This 5.1 system is primarily used for listening of classical and jazz music, even though it is also used for watching DVD & HDTV. For SACD and DVD-A, I usually listen to the surround track, which utilize the 5 channels for a more immersive experience. For redbook CD though, I usually just listen to the 2 main speakers.
The highlight of the system is the ribbon tweeters on the Aurum Cantus speakers. These speakers sound very transparent and natural. Combining with the Bryston amp, the imaging and instruments seperation is excellent. Bass is very good for monitors, but not as full as floorstanders. I've hard time integrate the sub with the system, thus I only use the sub for recordings that have LFE.
The AC speakers are very well-built, with very high quality finishing. For bookselve speakers, they are also very heavy. The V3M weight about 36lbs each, V4C 46lbs, and L2SE 25lbs.
Overall, its a pretty nice system, but there's always room for improvement :) Any suggestion would be welcomed. Thanks for reading.
Linnie, love your Linn equipments. I have auditioned them with Dali Helicons. Very nice stuffs. In fact, I started to get interested in ribbon tweeters after auditioning the Dalis. I felt that the AC can sound very similar to the Helicons, depending on the upstream equipments.
My software is located at the back of my seat. The disc rack is full now. Need to find another one :(
You really make me want to try tube stuffs now. I'll keep an eye on deals here in the gon and see. I am actually based in US, so no easy access to those nice and cheap Chinese gears :(
The AC is indeed very sensitive with the source. It was very easy to distinguish the difference betwee the Bryston 4BSST and Rotel 1080 when I was comparing the two amps. So, I'd imagine tube amp should make a rather significant difference to the sound too. I listen to a variety of classical, from Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart to Beethoven, Mahler, Ravel and Stranvinsky. I'm just worry that the tube amp won't handle those large orchestral pieces as well as the SS stuffs. But I'd have to try to find out.
This hobby is fun, isn't it? One thing I learn is, while good equipments definitely make a difference, good recordings are also a must. I'm going to pickup some more SACD and DVD-A from Channel Classics, Pentatone, Telarc and AIX soon :)
Now it all makes sense - thought that I recognized your name. So glad to be of help.
The Bello stand is really is "Bella" (nice in italian) - it's rare to see wood and metal so nicely intergrated. Going to have to check that out some more. Looking at the pictures again, it's clear you took a lot of care to match the looks with the sonics and it really shows. The V4M CC is really rather tasty too. A little hard to tell from the lighting - is the finish Rosewood or Maple?
Back to tubes . . . Sounds like the MF tube buffer is a good place to start. You may want also want to check out the Eastern Electric BBA - my sources tell me that it is quite a good product and you can order it from the HK distributor (the HK Vaccuum Tube Club on Pottinger Street in Central). Pricing will likely be very good given the proximatey to the factory just over the border in ZhuHai. Check it out here: http://www.eeaudio.com/eeaudio_009.htm
Right now I am using the Primaluna Prologue 2 and the ACs sound very nice indeed.
If you ever get a chance go back to HiFi Tone, ask to hear the V3Ms with the Raysonic CD-128 and the MingDa 300B monoblocks - just lovely. Just when I thought it couldn't get better, they dropped in a matched pair of Shuguang 300Bs and it was sheer magic. I'm still drooling thinking about it :)! If I didn't already have far more equipment than necessary, I would have bought them (the MingDas w/ Shuguangs) on the spot.
Garry, your response to my question in avtalk.uk had helped me make the decision for purchasing the V3M. Your suggestions here are also greatly appreciated.
The rack is a TV stand by Bello. I used to put my plasma TV on it, but after I mounted the TV on the wall, I put the center channel on it, which results in perfect height for that speaker.
If this is a 2-channel system, I would probably had gone tube route, as the AC speakers are usually demoed with tube equipments, especially Cayin. That said, I have not heard the AC with tube stuffs. I may try the Musical Fidelity X-10 V3 tube buffer stage to see what tube can do to the system. Currently, well-recorded SACD & DVD-A sound really good on the system, but not many redbook disc sound good, as the system expose the grain and harshness in many CD. Maybe the tube stuffs will help.
Regarding sub, I'll have to spend more time with it. The Mirage S12 is supposed to be a rather fast and musical sub, at least compared to the similar SVS sub. Need to experiment more on that, like you suggested.
Congratulations on a beautiful system. Super clean layout, good colour - very warm and inviting. Nice equipment rack to - is that purpose built for HiFi or a piece of furniture?
I, too, have the V3Ms and absolutely love them for the very same reasons you stated. Can't agree more about the ribbon tweeter - this is really their strong suit. Superb build quality at this, or any, price level and pretty looks are the added bonus. At risk of cliche, pictures really do not do the ACs justice.
Only two thoughts - tubes and subs . . .
Not sure how you feel about tubes, however, my experience with hearing the ACs via a tube amp really makes a difference. All other things being equal, any decent tube amp will demonstate to you the soundstage depth and dissappearing act the V3Ms are capable of. They'll also further highlight how beautifully the ribbons can handle their portion of the mids - truly magic. A few of my friends play in the local philharmonic and they were absolutely smitten by the ACs - even more so when they caught the price. If you haven't already done so, and you get a chance try tubes in the mix some time, you'll be happily surprised.
Your Mirage sub is very nice indeed, especially with HT. My system has the V3Ms matched with a REL sub and, after some fine tuning, the two work together very well. RELs tend to be "fast" subs which tend to be better suited towards music vis a vis other subs. With the speed of the ACs, especially its tweeters, this helps and the two blend together well in that respect. Have you tried a high level connection or moving the sub to another location . . . perhaps inside one of the speakers along the wall? I've found that just this can make a bigger difference than one might think.
Hope that you get this worked out, as a properly integrated sub adds a lot to the listening enjoyment and gives the music a more firm foundation. YMMV.
