Nice! Impressive! This must be the most interesting setup i have seen to date. I am glad that throughout the transformation, one thing remains the same, that's your speakers!

I am just curious if you follow cabasse speaker placement guide to toe in towards listening position, how does it sound? Can't tell from pics but it sure looks like pointing straight forward.

So was it 4.35 in the morning or evening when you took the new pic :) I bet it's the latter after all these new additions.

Enjoy in good health mate!

rotti September 10, 2007 13:21

Nice system and a sharp looking space you have there!

chadnliz September 10, 2007 04:22

System edited: Updated some photos: Denon A11, Herron VTPH1, Magnum MD90T, Cabasse Baltic speakers and a new system shot from the sweet spot. Enjoy!

cmk September 09, 2007 16:17

I've posted reviews of my amps on AA:
ModWright:
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=682469&review=1

Sanders:
http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=amp&n=120169&review=1

Meanwhile I've added the Magnum Dynalab MD-90T tuner which came internally wired with Kimber silver.

Sorry, no new pics as yet, been busy.

Latest gem: connecting my Benchmark DAC1 via XLR outputs direct to the Sanders XLR inputs with Slinkylink XLRs and use the volume control on the Benchmark. What can I say? The music just flowed. Bigger soundstage, blacker backgrounds, deeper bass, crystaline highs, more low level detail, better separation, MORE LIQUID PRESENTATION!!! Digital never sounded sooooo gooood!

cmk August 30, 2007 14:38

With the addition of the ModWright SWLP, I now have an additional phono stage and the option of adding and MM and/or MC cart. The logical thing to do was to hook up the AT33PTG/Conductor to the MC input. After some experimenting, I ended up with 1K ohm loading which had the best mix of bass weight and speed.

The Magnum Dynalab MD-90T was a "spur of the moment" purchase, but it has opened new doors to a wide range of music, especially on the classical channel here, Symphony 92.4. All the while I was playing with other basic tuners, and even dabbled with DAB, but this did not satisfy. The MD-90T is a whole different ballgame, with the ability to place instruments and singers in the room. I was amazed at the fidelity analogue FM radio had to offer. There is silence, between pieces, and even when the DJ comes on, its as if he/she was in the room speaking. Musical instruments have body and power, resonating in space. An entirely worthwhile purchase. I finally realised that those glowing reports are all about.

cmk August 14, 2007 17:22

Added the new ModWright SWLP 9.0SE full function preamp and the Magnum Dynalab MD90T. I'm having FUN!!!

cmk August 10, 2007 14:34

Hi Cmk,

Thanks for your response. Yes I am well aware that too much bass boom is not a good thing. Although I am quite keen to push the sub to the middle in between the speakers, I don't quite like the aesthetics of that big black box in the middle out from the room. It just ruins everything. Unlike your case it's different as your Thor looks splendid in the middle and the aesthetics part are further enhanced.

Cheers.

ryder April 17, 2007 02:15

Hi Ryder
No SPL meter used. The Thor has a mark indication for the Xover pt for the Baltics. I only have to set the gain and phase, which I do by ear. They were designed to go together.

Well sub placement is dependent on the room as well. It could be that the particular spot you chose for the sub excited certain room nodes(?). You could experiment with even more near field placement. In my room, the Baltics are more than 1/3 into the room. Placement on the same plane in-between the Baltics was meant to facilitate time-alinement/coherence. I do not get a dis-jointed instrument, eg a cello/double bass appears as an instrument in space, not with any bass bloat. The manual doesn't specify placement, I only experimented with this position based on my belief in time-alinement.

The Baltics only extend to about 80hz. On their own, they are fine, but lack the critical foundation of the music which is provided by the Thor.

After listening to my system, another friend also moved his sub out from the back to in between the main speakers and he too reports that they sound much better, ie coherent. He is using the Sonus Faber Guenari and SF Gravis sub.

Maybe, all you really need is the matching PMC sub and you're done(?). You'll have to try and see, but so long as your main spks extend to below 80hz, you're fine. The next difficult part is to try the settings with different types of music and make sure that it(sub) doesn't exaggerate the bass. Its meant as a support, to augment the freq range of the main spks, not draw attention to itself. You'll know you got it right when the sub and sats disappear and the soundstage envelopes you.

I hope I haven't bored you with my ramblings. All the best with your audio quest.

cmk April 16, 2007 17:56

Just out of curiosity, did you use an SPL meter to calibrate the levels of your subwoofer? Or the Cabasse Thor sub is intended to be placed in the middle alongside the Baltics? The Baltics are only producing the mids and the highs?

