Monsters. big speakers create big problems (had to elevate my listening chair 4" as i sit ~ 10ft away in a medium sized room) but after 2+ months of dialing in, these are end-game speakers and create an event every time they're on. give up the n'th level of detail vs M3s but have more power / foundational heft via 3x10". heroic build quality, berrylium tweeter is a revelation, my last speaker and will be for those who can afford it (replaced Wilson Sasha 2s--no slouches, but no S7s). --between wilson, rockport and magico you have to pick the house sound you like best and live with the drawbacks. i think this model magico has the fewest---smaller magicos have considerably more which i wouldn't own (again).
Luxman C-900U
world class SS preamp, immaculate build quality, perfect ergonomics (1db increments via full function remote), tone controls (seldom used, but nice option) and 'loudness' (which does come in handy for bass boost on badly recorded live discs), but 'line direct' is an open window. a true reference.
Luxman M-900U
Solid state class AB, 150wpc, impeccable build and sonics to match. runs cold to just a tad warm, but has treble fidelity i've never heard from AB. has proven a wonderful combo with speakers such as Wilson Sasha 2s and now Magico S7s, never running out of power and always musical and inviting.
the ideal match for the C-900U preamp, and the combo is a last stop for not-outrageous sums.
JAYS AUDIO CD3 Mk2
excellent, beefy (30+#) top loading transport (no moving parts!) for redbook. upsamples to 192k via I2s interface to dac. my last transport.
SMSL M400
replaced the Gustard X26 and compares favorably to uber$ dacs; gives up some bass depth and leading edge, and requires top notch accessories (Shunyata Omega digital and AC cords--into an $800 dac!), but having done so it punches well above its weight.
AudioQuest Wild speaker cables
step change improvement vs the Redwoods. ---low level detail in all frequencies is now clear, no sense of silver-related brightness. tonality is spot on, and incredibly quiet. fantastic cables
Kenwood KT-8300
highly modified per www.fmtunerinfo.com; custom power supply, output stage, opamps (biased to class A), IEC adapter, lots and lots of mods.
PS Audio P-10
excellent power regen that works wonders on front end gear (not so much for amps--sucks out dynamics). a godsend for apartment dwellers.
Shunyata Research Everest 8000
was meh when using alternate brand AC cords, or even the Sigma XC. But the Omega XC? oh baby, this is the bees knees of AC treatment under 20k, and without a single part to break. this is an item you hate spending the $ on, and every day after you're glad you did
High Fidelity Cables MC-1 Pro Helix+
i've one Pro Helix on the output of the PS-10 feeding line level gear, one MC-1Pro on the wall (which feeds a distribution box that powers the amp & PS-10) and one MC0.5 helix on another circuit.
i think most HF products are wildly overpriced and can be equaled elsewhere. but the AC magnets are a wonderful item and do more for AC than you can imagine. both the PS-10 and the synergistic UEF-12SE benefited from them. highly, highly recommended.
Stillpoints LLC Ultra 5
3 ultra 5s under the Luxman M-900 U amp (resting on a BDR Source shelf) were a shocking improvement in low level detail.
Added 4 minis under the C-900U and 4 Ultra SS under the DAC. every time more detail and no etch. indispensible under SS gear.
ASC 16
ten total, four at 4' tall, balance at 3'. big improvement over my DIY Risch Q&D Tube Traps
Relax The Back Zero Gravity Chair
wonderful addition to room, no apparent acoustical downside despite headrest
OC 703 Acoustic Panels (18 of them)
now at 18 in the room (three 24*48*6" deep, 9 as 24*48*2). the added 6"ers did wonders--gotta go thick!
Rhyno, nice room. Are you still listening to the WP's? I have a small room (13.5 x 15.5) and just bought the Sophia's. I think am going to have to consider treatments to really get the most out of them.
Are you still in Houston? Are you a member of HAS?
I know you know what 3d is all about. I just left my music room thinking I had fallen to deep down the rabbit hole. I can tell by the room treatments that you go pretty deep down the rabbit hole also.
You have a system I would love to hear from the Mac to the Wilson's top notch. I am not a big fan of room treatments that look like room treatments, however yours are done quite nicely. Happy listening.
Rhyno - nice use of acoustic treatments! What brand are the front wall 6 diffusers? Currently the diffusers scatter sound vertically the way you have them oriented - have you considered rotating them 90 degree so they scatter sound horizontally instead? Have you listened both ways? The reason I ask is that traditionally most rooms with front wall diffusion scatter sound horizontally to widen the apparent sound source width, a positive thing. I'd be interested to hear your experiences.
