System edited: Haven't looked at this in a long while. Traded the old Dream speaker cables in for the V10 hoping it would solve the bottom end. It did. And it improved everywhere else, too. So much so that the old Dream should be considered obsolete IMHO.
System edited: Well, I made an impulse buy on a set of Stealth Dream speaker cables. Unfortunately, they seem to be missing some bottom end. Ever heard a brand new speaker? The Dream's bottom end sounds like a brand new woofer - you can hear the attack on the notes but they sound "clear" instead of like an actual bass note. Also, I found almost everything else about the Dream to only marginally outperform the MLT Hybrids except for vocal separation, which is simply out of this world when listening to vocal harmonies. Enough to justify the expense? I don't know. I'm toying with the idea of picking up another set of Hybrid MLTs to see if biwire MLTs might be a better next step for me than the Dream. My experience with the Dream speaker cables is absolutely contrary to every other post I've seen on audiogon. They all indicate the Dream are a multiple-level leap of the Hybrid MLT in every way. Perhaps I need to play with repositioning the speakers closer to the wall behind them to give me better bass performance? I'm also starting to look in to a computer-based front end, but the learning curve is vertical and I fear the technology is evolving quickly enough that today's DACs may be obsolete in just a couple years with the implementation of HDMI as an I/O option. Even without the emergence of HDMI I fear other aspects of computer-based systems will evolve to make today's computer-based audio investment an even poorer one than its "conventional" counterpart. Thoughts on the Dream or the computer-based front end greatly appreciated!
Howdy, Pat. When Steve came down to deliver the speakers he had specific recommendations for loading the stands. We drove out to a gun dealer together and got lead shot for the front posts of the stands, and cat litter for the larger rear chamber. To be honest I had forgotten someone once recommended something else in the chambers, and I've never tried anything else.
New speaker cables, Stealth Dream, should be arriving at the end of this week. Hopefully what I've read here about the Dream being many notches up from the MLT will be true in my system and take it to yet another level.
Howard did you ever get around to loading the stands with sand or leadshot - are you using the supplied spikes I have mine tipped up a bit as I listen nearfield