I just replaced the Airy 3X sb, and as much as I liked the Airy 3, the UNIverse is simply that much better. I can't wai till it's broken in and doing everything it should. It has so much more weight and authority, and speed.
TriPlanar VII
black and silver. I've never seen an arm so versatile and easy to setup.
Sota Cosmos sIV (the first one!)
Black plex finish
Pass Labs X-ONO
Excellent industrial chic. Nearly as quiet a phonostage as money can buy, with great sound reproduction.
Pursit Audio Design Venustus
1.5 meter interconnect.
Sony SC-D777es
sacd, 1 bit. Modded by Richard Kern in Dec 2005. added new superclock and replaced all caps with Black Gates. The sound is much less 'digital.'
Purist Venustus
1.5 meter IC
Klyne Audio Arts 7LX-3.5b
This is upgraded to newer than the 3.5 version and includes balanced inputs. VERY musical.
Purist Dominus, 4 meter
4 meter pair of the liquid filled Dominus between the pre-amp and amp. The best cable I have ever heard.
Classe Audio Omicron
350 wpc, nearly 300lbs! IMO this has all the benefits of SS w/o the harsh realities. Much more musical than the Krell FPB 700cx I had previously.
Purist Dominus PC - 2
Using two Dominus PCs on the Classe amplifier
Purist Venustus
1.5 meter pair
Harmonic Precision Caravelle
Smallish two way with the original stand.
Sistrum SP-1 (?)
I bought five shelves with the solid top for the Sota Cosmos table. This is a great rack. If a person spent twice the money they might be able to get something better, but is it twice as good? The picture is just the top shelf. [url]http://starsound.biz/multiplatforms.HTML[/url] gives more info.
Purist Venustus PCs (2)
On the Sota power supply and the Klyne power supply.
Exact Power EP15A
I don't know what this thing is doing, but it sure does it better than the Tice Power Block...
Custom made Brass cones
A machinist associate agreed to make several sets of brass cone to use under my phono stage and pre-amp
Doug, before I bought my EP15A I read up a bit in different threads and some people seemed to love them while others did not get the benefit they thought they might... After reading and talking to Mehran I decided it was worth the risk.
Nothing works for everyone! Cuz not everyone has ears as good as mine, that's a sad joke...
I'm still not settled for VTA on the Sota but I'm getting closer. I don't have Pauls ears so I'll just leave it when I get to where I should be, although I thought about putting a mark on the top of the TriPlanar where it generally works best for 120g, 180g and 200g playback.
Wow, I must say that the Exact Power EP 15 A is amazing in my system. I know there has been some controversy in regard to this unit, but ever since it arrived from Sorasound my system has sounded markedly better. I have gotten a second opinion lest anyone think I have been stewing in my own juices to long to know the difference... The other sets of ears were as impressed as I, I think...
It added a level of refinement, and solidified the bass, while adding more air to the presentation.
The Exact Power replaced a older Tice PowerBlock II which I have been using for about ten years. I have been wondering for a while if the PowerBlock was not a limiting factor in my system now, but since I needed the outlets I was not able to unplug it and test the system without it...
The improvement was immediate. I was waiting for a while to say anthing because I wanted to see if additional time would add to it's performance, but what I got out of the box was what I have now with about ten days on the unit.
They are not cheap, but I do think they are worth the money!
I guess I'll have to look into the Symposium products!
The Sota Cosmos IV (the very first one released from Sota) is an improvement over the version III. The ratio between the top of the armboard and the top of the platter allows for more flexability when it comes to arm selection, and VTA adjustability. Right now I am running it with all the suspension cancelled, so it's hard to comment on the sound as it is intended to be used.
The table seems to have much more authority than the previous version. I must admit that I'm still playing with VTA though...
Larry, Steve mentioned that you were pretty happy with Roller Blocks. I've never used them. I have tried Aurios bearings and brass cones, and I have one set of Stillpoints under my amp now. I think the Stillpoints were well worth the money. How would you compare the two, or have you had the chance to compare them?
