The main system is setup in my 18'x24'x10' underground bunker...fully stocked with Audimute acoustic panels, bass traps and other various room treatments. There are three dedicated circuits with high quality breakers feeding three PS Audio Soloist CI with 12ga romex. One line is just for the MC30s and MX110z and one line for the D100 and MVP-851. One last line supplies power to the TD-124 and the rest of the equipment. I also use PS Audio Noise Harvesters on these circuits with 9 AudioPrism Quiet Line throughout the rest of the house. AudioPrism Ground Control on the Tannoy speakers.
Tweeks include:
Target turntable shelf
Black Diamond Racing isolation cones
ceramic cable elevators
AudioPrism Ground Control
PS Audio Noise Harvesters
AudioPrism Quiet Lines Cardas caps Caig ProGold Last stylus care products DB Systems cartridge alignment tool Shure stylus force gauge VPI HW17 record cleaning machine Salamander Archetype 5.0 in cherry Wiremold power strip Grado SR-60i
AKG-550
Lat AC-2 MkII power cable with Oyaide 037 connectors for TV and PC
I am very happy with the results. Great sound for a guy on a fairly tight budget and I enjoy it everyday folks! I have been archiving and enjoying great music for almost 25 years now. The McIntosh/Tannoy/Lampizator/VPI combo with these great cables, and the Dynavector are making MUSIC happen here. My collection of over 3,000 enjoyable LPs and a terabyte of high bitrate WAV files helps keep me occupied in my spare time.
Comments, questions, or criticisms are certainly welcome. I am always interested, willing to learn more, and willing help others build a great music system if I can.
Incredible sound from this vintage jewel. Wonderful in so many ways. One of my all time favorite audio components.
McIntosh MC30 amplifiers
Maybe the best sounding amps I've ever heard. Perfect match with MX110z. These were restored by Yves Beauvais and look almost as beautiful as they sound. GE 6L6GC, Telefunken smooth plate 12ax7, Black plate RCA 12bh7, Gold Lion b749(thanks Jim McShane), and RCA 5u4g.
Thorens TD-124
Simply one of the finest sounding turntable on the planet. This is probably my favorite audio component of all time. This one sports a gorgeous Ortofon style solid walnut plinth and a walnut armboard from Jim Campbell. I recently added the SME M2-9 tonearm and it sounds wonderful with an array of different cartridges.
SME M2-9
Great new 9" tonearm. I'm thoroughly impressed ol chap.
Tannoy Monitor Royal
These 12" dual concentric drivers in custom black walnut cabinets make some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard from a loudspeaker. I love them driven by McIntosh MC30 amplifiers. These have updated crossover networks and SwitchCraft binding posts. They rest in StarSound Sistrum stands
Altec 15095A transformers
Used as moving coil step up devices for Koetsu Onyx Sapphire, Koetsu Black, Monster Alpha 1, Sumiko Talisman Sapphire, Denon DL103, and others running into the McIntosh MX110z phono section
Dueland DCA12GA, DCA16GA, and DCA20GA
Using DCA16GA and DCA20GA as RCA interconnects and DCA12GA as speaker cable. If you haven't tried these yet, you owe it to yourself to give them a chance because they sound great....especially with quality vintage tube audio equipment.
Star Sound Technologies Original Sistrum stands
Used under big Tannoy speakers with incredible results. Highly recommended.
Star Sound Technologies Sistrum Apprentice
I use this under my MX110Z. The performance improvement here in my system has been noticeable to say the least. Great product makes the MX110Z sound even more impressive.
VPI Industries Aries Scout
A quality performer that is dynamic as hell with toe tapping musicality. Solid foundation for playing records. Mounted to the JMW9 tonearm is a Dynavector DV20xh with SoundSmith ruby cantilever and fine line stylus. Purist Audio Design Venustas phono ics run the signal out to the MX110z phono section. Ginko cover.
Dynavector DV20XH
This one has been fitted with Soundsmith ruby cantilever and fine line diamond by Peter at SoundSmith.
