In my small dedicated listening room with vault ceilings this is the best system so far. Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage's which were some of the last pair to be brought into the US along with new Jadis JA 30 Mk2 Mono Blocks utilizing KT150's and Smooth Plate Telefunken tubes, a CAT SL1 Renaissance Black Path BPX with phono. The Linn LP12 Radikal D, Karousel/Kore is the front-end with a Lyra Kleos. Esoteric DV60 SACD player, Esoteric D-05 DAC, Alternate ss amp: Jeff Rowland model 8T modded by Jeff. Room tuning devices include the Real Traps Mondo Traps, Mini Traps and Shakti Hallograph's. Grand Prix Monaco amp stands. Audio Art SE-1 power cords with Furutech connectors.Zenwave power cord PL1 with Furutech NCF 50, Zenwave D2 Ultra ic's, Graceline 1.5 meter ic and Black Cat PC-1 Silverstar power cord for Rowland. Two REL T5i subs...running high level off the amp outputs and with Signal subwoofer cables and Supra pc's. Nessie Vinylcleaner.
@dayglow Subs have really improved in the last few years, as you noted. The older models most likely would not have worked with my SF's. The newer models blend in so that they are now invisible with the mains. Now getting them to do that does some considerable amount of work and experimentation, but it is possible. ( unlike in the past!)
Your room is slightly larger than mine, although your 8' ceiling is possibly a factor. If you can get the Sabrina X's to work in that space ( and I don't see why you cannot), then they are a good option. I don't think they will plumb the bottom end as well as monitors with two good subs. OTOH, they will be a lot easier to set up initially and if you are using the services of the dealer for this, then its going to be plug and play. No wrong answer here..
@dayglow Started out with just one sub. Added the second one to balance the system.
You ask an interesting question, whether it is better in a small room to go with stand mounts and add sub(s), or to go with a good floor stander? The Wilson Sabrina X is one of my favorite small floor standers, nice little speaker for a smaller room. However, the advantage of a monitor and subs brings to the equation is this...flexibility of placement. Moving subs around in the room ( particularly more than one) will allow for a more even balance in the bottom end, IME. Small rooms really do not give one too many options when it comes to placement of speakers.
Thank you alan 2. Yes, tube amps are special. I think if one can have both, tube and ss, it is a great idea. Both offer something that the other does not. No right answer though, it's all good.
noromance, great question...but there is a clear path to the left side of my mono blocks. The guitar case in the first picture usually isn't there. Therefore, accessing the LP12 is quite easy.
Thanks Dover. The Vishay loading resistors were actually soldered onto the input RCA loading plugs. I bought these from Micheal Percy. I will look into changing them to Vishay bulk foils. Thanks for the suggestion.
I am going to be soon replacing my current CAT with a new CAT SL 1 Renaissance BPX, so will probably wait till this is accomplished.
REL T5's replaced by REL T5i's. The newer design is more resolving and can plumb down more into the bottom end. Definitely an improvement on the older design.
Before the GH's I had a number of speakers. Including the Hales System 2 Signature's, Maggie 1.7's, Acoustat 3M's and a pair of PYE's. The Hales were the best of the rest. None of them hold candle to the GH's.
If you can source a pair of GH's, I would suggest jumping on them. Not easy to find, but with your REL sub would make your Linn speakers sound broken, and the Linn's are not bad speakers!
Added a new Lyra Kleos. Still in the break in stage, but so far...I'm seriously impressed! Far better imaging precision, resolution, dynamics, bass control, upper end air and extension than my prior cartridge. Amazing what these new design cartridges bring to the game.
Rolled in NOS Telefunken 12Au7's rib plates into the Jadis and rolled in NOS Siemens 12Au7's into the CAT line stage, replacing the Mullards.The Telefunken's are more 'musical' in the driver stage than the Siemens, and tons more resolving and 'musical' than the stock EH's!
Jeff Rowland has now modded my model 8. I am unsure, but this amp may be the only amp in existence that has the original choke power supply along with the latest transimpedance modules. The sound definitely took a leap forward in the resolution and transparency department.
Thanks Lloyd. I completely agree that the design of speakers is definitely part art and part science. I think Franco hit one out of the park with the GH's. To this day, there isn't a small speaker made that I would either trade for...or say is in any way superior to the GH's. Pavpet, why not start a systems page and show all of us your system with photos?...I am sure many of us would love to see your system..I know I would.
