My objective is to duplicate the sound of a good jazz venue as best I can. I'll never match it but getting close is fine. I've had various audio components through the years and tubes particularly DHT tubes/ASSET have gotten me the closest. So this is where I will settle down and appreciate.
Balanced AC power is fantastic !! 1800va balanced isolation transformer/conditioner. All aspects of music reproduction are improved for every single component.
Tripoint Tripoint Troy.
A wonderful grounding box component. When added to my system it increased the sense of natural sound quality and emotional engagement. The Troy has a humanistic and “soulful “ quality to it.
Coincident Speaker Tech Total eclipse 2
This wonderful speaker is transparent,open and involving. It`s large yet completely disappears as the source of sound within the room. Very easy to drive,94db and 14 0hm impedance (Minimum 10 ohm). I replaced the stock Solens capacitor with the Duelund CAST in the crossover.
Coincident Statement linestage
Superb performance. In my opinion , a masterpiece by Israel Blume. As would be expected, a wonderful match with its sibling the Frankenstein MK II.
Coincident Speaker Tech Frankenstein mark 2
A terrific 300b SET amplifier that is the foundation of my system. The EML XLS 300b tubes are a superb match with this amplifier.
Acquiring these 300b SET mono blocks changed the course of my music listening experience. They elevated the emotional engagement, tactility and “breath of life “ realism.
Yamamoto YDA-01
Wonderful music lover's DAC that has a very natural/organic sound quality. Duelund CAST addition(output coupling capacitors) makes it sound even better. It has a very minimalist circuit/design that was implemented well.
Ocellia Silver Reference IC
Very natural and pure sounding with excellent tone and timbre preservation.
Ocellia Silver Reference Speaker Cable
Same qualities/ comments as the IC.
Star Sound Technologies Sistrum Apprentice component platforms..
These Star Sound platforms are mandatory in my system. Effectively managing resonance and vibration leads to a very noticeable sound improvement with every component and especially the speakers. Excellent product.
High Fidelity CT1 Ultimate Digital cable
A highly impressive digital cable that mates beautifully into my system. Contributes to the natural sound presentation.
Pro-Ject Audio Systems CD Box RS2T
This is a superb Redbook CD playback transport. It’s both high resolution and impressively natural.
. I’m using the excellent Fidelizer Nikola II LPS. Splendid pairing.
Lavricables Grand and Master series Power Cables.
Pure silver wire and unshielded power cables. These are used with all of my audio components. They are very open, transparent, high resolution with beautiful natural tone and timbre presentation.
Abbas Esoteric Audio 3.2SE
Built by renown Ukrainian Abbas Zulfugarov. NOS DAC utilizing the classic Phillips TDA 1541 multi bit chip. Two 6080 tubes in the analog stage. 5 various rectifier tubes in the power supplies.
3 separate toroidal transformers (And 2 chokes ) for the power supplies.A very serious and successful upper tier DAC implementation. Using with the Abbas SPDIF and power cable.
Agear, All you have to do.... Just get a full line of Coincident gear, which is made for each other, btw. Plug the stuff together. Throw some doo-dads underneath here and there. Sure, change a couple things, if you want. Only listen to the very best music available. How hard is that to do? I mean really? HA
Charles, Agear, I don't know about anyone else, but I sure got a chuckle out of the "victory parade" comment. Isn't that what this pursuit is about, chasing the best music reproduction you can manage, given your own unique set of circumastances?
I'm sure, like most of us, you must have had times when things would not go your way, but that is what eventually gets us where we want to be. Some of us suffer through more "learning" than others, but with perserverance, we eventually make it to our own individual "summit of listening pleasure" spot.
According to Robert at SS, the apprentice stand was favorably compared to the Ultra 5s which represent the TOTL product in a magazine review which should be forthcoming. This bodes well for SS, and remember, the apprentice is their base model.
Charles. we may soon grow weary of your victory parade. You have had one success after another which is atypical for audio. No fair....
