2004, just to help you regarding Rolando's e-mail... For me too is difficult to remember the difference between european and american dates. Hope this helps, bye. Luca.

luke72 September 04, 2004 16:29

Mike, 02-09-04 in Europe is September, 2 2004... just to help you about Rolando's e-mail. It's very difficult also for me to remember that the date is inverted respect our habit. Cheers, Luca.

luke72 September 04, 2004 15:54

Fmpnd, i hope you can make it in the Spring (or October). next time you can stay here at my place.

you are completely correct. after this project.....if i even 'think' about spending any more money for quite a while i'll likely be 'sleeping' in the new room......that is, until she boots me out.

i loved those 'Blues' in Woodinville although sitting in the near-field is not typically recommended at 130db's.

mikelavigne September 04, 2004 15:03

hi Roland,

Greetings.

i just searched my e-mail archives from Feburary 2004.....and did not see your e-mail from the personal website (i assume The Audiophile Club of Athens site). i also did a general search of my e-mails for your name (both Roland and Rolandus).

in late Janurary and Feburary 2004 i was in the process of moving (which with my system, 3500 Lps, 3500 cds and everything else) was a real nightmare. also, i changed ISP's from one e-mail address to another (i still have both). it is very likely that in all that mess it got lost.

i sincerely apologise if i missed it or accidentally deleted it. in any case, resend it and i would be happy to respond.

when my room is complete (if it ever is) it will be the end of 18 months of hassel......many things have fallen thru the cracks in my efforts to improve my room.....i just hope it will have been worth it.

mikelavigne September 04, 2004 14:54

hello mike

i send you an e-mail dd 02-09-04 via your personal website - i hope you read it so you can answer it

greatings

roland
belgium - europe

rolandus September 03, 2004 15:43