this room and system is the result of 10 years in High End audio. my
system has been stable for a couple of years (except for transport and
amplifier upgrades within the same brand). the room has been in the
planning stage for about 18 months and i actually moved in a little over
a month ago.
my audio philosphy is to have the system get out
of the way of the event. i like as pure and simple a signal path as
possible and, at this point, prefer passive to active gain stages. i
love all the formats and enjoy having lot's of music.....vinyl is my
favorite but i listen to at least 60% digital. the new room really
reveals the benefits of SACD over redbook.
the system and room
truely allow the event to be recreated before me. i love the way the
speakers disappear and i am transported to another place/time.
i have choosen my cables, sources, amps, speakers to have as little of their own sound as possible.
recently, i upgraded my digtial transport from the modified Philips
SACD 1000 to the new emmlabs CDSD.....this was a significant step upward
in performance.
i have written an article in Positive Feedback regarding my room building experience.....here is a link;
new version of these cables, a big step over the amazing TRSC model i have used for 10 years. fantastic performance.
WADAX SA Reference DAC
Wadax Reference Dac----state of the art dac with 2 separate power supplies. the best dac i have heard by a good margin. below is a link to a thread about my Wadax experience.
Arya RevOpod isolation footer (32 used under the 5 Wadax Chassis).
height and tension adjustable. the Wadax dac, server, and server power supply chassis all use 8 footers, so it's critical to be able to adjust height and tension to have an even support for optimal performance. RevOpod's are unique in those attributes making them ideal for this use.
https://www.arya-audio.com/revopod
CS Port LFT1 turntable w/arm
air bearing platter and air bearing linear tracking arm; string drive with zero feedback dc motor, low pressure, low flow air system with zero noise air box.
world class musical flow, nuance and delicacy, combined with authority and ease. serves the music completely.
Esoteric T1 Turntable
magnetic drive/rim drive idler turntable with torque adjustment.
with the deletion of my NVS turntable, i was able to move the Taiko Tana active isolation shelf to under the Esoteric T1. this has upgraded the performance of the T1 significantly. objectively small changes, but musically quite profound up tics in realism and immersion. more nuance, greater music focus, better bass articulation.
https://www.esoteric.jp/en/product/t1/top
Esoteric G1X Master Clock
Master Clock Generator for speed improvement for the T1 turntable. significant improvement in music realism.
https://www.esoteric.jp/en/product/g1x/top
Durand --Tosca tonearm.
gimbal bearing design. Tosca is on the Esoteric T1 turntable
Primary Control 12" FCL tone arm
Field Coil Loaded uni-pivot tone arm. with power supply. mounted on the Esoteric T1 turntable. amazing natural and very high resolution tone arm. link below.
12 inch tonearm, stainless steel. used for the Sumile mono cartridge.
https://glanz.tech/e/collection/mh1200s1000s900s/
Experience Music/Intact Audio phono corrector + silver wound MC Trio SUT combo for three different tonearms.
bespoke tubed phono preamplifier. silver wound, with custom dual power supplies.
https://myemia.com/LR.html
LFD -3- Phono Cables DIN to RCA
3 sets of very high performance phono cables. amazing performance. built by Dr. Richard Bews in the UK.
one cable uses a DIN to RCA short Dongle + an RCA to RCA interconnect. the Dongle improves the performance of the DIN connection. details at the link below.
two Etsuro Golds, ---a pair of Reference MC Phono Cartridges.
duraluminim (A7075) body, 24 carat 'Kinpaku' Gold Leaf finish, diamond cantiliver. .3mv output, 4 ohms. these are both special versions of the Etsuro Gold.
one is mounted on the CS Port linear tracker.
one is mounted on the Primary Control FCL arm.
finest cartridge i have heard by a significant margin. WOW!
Audio Technica MC-2022 60th Anniversary cartridge
uses the unified stylus cantilever design. which results in extreme lack of distortion and linearity. remarkable neutrality and ability to dig out detail and keep it natural and musical.
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at-mc2022
Murasakino Sumile Mono phono cartridge
MC cartridge for mono records, .04mv output. tracking force 3gms. finest monaural cartridge i have heard. competes on musical refinement with the top stereo cartridges.
Ampex twin ATR-102----one 1/4" and one 1/2" reel to reel master recorder
hot rodded by ATR Service Inc----Andrew Kosobutsky. significant upgrades over stock. each interfacing with hot rodded Ampex MR-70 preamps. the new tape deck performance standard in my opinion.
active isolation under 5 separate components: (1) the NVS turntable, (2) the MSB dac, (3) the darTZeel preamp, (4 + 5) both darTZeel mono block amplifiers. custom modifications by Taiko Audio add a linear power supply plus panzerholtz top layer + Daiza platform to provide full frequency resonance attenuation to each platform.
