My starting system into audiophile heaven after two years of searching and listening.
Setup in small living room for now (220sqf). It has components from Mark Levinson, Emmlabs, Sonus Faber, Nordost Valhalla, Finite Elemente, and Jena Labs
Wish list: turntable (Transrotor, Avid, Grand Prix), cd rack for 2000 cd's, room treatment/bigger room, and more great music!
Suggestions are most welcome!
OK. Let's go back to the beginning. My first audio posession was a Telefunken one box mono radio turntable system, where the turntable colapsed inside the box for storage, it did 33, 45, and 78 rpm. This was back in 1973. I was the happiest boy on the planet, none of my friends had such a music box and therefore we allways came back to my room to listen.
Between then and now there have been many hifi components from various mass producers, Sony, Nakamishi (the best tapedecks back then), Jamo, Philips, Schneider just to name a few. Nothing interesting until I graduated from University in 1991 and purchased the following system: top of the line Technics CD player and integrated Amplifier, Tannoy loudspakers, bi-wired! This system stayed with the for 8 years after which I sold it to my brother. I turned to multi-channel in 1999 and was amazed at the (surround-)sound and thought this was the best ever. Yamaha Z1, the first Pioneer DVD player with DTS out, a set of B&W CDM SE speakers, silver based wiring. I guess not audiophile by any stretch of the imagination but I was extremely happy for some years, mostly movies though.
In 2003 I wanted to enjoy music more and I bought a sony dvp-9000 dvd/cd/sacd player through eBay and bought some SACDs to try it out. I was stunned by the increase in transparency, soundstage, and structure of the music. Particularly one song that convinced me to go on the path of the search for ultimate sound: When I look into your eyes by Diana Krall. And indeed when I first listened to this song at a high-end dealer, I was sold. The system comprised of a set of B&W 802Ds, a Classe CAP2100 integrated amp, a Marantz SA-11 SACD player, and home-made wiring. The next time I brought in my wife with me, and we were both absolutely blown away by how emotioanlly involving music can be played on an audiophile system. Subsequently we tried out many combinations of equipment B&W, Nagra, Denon, Cary, Broksieper, T&A, Octave, JPS to name some. And first we thought tubes was it, but after listening to excellent solid state equipment, the tubes idea was put on ice (maybe later in a second system).
This is when a 2 year search started. Which has been an interesting journey, and one that has the above outcome as a first true step into the audiophile world. To be continued...
This Emmlabs player replaced my first audiophile CD/SACD player, the Accuphase DP-77. Here is the reason: its sounded miles better, even after only 12 hrs of breakin! Biggest improvement is in the soundstaging ability, also increased ambient detail, the recording event, is significantly better. And last but not least, it fits better with my Levinson gear and Pagode rack.
Nordost Valhalla 1.0m XLR
What's a great system without great cables. Exactly, very limited. The 1m XLR terminated interconnects take the source material to the no 32 pre-amp.
Mark Levinson No 32
Mark Levinson's reference solid state pre-amp, now already 6+ years old and still a work of art. When I compared this to great tube preamps, tubes went down on my wishlist!
Nordost Valhalla 1.5m XLR
Continuing from the no 32 pre-amp to the 33H connected by 1.5m XLR terminated Valhalla's. Needed a little length so the 33H can stand about 2 meters apart if necessary.
Mark Levinson No 33H
Mark Levinson 33's little half-brother. Heavy at 220lbs per channel. But what great technology underneath and it was updated mid 2005 but not renamed...wonder why, and price increased by 20%! When I heard this power amp, I knew it was "the one" for me.
Nordost Valhalla 1.5m
1.5m stereo pair, spades into the back of the 33H and banana into the Stradivari's. I auditioned Audioquest Everest, Kimber Select 3038 and Nordost Valhalla. I wanted speed, transparency, wide and deep soundstage, pinpoint positioning of musicians in classical and live recordings, inner detail, emotion, great tight bass. Valhalla won my heart.
Sonus Faber Stradivari Homage
I have seen and listened to many, many, many speakers. But this pair just beats everything out there for looks, and on top it sounds absolutely georgeous. Best on female vocals, piano solo's and violin, viola any string instrument, brass etc. No need for a subwoofer as it goes down to 22Hz (not in my room now, but she goes still very low and very tight)
Finite Elemente Pagode Master Reference
The Pagode Master Reference from Finite Elemente is just loaded with the technology that befits a true audiophile equipment rack. I choose the black maple wood version to match the Mark Levinson gear, plus its quite neutral. Five shelves (model HD04/110) so I can go for a Turntable setup if I wanted too and some AC conditioner without taking it apart or having to get a bigger rack.
Cardas RCA covers (x 24)
Cardas RCA Caps fit over the unused female RCA connectors to eliminate RF and EMI noise absorption. Looks smart too.
Cardas XLR Male(pic)/Female caps (x 6)
Cardas XLR Caps cover the input with a solid shield of nickel and brass to prevent both EMI and RFI from entering the chassis. Looks smart.
