I had owned various Audio Research preamps w/tubes over the years, but never a tube amp or any tubed components like a CD player etc. This year (2001) I took the plunge with the VT100 Mk III, and then because of my shocked amazement I had to keep going, with the BAT pre, the ARC phono pre, and then the vintage tube tuner too! The sound I hear is so rich, full, liquid, and detailed, whether I'm listening to CD, SACD, LP, or tuner, that I am amazed and awe-struck. Is this what they mean by the "tube sound?" I used to run a Goldmund Mimesis 29 SS power amp w/these speakers and an ARC LS-15 pre, both excellent products, but the sound was NOT like this. I wonder what tube monoblocks would do for my speakers (the Genesis have their own built-in amps for the woofers so the tubes are only on the mids and tops)? I am perfectly satisfied with this sound now, however, and could live with it forever (and because of the time and expense i've invested, i pray I do!). The Ensemble interconnects, speaker cables, power cords, and power conditioning products finished off a strikingly musical-sounding system, to my ears. After they broke in (1-2 months), the Ensemble products added another several degrees/levels of depth, liquidity, and detail, to my ears. I would love to add another Isolink to the preamp, but other than that I have no urge to add or change anything! That is a milestone for me. This system and sound just suits me. I hope my hearing will always allow me to appreciate it. Comments, suggestions appreciated. Sarah
SYSTEM EDITED: I got another Ensemble Isolink for the preamp (thanks Audiogon) and I changed my ARC phono pre to the Linn Linto for the full Linn treatment of vinyl. Very very nice. I'm wondering about a new universal player like the Ayre CX-5e but otherwise everything is just perfect for me.
An excellent music streamer especially when used with a DAC.
PS Audio Transport
Used with a PS Audio triad of transport, DACII, and bridge.
PS Audio DACII with Bridge
Using this with the PS Audio transport and bridge to see how it compares with the Squeezebox as a streamer and with the Marantz for CDs.
Marantz SA-11S2
I still play SACDs from my modest collection and this player does a great job on them and on redbook CDs as well.
Meridian 204
Shoebox sized tuner bought new years ago--still sounds great.
Nakamichi CR-7A
Bought this back in the late 80's and have lots of mix tapes I made back in those days. Can't say I play them much anymore but this is my heritage and I can't just get rid of it!
System edited: Just rearranged my BAT monoblocks to rest beside my speakers, so needed longer interconnects to BAT preamp and shorter speaker cables to speakers. Decided to try out the very reasonably priced Audio Art Signature Edition 5 SE speaker cables and IC-3 SE interconnects with Sound Connections Xhadow heavy duty XLR plugs. I got a 1 ft pair of speaker cables and a 15 ft pair of XLR interconnects for $750 shipped, a big savings over the Swiss Ensemble cables I have been using for many years. First impressions: excellent upgrade and cost savings!
System edited: Added current pictures to show the GIK Acoustics soffit traps behind the speakers. Put the BAT monoblocks on their shelves on the floor, with Goldmund cones and Audiopoints beneath equipment and shelves. Sound is much improved.
Recent updates include a set of Soffit Traps from GIK Acoustics in hunter green to tame the resonances in my room. The soffit traps go behind my speakers to the left and right of the built in CD/LP bookshelves. I am amazed at the improvement this simple room treatment provided. Bryan of GIK recommends some Monster Bass Traps at the back of the room in front of the brick fireplace and hearth, and I plan to add these later this year. Since swapping my ARC VTi00 for the BAT mono blocks I have not been pleased with the sound of my Genesis speakers--congestion, muddy sounds ricocheting all over the place. I was adding Audiopoints and Goldmund cones under the amps and shelves but it didn't really help. Then I added the soffit traps--wow! I have never used room treatments before, after all these years in this hobby.
An incredible system ---- Bravo !! My system is a lot simpler (check it out), but it seems as if we share a common yearning to make our systems sing their music in the finest possible manner. I certainly want to wish you many endless hours of happy listening !
