My Music Machine

by mikefl on Ever Evolving
Cheap thrills

Description

I started this system about 2 years ago and it's constantly evolving. I'm comparing different components to what I have as budget permits and update my system or not depending on the results. My room is far from ideal. It's very small. The rack has to be in between the speakers which is not the best and I can't sit very far from the speakers. Of course I can't pull the speakers much more than a foot from the wall either. Still, I enjoy this system a lot. It has many strengths and few weaknesses.
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Components Toggle details

    • East Sound CD-E5
    If there is a player that truly deserves the title cheap thrills, this is it. High end sound, quality components and a very small price tag. It can be had for almost nothing on the used market. Watch out for minor design issues related to the transport mainly and the remote is laughable with its minute buttons. I still like mine a lot after 4-5 years. I'm looking forward to getting the Platinum Reference version one day but at $3000 USD, it will have to wait.
    • Cayin 265Ai
    A well built and heavy (50 pounds) Class A double mono integrated amplifier. It is extremely detailed and fast and like all class A's, can get pretty hot. I find this amplifier needs at least 1-2 hours of warming up before sounding its best. The difference in sound between when it is first powered up and after 2 hours is anything but subtle. Those who have reviewed this amplifier without giving it at least 1 hour don't really know what it sounds like.
    • Castle Acoustics Stirling 3
    They look great and sound very good too. Very detailed. Highs are never fatiguing and bass is surprising for their size. Imaging is wide and deep. Female voices could be a little smoother (mostly depends on recording quality). These speakers require equally fine components in the rest of the chain to really sing. I've recently upgraded the extra crappy original plastic binding posts to WBT 0764's. It was a moderately easy upgrade but costly. These fine speakers deserve the upscale binding posts that Castle put on their higher priced models. If you ever wondered why WBT is so expensive, buy them/feel them and see for yourself. Nothing comes close.
    • Mitsubishi DA-F20
    One of the best sounding vintage tuners out there. Looks cool when the lights are out.
    • Canare L-5CFB
    Canare RCAP connectors. Bought from Blue Jeans Cable. I've tried many other more expensive designs and these always come out on top. Blue Jeans has some of the best cables out there for a fraction of the snake oil loaded alternatives.
    • River Cable Flexygy 6
    I use double runs (2 separate pairs of cables) in a biwire configuration. I could have used only one pair of cables and quality jumpers. It would have saved me a lot of money but now that I have the 2 pairs I might as well use them. River Cable is as free of snake oil as a company can be. Quality high conductivity individually tested cables and sturdy connectors.
    • Gutwire B-12
    I wanted a cheap shielded power cable of decent gauge for my amplifier. This cable is tough to beat at this price. 12 ga, double shield and Wattgate connectors.
    • Brick Wall PW8R15AUD
    I wanted the best protection I could find and a minimal hit on the audio signal. I don't have enough funds for a power regenerator yet.
    • Isoclean Power Isoclean audio grade fuses
    After seeing a few positive reviews I wanted to try these out for myself. This made more change in my system than most tweaks I have tried so far. I was very doubtful that a fuse could make a difference but it does. So far I've put them in the amp and CD. I wish I had done it sooner.
    • Cardas RCA caps
    Used to eliminate RF and EMI from entering unused component connectors. Essentially I use them to keep female RCA's clean. They look good too.
    • Salamander Designs Archetype 3.0
    Well finished sturdy rack. Not the most solid but versatile (adjustable shelves), expandable and relatively cheap
    • Dedicated AC line Romex 12 ga.
    I've recently had a dedicated AC line installed with a Pass & Seymour outlet and I realise now that this should have been one of the first things to do. It made more difference than any cable swap in my system. Absolutely worthwhile if your present electrical line is shared with many other components and appliances. No more clicks and pops when the furnace turns on.
    • The Vibrapod company Vibrapods
    Vibrapod and Sorbothane footers on components. I'm not sure if this does anything at all to the sound as some proclaim but it looks good and prevents the amp or CD from moving at all on the wood shelves.

