My system is a collection of modern and vintage equipment I've gathered over the last 15 plus years, many I will keep with me forever.
I really appreciate having many sources and experiencing the sound of different formats, each is special in their own way. I currently have 8 sources connected, 3 turntables, 3 reel to reel, a CD player, and a Lumin D2 streamer DAC.
In the last few years, I've gotten seriously into reel to reel tape decks and playing copy of master tapes. Vintage turntables is also an interest of mine and I’ve acquired a Garrard 301 and 401 to go along with the modern TW Acustic turntable.
My room is dedicated to audio and the occasional family movie night....It is 14' wide, 20' long, and 9' high designed with a gradual 45 degree angle drop from ceiling to side walls to minimize in room corners and 90 degree angles. It is treated with a combination of bass traps, panels, diffusers, curtain, and furnishings. Wall treatments are used strategically and very sparingly to keep the sonic in the room lively yet controlled. Overall I'm very satisfied with the room though it is often cluttered due to the amount of gears I keep around.
Thank you for visiting my page, your questions and comments are always welcomed.
Custom-made tape/phono preamp by Charles King. It has two inputs, one for tape and one for phono.
It's built around an original design by the late Tom Colangelo of Cello Audio (a Mark Levinson company). I have it wired to the playback head of my Studer A807 as an external tape preamp and also as a phono preamp for the TW Acustic turntable.
smooth 300 watt stereo amp that is musical and a joy to own
Magico V3 Speakers
What's special about the Magico V3 is that as detailed and revealing as they are, they do not sound sterile and lean in my system. They are extremely musical, and music sounds beautiful through these speakers. From highs to lows everything sounds superb, of course component matching is of great importance.
Audiovalve Challenger mono amps
I've been using Audiovalve products long before they appeared in the pages of Stereophile. I truly believe Helmut Becker designs some of the finest tube equipment in the world regardless of price. Audiovalve remains an excellent value in a time of inflated prices.
These Mono-block amps I will probably keep with me forever. They are better and quieter than many current production amps on the market. Approximately 150 watt pure class A, cathode/self-bias with almost no noise. It's been modified for use with KT-120. Mine is the older version with glass all around, I don't think it was ever sold in the USA. Hand made in Germany.
Audiovalve Eklipse preamp
I've been using Audiovalve products long before they appeared in the pages of Stereophile. I truly believe Helmut Becker designs some of the finest tube equipment in the world regardless of price. Audiovalve remains an excellent value in a time of inflated prices.
NOS RCA clear tops. Natural, open, and detailed sound with very tight bass. Hand made in Germany.
Ampex ATR-102 reel to reel
Studio Mastering deck with Flux Magnetic heads configured for me by Dan Labrie at ATR Services.
Studer A810 reel to reel
This A810 belongs to a private owner for most of its existence and is in excellent condition. I have the original box and packing which is rarer than the deck itself. Fully restored by a great tech, Marc Bischoff.
Upgraded audio op amps, and power supply caps, etc.
Studer A807 reel to reel
The playback head on this Studer A807 is wired out to a King/Cello tape head preamp built by Charles King.
The deck itself was serviced and recapped to be a reliable transport by a great technician, Soren Wittrup.
TW Acustic Raven One turntable
Solid table with excellent motor and power supply..great speed stability.
Tri-Planar MKVII U2 tonearm
Lyra Kleos SL cartridge
I have the SL (Single Layer) low output version of this excellent MC cartridge.
ZYX 4D X-SB2 Atmos cartridge
low output .24mV , copper coil, silver base option.
This is a very revealing and muscular sounding cart with lots of low end energy. Highs is clean without edginess...Clear and neutral through the midrange, and powerful, tight, dynamic bass.
Benz Micro Wood SM cartridge
Musical and well balanced, doesn't draw too much attention to itself. I can see it being a good daily workhorse.
Audio Technica AT33PTG/II cartridge
Low output moving coil, Microline stylus, boron cantilever, occpc copper coils. A very nice audio bargain that delivers.
Garrard 401 turntable
mounted on a birch ply plinth finished in piano gloss Macassar Ebony. Thomas Schick tonearm, and Lyra Kleos SL cartridge.
Thomas Schick 12" tonearm
A simple and solid arm that matches well with the Garrard Turntables.
Garrard 301 turntable
Late production oil bearing Garrard 301
with 12” SME M2-12R tonearm.
Plinth is layered birch ply finished in piano gloss Macassar Ebony.
SME Model M2-12R tonearm
12" modern tonearm built on a classic design
Nakamichi DR-10 cassette deck
the last good deck Nakamichi made
Lumin D2 Streamer with Sbooster
Streamer and DAC with Sbooster external linear power supply.
