One room thanks to my wife, 14.5' x 20' x 8'. There are 2 power reclining seats, there will be another added as soon as I can find the correct listening chair. The back wall holds my 5000+ albums & some CD's. I have slide out shelving to the right side to hold yet more vinyl. Just outside the room in a small closet is my mono vinyl collection. I'm retiring so it's time to make what may be my last hardware updates for a while.
All power conditioners plug into these 6 PowerPort outlets.
Shunyata Diamond Back
Powercord for Shunyata Hydra 6
Shunyata Hydra 6
For Analog source equipment.
Shunyata Black Mamba
Power cord to ARC Ref3
Audio Research Ref 3
Best sounding preamp I have owned to date.
FMS SineWave
From Hydra 6 to PS Audio PS300. From Hydra 6 to Oppo 83 & 95. From Guardian 2 to Moon amps. From APC H15 to Meridian G68 & 598. From Hydra 6 to NHT X2.
PS Audio P-300
For TT motor control only
Shunyata Vernom 3 15 amp
From PS Audio 300 to Basis Debut, From Hydra 6 to VPS
Basis Debut Diamond Signature
Clear version with silver accents. Sounds great. Vacuume is excellent no warped records here. Talk about 200 gram records sounding better. All of my records are 2000 gram now.
Koetsu Urushi
Latest version, awesome sounding.
Lyra Helikon mono
Mono records sound best with this cartridge.
Graham Engineering Phantom B-44
Easy to change to a mono needle from a stereo one with 2 arm wands.
Cardas Phono interface box
From Phantum Arm
Nordost Valhalla
SE from Cardas to VPS then XLR to Ref3
Nagra VPS Phono Preamp
This has 2 MC inputs
dCS Bartók
For new music server
OPPO BDP205
BlueRay-3D/SACD/CD
Nordost Heimdall
Nice balanced cable from Oppo95 to ARC Ref3
FMS Nexus
SE from Oppo 83LE to Ref3. SE from Meridian to Moon W3. XLR from Ref3 to 3 Moon W6's.
Nordost Red Dawn
From Ref3 to Meridian G68.
Sim Audio W-6
For front left & right speakers
Purist Audio Design Aqueous
Great speaker cable used for front & center speakers.
Rockport Technologies Avior II
I have gone from Verity Fidelio's, Parsifal Encore, Parsifal Ovation and Sarastro II.
Now I've changed to Rockport Avior II.
FMS Zero
From Ref3 to NHT X2
NHT X2
Sub-crossover
Nordost Blue Heaven
From NHT-X2 to JL Audio 113
JL Audio f113
Added 2 of these to the 2 channel System.
Meridian G68 AXV
Processor for digital and video but NEVER my VINYL
FMS MicroWave
From Meridian LFE to NHT X2
Meridian 598DP DVD/CD Player
DVD/CD player
Shunyata Venom 3 20 amp
2 of these from PS Audio Power Ports to 2 Shunata Guardian 2
Sim Audio W-3
For Rears
Revel Voice
Center speaker
Revel Performa S-30
Rear channels
REL Acoustics Stadium III
Ash black for rear home theater channels
DVDO Iscan Dual
High Definition Video Processor
JVC RS50U
DLAI projector. Very good picture is able to do 3D.
Stewart ABB Electro screen
With StudioTek 130 G3 screen material & is 110" Diaginal.
Panasonic GT55
Plazma TV with 3D. Plcked this up so I would not go through so many bulbs for the projector.
I too have learned that placement of VA speakers is the key - more so than any other speaker I have owned. I have my typical day-to-day set up, but then, when I am alone and have the time, I remove the coffee table in front (see photos), slide the couch 2.5 feet toward the speakers, thereupon, the sound quality increases by at least 25%.
I have spend a lot of time dialing the set up for the room as-is..Verity Audio seem to really benefit from solid room integration. However, that is not to say they don't sound great in my "day-to-day" configuration - they do. But once you have moved things around to eek out their very best, its hard to go back..
The entire cupboard is on the other side of a main carrying beam so there is no vibration tranfer. I can play at deafening volumes and huge amounts of bass with no feedback problems. I don't do it very often but sometimes. The wife gets pissed though.
I got lucky on their placement, John Quick from Tempo Sales & Marketing lives in MA. He came over to help place them with the people from Goodwin's HighEnd when they were delivered. The final location may be different because he wants them to break-in some, then he will return for the final placement.
I sit 14'8" from the front wall and 9' from the front of the speakers. The woofer is 2' from the side wall, 3'10" from the back wall and they are 9' apart to the center of the front of the speakers. All quick measurements BTW.
I purchased the woofers when I still had Ovations, I had the woofer in the Ovations firing forward. I have not used them with the Sarastros yet. When I do I will get back to you.
I am enjoying the Sarastros very much, better detail, imaging, range and sound stage.
I made a few other changes in the room just after the speakers. I changed out my projector screen from fixed to powered. I felt the fixed screen screwed with the bass and imaging, I was right. I now have better imaging and bass but the bass is a little too much and I have issues with mid-range that I never had before. I have to treat the room somewhat to get it correct and I am experimenting with treatments at this time. This has only started with the screen change because when the Sarastros were setup I had the fixed screen and not the powered screen. One thing always lead to another ya know, LOL.
Notice you have a more extreme toe-in than many on the Sarastros - pointing right at your shoulders? How far from the front wall and sides to the center of the woofer. I think our rooms are pretty similar in size.
Have you listed without the subs? How well do you find that the subs integrate with a rear firing speaker? Sorry for all the questions.
I also went from Parsifals to Sarastros last year and I hope you are enjoying them.
Our rooms are about the same size but that's where things come to a screaching halt. Sonically, I'd sure like to see.
congrats. A projector & screen are such a step up for viewing video over the smaller screens like LCD, Plasma, etc.... which so many sit well back from as to lose the greater definition... big images simply have no peers.
big screens and great subs absolutely MAKE a HT experience intriguing, involving, and lots of fun... or so I was told this past Super Bowl when I had friends over to watch it with me.
System edited: Updated Oppo to LE. Upgraded front speakers to Varity Audio Sarastro II. Better bass, treble and the same great midrange. Better definition, larger sound stage and do these babies disappear with a little work.
I talked with the person that owns Sarastro II. His upgrade was to sell the old Sarastro and buy new SarastroII. He felt the II's sounded better. I did not know that. He also said the upgrade price was not worth it to him and may not be for you either.
I just upgraded from the Ovations to the the Sarastro II a week ago. A freind of mine upgraded and said it was worth it. He said they sound better with a wider varity of music and alot better with rock music.
My amps with the Ovation sounded effortless with no sign of strain, this is through out the range of these speakers. I now have Sarastro II's and feel the same. With the Saratros thou the upper midrange and tweeter are so much sweeter and the definition is much better. There is also better bass control and lower bass all around. The midrange is about the same and is why I like the Varity line over the last 10 years or so. They are harder to setup correctly. Took a few hours compared to the Ovations.
Beautiful system. A music collection like that deserves a top flight audio system. One of the best systems I have heard was nagra electronics with Verity Speakers.
Well I loved my Nagra VPS so much I just bought a Nagra PLL to replace my BAT VK51SE (which I have owned for over 11 years - it started as a 50SE then upgraded).
I had to reposition my Wilson speakers a little to boost the bottom end (tuning type since the BAT was very weighty in the mids), now the PLL is giving much greater transparency, better dynamics, similar tonal balance, much better/sweeter top end and just that more real type of sound we like with our VPS.
I have the PL L stacked on top of my VFS and VPS. Looks kinda cool :).
