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.
Raul: you bring up a interesting point on the listening chair vs sofa. I think I'll give this a try and move my coach to the side and just try a chair. Might be a good bang for the buck (already have the chair!)
Samuel, didn't you change your speakers recently? I might be mistaken here. I am curious how much you love vs the past model :)
Dear Grant: Great audio " toy " you own, congratulations!.
Not many people cares about ( maybe because money and know-how. Rives is a expensive choice. ) the main/primary " subject " to enjoy music in home systems: room-system synergy. I know that everyone of us have or would like to grow-up/improve/up-date our room-system synergy over time, I know that the rewards are worth it.
Of course that not many of us have the opportunity to have a dedicate audio room where the room treatment is more " easy " because the system is not on the living room.
From what are my audio experieces on audio I found that the seat position is very important too but one point of that seat position is where we seat in, I mean in a comfortable couch like the one in the picture or in a " plain "/simple single ( not to much comforting ) wood chair. Why am I touching this subject?, well the " couch " is part of the audio system and " take " some part of the sound, even if we seat with our back touching the rear of the couch we can hear a little different if we seat in that couch but a little on the front of the couch, now if instead that use the couch and we seat in that simple chair ( where we are not surrounding by nothing by space: free space. ) we hear and feel some differences in the music/sound reproduction, at least this is what I experienced in many different audio systems.
Grant, do you already try it?, as better is an audio system ( like yours one ) the difference for the better is higher. Obviously that those differences are system dependent and according to the priorities of each person.
Anyway, it is only something that it could be interesting and I want to share with you and other Agoner's.
Thanks for the prompt reply and suggestions. Unfortunately, fully loaded HRS racks (I need 6-8 shelves) cost as much as a new family car here in Australia (strange for something that, while heavy, ships broken down) and the idea of importing an SRA frightens me given the state of the Aussie dollar and the sheer size/weight of the cargo. Finite Elemente Pagode Master Reference is an option I have considered but the importer does not have any new stock at the moment and any current orders will be about 30% more expensive than they were just 2 months ago. Plenty of food for thought until the economy recovers.
How do you like the Audio Research electronics compared to the Atma-Sphere stuff, specifically the preamps if you had a chance to compare them?
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.
Great system you have assembled there. Do you find that the suspended shelves of the Stillpoints ESS rack wobble or move in any way? I only ask since I previously owned a GPA Monaco rack that was not a particularly good match with my suspended Basis turntable because of the multiple degrees of freedom inherent in this rack design.
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.