Reason of asking is I never found full satisfaction in placing the sub in free space between the speakers. I settled with the sub at the corner of the room.

ryder April 16, 2007 07:07

System edited: Thanks for the kind comments. In its latest iteration, the system has taken on some dramatic changes. I'll list out the changes and the effect on the sound: a) Added Sanders amp - images took on a more solid, 3D sound. There was a continuous flow in the mids-highs, much like very good single-ended triode tubes, coupled with a tonal purity that rivals amps costing many times its price. Bass took on more definition and speed, and was coherent with the rest of the music. With the added power, dynamics and speed were excellent. b) floated the Denon A11 on Feet of Silence - this had the effect of widening the soundstage, with the images taking on a more liquid 3D effect. Bass notes were not adversely affected, in fact, they became more precisely defined in space and time. The change from the DH cones/squares also affected the highs, reducing the bite, treble hardness on some music. The soundstage now took on even bigger proportions, extending deeper and wider than ever before. Overall, with some well-recorded music, the vocals/instruments seem to emanate from black silent background which led some audio friends to describe the system's sound as "scary". Within the confines of my room, my well-travelled friend commented that this was the best he had ever heard, he could not imagine the sound reaching further heights. Have I reached the end of my audio quest?

cmk April 16, 2007 03:49

Very, very nice! your set up and room look like a nice match for each other. Must be a very pleasing space to enjoy music. Nice choices in gear. Impressive turntable/arm/cart choices.

slipknot1 March 30, 2007 19:01

System edited: Accidentally stumbled on the Sanders ESL amplifier and was amazed at the tonal purity driving Vandersteen 2CE Sig. I knew there was something special about this amp and brought it home for a trial and have never looked back since. Extraordinary high resolution and pitch perfect timbre, with gut-wrenching bass to match. What more could one ask for in an amp? Its like matching a single ended tube amp for the mids and highs with a pure class A mono driving the bass. For the first time I experienced such "presence", that it draws you into the performance and leaves you lusting for more music. Not only are the mids and highs reproduced accurately, they are coherent with the bass. The foundation of the music also takes on a new level of separation that I hear minute details in the mix I never heard before. It runs cool and is designed to be left on all the time!!! For anyone interested in an amp that can "do-it-all", you just have to try this amp out. Forget about the old traditional notions of class A amps must be hot, cannot drive difficult loads, etc. Check this out!

cmk March 30, 2007 13:27

System edited: Latest updates: 1) Inserted Anti-cable between the power amp and the sub, replacing the good and cheap Belden 8461. Improved pace/speed and definition and loudness, caused me to tune down the sub's volume level. A positive step in the right direction. 2) Switched the DH Jumbo cones below the DAC to the Denon A11 universal player and what an improvement it brought! Seems like the bass took on another octave, musical images became more dynamic and focused. I wonder why I didn't do this earlier. This just brings digital playback closer to analogue levels, especially in the dynamics department.

cmk March 16, 2007 07:45

CMK,
Thanks for your response. The purchase of the Denon 3930CI is inevitable since I need a better DVD player to replace my cheapo Sony mainly to obtain a better pic quality. Although I am not too concerned on the player as a CD player or a transport, it's good to hear that the Denon makes an excellent player itself. This will offer more flexibility should I want to use the Denon both in HT and music.

Cheers.

ryder January 04, 2007 17:16

Hi Ryder
Sorry for the late response, been away on holidays.

The A11 is a pretty good transport in its own right. The sound as I described earlier, is more smooth and larger, which I prefer. Some prefer the smaller more focused soundstage. I prefer it more life-sized.

The 3930 should be a very good/excellent player if the 2930 is anything to go by. I use the 2930 in my HT setup and am very happy with its performance, both as a CDP and DVDP. I think a lot of audiofiles just overlook these giant-killers because they are "cheap" and don't comply with their "expensive" attitude, so they think its not good.