Pavpet, you replaced the new SF Guarneri Evolutions with the GH's! I wonder how many others have done that, LOL. Having heard the new Evolutions on several occasions, I would agree that to my taste the GH's are more to my liking. However, IF I owned the Guarneri Evolutions, I'm not sure I would sell them at a probable loss- and seek out the very hard to find GH's. My hat is off to you my friend.
Pavpet, so that we are clear... you are saying that you used to own the GH's and now do NOT own the GH's!! The speakers that you are referring to that are paired with your Wyetech's are the SF Guarneri Evolutions. A VERY different speaker, IMHO.
Quick question for Pavpet.. in your thread on 'what to buy' you state that you own the SF Evolutions...a very different speaker to the GH's!! Am I missing something here??
Charles, I think you misunderstood my point. My point is that you seem to believe that ALL SET's will be a better match to these speakers than any other type of amp. IME, that is absolutely NOT the case.( Nothing to do with Pavpet's likes or dislikes) IF Pavpet likes his 38 watt amps better than his previous higher powered AB amps, well that's great. I have to admit that I am a little suspicious that these amps will work well in a mid to large size room with the GH's, BUT since I haven't heard them, I am willing to be open minded about them. You on the other hand tend to just jump on the low powered SET band wagon and proclaim that these are great amps with the GH's. I think you REALLY need to understand that these speakers are NOT like your very high efficient Coincident's....these are a difficult load for most any amp. By suggesting otherwise, you may give the WRONG impression to anyone who is considering this speaker and IMHO that is a disservice. BTW, I will say this again, I own these speakers and listen to them on a daily basis ...you do NOT ( Plus, I know you have never heard the GH's). The fact that Pavpet likes his set-up is irrelevant to my points. We have no idea as to what Pavpet likes in his music reproduction or the size of his room. I may totally agree with his feelings or I may not...NOTHING to do with my opinion being more authoritative than his. At least he apparently owns the same speakers ( I say apparently as he doesn't seem to have a system page with any photos). I'm done on this conversation with you.
Charles, It is possible that the power supplies of the 38 watt/ch Wyetech are up to driving the SF GH's.... I wouldn't know as I have not heard this combo. However, anyone believing that a flea powered SET ( shall we say 20 watts or less) will work well with these speakers, IMHO simply doesn't know the speaker in question. Unless one likes the sound of distortion, then staying away from the flea powered SET is the order of the day. I know you love low powered SET's Charles...I get that; BUT please understand that there are some speakers and rooms that aren't optimal for these type of amps...I happen to believe from my listening experience, that the inefficient SF GH's are one of them. Until you have actually experienced this combo, low powered SET's ( say 40 watts.ch and less) and SF GH's, then I don't think you can refute this. BTW, we still don't know how loud Pavpet listens ( or the kind of music he listens to), or the size of his room.
I still believe that the SF GH's are NOT an easy load on an amp and are fairly inefficient. IMHO, matching them with low powered or flea powered SET amps is NOT going to result in a sound that most people will like, and therefore is not optimal. Clearly the size of one's room and the level to which one listens at are a factor. However, for those who are contemplating this speaker, I would suggest at least 45+ watts of stout power from the amp and much more if possible. Consider this-- my Jeff Rowland model 8 with 250 watts/ch even gets a work-out!
Paypet, interesting that 38 watts can drive the GH's. Like Charles1dad says, they must have very stout transformers. I know my ARC D70Mk2 with 65 watts/ch can drive the GH's...wasn't sure anything with much less than that would work. Presumably, you are using a small room and not pushing the amps too much. If I get a chance, I will try and source a pair of the Wyetech Labs 211's and listen for myself...thanks for the recommendation.
Baggs1, I don't know why you think I have Sold the ARC D70Mk2. I have NOT sold it. Still holds a very valuable place in my system. As for the ARC D115Mk2, I like this amp too, BUT I think that the smaller output amp (The D70mk2) is a little more magical in the midrange and has slightly more resolution than its larger sibling. IF you need more power than the D70Mk2's 65 watts, then the D115Mk2 is a great choice. If not, then I would go with the D70Mk2.