Finite Elemente Cerabase Isolating Feet (x 4)
Here's what they say: Fast resonance transfer is provided by extreme hard high-tech ceramic balls. Combined with precision machined materials like stainless steel or aluminum the optimum balance between damping and deflection is achieved. The resulting vacuum effect draws off unwanted resonance directly where it evolves. The clear advantage: no resonance build-up, no overdamping, no loss of deflection. It really works well, improved sound stage, lower level detail, focus, longer tone decay. I'm wondering whether I should put cerapucs under all the components...
Jena Labs The One - 10 Feet (x 2)
Needs no introduction for those who are in the know, it beats the $3000 Gutwire X-Clefs squared PC by a huge margin, and I mean HUGE.
Thank you. I audioned the Dartzeel 18NS and many other preamps in my system and the best, for my system an preferences, ended up being the new Krell Phantom. Finally happy!
Well, I have not compared the components you mentioned specifically. But I am a solid state fan, as I do not prefer the slowness of tubes and the coloration they have(a tube is effectively a synthesizer somebody told me once). So I would shy away from anything involving tubes. That's why I use DartZeel, because to many ears they combine the best of both worlds.
I can say that the Levinson 32 is build to last forever, but is not the end all and be all of musicality. My DartZeel NHB-18NS is miles better than the Levinson 32. But there is a question of budget involved.
Audition them both in your system and you be the judge of what your ears prefer!
Hi, I use Levinson 37, EMM Labs DCC2 SE, Levinson 380S, Krell FBP700cx and Dunlavy SC-VI. I am thinking about upgrading the preamp to Levinson 32 or Audio Research reference 5, but I am a bit afraid of tube preamps because bass is very important for me . Have you compared them? Thanks.
Jean, if you have chosen it its got to be the right choice, because its your ears that hopefully decided. The Esoteric is a great player, will likely have lots of resolution. Just make sure you tried it in your system before you buy it. That's always my golden rule! Once you have decided that it's the one for you, nobody can ever argue with you on that. Btw, did you try Rega and/or Metronome...also good value for money CDPs.
Hi Henry, the EMM lab was too much for me at the monent, after doing a lot of research I have decided to buy the Esoteric SA60, just because let me know if I made the right choice...
Hi Jean, how much are you willng to fork out? I love the Emmlabs CDSA SE, traded my Accuphase in for it. Also great is the Meridian 808 Reference and Spactral CDP, although they are more expensive than my EMM.
Any recommendation on a cd player, I plan on upgrading my marantz Sa8260 To either Esoteric SA60, PLinius cd 101, Cary 303/300 or maybe even the Wadia player, not New of course, I been trying to built my system over time, by upgrading pieces after pieces, Im looking to sound, details, mid, bass, you know the WOW thing, so suggestions are welcome Regards Jean
Hic, I love the sound of the EMM a lot, very analog, very revealing in micro-detail. The workmanship is less desirable. Particularly the drive is low quality, the remote is limited in functions and its response time is very slow. But it sounded better than anything at its price point. I would recommend it highly, if you could live with its shortcomings.
Karelfd, yes I use the Cardas caps, but I'm not sure they have really had much of a sonic impact (potverdorie, weer hondert dollar verknald!). Certainly not the kind that you describe. And I have them on all unused inputs and outputs. Thanks for bringing that up, as I will use another amp I should ask my dealer about that before I damage anything.
Henry, are you using Cardas XLR caps on your amps? I know the instructions leaflet says "non-shortening", but I had a very awkward experience applying them on my preamp/amp. Suddenly a huge hum started building up in the speakers (ik schrok me rot, man!). After I had removed them, my amps continued hissing for about two days. Just as I was going to bring them to the manufacturer for repair, the hissing died away (not a trace left, luckily). Anyway, I never dared to use the XLR caps on any output (even not the CD-player's) anymore. Ever had any problems? Karel
Thank you Mike for your kind words and suggestions. However, the very good (read best) MIT cables are priced out of this world, not quite Transparent Opus levels, but close. At this time I'm not ready to invest that much into cables. As far as a Cello amp is concerned, I've not heard any, but if someone has more detailed experience with them I'd sure like to hear these, that goes for FM Acoustics experiences too. I think I'm very well served with Dartzeel though...and I'm not alone in that view!
Hi Henry, you have a great system, but before you sell your Sonus Fabers I suggest you audition a pair of MIT Oracle speaker cables and interconnects,I had a pair of Sonus Faber Extremas and when I auditioned these cables my Extremas came alive,more transparent,better everything. I also would recommend trying a Cello amp, although they are no longer made they are bulletproof and sound unbelievable with Sonus Fabers. Regards Mike
Chris, I live in the USA, but yes I am Dutch by nationality although I haven't lived in The Netherlands for a while. Still have family there, so I visit occasionally. The Leolux couch you see in the picture was purchased when I lived in Germany. Why not Planars for me? Well I guess that's a choice of taste, I do have an extreme wide musical variety that I enjoy. Planars don't go as low as i'd like, they don't have the adjustability to room acoustics that I want, and personally I don't think they look the greatest. Besides the Diva is pretty old technology, things have changes significantly since the late 80s early 90s. Top-of-the-line ML gear is pretty amazing with regards to many an audiophile eapect, they're much better than their lower high-end gear. Huge soundstage, huge detail, extremely silent, enormous effortless power handling capability just to name a few. Haven't looked at FM Acoustics yet, but I am looking to partner the best of American sound with European musicality and come out with something that beats the best of both worlds, at least for now...