08-18-13: Charles1dad Given the considerable price gap between the Apprentice and the Stillpoints(particularly the Ultra) I suspect two different buyer groups.However with the known effectiveness of the Apprentice it`d be interesting purely on a performance/result basis. Charles
That is also my basis of interest. Stillpoints Ultra seem to be the current gold standard in isolation devices, and I would be curious to see if their performance is indeed superior or inferior to the Sistrum products.
Given the considerable price gap between the Apprentice and the Stillpoints(particularly the Ultra) I suspect two different buyer groups.However with the known effectiveness of the Apprentice it`d be interesting purely on a performance/result basis. Charles,
Two things...First, I want to affirm what Agear said, and I forgot to mention. I was told when I got the Sistrum speaker platforms that they would need some days to settle in by Robert, which in my mind, I did not believe. He specifically mentioned that I would perceive that the bass was in some way diminished. Well, surprise, it was true. It was about 5 days before I realized the amazing difference the platforms made, although there was a very noticeable one from the day they were installed. Now, at the risk of being thought completely nuts, I will say that the same thing has occurred with the Apprentice platform underneath my transport. I was a little underwhelmed for the first few days, but as of yesterday, I can easily hear the differences (improvements) from the next room. It is really impossible to describe the relaxed sense of organization and flow, as well as previously hidden gradations of volume and other nuances that appear when vibration is drained away from a component efficiently. Second, I too would be very interested in a head to head comparison between the Apprentice platforms and the much vaunted Stillpoints, especially the ultra.
Agear, I thank you for the insightful impressions you gave me last week.I`ll look into the threaded support option also. Robert did mention that the sound improves noticeably with a few days of settling in(I`m happy with them now). In the last year Star Sound,Duelund CAST,High Fidelity CTI-U Digital cable and even the Synergistic Research Quantum fuses(yep,they made a difference) all have been very significant upgrades in my system without any change/swapping of my core components. Its been a very good year as a result of this fine tuning. Charles,
On my Gamma Summits, the Sistrum apprentice stands with threaded bolts in addition to the points made them more stable than Stillpoints and better sounding too. With a heavy floor stander and low profile stands like the apprentice, you should be fine if you add the threaded inserts. On heavy floor standing speakers with a broad base (Zu IVs for example), they are very, very stable with points only.
Also remember that there is a settling time. It will mellow out and get fuller and honestly better sounding over the course of a week or so...
Just looking in. Way back close to the last century I had my Dunlavy SC4's on 101's. I too had a dedicated room in a walk out basement no pets and kids old enough to know better. The platforms made it for me.
Speaker profiles such as the one you have were one of many prompts that made for the design of the Sistrum Apprentice..adaptable low profile and low center of gravity.
You probably now have a wall to wall floor to ceiling sound stage. Enjoy! Tom. Star Sound Technologies.
I know that I have sounded like a paid shill on these forums since I got my SP101 platforms, but now you know why. I sincerely believe that anyone that does not use the SP 101 or the Apprentice platforms has not heard what their speaker is capable of. Congrats Charles, and enjoy the music.
Charles, what a difference the Apprentice made. I couldn't believe the degree in change. I hear no negative problems with the platforms only positive. The slight edge that may have been present on peaks is totally gone. In place is a beautiful tonality that is more open, dimensional, and more musical than before. Enjoy my friend.
I was able to place the speakers on the Apprentice stands with help from my good friend Jwm (jeff), it's a two man job for certain. Once placed the tall speakers are fairly stable but not to the degree of the Coincident outrigger cones. My room is in a finished basement there re no pets and my kids are grown and out of our home. So I'm reasonably comfortable with the set up on the platforms.
In terms of their effect on the sound, they're a homerun! Talk about immediate and blatantly obvious improvement, wow, they improved the system's music reproduction dramatically. Resolution, openness, transparency, dynamic contrast it's all better.there is a more spacious and venue atmosphere awareness, tone and harmonics get even better. Jeff and I were both surprised, not that there's improvement but the unexpected magnitude and its undeniable presence.