Onemug, I am a little surprised that the GH's work with flea powered amps, such as your 7wpc 300b SET, or for that matter with your 30wpc PP 300b. I presume you are listening at low levels in a very small room. In my room ( also very small), my JR model 8 gets fairly warm driving my GH's and it puts out 250watts/ch. I would have thought that my ARC D70Mk2 which puts out 60watts/ch would be the minimum power that would work with the GH's. What type of music are you listening to with the 7wpc amp? +1 on thanking Mr.Serblin, I think the GH's were as it turns out, his piece de resistance.
Hi Onemug, Thank you for posting that. I do remember Martin Collom's review of the GH's. When he says you cannot expect really high sound levels, especially in the bass, I have to agree with him. OTOH, yesterday I was listening to the Sheffield Labs Track LP, which as you know has some serious bass from the drum. With my REL T5 handing that duty, the music was as loud as anyone could want, the drum was in the room! The GH's exhibited no strain at all even though they are paired full range with the sub. My only point being that the GH's are lacking in bass....I believe everything from about 50Hz on down is MIA, but are a perfect candidate for matching with a fast sub..like the REL T5. BTW, I would love to hear the GH's with the Marantz 7c/8B combo you have, I'm sure it must sound really great. The GH"s LOVE tubes...I think I'm going to hook up my ARC D70Mk2 again today..Great listening.
Tboooe, you have a very good eye. I do indeed have no toe-in. The GH's are 38" from the rear wall and 19" from the side wall. My room is small...only 10' X11'! But the saving grace is a vault ceiling that goes to 13' at the highest point. Without acoustic treatments, this is a VERY tough room. With room treatments and precise placement of the speakers and sub, the system works great, IMO.
Hi Onemug and Tboooe. Onemug, LOL at the moment I have misplaced the owner's manual. I know it's somewhere in the house but I haven't seen it for a few months. ( Hope the wife hasn't gone on one of her throw it out jags, gulp!) Anyhow, as soon as I put my hands on it again, I'll get back to you. BTW, almost all of the M user's that I know who AB'ed against the GH's ended up selling their M's. Tboooe, my room isn't much bigger than yours, I would suggest a couple of Mondo Traps and maybe a couple of mini Traps. BTW, the Real Traps factory is good at answering basic questions. In some ways, I believe the smaller the room, the bigger the impact of room acoustic treatments. I highly recommend them.
Tboooe, I have the Real Traps Mondo Traps behind the speakers and a Real Traps Mini Trap behind the listening position. Improvements are easy to hear with acoustic room treatments, IMO. A general ease in the presentation due to a quieter environment allows one to hear more finite detail, more defined placement of instruments on the stage, more depth portrayal and more precise bass definition. IMHO, room acoustic treatments should be the #1 upgrade that people make to their system. In my case, it has elevated the system more than any other change I have made. BTW, If you can source a pair of original GH's vs. M's that is the way I would go. I think they would be a nice improvement over your Auditor's.
Thank you Highend64. I am still awed by the Rowland model 8, IMO it's still one of the very best ss amps, and I have heard nothing else that is significantly better. I think Jeff hit one out of the park when he came out with this amp.
Hi Pradeep, I am considering a second T5. However, I'm pretty happy with the set up right now and I'm not sure if a 2nd sub would overload the room a little. I'm also considering an upgrade to the TT...not sure what, but I'm leaning towards a Lingo 2 or 3.
Thanks, LLoyd. It is a real pleasure when everything works just so. Can't always count on that with tubes....BUT when tubes are singing, it makes up for all the hassles, at least IMHO.
The tube problem is resolved and now the NOS Mullards are sounding great. Better highs, more robust lows and more precise imaging are some of the benefits to these tubes. Again, tube rolling is IMHO a great way to go.
Hi Lloyd, I am still getting the Mullards to break in so I'm not sure of the sound yet. I think that the Mullards are very strong in the bass and are also quite able to open up the soundstage vs . my older tubes. However, a couple of days ago, i had one of the new tubes begin to go a little noisy on me with what seemed like a water bubbling sound and I am now watching this as it seems to be very intermittent. So far, that noise hasn't reoccurred so I am not sure if it has vanished or will rear its ugly head again. I love tubes, but you sure are always on the edge with them, never 100% sure of their reliability, LOL. Luckily, I bought mine from Kevin Deal and he gave me a warranty, so that's a BIG plus.
