System edited: Added the Pass Labs XP-20 and XP-15. I'm a happy camper!

srwooten September 09, 2011 15:56

That's rough. The foam mounting squares are really what makes the system shine too. ;-)

srwooten April 26, 2011 05:18

I'm excited to hear the results!

srwooten April 21, 2011 23:25

The XP-20 is great, one of my best purchases, and much more of an improvement than I expected.

The best tweak I've done for my ScoutMaster is the Mint LP protractor.

Do you plug your TT motor into the PPP? That helps stability a bit.

Are you purchasing the MBL's and D1's to compare? I'd love to see pics of your rig!

srwooten April 21, 2011 02:58

Thanks! Give me a shout and we'll hook up!

srwooten March 31, 2011 05:48

System edited: Changed my linestage from a Pass Labs X-1 to a Pass Labs XP-20. The bass has faster front end impact and is more tuneful yet much more dimensional and weightier. There is more detail, with more natural timber over the entire frequency. It is cleaner and much quieter. There is more air and better imaging. Also better separation of instrument. More low level info. The highs clarity really is astounding. I can't get over the change in the sound of the bass. It reminds me of when I went from the big Pass monos to the Edge. A improvement much larger than I expected!

srwooten March 23, 2011 02:33

Tzh21y
They put in a new updated back panel which utilizes a better grounding scheme. Much quieter now!

srwooten January 22, 2011 01:41

System edited: Lots and lots of changes. Added a Perfect Wave DAC and a Power Plant Premier, moved speakers, added new feet and center weight to TT, re-arranged all the equipment, tried a Aesthetix Calypso pre amp for a while. Also made a bunch of new Oyaide power cords and customized some Harmonic Tech Magic IC's. I am still working on speaker placement. Had to fix both VSA subs (bad caps). I had Pass put in a new back panel in the X-1 and Wayne Colburn did some mods on the X-Ono. It's sounding smoother than ever! Pass is a GREAT company.

srwooten August 31, 2010 05:05

Yes I really like the Edge! Strong AND sweet! I really have no complaints about the VPI tt. Their upgrade path is nice to. Someday I may try something else, I know there is ALWAYS better!

srwooten August 08, 2010 20:06

Verneal-
The Mint protractor for sure, and getting the sub coupled to the floor. In my case that was accomplished using the granite sandwich and the Scotch foam squares. Also the Final Labs Durama II's are a great tweak. I use them under my pre, phono stage, power supply, Dish box, etc. BTW- thanks for your kind words. I have to up-date my system thread as I have made a lot of changes not shown here.

srwooten June 18, 2010 05:16

My outlets are Furutech FT-D20A's. I was really surprised at the difference they made. I've done some business with Chris- I learned quite a bit on his site about cable-building, and he is a good source for supplies. I build my own power cords and a lot of my IC's.

srwooten March 25, 2010 05:26

Thanks for your suggestions Z. Much appreciated!

srwooten March 23, 2010 23:33

Yah. I've got a dedicated 20. I'm looking into the Ground Zero.

srwooten March 23, 2010 23:23

Thanks Z. Maybe I'll try the Granite Audio Ground Zero 501. If that takes care of the hum the X-1 will be a keeper. I've always loved it. The hum came after I switched amps.

srwooten March 23, 2010 16:50

Thanks Zephyr. I really am liking the detail, smoothness, bass, and dynamics of the system. The Edge is much more liquid then the Pass X-600 monos I had. The Edge is a keeper for sure. I do have a slight hum that I think is due to a mismatch between the X-1 Pre and the Edge. When I use no pre or a different pre the hum goes away. The other pre I used it with was from my second system and is not anything special- it was used while my X-1 was being serviced. I do not know what to replace it with though as the X-1 is a great piece.

srwooten March 23, 2010 13:31

System edited: I have made some substantial changes in my system. I sold my Pass X-600 monos, which I absolutely loved. Replacing them is an EDGE NL 10.1 stereo amp rated at 225 watts into 8 ohms. I was a little afraid this was going to be a step down, but with me living in the Phoenix, AZ. area and having my set-up on the west wall, the heat from those giant monos was just too much. I had heard the EDGE 10.1 was very similar to the Pass sound so I took the plunge. I am not disappointed as of yet. The EDGE are extremely detailed, smooth, and very dynamic. My room is easily 7-10 degrees cooler. I'm sure the local electric company will be most disappointed with my selling off of the Pass monos though! I have also moved the stereo pair of VSA subs next to and a bit in front of the main speakers. This really improved phase and thus coherency. I may have already mentioned this but I put a 45 lb marble sandwich on top of the subs too. A must with these powerful subs IMO. Another thing I did was put the Pass X-1 Pre, X-ono, and their power supplies on Final DARUMA3-II'S coupling devices. A "HOLY COW" difference.

srwooten September 27, 2009 21:45

System edited: Updated some pics...

srwooten January 30, 2009 03:31

Dpatterson-
The Sr's sound detailed and controlled. The Scoutmaster is, IMHO, a great value and a joy to listen too. I listen to Digital less and less. The new cart and the Mint protractor REALLY helped things along. If I were to do it over I would buy a used Scoutmaster (or Super Scoutmaster) with as many of the VPI upgrades already on it as possible. This saves a bundle, and all the upgrades I have done have been excellent and worthwhile. Whatever TT you get, get a Mint protractor to get the most out of your set-up.

