MY Place sbayne

by sbayne on Ever Evolving

Description

High priority on tone, soundstage and overall balance of sound.
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Components Toggle details

    • Aerial Acoustics 20T V2
    These speakers are version 2 of Aerial Acoustics' pinnacle speaker design. The workmanship is outstanding. They have 2" thick cabinet walls with heavy cherry veneer. The wiring and components are all premium grade. They use a 4" ribbon tweeter and proprietary Scan-Speak drivers. A true 20HZ to 20,000HZ speaker that is very musical.
    • Eversolo DMP-A10 and AMP-F10
    These are Eversolo's top-of-the-line power and digital preamp, DAC, streamer and DSP components. They are designed to work together and to keep all electronic noise to an absolute minimum. The A10 uses dual power supplies - one for analog and one for digital. Its volume control is a stepped-ladder R2R. And, has a built-in proprietary clocking system. The signal-to-noise ratio is over 130Db!

    The F10 power amplifier uses dual differential power modules, dual power supplies and a proprietary DC filtering system. I run two of them as monoblocks for an incredible 950 w/ch  and 70dB of current

    With the Aerial 20T V2 speakers these  components present a huge soundstage that is silky smooth and powerful.
    • ModWright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES
    ModWright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES with external tube rectified power supply. I've added Sophia Electric blue 6SN7 tubes to the output stage. I still have a significant CD collection. Overall, great analog type sound.
    • Audioquest Dragon Interconnects, Power Cables and Speaker Cables
    Expensive but worth it if you want the absolute best out of your system.
    • Synergistic Research Black Box

    The Black Box is a Low Frequency Resonator Array that works in conjunction with the Subwoofers, Atmospheres and FEQ X4 to solve bass node issues.  

    • Synergistic Research ART System
    This is Synergistic Research's older acoustic system that's based on resonators. It works very well with their current UEF system and provides excellent results. Complete ART systems are getting hard to find.
    • Synergistic Research: Atmosphere XL-4, Atmosphere, Mini-Atmosphere, FEQ X4 (2), UEF Dots, UEF Panels, Risers, ECT and GCT
    The UEF Panels, UEF Dots, Black Box, Risers, ECT and GCT are all types of sound resonators. I use an Atmosphere XL-4 (green ATM), Atmosphere (red ATM), FEQ X4 (2) (red ATMs) and Mini-Atmosphere (green ATM) - when used with the Synergistic Research control software they generate various frequencies of Schumann Resonances around the room. Bottom line they work: create a huge/realistic listening experience!
    • Synergistic Research Tranquility Pod
    The Tranquility Pod hasowered UEF and grounding technology.  It works with the SR Atmospheres that I have distributed around the room. Very effective with digital sources.
    • Electric Bamboo, ADD-Powr Sorcer and ElectraClear EAU-1
    The Electric Bamboo is an excellent but very rare line conditioner. All hand-built around a massive transformer wired and grounded in the classic star configuration.  The ADD-Powr and ElectraClear devices actually add electromagnetics (EM) to the AC line using an active circuit and algorithm. Contrary to popular belief not all EM is bad for sound quality in stereo systems. The proof is in the listening.
    • Vera-Fi Audio MainStream, SnubWay and Puron AC Line Conditioners
    I use these conditioners as additives to my power conditioner. They give a more realistic presentation/soundstage and reveal more texture and impact to the overall sound especially in the bass.
    • Stein H2 Harmonizer system
    I have 4 Stein H2s in my system.I went with one in each of corner of the room with a Stein stone on each and a Stein diamond on the ceiling in the center of the room. They add layers and layers of depth with each vocalist/instrument being in their own separate but integrated spaces.
    • Akiko Audio Tuning Stick; Kemp QA Plug (2) and Zero One (2)
    The Akiko Audio tuning stick is another grounding product that works with internal crystals.  The Kemp and Zero One products keep  the electrons spinning around the electronic signals as uniform as possible and add a more standard frequency Schumann Resonance as compared to the Synergistic Research products which variable frequencies. .
    • Audio Magic Pulsed Electron Alignment
    The PEAs are battery powered and affect Spintronics have the ability to control or manipulate how electrons spin. Electrons spinning around electronic signals carry audio information. The goal of the PEA devices its to get the electrons spinning as uniformly as possible. It opens up the sound and makes subtle cues in the music even more real.
    • StillPoint footers with risers
    I use original Stillpoints (with risers) under my amp, amp's power supply, streamer and DAC. These are still some of the best footers available in my opinion.
    • Perfect Path Technologies Total Contact, RCA caps, Stop-It duplex plugs, E-Mats & E-Cards
    This company has now closed because the owner has passed away. These products work to achieve a uniform and consistent RF/EMI and electron treatment around components.
    • Timbernation Stand and Platforms
    Solid maple platforms stained cherry.