Lloyd, thank you for your thoughts. I had heard SF with Nordost on a few other occasions, but not with my GH's. Last year I tried Nordost Red Dawn 11 with my ARC and the GH's; I liked the combo so much that when the opportunity arose to go with the Frey's for the Rowland and GH's, I jumped. The Frey's are still breaking in,however, I am VERY impressed so far and would highly recommend them to anyone looking for new speaker cables, particularly if you own SF G's.
System edited: Added Nordost Frey bi-wire speaker cables. Superbly fast and detailed. Opens the soundstage and increased depth reproduction... a great speaker cable.
Jlind325is take a look at this thread: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1262216844&openflup&7&4#7
It fairly well sums up my opinions and a few others on the differences between GM and GH. Today, like many others, i am even more of the opinion that GM's are not even in the same league as GH's. GH's are just far superior.
If you have an opportunity to hear GH's, I think you may well like them a LOT better than the GM's. Many people, including myself do. I haven't heard the new GE's, BUT they had better be awfully darn good to better the GH's.
Thanks, Jlind325is, I am pretty sure what you are saying in regards to the price bracket is correct. I know that the B and G series subs are better, as they should be for the money. Only problem is I have tried a larger sub in my room and it simply overdrives the room. I suspect that the B or G would do the same thing, which is why I opted for the T5, which IMO, is phenomenal for the money and a great match for the size of my room and speed of the GH's. In a larger room, the choice would have been easier. BTW, which Guarneri's did you hear?
Jlind325is, I am fairly certain I am not overdriving the sub. When I say that the cabinet is fairly resonant, what I mean is that while the sub is playing, I can feel the cabinet resonate, this is at all volumes! Unlike my speakers, which when playing one cannot feel the cabinet moving at all. Like JA from Stereophile does in his tests, If one were to put an accelerometer on the cabinet, the REL would be showing to vibrate. Perhaps this is not impacting the sound of the REL, but I have my doubts. Another suggestion, that Lloydlee had come up with, is to place the Auralex Sub Dude under the sub. I see that you do that also, would seem to be a good idea and I will be ordering one. My T5 isn't rattling, but I do think some mass loading from the top will be VERY beneficial. That's my next project after I have rolled in new tubes into my tube gear.....as I said, NEVER ending and you're right it is FUN.
Thanks Jlind325is, I was considering upgrading the Speak-on cable as the stock unit is decidedly mediocre. Another upgrade would be some sort of vibration control applied to the top of the cabinet. The cabinet seems to be VERY resonant, which leads me to believe that it is contributing far too much to the picture. OTOH, the subwoofer is very good and as always, i am looking at all areas of my system that may constitute weakness. The one true thing that I have learned after all these years as an a'phile....there is ALWAYS something in the chain that constitutes the weak link..:0( The never ending story!
Pierre, that makes sense now. The connection to the preamp for the ground wire was suggested to me also by the REL rep, although I decided to go a slightly different route ( suggested to me by the ARC tech ) I'm sure now that your connection scheme is good. Please post some thoughts once your system is back online.
Lapierre, I am not sure I get your connection scheme for your B2... The left connection to the left amp and the right connection to the right amp sounds good, BUT where are you connecting the ground cable? If the B2 has the same connecting scheme as the T5, there are three leads from the Neutrik connector...right, left and ground. Not just positive and negative as it would seem in your post. BTW, do post a picture of your new room in your system pics when it is completed. Sounds like it will be great.
Hi Lapierre, I enjoyed a long listening session last night. I was utilizing my ARC D70Mk 2 and had the REL dialed in to a 'T'. What is so evident is that this subwoofer mates well with the mains and is invisible in the mix. As you know, my room is slightly smaller than yours, although the fact that you have two identical lengths (12X12) is problematical, I suspect that the REL T5 will match up well to your room. The addition of bass trapping was huge in my room and I can certainly recommend this in your room as well. The REL fleshes out the bottom octave or so superbly, as an example, while listening to the Concord Jazz Direct to Disc LP of LA4-Just Friends, ( a GREAT recording BUT hard to find and my copy is very noisy..:0( ) the bass just powers through along with the bass drum. Most of the impact of both of these instruments is MIA without the REL in the system. IMO, this robs the impact of the music on an LP like "Just Friends" . Only other point I want to make about the REL is the hook-up scheme, with the ARC being a balanced design, the hook up is not obvious. You cannot connect the REL as per the instructions! If you are utilizing a balanced design,such as in my instance wherein the amps 4ohm tap is a ground, then the connection is : left connector to the 8ohm left amp output, right connector to the right 8ohm connector and the ground to the 4ohm tap( either left or right). Hope this helps.
