System edited: Follow-up on 2009 June 10. The Wave-Motion Engine was broken down and rededicated in its own house (which it allows me to share) in the wake of an unanticipated marital event. I am single now, a supposedly ideal state for an audiophile, and this house reverberates to my music played without need for apology. The new improved acoustics at last allow me to see and hear the potential of all the fine components I have amassed through years of "goning. I daresay that at last I have a "statement" system in that I cannot easily imagine better. It scratches my deep audio itch, and oh does that feel good. The special joy of a well-matched series of first-quality components is how the imposing visual aspect of the Engine disappears when music does play. The whole thousand-pound mass of componentry pulls together into a seamless Zen wholeness that marks the point: I have arrived. The Wave-Motion Engine stands ready to explore the galaxy! cheers aporigine

aporigine June 10, 2009 16:13

System edited: System edit: some significant changes. Alpha-Core Gortz becomes Nordost Valkyrja Mark somebody no. 39 (as transport) replaced by dCS Verdi Lehman Black Cube replaced by 47Lab Phonocube and 1 47Lab Power Humpty Cabling: I expected to hear a difference. I really really did. Can't honestly say I do though - not in quality or in presentation. Huh. Go figure. It is to scratch the head. My 9-year-old pair of Reference Ears, who backed up my opinions below on "in the box" changes - and who has precisely squat-ola invested, emotionally or otherwise, in a component's performance - is equally unaware of a sonic change, even after cooing over the lavender ribbons curling behind the Virgos. (Virgines?) So what does it all mean?! Options include but are not limited to: 1) I can't hear fer (bad word). 2) Room acoustics, which are and shall remain imperfect. (Our Minister of Aporiginal Affairs has made a ruling in that regard.) House acoustics factor in also: high and variable noise floor from two clocks, two fridges, the laundry automation and the central heating. That's when the others are out, and other audio sources are blessedly silent. 3a) I can hear a difference, but a subconscious prejudice that resists identification, let alone remediation, is snowing my conscious mind. 3b) My hearing is untrained. Once I couldn't tell Coke from Pepsi. Once I thought all stars were blue. Once I didn't know what the smell of pot smoke was. Uh, are you done with those fries? 4) System not sensitive enough. ....oH gawd i5t's hard ti type while laughiibg so har3d../.. Case still open. onward. dCS Verdi: At last! I was a bit worried for a while there. I took the Rega Planet out of the chain, where it was doing transport duty feeding 16/44.1 to the Purcell. Then I retired the Planet to a higher, colder orbit and installed the Mark somebody no. 39. When I had used the ML as a one-box player it performed wonderfully. When I upgraded the system with the Elgar and Purcell, gosh. It sounded good, but something wasn't quite right. Like a shirt (scratch) that looks really really (scratch scratch) good but seems (tug scratch) a bit short in the (scratch TUG tug scratch) comfort department. (scratch) The ML/dCS combo seemed somehow lean and harmonically "off" without being tipped up or down, without dropping or ecthing detail. But it sounded "thin" with a sort of metal-on-glass brassiness that defies verbal description. I ended up playing almost only vinyl during this interlude, saving CD for headphone duty. Installing the Verdi cured this perplexing dysphonia with authority. Daughter agrees: her favorite music comes through better than ever. My nascent aversion to CD on the big rig has been cured. In this system, and the one that preceded it, the ML sounded great used as a standalone player. But in my system, to my admittedly out-there hearing, it fell flat fronting the dCS dac sequence. Wine freex like to scare the noobs by saying "there are no great wines - only great bottles". Perhaps audio veterans can share that quiet, paid-for smile when somebody explains "there are no great components, only great match-ups". Now there are hundreds of highly-regarded wine labels,abd that deliberately ignores vintage. Get some oeno-geex together, pull out a spread of (that label - it can't be. Ohmagawd - it IS!), extract cork, and secretly videotape who forgets his manners just long enough to rudely reach for what first. It's always entertaining, and it's always different. Now there are dozens of top audio manufacturers.... 47Lab (Sakura Syatems) Phonocube w/ power Humpty. Esoteric, idiosyncratic, minimalist kit from the mind and soul of Mr. Junji Kimura never fails to stir controversy in audio circles. I don't know if I'd'a sprung for it without extraordinary opportunity, because reviews of Kimura-san's gear tend to be more exciting than comforting. But I have learned to flat-out love the Japanese aesthetic when applied to other hardware, notably optics and woodworking handtools; latter category is the last remaining showcase for the talents of the greatest swordsmithing tradition on the planet. (Imo.) So was with some trepidation that I installed the Phonocube, but when the rock hit the gutter it was all good. Daughter was there to hear my reference recording get played. I asked her to describe the difference, if any. "It sounds... more filtered." Filtered, Sweetie? "Yah. The good parts are closer and the bad parts are farther away." Well, that can't be bad. Actual tangible changes were subtle, but noticeable in all departments. It's the sum of these changes that makes the impression: there isn't more steak on the plate, but it's Kobe, not Nebraska. I'll elaborate on request - time is short now. cheers apo

