Well, I have had the room for a year and have resisted any big changes or additions. Finally, I have got around to measuring the room response and have ordered some minimal room treatments from Echobusters, including two Echobusters absorptive panels for the first reflections from my Kharmas and a pair of Phase-4 bass absorption/diffusion towers. Also, we finally ordered a sofa to go in the back of the room, behind the Barcelona chairs. Once they arrive, I should post pictures.
I do want to add a TT, but perhaps a new SUV may be required instead.
The virtual reality images on the screen is one of the Spinervals DVD... THey are great training aids, to beat the boredom and create a structured indoor session..
THere are a few VR titles, including Autumn Country Training Ride, Lake Placid Training Ride, Madison, WI Training Ride, and Tuscon, AZ.
Now that the various magazines and websites have compiled their fav albums of 2007, I thought I would share my favorite list (in no real order... although top 5 probably reflect amount of play they received on my stereo, iPod, and iPhone.
1) Animal Collective: Strawberry Jam 2) Spoon: GA GA GA GA GA 3) Panda Bear: Person Pitch 4) Beirut: The Flying Club Cup 5) Radiohead: In Rainbows 6) Okkervil RIver: Stage Names 7) MENOMENA: Friend or Foe 8) LCD soundsystem: Sound Of Silver 9) White Stripes: Icky Thump 10) Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha 11) PJ Harvey: White Chalk 12) Iron & Wine: Shepherd's Dog 13) Carbiou: Andorra 14) St. Vincent: Marry Me 15) The field: From Here We Go Sublime 16) The National: Boxer 17) Battles: Mirrored 18) Deerhunter: Cryptograms 19) Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity 20) Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer 21) Dirty Projectors: Rise Above 22) White Williams: Smoke 23) Scout Niblett: This Fool Can Die Now (with Bonnie "prince" billy) 24: Nina Nastasia & Jim White: You Follow Me 25) The Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse 26) Arcade Fire: Neon Bible 27) Sigur Ros: Hvarf/Heim
Didn't put any Ryan Adams on the list, but Easy Tiger was good
Disappointments of 2007: New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley, Bloc Party, Devendra Banhart, Interpol, Bright Eyes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Modest Mouse, Lucinda Williams, Shins, MIA (need to relisten as its on too many top lists), Band of Horse, WIlco ... (SOME OF THESE AREN'T THAT BAD... PERHAPS I'M BUYING TOO MUCH MUSIC TO LISTEN ENOUGH)
System edited: It's a real winter this year ! Bike is back in the listening room. I am praying for an early spring... although I hope it snows like crazy in Whistler and Sugarloaf.
Thanks for the compliments. I'm just a recreational cyclist as well, but after 15 years I really got obessed with it again last summer. I capped the summer off with a short trip to Gerona, Spain which was wonderful. With over 3000 miles last year, my weight is back in the low 150's and my climbing has improved. Of course, the 15 lb Cervelo doesn't hurt in that regard once it arrived in mid November !!!! The powertap may just add another dimension for upcoming season.
My 'Barcelona' chairs are actually knock-offs of the originals, which I bought in Canada through the furniture store Up Country. They were around $800 US at that time. SHortly after I bought them, it became increasingly difficult to sell or find such knock-offs, as the company Knoll which holds the Mies van der Rohe licence for the original chair was taking legal action against all copy cats. As a result, it has been a little more difficult to find a knock-off matching ottoman. The original chairs range from 3499-5177$ depending upon chrome or stainless steel finish.
I'm sure if you look hard enough you can still find some of the knock-offs.
Meanwhile, 2007 is turning out to be a good year so far for musical releases:
Currently, I'm enjoying the following while training on the trainer:
Menomena: Friend or foe Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Deerhoof: Friend opportunity Shins: wincing the night away Bloc party: A weekend in the city The good, the bad, and the queen.
So far, haven't heard any new alt.country stuff, but anxious to get the new Lucinda Williams out on Feb 13.