Branislav, the T5 is like most subs in my experience, a little bit difficult to integrate. However, what I really like about REL subs is that you can connect them up to the output of the amp; which allows for a more precise and true sound of what the sats see, at least IMHO. The REL T5 is perfect for a small room, it's very fast and fairly accurate sounding. With my SF GH's, which are 'lighting' fast...sometimes these are compared to 'stats', the sub is subtle enough and IMO quick enough to keep up. It did take me about two(2) weeks of experimentation to get the blend perfect, BUT now the sub disappears into the mix completely. You cannot tell where the sub is placed and more importantly, you cannot hear the x-over. For a small room like ours, i can think of no better sub regardless of price. What mains are you running?
Hi Branislav, my room is very small. .measures 10' X 11'. However, it enjoys a vault ceiling and is a dedicated audio room. I have carpet over slab floors and the room is on the ground floor, so nobody below ( except the Termites!!;0) )
Lloyd, thanks for the suggestion....will be something to consider in 2012. Happy New Year, BTW. I was pleasantly surprised at how much better the T5 performs than a Sunfire that I had briefly in my system a few years back. The T5 is just amazing in how it can energize the room and bring so many instruments into focus, with a foundation that has to be heard to be believed. The GH's are now able to 'focus' like a microscope on the mids and the highs and everything is just "of a piece". I had a fellow a'phile over for a listening session last night and his jaw fell to the floor once I started the system up. I'm pretty happy right now.
Fernando, I have lived with the T5 now for a few weeks and it is a real game changer! This sub is a MIGHTY mini. It took me quite awhile to get it to correctly blend with the ultra fast GH's, but now I am amazed at the punch and solidity that it brings to the bottom end. You really don't realize how much you are missing in the bottom end - foundation of music until you add a sub. Highly recommend the REL T5 for anyone with a small room and with smaller speakers.
Bigby,Obviously, I am a little biased towards the GH's..:0) I like the Cremona's as well, particularly the Cremona M's. However, in my room....which is pretty small, the GH's are much more of a piece than the original Cremona's when I had an opportunity to listen to both. I think I pretty much summed up my feelings of the GH's in my review under the A'gon review section. If you need more in the bottom end and have a bigger room; then I would look seriously at the Cremona's. OTOH, if you can budget for a sub as well, then I would still go with the GH's. IMHO, very few speakers can run with the GH's when set up correctly, including the Cremonas or for that matter even the Elipsa's!
Hi Deaf, like I said in the other thread, I have only heard the Peachtree Nova, not the idecco. The Nova left me very unimpressed. BTW, there is a review of your idecco in the current issue of Stereophile. FWIW, I think that there are a lot of products that are coming on the market now that are IMHO the equivalent to an audio Swiss Army knife; the examples that i have heard have all been mid-fi at best.
Deaf_in_left_eye, I think that there is no question that room acoustic treatments would be a MAJOR improvement in your room. The Real Traps are the 'real deal'..:0) in this regard. I think that toe-in can be important with the GH's, especially if you are plagued with side wall reflections. In my room, that's not really the problem and I actually run my GH's dead straight on with zero toe-in. I think the trick with the GH's and frankly most speakers is to get them as far from the rear wall as possible and also away from the side walls enough to allow as wide a stage as possible. The Mondo Traps in my room are greatly helping in the precision of placement of instruments on the stage and in helping increase the perceived silence between notes. Nonetheless, I still am of the opinion that your system's front end is its weakest link. Any improvement here will bring you great rewards at the speaker end.
Deaf_in_left_eye. I listen to a lot of jazz and some rock. I have a fairly extensive Blue Note collection that i listen to along with several good re-issues. The GH's will not go very low and do not reproduce well the likes of an organ. However, they will drop down to appx. 50Hz and maybe a little more in most rooms. If you want headbanging rock with loud levels, then these are absolutely NOT the speakers for you. OTOH, I think that with the right gear, the GH's will show their stuff and you most likely will be very happy. I suggested analog as a way to go, since a reasonably inexpensive analog rig can get you much farther than an inexpensive digital rig. The source is the most important aspect in our hobby, IMHO. If you loose information there, you cannot regain elsewhere. So, with that in mind, another suggestion would be to sell something that would allow you to upgrade just your source. If you only want to remain in digital, then I would suggest looking at a used stand alone DAC and Transport or possibly if budget allows an Ayre or maybe Bryston CD player. I am sure your amp/preamp isn't really up to the job either, however, the front end is currently your weakest link and I think you could upgrade the amp/preamp when funds become available. In the meantime, you would be enjoying your GH's a lot more.
