Resto/mod by Woodsong Audio; turntable in grigio silvertone, plinth in figured mahogany, Retrotone top platter, Isoacoustics Gaia isolation feet.
Leben Hi-Fi Stereo Co. RS-30eq
tube phono pre; 2xJAN 12AT7A, 1x6X5GT
Pro-Ject Audio Systems Streambox S2 Ultra
Roon endpoint (wifi)
Wireworld Starlight USB cable (to DAC)
Topping E-70
ESS Sabre ES9028 Pro DAC
Altec Lansing Santiagos
Resto/mod by Aural Hifi. Custom crossover using Mundorf Evo Oil film caps, two L-pads (one to adjust horn volume, the other to attenuate midrange), and charge-coupled capacitors (w/9V battery) on the horn.
Thank you! Yes, I really love this system. I found the ceiling material initially based on looks, but it turned out to be an acoustic material, with the wood veneer attached to a thick black felt background. So the overall sound is very warm, very much a jazz club vibe. Really stunning, and very gratifying. Took me 2+ years to put this system together. (And yes, the Leben gear is gorgeous, isn’t it?)
@mdalton I finally found your vintage system! This may be my favorite yet Leben gear is so gorgeous and sounds fantastic. And those Altec Santiago's look stunning great restoration. And I love the ceiling is that how the room came or did you put that in for acoustics? Gorgeous overall room also!
nope, still love their sound. they’ve been paired with an Audio Refinement Complete integrated (the old YBA budget line). I use a Raspberry Pi streamer, with an iFi Zen DAC Signature v2 in that system. In the next few days though, the Quads will be replaced by an old pair of JMLabs Cobalt 816s, and the Quads will move to my wife’s office, driven by a Sonos amp for the time being. Regardless, they’ll remain in use.
btw, am a huge fan of ProAcs - I’ve often seen them paired with Leben amps - and I’ve heard great things about Backert Labs (and btw, I still have a pair of Quad 11Ls in my bedroom system!).
@mdalton It's funny - you've got Fern and Roby and Rothwell SUTs. I think both use Lundhal transformers. These I would definitely like to hear - my hunch is that the presentation is more 'modern'. Maybe a nice balance for the SPU! I got my HM-3 SUT from tube-amps.net - goofy site, but the gentleman was very professional and the product is very well built.
@mdalton Hey there - I mean the upshot of my experience with the SUTs has lead me to the Hashimoto HM-3-based SUT from a guy in Michigan. Pricey, but oh wow the clarity you can get from a damn conical stylus! The other two - Cinemag-based from Ned Clayton and an entry level Audio Note UK unit that I got used on Audiogon - I guess I'd describe as variations on a theme, with the Cinemag based SUT having a slight 'opacity' to the sound, which is pleasing, for sure. Maybe tone-forward is a way to describe it. I have new tubes in my phono stage and so I'll try swapping them in and out and see if anything jumps out at me.
Thanks! And yes, I really love the SPU on the TD124 in that system. I was a little surprised how good the combo sounded relative to my big rig, where I have a Koetsu on a Reed tonearm (thus more $ invested). They’re a lot closer than I expected. The one component I need to upgrade in the big rig is the SUT - I notice you have 3! Could you describe your experience with them?
Thanks! lots of jazz selections in the collection. My preference is single malt scotch, but I always have some cold ones in the fridge for guests as well…
Thanks. Yes, my wife and I had a lot of fun decorating the room around the system! Note how we chose the color of the Altec horns to complement the green around the Leben amp (and then the green theme gets picked up in several of our paintings as well).
thanks. just finished this one. and yes, we love this room as well. it sounds great, and given all the wall space, we’ve hung some of the largest paintings in a collection we’ve been building over the last 27 years. will post a couple more pix to give you an even better feel for the room.
