This system is nine years in the making. It used to be a combined home theater and stereo system. Four years ago I eliminated the home theater and refined the two channel stereo. The most recent changes have been the addition of a Metrum Octave Mk.II DAC, to replace a Peachtree iDecco and upgraded drivers to my Zu Audio Essence speakers. While the new Metrum DAC resulted in a startling improvement in the system's digital audio presentation, it was the new Zu Audio nanotech drivers that have made the most dramatic improvement to the system as a whole.
Amazing mono block amplifiers. Speed, clarity, detail, I'll never part with these...
VPI Industries Scout
Upgraded Scout: Vpi scoutmaster acrylic platter, Vpi ring and record clamp, Vpi super feet.
Vpi Industries Synchronous Drive
Sets speed stability on the turntable motor.
Zu Audio Essence Mk. 1-b
My latest acquisition. Much maligned, unfairly. Amazing detail, great dynamics, wonderful soundstage, great lower midrange onto the bass. A bit shy on the last octave, but great all around performer. Shockingly good match to my amps, spooky realism.
Zu Audio Mini-Method
Sealed cabinet, 2 10" drivers.
Zu Audio Bok
Significantly reduced my noise floor. The last bit of sonic holography is due to these marvels...
Zu Audio Mission
All my RCA interconnects are Zu Audio Missions.
Zu Audio Libtec
Short run speaker cables. They are reputed to be the most appropriate to power the Zu Essence speakers.
Linn Linto
This is a very nice, accurate, detailed phono stage.
Benz Micro L2 MC
Glorious wood bodied moving coil cartridge. Very detailed, yet smooth and dynamic without getting harsh at the top end except with the hottest recordings...
Metrum Acoustics Octave Mk. II
Beautifully clear sounding non-oversampling DAC.
iFi Audio iUSB
Power isolator for USB transport
iFi Audio Gemini
Dual USB cable.
Furman Elite 20 PF
Line cleaner, hooks up my front end, clean unadulterated sound.
Denon 2910
Universal player.
Salamander Archetype 5.0
Solid and adjustable audiophile rack.
Apple Computer 2012 Mac Mini
16 GB RAM, alternately running Pure Music and Amarra.
Well, you certainly proved your point regarding patience and computers. We all have had our moments with the damned things. I generally manage them fairly well... a few operator errors along the way.
Yeah, I read Harvey Rosenberg's review of my amplifiers a long time ago. His review certainly influenced my decision to buy them. I really took a chance with them at the time because my speakers were not optimal for SET amps. The original setup did not do the amps justice, but even then I could tell that the SET sound was quite special. I ended up bi-amping the speakers, using a tubed active crossover, to great success. I remember how shocked I was at the realism and detail...
In all fairness, it is partly my fault. I should have checked the M2Tech site to see if there was a problem before upgrading the OS. Also, it really is not a problem of the media, but the transport. I certainly won't have aproblem sharing what we learn. I imagine Charles won't either. It seems to me that the only way we really can make our way through this strange hobby, considering how difficult it is to audition any of the equipment, is by collaborating and trying to give as faithful an account of our experiences. I know that I owe a great debt to all those who have shared their knowledge in this forum. Their shared experience built my system.
I would be very happy to get together. I am a little frustrated right now because my digital gear is out of commission. Apple upgraded its operating system and it has rendered the M2Tech driver on my Metrum Octave inoperable. Supposedly M2Tech is working on upgrading their driver. As soon as they do that I will contact you so that we can arrange for a session...
Yes, I remember when we talked about getting together to audition each other's systems. I certainly would like to do that. I think that you are probably right, that our systems will share a similar presentation. However, I have to admit that your system is much further along in refinement and coherence at this point. You clearly have taken much care to isolate your system from power line nasties and have invested rather well in vibration control mechanisms... and I imagine your line stage puts mine to shame.
I am quite curious about the differences between my Manley amps and your Franks. I am betting that your Franks will be smoother and more detailed overall. I have often considered switching to them, but I wonder whether I would miss the flexibility that the feedback control on my Manleys provide. Also, I am really curious about your speakers. I think that the perceived differences between our speakers would have been quite stark if we had auditioned them prior to the cap and driver upgrade that I just got. I was never quite content with my Zu's before the upgrade. I felt that they were a bit lacking in microdynamic detail and provided too shallow a soundstage... especially considering what I knew the 300b's could do. The driver and cap upgrade eliminated those issues. I think that the interesting comparison between our speakers will bear upon the single vs multiple driver approach to speaker design. I imagine that differences speed, dynamics and, perhaps, midrange voicing will be readily apparent.
So, yes, I think that getting together to compare systems would be both illuminating and quite enjoyable... it would be particularly fun to trade stories with a fellow 300b journeyman. And, I promise not to play my Zu's too loud. Too loud is all too easy now that they are 16ohm 100db efficient.
Thank you, Charles, that means a lot coming from you. I would have great difficulty imagining a system that would be on par with yours! Ha, no, I can't see myself ever "going back." I expect I am only going further in...
We live quite close to each other, perhaps we could audition each other's systems sometime... I'd love to compare your Yamamoto to my Octave, amongst other things.
