System edited: Its been a while since the last post, but I made some system changes and need to upload new pics. Speakers, cartridge, and a few other odds and ends changed. New record cleaner too!

mbort August 16, 2011 04:29

System edited: Been making some changes in between a lot of travel over the past few months. Consolidated analog rig, new stand alone phono stage, new cartridge, a bunch of new cables to accommodate the new gear, and finally a solid state Ayre integrated to have something that I don't need to wait for an hr plus before sounding great. Love tubes, hate the warm up time.

mbort May 22, 2010 18:11

Very interesting Vernneal. You ever miss those La Scalas?

The La Scalas were great speakers, one of my favorites, but the Cornwalls are even better IMO. Particularly in the bass. The La Scalas did have a slightly more open midrange, but their bass performance was nowhere near the Cornwall.

No doubt those Klipsch guys knew what they were doing all around. Their Heritage speakers are incredibly sensitive to room/placement and to electronics, and respond very well to minor crossover mods. Because of their affordable cost, I think many people overlook their potential - these speakers will quickly let you know the quality of everything in the chain!

mbort January 30, 2010 04:27

System edited: Major system change back in Fall 2009, just now getting around to updating this thread. Changed speakers to Klipsch Cornwalls - did the usual cap upgrades in the crossover but also bypassed the terminal strips and added Cardas solid copper billet binding posts. Also integrated a Kora Eclipse, newest revision, with built in phono. Amazing preamp! Very versatile and well designed. Also added a Cary CD 303-300, got tired of not being able to spin polycarb pucks, so tried this player and loved it. I'm a fan of Cary gear and had been wanting another piece from them anyhow. Also added a turntable from a friend, and added a second tonearm and cart (MM) to my Lenco. Also added a Yamaha tuner. So now 5 sources for music (2 carts/arms, CDP, DAC/squeezebox, and tuner) gets me just about whatever I'm in the mood for. These changes have been very revealing. There is no real way to describe the sound - its fast, dynamic, coherent, and highly resolving all at the same time - just like real life. I've heard very, very expensive "collections of equipment" that don't sound anywhere near this life-like. Its all about synergy (components, cables, room, listening preferences), patience, and a good bit of luck. And I've stumbled on all of it this time and am hesitant to make any changes. It took a good bit of tube rolling - every very small change significantly affects the sound. Don't get me wrong - my curiosity will still have me trying out other stuff.

mbort January 29, 2010 15:28

System edited: Another big system change. Decided to enter into the crazy world of SET with a Wavac 300b based amplifier. Currently using it as an integrated, but plan to implement an active preamp with remote volume control. Also built solid audio racks with isolation, primarily as a very solid support for the turntable.

mbort February 19, 2009 15:01

Musicfile,

I have tried a Rega RB300 with Shure m97xE, Spacearm with van den Hul Condor, and now a Basis Vector with the Condor. The Vector is in a whole different league from the other arms, and works very well once dialed in. I will be running this arm/cart combo for some time.

mbort February 19, 2009 14:45

System edited: Finally trying out some new amplification and turntable. Lenco L75 with huge custom plinth and Kora Flash are new in my system, and will be staying to replace the Cayin amp and the Nottingham table. Along with a Harmonic Tech AC11 power cord replacing the VD Power 3 on my phono stage. The Kora Flash is extremely transparent, fast, and very high in resolution, yet somehow has a liquidity to it that works great. I also noticed significant increase in bass resolution, as well as frequency extension on both the top and bottom. The Lenco is an unbelievable table when it has been revived and properly integrated with a plinth. More details in a discussion thread .. but I love it!

mbort December 03, 2008 17:01

System edited: Major transition of my system to a much larger room in my house. Listening area is about 14x20, but total room is 18x32 with stairway near the back. I wanted to keep the Cayin and turntable setup - both of which are very special IMO. Changed speakers to much more efficient Klipsches on a whim, and they are fantastic. I got lucky and my sub integrates beautifully with the speakers. Also built a DIY DAC to use with a Squeezebox Duet and my computer in another room as a music server. Its a great setup, and I definitely don't miss the hassle of CDs - vinyl is much more rewarding from that aspect.

mbort August 12, 2008 13:55

Thanks for the compliments Neal! The media shelves were part of an old built in that I recovered and hung after remodeling the room.

Tough to say whats on the horizon. I may have done enough small changes over the past few months that maybe I should move my system to the "ever evolving" category.

I also recently obtained a Virtual Dynamics Revelation 2.0 to use in place of the David. All I can say is wow! It is unbelievably transparent, fast, and extended yet sounds very coherent. A great power cord!

mbort May 04, 2008 18:37

Speakers position was changed about a month ago to minimize room resonance - will update pics soon. I was able to also remove the bass traps, which seemed to result in a more lively, airier, and more transparent sound.

I recently installed a Mullard large base (1958) 5AR4/GZ34 rectifier tube - which absolutely smokes the NOS Amperex/Valvo I had tried a while back. Its amazing how much better it images than the stock Sovtek - not to mention it is smoother yet still has excellent projection and bandwidth with amazing soundstaging and unbelievable transparency and detail. I'm extremely impressed, and am surprised how much difference rectifier tubes have made in my system. With the Mullard, I am hearing a lot of little details in the music that I've never heard before - yet there is no fatigue as is usually associated with so much detail.

Also recently changed the output tubes - bought another quad of EH KT88. Its hard to beat the Electro Harmonix KT88, esp. for the $ - that is, unless you are really looking for the SET sound, then other KT88s may work a bit better. The EH is very extended and works well with the NOS tube compliments in my system.

The Virtual Dynamics cables are a welcome addition in the system. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the Power 3 compared to the MIT PCs.

mbort April 18, 2008 15:37

System edited: Just tried out a Virtual Dynamics Power 3 from a buddy of mine on my phono stage and amplifier. The Power 3 is amazing - makes my MIT Shotgun AC1 sound recessed and lifeless, yet its a much lower priced power cable. The Virtual Dynamics cables, in general, bring an amazing transparency to my system and sound phenomenal. They are very extended with huge bandwidth yet amazingly coherent with a huge soundstage. I'm hooked, and have just added a David 2.0 power cable and a Power 3 to my system to replace the MITs.

mbort April 08, 2008 02:45

System edited: Changed out the MIT Shotgun S3 speaker cables to Virtual Dynamics David speaker cables. It took me about 30 minutes to install the cables - they were a real pain! The MITs were great, and it took a long time for me to change them out, but the VD cables are a great match in my system. Everything about them is an improvement in my system. Although it was still tough to get rid of the MITs - their ICONNS and flexibility were very convenient, and I much preferred the MITs over many, many other cables I tried, until I got these on a whim.

mbort January 08, 2008 23:59