System still in progress. Room design by Rives. Octagonal design 22 X 19 X 9. Three layer drywall with soundboard center. Open channel around room - decoupled from house frame, sound-damped ventilation. Skylines, RPG B.A.D and sonex treatment. False ceiling behind listening position/absorptive. Quad.diffusors behind listening couch. AC via sub-panel, 4 30A lines, grounding grid. floor to ceiling passive traps in front corners. Nice family listening room replaces tv time most nights.
No, but I do have some of Franck's wood squares on that half-round between the speakers now and a few other odds and ends of his in the room. Franck is a great guy with a real talent for making rooms sound fantastic through apparently minimal acoustic manipulations.
Hello, Likely the Levinson and Krell pre-amps will deliver perceptibly more solid bass than the ARC Ref 5. The lower octaves may seem to be tighter and more pitch defined, however the Ref 5 will sound more authentic regarding the touch, texture and timbre of instruments, including bass. There is a 3-dimensionality to the sound of the Ref 3 and more in the 5 that either the Krell or Levinson will have a hard time matching. Once again, though I have not heard the Krell or Levinson pre's I have owned or had long term access to both lines. Based on that I would guess that either the Krell or Levinson will deliver more solid and impactful low octaves at the expense of the fundamental harmonics of touch, tonal nuance and decay. Of the two you mention, I preferred the Levinson sound to Krell but that was some time ago. Both are probably excellent performers.
Actually, the speakers are almost 6 1/2' from bass driver to rear wall so yes, I get good depth. Not cavernous "Audio Physic" depth from when I had their Caldera models halfway into the room but realistic enough. I may have the half-round between the speakers taken out at some point which will no doubt improve that aspect of performance.
Thanks Slipknot1. Yours is an intriguing set up as well with a great selection of sources--love that Reel to Reel. I always enjoyed the Kharmas and loved the sound the Kharma 1.0's made in my room some years back--very lithe and musical.
I am looking forward to hearing the Saschas as well. I believe we will be showing with them at RMAF in one of the Audio Alternative rooms.
System edited: System list and pic finally updated. Wilson Maxx 3, Berning Quadrature Z amps, ARC REf5, ARC CD-8 new to system with room, rack and furniture updates.
Actually, I recently bought a larger Queen sleeper sofa to match my new Maxx 3 Desert Silver color. I often listen with my kids so a single chair doesn't work but I imagine would sound better. I will try it eventually when my 9 and 12 year old girls move on or no longer wish to listen with Dad.
I am updating the room currently, and have new amps (Berning Quatrature Z's) and the new MAXX 3's. I'll post some updated pics soon. Thanks for the tip, Raul. As usual, your system looks amazing, Jfrech.
I would say that the ESS and Grand Prix are similar in the form of isolation they provide, which uses free movement rather than mass loading. The ESS are generally more stable (firm) as stands and component shelves than the Grand Prix. You may want to consider the HRS Racks since those are extremely stable and have a similar reputation to the ESS and Grand Prix for top performance. Also, I have heard great things about the Finite' Elemente' and SRA (Silent Running Audio) stands.
I will always recommend the value of the least expensive alternative for an evaluation in systems with which I am not intimately familiar.
Differences are in background silence, tonal weight and imaging. They are not profound differences but subtleties that based on the system and context, should be judged only by direct experience.
I am the marketing and sales director for Shunyata, so naturally those products are a part of the system. I have had access to many different sets of electronics and mono-blocks. The Atma-Sphere MA2 mk2.3 monos were a long time reference and are pictured, and I have recently listened with the incredible new Berning Quadrasphere 300wpc amps and the Luxman MA800 stereo amp(Wow). I've owned many different Audio Physic model speakers including the Caldera and have reviewed or evaluated many others. The Maxx 2's have stuck because I enjoy the the scale, weight and physical presence with which they deliver sound, from soft to loud. Not saying they're the best, just that they have a combination of strengths that I enjoy.
The room does make the system, and the room treatments really helped, as did the racks, isolation and stands from Still Points and Grand Prix.