Effortless and smooth with no sign of harshness.
Sony SCD-XA9000ES SACD player
CD/SACD player.
Detailed and extended.
Element Signature Connoisseur interconnect
Element Signature Terminator cord
copper 16 conductor braid. Sweet, warm, and musical
Element Signature Matador
nice round, and smooth sound. Warm side of neutral. The Matador and Terminator cords are musical cables and a good match with the Magico's.
GIK Acoustics Impression Pro panels
Attractive absorber/reflector product.
Auralex MetroFusor diffusor
Two panels on each side wall at the first reflection point, these polystyrene grid diffusers made a huge improvement in my room.
ATS Acoustics bass traps and panels
Audio Power Industries Power Wedge 112 conditioner
AC conditioner
Furman PST8 power strip
power strip/surge protector
DIY Line Conditioner
4 outlet cryod, line conditioner/surge protector built using article from 10Audio
VPI Industries HW-16.5 RC
Vacuum Record Cleaner
Home Theater System
B&W and Paradigm speakers in a 7.1 set up, Rotel amp/pre combo with DTS HD-Master Audio. Optoma HD 3D projector, 110" motorized screen.
Jasmine Audio LP2.5DU phono
This phono preamp is an audio bargain! I’ve compared and prefer it to some much more expensive units. It has two switchable inputs for two turntables, a MM and MC switch, a convenient selector knob for MC load impedance adjustment, low noise very balanced sound that is not clinical nor overly ripe, and up to 70db of gain. Build quality is really exceptional. The chassis is sturdy with 1/4" thick metal top and bottom plates, front panel is glass like with a logo that lights up when powered on, not to mention a power supply built into a separate chassis and connected to the main chassis by an umbilical cable. A really attractive package overall.
I've replaced the main audio caps with Mundorf Supreme Evo silver gold oil. All other caps in the phono and power supply are replaced with Nichicon Muse Fine Gold.
Thanks!...The monitor speakers turned out really good, frequency response is flat with surprising bass for a speaker it size. Of course these Seas Excel drivers are known to put out exceptional sound in a small box.
@jond thank you for your comments. I’m constantly learning and improving my system, it has given me so much joy! The small monitor is a project I had built when I was in the industry before wife and kids enter the picture. The cables pictured on my page are also products I hand built for audiophiles. Anthony
Thanks @cymbop! I’ve installed GIK Acoustics panels to further improve the room, added a few pictures of the GIK. Preliminary listening sounds okay but it’s still a work in progress at this point.
@islandmandan the cartridge loading selector knob on my Jasmine phono stage would intermittently cause static-like noises. At the same time, the four records (totaling 8 sides) that I've been using to test were new from my latest order. 5 out of the 8 sides had the same static at the beginning of it. Also, a newly retipped cartridge is staticky in the L channel and has to be sent back. So a string of issues happening at the same time had me flustered.
@islandmandan I do have a few line conditioners in my system, a API power wedge 112, a Furman PST8, and a DIY unit. I don't think line conditioning is the culprit at this point, but I may be coming close to finding out the real culprit on one of the turntables. I sincerely appreciate you taking a closer look.
@jperry thank you for the compliments on my system! I really like your system especially the Garrard 301, that thing is supped up to the max with Ikeda tonearm, Shindo bearings, etc. I will bring mine to that level at some point.
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement regarding my analog front end. The static issues I'm having with all my turntables are the most frustrating I've experienced in all my years in audio which prompted me to post on the forum for ideas. Just when I was feeling really satisfied with my system and felt like I can come to a resting point in my audio journey for a little while....the vinyl god strikes me! I have room treatment from GIK Acoustics coming later this month that I'm excited about, hopefully, I will have all the vinyl issues sorted out by then.
I find your Dynavector 501 tonearm interesting but I admit know nothing about it. I'm using a Schick tonearm with my Garrard 401 and it have performed well so far.
In the last few months, I have spun vinyl more frequently than I have in the past. Vinyl pressing is much improved and more consistent than before, really liking what Chad Kassem's company QRP puts out. I added a couple of cartridges to the system, a Japanese MuTech Kanda MC cartridge, and a Benz Micro Wood SM.
Maybe soon you'll come around on pursuing R2R, there's more new music available now than ever before and the point of entry to R2R is less than 2K.
You're absolutely right, I alternate between tube and SS amplification depending on the music and my mood, same goes for all the other source I have. Dan's Classic amp is great, I feel it's the same as the Progression stereo amp without the bling.
