A work in progress..but getting there! I have a tough room with floor to ceiling glass on the front wall and one side wall of a 22x20 space. Floors are hardwood over cement slab so my space is very live acoustically with a fair amount of slap echo. To mitigate this I have setup as a somewhat near field listening position with the speakers well away from sidewalls. The revels and sub have made a huge difference in the sound from the B&W 805s I was using.
System Update. Added Liebert power filtration and regeneration for all equipment except amp and subs. Added balanced power transformers for the high current equipment. Small, but worthwhile improvements across the board in "ease" of presentation. Video looks a bit cleaner too. Will probably go balanced power out of the Regen unit in the future as well.
That is correct. I also use the firewire input on the Weiss from a dedicated music laptop on occasions for obsessive listening sessions, but overall, the SBT is an amazing device and the convenience just can't be ignored. Should be noted that I have performed most (not all) of the soundcheck mods to the SBT and I am running a wired ethernet connection-- never could get acceptable results with wireless LAN especially on higher rez stuff.
Thanks for the reply Spinaker01 - so, as one last follow-up, you must be enjoying your 2 channel music by going from the SB Touch to the Weiss to the amps to the speakers. Correct? That is what I am planning to do. I'll keep the Krell for movies only which is apparently what you are doing also.
Hey Puerto, good questions. I only use the Krell for Home Theatre with the LS-25 Preamp "Pass Through" for L&R channels.Sucks running a tube amp for H/T but it keeps the 2 channel rig as my main priority. My SB Touch goes directly to the Weiss DAC2 which is quite a bit better than the DAC in the Krell. (not that its terrible, just in comparison) The 2 JL subs are also controlled by the Krell. I use the second set of outputs from the LS-25 preamp to feed the Krell which allows me to control volume for the subs remotely for 2 channel listening (surprising how a small volume change on the subs changes the overall system integration) All seems to work well and the Krell is extremely flexible with many configuration options and very good 5.1 decoding. Won't do HDMI switching, but I only have DVD & Cablebox, so using the switching on the TV for input selection is an easy solution for me. Cheers!
Beautiful room and great set-up Spinaker01. I see that you have both the Weiss DAC 2 and the Krell HTS 7.1. My Weiss Dac 2 is on order but I currently use the Krell HTS 7.1. Are you running your source components through the Weiss 1st then into the Krell? Just curious. My intention is to replace the Krell with the Weiss. The Krell has been a disappointment. I'd appreciate you feedback.
Thanks Lapierre. No real changes on the imminent horizon (but I've said that before). I will probably upgrade the pre/power to REF 3 & REF 110 status at some point, and as mentioned, I'm lusting after a pair of Studio 2's. In the meantime, I'm actually quite happy with the system. The room, less so, but until I get into a place longterm, I will just have to put up with its inherent shortcomings. I would ultimately like a separate HT & 2 channel system in proper rooms. That might allow me to get back to a "simple" system without the sprawl of gear I now have. Thank God, I don't have to deal with a WAF issue!!!
P59teitel, Forgot to mention, you have a great system and beautiful room, been following your progress for awhile. It has the simplicity I hope to get back to some day. Enjoy!
Hi P59teitel, Thanks for the kind words. The Studio2's were actually my first choice, the Salons (while certainly awesome) would be beasts to drive and I don't really require THAT much speaker. I also like the simpler design of Studios as well. The second sub has certainly helped to bass load the room without adding a lot of volume-more even sound throughout the room and a little less peaks/dips. I'm running the mains fullrange so the subs are barely on and crossed over at 50hz. Running them as dual masters so I can run independent A.R.O. programs on each. So far the verdict is: I love them! Just added a Liebert power regenerator last night, so the system complexity is starting to get out of hand.....again!
Nice system and nice view! Adding the second JL means you can save some money and just go with the Studio 2s over the Salon 2s.
I also agree that Revels don't sound their best with ML power/pre. If you do audition, take that ARC gear with you and see what the Revels can really do!
Greeting Kevinzoe!. I am in Liberty Village area (for now). Haven't wanted to install any room treatments as I'm only renting and looking for another place as we speak. Brutal market though. I'll probably not have the luxury again of a dedicated listening room, but when I settle into a new place, will probable try some skyline diffusers on the ceiling and some more fiurniture/plants etc to break up the diffraction issues. You appear to have your room/system well sorted out, let me know when you are hosting an open house I'd love to hear it :) Cheers. -JS
Hi Spinaker, I see you're a fellow Torontonian - nice to meet you! You must live in one of the many high rise condo buildings south of or near Front Street eh?! Love the view but the sound likely needs some work due to flutter echoes and glass walls which act as bass traps preventing some decent presurization of bass waves. Do you have thick drapes to close when listening? Try breaking up vertical flutter echoes with floor carpeting and/or ceiling panels like white RFG Skylines (see my system pics) or absorption. RPG makes glass covers that are see through that absorb sound I believe - just another idea. . . Have you experimented with placing the JL Audio sub closer to the couch rather than close to the windowed wall where bass will pass through the glass? Cool pad!
Ha! Funny you should say that, the Toronto Island Airport is just to the left in this picture and I see small craft taking off and landing all the time. It is a great view, I must admit and sometimes take it for granted. I did wake up in the middle of the night last fall in a spectacular thunderstorm and sat up watching it for a couple of hours. Nature in all its glory!
Dover, I have heard the Studios and the bigger Salons on a couple of separate occasions in different rooms and setups. I have to say, they all sounded excellent every time. I will say however, that I am not the biggest fan of the ML electronics they are often paired with. Some of what you may have been hearing might be related to this. That being said, I am curious as to what the Performa line will bring. After all, I could save a ton of change!
Agree with Chrissain, on latest Levinson pre/power the Ultima was much drier, shrill to my ears, compared to the Performa 32 which is more relaxed slightly warmer sounding.
You're right about Mogami... I have some Neglex 2534 Mogami XLR's and they acquit themselves VERY well in my system/room.
I had a pro wiring guy custom fashion some 3173 XLR's between my BAT REX, Dali active crossovers, and BAT monoblocks...my spouse and I are enjoying them right now as I construct this post! We likey...haha.
Well, I just obtained a Hakko soldering station, some Knipex tools, and a PanaVise...Have Cable -- Will Travel :-)
Hi there C1ferrari, I am planning on getting some of the 3173 in the near future and using it for the lower shotgun run portion and using the existing 2921 for the upper biwire section. I assume you have heard and liked the 3173? I think its VERY tough to beat the Mogami stuff and the price (especially for do-it-yourself types)you would need to spent 4x as much to do any better. Cheers
Thanks Chrissain, My place is in downtown Toronto, so the water view is of Lake Ontario. I really like the F32s and I got them at a price that was just too ridiculous to turn down. I am also interested in the replacements for the Performa line as I know this series is somewhere around 8 years old now and probably due for some udates. Will be awhile before I make any more changes, so will give them all a listen for sure. thx