srwooten January 24, 2009 22:01

Ptmconsulting:
Yes, it did. I too liked my Dyna 20X-H. The sound of the Airy 3 is much more detailed. Bass is more detailed. Very balanced throughout, IMHO.There is so much more going on in the music that I never knew about before. This makes music even more amazing to me. The clarity and separation are incredible. The Airy also has less groove/record noise. The sound is so much more involving it makes it harder and harder to listen to digital sources.
The Mint LP protractor was a great benefit in helping to achieving this. Highly recommended. Here is a link:
Mint Lp
Yip custom makes them for any table-arm combo. I was amazed at how "close " my cart set-up was using the VPI alignment jig, but what a profound difference the Mint protractor makes. It really made the Airy sing.

srwooten January 05, 2009 21:25

System edited: After much consideration and also much help from 'Goners I decided to upgrade my cart to the Zyx Airy 3 low output silver wire cart. Sheeikes! WOW! I also purchased a MintLP protractor for set up. The sound now totally is mesmerizing. Bass and detail to die for, and so listen able and non-fatiguing. The Mint LP protractor is a must have. I can see why VPI uses their protractor, as you can set up your cart in a few minutes. The Mint takes a few hours and lots of patience. But the seasoned audiophile will find it more than worthwhile.

srwooten January 05, 2009 05:12

System edited: I added some mass to the VSA subs by sandwiching two 22lb granite slabs together with some Scotch Foam Mounting Squares and stuck 5 silicone non-slip feet on the bottom (1 in the center, thr rest about 2 1/2" in from the corners. This stopped all the cabinet resonance and really improved the bass from these 2 subs. A friend of mine in the marble counter top business made these for me.

srwooten December 29, 2008 05:38

System edited: Added Pass Labs phonostage. Love it.

srwooten April 03, 2008 22:47

System edited: Added new photo of Scoutmaster- Wanted to show the new light my wife got for my B-day.(I'm OLD). It's a "Little Light". Looked for 2 years to find one, looking in all the wrong places. Little Light is the brand and can be found online. Hope this may save some of you a year or two of bad TT lighting!

srwooten February 06, 2008 05:19

System edited: Changed out Adcom GFP-750 Pre for Pass Labs X-1 Pre. Bada Boom, Bada Bing! Updated some pics too! Pass Pre kills the Adcom(same designer-more cost)Love the Pass, can't knock the Adcom.

srwooten February 06, 2008 04:48

Thanks Jiegana!
I have been thinking about upgrading my phono cartridge for the last year or two. Do you have any suggestions for a cart to go with the Scoutmaster($800-$1500)? I listen to quite a variety of music. My goals would be realism, dynamics, and sound staging.
As far as the PH-1P, I am very happy with it. I am certainly not an expert on phono stages as I have only used this one and a VPP.1 made by CI Audio. The CI Audio cost around $300 or $400 new and was very good, but it lacked the bass, detail, smoothness, and imaging of the PH 1P, and to be fair it, cost about one fourth as much. The PH 1-P is rated class A by Stereophile magazine. I bought it (online from Acoustic Sounds) based on its reviews, price and excellent resale value.

srwooten January 22, 2008 05:26

Mancuso54-
Glad you like the Pro-9's! I would love for you to post your system so I could have a look. Thanks fo keeping me in your tweaking loop.

srwooten January 17, 2008 03:36

Saisunil-
Funny you should ask! I just last week got a Pass Labs X-1 pre-amp. What a difference. Much more detail and separation of instruments. Bass to die for. And the way cymbals sound! I'll post pics soon...

srwooten January 17, 2008 03:29

Hello Mancuso54!
I too was impressed with the Pass amps. What model do you have? Also what pre amp do you have? I am currently using the Adcom GFP 750, but am waiting for Fedex to deliver a Pass Labs X-1 Pre this coming week. I am hoping it will be as much an improvement as the Pass amps were. Originaly I had a pair of Adcom 5802's that i was bi-amping with. Let me know what you think of the HT Pro 9+ cables. Are you still going to be using the umbilical cord from VSA, or is your cable split far enough where you can connect one to the bass cab and the other to the mid-treble cabinet? Also, do you use a sub?
Thanks for your post and thanks for your interest in my system. What a fun hobby!

srwooten January 05, 2008 20:30

Thanks Jdmeyers77!
I appreciate your kind words and am honored that my kit is your first system post!

srwooten January 02, 2008 06:18

Hello Cford-

I had it custom made in Paradise Valley, AZ at "The Furniture Ranch" It
has 6 caster and 9 adjustable shelves and is made of pine. They charged me
$1000 which I thought was very reasonable. I don't know where you are
located but here is a link to their home page.

http://www.thefurnitureranch.com/

I hope this helps you out.

Good luck!
Steve

srwooten December 20, 2007 01:12

System edited: Forgot to list my phono stage. It's up there now though. An Acoustech Ph-1 P. Love it.

srwooten December 15, 2007 05:20

Glenfihi-Thanks for your kind words!
The Pass Labs are so clean sounding and detailed, and the VSA SR IV's match up really well. Sing they do! 600 watts may seem like overkill for these speakers (92db sensitivity) but the high power means the amps rarely break out of class A, which adds to their smoothness and musicality. I can turn it WAY up and it never sounds "LOUD".
I try to listen at least a few hours daily. It never gets old or fatiguing.
I don’t think you can go wrong with a Scout. A very musical and involving TT. I am always surprised how much more natural vinyl sounds compared to digital- even SACD or DVD-A.

srwooten December 13, 2007 05:03

Grrr6001,thanks for the interest.
I have not noticed any problems with the turntable being inside the cabinet (although it is cramped when I make adjustments to the tone arm, etc). It is on a Gingko Audio Cloud 11 isolation platform. The Cloud rests on the very bottom of the stand where it is the most stable. It works really well, although I am sure a dedicated TT stand would be better. Is there some type of isolation you think would best it? Your suggestions are welcome.

srwooten December 06, 2007 04:30