Koetsu Onyx Sapphire
The most amazing phono cartridge I've ever laid ears on...or eyes. A masterpiece from the master, Sugano.
Denon DL-103
Every self respecting audiophile needs one in their cartridge collection.
Koetsu Black
I love the romantic Koetsu sound. This one has it too.
Purist Audio Design Dominus power cable
I believe this is the best power cable EVER made. The fluid jacketed Dominus power cable used with the McIntosh D100 DAC. This cable will allow you to hear what your equipment is really capable of. I have never heard a power cable do what Dominus can do. Incredible....
Purist Audio Design Venustas Preasto Phono
This is the best value interconnect on earth for my money. Incredibly solid, lifelike presentation of the music. Opening my ears to the music on a daily basis. Thanks Mr. Aud.
Purist Audio Design Ultimate USB cable
Used from PC to the McIntosh D100 and I love the excellent sound. A well balanced, organic, superbly detailed, full bodied, and musical USB cable here folks. Once you hear it, you'll never use that Belden again.
McIntosh D100
Great sounding DAC with extreme functionality. I don't miss the Lampizators because this D100 is producing some of the most enjoyable digital sound I've heard. When used with the PAD Dominus power cable and PAD Utimate USB this DAC has truly great sound and holds its own with some of the best. D100 also sports an impressive headphone output.
McIntosh MVP-851
A fine sounding silver disc spinner and wonderful transport for D100 too
LAT International AC-2 MkII power cable
Silverfuse power cables with upgrade Oyaide p-37 rhodium plated connectors. This is a very quiet, nuetral, and very well balanced power cable, made even smoother by the Oyaide connectors. Used on the Sony 65" 4k monitor and the PC running JRiver Media Center 20.
Dell Upgraded PC running JRiver Media Center 20
Really enjoying using JRiver and I'm listening to 1411 bit rate WAV files running through the PAD Ultimate USB cable into the McIntosh D100 playing at 32bit 196kHz
Kind of you Wax, I appreciate it. But. I'm 78 -they are heavy , its 1100 miles roundtrip and we're getting hit with storm after storm. Plus I don't think they'd fit in my Nissan Maxima.
A problem for me is I'm old and they are heavy which presents a problem with palet shipping. IMO after about 15 years drivers do start to lose tone etc but owners tend not to hear a gradual process for quite a while.
Yes I do, just put my last real stylus on. sob-boohoo ! Been using XLM for thirty years, blown away all comers in that time, Grado Gold, Shure V-15, Ortofon OM 40, Dynavector 10x, Sumiko Bluepoint etc etc etc. There are a few REAL VLM styluses out there but NO genuine XLM's. A worthy substitute is out there in the Nagoka M-300, and the Goldring 2300-2400 which are both moving irons , all of them are really the same cart made by Nagoka. But they are all medium-low compliance carts which won't cut it on my low-mass ADC arm which is a real gem. Triple boo-hoo . My TT would really sing on those beautiful Hales of yours. IMHO Hales going out of business was THE worst tragedy ever in American audio scene.When I finally could afford a pair they folded. Quadruple boo double hoooo.
Check this, I used my Seduction with a Rega Planar 3 with a ADC XLM MK II mounted on a ADC LFT-T 1 carbon-fiber arm of 5gm effective mass arm, specifically made for these VERY high compliance moving irons. If TT's could enter the Indy 500 this one would of won, never heard a better one.
No,if they sound better they are better, every system is a law unto its self and its your ears.12's probaly suit your amp better, when I got my new Van Alstine Synergy 450 my 12's sounded better.Actually the amp of course which is about twice as many watts per side as my old amp.
It's all good Adam, thank you ! About the only thing I MIGHT change if it were my system would be to move up higher in the AP speaker cable line. That said, I use Oval 12 in my maggy MMG system with good results. I LOVE Hales, been looking for some within P/U distance (300 miles) of western WI with no luck so far. Keep hoping some will turn up in Twin Cities which are about 90 miles away.BTW, I used to teach in Hales Corners , WI -LOL.