What changes should I notice as the Exact Power gets more hours?
System edited: The Exact Power AP15A arrived this morning. It sat in my truck for about five or six hours before I got to bring it home and put it in place. I have had the Tice Power Block for years and struggled with the question: "Is this helping or hindering? After the AC15A was on for two minutes I had my answer. The differences were all on the positive side and too obvious to ignore. The low end is much more authoratative, and the noise floor has dropped again. There is much more definition to the soundstage, but not at the cost of loosing musicality (like some companies do with their gear). I'm sure there is more improvement to come as the unit gets to temperatures above freezing. It's being going for about three hours now, and the wow factor continues to grow... :o
System edited: I will do a review of the new Cosmos when time allows, but anyone with a series II or III needs to seriously consider this upgrade. It makes the Cosmos on of the best tables money can buy, at a reasonable (comparitively) price.
Vetterone and I has talked about doing that trip again. I think it's hard for Cello to get away, and mostly (or totally) made the previous trip for our friend Lugnut! I'd do it, but we have to hit that record shop in FW!
When are you gonna come up here and help me set up this turntable???
Well,the turntable is back! Sota has made several substantial upgrades (more to follow) over the Cosmos series III. I have the only series V in existance! All of the complaints people have had in the past have been adressed, and compatibility issues are no longer an issue.
Unfortuantely I don't have speakers. The Caravelles are not back yet (it's my fault), but I hope they don't take as long as the Sota...
Since the only speakers I had lying around have huge chunks of surround foam missing, I am unable to finish setting up the Cosmos. The general setup is done, but tuning by ear is impossible...
Okay, now I don't have any system. The turntable is coming this week, but the speakers are going back to Harmnic Precision. Something doesn't sound quite right. I talked to Robert at RMAF and he suggested sending them back. I'll get whatever upgrades have been implimented since I bought them too.
Favorite room at RMAF? That's a good question. There were more extremes this year than I remember from last year. I don't recall having to leave any rooms last year because the sound literally hurt my ears, but this year there were three or four of them that drove me out... The Boulder/Wilson room was awful, but it was better than the Boulder/Avalon room last year, but for different reasons. After a few minutes I told Steve I had to leave...
The best rooms IME were AW Akoustik, MBL, the room with the Berning amp, and Lloyd Walkers room. The Tron gear in the first room has me seriously considering a phono stage change, along with a TT change, but again for different reasons. I won't get into that now. The new Teres table are a real improvement IMO, it'll be fun to see how they are received.
How was Italia? My wife and son are in Paris right now.
Gregadd most of the changes from stock, I did myself. The alterations to come will require a professional hand.
System edited: The only update is a new picture of my bike. i've been spending more time with it than my system since I still don't have a turntable...
Wow Doug, Paul must be pretty handy! Can't those super powers be used for good??? It seems like you need to do something with the mass of knowledge you have aquired.
I wonder how Purist would sound in your system. I've noticed some interesting things with the addition of the Caravelle speakers, and I'm sure the Purist has a lot to do with it. I can't wait to hear what things sound like with a TT in place. Soon, right!?!
I had a little time yesterday so I played a CD. One of the Proto-Kaw releases.
The speakers must be breaking in because I heard this hint of the voice breaking out from the wash of music. It seemed to be seperating itself. Sounds like progress to me.
Ray, the stands were a dealer maker or breaker. I talked to Tom Lyons for close to six months about buying the Caravelles, but the stands were a must. I love 'em. I know many didn't but that's their perogative.
I have been spending more time on the motorcycle the last few weeks. I'm trying to organize a ride. I haven't turned on my home or office system for at least a week. I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with the Caravelles though.
It won't be this weekend!!! Sunny and close to 90! Time to ride...
Anyone wanna ride from Green Bay to Door County, and back for a party? June 24th and 25th, be there.
