This is my music system which has been evolving for over 35 years.
Have had many different components of many styles. Have learned that synergy is everything and you have to trust your ears.
Also I've had had these systems in over a dozen listening rooms. I've spent many hours working on room treatments and setup and believe the room/speaker interaction is the most important aspect of great sound that many hobbyists fail to optimize.
Vinyl is spinning about 80% of the time (Used to be 90% vinyl, but digital changes both sonically and user experience w/Roon & Qobuz have been a big improvement). After relocating to Austin, TX and getting the room optimized, I changed the analog side of the system, having sold tt, arm, carts & phono stage prior to the move.
Most recent project has been upgrading from Ayre QB-9 DSD Twenty to Bricasti M3h DAC.
Previous pieces & systems included:
Soundlab A3 electrostatics & Krell FBP-300 amp, Nola Viper Reference III (with Lamm & BAT monoblocks), BAT VK150SEs & Silverline LaFolias, Acarian Alon V mkiii , Merlin VSM-MX, Atma-Sphere MA1mkII.2, Atma-Sphere MP3, Herron VTSP1a-166
5-driver, 4-
way, time- and phase-accurate
speaker system that incorporates a unique aperiodic, push-pull,
powered sub-bass system, a battery-biased passive high-pass filter and an 11-band
equalizer—in a “boxless” minimum-baffle, non-resonant enclosure system.
Quicksilver V4 Monoblocks
Tube monoblock Amps currently with KT-88 output tubes
VAC Renaissance Mark V Preamp with Phono
balanced dual mono linestage and phono stage with external power supply. Running Amperex orange globes on the linestage side and a pair of Amperex NOS 60s medical grade Bugle Boys and one stock Mullard reproduction on the phono side. Planning on experimenting with NOS Mullard, Amperex and perhaps Telefunken for the single tube on the phono side.
Sota Nova Vacuum Series VI with Eclipse(Phoenix Engr. designed) Motor Controller
Awaiting delivery of the new Series VI Nova table spring suspension turntable with vacuum hold down system, mag lev platter/bearing, Eclipse motor controller(designed by Phoenix Engineering) and Reflex clamp!
Maple amp stands with Eden Sound brass Bear Paw radiused footers
DIY Slipknot1 & Sbank Maple Madness Rack
PerfectPlank Maple 1 7/8, McMaster-Carr Brass hardware, Star Sound Audiopoints footers
Custom Room Treatments
Designed and framed by Sensible Sound Solutions. Assembled and upholstered by me using Guilford of Maine acoustical cloth.
SpinPlanet Custom Wood Diffusors
BBC "Skyline" style QRD diffusors handmade of solid pine on 24" birch plywood base. Hand made in Delaware, USA.
ATS Acoustics QRD 7 Well Quadratic Diffuser
AudioQuest Oak Bi-wire Speaker Cables
SOLID PERFECT-SURFACE COPPER+ (PSC+) CONDUCTORS
MULTI-LAYER CARBON-BASED NOISE- AND CROSSTALK-DISSIPATION SYSTEM:
DOUBLE COUNTER-SPIRAL GEOMETRY
FOAMED-POLYETHYLENE INSULATION (FOR ALL POSITIVE CONDUCTORS)
DIELECTRIC-BIAS SYSTEM WITH RADIO FREQUENCY TRAP
AudioQuest Water XLR
6.5M balanced interconnects pair used between preamp and power amp
Tel Wire Power Cables HC Cord & Cord
HC Cord - large 9 gauge OCC single crystal, ultra pure copper. Terminated with genuine Oyaide 004 series with Beryllium copper bases and platinum & palladium plating. HC with 20amp connector on Krell amp connected to 20amp dedicated circuit
Cord - OCC single crystal, ultra pure copper. Terminated with genuine Oyaide 004 series with Beryllium copper bases and platinum & palladium plating
Tel Wire Connect XLR
OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) single crystal copper of the highest purity available. Terminations are Xhadow Silver RCA’s that are hand-picked by Chris Kline, Jacketed cotton
(DAC to preamp)
Inakustic Reference USB Cable
German USB cable used between opticalRendu and Denafrips Pontus II DAC
Audioquest Niagara 1200 & NRG-Z3 PCs
Power conditioner & cable for front end of the system. PCs for the mono block amps.
Vinyl Stack Ultrasonic Record Cleaner
Paired with a 10L 40hz Ultrasonic tank and following the formulas and process suggested in @rushton's thread and www.positive-feedback.com article.
Eden Sound Terrastone Footers
Terrastone Bearing Isolation Footers under preamp and DAC.