My wife asked me to move my trainer to the audio room so I wouldn't wake her up early in the morning. The only benefit is my emmlabs blows the iPod out of the water. But, to be honest, when I'm on the trainer it is hard to concentrate on the music !!!!
It was -28 today with the windchill, but I'm still optimistic that spring is around the corner. (Knock on wood, we have had a relatively mild winter, with little snow) I'm going to San Fran in May to ride.
Funny you bring up the Powertap thing. I have become obsessed with the idea of getting a power meter. But like my stereo equipment, I have been researching this thing very carefully (I really should be working !!!). After I bought my new Cervelo, SRM is out of the question. While I can almost accept the price of the new Powertap SL wireless units, I am concerned about their reliability. Like high-end audio equipment, these systems are not free of problems. Remember how I aggravated over the Tenor amps. But, I am reading: Training and Racing with a power meter. ... so if I spent 20$ on the book, I'm likely going to take the jump. How 'bout you ????
System edited: Winter is finally here. Had to bring the Cervelo indoors and put my old Trek on the trainer. Due to the noise of the trainer/switching gears/Spinervals DVD etc. I decided to move it into my listening room. Elaborate set up. Play my music now through the Lamm/Kharma's (The Good, the bad, and the Queen, today). Then, hooked up my MacBook Pro to the video projector and used my iPod earphone buds to listen to the training video in one ear, while listening to music as well. Very motivating. Need a fan to keep me and the amps from overheating too much.
My fav CDs of 2006 (I bought way too many this year to listen to them all !) NO PARTICULAR ORDER:
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood; Neko Case Garden Ruin; Calexico Destroyer's Rubies; Destroyer the life pursuit; belle and Sebastian Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not; Arctic Monkeys The Warning; Hot Chip Yellow House Grizzly Bear Roots & Crowns Califone Nine times that same song; Love is all Ys; Joanna Newsom The Greatest; Cat Power Return To Cookie Mountain; TV On The Radio Post-War; M. Ward Silent Shout; The Knife Rabbit Fur Coat; Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins Rather Ripped; Sonic Youth The Crane Wife; Decemberists The Loon; Tapes n Tapes So this is goodbye; Junior Boys Ships; Danielson Eraser; Thom Yorke Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain; Sparklehorse NOTHING THIS YEAR by RYAN ADAMS
Sorry, but I have been too busy watching the Tour de France and riding my own bike to update the system. In fact, I haven't listened to much music since the tour started 2.5 weeks ago.
The room is now virtually complete. When I get back from holidays, I will try to update pictures (including our sofa and room treatments). The room treatment has made some improvement, as the bass seems more focused and less muddy.
While I have been thinking of adding a turntable and/or better PC's for my emmlabs gear, I have decided instead to buy a new bike. I have ordered a Cervelo R3 yesterday.
Thanks for compliment ... You are not the first to bug me 'bout the lack of treatment. I am sure my room is far from perfect. Yet, I am amazed how well it sounds to my concert/walkman/ipod damaged ears, despite the lack of treatment. But, I am sure I can improve. I really don't want to go crazy to start with. I have been meaning to at least start with absorbtion panels in front of the speakers, and perhaps bass busters/traps in the front corners.
I love your system ... beautiful Tannoys and table. I would love to get a table, but my wife is not keen on me spending any more right now. I was looking at a JA Michell Orbe or gyro with Whest PS 2.0, until I mentioned it to her !!!
I am a huge Lucinda fan (and alt.country fan as well ) and agree the live album is remarkable ( heavy on the World without Tears/Essence stuff which is her best). I am desperate to see her live ... but I hope she is better than Ryan live. I also like Bonnie Prince Billy, but I haven't bought the live album yet. I saw him with Matt Sweeney in Baltimore in the spring.
System edited: Most bizarre concerts of 2005: Stupeflip (paris) [check out stupeflip.com] Ryan Adams (montreal) I love him on record, but he is difficult in concert !