Deaf_in_left_eye. It seems a shame to have to let go of the GH's. It's clear you are a music lover and would truly enjoy what the GH's are capable of. Perhaps you might want to, shall we say, re-align your existing system; by that I am thinking that you could sell your B&W's and your Yamaha's, along with your other gear and start over with the GH's.. I would then suggest a simple analog set-up, with a decent tube integrated amp, along with some inexpensive but good cabling that could bring you a long way to nirvana, The A'gon is a very good place to find gently used gear that will stretch your budget a long way. As an example, I picked up my ARC D70Mk2 gently used on the 'Gon; which has allowed me to put a great tube amp into my system for very little money. I'm sure that there are other members that post here that would be happy to assist you as well in your system build. That is another great thing about the A'gon site, IMHO. Just a thought....:0)
Deaf_in_left_eye. I think that you are NOT hearing the GH's anywhere near what they can do..:0( I suspect that your room with the plexiglass is part of the problem. OTOH, I'm afraid that your ancillary gear is nowhere near what the GH's need. The front end is part of the problem, toslink is not IMHO even hi-end. I still don't know what preamp you are using or cabling etc. However, I think it very safe to say that what you are hearing through the GH's is the true sound of the rest of gear along with a bad interaction with your room. Like I said before, the GH's are highly resolving and will spotlight faults upstream and with the room. When i rolled in my Nordost speaker cable in place of my Highwire cable, the speed and higher resolution of the Nordost was immediately noticeable. The GH's are so good that even differences in cabling are highly obvious.
Deaf... Can you tell me what other equipment you are using with the GH's? What is your room size and how are you positioning the GH's? I am not familiar with the Luxman or with the Mac pieces that you own.. Are they both ss amps? The GH's are VERY dependent on what is being fed to them upstream; any weak links there will be highly magnified by the GH's.
Deaf_in_left_eye, Great choice in speakers..:0) You might want to try an ARC D70 if you can get your hands on one... Mine has so far been very reliable and sounds sublime in this pairing. ( SF GH's and the D70mk2)However, I do think that the choice of tubes is very important in the D70. The Winged SED 6550's(in a quad set) are a must and a good driver tube is also important. Unless you can source good GE 6550's ( which is very difficult and pricey here in the US) then anything else besides the SED is asking for trouble, IMHO. The tube set up and the biasing needs to be done by a tech that preferably has a little ARC knowledge. But as I said, once this is done, everything should be fine. At the moment I am now working with room acoustic treatments, while I was always a little skeptical about these in the past ( due to a number of systems that I have heard that were IMHO worse than before treatment) I am beginning to see that this is the way to go; if you really want the GH's to go to the next level. I will report back later as to my findings.
Hi Fernando, the ARC is fully operational..:0) I finally replaced all the tubes and ended up with SED 6550's in the power section, JJ 6922's and GE NOS 6FQ7's as the drivers. After about an hour of warm up, the ARC/SF GH combo produced some of the best sound I have ever had in my listening room. Awesome imaging with pinpoint accuracy, airy and extended highs...Sara K's voice was there in the room! What surprised me the most though, was that the bass was as good or even better than my Jeff Rowland model 8! The CAT SL1 ( with my rolled in tubes) and the ARC D70Mk2 seemed to be a match made in heaven.... I now remember why so many prefer tubes to ss.... This ARC is something else!
System edited: Turns out my ARC D70 was modded to a Mk 11 version. The prior owner had forgotten and ARC just confirmed. Re-tubing with SED 6550's and NOS GE 6FQ7's. Not up yet.
OOPs, One of these days, I will figure out how to edit the post after it has been uploaded.Assuming, of course ,that this is possible on this site!.. should read SF GH's..
Well I am about to change my power cord for the Rowland, does anyone have any suggestions? ( Please remember that the amp has a choke power supply). Also, needs to have a 20 amp connection.
Added a pair of old Monster Interlink Ref A interconnect cables between the Headphone amp and the DVD front end. Amazing that even after all these years they are still very acceptable. A true classic design IMHO.