System edited: added Audioquest Redwood speaker cable, which bested my prior KS Emotion (which are great cables). similar in tonality to KS, but more extended top end and much more muscular and articulate on bottom, along w/ a much taller & focused soundstage. hate spending this kinda coin on cables, but haven't heard their equal either.
System edited: couple recent changes to further things along: 1) replaced a 2" bass panel on front wall w/ diffusors...greatly enhanced imaging and better tonality 2) replaced love seat w/ Zero Gravity chair. OMG. can sit right through a CD with zero interest in moving. and despite the high headrest, no obvious adverse impact in listening.
System edited: added a section for my AC tweaks; i suspect i've done more for AC purity & room treatment than most audiophiles have. I cannot stress their importance enough...before buying another piece, fix your room & your AC--might as well see what you have before you change!
System edited: actually, a few updates: 1) replaced my Risch Q&D tube traps (which are VERY good for $15 ea + labor) w/ ASC 16" dia traps (which are much better). 2) Pass XA60.5s in. ---i will have thoughts on this as time passes (no pun intended).
System edited: changed preamp to Audio Horizons TP 2.1, will be adding ASC tube traps (which may be a big, or no, improvement vs my DIYs), and coming shortly are Pass XAs. big changes afoot!
System edited: have added an add'l 10 Owens Corning 703 panels in my room three traps of 6" thickness (using 9 panels) for bass trapping and another single panel for some rear wall mid-hi freq absorption. It is hard for me to overstate the improvments from what was a good sounding room into a great sounding room. The room treatments collectively cost me @ $350 (i DIY'd all of them), and its improvements were more pronounced than any electronics change. All rooms have acoustical problems, but particularly small rooms. Audiophiles would be well served to worry first and foremost about the way the speaker couples to the room.
System edited: playing w/ speaker cables and have the K-S Emotion in. Seem a bit more evenhanded throughout the bass than the isoclean, but so far only definitive confirmation is how much the isocleans are an unknown-reference caliber cable. not sure what i'll be keeping.
System edited: have made seemingly minor changes in room treatments that resulted in major sonic benefits. using the JRisch Tube Trap DIY Tweak, I added a 22" dia trap at the corners of the front wall, w/ 16" traps stacked above (2 of em). the biggest learning is that in small rooms, corners are your worse enemy (followed by points where two walls meet). find a way to trap them all and benefits galore in microdetail, staging, and bass articulation.
theres really no comparison b/w before & after. its like life before you heard quadrophenia, and life after. life after is better.
specifically, bass nodes (manifest as boominess which overwhelms the surrounding frequency range, and obscured microdetails in the midrange) are greatly ameliorated w/ the rolled up insulation in the front corners, and all slap echo problems (giving rise to brightness &/or poor imaging) are removed w/ sufficient application of the wall panels. in a small room, the more the merrier, and i've not reached a point where they cause harm--only where i dont have the room or inclination due to marginal benefits w/ increased application.
dollar for dollar, the best $ i spent in audio was on room treatments. for $300 and an afternoon, i turned a spare bedroom into a very competent dedicated listening room. perfect? heck no, but much better than larger untreated rooms will ever sound.
Wow - great job on the room treatments. Great choice of gear too. The WP 6 are real special. Can you describe subjectively the difference after acoustic treatments? One other thing - I guess "Tube traps" is not quite the correct term - I expect you have broadband absorption with fibreglass - a tube trap is actually a helmholtz resonator tube - think a beer bottle and how it resonates when you blow across the top - that would be a tube.
System edited: Added Isoclean speaker cables, DIY walker HDLs, tube traps / panels, and am very pleased with how far my rig has come. I've had more than one audiophile tell me they've never heard a wilson speaker sound better...proves that small rooms are just challenges to be overcome, and system matching is key. (EMM, Mc501 and Isoclean all serve to offset the weaknesses of the Wilsons in treble performance and crossover notch localization, and play off the Wilson strenghts of dynamics & impact)
review forthcoming on dagogo.com, but i can say that i sold my wadia 861se for the CDSA. ---it wasn't very close.
that said, i do miss the 861's tank-like build quality, which the CDSA isn't close to. i take serious issues w/ the CDSA here, but obviously not so much to preclude buying it.
