I've greatly enjoyed persuing people's Virtual Systems and looking at their cool pictures. I've had a system posted for about a year that has changed considerbaly since then, and never had any attached images. There's a good reason for that. I'm ashamed of my listening room. It's messy beyond belief, and some would consider unfit for high end audio.
Incredibly, I'm very happy with the results of my efforts. The room is approximately 12 x 14 feet, but has tons and tons of cabinets, desks and equipment. My 2-channel set up shares space with an HT seup, two computer stations, wall mounted bookcases, dressers and a bed.
I decided to post photos because some of you may want to see what that goofy Gunbei guy has at home. Well, if you look carefully you might notice a bathroom behind the left ProAc and a walk-in closet behing the right one. I have photos that better illustrate this, but I'm too shy to show them.
I promise, one day I will get this room together and pictures of a real system like the rest of you. But I've spent buying equipment and tuning my system to work in this bedroom/storage space, so I'm afraid if I clean it up the sonics will change completely.
Eric, great to hear from you! How's the law practice going in ChiTown? You must really appreciate your system when you get a break to listen. I like your beautiful Windy City system by the way.
My photos here are old, I've changed some equipment around. One of the tings that's new is a Bel Canto SET40 amp. It's a 37wpc 845 based SET and works really well with my ProAcs. Your SET amp looks awesome. I can only imagine the amazing soundfield it makes in concert with your Madisounds. My preamp uses 6SN7s as well, so I can in a way appreciate your affection for them. I've tried a lot of different preamps, but I just keep returning to my old discontinued Blue Circle BC21. I love the tone of those tubes.
It's been unseasonably cold and rainy here in LA a couple months past what it should be, although anyone from Chicago or Seattle for that matter would laugh at me. We're such wimps here.
I really like the way your room looks. The colors and the layout seem to have a blend of Asian and western modernism. The room and the system work well together. A female friend prepped and repainted my room for a whole week during the day while I was at work a couple months ago. She really transformed my place into a dark, relaxing listening haven.
It always amazes me that you're the only one that knows where my monicker really comes from. Hah, if it wasn't for our friend Jax2, I'd be a pretty boring A'Gon member.
Thanks Brian. ProAc's tonal balance really suit my taste. Besides these floorstanders I've owned two sets of their monitors. I don't think the 2.5s would be a good choice as HT mains, but their midrange has me hooked. I can't wait to see what you try in your cabin next!
Sorry, but I need all those points around my gear. They seem to act as voodoo barriers against all the spiders in my room.
I got lot's of other gear not posted and my system cofig is actually different than the one posted. So when the dust settles and all the arachnids and arthropods have been rooted out, I'll post an updated system.
Marco, call me paranoid, but I have this fear that flapping my arms may cause the broomstick to do even more damage. Sorry, but it just doesn't sound like a smart way to ease into the listening position. A toy truck is one thing, but I don't know how I'd explain to a doctor how that broomstick made it into my intestines.
Ray, yeah I live in LA, so Vegas is just a 3 hour and 35 minute jaunt if I can get some open space between Barstow and the Nevada border. I went to CES in 2003 and had a fun time at Alexis Park and The SHOW. But what was even more fun was the AVN Expo at the Sands.
Here in LA Mexican Americans refer to underwear as "chones"[sp?]. They are very effective sound dampers.
Yeah Ray, Gunbei's Messy Room Uncensored would scare most audiophiles right out of this hobby. All you gotta do is look at the reflection in the faceplate of the Kora Hermes and you'll get a hint of the disheveled old bookstore that lies behind.
It's remarkable that a lady friend of mine thinks my listening "area" is cool.
At one time, Marco could have joined us when he had a system in a studio loft. But both your guy's rooms both have a coolness I can't yet approach. Gotta get rid of the random chones first.
Believe me, you haven't seen the uncropped pics like some people have.
I hope I've given encouragement to other single guys like us. We all can't have trophy listening rooms, but that doesn't preclude us from being proud audiophiles as well. That said, Marco in his previous post correctly pointed out that my use of creatively cropped photography is a way of hiding the true extent of my mess. Hahh!
Since this system was originally posted, I've been trying different components so it would look a bit different from this one. I replaced the BAT VK200 with a Bel Canto SET40. The Blue Circle BC21 has been relegated to back up status to make way for an eXemplar Exception II. The Kora Hermes seems to be losing out to an Audio Mirror D1 DAC and the Magro 24 rack has been disassembled and a Solidsteel 6.4 resides in its place.
We'll see how things shape up and what components stay, but before I post new pictures I really have to redo the room first!
