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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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!
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...
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...
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!
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.
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?
Alexsee, unfortunately I haven't done the comparison yet. I've been busy with my new front end, which was a new step up. The US importer here is Sumiko. The Valhalla's are what you can read in many blogs, fast, detailed, revealing, etc. As I am using the IC's as well these characteristics are increased across my system. I like them very much which is probably the reason I have not pressure to find an improvement soon.
Where are you based? What are you driving your Amati's with?
Hi Chad, thanks for the invite, however I wouldn't have been able to make it. I've been ill for the last couple of weeks. and only just recovering. With regards to the jena labs cables, I've heard the power cord together with the Pathfinder on an emmlabs/dartzeel/harbeth system, which bar the relatively cheap speakers sounded fabulous. The dealer I heard this at is Transparent Audio aka Barry Konigsberg. I'm happy with my valhalla ic's and sc's for the moment, i'm not auditioning anything new. Valhalla's are very revealing, detailed and fast. So it depends on the music you play and the gear, I guess it works well on most systems, then it becomes a question of budget.
I'm intersted to join/find similar minded audiophiles in the Philly area for a while now. It would be great to join.
Hi Teck5, I've had both plugged in for about 190 hours now. What a great sounding player! It towers above my prior Accuphase DP-77. A whole new level of resolution, for example, the infamous Jazz at the Pawnshop recordings are more detailed, more sense of the original recording space. On some Naim recordings that I use for reference there is much longer decay on piano notes, again more clear detail on softer played parts, or instruments in the background. A soundstage that is significantly deeper and wider, particularly noticable on choir music and orchestra recordings from Reference Recordings (I use Saint Saens Dance Macabre as a reference piece here). Also on female voice (Dinan Krall, Holly Cole, Madeleine Peyroux just to name a few) there is more sense of reality, also a sense that's the voice is coming from between the speakers. The power chords add mostly to the holographic presentation, and a significant reduction of the noise floor but als add to the increase in detail and soundstage.
Here are some downsides though, you need to have the volume on zero when turning on the player, otherwise there may be some static/electricity that will zap through the tweeters. Also sometimes the display will not come on when stopping a disc, and display ptions are very limited ie no rest track or disc time. Also the drive feels like from a $150 CD player.
All in all I would still recommend it based on its great sound. For the Jena chords, the best I've heard sofar.
OK, March 6th and I just picked up the Emm Labs CDSA SE and two power cables from Jena Labs "The One" with built in power conditioners. I've plugged it in 6:30 last night and as expected initially it sounds fairly poor, minimal dimension and depth, instruments not real, unfocused, voices are vailed. This morning after about 12 hrs it starts to sound much better alteady! Can't wait for 200 hrs to be over...
Dear Amperidian, on powerconditioning. My Levinson gear has built in power-regeneration circuits that takes the wall power and cleans it up (I know it sounds very loose, but it's technically very interesting). And I am getting two power cords from Jena Labs that have a built in powerconditioners (Model One). One each for the Pre-amp and Source.
Now, with that in mind would you still recommend a Powerconditioner? I don't live in a heavily populated area, nor near any industrial sites. Honoustly I don't think there is a lot more to be had by adding a Powerconditioner.
On a different note, more recently I've been getting into the Holly Cole Trio heavily. Heavenly when she - Holly - sings "Trust in me"!
