Not like this is my first virtual system. Not a lot of things in here are distinct from my previous system. However, I trimmed it down by almost $2k, and the sound is almost twice as good.
The room I am in now is much smaller than before. I have a room just for my stereo instead of having it in the living room. I don't want to call it my dedicated stereo room as I don't have dedicated lines or outlets.
The smaller room probably contributes to the improved sound. I am using smaller speakers than before, but these match very well with my perinneally favorite amp, the Gaincard.
Gone are all the filters. No more power conditioners or big powercords. The Eichmann AC cord does treat resonance a bit, and the powerstrip does have a passive internal EMI filter. Other than that, the AC pretty much goes straight from wall and into the powerstrip then into the rest of the system untampered.
The rest of the system all use 47 Labs' OTA wire. The DAC has been rewired with OTA wire as well as the circuit board being treated with C37 lacquer.
My next project is to hardwire the OTA wire with the speakers and bypass the binding posts.
I guess this is originally a Rega 250 design. The base is still Rega and is ugly as hell. But, good thing I don't notice it as much now that everything is installed.
Shelter 301
Silver body matches very well with the Silver tonearm. Accessorized...
Trichord Dino
MM/MC pre
NEC 6X Multispin
CD ROM used as a CDP
47 Labs Gaincard w/ Humpty
25 x 2 integrated amp with external PSU
Jean Marie Reynaud Twin MK2
Transmission line bookshelf speaker
Eichmann Technologies eXpress Power AC Cord
With the amazing resonance control technology...
Bogdan Audio AC
The original Bodgan powercord. Supposedly the second he ever made. 14 gauge pure silver conductor with Furutech hardward and PTFE/air dielectric.
47 Labs w/ Eichmann Tech. OTA w/ Bullet Plugs
One digital cord. One pair of RCA cord with two runs for return lead.
47 Labs OTA w/ NEAR SOTA wannabe OTA
Signal and return run fed with single runs of OTA wires. Another run of NEAR SOTA copper OTA wires are used to double the return lead.
Furutech etp-60 Power Strip
Power splitter with passive GC-303 filtering with 3 FP-2Gs, continious casted gold plated outlets.
BDR Racing Cones
Two MK3 and one MK4 under each speaker. Two MK4 and one MK3 under the amp. Three MK4 under the CD player.
Re: rtanny wire. I suppose it should be... it's just enamel-coated copper wire, made to very specific specs regarding diametre and the insulation's heat resistence.
Smoothing is indeed very important -- one of the reasons it's difficult to use, say, silver wire intended for jewellerly: the wire diametre is not constant to very close tolerances. BTW, the tranny wire is (supposedly): +/-1ppm/km diametre. Cheers
"Sanded to a smooth surface" -- waddya mean??? Kindly elucidate, thanks...
Re impedances, it's of course useful to have a low impedance source -- but I'm in that category: I'm looking at 22ohm cdp output into 10k Ohm main amp / 4 Ohm phono output. Beautiful so far. I have the 22 Ohm hit the attenuator that's more or less constant at 10kOhm output. So, supposedly, I'm transfering energy (including voltage -- no flames please!) to the amp. So, theoretically, I shouldn't have cable differences (OK except for cases of extreme capacitance or reactance, etc). But I do. But the sanding you refer to is a lead. Cheers
Interconnect -- no cigar. The Valhalla IC (one example) trashes all my diy attempts. It seems the signal transfer doesn't work in the same way. In the amp-speaker relation the back reflections are perhaps /probably happy when the connecting wires are similar (in many cases a tranny or an emitter+feedback -- TO voice-coil wire, or passive components+voice-coil wire). So we're somewhat symmetrical and connecting like-to-like - if nothing else.
This doesn't apply between the output-input connection with the other devices: think of what the wire is connecting b/ween cdp and, say, pre... furthermore, while the next stage for the speaker is the ear, in the case of a pre, there's another active device... not very analogous components. It's a bit easier with a "quasi"/constant in-output impedance attenuator, but still: have to succeed the (say) cdp->amp transfer...
I'm trying to clone a Valhalla and still can't figure out WHAT the trick is (if there is a trick, dunno)
Speaking of that discussion (OTA), I probably should thank you! I tried what you suggested (wasn't very successful in the varnishing:( but it worked all the same). I ended up using (enamel coated) tranny/ voice-coil wire as speaker cable on my Genesis. Amazingly, I'm very happy with it (replaced Valhalla). Likewise, in connecting Lowthers to amp (with 20gauge trying to match, more or less, the diametre of the EX4's voice-coil wire) Cheers
Nice & sweet & small:)! I like the JMR Twins a lot. Hardwiring the spkr cable to the x-over should make a difference. You might also consider attacking the spks' internal wiring -- if so, it'd be prudent to use shielded wire. Cheers!