Sufjan Stevens: Come feel the Illinoise Iron & Wine with Calexico: In the reins Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: S/T Akron/Family with Angels of Light: Animal Collective: Feels Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Howl Bloc Party: Silent Alarm Bright Eyes: I'm awake ... Decemberists: Picaresque Deerhoof: The runners four Antony & The Johnsons: I am a bird now. Devendra Banhart: Cripple Crow Holopaw: Quit +/- Or Fight Jens Lekman: Oh You're So Silent Jens Martha Wainwright: S/T The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema Sigur Ros: Takk Sleater-Kinney: The Woods Spoon: Gimme Fiction Super Furry Animals: Love Kraft Vetiver: S/T Clientele; Strange Geometry Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary Architecture In Helsinki: IN case we die
Best concert this year: Arcade Fire (toronto); Sufjan Stevens (Paris); Bloc Party (Toronto); U2 (Montreal); Broken Social Scene (montreal)
Yes thanks for the recommendations. Don't take it personally, but I find the RealTRaps rather ugly ... I am hoping to find something a little more asthestically pleasing.
Thanks for the compliments. I will have to listen to those Cash Brothers. I must say, up until recently I have purposely ignored Canadian artists. With groups like Arcade Fire, Dears, Stars, BSS, New Pornographers, Black Mountain, Great Lake Swimmers, Constantines, etc. I have changed my attitude.
The Denon DVD player is connector to the projector via a component video cable that runs behind the front wall and through the ceiling into the ceiling mount. I don't know what brand cable the installers used, but it was 'bout $500 for the 20+ foot run. It is extremely stiff and not too user friendly.
Yes, I am always reading pitchforkmedia.com, cokemachineglow.com, dustedmagazine.com, various mp3 blogs, nme.com etc. to help discover new bands etc. Being Canadian, I no longer have to apologize for Bryan or Celine, given some of our more interesting exports recently.
System edited: It took months, but I finally got some new pictures showing the Zoethecus rack with the equipment off the floor, the new rug, and the bookcases in the back. Now, still need a sofa behind the Barcelona chairs (for movie night) and some of my photography on the walls.
The speakers are 5 feet from the front wall (wall to front baffle) and 27" from the sidewalls (wall to mid-tweeter). I have not tried to move them closer in from the side wall. Part of the problem is there is a retractable video screen and I need the speakers to allow unobstructed view of the screen. The screen is 100" diagonal and about 90" wide.
z-Slabs arrived for Zoethecus rack. Now my wife is happy with the emmlabs and DVD player off the floor. She is hoping I could hide the amps behind the speakers for some reason ! ONce the area rug finally gets here I should post some newer pictures ... Too busy watching Lance in the TdF.
Too busy listening to music to update pictures. Still waiting for 2 of the z-slabs to come for the Zoethecus rack to get the emm labs and Denon 2910 off my floor. Also, waiting for large area rug and bookshelves for back of room for my CD/DVD collection.
Now in constant rotation:
Beck Guero Bloc Party Silent Alarm Decemberists Picaresque Iron & Wine Woman King EP Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake ... Arcade fire Funeral The Dears No Cities Left The Stars Set yourself on fire Keren Ann Nolita Kathleen Edwards Back to Me Ryan Adams Heartbreaker Lucinda Williams World without tears LCD Soundsystem
Howie, thanks for the compliment. You're right ... not everything is optimized. As you can see from the picture the room is bare (no furniture, rug, or acoustic treatment) at this time. So, I have to take that in account. Plus, some of the stuff is still breaking in. Nonetheless, everything I loved about Kharma's on my auditioning (included Midi Exquisites + Ceramique 2.2's) is just as I expected. Believe it or not, I never actually auditioned the Midi Grands, but just went on their reputation having heard speakers from either end of the product line. The disappearing act, the luscious midrange, the driver coherence, the front row presentation, and the musicality is there. It is not the MidiExquisite, but it is a pretty good slice of that sound I first heard in Montreal this summer @ Tenor. What is amazing, I just had the movers plop the speakers down in a predetermined position (5 feet from front wall and 2 feet from side walls, no toe-in) and the imaging, bass, soundstage is wonderful. I am sure I could fine tune this, but I have certain limitations with viewing the video screen (100"diagonal). Plus, they are so nice where they are, I am not ready to start sliding the 180lb monoliths.