Taiko Audio Daiza isolation platform--22 used in the system
Panzerholtz Platform with spiral cutouts reducing mid and high frequency resonance while retaining life and energy and not changing tonality.
22 Daiza platforms in the system of various sizes under every piece of the signal path.
Evolution Acoustics 'system' power cables
a new version of the TRPC model i used on my darTZeel 468 mono blocks for the last 10 years. a big step up.
Sablon Audio King power cord
used on the Wadax Reference Server power supply.
https://www.sablonaudio.com/power
Absolute Fidelity power interfaces
power cords specifically designed for either motors (tt and tape decks), amplifiers, and components. 11 in the system.
Tripoint Audio Troy Signature
Grounding box for chassis grounding the darTZeel 458 mono block amplifiers + grounding the passive main towers of the Evolution Acoustics MM7 speaker system.
Tripoint Audio Elite
Tripoint Elite grounding box. this does chassis grounding for my sources. it uses a a pair of Tripoint Thor SE Master Reference ground cables for my dart preamp and the MSB Select II dac. there are also 4 Signature Silver ground cables to the two arm boards of the NVS tt, the power supply of the NVS tt, and the SGM server.
Equi=tech 10WQ
10kva balanced Isoltion transformer and distribution panel.
Furutech GTX-D NCF Rhodium duplex outlets
10 in the system. used with 10 Furutech covers and frames. uses NCF (nano crystal formula) material to reduce noise by emitting negative ions.
Wave Kinetics A10 U8 decoupling footers
8 sets-of-4 in the system for individual tuning of each piece of gear.
Auralex T-Fusor diffusers
i use 20 of these. 6 each on the front side walls, and 4 each front ceiling and rear ceiling.
Klaudio Record Cleaning System
automatic record cleaner
Acoustic Revive RL-30 mKIII CD-LP demagnatizer
for demaging any disc.
Furutech DF-2 LP disc flattner
will remove warps from Lps
Audiodharma Cable Cooker, Anniversary Ed.
will cook any cables
Winds ALM-01 Stylus Force Gauge
easy accurate, repeatable, measurments.
i-Tower by Koncept LED floor lamp
(3) are used. best audio light ever. 2 'warm', 1 'cool'.
Quietrock THX 545 drywall
specialized drywall with a 1/4" metal layer. used in my front sidewalls to establish proper room boundaries.
btw; i have a much higher resolution version of that picture of the Kodo 'The Beat' tt i can e-mail upon request. the low res one i linked does not really do justice to it.
tonight i found out that i will be recieving my new Kodo 'The Beat' tt very soon (about 10 days) from Steve Dobbins. here is a picture of my (or one identical to my) actual tt in final production form. this is a piano black color with a bit of copper metalic in it. i think it's beautiful.
Steve is still doing final work on the power supply so no picture of that just yet.
interesting that you bring this up. i did purchase the Ekones 'Oslo' sofa and order the Ekones 'Oslo' chair. i really like the 'Oslo' sofa since it is very comfortable and you 'sit up' to a degree so it's good for multiple listeners. also; the 'Oslo' sofa has a relatively small footprint, so it does not take up too much depth in my room. most sofas i considered were from 42"-46" deep in their footprint, the Oslo is only 34.5" deep. when i stack mutiple listeners a deep sofa becomes a problem.
the 'Oslo' chair arrived last week but after sitting in it for a day or so i determined that it was not comfortable. i did not have sufficient thigh support (the seat was too short) and it seemed to pitch me forward a touch so i could not really relax in it. so i returned it. instead i've ordered an Ekones Stressless 'Vegas' chair. the leather color and style and the wood trim matches the 'Oslo' sofa, so aesthetically it works. also; unlike most other Stressless chairs it has an adjustable back....you can raise and lower the top of the back so when lowered it is at shoulder height for me. my head is fully clear. it's low enough to be in front of the sofa and not be in the way acoustically. and the 'Vegas' model is a bit oversized so it is still very comfortable. it will be a good compliment to my 'Perfect' 'zero gravity' chair i've had for years.
Mike, A while back you spoke of Ekornes furniture and I remembered being interested in a Stressless chair. I went to my local dealer and "tried on" the dozen or so styles and sizes he had, paid my money and waited for delivery. It is one of the biggest improvements to my system in quite awhile! I don't move around in my seat every few minutes or "figit" around. I sit, relax, take off my glasses and fall into the music. I can highly recommend their furniture to any old arthritic audiophiles.
it's been 2 weeks tonight since the Equi=tech has been installed, i cannot say i notice much change since my post last week (just above your post) where i could definitly notice improvements. i continue to enjoy the overall 'rightness' of the sound and the level of naturalness and clarity. also the dynamic snap added to familiar cuts continues to amaze me.
i'm sold on the Audio Desk record cleaning machine. i've not used it as much recently, but each time i do, it performs flawlessly and with little hassel. the very thinest pressings do require additional attention but otherwise it's about perfect.