System edited: Made some major changes in the last year, most recently to try out the new PS Audio DACII with Transport and Bridge to see if there is any improvement in the sound of my streamed music files. The Squeezebox Classic and Touch used with an external DAC have always sounded fantastic so I will see if the PS Audio gear with all the anti-jitter features is an improvement. I am not sure I like the new BAT monoblocks better than my old ARC VT100 MKIII. The jury's still out on that change. The Richard Gray power conditioner was a huge improvement for everything I plugged into it, which is everything but my amps. I have switched to Wireworld Silver Starlight for all my digital cables and love them. The connections are really secure, no wobbling causing signal loss, and the sound is pristine.
System edited: Update: in the last couple of years I have been experimenting with amplification for this system. I haven't decided where to go and am using an Electrocompaniet integrated right now as a temporary measure. Might go with Ayre, or back to Audio Research, or try a BAT tube amp with BAT pre. Looking for recommendations and experience with any of these options.
System edited: Returned to some classic pieces I'd owned in the past, like the Meridian 500 transport and 204 tuner, in place of various other contemporary pieces. These still rank up there with the best!
What an amazing system! I have the Genesis 500 speakers too, and Pass Labs Aleph P preamp and Aleph 5 60wpc amp, and I love it... but your post has me thinking about the VT100 Mk III. Just got the amps in the 500s repaired (they had a very loud humming but a perfect once again) and am loving music again. Glad to see someone else appreciate these great Genesis speakers!
Your pix were most helpful in imagining how to use the Sistrum with analog. Thanks. I found them last night and they were the most pertinent illustration I've seen on using those racks. Unfortunately, the drawings Robert has on his Sistrum website don't assist you in assessing how they'd look in use.
Besides a few conversations with Robert himselt and using Audio Points in Stehno's Dynamic-Contrasts Tiger-Moth rack he designed around them (an excellent performance stand in its own right), your pix were the most encouraging things I've encountered about Sistrum.
Congratulations, by the way, on two serious systems (three?). I like the way your Linn TT works on the top of the platform without the Sistrum plate or other shelf. It looks great!
If I go this Sistrum route, I'll think about getting a Black Diamond shelf for the power supply and phono, so I can place them both on one level. That's a great suggestion.
What size/dimension shelf do you suggest? I also have thin MDF shelves lying around I can put in use until I find a good deal on a Black Diamond.
I've just bought a Nottingham Spacedeck and arm and Shelter 501.2 cartridge. I'm very excited about this--that I can envision getting a 5-shelf Sistrum and placing the TT on the top shelf.
And what is the white shelf-like board on top of the Marantz in one of your pix? Is it there for mass-loading?
System edited: Finally got tired of the SA-1's flickering LED display and sold it for the Linn Unidisk 2.1. The Unidisk sounds *almost* as good as the SA-1 and the display is large, legible, and steady. Perhaps I'm shallow but that feature makes a difference to me! At least my sound quality did not suffer from my aesthetic silliness. I also am using two digital hard-drive-based transports in this system (Squeezebox and Olive Symphony) and really love the convenience, variety and sound quality of these units as transports. I cannot tell them apart from my Unidisk. I also got a great deal on some used Sonoran Plateau "Desert" speaker cables and am trying them in place of my trusted Ensemble Megaflux cables. So far--I love them! They sound rich, detailed and precise, a perfect match for the rest of this system. All my desire to experiment and fiddle with things has now transferred to my other "living room" system upstairs, where I have made some major changes. This downstairs reference system is just perfect to my ears. I guess I lucked out with the room it's in, it's on the ground floor (cement slab) with lots of bookcases and wall to wall carpeting to absorb. There are no bad echoes or hot spots or anything in this room. Upgrade to this system I wish I could afford: the Keel subchassis for my LP12! Wow what a musical presentation. Need to sell a bunch of stuff (in other systems!) first though, it goes for $3200.