The one thing I worried about was could these speakers do bass, and if anything the bass response (since my SRA stands and Jena cables arrived) is there alright ... but, it is tight, focused ... perhaps some might want a little more visceral feeling thud?
The sound has been changin' over the last week or so as new equipment arises and as stuff starts breaking in. (Some things like the speakers are already broken in as a dealer demo) At first, the emmLabs wasn't here, so I was using a Cambridge Audio Azur CDP and integrated amp from downstairs for my source/preamp and cheap IXOS IC and speaker cables. Nonetheless, the sound was encouraging, but perhaps a little deficient in the bass. The midrange was luscious but, a bit to airy and echo like without enough raspyness to some voices. Then, the emmLabs arrived a few days later and I started to play the CDSD/DCC2 24/7 for a number of days to start breaking in that stuff. Certainly, the detail and resolution and tonal balance improved compared to the Cambridge AUdio. Then, almost simultaneously my SRA stands arrived and Jena cables. I set up the SRA stands first which dramatically changed the bass presentation. Bass was seemingly more dynamic and focused. Especially, for some rock stuff (e.g. White Stripes etc.) the sound became more full. Then, switching from cheap cables to the Jena Symphony cables changed everything again. The missing bass is now well defined and present, tight and focused. Suddenly, I am hearing details in the upper end that weren't present with the cheap IXOS cable that was filling in. At first, I wasn't sure if the midrange was as luscious as the first few days, but many voices developed a little more backbone (e.g. Ryan Adams) and the sound is less echo sounding. As I got used to things and started to use the cables more and more I am now loving the overall presentation. Since the SRA stands arrived and the Jena Cables, I find I am listening at lower settings on the DCC2 and still producing similar SPL's. The room desperately needs more furniture, a large area rug in front of the speakers extending to the back of the room and I have large bookshelves (for CD's, DVD's, and books) on order for the back wall which may help diffuse things. Anyways, I am impressed with the Kharma disappearing act, the luscious midrange, and amazing driver coherence. The system is very musical and you really find yourself getting more into the music rather than picking apart the sound. Certainly, some of my rock/ alternative rock CD's are not that well recorded, but most discs can so far can be enjoyed on this system. Then, take an excellent recording and suddenly you realize it was worth all the time researching and fretting over the ultimate decisions. In fact, I am constantly torn between playing a whole disc or sampling other artists/discs to see how it sounds on the system. The soundstage is almost wall to wall and extends close to the ceiling. Interestingly, it seems to be primarily coming from behind the plane of the speakers. Some electronica/dance stuff is projecting sounds from all over, including close to the 9.5 foot ceiling. THe speakers were placed in one predetermined spot and I haven't played around with moving them. They are roughly 5 feet from the front wall (to front baffle) and over 2 feet from the side walls (to the middle of speaker). Unfortunately, the width of the room (12.5') doesn't allow much more space away from the side wall. I also have to leave enough space between the speakers to ensure easy viewing of the video screen (retractable).
All that is missing now is a my Denon DVD 2910 player, as I use a cheaper one from downstairs, my Zoethecus rack for the emmLabs gear and DVD player, and my remote for the CDSD. They are still finishing off the room darkening shades. Probably, could also use some room treatment for primary reflection from Midi Grands. (By the way, there is no multichannel sound or subs for movies at this point ... although the walls are wired to allow future 7.1 if desired).
System edited: Feb 10 2005: emmLabs gear arrives today (minus a remote). Out with the Cambridge Audio stuff. Now I need my Jena cables to see what this really is going to sound like.
For the immediate future, I will only be using 2-channel sound for movies. My room is wired with in-wall wiring for future side channels, 2 rears and 4 possible sub positions. So, all I will be doing is connecting the audio out from a Denon DVD player into one of the RCA inputs of the DCC2.
I had previously asked in a thread whether the DCC2 had a home theater pass-through input and how could I possibly integrate it with a multichannel receiver or separate pre/pro and MC amps. I did get a few suggestions:
