Jfrech
IME, its a no brainer between the Triplanar and the Talea. The Triplanar, great arm as it is( I have't sold mine nor do I intend to)is not in the same league as the Talea. Have recently mounted a Lyra Titan i on the Talea and the results are pretty amazing.
Thanks to your recommendation I tried the Full Music 12AX7 in the Nagra VPS. It was clearly superior than the stock EH tube. Unfortunately the tube was a dud with a rumbling thunder like background noise. Have reverted to the stock Nagra tube.
Ideally try and demo the Talea with your Skala...you will be smiling...

sunnyboy1956 July 13, 2011 00:05

Hi Jfrech, good to hear from you. The HRS Nimbus couplers made a huge difference with my CJ pre amp. I had some stainless steel ball bearings in a cup type of isolation which I now use under the Hydra V power conditioner.The magnitude of improvements was such that I splurged and all my components now have some HRS gizmo. Has it made a similar improvement? I suspect not .
Am really curious about your tube rolling with the VPS. If you were to describe the improvement/difference on a scale of 10, how would rate the changes?

sunnyboy1956 February 05, 2011 21:33

System edited: Photos have been updated. Added a 2nd REL 505 sub and the system is as good if not better than I ever dreamt it could be.

sunnyboy1956 June 04, 2010 03:48

System edited: System up date with the arrival of the TW Acustic Raven AC1 as a replacement for a 3 year old Michel Orbe. The Triplanar arm and Transfiguration Orpheus L cart have been remounted on the AC with a Mint LP Best protractor. The AC has a little over 20 hours on it. Initially was a wee bit underwhelmed but with a few iso tweaks ie HRS Nimbus couplers under the motor, Stillpoint feet and the HRS Analog disc the AC is beginning to sound like the TT I had dreamt it would be. I also realise what a class act the Michel Orbe is with a wee bit greater top end sparkle/air while the TW has more body and muscle. I guess thats the trade off between a spring bearing design vs a mass loaded one.

sunnyboy1956 May 17, 2010 23:07

System edited: Huge improvement in my vinyl chain after a couple of effective yet expensive iso tweaks. Added a HRS - S1 iso platform under the TT. The TT feet and motor housing rest on Nimbus spacers and couplers which rest on the S-1. Added HRS dampening plates on top of all the other components. The benefits of the dampening plates are at best marginal and barely noticeable.

sunnyboy1956 July 21, 2009 03:24

System edited: System updated. The bulk of these changes took place over several months and for each of them there is an A'gon member deserving thanks. Primarily a vinyl system though the cd playback is no slouch. In my evoving vinyl story Doug Deacon and his Triplanar tips deserve special mention. Have shamelessly copied his advice to great benefit and its time to say a warm thank you. Future directions : concentrate on music as I don't seee any significant upgrades(famous last words) except perhaps for a pair of JL Audio f113 subs. But thats not a priority.

sunnyboy1956 July 20, 2009 04:33

Hi Kiwi
Thanks for looking. I had a pair of ML ODYSSEYS for nearly a year. Loved many things about that holographic magic that only a ESL can produce but I guess I disliked the narrow sweet spot which could change dramatically if you stood up from your listening chair etc.
I auditioned the 2805s but ended up with the 2905s which have better LFE on a/c of larger bass panels etc.
Hmnn...Lets start with weaknesses.They don't play loud by this I mean ear splitting levels. They play loud enough for me and my musical preferences are varied but rock and blues are perennial favorites. I have overcome the obvious bass limitation by adding a REL 505 sub.Another gripe is that I need to vaccuum them at least once a week. Its pretty hot and dusty where I live and this may not apply elsewhere.
The strengths are many : predominantly, IMHO a floor to ceiling and wall to wall soundstage coupled with a holographic magic in the mid range which IME no conventional box speaker with its cross overs can equal.
Have often thought of upgrading but I have yet to come across( admittedly there are many superb speakers that I have yet to hear) something that truly excites me. The Quads with decent tubes and ideally a pair of subs are wow!!
Cheers
PS. The system pics etc need an update. Will try to do so over the weekend.

sunnyboy1956 June 16, 2009 00:04

Stik:
Many thanks. Your pre/power combo is almost identical to mine. Have heard great things about the CT6. I started with Cardas Cross many years ago and moved to Gold Cross and now to Gold Reference incl ics and all pcs except the Hydra VRay which has a Shunyata top end cable.Yes there are subtle differences in the Cardas line and the more expensive is not necessarily better. I don't have any specific room treatment in place apart from a lot of fabric coverings, carpets and some cork on the back wall. Have not really experimented with too many cable varieties. Did try Nordost Blue ics but found them too lean. Had a similar experience with Transparent pcs.Cables are sooo system dependent that what works for me may be sub optimal in another system.
IMHO the only way to go is a home trial. Try the Cardas Gold Reference and also the Neutral Reference. I may be wrong but the older line up of CJ amps had a sweetish 'tubey 'sound that is missing in the new generation which are perhaps a bit leaner sounding eg CJ LP70S and CT 5/6.
Best of luck.

sunnyboy1956 March 09, 2009 23:58

System edited: Added fresh pics post minor room renovations

sunnyboy1956 August 22, 2008 03:59

System edited: System updated. The Lyra Helikon has made way for the Lyra Skala, the Hydra 6 for the Hydra VRay. Also added a Shunyata Research Anaconda powe chord from the wall outlet to the VRay

sunnyboy1956 August 21, 2008 22:43

Stiltskin,
Thank you for your kind words.
Recently added a REL B2 sub.The 2905s go down to 27hz and have tuned the REL to kick in at 26hz. IOWs there is no overlap or smearing. This is one match made in heaven. Not just PF but Dire Straits and any rock with deep bass sounds divine. Patrica Barber on vinyl and even Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter, which has really deep bass sounds superb.
I guess it doesn't get much better than this : the holographic midrange of an ESL coupled with a deep satifying bass that only a great sub like REL can deliver.
Thanks for looking.
Cheers

sunnyboy1956 July 14, 2008 23:50

System edited: System edited with pics of the Rega RB 1000 Tonearm and the Gyro SE upgraded to a Gyrodec. Will add pics of the Lyra Skala and REL B1 sub. Cheers

sunnyboy1956 July 08, 2008 22:57

Hi Joey,
Basically, given the climate here(New Delhi,India),dusty, hot and humid, maintaining the MLs was a real pain in the butt. I would vacuum them twice a week. Possibly was also not feeding them enough power. All in all it was not a happy experience. Around this time heard the ML Summits at a dealer in Mumbai and was totally smitten. The ML dealer( had bought the Odyssey from him)refused a trade in. Decided not to deal with him again.Meanwhile the Conrad Johnson dealer in New Delhi(this does get a wee bit curious)offered a trade in for the MLs against a CJ Pre/Power.I jumped at this.
Had heard great things about the Quads and was really surprised that they had a dealer in India...anyway to cut a long story short I was completely bowled over. I have a decent size room : 24'x 15'x10'in which the 2905s made a lot more sense.
The Quads are in a different league compared to the Odyssey.A head to head comparison with the Summits, IMHO, would be close, with the 2905 inching ahead. Everything you love about the Summits is there in the Quads plus I suspect a much much wider sweet spot.According to me thats the one real drawback with the MLs. The Quads have a wall to wall sound stage that extends from floor to ceiling plus the holographic magic that only, again my opinion, a ELS can conjure.
I have recently added a REL B1 sub and this combo is a match made in heaven. Will start a thread on this.
I would not only do it again but strongly urge anyone down this path.
Cheers and thanks for keeping in touch.

sunnyboy1956 July 08, 2008 03:41

Pops
Don't get me wrong.I love my Quads. The point I was trying to make in the context of rock music is that it is extremely enjoyable(to my ears) and deeply satisfying without the deep thud and grunt(poor choice of words!)that a box enclosure can reproduce.Listened to a 20 yr old vinyl copy of Communique on the weekend and believe me it was heaven. Another great thing about the Quads is that they are not too demanding in terms of wpc.
Fabulous speakers without doubt.
Cheers and Happy listening.

sunnyboy1956 November 19, 2007 21:06

Pops
Thats an awesome system you have. Love the acrylic look of your TT.For a moment I thought it was from the Clearaudio family.
The new generation of Quads are spectacular speakers.I had a pair of Martin Logans for nearly a year. Loved the holographic sound, superb midrange but maintainence was a real pain in the butt in a fairly dusty enviroment. Had to vaccuum clean the panels twice a week.The progression from the MLs to the Quads was a natural journey.I was completely smitten after a 30 min demo in Mumbai. India,a year back. Eventually got them at a 10% discount to US/UK retail price.
The Quads are not everyones cup of tea. For starters they don't play very loud. Second, while the bass is deep and satisfying it really does't plumb the depths or compare with a 10 inch woofer. I guess its a trade off between the virtues of a dynamic box speaker which does a lot of things incredibly well but falls short of an ELS panel when it comes to a holographic midrange and a huge soundstage with each instrument/voice clearly delineated in its own space. I love the 2905s but sometimes do miss the tight deep bass that some rock recordings demand ie Pink Floyd, Dire Straits etc. May add a sub some day!
Thanks for your kind words.
Chadlintz
Well if it sounds great simply Njoy and don't fix it. Advice I have never followed!!
Cheers and happy listening.

sunnyboy1956 November 15, 2007 22:09

Chadnliz
The RB 300 is a great arm. I see that you are using it with an Audio Technica cartridge on your Sota TT(how did you get it free, lucky you !!).The major difference between the RB 300 and RB 1000 ,IMHO, is a much greater retrieval of detail.As a poor analogy, assume the lp is a dirty carpet and the RB 1000 a more powerful vaccum cleaner. You are hearing much more of whats on the lp.To derive max satisfaction from a RB 1000 you would ideally need a cart thats best suited.I am not familiar with the Audio Technica and hence can't really comment on whether its a good match for the RB 1000 or not.As I discovered you can't really drop the RB 1000 into the same slot as the RB 300. The armband will need 3 holes to be drilled to accomodate the triangular mounting mechanism of the RB 1000. This is no big deal if you know a good machinist or have a good dealer. If you are in a position to go for it, I strongly recommend the RB 1000.Do however check out the other competing tonearms at this price point.
Cheers

sunnyboy1956 October 30, 2007 23:16

Jsujo and Chadnlitz
Many thanks, appreciate your kind words.The system is really beginning to sound great. The Rega RB 300 has made way for the RB 1000.
No more upgraditis for now.
Cheers and Happy listening.

sunnyboy1956 October 29, 2007 23:19