Checking in to see how things are progressing with the Equi=tech? Also, what's your current thought on your record cleaner? Still doing a great job on the vinyl?
*****for those who think new cable cannot or does not break-in please ignore this post.******
it's getting better. the last couple of days it's evident that it (the system) has a greater ease, a more pronounced degree of decay in notes, a slightly more vivid and clear sound, more openness and more low frequency energy than it had in the first few days of listening after the Equi=tech was installed. i cannot hear any negatives.
the improvements are not quantum leaps but are easily heard and i would say that the result is a marked improvement in musical involvement. like it's broken thru some barrier of degree's of reality. the pull of the music is quite strong....even the digital.
the 190 pounds of copper in the transformer are turned 'on' 24/7 so break-in is on-going.
maybe most of the break-in that will occur has already happened. my expectation is that it is 'most' of the way there by now.
yes; there have been quite a few changes this year as i approach optimization on a few different fronts.
hopefully it all works. :^)
the only negative about doing these 'gear and room' things is that i need to back off on new software acquistion, which is my main focus.
i know Ruggyboggie and family are traveling down your way now; they will be stopping by my place on the way back at the end of the month. enjoy their visit.
You're absolutely right! You'll have to explain to me what's what though...between upgrades to your power supply, sources (tt and Studer), and listening environment -- I may succumb to sensory overload...haha :-)
BTW, Mikel from BC will be visiting San Diego later this month.
i do have a dedicated dual grounding rod for just for this panel. it was installed 6 years ago when my other subpanel was installed. it's right outside the wall the Equitech is on maybe 6 feet from the Equitech panel.
tomorrow i will be speaking to Martin from Equitech. i will ask him if he has done any installations in Europe and let you know.
i do expect that over the next three or four weeks the system will get some legs and really take off as the new wire in the Equi=tech settles down and opens up.
you know you are always welcome; but we do need to plan another get together soon. we'll talk at RMAF about it if not sooner.
Mike, Congratulations for the equitech. I have everything prepared for a similar transformer in my system, but as equitech has no representative in Europe, I am looking for alternatives. Did you install a separate ground feed for your equitech?
after 2 hours i'm a bit overwhelmed. this is a completely different system. first i played about an hour of my most familiar digital. and for the last 45 minutes very familar vinyl. there is not an aspect of the performance that is not significantly improved.
what is different;
--much less distortion. every piece of music i've played redefined how it should sound. bass previously percieved to be correct is revealed to have been flabby and ill defined. vocals previously considered clear and natural are revealed as smeared and congested. pianos, violins, guitars are now in full focus. these differences are not subtle.
--much lower noise floor. from the first note the music was portrayed against a much blacker background. but more than that you could see around to the back of the instrument or vocalist and into the background. there is a definition to the object projecting the sound.
--dramatic increase in dynamic range, dynamic contrasts, and delicate gradiation of dynamics. when playing softer passages at familiar levels much more punch and dynamic swings. the music is bursting with life.
--the speakers completely disappear. my room has always done great soundstaging and my speakers have always disappeared. but the degree of the music being released from the speakers has quadrupled. i'm not sure how to communicate this aspect of the improvement.
--tonally it is more multicolored, more nuanced, more harmonically interesting. the emotional content and pull of the music is much better. the music is more together, more vigerous, more involving.
i've written and deleted a few times now how the music is affecting me. i cannot quite get a grip on how to express it. i'll try again later; but for now i need to return my full focus to the music.
last night i unplugged/disconnected the whole system so the electricians could test all the circuits during the installation. so it's stone cold. i just listened for 20 minutes.
the contractor and electrician (and 2 helpers) started the Equitech install this morning at 7am. i went home at noon to take a look at the progress and i'm feeling very good about how it's going.
the panel is 8 inches deep and i was concerned it might only be able to be recessed a couple of inches and would stick out 6 inches or more. they were able to recess it about 6 inches so it only extends from the wall less than 2 inches.
i was also concerned they would not be able to get it high enough on the wall to allow the cabinet to go back in the same place. no problem the bottom is the same height as the original panel.
so my logistical issues are solved. it should be done before i get home from work tonight.
OOPs it is HR not RL. I must have been thinking of one of my kids favorite authors R.L.Stine, while typing. No - "steam punk" is pretty wide spread, kind of like a cross between industrial chic and computer tech. There are a lot of Giger works that aren't as erotic (per se) as the one on the opening page of the web site. The ELP LP "Brain Salad Surgery" and the movie "Alien" turned me on to him.
Maybe make the ante-room look like the interior of the Nostromo from that movie ;)
