$1800 for a flippin' vacuum cleaner?! Crazy, but it works.
Surgex SX-15NE
Series mode surge suppressor, panel mount, protects only the dedicated circuit for the system. Limits dynamics, so it's out of the circuit; seeking alternatives
Exact Power EP-15A
Voltage regulation, sine wave correction, EMI/RFI filter, large current reserve, digital/analog filters, some surge protection; improves clarity, dynamics and sound floor of the whole system
Teres 320 (modded)
Ref II motor w/ upgraded gold brushes, DIY acid-etched holographic drive belt substantially improves speed stability.
Tri-Planar VII
Gimbal arm, every adjustment I'd ever heard of, and a few I hadn't!
Shelter 901
Not used but often lent out to friends. If you're interested - and friendly! - let me know.
ZYX UNIverse II X-SB
More dynamic and impactful than original UNIverse, yet also with a lower sound floor, lower distortion and greater clarity
Bent Audio Mu MC stepup transformers
Not in use, the MC stage in the Alaap is much better.
Marantz UD-9004
Universal disc player, including blu-ray; massive upgrade in both PQ and SQ from our Denon DVD-3910
Nick Doshi Alaap
Full function preamp. Massive external power supplies. FET MC gain stage, all subsequent gain is from tubes. Each Alaap is built to order and Nick only makes a handful each year. Each one is made with as many or as few options as the owner prefers. This preamp holds its own (at least) against every commercial unit I've heard. It has replaced commercial phono + line stages costing up to $40K. With all due respect, this is the real, "preamp deal of the century"!
Lectron JH-50, heavily modded by Nick Doshi
57 incredibly hefty wpc Dual mono Custom power supplies Partridge output transformers (rare these days) Custom, discrete tube regulator circuits Black Gate power supply caps TFT Exotica coupling caps Cardas internal wire and connectors 4 - Electro Harmonix EL-34's (strong, fast, neutral) 2 - NOS 6SJ7's 2 - Tung Sol 6SN7's Like no amp I've heard anywhere; tube naturalness without warmth or bloat, enormous power reserves with no glare or grain.
B&W Nautilus 803D
Major upgrade from our N803's. Thank you Santa! :-)
Panasonic TC-P46ST30
46" plasma, 1080p, professionally calibrated; crap speakers like all new TVs but stunning PQ, near Kuro quality for 1/10 the price :)
Audio Points 1.5-AP-J
Threaded spikes for speakers
Nordost Valkyrja
1m RCA's between CDP/preamp and preamp/amp
Nordost Valkyrja
2.5m Biwire speaker cables with z-plugs Replaced SPM Reference, major improvement (more extension, less bloat).
Salamander Synergy Triple 20
This is serial #1 of this model, the first Triple 20 delivered to any consumer anywhere. Too resonant for a serious audiophile, but looks nice in the LR.
Nordost Shiva
Entry level Nordost PC. Runs from Exact Power to the TV and yes, the PQ did improve - a lot!
Nordost Vishnu
More bass weight and dynamic headroom than the entry level Shiva. It's actually a bigger upgrade than the marketing folks claim, a happy surprise! We're using three: - wall to Exact Power - Exact Power to preamp power supply - Exact Power to amp
W Enterprises Northwest Music Timbre
Exact Power to DVD player Improved low frequency strength and extension for both audio and video, reduced overhang on all audio frequencies
Symposium Rollerblocks, tungsten, cryoed
4 sets, one set each beneath: - Exact Power - preamp power supply - preamp audio chassis - power amp
Hi DOUG,hope all is well.Just wanted to share a very recent tube/voicing experience,in lieu of your comments.This may interest you.
I have a 3 tube phono section that is extremely sensitive to tube type,as well as the particular damping employed to tubes.I have a pal that has been harping,for the last 3 yrs.,for me to try the Herbie's Audio Halo dampers.These are the same as Salvatore had liked.I have tried about 4 or 5 diff types,and liked the 3M rings.Reluctantly,I bought a set of the Halo dampers,and put them in SATURDAY.I know this may seem like the typical hobbyist hype,it is,but,I was shocked by the improvement,and I have super-low-noise tubes(matched out)to begin with.
What the far superior Halo damper allowed me to do(since it was so superior in it's effective damping(of noise I did not know was present),was to allow me to revoice the tuning of the arm damping/vta/downforce.I could never get it to my total satisfaction prior to these little gems.Now,the improvement has allowed a finer delicacy and purity to harmonic structures,that I had always attributed to my arm's rendering of a fine grain,I had always thought it was a slight bearing friction,but,apparently it was a mild tube related etch.Boy,am I thrilled!!
Just some fuel for your consideration.Hope all is well!!
