Dear fellow audiophiles and other readers. Audiophile Heaven has successfully moved into its new home from the US. The speaker placement has now been optimized. In the end I moved them closer together and moved the listening sofa a bit forward which increased the soundstage definition and coherence.
Now the area to improve on are general acoustics of the room. To that effect I will place in due cource some furnitures (bookshelves, CD racks) against walls. Plants also help to naturally diffuse soundwaves. I will consider also some Shakti and Sound Resonator products later. I already changed the carpet from the one in the picture, to a larger one.
The installation of the GPA Monaco record player was professionally performed by my american dealer Barry Konigsberg of Transparent Music Systems, Macungie PA. I flew him over especially to ensure that I wouldn't foul things up. I have to say that the professional installation process is IMHO not something you can do right by yourself when you have NEVER done this before. Especially the unusual Dynavector arm is a high tech mechanical piece of art that has many adjustable pieces, and miniature screws, of which some are spring loaded etc. Needless to say that was a worthwhile investment in Barry's time. And I much appreciate him and his lovely wife taking the time out to come and visit us this January.
As those of you whole followed my threads since 2006 may have noticed I have taken a relatively short period to arrive at what I perceive to be one of the penultimate systems today. And at the pinnacle of that journey is the discovery of vinyl as the best experience to enjoy music reproduction. Don't get me wrong, there is much music out there on CDs that is great, most not available on vinyl, and some that is unbelievably well recorded. But none of that reaches the level of reality, palpability, and emotional connectivity as the very best vinyl does. The only caviat is that you have to be able to listen past some of the noise that comes with vinyl. And I'm such a fan of the dark inky black silence in some musical passages and great dynamic ranges! Especially on great classical recordings, but also some great female vocal recordings. Oh well, there's always a tradeoff somewhere. In any case music on this system just seems to float in my room, there is a sense of nearness to the performance. The giant speakers just "disappear" when your eyes are closed. The bass/mid/tweeter integration is seamless, the adjustability of the speaker to the room is absolutely fantastic. The base is extremely tuneful and not obtrusive, no booming. Micro detail is abundant, and as the system still keeps breaking in detail emerges that keeps your head shaking in disbelief. Micro detail that was otherwise heard before takes on a more clear defined dimension. In the next couple of months the system will be finally fully broken in and if what I am hearing now will still keep on improving... I have to come to the conclusion that I have made the best choice of components possible. And none of the choices were by contribution of ANY professional audiophile magazine/review(er), but by lengthy auditions and reading about other audiophile experiences.
Over the past two years I have amassed about 1500 CDs, now its vinyl's turn. I've started with about 300 LPs and slowly growing, some new and some handed down from the "family archives". There is so much vinyl to be discovered, and it doesn't even have to be very expensive. Of course there is the higher maintenance, but that comes with the hobby. Reminds me to get a record cleaner some time soon! Loricraft or Haenl? Later.
Long live the Audiophile hobby! May many (re)discover what it is to really sit down and listen to music as it was intended to sound like. For what would we be without that?
CD/SACD player upsamples to 5.6Mhz thru Meitner proprietary signal processing technology, and sports the worlds first and only discrete dual differential D/A conversion circuit. Using aerospace-grade composite laminate circuit boards provide superior performance enhancing musical reproduction. I never turn the player off, so the power supply is warm at all times. The player reaches its best after being on about 48 hours. It is much more analog sounding than when switching on/off every day.
Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD Player
New CDP ... burning in 500 hrs (or 3 weeks non-stop) for optimum performance level. USB input, BNC 50 Ohm output (to Dartzeel pre-amp), easy SW upgrades, Esoteric transport, awesome DAC. Sleek modern design, nice metal blue backlit remote. Among the very top, if not the best, one box players around! I took off the standard feet and replaced them with GPA Apex feet with upgraded nitrate balls ... takes this CDP even higher!
Grand Prix Audio Apex Feet for CDP (x3)
I have 3 of these with upgraded nitrate ball bearings under the CDP for increased space and definition. Well worth it, highly recommended.
Grand Prix Audio Monaco Turntable Analog Source
Connected to the right system, with the Stealth Hyperphono cable and Dynavector's 507Mk2 arm & XV-1s cartridge this turntable will convert a diehard digital guy into analog. It did for me! This is easily the most simple component once setup. It consumes no power, doesn't need warming up, a true gem. I'm not surprised at all that HiFi+, the well respected audiphile magazine from the UK, declared the Monaco 2009 product of the year. Congrats Alvin!
