Very new to me, but the best DAC that I have used, and by a wide margin.
CEC TL-5 CD transport
I switched from a SimAudio Moon 260D T to the CEC not because of the belt drive, but because I am a believer in the added value of weight on top of a CD.
The CEC is simple, but very well made, and sounds terrific.
FinkTeam KIM
A recent upgrade, these German-made hybrid speakers featuring a custom Mundorf AMT tweeter. Outstanding speakers.
Quadraspire Quadraspire X Bamboo stand
I really like these stands. Solid, flexible, and beautiful.
Circle Labs A200
Very impressed with the sound of the A200 thus far. I expect this amp to be a long-term companion.
I now own FinkTeam KIM speakers. German-made, and designed by something of an industry legend, Karl-Heinz Fink. The employ a custom Munsdorf AMT tweeter, and other interesting technology and design features. Very well reviewed, though mainly outside of the U.S. Anyone interested can read reviews through this link:
Good to read about your experience with the Inakustik cables. Your Harbeths are no slouches and I am sure they might have revealed a bit more than your previous cables. What are your new speakers?
All the best to get the house done and hope that you are able to enjoy the music (rather than components). Will look forward to read about your entire experience.
They were a very recent (used) acquisition. I had long been using Audience AU24e, and was largely happy, but given my recent upgrades in both amp and speakers, I thought that it was time to try something different. I did plenty of research, and the Inakustik were on my short-list, so with a generous discount, I went for them.
While I am certainly happy with them thus far, I cannot be very helpful, as I switched speakers at almost the same time. I did use them briefly with my previous Harbeth 30.1, but did not engage in any serious comparing, so any related impressions would be of little help.
The cables are clearly well-designed and built, and are quite light for their width. Yes, I find them thus far to be open and airy, with what seem to be natural tone and timbre. But the new speakers do complicate matters, as does the fact that I am still in my old apartment, which has poor acoustic qualities.
In a couple of months, I expect to move into a new (old) house which is being renovated, and the system will be able to stretch its legs in a much more sympathetic space. After some time, I will be happy to report on my impressions of all of the components, including the cables.
I see the Inakustik cable in your system. When did you purchase that? What is your experience with this cable? Please do share. Would be eager to read it.
System edited: I've just replaced an earlier EMC-1UP with a fully updated model, which was also modified by Steve at Empirical Audio. It is a truly outstanding player, and within the context of my system, is far superior to these others which I have tried: Resolution Audio Opus 21, Audio Research CD3, and the Audio Aero Prima MkII. I have to say that the modified EMC-1UP is so good, that I can't imagine upgrading until I make the transition to a computer sourced set-up sometime down the road.
System edited: Here are answer some questions about the current state of my system. I did upgrade from the GMA Europa Max speakers to the GMA Callistos. The latter are not fully broken in yet, but I can already positively distinguish them from the Max in three important respects. The bass response of the Callistos is clearly superior (to be expected as they are bottom-ported), leading to a far more visceral, and realistic experience. They strike me as producing a more open soundstage, and I have also noticed that the optimal listening position is more forgiving, so I can enjoy the music while off axis much more that with the Max. I think that Roy Johnson makes a superb line of speakers, and his customer service is also extraordinary. I fully expect to be very happy with the Callistos for a long tome to come. With respect to my CD player evolution, I am going to compose a serious review when I find the time, but here is a shorter version. I recently compared a Resolution Audio Opus 21, Audio Research CD3, Audio Aero Prima MkII, and Electrocompaniet EMC-1UP in my system. I found that I preferred the EMC over the others, though I don't doubt that any of them would sound good given the right, complimentary components. I found the Opus to be rather dry, and felt that it lacked both warmth, and the organic sounding musicality which I seek. My guess is that it would go best in a system with tubes. The CD3 produced a clean, grain-free sound, and a very laid-back ("mid-hall", as one reviewer said) presentation. It was a perhaps a touchbut only a touchcool as well. I did like the CD3, and imagine that the MkII version is probably very good indeed. The Prima and EMC-1UP are both very good players, and I could be quite happy with either. The Prima is more forward in presentation (clearly the most forward of all four), and while that is an attractive quality for listening to certain types of music (i.e. small groups, intimate jazz settings, chamber music, etc.), it can become fatiguing with other types. that sort of presentation also does not allow the music to bloom fully, as you can imagine would be case when sitting in the front row at a concert. The Prima does produce a lot of detail, and, due undoubtedly to the tube output, is the warmest of the group. Overall, it is a very seductive player, and is also very good at making poor recordings sound palatable. The EMC 1-UP is quite natural sounding and well-balanced in presentation. The soundstage is more laid-back than with the Prima, but further up than the CD3. A nice compromise, to my ears. While plenty detailed for me, the EMC may not not produce quite as much detail as the others. It is, however, very musical, analogue sounding, and non-fatiguing. The EMC and CD3 were both much more solid and substantial than the other two in build quality, as they should be given the (new) price disparities. Those two also have quieter, better isolated transports. Feel free to e-mail me if you want further details! Tony
System edited: I am not, generally speaking, inclined to buy and sell regularly. I tend to build a system, then enjoy it for years. Recently, though, I have been building this smaller system to use in my NY apartment, and found myself buying and selling SS integrated amps several times before finding what I wanted. The only reason that I was able to do so comfortably, is because I lost very little money while buying and selling the various models. The recent evolution went like this: Bryston B60 Accuphase E-212 SimAudio Moon I-5 Bel Canto eVo2i Jeff Rowland Design Group Concentra I I am very happy to report that, having acquired the Rowland Concentra, I will definitely not be buying another amp for the foreseeable future. I'll write more about my experience sometime soon, but frankly I am astonished at how far superior (in the context of my system) the JRDG Concentra is to the other above-mentioned amps (all of which were solid performers). Tony C.
Actually, for the first time in my life, I actually bought a pair of speakers without having auditioned them! I did quite a bit of research, had a long conversation with Roy Johnson (the designer of the GMA speakers), and decided to take a chance. The speakers are not yet burned in, so I will only say that from what I have heard thus far I am very optimistic.
With respect to the extra $700 (the cost difference between the Europas and the Max version), given that it respresented about 15% of the total cost of my system, I decided that I was likely to hear a significant enough difference to justify the expenditure. Again, I have not personally compared the two types of speakers, but given the driver upgrades, etc, I have little doubt that the difference between them would be clearly noticeable. It is important, I think, not to forget that one of the apparent strengths of the (current) GMA business model is that they spend very, very little on marketing or frills such as expensive hardwood cabinets, etc. That implies quite clearly that the 70% difference in cost between the two models is related primarily to the accurate reproduction of music!
I'll update my thoughts on the speakers (and other components) when they have had sufficient burn-in.