Hi Jaf2290--I did upgrade to the Lingo 2 but to tell you the truth it was at the same time as trading my Arkiv B for an Akiva and I have no idea what if any improvement the Lingo 2 may have made. The Akiva was a definite improvement and upgrade. HOWEVER, you have not heard anything from your LP12 until you audition the new Keel subchassis substituted for the standard one on the LP12. Night and day difference, I was at my dealer's Linn Night last week for the demonstration and how I wish I had $3200 for the upgrade! The Keel is a solid machined piece of aircraft grade aluminum and the sound differences it makes in the LP12 are phenomenal, with ANY Linn tonearm.
as a fellow linnie..i have to ask if you went from lingo1 to lingo2? my lingo2 will arrive thursday to go with ekos2, silver t cable, akiva, linto into klimax kontrol, activ akurate212s with 2oow chakras (upgrading from 100w..amps arriving with lingo2) great system!!!!
Beautiful system! I also love your Genesis 500's, I think they are truly one of the greatest speakers out there. Have you ever thought of buying an XM radio for your main system?
Hi Linnie, I have been collecting music for about 40 yrs now and my tastes have changed. These days (at 53) I prefer to listen to jazz (acoustic, classic, and contemporary) and lots of what falls into the americana/alt.country/singer-songwriter genre. All of the new music I've been buying for the last couple of years is in those two genres. I have XM radio in my car so I hear new rock and pop there but only occasionally hear something I want a whole CD of. Also, with my Squeezebox I have access to hundreds of internet radio stations, where I've done a little sampling. I still buy a lot of CDs and occasionally a newly pressed version of a vintage jazz LP. I hardly ever download music, bitrate too compressed and Squeezebox can't stream DRM files, as, for instance, from iTunes. Thanks for your comments!
Hi Chad, thanks for the comments! I absolutely love the Genesis speakers, they are the best I've had, with deep focused bass and smooth, detailed highs. The Squeezebox/DAC combo is amazingly musical, it's uncanny how hard it is to tell the difference between the streamed files and the Arcam. The Marantz SA-1 sounds better to me, there's more detail and dynamics in the music, but Squeezebox comes very close. Some on the Slim Devices forum have abandoned their high-end CD players but I won't be doing that, one reason being wireless networking is not foolproof and sometimes the stream of music stops because of a cell phone or microwave in my house or my neighbor's. Besides, I have nowhere near all my music on my PC; maybe 5% of it. I doubt I will be fishing around for an upgrade on my CD player though. The Marantz is quite enough for me.
I really like your system...it looks like a place I might land given the correct funds...love those Genesis...always have.
How would you say the Squeeze Box/Electro compares to the Arcam/Marantz (Redbook)? I'm debating holding off a year on a CD player upgrade so that Squeeze has a chance to prove itself...thanks and great system.
System edited: Found another Ensemble Isolink power conditioner so plugged the preamp into that; got some long Audience power cords for the speakers; added Squeezebox and DAC to set up a homemade music server, which I am enjoying very much for the convenience and sheer trickery of it! The sound is amazingly good, almost CD quality. Not LP quality of course. My room is not treated but it is the basement/ground floor of my townhouse so there's a cement block underneath the speakers and the carpeting, CDs and LPs, and furniture in the room seem to do a good job of preventing any horrible sound deviations. Don't know what a room analyzer would show, maybe I don't want to know, because it sounds really good down here.
System edited: Updated equipment list January 2007: mostly the same but have added a Squeezebox wireless music server and an Electrocompaniet ECD-1 DAC just for fun. Sounds incredibly good, esp. compared to my other sources.
Couple of additions/changes March 2004: I swapped out my Dedicated Audio power cables on the Genesis speaker amps for Audience Power Chords (thanks to Stereoholic!), and I found a second Ensemble Isolink and Megaflux power cord (thanks Kurt!) to use on my preamp. Oh yeah, and I am trying a Magnum Dynalab Silver Ribbon indoor antenna on the Mac tuner. I don't think there's much more I can do to this system, unless I want to go a different route entirely, which I might do if I move someday. But this system--in this room--works really well together; I wouldn't change a thing.