Hi Remy, thanks for your kind remarks. No I haven't heard the Audio Aero Prestige in my system, or anywhere for that matter. I could run my current Accuphase directly into the Marklevinson 33H's because it also has a pre-amp section. I tried it, and as I was told by my dealer, it didn't sound better, quit a bit of the musicality was missing and a lot less ambient information. I've ordered the Emmlabs for now, so I'll use that for a while before I'll upgrade. I will read up on the Audio Aero as you suggest, you never know. Being an audiophile comes with neverending trying out of new gear I guess. I am really enjoying my setup, believe me at a rate of 5-10 new CDs a week, I'm not forgetting what this hardware is all about, music enjoyment! Have a great weekend! Henry
Hi Larry, the Stradivari's are my first set of speakers. I have audioned many speakers before settling on these. For my price range these included Wilson Watt/Puppy 7, Dynaudio Temptation, Audio Physic Caldera, B&W 802D and 800D, and Piega amongst others. The Stradivari won it mostly on looks, but also the sound is absolute top. At first it played rock music pretty poorly, however after the breakin it really started rocking (ie Metalica S&M is absolutely spectacular!). Classical orchestral music is astonishingly good, especially with excellent recordings (ie most Referrence Recordings, Naim, Turtle Records CDs). I have heard other hardware that could get even more out of the Stradivari's, but its already at a very high level. As far as base, it goes very low (Morph the Cat by Donald Fagan is really amazing) but is limted by the size of my room (only 21 sqm). I purchased mine in the USA (set nr 277), with a standard 10% discount and the strong Euro this would equate to about 27000 Euro vs 32000 mrsp in Europe. Best regards Henry
Correct Joey, I'm getting my new Emm Labs CDSA SE any time now. I was, as you say "smitten" by its sound. So un-digital, so revealing, it's quit the player that may postpone my vinyl aspirations a little longer. We update picks when it arrives! Henry
Rhyno, where do I begin...Well its that much better that I am trading it in (will post new pics)
The music seemed more there, big tonal improvement. The soundstage definition was more clearly defined, the spacial queus of the recording venue were more present. Example, the Jazz at the Pawnshop recording nr 2 SACD (by Proprius label) just gave a much richer/detailed feel of that buzzing Jazz club in December 1976 when it was recorded. More detail, more natural sound, more ambiance...much more than before! More microdynamics came through I guess through a lower noise floor. Maybe some examples are in order. Maybe you know the famous 1965 Rome recordings by Artur Rubinstein of the 19 Nocturnes (by Claude Debussy), I have never heard his breathing on the CD recording before, or the scuffling of his feet on the peddles, until I heard it through the Emmlab. It really was no contest with the DP77...so the choice was easy.
The other things that would bring significant improvements to my system would be inserting a pair of Jena labs the one powercords, the Dartzeel pre and power amps, and a Grand Prix Monaco turntable. But that's for another day...
All, I recently heard the DartZeel combo and Emmlabs CDSA SE player in my system and I must say that I am embarrassed to say that my system was lifted by such a huge margin I thought not possible before. Well I guess that's part of the fun, although these aren't cheap toys. Well at least I think I know where I need to go from here, just trying to find a way to get there is the tricky part. I really have to come back at my earlier statement that vinyl may not be needed, after listening to the Grand Prix Audio Monaco turntable it was more than obvious that top vinyl is better than top digital, at least for now.
System edited: Posted new pictures with the Finite Elemente master reference five shelve rack in black and aluminium sides. This matches the Mark Levinson gear perfectly. In addition you will see the power cords I have on audition, the Gutwire xClefs. I must say that after almost a year, the breaking in and a couple of the upgrades have brought the music onto a significantly higher level. I'm even beginning to wonder whether tubes or vinyl can significantly better this (without adding crazy levels of money). Anyway, I've added about 7-800 CDs to my collection and it's been absolute FUN (re-)discovering what listening to music is really all about...artwork created by gifted people for our enjoyment. Getting too philosophical now, but hey, I guess another way of saying: "Glad to have made the step toward audiophile heaven!"
I ordered the pagode MR rack model HD04 with 43" height and 5 shelves in black, it will get here in 3 weeks the latest. Will update pics when installed. And ofcourse an update on what this rack does for me. Can't wait...! Did not order the Cerabase feet to go with it, will probably upgrade later.
Also for those who are interested I'm having my Valhalla cables set burned in by the Nordost Vidar burn-in system. This system takes a very complex signal and burns in the cables in 96 hours. Aparently not even playing all kinds of music for 2 years could burn in cables perfectly, I hope $300 is not a waste of money. I will do a report on this one.
I'm having a couple of loan cables...boy do I hear the difference compared to the Valhalla's (Audioquest Volcano speaker, and Kimber Select 1030's). But at least I'm not without music for the week. Dealer also gave me a Gutwire powercable to try, I think that made quite a difference, at least with the current set of cables, need to wait for next week. This is all great fun!!!
Here is a must have recording: 1958 Carnegie Hall NY, Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovski's piano concerto No 1 with the RCA Symphony Orchestra under Kiril Kondrashin. I know there are many, many versions of this piece of music, but this one is pretty amazing. Enjoy!
Hi JOey, my beginning was also at about your age with the Technics/Tannoy set. Ofcourse back then I had no clue about true audiophile systems. 15 years on I finally get it (I think), so you're 15 years ahead of me! I'll make a mental note to visit you in 2021 and see what you've grown into music/system wise... Happy halloween, Henry
Hi David, I just measured my room the other day: 17ft long by 13ft deep and 9ft ceiling. I have my system set up against the long wall with speakers 30" from the back wall and 40" from the side walls slightly turned inward toward the center of my 10ft sofa. Speakers are about 10ft apart. The Strad's are slightly tilted backward, I still have to work the angle by adjusting the back spikes improving probably the focus from the midrange and tweeter. One of the reasons I got these speakers is that they were easily integrated in a small room, while still having plans one day to have a larger one. I think that room treatment, especially behind my sofa would further improve sound, but I haven't gone there yet.