As others had predicted, the increased performance is greatest with the speakers. This is a near mandatory asset for an audio system. Big sonic gain for relatively modest cost. Thanks Robert. Charles,
Roxy54, When you effectively address the vibration generated in a system the improved sound quality is undeniable. I've been very pleased with the musicality and sound of my digital source for quite some time. I achieved the natural/organic character that was desired, there's much emotion and involvement. The tonality, harmonics and timbre remain organic but with increased resolution, ambience and the nuances/subtle aspects of the music. I'm glad I bought these platforms. If they don't work with the speakers I may ask Robert to make something custom that screws in and provides a wider footprint. I want this vibration/resonance solution for the speakers very much. Charles,
Understood. Stability is less of a factor for me because my speakers are wider and I have no kids in the house. I also wanted to mention that the Apprentice under my transport has finally banished one of my biggest issues with my all-digital system; the sound of pianos. I always perceived a ringing in piano notes, almost regardless of the recording, that really annoyed me. It is now 95% gone, and for me, that is a very big plus, as I very much enjoy jazz piano.
Hi Roxy54, I'm a firm believer in the"Live Vibe" mechanical grounding concept, the proof is heard in my system, the music presentation improved . I don't question the potentially greater effect with the speakers, it's a matter of stability on the Apprentice platforms with narrow footprint speakers that are 52 inches tall and heavy. Charles,
Charles1dad, That is great. I'm confident that if Robert recommends it, you will be more than happy. More than ever before, your speakers will disappear. More than that, vibrational energy being efficiently drained to ground has the effect of clarifying all of the frequencies as well as giving the perception of more fluid rhythms and less overhang. I used outriggers like you in the past, and they were effective, but this is a different and higher degree of improvement. I will be anxious to hear what you experience with them.
Hi Roxy54, Thanks for the very kind comment on my system. I have the Sistrum 101 beneath the Frankenstein SET amplifiers and love the results. Grannyring (bill) is correct, they won't support the tall and narrow Coincident speaker in a stable manner. Robert of Star Sound is aware of that and suggested the Apprentice platforms as a more secure option. If this works and is stable, then good. If not I'll return them, but keep the remaining Apprentices for my components (these are really working out well there).
Talk to Robert. They make a brass threaded screw insert for the speaker base in addition to the points. This locks in the stand pretty firmly and should be stable
I had the 101's on several occasions, but they are not a stable platform for speakers ....easy to tip over. One of mine did! They improved the sound wonderfully but.....dangerous!
Charles1dad, I am so happy to hear that you took the leap and bought the Apprentice supports. I just did the same for under my Pioneer PDS-95 transport, and the improvement was immediately noticeable, even though that transport is heroically built. That said, the biggest difference by far will be the Sistrum beneath your speakers. You will kick yourself for not doing it sooner. If you can afford it, the SP 101 platforms are the way to go, as they are the fullest realization of the mechanical grounding, vibration draining concept. They make a huge difference, and Robert at Starsound is a great guy. You have a super system, much better than my own, and it deserves it.
Brf, Will get the speakers on the platforms soon. What's your long term verdict on the Duelund CAST capacitor in your Total Eclipse speakers? Charles,
Agear, Given the sucess with my components I'm eager to hear their effect with the speakers. The Apprentice platforms are surprising heavy and very solid, they have a understated elegance and form follows function aura to them. It's very apparent the folks at Star Sound know what they're doing. I'm listening to Freddie Hubbard right now and the natural brass tone of his trumpet and true
Hey Charles, that's great news. The biggest impact will be under your speakers although it will be a chore from an engineering standpoint.
Due to my 18 month old, I sold my Gamma Summit speakers which are a 100 lb monitor that was somewhat mobile. I am getting a floor stander from Dale (same company) that will be mounted on apprentice stands.