IMO the Denons are just budget players that out-perform the competition. Back to your question, I haven't seen/heard the 3930, but I think you should be very happy with their sonics.

cmk January 03, 2007 14:43

Hi Cmk,

Would you say the Denon A-11 as a transport is almost comparable, or better than the CEC TL-2? I have the TL-5100 and have plans of upgrading to the TL-2 but was also considering the Denon 3930CI DVD player. Your advice is much appreciated.

ryder December 25, 2006 16:37

System edited: Consolidated the digital front-end, using the Denon A-11 (5900) as a CD transport, SACD/DVDA player. Sound quality is pretty good, the instruments taking a more analogue like, and bigger soundstage.

cmk December 25, 2006 16:25

Hi Oregon
AFAIK, the 103R has been successfully mated to Rega arms. Well put it this way, even if you don't like the sound, you could very easily sell it to the next bloke looking for one and not lose any sleep over it. Worth every penny IMO.
Happy spinning.

cmk October 20, 2006 06:09

Hi Ryder
Sorry for the late response, been busy and travelling quite a bit.

I run both sources into the Diva M7 preamp, its easier this way and really with the M7 preamp, there's hardly any loss. I think the Benchmark's vol control is not exactly the best, so running it through its line out is a sonically superior option.

The older DACs would not be on the same playing field as the Benchmark. A better comparison will be other pro equipment, Lavry? Grace M902? The other alternatives are generally warmer in comparison. The Benchmark is very reveiling. Paired with the JPS Digital powercord, it sounds great.

cmk October 20, 2006 06:05

Cmk, Fantastic system. I would love to hear it play music!
Would you happen to know if the 103r is a good match for the Rega RB1000, I am told it has an effective mass of 10.
Thanks, Oregon

oregon October 18, 2006 21:58

Cmk,
Are you running your Benchmark DAC-1 direct into your Diva tube amp, or into the Diva M7 driving the tube amp? In your opinion which configuration is better in terms of slam, dynamics, transparency and detail retrieval?

Also, what other DAC's have you auditioned prior to the Benchmark purchase? Tested any older Wadia 12's or Theta Pro Basic IIIa's alongside the Benchmark? I am also considering the Benchmark. Thanks in advance.

ryder October 09, 2006 11:20

Dgad
The bass on the Conductor is fine - in fact, I think its a bit tighter/faster than the Model 2. There are no issues with respect to depth or impact. While the effective mass of the arm is low, a lot of these issues do not really matter with a linear tracker. When I had the 103R on the arm, it sounded very similar to the Schroeder, I would say they were more similar than different.

I suppose for ZYX carts, you "might" need to add weight to headshell, but I have not found any reason to do that so far, not with either the AT or Denon carts.

cmk September 15, 2006 02:43

Cmk,

The Conductor has me curious. How is the bass? My big fear w. linear tracking arms is that on many low compliance cartridges they will not be able to provide the bass. I just moved my ZYX Universe from my Schroder SQ w. 18 gms effective mass to my Ikeda 407 w. 35 gms effective mass. It brought the resonant frequency to specification (10 Hz) and smoothed out the upper frequencies and increased the dynamics while making the bass the best I have ever heard. I do miss the smoothness of the SQ badly. I wish I could have both but not w. my version of the ZYX Universe.

dgad September 12, 2006 16:24

System edited: Evaluated and found the Van den Hul D501 Silver hybrid to be the best match to the system. Initial findings are that it is quiet, very quiet so does not pick up hum. Sonic characteristics - smooth, detailed and it emphasizes the music over other artifacts(noise). Little details are presented in a totally natural, relaxed manner. Costly but for what it does, worth every penny.

cmk September 09, 2006 14:51

Hi Sirspeedy
I am pretty happy with the Conductor. It performs at the same level as the Schroeder with the advantages of a linear arm at the start/end of an LP.

Using my spare Denon 103R, I compared both arms and they are more similar than different. There are differences and these are:

a) start/end LP there is no distortion - Schroeder is very good here, with v little noticeable distortion
b) soundstage depth is more 3D - Schroeder appears to be curved at the back
c) image placement is more specific/stable - this is the hallmark of a linear tracker

The Schroeder sound has a unique relaxed nature which is hard to describe, which even the Conductor does not. With the Schroeder, the music is less "rigid". This is not to say the Conductor is not smooth, it is. Another point is that the Conductor is very reveiling of source/software. It is an "honest" arm and will let you hear all the detail there is in the grooves - for better or worse.

The only thing is that with the setup, one has to be very careful with the screws. Tonearm wires have to have freeplay. Although the pump is relatively quiet, sounds like a low-mid freq hum, it is best to have this outside the room (plan for this or you will have to bear with the hum). Also the arm may require a bit more frequent maintenance/checking, it is not a set and forget.

cmk September 07, 2006 06:28