My goal was to redo my entire system with first class components and be done with it. The system is located in a real-world living environment (as apposed to a dedicated listening room) with mostly off-axis seating. My priority was a system that had rich tone and "presence," was full-range, was not associated with listening fatigue, and could fill a very large space and still sound good at low volumes with all types of music; typical audiophile priorities were secondary. I started with the ZuAudio Definition 1.5s, but upgraded from the MK1.5s to the MK2s (when the MK2s were announced during my trial period) and eventually to the Definition MK4s. (Sean Casey tuned the MK4s to be flat to 16Hz; the output curves in the ZuAudio specs and product manual come from my living room.) This was my first foray not only into high-efficiency speakers, but also into tube electronics. I started with an EAR 859 amplifier that was replaced with a Yamamoto A-08s and then a Deja Vu 45/2a3 SET. I also started with an EAR Acute CDP. However, I discovered the Ancient Audio Lektor Prime CDP in Krakow when visiting Poland in 2008. And, eventually, I had an Ancient Audio Integra 300b SET made to match the Lektor Prime. The Integra 300b SET came with Shuguang Black Treasures; I upgraded from the BTs to Sophia Electric Royal Princess and then from the RPs to Takatsuki 300b tubes. The built-in cabinetry (including custom CD storage by the Kennebec Company in Bath, Maine) is on the wall apposite the speakers; speaker wires are concealed and run through the walls and under the floor from one side to the other - a distance of 30+ feet. The cherry cabinets have soapstone countertops that were mined in Vermont. Since my house is a converted bank that has appeared in many architecture and design magazines, the physical appearance of the components could not be ignored. Zu speakers and Ancient Audio electronics fit into the modern industrial design aesthetic perfectly. One word about the size of the room. . . The living room (primary listening area) is one end of an open volume that is 20'x40'x16'. I wanted speakers that could fill this space as needed as well as be optimized for the primary listening area.
I recently required service of my Ancient Audio 300b SET during which I used an SS amplifier that I had in one of my bedroom systems and that I had always liked. No comparison. Sometimes you don't know what you've got til its gone. . .
I have added a "panoramic" shot of the living room taken from the second floor balcony. The living room is at one end of the (mostly) open floorplan that is 45 feet long.
Agear - Thanks for the comments. I will try to post a couple of wide-angle shots in upcoming weeks. However, the interiors have been photographed several times in past 20 years (pre-dating my current system). . .
My current issue is dwindling storage for a large and growing CD collection. Computer audio would not solve that problem since CDs should be kept for back-up ... except for what will be downloaded. So I would need both a server and a second hard drive and back-up for both. What I really need to do is edit my CD collection.
Gadmanrdh: Thanks for your comments. It sounds great and looks great, too.
Tboooe: Not really. Actually, I think that adding a music server will increase the complexity (but that is my own personal craziness). For now I do not have the time to do justice to setting up a digital music system. Buying CDs is so much easier. My AncientAudio CDP has a built-in pre-amp and a second analogue input, but I would need a server and a good DAC (and the time to rip my CD collection). The next level AncientAudio CDP (that was not available when I got my Lektor Prime) has a USB input that allows direct access to the built-in DAC. For now, I am quite content.
Not sure. Perhaps nothing. I am pretty satisfied. My initial plan was to do this "once," do it right, amd have the system fit visually and fill the house with music. For the most part I have succeeded. There were a few fumbles along the way, of course; and maybe in the future I would like to try an 845 based SET like the Audion or old model Sophia or new Coincident (ala Phil, 213Cobra). But I am pretty satisfied.
The bass is spectacular - flat to 14Hz. The best that I have ever had in my space.I listen to all sorts of music. For example, with Bach's organ music, the bass is tight and visceral. . . . just like in real life. . . . and much more coherent than the Def 2s. I attribute this to the down-firing subs that replaced the split tuned rear-firing subs of the Def 2s. Phil says that the upgraded amp has a lot to do with it. Plus, the inboard amp's controls provide a lot of flexibility. When I started to put together a system, one of my criteria was "presence" and the ability to fill my space with music. The Def 2s were good. The Def 4s are, simply, much better.
The speaker cables go through the walls behind the cabinetry, down into cellar, across to the opposite side, and up behind the speakers. They are bulk cables. My intent was to have conduit that would allow the flexibility to exchange the speaker cables, but the electrician took a short-cut and did not use conduit. (This was in 1994.) While it would be possible to swap cables, it would be a huge undertaking and probably just a one-time thing. They clearly are not premium cables, but considering that I would need 30-40 feet of cabling plus the cost of construction. . . Well, I have decided to live with them.
Ancient Audio used to make a stereo 300b power amp (called Integra), but it was discontinued. It had a volume control. Jarek resurrected the basic design, but upgraded the components, simplified the signal path, and incorporated some of the monoblock features.
Thanks. The Ancient Audio CDP has a built-in pre-amp; it is designed to go directly into a power amp without a pre-amp. There is a second analogue input; and volume is controlled using a remote. The cables between the CDP and power amp are Zu Mission.
