Recently dumped the home theater/rear channel stuff and added a nice analog front end. Rega P7 and Threshold FET ten/pc. Dedicated 2-channel system built on the sonographe 250 amp and TAD-150 tubed preamp - which seem to mate well with the Joseph Audios. Add on a vintage Kenwood receiver and some Monitor audio surrounds and you've got home theater and surround sound (via DVD - TV audio is still two-channel). I'm OK with different quality for surround channels - not really used for critical listening.
Surround sound speakers (Monitor R90s) were chosen mostly for thier good looks- on stands in mid room so needed high SAF from all angles.
Green canvases behind the speakers are DIY sound treatments - artist canvas stuffed with foam and painted to match room.
This is a tough room sonically - sliding glass doors on the right - not much room to bring speakers out into room.
I need to upgrade the speaker cable from biwire zip cord - any thoughts? (for a cheapskate..?)
Tube pre-amp with remote control, phono and 3 line-ins
Joseph Audio RM-22si sig
black 2-way. 25 pounds of sand in each.
Sonographe SA-250
made by Conrad Johnson
Mirage Omni S10
10in Sub - 200W
Monitor Audio Radius 90
2-way surrounds, beautiful hardwood
Lite Dac-Ah
8 parallel chips, NOS (non-oversampling), opamp modified by pacific valve, switch modified my me.
Yamaha DVD-S1500
single disc DVD/DC player
Apogee Wyde-Eye SPDIF
Digital out from NAD to DAC
Kimber 4VS
for woofer
Alpha core Goertz MI 2
for tweeters - silver spades
PowerVar ABC1000-11
10 amp power conditioner with 6 outlets
DIY JPS-style homebrew
DIY recipe found on audioasylum - Andrew Heliax coax cable - copper clad aluminum core with solid copper shield - Canare F10 plugs. This stuff is harder and stiffer than anything... Supposedly the very earliest JPS ICs used a cable like this. Jury is still out on sound.
Apple AppleTV 160
My primary digital source is now a 160GB AppleTV connected via Toslink to the DAC.
System Edited: replaced the NAD CD and Yamaha DVD with the brilliant Oppo DV-980H - which works flawlessly. Maybe its time to try out some hi-rez format stuff - this machine does SACD and DVD-A. Need some suggestions fo jazz listening. Up to 14,000 tracks on the iTunes/appleTv
Thanks for the comments Jimm and Chad - I guess I was self concsious about posting images of the mismash of old components - the old Kenwood and NAD that were $10 each -- NAD is out now that appleTV is in. Sounds pretty good - kind of a live room - wish there was less glass and more carpet. I close the drapes when I get into serious listening...
The process of inputting 1000+ CDs is a long tedious one, but its a great way to rediscover your old music - and eventually I'll be able to figure out what I really have. I walk into a cd store - I know I have like 20 coltrane CDs - but which one's do I still need? itunes will help catalogs everything nicely.
AppleTV starts are only $299 - easy way to get into wireless/harddrive listening- assuming you already have a computer and router. (Router was only like $39 bucks! - I wonder if I should put a Shunyata powercord on it? NOT.)
Nothing ugly about it, really. In fact, you have one of the more comfortable-looking rooms on here. (Some of the others would make me feel more like I'm being studied in a lab, than relaxing at home.) Nice job of bringing together seemingly disparate objectives and pieces!
Hey I have an ugly Hybrid system too! I bet your gear sounds good and its abut the music .......right? I would like to try wireless someday, maybe I can pick your brain sometime if you are free.
System edited: Gone Digital Wireless!! Primary source is now AppleTV unit, connected via Toslink to the DAC. Syncs up wireless to Mac running iTunes software. Plan to have over 1500 CDs available via network - yes some will be compressed at 320kbs AAC, others will be Apple Lossless. Sounds great so far. Convenience cannot be topped.
I love it. Good for you in your system. I thought I was the only one who thought so what about the looks. It is the sound that counts. Your Kenwood brings back cool memories for me. I love how you buy too. Well done.
System edited: Swapped out new DIY JPS style ICs for TaraLabs between pre and amp. Added PowerVar power conditioner - hooked up to TV, pre, DAC and CD transport.
I listen to a lot of new jazz - piano players, anything on ECM, guitar players - some classical, some rock. Unfortunatley this system is getting a lot of movie and TV use lately - I have to share the living room with family! Too many CDs - too little time.