Thanks Nissancrazy, well spotted...those are B&W 7 SE's part of a late 90s 5.1 system that I have lying around. I use them now once in a while to remind me of the investment I made. I'm well onto the path of music enjoyment listening about 2-3 hours a day, how could one not, with such great components. I must have purchased about 4-500 new cds since beginning of the year and there's still plenty excellent music out there to be discovered. It's like wine, no end in sight to discovery...that's maybe why I combine the two after a hard days work. Anyway, I could move the setup to a bigger room, family room or basement, but I'd have to really shuffle heavy things around incl my rig (900lbs!!!). And I have 3 kids and a wife to consider...they live here too! But one day I will have a proper dedicated room with the 220V 60A circuit, sonic treatment etc. until then I'll have to make do with what I have, which is still great :-) Take care, Henry.
Milpai, Axelfonze, John, Joey_v, Auaarons, thanks for all your responses above! Yes John, budget does run out at some point...also for me. Joey-v, I'm on a road that I think will never end, the journey is part of the fun.
Aaron, I have heard details from Pink Floyd's shine on you crazy diamond on an ARC/Wilson/MIT setup that I don't hear in my system, yet...also I heard more violin string fabric detail in the Four Seasons from a DP100/DC101 playback system vs a ML 390S or my DP77. I also listened to the Titanic theme song (Celine Dion) on a Audio Physic Caldera/Spectral where Celine's voice came from inbetween the speakers and the bass was more detailed and nuanced. Also I think that my room is reflecting more than listening rooms I've spend time in.
John, I acknowledge that I do lack significant time with other audiophiles, exchanging experiences, that does add up over the years. Yes, and I do recognize that products will be ever evolving, and therefore if I would choose a system now it may be different from the one I have today. I still wonder if the DartZeel NHB combo would be better than the ML reference set I have today (about the same cost), or indeed if Avalon Isis speaker are indeed better, or not. Isn't this normal for someone who is trying to explore all possibilities? I guess I'm learning and have relatively little/few reference points.
One thing, I AM extremely happy with the system, it does sound simply fantastic. Now that it has run in for about 8 months, I still hear ever more ambient detail coming through from my CD collection. Most recently I was totally taken back by the clarity of the club background noises, talking, laughing etc on the famous 1961 Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard recordings.
I did have an email from a person that basically told me that my cables (Nordost Valhalla's) were a weak point, and I've listeded (in the above set) to Audioquest Everest and Kimber 3038's with matching interconnects and found the Valhalla's still the best sounding.
Anyway, I'm concentrating now on expanding my music collection, so if any of you have any recommendations on great recordings, pls be my guest.
For those of you who are interested I have auditioned systems/components both in Europe and the USA for two years before settling for this combination. My takeaway is that there is too little help out there for people like me, and as a result I have invested probably about 100+ hours at many dealers auditioning. That in itself drove many dealers mad because I would not commit to buy. I have listened to amongst others Nagra, Octave, B&W, Brocksieper, Denon, Primare, Classe, Wilson, McIntosh, AudioNote, Spectral, Meridian, Dynaudio, Chord, T&A, B&O, Marantz, and more. I have not listened to DCS, Lindemann, AudioNote, Esoteric, Emmlabs, Reimyo, Lamm, VAC, Boulder, Ayre, MIT, Avalon, Pass, and many other strong brands. What does that tell me? Maybe I missed out on some magical combination that would have sold me. Magic for me started with hearing Diana Krall on a Nagra tubes/B&W 802D/Marantz S11 combination. Since, well, I've listened a lot everywhere, maybe more than an average person would do. Why do I feel then, that I may have missed an ultimate combination that would sound substantially better than what I listed above? I hope not, for I invested quite a nice sum. And I must say that I enjoy every minute I spend listening. But when I hear Neil Patel talking about his speakers (Avalon) then I get this thought that maybe the Stradivaries aren't as good as his Sentinel's. But should that be at twice the price? So, at some point you have to stop looking and go with "a choice" limited by "a budget" and be happy. That's how I got to the above setup. For the moment I'm buying lot's of music to enjoy. Maybe I'll venture out to Analog and get a good turntable (suggestions welcome), but then again being a child of the digital age I might upgrade from the DP-77 to a Esoteric or EMMLabs double deck or I'll wait until ML comes with their super disc player later this year(suggestions welcome here too). Anyway, I'm in Europe till the end of the month, so pictures will have to wait a little longer. Bye for now, from Henry.
