Description

After 20+ years, I'm still working on it.
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Components Toggle details

    • Galibier Design Gavia
    With Stelvio armboard. Exquisite.
    • Triplanar Mk. VII/Ultimate
    Adjustments galore
    • Mark Kelly Synchrotron AC-1 motor controller
    superior AC turntable motor control
    • Lyra Skala
    LOMC
    • Audio Technica Japan 33PTG
    nice MC - easily betters the DL103 family, imho for about the same cash
    • Denon DL-103
    simple, conical, musical, cheap
    • K&K Phono Stage - Maxxed Out
    hybrid phono stage with Lundahl LL1931 SUTs ,Cardas parafeed caps and Audio Note tantalum resistors
    • Coincident Speaker Technology Total Eclipse
    Big air movers...
    • Slagle AVC
    2 dB/step autoformer volume control with 23 position Shallco dual deck remote controlled switch. Copper wired
    • Bent Audio Stevens & Billington TX-103
    Copper version of this by now legendary step-up transformer. Set for 20dB of gain, this is a keeper and sets a reference for its class.
    • David Berning Co ZH-270
    nice
    • David Berning Co EA-2100
    This amp will drive anything, and sounds great. Several modifications carried out brings this amp up many notches...
    • David Berning Co EA-230
    classic 30wpc David Berning design
    • Ric Cummings/Argent Audio Pursang S
    fine silver interconnects.
    • Chimera Labs Advantage II
    Dennis Boyle handcrafts one of the best copper interconnects made. Superb wires.
    • Gabriel Gold Revelation
    1 meter alloy cable.
    • Crystal Clear Audio Master Class Biwire
    solid core silver wrapped in cotton dielectric. WBT spades
    • Porter Ports 20A
    Hubbel cryogenically treated hospital grade outlet
    • Dynaco FM-3
    Classic vacuum tube unit
    • Maple and Brass Big-n-Heavy
    4 shelf design in the Flexy tradition, executed with the highest possible quality materials - solid 3/4" brass rod, all brass hardware, 2" think solid maple shelves, internally threaded Audio Points for the floor interface
    • Audio Points various
    mechanical diodes? nice cones? either way, they are very effective.
    • JVC XL-Z1050TN
    Quite modified - the analog output stage has been bypassed, with the DAC directly driving the outputs via a single capacitor. Power supply has been rebuilt and modified; chassis strengthened and damped. I still find this unit to be one of the most musically satisfying CDPs I've heard in its price class.

Comments 11

Palasr,
Thanks for your perspective on the Berning amplifier.
The Coincident TE and their 300b SET combine to allow superb realism and much emotion, I`ve always read great comments concerning Berning amplifiers.I`d like to hear it with the TE one day. I`m curious to hear how it differs from the Frankenstein SET presentation.
Regards,

charles1dad

Owner
Thanks for the response. The Berning (or more appropriately, a Berning) amplifier has been a part of my system for a very long time. It's speed, transparency and dynamic subtlety has been tough to match. Berning's use of a switch-mode power supply has everything to do with this, and if you've never heard one in your system, I would highly recommend an audition sometime; conversely, I'd love to hear what Israel's amps could do mated with a speaker around which the amp was designed - I'm sure it's good stuff. Happy listening!

palasr

Hello Palasr,
I also have the Total Eclipse speakers and they`re stunning with the Coincident Frankenstein 300b SET. How do you like these speakers driven by your Berning amplifier? Seems like a very interesting match.
Regards,

charles1dad

Owner
Avonessence,

I use the Triplanar every day - the hardest part is changing carts, as a lot of super-glue is required ;-))

palasr

Love the Triplaner Mk.VII.

How often do you it, and is it easy to get replacement cartridges for it?

avonessence

Hi Richard,

I see that you have several Bernings. I am considering a used Berning EA-230 and was wondering what you think of it espeically when compared with the ZH-270? I used high efficiency Field Coil Speakers (Feastrex D9e). These have a 16ohm impedance though. Your thoughts and comments are most appreciated. BTW, I also have a Galibier Gavia.

ddriveman

Hi Richard, I hope to see pics of the new digs soon!

dan_ed

Hi Richard,
.
It took me way too long to get back to you. The Berning Mono's have been in place for a year now and they are heavenly; certainly more than I would have expected or hoped for.
.
There is more speed, more air, tighter and more tuneful bass, wider soundstage, better placement in the soundstaging, and just a wonderful ease and flow to the music. I did not think there was any brightness in my system before, but I came to find out that I could have all of those gains with less brightness and no glare or grain.
.
I can not say enough good things about these amps. They have been well worth the additional cost.
.
Please let me know if there is anything more I can tell you.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello

Owner
System edited: It's been a busy few months. Lyra Skala added some time ago and I like it quite a bit - a Lyra with some harmonic meat on the bones if you will. Coincident Total Eclipses - they certainly perform well above what my previous Meadowlarks could do, although after two months, I'm still hunting for the 'correct' spot in the room for them - since they move a lot of air, placement has been more of a challenge than previous speakers. I'm a slow mover on stuff like this: listen, make 1cm adjustments, listen for a couple of days, go back and start again. It will be another 6 months before I arrive at the absolute perfect spot for them in the room... The change has made me appreciate just how good the Meadowlarks Shearwater HRs actually are - the Coincidents certainly give me a much wider frequency range, better dynamics and scale and have a wonderfully transparent and open top end, and many more hi-fi things are done well - but they give up some ease of musicality at the same time - more time to explore is required before arriving at a final judgment on them. They are fun to listen to at any rate. -Richard

palasr

Owner
Thanks for the kind words Larry; it's a work in progress.

Let me (us) know how you like Berning's latest amp(s) - I have a feeling I'm going to be moving in the other direction with regards to power - I'm thinking small these days!! If only he still built the Sigfrieds...

Cheers,

-Richard

palasr

.
Richard,
.
You have put together a very nice and well thought out system.
.
I also have the Berning Z-270 (waiting for David's latest Mono-blocks that I ordered) and just received a proto type AVC from Dave to test drive (have not tried it as of yet).
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello

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