Very nice setup, I love the colors and the lighting in that room. Man I might have to rethink my whole setup... thats the thing about this hobby, it just never ends :-)
I agree totally about the size. The DB99s are very room friendly. I have heard the whole range of VR speakers with the exception of the VR-7, and I must say, the DB really is the baby VR-9. You have to remember only the VR-11, VR-9 and DB99 are the only models to date with the adjustable active bass module. Great to use when you have room problems. :-)
I still owe you a response on your system thread ...
"JP, let me check your system and I'll come back to you with some thoughts."
Greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your comments on the Townsends. It seems like they give roughly the same experience as the vs ST originals. The one thing I have against the VS original ST, besides pricing, is their size. They are not ugly, but they do make the speaker look one size larger, more like the big boys, and the "great thing in small package" approach of the db99 is one thing I (and my wife) really like about them. People tend to get surprised at the slam and size of the soundstage taking into account the fairly standard living-room-speaker size...
That Almarro is a beauty. I've been lusting after them even if I have never heard them. I fell in love with that tube after hearing the BAT amps. I was thinking of ordering an Almarro from Japan to use as a simple set up in my bedroom ... but the wife won't let me.
Youre so right, after hearing the Almarro the 1st time, the relative clarity and transparency of the 6C33C was really eye-opening. The 6Moons review is absolutely spot on and perfectly captures the character of the Almarro. You know, if you really want that Almarro one word to the wife . . . jewellery . . . it worked for me for awhile, then the wife got wise to my ways.
Re: the Townshends and the sound being just right and the subsequent effect when its out of the chain, I know exactly what you mean. For me, this was the same with my REL subs, once in and properly integrated, barely noticeable but sublime nonetheless; once out, something just seems to be missing.
No worries, even though youre a dealer, we wont hold it against you ;) All kidding, aside your comments ring very true and are appreciated.
Thank you for the compliments. I used to amp roll between the 45, 300B and 2A3 -- the 2A3 being my favorite. But once the Lamm's arrived, I just can't for the life of me amp roll anymore. It's that good. Very natural, and the frequency extremes are mindboggling (especially with the Townshend supertweets). Honestly, my SET amps are currently up for sale because of this. Well, for the price, they had better be head and shoulders above the other 3 amps. :lol: That Almarro is a beauty. I've been lusting after them even if I have never heard them. I fell in love with that tube after hearing the BAT amps. I was thinking of ordering an Almarro from Japan to use as a simple set up in my bedroom ... but the wife won't let me.
The Tonwshend Supertweeters are hard to comment on. They just sound "correct." They add that extra air around the music that's isn't noticeable ... until you take it out of the chain. How I came to use it? I have been wanting to get the DB-99's matching Super tweeter module, but I took so long that by the time I decided to order one from Albert, it would just cost too much. I eventually researched to find an alternative and came across the Townshend. Without even listening to them, I took a chance and ordered a pair from one of the dealers in San Diego. I regret not purchasing them sooner.
Just to fully disclose, I am an audio dealer here in the Philippines. So do take my comments with a bucket of salt. But for the record, I am first and foremost an audio enthusiast. In other words, I put my money where my mouth is and buy products that suit my taste. Regardless of whether I distribute the product.
JP, let me check your system and I'll come back to you with some thoughts.
Simply stunning ... in a very understated way - great equipment as well. Super clean presentation, love the way you've seemlessly blended the colours/textures of the equipment with your room - perhaps one of the best non-dedicated rooms on the 'Gon. Hell, you even managed to get the Ipod Nano w/ docking station into the overall picture with out upsetting the balance - bravo!
I bet your loving those Lamms, crystal clear, but never fatiguing, with lots of power for the 99SEs. I have the Almarro 318B using the same 6C33C tube in one of my offices, and, though nowhere in the same league as the Lamm, they sound lovely nonetheless. Obviously the VSs can be paired with a wide variety of tubes - do you, on occasion, go back and forth with the other amps at your disposal or have you more more or less settled on the Lamms?
Can you also comment on how you chose the Townsend STs and how they changed the sonic picture in your setup?
Hi, Firstly I would like to congratulate you on a very nice setup. very tastefully placed and with really carefully and well thought out gear, Those lamm amps seems sweet indeed and I can imagine that you get a lot of synnergy there.
As, I recently got my own pair of db99 SE set up at home, I´m curious in your experiences with placement. I have a much smaller room (please feel free to check out my virtual system) , and have to move the speakers quite closely together, which I think compromises spaciousness in soundstaging somewhat. I notice that you have yours quite far apart (which you also comment on).
So, do the db99s fill out the full stage (i.e. no weakening of the presentation in the center of the soundfield)? And do you use a toe-in? I find that in my compartment, the db99s need quite a lot of toe-in to "lock in", although I found that the soundstaging and presentation seemed more seamless and linear without the greater toe-in (on expense of imaging).
Sorry for the long post, just curious in your experience in setting up your db99s? Thanks! JP
Hi again GSM... I understand where you're coming from. I am like that as well. However, I want a separate listening room for the simple reason that there are times when I can't enjoy my music, specially when I want to listen critically. When my daughter is up and about, playing her handheld game console, or when she blasts the HT watching her cartoons, the noise bleeds into the living room where I am listening. Well, beggars can't be choosers. I am very happy with my place and my system. It's balancing both and keeping the wifey happy that compromises had to be made. Btw, thanks for tip on the Audio Note. :-)
Unlike most members (you included, it seems), I have no interest in a separate listening room. I am more interested in being surrounded by music wherever I am in my house. I rarely make suggestions; but there are speakers - such as Audio Note (that I do not own, BTW, but have heard) - that are designed specifically for corner speaker placement.
I only wish my system was set up better. I guess ideally, I would prefer to have a separate listening room. This space is really a compromise with my wife. Speakers are too far apart and too close to the front wall for my taste. But due to the small space I had to use, there's nowhere else to place them. I can't place them in front of the console table as they would dominate the room. Plus, there wouldn't be much room to manouvre in and get into the living area. Despite all my complaints, they still do sound pretty good, but still not optimized for what I know they can do. Regards.
Hi Douglas. Many thanks for the compliments. The cables actually are installed, neatly hidden behind the console table. The table top is a solid piece of "narra" wood, and they have casters underneath so I can move them forward when needed. Children? One daughter of 7 yrs., and one Miniature Schnauzer dog who is smart enough to know not to go near my equipment. ;-)
Lovely presentation! Did you remove cabling for the pic? If not, you've hidden it well. One of the most tasteful integrations of the art of audio to modern decor I've seen in a long time. Could be the cover for an interior design publication. You obviously don't have children. ;)
System edited: Scrapped the idea of the Von Schweikert Super Tweeter module. Instead, waiting for a Townshend Audio Max Super Tweeter. With the Lamm ML2.1s, looking to unload some of the other SETs. Last phase would be the EMM Labs one box cd player and Critical Mass Reference isolation platforms for amps, preamp and source.
Hi Kgturner: I wasn't able to find any info on Brian Charney on Audiogon (re the battery power supply for the 47 labs transport). Can you tell me where to find him? Thanks.