System edited: I'll post more about the speakers when it happens, but they shouild be here this week. The Sota/TriPlanar/zyx are in Chicago for upgrades to the table. I plan to post extensive comments when all is said and done.
I bought that poster in an Ebay auction. I liked the fact that it was signed by the artist, and was still pretty cheap. He must have done a lot of them.
I saw an ad on another site for a couple of cool posters. They had Miles Davis and some other jazz artists. http://www.gothampark.com
It's harder than I thought to get GOOD listening room artwork. I guess it depends what you want, though.
Art, I have heard nothing but good about the Stereovox cables and that's from people with systems much better than my own. I would like to hear them!
IME there is nothing better than Dominus. I have used/owned AudioQuest, Kimber Kable, Cardas, and Virtual Dynamics. The only cable to come close was the Virtual Dynamics Revelation.
Dominus is more open, cohesive, tonally correct, and dynamic than anything I have had in the system, including some other, very good cables from Purist.
I wrote a review, and started another thread, 'Biggest Bang for the Buck' about my experience with Dominus. Check them out if you're interested.
If you can audition them, go for it. I would be surprised if you were not happy. I use them with SS, but I know several people, again with much better systems than my own, who use them with tubes.
Whether or not they are better than Stereovox, you will have to let me know.
System edited: All the recent changes have been recorded. The Sota Cosmos, TriPlanar VII, and the ZYX Airy 3X sb have enough time on them to sound wonderful. The Purist Dominus IC and PCs are getting close to being broken in, so things sound pretty good right now. If only I could iron out the speaker wrinkle...
The system has been running constantly for several days now. The cable is starting to settle down but all of the new pieces have a long way to go time wise.
The Cardas LP comes in handy, but time is still the biggest factor.
Albert - big changes today. The Purist Dominus IC and PCs arrived today. That was one of the four boxes that got dropped on my stoop. Two packages arrived from Sota and one from TriPlanar.
It took a few hours to get everything up and running. I'm sure looking forward to doing some serious listening, or having some serious fun! I'll be running the Cardas burn-in disc for a few hours tonight.
Albert, if you need to get out of Dallas, let me know.
Albert, I wasn't going to say anything about those. The cat's outta the bag now. Does your wife know about them, and what about the pirate that was in your office?
Albert I haven't completely dispaired of life yet, but I'll be much relieved when the whole process is over, and I can spin those big black frisbees again.
I have at least fifty LPs I've purchased in or since Dallas that I would like to hear.
When Vetterone was here, we were getting close, but the set up would not get where it should have been.
Yesterday I boxed up the Sota, TriPlanar, and the Zyx to send them all back to Sota. The set-up was not working and I was tired of messing with it. Sota shows the Cosmos with a TriPlanar arm, so I know they work together, I just couldn't make it happen.
I sold the long run of Purist Venustus and bought Dominus. The old cable is gone and the new has not yet arrived, so I have nothing to listen to except my system at work. It's been four days so far, and I'm coping okay, BUT the voices are starting...
System edited: The Pass Labs XOno arrived a couple of weeks ago, but sat sadly on the rack till the Cosmos, TriPlanar, and Zyx arrived last week. I'm still working on the setup, but the potential is there!
That is a ceramic pot made by Tom Krueger. That one is about 18" tall. It is one of his earlier landscapes. His stuff is absolutely gorgeous. I have seven of his pots and one painting.
A shoulder injury caused him to decrease the size of his work for a number of years, but when I talked to him a couple of weeks ago the shoulder was back and he is making things upward of 24" which are spectacular simply based on their size, but the new landscapes are a great progression. His did a series a couple of years ago that incorporated some gold streaks which he called "northern lights."
Two of my favorites are pointed bottoms that are supported on exotic hardwood. Three sticks are attached to the side with black waxed string, and copper bands. The strings are terminated with hand made beads. I can ask Tom if he's got a website, but I doubt it. He is an interesting fellow! He is a fulltime artist who makes his living at it.
I forgot it about that till just now, but I helped him pour the foundation for his house. That was fun!