Furman Power Station-8
Power strip on steroids. Using with Vandersteen subwoofers built-in to the 5As.
PS Audio Juice Bar
6 outlet power strip for networking accessories
Walker Audio Valid Points
resonance control devices
ERS Paper RFI/EMI Control
ERS paper to fight airborne RFI/EMI
Hart Big Willy MK3 Record Cleaning Brush
Described in detail in M.Fremer's Analog Planet Shootout video and review video. It's a brush that cleans dust off records. Way more effective than the Acoustech grounded large brush that it replaced
Spencer what are the dimensions of your new room? The Merlins look like they are spaced pretty far apart with a lot of space behind them. I bet it sounds great. Have you tried padding under the oriental rug? Thanks, Steve
Glenn, you will be amazed at how much better things sound than in the other room. Come on over anytime; I've got my Clash records ready to cue up!
John, indeed dogs make for fun listening companions. My Brittany Spaniel wags his tail and comes running into the room whenever I fire up the jazz LPs. As an old man of 11 dog years, he's not much of a rocker any longer ;-)
Spencer, Very nice room and system, must sound awesome. I really like the 4 legged companion. They seem to make kicking back and spinning vinyl that much more enjoyable. Every time I go in my room my 2 dogs grab a seat front row center. John
Spencer, I dig the new room! I wish I had been able to check it out last weekend. I especially like the way you have integrated acoustical treatments without making the room look like a basement recording studio. Very tasteful.
System edited: Just moved to a new larger room, and spent the last month working out the kinks. Custom room treatments, designed by Bryan Pape of Sensible Sound Solutions, were the key to taming huge echo and bass dip problems in the new room. Things are really shaping up! The system now has ample room to breathe, and the larger soundstage and increased air around instruments is very apparent. Next project is to demo some power cords for the Berning amp. Cheers, Spencer
Spencer, . Thanks for sharing on the ESST. I have heard that it takes quite a few hours to break in, so you may get more from the treatments as time goes by. . I have had a jar of the regular SST sitting and just waiting for me to stop adding and swapping things before playing with the SST but, I have continued to make changes. Now I am thinking of trying to swap the SST for the ESST (based on Rushton's favorable comments). . I am looking forward to hearing your final analysis and I will certainly share my results when I finally get around to applying the ESST in my system. . I recently got a pair of ZH-270's (to use as mono-blocks) and am in the process of breaking them in. . Enjoy the Holidays. . Best Rgds, Larry .
Hey Larry, Just saw your note. The Extreme SST lives up to the hype in my opinion. I've only had it on through about 12 hours of listening, about 6 each analog and digital. I've not yet treated the cartridge pins. On the digital side, things are pretty obvious. Smoother highs, blacker background, better delineation of images. On the analog side, I hear the same type of improvements, just a bit less pronounced. Perhaps, the improvement in the connectivity between cdp & preamp is the biggest benefactor? I am using the relatively lower priced Discovery cable on the cdp, and Cardas Golden Ref elsewhere, as I do my more serious listening via vinyl, as I know you do. Think I'm coming around to Rushton's way of thinking, "All the little things add up". I'll treat the cartridge pins in the next few days, and hopefully that will provide more of the same. At this point, I can heartily recommend the ESST, and think it will only get better w/a few more hours of break-in. Regards, Spencer
System edited: Just upgraded my Merlin BAM to Super-BAM. The improvements are immediate and well worth the modest cost. I'm continuously amazed at how far the VSM-MX has allowed me to take my system. Even with the echo problem I'm having in my new room(Roomtunes in transit!), the added "jump factor" is readily apparent. Suggestions & comments always welcomed...Cheers, Spencer
. Spencer, . Are you considering working with Rives for the room treatments ? . Looking forward to hearing your comments on the results of applying the Walker Audio Extreme SST. . Rgds, Larry .
System edited: Just treated my system with Walker Audio Extreme SST. Will post comments after a few hours break-in time. Also placed Gingko Audio Mini Clouds under the cdp, a small but obvious improvement. However the biggest change in my system is that I moved it to a new larger room, 23.5' x 16.5' x 9'. Room treatments are in my near future.
