I might actually be done. I find that this is the system sound I have been looking for. It can be played from very low volume levels to very high volume and gives me what I am looking for. The mid range defines the system and it is all there. The low end is present but not overwhelming and the system can be listened to for hours without being fatiguing. I have it tweeked with my room. My concentration has been on buying music. . Thats it for now. Stephen
Golden Reference Speaker cable, Interconnects: Golden Reference amp to pre am, Golden Reference CD to Pre Amp, 300B Microtwin DVD to Pre Amp, Power Cords: All Golden Reference except Twinlink on DVD Player
Running Springs Audio Haley & Duke Power Conditioners
Power Conditioners Haley for pre-amp, cd player, and dvd player Duke for amps
Pettyfeversk, you should look at a 2nd hand Yamaha T-80. The T-80 is back from the late 80's, but is a DX'ing king. They rarely come up for sale, but are cheap and ripe for high end mods including new rca/iec sockets which would restore & improve it's performance. That thing can really pull in a station.
Well, here is my latest update. A while back, I needed to sell the Ayon CD-5 for financial reasons and purchased the Jolida JD 100A CD player. That player was quite good for the price but i recently went back to the Ayon line and picked up the CD2-S. I wonder about this 32 bit technology and wonder how long it will be before that is in all high end cd players. You will also notice that i no longer have the Magnum Dynalab tuner. It is a wonderful tuner but i just could not get any reception regardless of which antenna i tried. My house is apparently in a valley and i could not get stations so i sold it. Otherwise, I still have the Rowland Capri, Pass X30.5 amp, and the Tyler Acoustics D1 loudspeakers.
Joeyboynj, I asked Gerhard Hirt (Chief Designer for Ayon) if he thought the Ayon CD-5 would be a good match paired with the Pass xa-100.5's & was told they would be an excellent match. Having said that, I ended up buying a Modwright KWA-150 amp instead :D The KWA-150 is awesome; great looks, build quality & sounds like tubes, but with balls. Just an incredible bargain at about $6k..leaves spare $ for a tt & nice cartridge ;)
I'm looking to pick up an Ayon CD-2s and a Pass XA-30.5 amp. Do you have any input impedance problems with the Pass amp directly into the Ayon tube preamp?
Thanks for your thoughts. I have tried to simplify the system and get the most out of it. The Tyler Acoustics D1 Loudspeakers give a very wide soundstage and are very clear and clean from the highs to the mids to the bass. They are wonderful floorstanders and the Pass Amp has really taken a hold of them.
Nice rig Pettyfeversk! I like your approach of keeping the component chain as simple as possible & focussing on quality. The Ayon CD-5 is a no brainer in this regard; incredible tube-rectified cdp, dac & pre-amp in one & you get the benefit of running your sources through a tube-pre amp which is a bonus if you're running a ss amp downstream. Those speakers look like gorillas!
Yes, the Ayon CD-5 has a tubed pre-amp built into it and I connect my Pass Labs amp into it as well as my other sources such as my DVD player via Coaxial and a tuner I am getting also.
The Bel Canto Monoblocks have been replaced with the Pass Labs XA 30.5 Stereo Amp. Very happy with it so far. It has a wonderful fullness and midrange as well as bass extension.
I think that much of the fit as to what amp is right comes down to the match with the other components as well as the room. In my room, I started with the Bel Canto 300IU Integrated and had some bass issues at high volumes. I believe I was asking the amp to do to much with the speakers. I then went to the Bel Canto Ref500s stereo amp which had increased headroom and the bass issues did not occur. I now have the Bel Canto Monoblocks Ref 500 and that seems to be the best match. Plenty of power and headroom and very dynamic sound. They play with ease within my system. The other change I made was going to balanced interconnects. I changed from Cardas Golden Refence unbalanced to Cardas Golden Reference Balanced and in my system, it made a dramatic change. Much more fullness and slam to the sound. In addition, more bass and more extended lower bass. I got more db's and play the music at lower volumes. Everyones equipment is different and balanced is not necessarily better for everyone. It is component dependent and that is why the amp choice is not the same for everyone. What works best in one system and room is not the solution in another room with different mating components. Stephen
Making two other changes. I am going from the Bel Canto Ref500s Stereo amp to the Bel Canto Ref500 Monoblocks. I am also coverting from unbalanced interconnects to balanced to get the full benefit of the amps as well as the Rowland Capri pre amp and the Ayon CD-2. Anyone gone from unbalanced to balanced recently? Did you hear any changes in your system?
Latest change is that I went from Tyler Acoustics D2 Loudspeakers to Tyler Acoustics D1 Loudspeakers. I posted a review of the D1 Loudspeakers in the review section.
Nice system and it's nice to see the progression to current status. I recently put a Bel Canto 500s in my system. It has a much better presentation than the 300 series.