Dynavector DV-507 Mk2 Arm
Among a handful of the best out there. A proven design that has been around for decades. A true audiophile piece with a bit of weight. Adjustability options are easy and in extremely small steps.
Dynavector DV DRT XV-1s Cartridge
Matching cartridge for the arm/tt. Many respected audiophiles and reviewers out there respect this cartridge to be among the best there is, with a superbly tracking needle combined with maximum detail and dynamics.
Stealth Audio Cables Hyperphono phono cable
Superb phono cable to transport that delicate signal to the phono stage in the Dartzeel NHB 18-ns. This phono cable ranks up there among the best today.
DartZeel NHB-18 NS Battery Powered Pre-Amp
Never heard before 18 no switches. This pre-amp is amazing. Michael Fremer, with regret, came to the conclusion that it smokes his recently purchased Musical Fidelity pre (see his review) and Manley Steelhead phono stage! Battery powered, extreme short signal path, revolutionary volume control that does not touch the signal path, fantastically quiet phono stage, Zeel 50 Ohm connections. An absolute marvel.
DartZeel NHB-108 Model One Poweramp
Never heard before 108 model one. This is the latest B-version with auto dc compensation. I have the dc compensation turned off and manually biased the outputs. I changed the voltage myself. It is extremely transparent, fast, natural sounding power-amp I heard. It's head and shoulders above my previous reference, the ML 33h. And to top it off its a true piece of eye candy!
Grand Prix Audio Monaco Isolation Amp Stand
For DartZeel NHB-108 model one power amp. Its a tri-pod and is waiting to be upgraded with the racing shelve and apex feet.
Evolution Acoustics MM3 Full Range Speakers
The next step in audio. At -6db 7Hz-77Khz, reported to have hit 3Hz at a high-end show! These speakers are awesomely beautiful and massive and still have the awesome capability to disappear entirely and leaving you just with the music. 4 powered subwoofers (1000 watts) treated paper in a closed cabinet design, adjustable for x-over, volume, bass style (tight vs full), octaves, and a rumble filter for vinyl lovers. I love the bass speed of this design, and the fact that it goes extremely low. The Aurum Cantus tweeter is also adjustable by -11db. The powered subwoofer takes the sonic character of the Dartzeel poweramp exactly because its not an active subwoofer. The midranges are the well known Accuton ceramic ones that many top designs use. These replaced my beautiful SF Stradivaries ... with no regrets. And what is unbelievable they've appreciated in value since I got them!
Acoustic Arts Powercord Silver (x2)
Silver powercord for the powered MM3 class D amps. Needed a sound but cheaper solution to go with the power strip.
Evolution Acoustics 1 Meter RCA Interconnect
Same as internal speaker wiring. This interconnect smoked my prior reference the balanced NO Valhalla. Massive, needs room, l+r connectors cannot be too close due to the big and oh so solid terminations. Comes in a flight case.
Evolution Acoustics 2 x 3 Meters Double Runs
Same as internal speaker wiring. Two dubble runs, one for the plus one for the minus. They easily creamed my Valhalla speaker cable in a direct a/b comparison before I changed from my previous system. They are resting on 8 ceramic cable elevators for improved space and clarity.
Jena Labs Model One Powercord (x2)
AC filter power cord, beat my prior $3000 Gutwire handsdown! Uncompromising. One is conncting my power-amp, the other the CDP.
Marantz ST-17 Tuner
Old tuner that I had lying around. You know the downside on radio frequency band etc. But when I listen to my favorite local classical music station I actually hear a lot of the originla recording, microdynamic detail that I didn't expect to hear through radio with cheap monster interconnects. Fantastic! Wonder how the Accuphase T1000 would sound with some real good interconnects...
Accustic Arts Silver Interconnect
From tuner to pre-amp. Cheap solution replacing my Oehlbach XXL interconnects.
Finite Elemente Pagode Master Ref Isolation Rack
5 shelve black and aluminium. I love the thought and technology that went into this rack design. The shelves are variable in height (except top and bottom) and they are resting on Cerabase feet. Will be replaced by GPA at some point in time.
Finite Elemente Cerabase Isolation Feet (x4)
A must with the Pagode MR rack.
Acoustic Arts Active 6 Powerstrip (x2)
As solid as they come, with net filter, digital and analog sections. Good value.
Acoustic System Resonators (x15)
1 platinum, 2 special gold, 2 gold, 7 silver, 2 basic, infinitely tunable, lot's of fun and UNBELIEVABLE positive impact. No other room treatment or component could do this, ever! One silver in the kitchen fridge! Read up reviews on 6moons.com
Acoustic System Sugar Cubes (2x17)
Tuning devices. 6moons review. I have two sets, also in my bedroom, we really do sleep deeper and better!