Howard, Brass hardware: www.master.com Call them & ask them to look up my(Spencer Bank/Brandywine Creamery) invoices for the model numbers to get. We used a shelf from Salamander as a template(stencil) to drill the holes. Make sure to get widest O.D. washers for above and below the maple. When you drill, you'll get some minor splitting around the hole, and the washers will hide any imperfections. Maple: www.perfectplank.com I bought 3 of their standard 1 7/8" thick shelfs at 48" wide, 19" deep. Top shelf is custom cut to 1 7/8"x21"x48", to allow for larger turntable. We drilled it so it the extra 4" is equally split 2" forward and 2" back. Footers: Audiopoints Model 2.0 threaded. Great footers, that fit perfectly on the brass rods. Cheaper alternative is $40/set threaded mega-spikes from Salamander, available at audioadvisor,etc. Good luck!
Hi Spencer, . If you don't already own the Cardas Frequency Sweep LP, do get one. The burn in side is great for breaking in your cartridge, and I think you will be quite pleasantly surprised what the Frequency Sweep should do for the sonics if you use it after you have "finished" breaking in the cartridge. . I had forgotten about running the Cardas Frequency Sweep LP on my system since the last time I used it this past December. Three weeks ago a friend and I did about an hour and a half of listening (system had been on and warmed up for 3 days prior to the listening session). We then ran the Frequency Sweep and went back and listened to the same recordings again and were absolutely floored with the improvement in all aspects of the sound. . The Cardas record costs around $ 30.00 and is worth ten times that (easily). If you try it, let me know how it does for your system. . Congratulations on how your system has come along and it's great to hear that you are so happy with the front end. . Rgds, Larry .
Hi Larry, I went with the silver coils and silver base, per Mehran's recommendation. I've only got about 10 hours on it so far, but it sounds very good already. The whole setup is very quiet, expansive, and dynamic. Of course it's tough to attribute the changes to cart. vs. table/arm, but the combo seems to work well. The table was a breeze to setup(easier than I expected), and I'm confident that the Walker Motor Controller is also a contributor to the end result. Regards, Spencer
. Hi Spencer, . Congratulations on getting the Airy3. Did you get the copper or silver coils ? . How many hours do you have on it and how do you like it ? . Rgds, Larry .
Hi Spencer. Quick question for you. I am to receive a CAT SL-1 Ultimate MK II within the next few weeks, and was wondering if you could maybe mention what, if any, isolation strategies/products you have used on yours. Much thanks! Art
I also found my Berning sounded better with a preamp in the mix. (I own a FS Presense Deluxe MK II). I have heard some say they preferred the Joule LA 100 III over the 150, which they found relatively drier and uninvolving.
I listen to a ton of female vocals, so the emotional content and timbre are really important to me (i.e., not dry, not bright - so i guess that means I would skew slightly towards warmer with palpable presence over say dynamics, which my SF Guarneri Homage's dont really do so well anyway) .
I dont regret the purchase of the First Sound, because it IS an all around winner, just curious what other ZH270 owners have experienced... Thanks for your comments, and DO tell us of how that shoot-out goes.
Hi Art, I find the Berning sounds much better with an active preamp, be it the CAT or Joule. Direct is still good, with plenty of details, but the sound is much fuller with the preamps. The Joule is a tad warmer than the CAT, but the CAT has dynamic jump that gives me goosebumps regularly. My LA150 was an older one that has left and right volume controls, as opposed to the newer ones that have a volume & a balance control. Mine was a tad noisy(from the chasis--not through the speakers) and would have sounded better if I'd been able to sit farther away than 11' from the preamp. Newer LA150s probably don't suffer from this. The CAT has an awesome internal phono stage that greatly contributed to my purchase decision, as I listen mainly to vinyl. To me, that makes it a tremendous value. I'm very happy w/the CAT, but if I could afford to get a CAT Ultimate, I probably would. Sometime in the next few months a few friends & I plan a preamp shootout and will compare these with Supratek Syrah, First Sound Presence, some passive attentuators and whatever else interesting we come up with...we'll post impressions afterwards. Cheers, Spencer
Would you mind throwing a few words on your experience of how the CAT runs with the Berning? esp compared to running directly from your source, and vs the Joule ELectra (and any other pre's you had in your system). Much appreciated!
System edited: Just sold my 12ft. Virtual Dynamics Power 3 cable, as I needed a shorter cable to accomodate recent moving of dedicated circuits. Bought a 6ft. ESP Essence, which was recommended by Ken Stevens for use with the CAT preamps.
Hi Eddie, My vinyl is in a series of inexpensive cubes that I bought at Target on sale for $9 each. I put a nice metal knob from Lowe's on the door for the enclosed cube. These are stackable and connect with dowels. They are your basic particle board/laminate, but dimensions and flexibility ruled the day for me. They come in a few other finishes(black, white, maple). Don't recall the brand name. Thanks, Spencer
