Newest setup:

Mcintosh Ma7900 Integrated Amp(with DAC and Headphone amp)
Sonus Faber Olympica II Speakers
Rega Apollo-r (transport)
Kimber 12tc (using 8tc for jumpers) speaker cables
Audioquest Coffee USB cable
Kimber Hero Interconnect (also using Hero jumpers from Mac amp to preamp section)
Audioquest Vodka Toslink (digital out from CD player)
Kimber PowerKord 10 Ascent(amp/dac)
Kimber Powerkord 10 Base (CD player)
Monster Power Surge/Conditioner EP2450

theguitarist July 13, 2014 17:11

The system has come a long way from the beginning.

theguitarist June 14, 2014 15:22

Blue Jean Cables -speakers
Kimber Kable-PBJ Interconnect

vernneal May 14, 2010 12:54

Chord Crimson interconnects and Carnival speaker cable would be a good choice for little money. So too would Van den Hul The Name interconnects and CS122 speaker cable.

artk May 14, 2010 04:08

Great system. Very good choices for your first system. I spent about 18 months owning CM7s and they are incredibly good. I still miss them sometimes. Very high value for money. I also love creek. Your speakes will sound even better if you pull them out from the wall a bit. They need some space behind them to keep the bass in check. Also, some slight toe in. You will be amazed if you experiment a little with speaker placement.

Regarding cable in general, you can't go wrong with The Chord Company. They are the number one selling brand in the UK and nobody knows hifi like the Brits. Trust me, they are extremely good. Just get their budget stuff. The best way to buy it is to use the UK ebay site. They will ship to the USA for just a few bucks extra. Google them. Good luck! :)

jaxwired May 14, 2010 00:41

I also want to say that the Nova is an amazing unit, I only use it for the DAC/pre and it's still worth it to me. As for cables, I think anti-cables are a safe choice, Morrow Audio is another great one to look into.

mrkoven May 13, 2010 01:46

I can't say I have done a lot of A/B tests on my cables in the system, but the Blue Jeans Cable seemed to transmit a stronger signal out of my Nova amp. They were cheap, too, 15 bucks for a pair of 8 foot speaker cables.

I think the Nova is a great amp, I use it as a DAC via USB and Coax output from a CD player. An upgrade to an NOS tube improved the sound of the tube preamplifier, but it sounded great out of the box.

pvonmalt May 13, 2010 01:04

Paul Speltz Anti-cables for the speakers. Also a fan of Kimber, can't go wrong in my humble opinion with either, best of luck. For a few $$$ more look at Morrow Audio, nice stuff, lots of fans out there. Don't go overboard as you can easily spend way too much on cables and you should get to a point where source components and speakers will return a nice improvement with upgrades vs mega buck cables. Personally I feel aftermarket power cables do return a nice bang for the buck, again watch price, PS Audio makes nice power products. I ran for a while B&W DM 604 S2's with Monster biwired cables, traded out to Kimber 4PR and wow what an amazing difference.

Glad to see you took the listening out of the car and into a place where you can really here your music.

Regards,

nissancrazy May 07, 2010 22:37

Hi Pvonmalt, How did the Blue Jean Cables improve your setup? Have you compared the Blue Jeans with any other cables in that price range? I have heard good things about them.

As for the bedroom system, how do you hook up the Peachtree to your computer? Do you use the stock audio card built into your computer?

I have heard the Nova but not the Decco. I liked the Nova, but not as much as a Jolida and Cayin that I heard after it. Do you find the Decco amp to be on the warm side?

Thanks.

theguitarist May 07, 2010 06:40

Thanks Jim64! I wish I could hear all these cables and A/B them. I will look into your recommendations.

theguitarist May 07, 2010 06:33

Hi, I have also recently built a budget system. I've had good luck so far with cables from Blue Jean Cables, they were a noticeable step up from Radio Shack.

Also, have you thought about the Peachtree Decco for your second system? I have a computer hooked up to the Nova and it is fantastic.

pvonmalt May 06, 2010 22:34

Hello TheGuitarist
Congrats on your first audiophile system. You should listen to music in your home so you've made the right moves with this system!
Please remember that the responses you'll get are just opinions and you are encouraged to find answers on your own by trying what you can to suit your personal music tastes.
I think many of us started out like you, and each step, purchase, and/or tweak is an exciting movement toward audio nirvana.
Now, considering your budget, I would try the Audioquest Black Mamba II ( one meter 99.99 at Audio Advisor), you might find a used pair on Audiogon but be careful buying these things on ebay as you may not get the real thing. I have many, and I mean many AudioQuest interconnects and to me they are very detailed for an early tweak to your system. (And they fit your budget)
While we are talking about an upgrade within your budget, you can find AudioQuest Speaker Cable always at a sale price at the same place (AA).
The Type 4 is a good place to start. They are Stereophile "recommended"!
Be sure to ask any of your audiophile friends if they have any nice speaker cables that may not be using that you could "borrow", more than likely they will end up giving you some.
You may get lots of opinions on upgrading the Power Cable. Hold up on that (imo) and live with the stock cables for awhile. While it could make a difference, be patient and learn to hear what you really have first.
As for your 2nd system (bedroom) I couldn't offer any advice on the Jolida or Qinpu except that whatever you try and don't like remember you can always sell. Think about vintage offerings... A Fisher 400, a MAC 1700 (McIntosh) Receiver or an H.H. Scott Integrated would blow those away (imho).
Best of Luck my friend...I am going to listen to a CD of a great guitarist I know that actually was my intern a few years back. Always love listening...

jim64 May 06, 2010 05:49