System edited: I added a BPT Pure Power Center in place of the PS Audio Ultimate Outlet and am now running the ARC monoblocks through the BPT power conditioner.

norfish April 13, 2009 15:37

I like it quite a bit. I have no thoughts about upgrading right now, except maybe my equipment rack. BTW, the Ref.1 is prone to microphonics so benefits from tubes that are very stable. I got mine from Upscale Audio.

Randy

norfish December 15, 2008 14:52

Thanks Chadnliz, at the end of the day, it's how the music moves you that counts. Randy

norfish April 07, 2007 13:15

System edited: Replaced Discovery Essential Speaker cables with Purist Audio Venustas. I also replaced the jumpers on the Verities with Venustas jumpers. To be honest, I think that replacing the jumpers made more of an improvement. Mostly in bringing out the midrange and a bit more articulation in the bass.

norfish April 06, 2007 18:30

System edited: Added Yani A-991. My wife gave it to me for my birtday. Costs about the same as a speaker cable upgrade. The best birthday present I ever received!

norfish November 06, 2006 16:15

I compared the Wireworld with Ensemble and Nirvana, both single-ended, and liked the Wireworld AES/EBU better. But these were not night and day differences.

I was searching for speakers for about 2 years before hearing the Parsifals. Since there was only one high-end dealer here in Knoxville, I visited stores whenever I was travelling. Speakers that I listened to during that period were: Vandersteen 5A's (too slow), Kharma 3.2's (too anemic), Watt Puppy 7's (nice but the bass seemed bloated and they never had the magic that I was looking for), B&W802D's (very nice and almost electrostatic like in the mids), and probably a couple of others that I forget. I was so convinced by reviews that the Vandersteen's or the WP's were for me, that I went out of my way to hear each of them on two occassions. But it only took one listen to the Parsifal Ovations to realize that these speakers had the magic that I was looking for. They don't plumb as deep into the bass as the WP's or even my previous speakers (Alon Circe's), but their bass is tuneful and quite full (after the mandatory 5-6 hundred hour breakin!). And the midrange draws me into the music every time. They also image marvelously.

Randy

norfish September 26, 2006 17:59

System edited: I replaced my beloved Alon Circes with Verity Audio Parsifal Ovations following a two year search! After a 500 hour breakin (so far), the Ovations retain the musicality of the Circes but have an even wider and deeper soundstage, and bring a certain level of refinement that was previously missing. It's still early days in my setup of the Ovations, however, and I do not believe that I have gotten the most out of them. Even the 700 hour breakin period for the woofers has not yet been completed.

norfish August 01, 2006 18:16

Thanks but the Klyne is a keeper!

norfish May 09, 2006 20:25

Thanks Labombarda, When I started collecting records in the 80's, I did not put my records in plastic sleeves and got the dreaded LP imprint on my jackets. With plastic sleeves, the jackets stay pristine.

Randy

norfish April 17, 2006 16:12

Thanks Gregg. I have quite a few mono records from 30's swing up through small bebop groups of the mid 50's and really enjoy them with the mono Helikon. Fortunately, the
loading is close to that of the Benz Ruby, so it only takes a few minutes to change armwands and carts.

Randy

norfish February 19, 2006 19:12

System edited: Just upgraded the amps with Great Northern sound Reference level mods, including balanced inputs, Cardas connectors, new caps, and assorted other changes to the passive components. First impressions are that the sound is much cleaner. But the power cords and the amps still need to burn in.

norfish July 28, 2005 14:17

Thanks James, it was fun listening to the Koetsu Rosewood you brought over. I'm thinking about the RSP. But the Benz is sounding very nice with my new Discovery Essence phono cable. You'll have to come over again soon.
Randy

norfish March 03, 2005 03:08

Hi Ron,
My listening spot forms an equilateral triangle (same on all sides) with about 7 feet to each speaker. I'm sitting about 2 and a half feet from the back wall. This spot works best for both imaging and bass response. This is called listening in the nearfield.

Regards, Randy

norfish March 02, 2005 16:34

Thanks for the comments. About one third of my records are mono jazz from the 40's and 50's - mostly small group but alot of swing too. I love the Helikon mono on those records. It is very quiet, has great weight in the upper bass and really sounds wonderful. The Benz Ruby 3 also sounds quite good on mono records, but is a bit noisier (as is to be expected) and does not have the heft (if that makes any sense) of the Helikon. The new Classic reissue mono records sound fantastic on the Helikon. I just placed a new order!

BTW, I've been collecting records for over 20 years since my grad school days and only got into audio when my record collection was already quite large and I decided to get a new turntable (my first turntable was the veritable AR-ES1).

norfish March 02, 2005 14:39