Acoustic System Phase Corrector (x1)
Phase correction behind the speakers when reflected sound inverts naturally, ingenious!
Acoustic System Diffusor (x4)
Diffuses resonating surfaces, three behind the speakers on the windows, one under the power-amp.
HannL Mera EL Record Cleaning Machine
Modern RCM that doesn't take forever to clean, has variable speed turning left and right, variable suction helps too. Using the HannL standard X2000 cleaning fluid for now. Dustcover from HannL to fit exactly, pretty good looking if I may say so! For all vinyl lovers, this is an absolute must have!
IKEA Hemnes Stand
Dedicated RCM (night!)stand with a handy storage space for cloths, fluids and other accessories, 15x15x30 (WxDxH) inches. The height is perfect, no bending forward needed as the record is cleaned at about 42 inches off the ground.
Ceramic Cable Elevators (x8)
Ceramic cable elevators, four each side under the double run Evolution Acoustics speakers wires. It helps to space the double runs the recommended 2 inches apart better.
Thanks Rugyboogie. I didn't know one of the first MM3 versions was actually MDF, compressed glued and plied birchwood is what it is now... most georgiously finished too. My wife says she likes the wood finish better on the MM3 than the SF Stradivaries we had before, but likes the shape better of the Strads. She does think the MM3's sound much better than the strads. But that may also be due to the Dartzeel and the excellent digital/analog frontends.
Thansk for your kind words, I'm enjoying every evening...
Very nice system. I heard the early versions of the Evo mm3 in Portland, they rocked. I am sure that the finished version of the mm3 are even better than the prototype that I listened to. The versions that I saw were made of mdf not the nice finish that the I see in the pictures. Congrats on a nice set up. The turntable looks really cool too. Great system.... Enjoy,
Here's one LP that you should look for if you haven't got it already: That's Him, Abbey Lincoln with the Riverside Jazz Stars. Recorded in New York, October 28, 1957. Abbey was still in her mid-twenties, unknown, and requested to Riverside to record an album with some good musicians. These turned out to be Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins, Wynton kelly, Paul Chambers and Max Roach... My favorite song on this album is the Billie Holiday song Don't Explain. Enjoy!
On your last comment I completely agree, it's in my opinion in large part due to the great enclosed woofer design...totaly tuneful, non-boomy (read non-fatigueing), and yet so present, detailed, deep.
I agree , sometime the 45's can be a pain in the %#&^. But it's worth the effort. I'm really enjoying vinyl again, so far so good. I've been picking up some very good pressings. You did it right Henry, get the best or very close at the start so you don't have to go the upgrade path. I wish I could have done it that way , but I will get there. I like your analog setup. It's what I'm headed for. Thanks for the suggestions on music, I will check out. Shoot me some more & I will likewise. The system is so easy to listen to, no hint of fatigue whatsoever. Even after hrs of listening.
Gary!!! You hit the nail on two heads. I still have to go through what you're going through with regard to the kids education... expensive hobby too (LOL) with paybacks we can't even begin to imagine :-) Thank God for trustfunds.
The other nail being the MM3 Dartzeel combo! A perfect match for a long long time to come. I think to get ahead from this point would require at least 2-3X more budget for a couple of % improvement. For me the room probably being the gross of that budget. Also, the more and more I listen to vinyl, the more and more I am finding it the ultimate music enjoyment experience. Sooo much more satisfying than any digital I heard and own...and I own a lot.
As I am writing this I am listening to Arthur Rubinstein on piano...what pure enjoyment that is, the piano so real, his virtuosity so abundantly there. And my favorite Rubinstein still remains him playing the Chopin Nocturnes back in 1965 in Rome Italy on an RCA reissued CD!!! Got to get that on vinyl, anyone with suggestions where to get this recording on vinyl pls come forth...
The MM3/Dart combo continues to break in through about 700-1000 hours, I'm note even there yet, and the Monaco/Dynavector is just about 75 hrs young! Am I glad to have run into these guys (leading me to this combo) when I lived back in the US. Count your blessings!
Another suggestion: Blue Note ultimate vinyl reissue subscriptions, so worth it, that is if you can stand 45 rpm (meaning getting up every 12-15 mins to change record/sides). By the time you get around your vacation planning my vinyl collection should be shaping up real nice!