Comments 589

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Owner
I did a massive overall to my system. I've added pictures. Details to come.

sbayne

Owner
I finally got the power cords figured out for the Modwright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES. The power supply needs a solid core cable and the player itself sounds best with multi-strand. I'm using a multi-strand with cloth/cotton sheath cable I've had for years on the player now. I'm coming to the conclusion that the digital parts of a system (DAC, CD player, Streamer) sound best with multi-strand and power amps/supplies sound best with solid core.

sbayne

Owner
The Modwright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES cd player is driving me crazy. I think I finally have it broken-in but it uses a power cord for the external power supply and a power cord for the player itself. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone and started switching various power cables in/out and the sound changes drastically will each change. I'm currently using solid core copper power cables on both the power supply and the player since they sound much better than the multi-strand power cables I was using before. Which made me think I should try solid core copper on the MHDT Orchid DAC - nope, multi-strand is the way to go with the DAC. Amazing, but I guess thats why this hobby can be so interesting.

sbayne

Owner
I have a large CD collection and when I saw a Modwright Signature Truth SCD XA5400ES for sale at a very reasonable price I went ahead and got it. I added blue Sophia Electric 6SN7 tubes to the output stage and have ran the unit for 50 hours. I'm starting to realize this cd player was hardly used by its previous owner. Every hour/day of play time adds significant better sound quality. The caps and wire in Dan Wright's mods need time to burn-in which apparently never happened with this unit. It sounds very good at this point but I'm sure its going to be even better.

sbayne

Owner
I've come full circle regarding a tube system. About 10 years ago, my system was all Shindo and I worked with the late Art Dudley to build a pair of field coil Altec Valencia horn speakers. Tens of thousands of dollars later I had a great tube based system. Then I discovered the TRL Dude preamp and matching TRL Samson monoblock amps. I sold the Shindo system. I used the TRLs with a pair of beautiful Von Schweikert VR-7 HSE speakers. The bass and lower midrange were excellent. Many amps and speakers later, I now have Tekton Moabs driven with a high current 845/300B tube amp. I later added Grannyring's personal highly modified tube Orchid DAC. I'm currently getting the best sound I ever had in my listening room. I was browsing the Audiogon classifieds and saw a heavily modified tube CD player by Modwright at a great price. I've had the CD player for a week and I'm loving its sound. I run digitial coax straight to Orchid DAC. So now I'm back to a tube based system. Not sure how long this will last but I can't imagine getting better sound. Now if tubes start fading or things get funky I may go back to solid state………haha

sbayne

Owner
I've updated my system pictures. They show I had to take the top cover off the MHDT Orchid DAC to accommodate the Sophia Electric blue 6SN7.  I've added a picture of the power supply for the Line Magnetic LM-845 power supply. And, I've gone back to the original Stillpoints for use under my streamer, DAC and integrated.

sbayne

Owner
I've been rolling various tubes through the MHDT Orchid DAC. With adapters you can roll the 6922/ECC88/6DJ8 family and the 6SN7/5692 family which are in addition to the "normal" 5670/2C51/396A family of tubes that don't require an adapter. There is a massive thread on Audiogon about tubes for this DAC which is very helpful.  At this point, I'm liking a Sophia Electric 6SN7 the most but it's very close with an Amprex Holland 6DJ8. Amazing how the flavor of this DAC can change with only a single tube change.

sbayne

Owner
Been spending time with my Line Magnetic LM-845 Premium integrated amp that I recently purchased. It's a 845 tube based, 30 watt Class A high current amp. The 300B and 310A drive tubes have been upgraded to Western Electric. The sound is very seductive but authoritative because of the massive power supply and output transformers. Still making a few tweaks here and there but very, very nice so far.

sbayne

Owner
Another significant change is my use of Vera-Fi Audio's SnubWay and MainStream. I found I no longer needed my Puritan PSM156 once I started using these products. Highly recommended and an excellent value.

sbayne

Owner
Milpai - agreed the Inakustik are excellent.

sbayne

@sbayne ,
I have been using the same Inakustik speaker cables and ICs for the past few years and have absolutely loved them. I love how transparent and neutral they sound. I am sure you are busy and thrilled with the listening sessions, and hence could not post new stuff 😁Have fun!

