I started putting together the pieces of this system about 8 years ago (pictures will be up very soon) starting with the source components. Bought the Alpha 7se right here on Audiogon in '99 and am still impressed with its performance.
The turntable was a very rare find and for a good price. Recently upgraded the tonearm to the RB-300. Originally had the Profile II tonearm, common on many of the Systemdeks. Still don't have a dust cover for it so if anyone knows where I can get the original cover, please let me know.
As for the speakers, I recently purchased the Energy C-3's since I've heard nothing but good reviews on them and they boast a very good 90db in-room efficiency. I found it relatively difficult finding efficient enough speakers for under $500 that would work well with a 15W tube amp.
The tube amp, phono stage and Sonic Link interconnects were purchased as a package deal at a local hifi shop. The CR Developments Kalypso shines best with acoustic music. However, it struggles with hard-rock/metal resulting in a slightly muddied sound at its peak, but still maintains a very respectable deep to upper bass.
The Temporalis pure-silver interconnects remain a mystery. A fellow audiophile gave them to me and he claims they were made in Canada (around Calgary). However, check out this review by Anthem: http://www.anthemav.com/OldSitev1/review/pw1.html. This is the only mention I've heard of on these cables. I believe I've even asked the author of this article about these cables some years ago and he claimed they were made in France :P I would desperately like to know where these cables were made (and how much they're worth).
Thanks for stopping by Roc_doc! When I started my system, all that I had available to me for a rack was a rickety, cheap "kitchen piece" as Timrhu put it. When I got the VTI rack, I replaced the pics. I'm definitely not putting down the VTI, it offers both form and function.
Hey Samhar, thanks for the suggestion! I definitely agree that these VTI racks are not the best. Wouldn't recommend them for turntable placement similar to my setup. Noise resonates through to the turntable quite easily and the Sorbogel Big Feet or similar isolation products are probably a must and on my list of upgrades. All that I know is that the rack is a vast improvement over what I had.
Thanks for stopping by Soundboy. I guess I should add some updates since some of the analog has changed. Replaced my well-used Roksan Corus cartridge with the Dynavector DV-10X5. HUGE improvement in sound. Very detailed midrange and outstanding highs. Being a high output MC cartridge and with plenty of gain from the X-LPS, there is little to no volume adjustment required between the CDP and the TT. Also replaced the stock felt mat with the Ringmat 330 Anniversary edition and found the OEM cover for my tt.
Playing around with a Bellari VP-530 USB phono stage right now. Intend on using this only for recording my albums to my Mac.
System edited: Currently upgrading my tonearm with the Moth Incognito rewire kit. Some problems encountered with the VTF spring-coil that I mistakingly ruined :( Thanks to advice from fellow Agoners, disabled the VTF knob and ordered the Michell TechnoWeight :)
The Arcam 7se is from around '98 or '99. The Blue Book says 2001 but I don't think that's right, I bought it used way before then. I've been considering going with a DAC but not sure what make/brand would be an improvement. Will have to do some research.
Timrhu,Soundboy-> thanks for the follow-ups. The rack definitely makes a difference. The sound seems to be a lot more 'richer', especially on vocal passages. Nothing else has changed except for the rack. Wow!
System edited: System Edited-> Replaced the previous stand with the VTI BL404 audio rack. Gorgeous looking and solid. Updated some of the equipment pics as well.
Recently replaced all the tubes in my system. Stuck with the Sovtek EL84M's for the outputs. As for the pre-amp/phase-splitter tubes, experimenting with a mix of Electro-Harmonix 12AU7's (pre-drivers), and Tung-Sol's 12AX7's (phase-splitters/pre-amp). Initially had one Sovtek 12AX7LPS for the pre-amp (middle tube) and EI gold's for the rest.
Microphonics have been completely eliminated. However, the sound seems too "warm" for my liking. Not sure if mixing & matching different brands of tubes is a wise idea. Comments greatly appreciated.
I did compare the MIT's with the Temporalis pure-silver cables. There was more definition with the Temporalis cables which wasn't a surprise. I can see why silver cables are ideal for tube systems.
The C-3's offer incredible detail. What blew me away was the definition of the mid-to-upper bass. Bass guitar especially seems to stand out from the rest of the music, not overpowering it, but complementing it. Loss of detail in this area is usually a key indicator that my amp is in need of tube changing, which is the case as of this writing (guess it's been almost 2 years since the last change).
However, the bottom end lacks depth that can be expected of a small bookshelf. A sub would definitely be a nice addition.
Just received a pair of MIT Terminator 2 rca interconnects that I'm anxious to try out with one of my components. Will soon have 2 pairs of Wireworld Solstice speaker cables to replace my homemade cables. I'm almost certain the speaker cables will make a world of difference :)
No offense taken. I liked the rack because it looked good but it doesn't function well at all. I have a possible replacement nearby that I may just use instead.
As for the acoustic paneling, I don't think I need any at this point or else, very little. The inexpensive throw rug works well as an absorber plus I don't play my system very loud. My amp is a modest 15W, so I try to keep my volume at a fixed setting (max. 9 O'Clock for CD, 11 O'Clock for vinyl).
Aside from the rack that will soon be replaced (it is ridiculously unstable), here is the upgrade path I'm working on:
1. Phono preamp - looking for a better pre with an adjustable gain. Hoping to match the level of the CD-player to the turntable for efficiency. 2. Cables - speaker and tonearm. The speaker cables are homemade and seem to be corroding in places. The RB-300 has the standard garbage cable. 3. iPod Dock - I've heard good things about the Arcam rDock or may go with a tube dock. 4. DAC or better CD-Player - I am satisfied with the sound of my Alpha 7se but may want something better in the near future.
The cables are probably the most priority right now, although I don't believe in paying any more than $200-$300.