My wife & I would love to visit Europe some day. We have discussed it many of times. Maybe after we get done with the son's college. Two kids thru college is enough, 3 more months of paying & I'm done, thank God. Getting over the 336 hr mark on the darTZeel, things are changing. Bass is getting quicker & more defined. delineation, decay, & the soundstage, all fantastic. Musical line separation and placing images in a defined soundstage are great, better than any amp - pre combo I have ever heard. The Instruments posses a 3D image and clarity I have never experinced in a system before. I also know the mm3's have alot to do with this. I know the darTZeel combo & the Evolution MM3's have found a long time home in my system.
You know I am very inexperienced with vinyl rigs. This is what convinced me:
- I actually attended a demo with Alvin Lloyd at my dealer in which he introduced himself, his philosophy and the Monaco turntable. I was very impressed. Especially how he explained all the fundamental flaws of traditional, read belt, turntable designs and their sonic impacts - The speed stability implementation that is the number one important deliverable was second to none - The second most important is resonance control, GPA already had great achievements with their racks - The fact that its goodlooking, modern, compact, and doesn't need a lot of space - Ultimately I spend a good deal of time last year listening to the table at my dealer before I postponed my digital upgrade quest ... cuz dis guy is now a vinyl convert!!! - Lastly, for comparable turntables the cost was very reasonable, even a good deal, considering what's out there and also that its something that lasts a long time (ie longer than any digital box) - And very lastly I heard a Walker Proscenium Gold fully kitted ($50k) sound less convincing in its setup. Although I have to admit that much was probably due to the downstream components. But it gave me a great comfort about the Monaco!
Reading his whitepaper you can download from his website explains a lot of his philosophie. I can only describe the sound of this vinyl rig to be more natural, brings you closer to the music, more lively and colorfull presentation and it beats most of my CDs by a considerable margin. Especially classical music, but also jazz. When I go back to some of my nice CDs, they sound good but just a bit sterile, clean. It then sounds more silent, controlled, but also less involving, less emotional, less soulfull. There are plenty recordings that are so jaw-droppingly good (ie the David Manley early 90s recordings issued last year on Fone), that I bet any non-vinyl guy would be convinced on the spot.
You're welcome to plan a little European vacation... (or alternatively contact my dealer)
Henry, Turntable looks awesome. I'm sure it performs just as well. I need to work something out with JT in the future. I like that it doesn't take much space either. Let me have some feedback on it, pros & cons.
Finally the GPA Monaco and the Dynavector 507 MkII arm and XV-1s cart were united. After the arm had a detour via Madrid, Spain it did find its way to me in belgium LOL. Until then I'd never heard of a Wally tractor...now I have :-) Thanks to Barry (bkonig) for taking the time to visit me and setting up the table to perfection. I know of no other dealer on the planet earth that would do something like you have for me (=happy customer).
And the result? Well, VINYL RULES, escpecially great vinyl. So I have a new favorite/reference song: St Mary's Infirmary by Satchmo at 45 rpm. Unbelievable recording, wish all vinyl could sound like that, so real, so close, so palpable. And even my room is still acoustically untreated.
After a week and a half with the GPA Monaco I have to really wonder what Michael Fremer was hearing when he had it in his system (or maybe what he wasn't hearing) when he wrote up his review. No need to regurgitate any of that on my page here. After all you can't write about what you haven't heard! But let me tell you, to my ears the speed accuracy of the table has a positive impact on the full audio spectrum, not just the lows.
It helps that I can tune my MM3's to adjust to my room acoustics though. I also found that some older recordings were limited dynamically and I first mistook that for lacking highs, but really the recording technology of those days (50s/60s/70s) is not what it is today. So I listened to all of the Fone Records, including the single sided 45 rpm limited editions, and there the high hats just kept on shimmering, as they did with Holly Cole and Diana Krall albums. The soundstage too was clearly set in space and instruments and voices just sound more real. No digital can reproduce that to this level, and I have plenty SACDs/XRCDs and lately K2 HDs to prove that. Although I have to say that the latest K2 HD Flamenco from Pepe Romero is extremely dynamic and three dimensional. A great demo disc.
So, yesterday evening I listened to three specific records from my early youth. Records that were played by my parents back in the early 70s. My parents brought me two boxes of old records from which I selected the following: Harvest by Neil Young 1972, Tea for the tillerman, Cat Stevens 1970 and Aloha from Hawaii, Elvis Presley 1973. Although these records were old, never cleaned they sounded NM/NM- and were in great shape. What great music, they don't make songs as lyrical as that these days. All accompanying instruments were clearly identifiable, and the voices were so palpable, lyrics were clearly understood. The sound was involving, enveloping and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Made me wan't to explore and buy more of this kind of music!