System edited: Done for now (again). Upgraded from Zu Definition MK 2 to MK 4. The Def 4s are not merely upgraded Def 2s, but a totally new speaker. Only the aesthetics have been preserved. Everything has been thoroughly (re)thought out. The engineering is amazing. The built-in bass amplifier can be unscrewed and removed for service if necessary. Similarly for the bass driver. The aluminum base that supports the downward-firing bass driver is a work of art. The Neutrik Speakon connector accommodates a selection of connectors for different types of speaker wire terminations (spades, banana plugs, etc). The highs and lows are more extended. The dedicated amplifier has five controls (volume, etc) so that the speakers can be tuned to individual rooms. Deep organ notes are palpable (when appropriate). Resolution is better, but the sound is also smoother, more organic, and more dynamic. They integrate with the room and the rest of the house extremely well such that off-axis imaging is amazing and the sound fills my large living room and even larger main living space without a change in tone or quality when I am in a different room. The soundstage is deep and wide even though the Def 4s are within 4" of the back wall. I have listened for hours without any fatigue. And yet, everything that I liked about the Def 2s is still there. If there is anything negative (and I am not at all sure that this is a negative), it is that the Def 4s are more revealing and unforgiving of poorly-recorded discs compared to the Def 2s. Conversely, well-recorded discs sound marvelous. Zu has outdone itself with these.
Devilboy: Zu actually recommends a wide spread. I was fortunate to have Ron Williams from Zu Audio visit last winter to optimize the speaker position. He picked the same spread, but reduced the toe-in somewhat compared to the photos.
Mjcmt: The living room is 24' x 14.5' x 16' high. The speakers are, obviously, on the long wall of this room. However, this room is one end of a huge, mostly open 45' x 20-24' x 16' high space. My goal was as much to fill the house with music as to optimize listening in the living room itself.
System edited: I asked Jarek Waszczyszyn of Ancient Audio to make one last Integra 300b SET to match my Lektor Prime CDP, but eliminate the volume control from the amplifier since the Lektor Prime CDP has a built-in pre-amp. He took the opportunity also to rework the signal path and upgrade the component parts and in doing so created a new product that he intends to produce commercially in the future. The result is outstanding - both visually and acoustically.
Not that many, actually. I went back and forth between EAR 859 and Yamamoto A-08s. I also considered a James Burgess 2a3/45 SET and a couple of other Deja Vu amplifiers.
System edited: System edited. I finally accepted the fact that the 40-50 feet (est.) of speaker wire was too much for the Yamamoto A-08s. This was noted by Jeff Day in his original review of the A-08: "There's no other way to say this: the Yamamoto fell flat on its face here. Those 35-foot long runs of speaker cable just killed it with too much of a load to handle. . . " My Yamamoto A-08s went to a good home, and I bought a Deja Vu Audio 2a3/45 SET from a fellow Audiogon member. Using EML 2a3 solid plates, I now have the oomph that was missing.
I visited Jarek and listened to his entire system, but I believe that the amplifiers that he used are what is now called the Single Six. I did not here the Silver Grand Monos.
City Bank was incorporated around 1900 as a neighborhood bank; my building was the branch with headquarters 6-7 blocks away. Years later, it was bought by America Security Bank that then merged with others. By the time the building was put up for sale in 1993, it had ceased to be little more than a check-cashing service. So, no, it did not go bust. It just outlived its usefulness as a financial institution. Most older American cities have many such buildings; they make for great adaptive reuse projects. For a 1200 sq ft (footprint) building with 1600 sq ft of living space, it has great spaces.
First, the EAR Acute is a wonderful CDP; so differences are very relative. However, the soundstage is a bit wider and deeper; every note has more presence, resonance, and air; and overall the music is more fluid, utterly non-mechanical, and full of color and tone. Everything that I love about the EAR Acute, the Lektor Prime just does a little bit better. And it is a great match for the Yamamoto A-08s.
System edited: System Edited: On a trip to Poland I had the opportunity to audition the Ancient Audio Lektor Prime CDP and be treated to the hospitality of Jarek Waszczyszyn. This has displaced the EAR-Yoshino Acute from my system. Plus, more and more I am listening to my Yamamoto A-08s (with the solid plate EML 45s) rather than to the EAR 859.
My comment on the EAR 859 vs the Yamamoto A08s was when I was using National Union (or other NOS) 45 tubes on the A08s. Lately, I have been using Emission Labs 45s. Now it is harder to state a definite preference. The two amps have different characteristics, for sure; but it is harder to say that I prefer one over the other. The A08s has more tone and is warmer, but is less convincing on large scaler orchestra. However, now I find myself listening more to the Yamamoto amplifier with the EML 45s than to the EAR 859; the tone is hard to beat.
Also, thanks for the comments on the environment. I find listening in an ugly room as distracting as listening to a bad pair of speakers. Not everyone will agree, of course. But my sense of visual aesthetics has been highly developed over time.
The CD storage cabinet - including the pull-out "shelves" - was custom made by the Kennebec Company in Bath, Maine. They did all of the cabinetry for my house. Amazing craftsmanship.
My Zu Def 2s were one of the first pairs manufactured. A few months after I received them, I got a call from Sean Casey (of Zu Audio) asking me if Zu could swap them for a more recently manufactured pair. Apparently, in hindsight, the first half dozen or so pair that they made did not meet their final specifications. . . something to do with the gelcoat that helped to control cabinet resonance and that would affect both resolution and the long-term appearance of the gloss finish. This was Zu's idea, not mine; I would not known the difference since I was quite happy with my first pair. Well, I have just received my new Def 2s; and they are even better than the first. Without microanalyzing, resolution is, indeed, better; bass is stronger; finish is better; etc.