Thanks Lapierre, the system does seem to have a good synergy. The only component I am thinking of acquiring is a good tube amp.. So I am going to see if I can audition a few.. I like your Mac Mc275's and they will probably be on my short list.
Fernando, Thanks for reminding me of that. I happen to agree with you completely, many rooms I have heard have been treated to death ( which is very easy to do IMHO) and now sound lifeless and dull. My room actually has absorbtion in the way of large LP racks in the corners of the room that act to absorb some of the reflection to the corners. Like I said in my last post, I'm pretty happy with the sound right now. I had a friend over to listen last week and she felt it was the best system she had ever heard! So right now since it ain't broke I don't think I'm going to fix it :0) I'm really a big believer in a system 'locking in' and having a certain synergy with the room. Frankly if the room and the system don't work well together, then i feel most if not all room treatments are probably nothing more than a band-aid. Looking at Kodg's system, I wander how it would sound to me?
Kodg, you know I really like the sound of the system as it is....YIKES I'm beginning to sound UNLIKE a 'phile!! Maybe I should try some treatments, maybe treat the whole room, BUT what happens if it sucks the life out of the room. Damn you've got me thinking now, phew maybe I am a 'phile after all.....:0)
Jjhf5678, I actually have a couple of guitars. After many years I have boiled it down to an American Standard Tele in natural ash, a black eric clapton strat with noiseless pups and a Taylor 810 for acoustic. I use a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb with 2 12"s drivers for the amp and many effects and pedals. One of the effects is an amp modeler, which makes me wonder if an amp modeller in hi-end wouldn't be a bad idea... You know like you can model the Mark Levinson sound and then the Conrad-Johnson sound, The Halcro sound etc..:0)
Samhar, I live in San Diego. Not too close to Venice, Calif. I actually like many kinds of music, including jazz, blues, rock, classical and frankly anything that catches my ear, so to speak. I have heard from many people that the SF GH's really shine with a tube amp upstream. I am pretty happy with my Rowland but I also would like to try tubes and when I have heard Joules in the past I was impressed. I also like the CAT amps,( I currently use a CAT preamp) and maybe even Lamm's or AR's. My real problem is I don't want to sell the Rowland and so budget becomes a factor. :0(
Venice? Not sure if the citizens of Venice, Calif will like that remark..;0) Wish I could expand the size of my room as easily as the web expands the size of my system picture.
Musicfile, I live in S.Calif and even though prices of homes have dropped here a little, the room is still by far the most expensive component. In fact, it makes the price of all the other components pale in comparison. Your room is luckily much larger than mine but as you say it does dual duty, I agree that this is a major compromise.
Musicfile, your room also looks pretty small.. a nearfield listening experience. My room is 10'X11' with a vault ceiling. This is a dedicated listening room, but I am pretty sure it is the weakest part of my system. What size is your room?
Musicfile, I looked at your system too, would have to say the same thing, particulary liked the Sasons. My only major upgrade path would involve a much larger room. Here in S.Cal that is the most expensive part of the system by far!
Lloydelee21, Your comparison of the Gryphon to the Wavac should be interesting. I'm not sure if the Wavac's will have enough drive capability for the Strads though. When I heard the Gryphon's in the past, they seemed a little dry and uninvolving for my taste; you might want to see if you can lay your hands on some Lamm's or CAT's. BTW, I am sticking with bi-wire for now, the G's seem to be very happy.
Jskg, I agree with you that tubes are generally more transparent. That's why I am still contemplating adding a tube amp. Also, the G's seem to love tubes. Interesting that you do not find your LP140's to give off much heat. My old Melos tube amp used to act like a space heater after a very short time.
Jskg, I have heard the CJ LP140M's and they do sound great with the G's. Have not heard the CT5, is this the normal partner for the LP140M's from CJ? I heard the LP140M's with the ART preamp ( first version). I was tempted to trade in my CAT/Rowland combo for this setup, but in my small room, tube amps are a little too hot. ( Although I am still contemplating adding a tube amp and living with the heat) The CAT/Rowland combo does somethings better than the LP140's/ART combo, mainly in the bottom end and in the reproduction of timbre. The CJ's are a little more adept at soundstaging and I loved their depth portrayal.
Linnie01, Great eye, that is indeed an old Fender case on the floor, it holds my AS Tele. I also have a Tweed strat case next to it, but couldn't get it in the picture.