Added a few analog sources over the last couple of years. Garrard 401 and 301 turntables. Ampex ATR-102 reel to reel, Studer A-810 and Studer A-807 reel to reel tape decks to play my master tape dubs.
No, I did not use any special materials for this room. I'm really happy with the result even with standard construction materials. If I had to do it over again I would probably go with thicker wall insulation and have more cabling option for my home theater system.
Hi robforst1, I've had good results using LPR35 purchased from www.splicit.com, he runs a small operation but the service has been great, especially if you're new to r2r.
Since I've been listening to digital more the last few weeks.
My setup now consisting of a MacBook Air as a music server running iTunes and BitPerfect. Digital to analog conversion is handled by the Ultra-Fi DAC-41. This is a DAC that just gets the music right! No oversampling or upconversion of any sort. All files are AIFF stored on a WD external drive. USB cable of choice is the Audioquest Carbon.
It's certainly great to hear from ya! Yeah my analog and speakers has changed a lot over the last couple of years, and to another level as you said. I think this is going to be it for a while since I will be a father next month.
Yes, the Magico's has been a superb addition to my system, the best speakers I've had for sure. Extremely detailed while still sounding sweet and musical, this quality is hard to find. I've had Von Schweikert, Legacy's, Avalon, in the past few years. I try to stay away from lean analytical sounding amps, they can make any great speaker sound mediocre.
Yes, I still have the Ascendant, they will be up for sale in a couple of weeks, I've also listened to Eidolon, Ascent II and know the Avalon sound.
Comparing Ascendant to V3, the V3 is more detailed from top to bottom, the difference is not night and day but noticeable. Their tonal quality is suprisingly more of the same than different, keep in mind the Ascendant does not use the ceramic midrange that the upper end Avalon uses. The Ascendant is an exceptional value IMO. What's special about the Magico speakers is that as detailed and revealing as they are, they do not sound sterile and lean in my system. They are extremely musical, and music sounds beautiful through these speakers. The bass of the V3 is different than any other speakers I've had (this is my first acoustic suspension). Both has plenty of mid bass in my room but with the V3, I sense the drivers are moving a lot more air, while the loudness level sounds about the same, slightly tighter with the V3 actually. The bass of the V3 goes deeper than the Ascendant. With all I've said so far, I don't think I've gotten the max out of the V3 yet. My amps give the Magico's 110 watt of tube power, I'm modifying the amp to give 140 plus watts, hopefully this will raise the performance level a tad.
Thanks Peterayer, your system is very nice as well, I bet your Mini II sounds amazing with the Pass Labs XA160.5.
As for comparing the XP-15 to Xono, I've never A-B these two phono's in my own system but my friend uses the Xono with Ortofon A-90 and I have an idea of its qualities. Both are very neutral and quiet, they sound more alike than they are different, the XP-15 may have a bit more body compared to Xono making it sound more musical overall. Xono could sound a bit analytical if surrounding components aren't chosen cafefully. Of course, this is just my opinion, I could compare XP-15 to my former Tom Evans Groove much better.
Thanks Kabaraka! The Tom Evans Groove is an exceptional piece of equipment. It is ruthlessly revealing, transparent, fast, and dynamic. The downside of this phono is, it's not flexible. There's no cartridge loading option, and very hard to match cartridge with, many cartridge sounds crude and unlistenable. Sounds amazing if you know how to match it, haven't heard anything like it.
System edited: Since my last update, I've changed the cartridge to ZYX Airy 3x, and phono to Tom Evans Groove. It was a journey before deciding on the Groove, I had Linn Linto, Dynavector, PS Audio, and Musical Fidelity phono in my system. All has its strengths, but more important was that the Groove offer the type of sound I wanted to listen to at this point. My analog is now very fast, detailed, dynamic and exciting to listen to.
It was fun talking with you, and I certainly appreciate your honest opinion. I listen to a lot of vocals and prefer my system slightly forward which brings out the vocalist, great on a few of my rock albums such as Brothers In Arms, and Steeley Dan abums. Will let you know when we can listen to my friend's system. He just sold his amp and pre.
Dpatterson, thanks for your comments. Yes, the Audio Valve amp does sound very good, clean, and tight. Very quiet with the Audio Valve Eklipse pre. I've always wanted to move the speakers more forward and away from the wall but unfortunately moving it forward would be in the walk way. I thought about adding bass traps, but now the bass is fine with the new pre.
System edited: Replaced the Joule Electra LA100mkIII with Audio Valve Eklipse preamp. The Eklipse is slightly tubier, more forward in the midrange, very quiet, but more effort to make it sound its best.