milpai

Owner
I haven't posted for over 3 months but I've been busy with my system. The Aria Audio Signature MK2 Class A amp continues to impress me with its pure musicality regardless of what preamp I use with it. I've used passive, solid-state and tube based preamps and it showed exactly what changes the preamp(s) brought and NEVER had any hiss or turn on/off noise. Its a very well built and stable amp. With that said, I've been exploring big transformer based tube amps and have finally purchased one. I'll update with more info once it settles in.

sbayne

Owner
I've added Inakustik Referenz LS-2404 Air interconnects and speaker cables to my system. These are meticulously made open-weave copper cables. Each strand is separated to insure an air insulation between the strands. It makes for an open very natural sound with the most tuneful bass I've had in my listening room. I'm still using my DIY power cables but I may upgrade to the Inakustik for at least the power amp if I can swing the cost.

sbayne

Owner
I recently saw that Synergistic Research may come out with a Black Box that is intended to sit on top of another Black Box. This makes sense to me because the Black Box is an acoustic resonator. I've been using stacked ATM resonators for years now. The increase in soundstage depth both front/back and left/right is easy to hear. So with that in mind, I placed the Vibratron (which is also a resonator) on top of the Black Box. The result brings even more soundstage, solidity and naturalness to the sound. Everything matters in sound reproduction - it is much more than just replicating frequencies - its timbre, harmonics and second order reflections that makes audio seem live.

sbayne

Owner
I've gone all-in on the Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes. I now have one in my amp, streamer and DAC. The sluggos have been driving me a little crazy though. After much listening and break-in time I've concluded the graphene sluggo should only be used with high current power supplies. Otherwise, the graphene sluggo sounds too bright and edgy. The graphene was basically unlistenable in my streamer and DAC even after days of break-in. The gold plated sluggo was supposed to be "warmer" sounding than the regular copper sluggo but I found the opposite to be true. The gold sluggo was also too edgy. So, I'm using a high purity copper sluggo in the streamer and DAC. The design of the SDFB makes sense and it definitely shows how a little fuse can change the sound of a component. Just do some serious listening and don't assume the graphene sluggo (the most expensive one) will be the  best for every component!

sbayne

Owner
"A Les Paul Gold Top into a Fender Tweed amp. Nice!" Thanks. I bought them locally and got good deals. Just keeping them as investments -- my playing is not nearly good enough for that caliber of classic guitar equipment!

sbayne

A Les Paul Gold Top into a Fender Tweed amp. Nice!

bdp24

Owner
I was a little surprised that Bill Dion's (Grannyring) highly modified personal Orchid DAC recently came up for sale. I've worked with Bill in the past on some mods and crossovers so I knew the mods would be excellent. I've also owned an Orchid in the past so I knew what the basic sound from that unit is like. I went ahead and purchased it. As expected, its an extremely organic sounding DAC with well defined and tuneful bass.

sbayne

Owner
I've recently added a Swiss Digital Fuse Box to my power amp. It replaces the fuse in your component with a pure copper "sluggo". The "sluggo"comes in various types depending on what coating, if any, is applied to it. It allows much more current to pass into the electronics which is especially important with high current power amps. I'm experimenting with types of "sluggos" and making sure each one is properly burned-in. So far, every one is excellent and has enhanced every part of the sonic presentation.

sbayne

Owner
No doubt the Allegri is an excellent performer but the Mr. K unit is better overall in its soundstaging and dynamics. I did some serious listening today with an  an audiophile friend and he thought basically the same thing.

sbayne

Does this mean the Townsend Audio Allegri has been banished? I would have thought it to be top drawer all the way.

acresverde

Owner
I continue to be amazed that audiophiles who pay thousands for high-end equipment don't give it adequate time to fully break-in. I recently bought a used passive preamp that has extremely high-quality transformers and over built attenuators. The sound has drastically changed after 100 hours of run-time. The soundstage and dynamics were excellent from the beginning but now are spectacular! You really have to give components a chance to sound their best before selling them.

sbayne

Owner
I've recently added a Mr. K autoformer based passive preamp.Its hand built and extremely high quality. Excellent soundstage and dynamics.

sbayne

Owner
I've added a SR Galileo SX Grounding Block to my system. The system is absolutely quiet at idle and music just seems to pop a little more from the background. Getting good grounding cables for it has been challenging so I've been working on making my own. The micro-banana connection is the main obstacle.

sbayne

Thank You!
Funny part is, the square adapter I have is also from GE 😄

milpai

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