This is it. I upgraded from the Bel Canto s300iu integrated amp to separates. I now have the Bel Canto Ref500s power amp with the Jeff Rowland Capri Pre Amp. All of the cables are Cardas with the exception of the DH Labs Air Matrix between the Arcam DVD player and the pre amp and the DH Labs power plus power cord on the Arcam DVD player.
I posted a discussion item on the forums but if you read this and have a thought, it would be most appreciated. As you can see, I am running the Bel Canto Integrated 300iu into Tyler Acoustics D2 loudspeakers with an Ayon CD-2 CD player. I have given some thought to picking up the Bel Canto s500 ref stereo amp and using just the pre amp form the integrated. Has anyone heard the Bel Canto s500 stereo amp and if so, how much of a difference would you think that would make interms of the quality of the sound coming from my amps. thanks for your thoughts. Stephen
This is the review of the Tyler Acoustic Decade D2 Speakers that I posted in the review Section:
I should preface my review and let you know I listen to all types of music from Rock to Classical, from low volume to extremely high volume. I dont enjoy systems that are uninvolving. I want to be moved by the music.
Tyler Acoustics Decade D2 Loudspeakers
Well, I am not a Audio person who typically would write a product review but I feel compelled to put some thoughts down about these outstanding loudspeakers. Mine have about 125 hours on them. Let me first state that I have been through many loudspeakers in the quest for Audio nirvana. I strated as a youngster with Superscope made by Marantz, Klipsch, JVC, and as I got older moved into JBL and Triangle. That was before I really got the bug and spent significant dollars on speakers from Dynaudio (Contour 5.4 was the last one) and Von Schweikert 4Jr and Von Schweikert 4SR. Each speaker had its qualities and the higher end Dynaudios and Von Schweikert speakers required many room treatments to handle the sound issues in the typical family room set up. I finally burned out on all of this audio stuff and for a while got out of it totally, both for financial and frustration reasons.
That is the history and brings me to the present . I wanted to put together a musically satisfying system that would bring me enjoyment, would not cost a fortune, and one which would provide me pleasure in my 11 foot by 20 foot living room. I talked to some people and Tyler Acoustics was recommended by many folks. I contacted some of the people who had Tylers speakers and they were extremely effusive about how wonderful they were. Well, I took the next step and called the company. To my surprise a very friendly voice on the other side of the phone engaged with me in a discussion about the Tyler Acoustics Loudspeaker line. This individual turned out to be the owner of the company, Tyler. He was extremely helpful as we discussed his loudspeaker line and the possibilities for my room. I never felt pressured and Tyler would take all of my calls directly and answer all of my questions as he wants his customers to be satisfied with their loudspeaker choice. I decided on the Decade Line and the D2 specifically. The speakers arrived and the first thing I noticed was how beautiful they were( Tyler offers 80 wood finishes) and how well thought out the cabinets were. The grills attach via magnets so there is no need to line up pins. Enough about the looks. I hooked them up and was amazed with the sound. The Tyler Acoustics D2 loudspeakers play the music effortlessly and very smoothly from the highs through the lush midrange to the extended bass. I can listen to them for hours and feel like I am rediscovering my Cd collection as I hear sounds that were not apparent to me before. Whether I sit in my special stereo seat to be perfectly centered for the sound or in another position in my living room, the speakers deliver the music naturally. The presentation is wonderful with a very lush midrange coupled with much transparency and much detail. You get a great soundstage and the music sounds coherent whether it is played at low volume, mid volume, or blasting all out volume. To get this sound from another loudspeaker , I would have to spend two or three times the price of the D2 speakers. They are that good. I am a fairly critical listener and I find myself listening to the music and just enjoying it. This beats listening to your system and analyzing the sound. These speakers let you get into the music and remember why you got the equipment in the first place. Its about the music and Tyler produces speakers that connect you to it in a most enjoyable way. I know this is not the most scientific analysis ever offered but what can I say other than that I recommend Tyer Acoustics D2 Loudspeakers. They have allowed me to once again enjoy the music and that is what I am doing.
This is outrageous! I'll bet within the year, you will be back to spending 100's of thousands of dollars on needless gear like the rest of us idiots :)
System edited: As I stated in my main text, this is my system at this time. It is quite simple but offers me much pleasure. I find I am listening to the music, not the system which is nice. Have a good day. Stephen
Although there is huge power difference between two amplifiers, however, how would you compare Dk Design Group VS-1 Mk. 2 vs. Musical Fidelity Tri Vista Integrated amplifier as both are hybrid integrated?
From the last post, how do you like the upgrade to vr4jr's to the sr's? I have the vr4jr's and really love the sound. I've used both a 200 watt ss amp and currently a 50 watt integrated tube amp. Sonic bliss.
And yes folks do read the profiles, for myself it is a wonderful part of my day when I get the chance. My wife says I am addicted.
