The Amazon Refernz rekindled my love for vinyl after a 20 year hiatus. The VRS server wrings soul and beauty out of digital media. The Shindo Giscours and Sinhonias have brought me to the end of a long journey in search of my reference electronics. The Devore Silverbacks simply let the music come forward.
Update: Thanks to Matt Rotunda, I just upgraded to the Shindo turntable. Pictures to follow.
Update: Mach2/Amarra software/Amarra DAC replaces the VRS/JRiver/Lynx/Antelope Clock digital front end.
System edited: Removed HT and multiple-zone components from system description. Updated pictures will be posted soon. HT and multi-zone components will appear in a separate posting.
Maineiac - Glad to hear John Devore was able to provide guidance.
It's amazing how much of a difference small changes in speaker position makes with the Silverbacks. Matt Rotunda of Pitch Perfect Audio helped me dial in the setup recently. At the end of the day we reduced the distance between the speakers by less than 3 inches and increased the distance to the back wall (bookcases) by less than 2 inches, but the results were wonderful. Image lock, more soundstage depth and more seamlessness across the spectrum. They sounded really good before and they sound amazing now.
Thanks for the set-up info. On the advice of Mr. Devore I have my speakers set-up simarly but not as far apart as I cannot get that far back. This set-up has worked very well for me - pretty amazing stuff huh!? The Vac does seem to be a good match, so much headroom and effortless drive with the Silverbacks. I'd love to hear the top of the line VAC integrated with these at some point.
At the moment, I have the Silverbacks 10.5 feet apart and I sit 11 feet back from the front plane of the speakers, about 2 feet from the rear wall. They are toed-in so that the center of the drivers are pointed at the tip of my nose. I have the rake adjusted so the front of the speakers are tilting forward, and I can see about 1/4 of the top of the cabinet from my listening position. Soundstaging is wide and deep (source material permitting) while maintaining a strong center image.
BTW, congrats on your system as well. I'm sure the VAC is a very nice match with the Silverbacks!
I gather from your Audiogon name that you're in Maine. My wife's parents live in Sweden, Maine near Bridgton and Lovell. We love that part of the country.
WRP, I love your system. I also have Silverbacks but have not had the pleasure of hearing the shindo gear. I would like to ask how far apart you have the silverbacks and how far back from the speaker plane your listening position is. I am currently in the process of dialing mine in from a postioning perspective. My current system pics are not accurate to the way they are now placed (wider and more toe-in).
System edited: Recently traded the Cortese for the Sinhonia F2A push-pull monoblocks. Thanks to Matt Rotunda of Pitch Perfect Audio! The Sinhonias have the transparency and extension of the wonderful Cortese plus a more "palpable" midrange and greater drive in the bass without giving up any control. Solo voices and instruments sound incredible!
Chadnliz - Thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy with the VRS server. I've owned it for over two years and just had it upgraded to version 2. It has all of the audiophile qualities I was looking for in a digital front end, plus the convenience of having all of my CDs stored and cataloged in one place. By the way, I can also archive vinyl to the VRS at 24/96. The files are big, but it's a great way to "backup" your vinyl collection.
There are a number of music server products out there in the market. I encourage you to do a little research and take a listen. You may find that the combination of great sonics and convenience are hard to resist, as did I!
Great to hear from another Shindo fan! Matt recommends running the volume controls on the amp wide open. They're primarily used for gain matching with non-Shindo preamps and/or high efficiency speakers.
System edited: The Sonos zone players provide whole-house audio via in-wall speakers (kitchen, media, living, dining, master bedroom, guest bedrooms and home office).
Hi Bigamp - Thanks for the compliment. My compliments to you on your system and room as well!
The Silverbacks are very dynamic speakers for both music and HT. It may seem hard to believe, but I have no trouble driving the Silverbacks to very loud levels with the mighty little (10w/channel) Cortese. The Silverbacks (and the Gibbon 7.1) strike a perfect balance between detail, dynamics and tone to my ears. The Giscours does not have HT passthrough. My dealer, Matt Rotunda of Pitch Perfect Audio, spoke with Ken Shindo about this. Ken recommends setting the volume control to the 12 o'clock position to achieve unity gain for HT passthrough. That works perfectly for me.
I plan to upgrade to Nuforce amp for the center channel to V2 or V2SE level soon. This should bring the tonal quality of the center channel closer to the left and right mains.
Congrats on your beautiful system and room. I may move in the same direction with Shindo electronics and maybe DeVore speakers. How are the Cortese and Silverbacks working out for the home theater side of things? Enough juice for all movies? Also, does the Giscours have HT passthrough?
System edited: Just added the home theater equipment to the component list. I'm really happy with both the 2 channel and home theater performance so far. Time to dial everything in and take care of room acoustics.
System edited: Well, we finally moved back into our home after a protracted remodel. Here are some initial pictures of the media room, adjacent to the kitchen. More details to come!
Wow! I see that you have upgraded from the Monbrison to the Giscours, quite a jump, congratulations. I see the Cortese in the mix as well. Your system must be performing at a very special level of musicality now.
I'm retyping/sending this, the first time doesn't seem to have gotten to you. It was great meeting you at Pitch Perfect Audio in January, that was fun--a great group of guys. I hope to make it back soon. Are you up and running with the new set-up yet?
There is definitely some truth in the expression "good things come to those who wait" and I can sympathise with your situation. Having any music around is better than no music at all even if it does lack some of the magic that the Silverbacks surely deliver in spades.
I am thoroughly enjoying my system right now and there are one or two very significant upgrades in the works. I am playing with a friend's ZYX Airy 3X Cosmos (with the Silent Metal base) at the moment and it is a very significant step forward compared to my Airy 2X.
I look forward to the photos when the dust has settled, I know it will be worth the wait.