aporigine December 09, 2007 07:56

Actually, the system was playing "in-law music" at moderate spls. Y'know, stuff like Kostelanetz and Vivaldi. (I suppressed a wild urge to toss in some Residents....) I received a gratifying number of unsolicited "nice music!" type comments. This without "check out my system!" tours, or "you wouldn't believe what a diffference [obscure component or tweak] made", or "GOT YOUR ATTENTION YET!!!!!" settings on the turny thing on the front of the pre.
I now have some Nordost Valkyrja between amp and speex. I will need time to do a meaningful comparo ... to my ears the diffs are subtle verging on evanescent.
I have a cool project in the works: Deliberately Horrible Speaker Cables.
1/16 inch galvanized steel aircraft cable in white vinyl with hardware-store crimp-on aluminum spades. That should be fun.

I would love to find a source for some gadolinium wire.

cheers apo

aporigine November 24, 2007 19:52

Sweet system! I hope you had your turntable on really low speed while roasting your turkey (.5 rpm would be good)! Dark meat for me though!

Best to you,
Ben

bearotti November 22, 2007 19:01

System edited: System not really edited, but pictures have been added. The setup is temporary - I will build a rack and relocate the system into its designated area (also being prepared ... winter project). The kids love hearing music. They dance with abandon - sometimes I fear a more direct interaction with the componentry. Audio Physic Vertigo? I'll take better source pix when they're not blending into the carpet! cheers apo

aporigine November 09, 2007 03:52

Hello Tboooe
I have encountered your posts around the 'Gon and admired your system from afar. Thank you for visiting!
I see we share the same basic philosophy in re what we want out of audio playback. Ideally, the oft-mentioned goal of reproducing the live event would be the target. In "real life" (uh, what's that? I've heard about it, but as a audiophile I'm pretty immunized against such distractions...) the recording of the live event, and then the mastering and production of the commercial disc- be it silver or white - can reduce that quest to tilting at windmills. So I try to keep my expectations realistic (there's that word again) and steer clear of the pitfall of always seeking something Better, pushing ever deeper into the skinny end of the price-vs.-performance asymptote. I am old enough that I can be contented knowing that I have something Good.

I have not auditioned the Esoteric components, or even seen them at retailers back when I lived in civilized terrain. Would an Esoteric transport mesh happily with dCS hardware? Now, I am far enough from any sufficiently urban area that auditioning *anything* that isn't in the Mall-Wart would be an adventure. My health is such that I contemplate "adventure" with a certain distaste. Audiogoners aren't exactly thick on the ground here in westernmost Rednekistan.
Please do not construe the above as self-pity. I count my blessings, and they are many. I don't have the travel flexibility I once had ... and until my corner of the universe has been cleaned up some more, I can't be much of a host in the physical world. In the meantime, I delight in getting new ideas here, seeing different ways to build a harmonious playback chain, and corresponding with some of the luminous spirits that reside behind the creative monikers we Goners employ.

note added in proof: I just missed the Xono that came up for $1500. By MINUTES. Argh.
cheers apo

aporigine October 20, 2007 17:48

Hi aporigine, I noticed in your post that you want to put together a system "to extract as much info from the *recording* as is possible without introducing artifacts or systematic error". I feel the same way. To me, by hearing the nuances and imperfections of the music, it sounds more real and organic. To this end, I have the Esoteric P-03/D-05 combo. To my ears, I have not heard anything better at retrieving every last bit of detail from a disk. Have you auditioned to Esoteric? My plan is to add a word clock soon as well.

