System edited: After discovering SET with a Decware integrated (6 watts/side) I then switched to an ARC CA-50 for more dynamics. This was very unsatisfying to my ears so then I found the Almarro A318B. This amp is everything I've ever dreamed of. SET magic but as dynamic and fast as anything I've yet owned... Very happy right now!!!!!

maprik February 25, 2012 19:48

Maprik,don`t underestimate your Almarro, with the proper speaker you should be able to play all genres at a high level of sound quality. My amp is an 8 watt 300b SET (very beefy power supply I`ll admit) and plays everything. It`s not the 'ultimate' amp for large scale classical but it manages it very well, same with rock. It depends on what speaker you`re driving.

charles1dad February 24, 2012 14:54

Missed the SET magic so I sold the CA-50 and bought an Almarro A318B integrated. Back in audio heaven again. So it doesn't do huge complex symphonies or hard rock...I never listen to that. I listen to mostly acoustic instruments, simple singer songwriters, intimate emotional music. And for that the Almarro is simply incredible....

maprik February 24, 2012 05:08

Just upgraded to the Audio Research CA-50 integrated. Wow!!! This beast handles the Forte IIs incredibly well. Replaced the Decware so I could get a little more boogie factor and rock. I wasn't expecting additional layers of detail and even more accuracy!!! Incredible bargain on the used market compared to other integrateds under $2000. Killer.

maprik December 24, 2011 10:59

System edited: I just changed integrateds from the YBA integre DT to the Decware SE34i.2+. At 6 watts per channel it didn't have the strength to drive the Silverline SR-15s so I found a pair of Klispch Forte IIs (local sale) and WOW!!!!!! What a combination! I never knew that the Klipsch speakers (especially so large) coould just disappear like a monitor! And the Decware has more than enough juice to play ANY genre of music. Simply amazing.

maprik September 26, 2011 20:12

System edited: Haven't changed a thing since July and strangely, have absolutley no desire to change a thing...Now I'm just worrying about the longevity of my Music Maker!

maprik March 07, 2011 20:17

The CDP is an Adcom GCD-575. Giant Killer CDP. This will suffice until I have the $ for an Ayre AX-7e.

maprik March 26, 2009 17:41

Very nice. What cd player are you running?

highend64 March 11, 2009 08:09

System edited: Just upgraded from my tweaked out Rega P25 to a Well Tempered Lab Classic V with upgraded platter and carbon fiber tonearm.

maprik March 11, 2009 08:03

The subplatter was made by a friend of mine who is also a master machinist and turntable designer/builder. His name is Colby Lamb. I'm sure he would make one for you if you contacted him. Contact me for his e-mail address.

maprik February 21, 2009 03:49

I'm very intrigued by your custom subplatter you mention. I really like the idea of the VTAF for my Rega but I knew the platter would have to be raised to accomodate it. Did your custom subplatter account for this? Where did you get it?

hyperreal February 17, 2009 16:04

Best looking Rega I have ever seen. Just awesome, I bet is sounds even better than it looks!!!

macdadtexas February 12, 2009 00:40

Thanks. Yes, I forgot to mention the Target wall shelf for the TT. This was a must because my arm would jump anytime anyone walked through the room. This became a problem when my 5 year old daughter started dancing in the room! Also, I hated tiptoeing around. And if simple footfalls were causing the arm to jump then you can imagine what the floor vibrations were doing to the sound in general. Now that the TT is up on the wall shelf I can jump as hard as I can on the floor and there is absolutely no effect. I couldn't A/B before and after but there's no doubt that the wall shelf is contributing to the improved sound quality.

maprik February 11, 2009 20:58

Looks and sounds excellent!

oregon January 28, 2009 09:05

Congratulations Maprik on doing everything right in wall-mounting your Rega.
If everyone did this, there would be virtually no Structure-Bourne feedback for anyone to complain of?

halcro January 28, 2009 03:19

Well, I am a tweaker and as you can see I have tweaked my P25 quite a bit. I've tried various counterweights on the arm: the michell technoweight I like the most because I can so easily adjust the VTF by 1 hundredth of a gram. I changed the subplatter to a custom made aluminum subplatter with a "perfect" radius, silicon nitride bearing. The Pete Riggle VTAF has been a great tweak. No downside at all disconnecting the arm from the table. Why you would want it to be tightly rooted to the plinth I don't know. Yes, Roy Gandy's plinth is great at letting go of vibrations but why let them go into a tightly fixed arm at all? Being able to adjust VTA on the fly is fantastic. The replacement of the rubber feet with Mapleshade heavyfeet screwed right into the pinth was a HUGE upgrade. It adds mass to tighten up the bass and eliminate subtle smearing without changing the properties of the plinth. All of my tweaks do nothing to dampen the plinth. The heavyfeet are an excellent upgrade. So far the sound is still fast, rhythmic, fabulous PRAT, crystal clear but with weight and drive!!!

Final tweak. Add the Achromat platter to the glass platter. I tried acrylic. The Iron Audio Acrylic platter was a big dissapointment. I thought the quality was shoddy. The edge was uneven, you could see it as it turned that it was not perfectly circular. Also, the sound was just softened. The edge of notes was blurred and the soundstage collapsed. The acrylic made everything 2-D. The glass and achromat combo is deep, detailed, and with an open, wide, and deep soundstage. Maybe the acrylic platter is great if you haven't done any other tweaks but with the tweaks I have made it was HORRIBLE. Just awful.

The sound I am now getting from vinyl just blows away any mega-buck digital set-ups I have heard...

maprik January 27, 2009 08:34

System edited: Added Mapleshade heavy feet to the Rega P25. Much cleaner and deeper bass is the result.

maprik March 05, 2008 06:42

System edited: Just borrowing a friends Thorens 2030 for a while until he decides whether to keep it or sell it....

maprik August 15, 2007 08:24

Thanks Chadnliz,

You're right. Imagine how sterile the system would look without the green bamboo behind? And I have small 10 watt halogen lamps behind the plants for a nice cool ambient lighting for late night listening sessions.

And Glenfihi, thanks for the feedback. You are right - it's all about synergy. Just prior to getting this system "dialed-in" I went through a VAC vintage pre-amp, a PS-Audio PCA-2, a pair of Quicksilver Silver 90 Monoblocks, and for speakers a pair of Audio Physic Virgo IIs and Magnepan 1.6Qrs! All in the past year!!!!

Phil

maprik August 14, 2007 23:19

Great sounds with style. Great choices in gear. Always love to see systems with various brands of gear. It takes more time to arrive with the right mix perhaps, but a mixture of gear like a rainbow is a beautifull thing.

glenfihi August 08, 2007 00:54

Nice looking system and great gear, it is nice and clean.
isnt funny how a couple of nice plants make such a great improovement in the looks of a space?
At any rate, looking (and I bet sounding) good!

chadnliz August 01, 2007 00:49