Suicidal !!!!!
My good friend sent me a box of stuff - Christmas early and way too many new toys at the same time !
Epiphany X for cd - amazing
New battery pack for the Cyberlinki/c's - blinding
Virtual Dynamics Ltd Master - eh? really not sure
Ultra Tweeters - really p--- off.

The Epiphany X gave a huge leap in performance from the off - a bit rough round the edges but it's new so will come back to stunning eventually. Shame I will have to rebuild it with a ground conductor before I will risk burning it in on an amp (240V & ALL THAT).

After charging the Mk 111 battery pack for a day(talk about temptation) this gave a major jump in resolution across the board.

VD Master Ltd Sig. - really not sure about this. I normally find a brand new cord straight from the box gives a very good indication of how it will sound when it settles down.
This still has me beat. Replacing an Anaconda to original Hydra it was - impressive but nothing to do with 'music',
however seems to beat all comers on the Pass labs.

Now juggling Harmonix, Shunyata & Electraglides on pre-amp.
Which is best? at the moment I'm stumped ! Could roll some tubes but I only want to listen & enjoy, not f--- about with stuff.

Ultra Tweeters - weird. More air, more dynamics, faster, better resolution but screws up the soundstage something rotten - like take the band, lift them up then throw them on the stage in some crazy back to front order.
A real conundrum but they seem 'tweakable' so , given the good points, I will persevere.

Why oh why is it that every time we get to the "What can I listen to next" stage, we have to screw it up with an upgrade?
I had Lowell George on last night & thought why have I not listened to that for years - too busy f----g around with bloody boxes!

Rosarita -
20 Million things to do
etc, sublime!

I relished a system for 20 years that did not cost more than anyone of my present cartridges, let alone the soddin power cords - must get a life!

simon74 August 16, 2006 19:52

System edited: The Funkfirm's linn kit is astounding & takes the deck to another level. Now prefer it over any Linn combo(I've had them all) & just shades the Oracle. The motor or board in the latter is becoming a pain & it works sporadically these days. When it does, it sound marvellous if different from the funk linn. More control and a shade more detail (possibly due to the zyx) - different but equally valid & I could live with either. Love to hear what it would sound like with AK's vector mod. To any owners of the Syrinx PU3 - I commisioned an additional counterweight from my friend at AudioOrigami. An extra 30 gms takes the counterweight much closer to the bearing housing and gives a not subtle improvement. Makes a great arm much better in every respect. For anyone wishing for something seriously nice & unusual, check out John's PU 7 - Breuer meets Syrinx - looks & sounds stunning. Built to custom order only. Thinking of Virtual Dynamics Master series speaker and power cables. Love to try Isoclean on the recommendation of a trusted friend but my budget does not meet my aspirations. To those who say the Koetsu Black is oem or the like, you should hear it on my Linn !

simon74 July 20, 2006 20:26

Hi Henry,

wouldn't worry about power.
The x150.5 should be a nice match.
The slightly tubey sound of the Pass suits
the 'clean'? sound of the Virgos and your .5
should be even nicer sounding than my amp.
My amp is probably overkill with the Virgos, have to
be careful with the volume!
Also on the cables, I've always had great success
with Shunyatas but tried a Harmonix on my pre,Ultra Khan on cd and MiniKhan on power amp and loved the combination.
I honestly find the only way to judge power cables is to
try them and wouldn't know what to recommend over a Python Alpha.
One of my friends swears by Virtual Dynamics Masters but
I have not herad them.
Let me know how you enjoy the amp & speakers.

If you can use the Virgos on the long wall and near field
you should try it, reaps huge benefits!

Cheers Simon

simon74 May 04, 2006 13:03

system changes !
Made some diy panels & bass traps. one word, well two - utterly amazing. I had no idea how good my system was.
Treated the 1rst reflections, side wall and ceiling.
Large/make that very large bass trap mid speaker wall on the floor. Broadband bass trap panel mounted on speaker wall.
Absorbers /diffusers behind listening position.
Tri corners and room seam also treated.
The biggest and cheapest upgrade I have ever made.
Rebuilding my Linn - built a Linn this week with cetch, pink triangle and origin live mods - I was sad to see it go to it's new home so I'm 'utilising some of the ideas for my own linn - see picture in system.
Si

simon74 February 02, 2006 20:00

System all changed but can't seem to edit.
PU 3 & Airy on the Oracle - fabulous and waiting for a cartridgeman isolator.Stillpoints replaced tip toes and now mounted on a wall shelf - jury still out on hard mat & clamp vs. donut & skin.
Tabriz Zi and extremephono donut on Linn made a huge difference.
Original Sovtek 6sn7s in the Syrah and surprisingly good.
Mini Khan on cd, Python Alphas on pre & power with Anaconda powering the Hydra seems to be the best yet.
Still keen to try the Harmonix cord on pre again and if anyone wants to swap a King Cobra V2 for an Epithany X, let me know.
Cheers Simon

simon74 November 08, 2005 19:42

Hi Transmissionfluid,
never really had problems other than a bit of speed drift which hopefully will be cured once the board controlling the motor is rebuilt.
The suspension is a pain to set up, at least the first time with no experience of said.
After that it seems to be fairly stable in spite of things I've read to the contrary. I can only assume people having problems have not set it up correctly in the first place?
The most crucial aspect I found was to get the belt running dead central on the motor pulley, difficult as you can't really see it - actually just lifting the rear of the platter will give you a better idea then I use a torch to see it whilst it's running.
Arm cable dressing is also important and quite awlward to achieve. If you have all the manuals it's worth having a good read thru them.
It just a pain that any alterations to the set up mean almost dismantling the whole bloody deck !