Comments 8

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Owner
I've sold my Portal Panache and kept the Cayin 265Ai. After about a month of testing both with the rest of my system I had to make a choice. The Panache is a terrific amplifier and is much more forgiving of so-so recordings. It's a bargain too. I liked the Cayin's more "in your face" way with vocals and the midrange in general. The high frequencies are more forward too and that's not quite as nice. The Cayin's much faster than the Panache, more dynamic and more resolving (that's not always a good thing). This might have to do with the class A topology.

These 2 amplifiers couldn't sound more different. It's literally night and day. I was used to the beautiful sound of the Panache so it really was a tough call but I just couldn't live without the more lively vocals the speakers were producing when paired with the 265Ai. They come alive.

That being said, I still think the Portal Panache will satisfy many audiophiles out there. It's definitely warmer, much less picky about recording quality and mates well with just about any other decent quality component. The Cayin is more fussy about what it is paired with and cabling. It gets HOT and is heavy as hell. I'll live with that cause the music on good recordings is addictive.

mikefl

Owner
System edited: added picture with new rack and new integrated amplifier

mikefl

Owner
System edited: updated pictures coming soon

mikefl

The midrange is very good on the tannoys. I had to fidget with speaker placement before I got vocals to be pinpoint center. The sound of the panache is almost strange when you first hear it; at least I thought it was. It is such a liquid warm sound compared to the NAD and really sucks you in. My friend thought the same thing; it’s as if you know you are listening to something really great.

Male vocals sometimes sound a little laid back, but it really depends on the recording. I think maybe the Panache lets you realize how recordings really are that different from each other. Because every cd I listen to has totally different dynamics, spacing, and separation. Sometimes it gets annoying when even the same cd has so much variety in the songs, ex. coldplay has some songs that the vocals are really centered, than others where he’s off to the right.

I am sure I will be changing speakers in the near future, most likely the Sonus Faber grand pianos. I really love these speakers, and have listened to many Sonus Faber speakers. I think I am one of those guys who will take warm non-fatiguing sound over detailed analytical any day.

rtilbury

Owner
I tried speaker placement changes and I much prefer them with no toe-in. Strangely enough I find female voices (Krall, Jones, etc.) very satisfying but male voices seem a little laid back. It's as if there is a slight dip right in that frequency range. I had NAD stuff too (C370 and C541i) before making the switch. I thought it was very decent for the money but the Panache and E5 are a definite step forward on all counts.

How's the midrange with your Tannoy's ? Are you thinking about trying different speakers too ?

I put the metering marks on the Panache. I like to see the volume level from my listening distance. I had some left over sticker material from the post office 'fragile' stickers and cut some very thin strips out of the white bits. It sounds worse than it is. :) It actually looks quite good even from very close. It comes off very easy so it's not permanent. I'll post some nicer shots of the whole system when I get a chance.

mikefl

The buzzing is still present, but can't be heard unless my head is closer than a foot away. I also prefered the MIT to a Cardas Twinlink. I use the cardas now on my cd player. Maybe you can try speaker placement and toe-in, when switching from the NAD my soundstage was a lot different.

PS - did you put the white metering marks on your panache, or did it come like that?

rtilbury

Owner
Hi. I saw and responded to some of your previous posts on Audio Asylum concerning the hum in your Panache. I've got it too but can't hear it from about a foot from the speakers. In my system I prefered the MIT PC to a Signal Cable digital reference and Ultralink Ultima. I very much enjoy the sound of my system too but I'd like male voices to be just a tad more forward. Perhaps the Castle's are a bit too laid back. I was thinking about trying some Tyler Acoustics Taylo's or Linbrook floorstanding monitors.

mikefl

I also have the Portal Panache integrated and really love the sound it produces. what I thought was funny though was that I also use the MIT z-cord II. I thought it made a good companion with the Portal. My system sounds so lush that I can just listen for hours.

rtilbury

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