Igor, Wow, if you liked the Counterpoint you have not heard anything till you try the CAT. I used to own the Counterpoint SA 3000 and replaced it with CAT. The CAT is in a totally different league and that's an understatement. Like removing a massive veil on the music. I will try the CAT amps and the Atmasphere's. Now very curious to hear a tube amp with the G's. The Rowland Model 8 is no slouch so this should be very interesting. Do you use the Valhallas on your rig? Dave
Igor, Have you tried any other tube amps besides the Atmasphere's? Any ss. amps? I am also very interested in hearing the CAT amps and the Joule amps on the G's. From what I have been told the ultimate tube amps for the G's are the CAT's. I own a CAT preamp and it is one of the best pre-amps I have ever heard. Head and shoulders above most if not all the competition IMHO.
Igor, Several people have suggested the MA-60's or the MA-1's. I will try and do a demo with these amps if possible. The Rowland with choke is the best ss. amp I have heard. But,I am sure that a great tube amp would be magical on the G's. Curious what amp you use to drive your G's?
Chipman, once you have heard the M's, I suspect that you like I will be glad you own the Hommage's. Joey, I also listened to the Cremona's. IMHO they are not really in the same league as the G's. The Cremonas do have more bass and can probably play louder ( although this is not something I really tested) However, compared to the G's in my room they were no contest in any other area you care to mention.
Palasr, the knobs on top of the plinth are called Sound Cat's that are unfortunately no longer available. Basically they are a rubber based dampener with a inner concentric ring made of brass that lift the cover about 1 1/2". They were sold to owners like myself that mounted WTA arms, since these arms are too tall to allow the cover to sit on the table with that arm installed. The Sound Cat's can be removed from the plinth when the cover is not being used.
Joey, That is a good question,the new Memento's have the ring radiator. Sourced from Scanspeak I believe. IMHO, the Dynaudio Esotar in the Guarneri Hommage ( which are my version) sounds smoother and is more extended than the radiator in the Memento.( Having heard both) Also, the Hommage uses the Audio Technologie mid/bass driver( which I also feel is a superior mid/bass driver to the Memento's ( a 150mm doped paper unit I suspect sourced from Dynaudio) and has the ability to be bi-wired which the Memento does not. ( This is again IMHO a major drawback, since I am a very strong believer in bi-wiring).Lastly, the Memento's cabinet are made solely from Maple and again appear inferior to the Hommage's. The Memento's are also far more expensive. I still would have considered them if I thought they were actually superior, however, like many things in audio, the latest sometimes can be a marketing gimmick and actually I believe they are inferior.
John, I have a very small dedicated room for the system... appx 10X11 with a vault ceiling that extends to 15'. I doubt any speaker could reproduce bass in this room. The Hales I had previously were very good for their time, but the Guarneri's are in a different league. I have heard many speakers in the last 25 years since I started in this hobby and the G's are my current reference. Incredible ability to portray lifelike imaging ( given room size of course) great depth and tremendous high freq air. I play small ensemble, solo string instruments and blues. I also like voice and intimate recordings with great warmth. Nothing I have ever heard is better than the G's in this regard. When I move to a larger room ( If I do) then I might use a sub. It will be a major issue to get one that will work with the G's though.
System edited: New Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage. They are the best speaker I have ever heard and I have been an audiophile for over 25 years! With the Rowland and the CAT, the Guarneri's come to life!
System edited: Will add pics of the Guarneri's soon. They are IMHO some of the most beautiful sounding and looking speakers I have ever heard. I bought these brand new and they are still breaking in. With the Rowland amp and CAT pre-amp they are magnificent.
Dgad, My X-over is stock, however, Paul changed the x-over connectors and the tweets towards the end of the run of the Sig 2's. Mine are a very late pair with all the later changes. The tweets are still MB Quart but are round and are apparently slightly more efficient than the previous version. The connectors on the speakers and the x-overs were also changed to copper Cardas models. The foam that was originally on the ealier units was also built into the grilles.
Thanks guys, The Hales displaced a pair of very modded Acoustat 3's. Like all speakers though, as soon as the manufacturer went out of business, the speakers plummeted in value. So, like Jsujo says, I feel that in the used market today they are simply a steal. Oddly, while I once in the while get the upgrade itch, I have not really heard any speakers that are that much better that I have to have them. Although the Kharma's came pretty close.
