Cain & Cain, Custom 300B, Digital Source

Description

This is a living room system with a digital source. Currently a streamer with cd transport removed. The amp is a 300B SET circuit by JC Morrison, modified and built by Blackie Pagano, with one half of a 6SN7 direct-coupled to the second half in the driver stage. There is a cap in the signal path. Right now, I have an Audio Note silver cap in there. My current tube compliment: Side Getter Short Bottle RCA 6SN7 GT, Takatsuki TA-300, and RCA 5R4. The amp has Tango NY15 3.5S output transformers and strong, choke-filtered power.

The speakers are Cain & Cain IM Bens with 6.5" Fostex drivers and super tweeters. Bass is augmented with two Cain & Cain Bailey subwoofers each powered by a Dayton plate amp.

In 2015 I went from a dedicated, very small room, to a much larger living room. This has its positives and negatives. It is not always convenient finding opportunities to listen to loud music in a shared living space but the system sounds better now than it did in that tiny room.

My source is an Emm Labs DCC2SE with a blue sound node 2i as a transport and a streamer.

When I am not listening to speakers, I listen to headphones. When I am not listening to the large system, I also have a smaller desktop system in an office. The speakers are very old Klipsch KM2, in need of upgrading. I use a Moon Audio Dragon IHA-1 for headphones and as a preamp with a Peter Daniel Patek Gainclone for power. A Cambridge Audio DacMagic output to the IHA-1.

Room Details

Dimensions: 25’ × 30’ X large
Ceiling: 9’

Components Toggle details

- Cain and Cain IM Ben + Bailey
Backloaded Horn 6 inch Fostex 168E Sigma driver plus super tweeter. This is the intermediate size double horn by Cain & Cain. For bass duties, there are two Bailey Subwoofers with two Dayton SP250 plate amplifiers. The Bens are running full range through the plate amps.
- Custom Amp 300B SET
Dual mono custom 300B SET built by Blackie Pagano. Tango NY15 3.5S output iron, separate power and signal chassis.
- Tubesville by Blackie Pagano Duality
Another shot of the signal chassis
- Tango NY15 3.5S
Output transformer upgrade installed by Steve Berger.
- Emm Labs DCC2 SE
Signature Edition DAC/Preamp
- Emm Labs CDSD SE
Signature Edition CDSD redbook/SACD transport
- 47 Labs Ota
Single strand copper
- 47 Labs Ota
My favorite interconnect.
- ATS Acoustics Acoustic panels and bass traps
2' by 2' panels and bass traps. I suppose the artwork is a kind of diffusion...
- ATS Acoustics Acoustic panels and bass traps
2' by 2' panels and bass traps
- Audio Note Silver/Mylar Capacitor
%99.99 pure silver capacitor.
- Audio Sector Patek SE
50 WPC Gainclone built by Peter Daniel. A nice solid state backup/alternative.
- Oppo BDP-103
Disc player used as a transport and music streamer.
- Moon Audio Dragon Inspire IHA-1
This is tube preamp/headphone amp. I really enjoy it in my desktop system.
- Cambridge Audio Dacmagic 100
A general purpose DAC with lots of switchable inputs. Desktop system. I am using three out of the four inputs, USB from Mac Mini, SPDIF from Direct TV box, and TOS from Xbox.
- Sennheiser HD800S
I love these headphones. They sound great with both the Moon Audio IHA-1 or the Tubesville amp. Paired with a Kimber Axios Copper cable.

Comments 95

Showing all comments by musikaladin.

View all comments

One thing I never saw being mentioned in a forum: Use "oil on canvas" pictures to reduce the mostly unwanted 1st reflections from walls. Selfspoken without glass in front of them...

Good way to find the right positions: Ask sombody for assistance holding a mirror against the wall, when you can see the speakers from your listening position you know where to hang them.

musikaladin November 04, 2010 07:00

...glad to see that there are others who's creativity goes beyond combining stuff from the shelf...could imagine that this setup sounds great...

musikaladin November 02, 2010 18:16

Audiogon

Forum

Bluebook

Merch