I'm new to vinyl, and I'm so glad to have made this decision. My kids were commenting on how "strange" this music sounded, in a positive way, and they are hearing music that they don't make today any more. My son was identifying all the instruments he could hear, he loved the harmonica on Harvest because he owns one too...
I'm looking forward to receiving all the Blue Note reissues to continue satisfying my craving for great analog sound. Any suggestions on great music LPs is welcome. And I haven't even begun starting to explore classical music yet.
Roeland, thanks for the tip. As far as records are concerned I currently buy mostly from the web. But I like the idea of rooting through buckets of second hand stuff, to search for some treasurers! I need some more experience about what to look for though...
Since you're in Belgium, it might be handy to know there's an acoustics specialist nearby (near Breda, just across the border with Holland), look at http://www.soundscapes.nu/ . Oh and if you need some tips for great record stores nearby, just give me a PM ;)
Henry, I have heard nothing but good things about the Acousic Resonators. They have been on my radar to try ever since I finished my room. After I do the Dartzeel upgrade I will look into them. Let me know your results .
Thanks Gary, I guess the latest Sony 8 megapixel camera from Santa works like a charm! I got a larger rug yesterday, but more needs to be done. Have you got any experience with the acoustic system resonator technology (http://www.avataracoustics.com/acousticsystem/pro_link_test_report.pdf)?
Happy new year, may it be filled with beautiful music!
Hi Henry , Much better pics. Nice big room. Good luck on setting the room acoustic treatments. I think you will find a combination of both Absorption & Diffusion work the best. Where to set them will be the key.
System edited: I hope these pics are an improvement on before. I moved the rack left of the listening position and guided the Zeel's up along the mass beam ceiling (yes through them!) and down to the DZ pre. Perfect 30 ft Zeel connect, am I glad I took the longer set! It actually improved the sound significantly by providing more air, space and clarity, as opposed to being curled up on the floor. The vinyl rig is ready for arm/cartridge mounting...will post new pics when that's done. How to improve the room acoustics will be my main focus over the next months or so. Absorption or diffusion, or other technologies. I'm having some room response measurements done soon, so that will show me what to tackle first. Enjoy the music! Henry
Gary, I just set up the GP Monaco table yesterday, leveling the oil in the bearing. Soooo, easy to set up, pretty much fool proof plug & play (bar the arm/cartridge). My Dynavector DV507MkII arm will get here tomorrow, the Dynavector cartridge DRT XV-1s in January.
So the phono cable connect's to the arm (right? I'm such a novice in this area!) so I haven't been able to listen to it on my table. However my dealer has the exact same table with the same phono cable, he upgraded from Nordost Tyr. This cable is the equivalent to the Indra of their IC line...among the very best that exists. And if you're a Stealth beta tester you get it for 1200 instead of the proposed retail of 2800 when it comes to market. So it was a no brainer to me. I have to say I have not listened to any other phono cables, this is my complete vinyl starting point as you know.
I figure if I start at this level I won't have to go thru the many experiments, changes & upgrades that others do. I can concentrate on buying lot's of great records that put digital recordings to shame, as I've heard it do so convincingly on many occasions in the past two years.
Elberoth, you're most welcome sometime early next year. I live near Antwerp, Belgium. Shoot me an e-mail with your details. I looked at your room project since I lived in the US, very nice indeed! The good thing is that you can easily drive MM3's with ARs, due to the active subs. The detail you'll get from recordings with the Ref 3 would be absolutely amazing...
Henry, Good to see you are finally enjoying music & your system again. Room looks good. Acoustics will improve as you tweek it out. Send me a pic of the turntable. How do you like the Stealth Hyperphono ? Gary
Mtkhl567 - do you live near any major airport ? I would love to visit you ! I have read so much here about those EA speakers, and yet they are almost impossible to hear here in the EU.
Well, Henry like you said I stumbled over it. I previously used my Nad theatre amp for the stereo setup as well. But I always found it sounding a little bit harsh and uncontrolled on some bass line/melody's. So I was looking for a warmer sounding amp whit a great resolution and a lot of control. And then this secondhand emmitter came up.
Appreciate the advice Bart. I'll have a look whether my new T200 works better, supposedly it has a better flash also.
How are you finding your ASR? Did you stumble upon it, or did you select it after auditioning other gear. I was impressed by the Emitter II version Blue fully kitted out, huge battery packs!!!
Anyway, happy holidays. Look forward to meeting you in the new year.