Si

simon74 September 06, 2005 10:47

Since people appear to be looking - had a major scare yesterday - two pairs of nos tubes - CBS brilliant but one noisy(what a surprise), stuck in a pair of Sylvanias and one made a few cracking noises, turned down the volume.
Five minutes later- whoosh - the scariest noises I've ever heard, a high pitched scream getting louder & louder, in the 3 seconds it took me to switch of the passlabs, I thought the right hand speaker was Doomed !
No lasting damage but I'm now sitting wearing safety glasses & waiting for the next f--r to blow up me & my system.
This is scary - my box of knackered nos tubes is bigger than the few remaining spares, going to stick with modern Sovteks & Valve Arts. They don't sound as good but at least do not cost a fortune only to detonate after 10 minutes.
No one warned me about this shit and ss is beginning to look beguiling !
Si

simon74 September 05, 2005 19:21

Actually thorughly enjoying lots of music.Everything has settled in well and what I thought was a lack of drama is actualy a fairly good representation of what's on the disc, be it vinyl or cd - it does the boom/tizz stuff well, when it's there to be done.
I can listen for 6/7 hours and still hanker for more.
Room treatments & keeping the Cyberlinks well charged has been a large bonus.
Still trying to narrow the turntables down to a couple but it's hard. can't honestly see how it could sound much better without spending lots & lots of money which I don't have and the fact that I spend more & more time listening to 140 bucks tuner tells me it's time to stop being so anal and apprecaite other things in life - like cd's & lp's !
I'm hoping to borrow a pair of valve monoblocks which cost a fraction of the Pass Labs but don't think they will work with the Virgos.
If they sound like their smaller 300B brothers though, it may be time for 'all change'
Si

simon74 September 02, 2005 21:07

System edited: Is there no end to this madness? but my it's fun!

simon74 August 11, 2005 21:01

System edited: Hi there, A pair of CBS Hystron tubes added to the pre have been worthwhile. Same detail but warmer with more body than the Sylvania tubes they replaced. The cyberlinks cables are a revelation - silent background,wider/deeper soundstage and just generally a much cleaner window to the music - I love these cables and can't wait to try a pair of Harmonic tech pro9+s which I bought thinking there may be a synergy between these and the i/c's. Stillpoints ampstand under the Pass was a very worthwhile upgrade. Now I have found my prefered loading (100 Ohms) the Xerxes is sounding fabulous thru the phono stage in the Supratek. Not quite as 'robust' as my Quicksilver but a shade more revealing and 'nuanced'. My friend sent me a box of Mapleshade cd's - if anyone has not tried these, the recordings are superb ! Of to enjoy the music ! Regards Simon

simon74 July 22, 2005 14:02

Hi Henry,
sorry for the delay been busy.
The Virgos seem to like the Pass. I get the feeling it could damage them with way to much volume but they never sound stressed and imo need power to take a grip of them.
The Supratek seems to have cured some noise issues I had with the Pass and really shows it in a better light. The Supratek is not the warmest valve pre, the Pass is a bit warm side of neutral and I've always found the Virgos nuetral as opposed to some peoples thoughts they sound cold.
Definitely enjoying my music these days so the fooling will stop for a while.
Just need to decide which turntable to keep now - Linn, Xerxes or Oracle but I love them all !

Cheers Simon

simon74 July 22, 2005 13:47

System edited: Supratek Syrah - waiting with baited breath for two sets of HT Cyberlinks to arrive.

simon74 June 27, 2005 13:15

System edited: REL and Nu-vista amp sold. Added Cirkus bearing and extremephono @donut & skin' mats to the Linn - what a difference ! System being dismantled to move into a smaller room. Shame as it's sounding lovely.

simon74 June 07, 2005 10:18

Thanks Albert,
Wish the wife agreed with you, it's being banished from the Lounge !
She loves my home built Lencos though so there's hope yet.
Si

simon74 May 15, 2005 06:26

Edit :
REL was not switched when lying on it's side, now sold as I was advised it would not work with the Pass Labs - does anything ?The power amp is sat on Stillpoints onto an MDF/PLY board to isolate it from the floor.
The PS Audio speaker cables replaced HMS Gran Finales, far better speaker cables but wasted on the Pass, it appears to need something 'bright' to give it some kind of spark.
Aurios with bearings far to harsh under the cd player, loads of detail but not comfortable. Aurios under Hydra seems to achieve a more relaxed sound than the Final Labs Dharumas it was sat on, not a huge difference but worthwhile.
Linn installed to system but still not convinced it betters the Xerxes.
Definitely time to look towards valve power amps I think.
Michael Green room tunes pak on order as 8th nerve seem incapable of answering their emails.

simon74 May 14, 2005 15:55

System edited: Better photos added. Cyberlink cables ordered and seriously thinking of a Supratek Cortese.

simon74 April 21, 2005 21:40

Hi Gammajo,
Thanks for that. I have to agree, sound is God but it's nicer if it looks nice.
Especially if the wife is going mental about it taking up half the lounge.
Will add more photos later.
The pre-amp is probably letting the side down soundwise but is great for the money as a stop gap.
Simon

simon74 April 01, 2005 15:58

System edited: Slowly adding pictures !

simon74 March 31, 2005 10:10