tboooe October 19, 2007 16:49

edit- analog front end added.
System has reached a plateau. I have spent all my binge money. Also, Spouse has put her foot down (making me fear for the clearaudio's cantilever...) and declared, No More Audio Spending for now. That means the Black Cube is it for now, lest I risk her wrath. Truth told - with top-flight equipment everywhere else in the playback chain, the Black Cube is revealed as being really rather good. But that Evans Groove plus would be so nice, wouldn't it Dear? ... Uh, did you lock the door? I'm out here barefoot in a towel ... Dear??
The Michell Orbe is a beautifully built player, with a "no nonsense" look and a level of finish that matches the excellent SME tonearm. The 'arm came with the quite good Denon ctg installed, but as I had the insider waiting for the proverbial rainy day, I had to try my hand at a cartridge swap. That evolution was a bit of a cheek-nibbler. I have a pair of old Swiss needlenose forceps, and these were pressed into service in order to, uh, press some new headshell leads into place. The leads that were there were right for the Denon, but those who know the clearaudio's peculiar layout will understand if I say that the leads simply didn't stretch to connect the two outboard pins. A set of leads from musicdirect solved that. A rapidly-worsening tremor added a gambler's edge to the event, with my shivering sausages threatening that unprotected wisp of diamond and exoticum sticking out from one of the weirdest-shaped cartridge bodies in audiodom. It seems purpose-made to shift in one's grasp as one delicately wrestles with headshell nuts (yah, unthreaded body) jiggling precariously at the end of small screws guided by an unsteady jeweler's screwdriver.
After triple-checking that the correct colors were matched up, it was time to play. First I set VTF, which was intuitive with the SME arm.
Halfway through the first album side, I forgot about critical evaluation and just luxuriated in the music. In my most non-expert opinion, that is the finest mark of a well-matched system. Me happy for now. Hmmm...

phono stage,
different CD trannie,
some more Valhalla, including for speakers...
a Verona word clock...
Hydra? Power Plant?

Ah yes. Even when the light is visible at the end, there are still plenty of sensible further purchases to keep my spend-o-phile's heart beating in syncopation.
cheers apo

aporigine October 19, 2007 15:46

Hi Sdatch
Indeed the Black Cube is something of a stopgap. I was thinking of getting a Pass Xono sometime, completing the amplification "backbone" of this congeries of hardware. That's not set in stone however - there are other fine phono stages, like the Evans "Groove Plus" currently on offer elsewhere on this site. No hurry here ... I still have to discharge the debt I incurred buying the turntable (a Michell Orbe complete with SME V arm) and speakers (Rockport Syzygy. I have dreamed of owning a pair of Antares, but that is beyond my means. The other speakers I admire greatly are Wilson Watt-Puppies. I think I am well-advised to wait a bit for those to depreciate a bit more.)
So ... if I disregard the fact that my credit card has become a lively neutron source over the last weeks, the Big Rig is coming together nicely!!
The displaced components, until recently my A-list pieces, will be set up in the house as a "family use" stereo.
First things first: I need to clean out the garage, which is still badly cluttered with the debris of a major remodel. Then I will undertake the construction of a fitted equipment rack. I'd like to implement magnetic levitation (and eddy-current damping) for the flats on which to place the two front ends. That'll be fun! Wheeee
cheers apo

aporigine October 05, 2007 03:31

Given your upgrade path the Black cube may not be commensurate with this system for long. Of course the cartridge phonostage relationship can be a bit of a chicken and egg thing. If you are upgrading from the Virgos they must be some speakers you have on the way :)

sdatch October 04, 2007 23:08

System edited: Minor edits. Interconnect to amp is actually Frey, not Valkyrja. Major edits on the horizon: I have speakers and a turntable on the way. All I'll be missing is a better-matched cd transport. Also a phono stage a bit more accomplished than the Black Cube would be nice. The Cube does an honest job however. It'll be good enough to feed my vinyl cravings for the foreseeable future. I won't get a handle on the *real* capabilities of the Big Rig until I move it from its temporary spot in a "sitting room" to the garage/shop/studio structure. In the mean time, I'm not obsessing about sonics and just listening to music. Shame on me, eh? :-) cheers apo

aporigine October 04, 2007 20:58

I must be making unpopular choices.