Hi Henry, Leolux is Dutch, so I thought you might live in Europe, or perhaps even in The Netherlands. The Evolution Acoustics MM3 (especially when mated with DarTZeel) is gaining popularity among the ultra hi-end audiophiles. I've read one MM3 weights about 600 pounds! that is more than the Kharma Exquisite 1D (also Dutch). Why don't you like planar speakers? A buddy of mine owns Apogee Diva's and many Apogee devotees say the Diva and the original Apogee are the two best speakers ever built (with regard to musicality) regardless of price. I've seen you have Mark Levinson gear. Do you think ML gear is musical? My personal opinion is though ML gear is very "accurate" and "precise" they tend to sound artificial/mechanical. I think you will love the DarTZeel. Swiss audio products (European products in general) sound more musical than their North-American counterparts (ML, Krell, Bryston). FM Acoustics seems to be the best of the best, even better than the DarTZeel. The buddy with the Apogee Diva's also owns FM Acoustics 801A amplifier. Stunning! There is one FM Acoustics 801A for sale on Audiogon.
Chris, don't get me wrong...I LOVE the Stradivaries, they look FANTASTIC and sound extremely seductive, they have easy WAF (Wife Approval Factor)! They are very coherent from top to bottom, superb BIG soundstage (even in my current 20 sqm room), best on string instruments, female vocal, not the final word on resolution, inner detail and palpability, and for that maybe I'm not driving them with the best amps I could drive them with. But I've since had the exposure to Dartzeel/Evolution Acoustics combo it just takes it to the next level for me. After that, its VINYL, after several years of listening to all sorts of high-end gear, there is NO comparison at all. And you may think why the amps/speakers upgrade before a TT, well, that has to do with opportunity for me. MLs are for sale too (see Audiomarkt.de), I should be arriving in Europe within next couple of months. No I won't try Magenpans, and my financial loss is some lucky persons gain...
Henry, why are you selling the Sonus Faber Stradivarii? Not satified with the sound? Are you downsizing? Are you going to try the Magnepans? In my home country The Netherlands I've seen a pair of Stradivarii are for sale too, while they are not older than one year. I'm just asking why buying them in the first place to sell them again after 1 1/2 year with significant loss? Btw, you're system is wonderful.
System edited: I guess my system is ever evolving now, so I moved it from the startup section OK. So I auditioned the Evolution Acoustics speaker cables last weekend. For those of you who don't know, the ones that you normally can only order with their new fantastic speakers (MM1-2-3) many people rave about. They were only about 200 hours burned in. Two 9 feet double runs. Without using the whole audiophile jargon, I knew that a whole new world was opening up for me...amazing, in all respects. They made my Valhalla's sound thin by comparison. It was for me on the same level improvement as when I decided to change my Accuphase DP-77 for the Emmlabs CDSA SE. Now that the CDSA has been doing about 400+ hours its just amazing how CD playback has improved. SACD is running behind a bit, have to put more hours on that circuit. Tough when CD sounds sooooo good. Anyway, I can't wait to change my Valhalla's out for the Evolution Acoustics. Another great step - to look - forward to(o).
I've recently starting to play with Geoff Kait's brilliant pebbles, to finetune the room. It's relatively cheap fun...will post some new pics when I'm done with playing around!
I continue to be amazed at the cdp's sonic development, in sacd it keeps getting better. Maybe because I didn't burn that circuit in as much as cd. The English Concert by Andrew Manze issued on SACD by Harmonia Mundi in 2004 just keeps on improving!
Hell yes I would pop over if ever in your neck of the woods! I saw floyd twice on that big US tour following MLOR release once in Cleveland Browns stadium and again indoors at the former Cavaliers arena, one had better sound the other better light show.
Chadnliz, I actually went to see Pink Floyd DSOT tour in Wembley Stadium London in the mid-eighties. One of my favorite live concerts ever! My number one track is the first track "Shine on you crazy diamond" (aka the Syd Barret dedication) on the DSOT live double album. The 7 minute intro...it sounds very impressive on the Strads driven by ML with a highly resolving Emmlabs CDP.
Well. that was just docked there when pic was snapped, my favs are probably some of the Shefield Lab direct to disc, Pink Floyd DSOTM, Holst "The Planets" Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms", Counting Crows "August and everything after", actually too many to list.............and growing whenever posssible. I heard your speakers in NYC and they make some beautiful music, the funny thing is I cant ever recall running into a Mark Levinson demo... maybe I have and dont recall.
Chadnliz, I guess you're right, after a year I should be in the "I'm done for now" category or "ever evolving", or for me "slowly evolving". I sure have additional plans that should materialize in the near future. Keep visiting every now and then. It's been a hell of a journey though...especially the new music. What are your favorite's? Besides Fleetwood Mac's Rumours?