I know he travels around the country doing art shows. He has been in New Orleans, Chicago, and Minneapolis recently. If you have any more questions about his stuff let me know. I will be talking to him soon. He's making some pots right now that I'm going to be looking at. I might need another one. I try to buy one a year, so far it's working well. I gave one to my brother for his birthday, and another to a friend for a wedding present.
I talked to Kirk from Sota a few weeks ago about upgrading from the Star to the Cosmos. The price for improved performance with a refurbished table seemed reasonable so I agreed to the deal. He called a couple of days ago to let me know that he was going to be starting my table. Somehow we got talking and by the end of the conversation I agreed to geting a brand new Cosmos instead of the refurbished table. The new table has a better motor and chassis assembly. With the new TriPlanar arm and the new Zyx cartridge, I should be good for several weeks... I hope to have it home by the 19th of August. Should be a party, or listening session shortly thereafter.
System edited: I had to drop the Kharma title since the buyer threatened to sue. He was gonna have pbb handle the case. I knew I would win, but I'd have to go to court with pbb and that wasn't worth the effort.
Raggy I haven't settled on anything for speakers yet. I have no idea where I will end up for speakers. I'd still like to find a pair of Perregrin X with the right stands, but...
When I started it was a budget system. See what happens when a poor fool finds AudiogoN! I guess if I have the stuff though it must have fit into my budget?!?
So far I'm not sure how the Omicron compares to the FPB 700cx. There have been so many changes, and right now I'm not real happy with the sound. I need more time, I guess.
I don't know which Wilson speaker you're asking about, and I have never heard the CE2.2 so I'm not going to be able to help you much. The Kharma's are more refined than the older Wilson Watt/puppies. When you compare the newer WP to the Kharma's it's personal preference. Both companies make a very good product.
I have wanted to build my own speakers for a while so this is the best of both all possibilities. Someone else has put together a great design and I get to do some woodworking.
GR Research no longer offers the Alpha line source. They have one pair left, or they did over a week ago, but they are going to two newer models. One a little smaller and one a little(?) larger than the Alpha. Drivers prototypes are currently being finalized with kits available (hopefully) in about two months.
Watch for details... those who are too bored to be content with their own lives anyway?!?! : )
Sean you are right on both counts. I spent some time talking to Danny Richie from GR Research. They have two new models coming out in a few months. I'm planning to build the smaller of the two. They're only 5'-8" as opposed to well over six feet tall.
Tobias, I thank you for your kind words. For all the posts I put on here I wonder if anything I say is really useful. I know I have learned a lot from some of the 'class' members of this forum, but they are far more knowledgable than I.
As of this morning I have purchased an active pair of speakers, accepted an offer on my Krell, and have a friend interested in my Kharma speaker, along with some Purist ICs. This will help with the debt issue, but I might not have a system that would make my comments credible (most of what I say is incredible anyway) anymore, but I'll still stir the pot from time to time!
poilaucul, I had to laugh at your comment. You might not believe it, but this started as a budget system a long time ago. See how things get out of hand?!?
Greg, I have plans for making some corner bass traps. I just haven't done it yet. I guess if I sell my amp and speakers it won't really matter anymore.
All first reflection points have sound panels located in those spots, and the back wall has a set of baffles as well as sonex. What else do you think I need?
Tobias, thanks for the input. Unfortunately right now I'm probably going in the other direction. Finacial obligations require the sale of some gear. It might be as soon as today that I put an ad here for the Krell FPB 700cx, and the Kharma speakers. After that, I'm not sure what I'm going to be required to do. ...the fortunes of war huh?
Terry The rack is a DIY piece. I made the shelves and bought the threaded rod, washers, and nuts.
I really did like the Brass cones under the star. The sound was tighter and better defined with them in place.
The Star might not need to be coupled, but the rack seemed to help the rest of the electronics placed on it. Or maybe I'm just deluding myself. I still like the new rack. I like having things in the system that I have made.