aporigine September 27, 2007 15:16

An added few observations.
I began my audio journey (not counting stuff I listened to in my childhood home) soon after getting married back in '86. Wife and I went to a number of high-end retailers around urban NY and NJ. I was, at the time, serving my sentence as an academic slave (odd pronunciation on that last - it sounds amazingly like "graduate student") roughly an hour SW of Manhattan. We saw many things ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. In the latter category an Oracle turntable stands out in my memory. That's when I found out that they MAKE stuff like that. The hook was set.
We ended up buying a cd player (Nakamichi at first, then a cheap-but-pretty-good Marantz, finally the Rega Planet, currently my provisional transport) into an NAD receiver feeding Maggie MG1cs. That system stayed with us until the year of our Lord two-triple-ought. As my hearing does not tolerate loud bass (the current trend in automotive audio causes me physical pain, and it's not only because I cannot abide hip-hop. Hey, I'm old!) the lean but tight bass of the planars suited me very well. Their ease of presentation was delightful. And the NAD was and remains a faithful campaigner.
So back in the final year of the previous millennium I had my own subscription to Stereophile (the previous eight-or-so years a work colleague loaned me his back issues, and I ate them up with a small spoon), and the feeling built up that the state of the art had advanced far enough to justify (ppplease, Wife?) going on the upgrade path. I went to many retailers from San Fran to San Hoser (I lived in the SF Bay area then) and correlated actual in-store impressions with the lovely but abstract prose I'd gleaned from equipment reviews. I received hours and hours of advice and support from one retailer especially, so I decided to buy a Pass X2 and X150 from him. I also scored my first used audio off the Web - the Virgos. That system lasted until last year, when I started buying some of the goodies listed above. I also got a Mark Levinson No.39 cd player. We are suffering the terminal stages of a two-month remodel that is now in month fifteen, so I used the ML into the X0.2 to directly drive Grado RS-2 headphones. Nelson P. himself cobbled me up a patch cord - 2 RCAs into a phone socket. The X2 isn't up to driving the Grados, but the ML/X0.2 worked like a dream. I'm no longer in the Bay Area - or any urban environs - so I delighted myself with the conceit that I was using the most extravagant headphone rig in all of westernmost Rednekistan. Then I discovered that the 39 (with its built-in linestage) drove the Grados just fine unassisted. And y'know what? It sounded the SAME. Imo that speaks very highly indeed of the big Pass preamp. (And the ML.) So for now the No.39 is making a wonderful integrated cd player and headphone amp. I hope I'm not asking too much of it.

The Maggies, Marantz and NAD went to my in-laws. One of the Maggies died. I opened it up, and the wire on the driving membrane had corroded through. Much scratching of chin. What WERE they smoking? (And why didn't they share?????)
The X2 and X150 are waiting for the Planet to get freed up. Then I'll have a nice setup for the family room. All it'll need is speakers! (The Virgos, after I upgrade. The Virgos have xlnt Spouse Likes factor.)
Of course she's been really good about all this. "What did that big thing" "Amplifier, dear." "Okay, amplifier - cost?" You really don't want to know." "Okay." And it WAS okay!
So I'm saving for:
CD transport, probably dCS Verdi
Speakers, maybe Watt-Puppies. I've been in love with them since I heard 3s in an all-ML system. Or maybe Rockports.
Vinyl playback. My old Dual tt from '86 finally died; all attempts at resuscitation failed. Turntable- VPI HR-X? Or maybe an SME?
Cartridge - the Lyra Helikon I heard in Berkeley sounded goooood.
Phono stage - probably Pass Xono. I'm a big Pass fan ... not that anybody could tell, lol!

Finally lots of anechoic foam to improve the garage (like I'll park something in there, yuh right)/workshop (work? [Bad word]! What work! I'm retired, baby! How'bout I shop instead, okay)/ audio room (now we're getting somewhere!)

Oh. And music. I should set some money aside for music. I am SUCH a gearhead.

Any insights or advice or random neurons firing? Talk to me!I ask only one thing:
Be nice.
cheers apo

aporigine September 25, 2007 07:48