Hey sorry guys for the late response. I've been really busy with press checks the last few days, so I've been living in the printer's guest lounge. Funny thing is, last night we were having dinner there and a picture fell off the wall and smashed the AC plug of the power strip that their TV, multichannel Sony amp and the other A/V gear hooked up to it. Even one of the satellite speakers came crashing to the floor. The ground plug of the male AC going into the wall got sheared off and left in the outlet. I pulled it out with my plastic salad fork. I guess the painting didn't like having to sit over mass market Sony equipment! And maybe the artist of the painting was telepathically telling me to leave HIS lounge since I work for Sony too, heheh.
Zaikesman, Yeah, I don't know what it is about the AU24 speaker cables having such a positive impact, but their interconnects not being as overwhelmingly great. The speed and transparency of the AZ Silver Ref II ICs combined with the naturalness of the AU24 SCs seem to strike a really good balance for my taste. I've read elsewhere many times similar comments to yours regarding the Audience ICs not being as impressive as their speaker cables. For me, having an all AU24 line up killed much of the PRaT and overall got a little loose sounding. Everytime I see a Mephisto IIX or a 47 Labs Flatfish come up for sale I think of replacing my Pearl/Hermes combo, but that would entail much more cost than my simple set up, and I love that the Pearl plays anything I put in it without a whimper.
Marco, A lot of the cropping and lighting cues you're giving me credit for were purely accidental. I know I should be aware of those things being in the line of work I'm in, so I appreciate the props, heheh. Damn, you got good eyes being able to see the CD spines. I bought those old early '60s lounge music discs at an A'Gon auction. Kinda like some of the LPs my Dad had around when I was a just learning to play his hifi. Your remodeling is looking great! Keep the updates coming.
Andres, I figure you're about an inch or two taller than me, so it's no wonder you keep hitting your head on your chin up bar! Although the setting isn't nearly as ideal as yours, I think the 2.5s are happy in my messy adobe. They're making sweet music among the clothes and electronic equipment. I call it natural real-world urban acoustic treatment. How are the Thiels and Linn gear working out?
Rene, I live in a three bedroom apartment, and my system is actually in a bedroom with two computers and a home theater system. When I bought the ProAcs from Alcides, he urged me to set them up nearfield. Lucky for me, I already had experience doing that with my ProAc monitors, so I was already privy to that aspect of the ProAc magic. Amazingly, I feel the floorstanding 2.5s disappear better than either the 1SCs or Tab 50 Sigs, and those little monitors can't even come close to reproducing the broader, more articulated bass of the 2.5s. I sit in a Herman Miller Aeron Chair for listening so that I can roll forward or back depending on where I want to sit in the listening venue. Looks like you and ! have similar set ups!
I compared the Acoustic Zen Hologram II speaker cables versus the Audience AU24 for four months late last year and ended up switching to the AU24. I'm currently comparing all my AZ ICs to an all Audience AU24 configuration and so far am preferring the incumbant AZs.
And, I just finished constructing the VH Labs Flavor 4 Power Cord DIY and plan to compare it to the Virtual Dynamics cords I'm using.
As for my updated system pictures, as Marco said, "some creative cropping" sure helps. No retouching involved, I promise.
Well, since I first created this messy virtual system I've experimented with five preamps, four amps, two different power conditioning schemes and an uncountable amount of wires, so I thought I should update this on going audio mess. The target stand has been replaced by a Magro 24 wall system. I plan to retain the metal side supports but will replace the MDF shelves with thicker solid maple platforms. I have a Zoethecus amp stand now under the VK200 instead of the chess board I was using before. The little ProAc monitors have made way for floor standing 2.5s I purchsed from a super nice guy locally. And because I went to full range speakers I no longer use the Bryston/Paradigm,NHT subwoofer system for music. I am considering adding a REL Stadium to fill out the very bottom octaves. I've also reintroduced Mapleshade brass cones into the system which I really like and BDR #4 Cones are now under the Neuance Platform. Placing loose 4x4 sections of Sonex panels at my first reflections has improved focus and reduced some lower treble glare. I've found the passive Furutech eTP-60 to be a very clean and effective method of power conditioning, and the Porter Port in conjunction with it contributes to a very transparent flow of power.
All in all I'm very happy with this set up. It may never make it into Interior Design or Audio Interiors Magazine, but it's a place I can relax and enjoy music. Peacefully.
Sam: My whole room is a messy ASIAN rug, hahah. I enjoyed your systems 1 and 2 as well as your nice headphone system. I need something like that at work. My Sony Discman with Grado SR60s isn't quite cutting it, but iTunes is great.
Sherod: My Dad has BOTH Sansui 1000x receivers you gave us. We've decided that they look best resting on the nice teak credenza he bought around the same time he got his original 1000x. '69 or '70, I think. Very elegant. I hope your wife's guitar practice is going better than mine. :)
Zaikesman: My Pearl has the XLR outs covered. Is it just a matter of removing the plate or does the transport need to be reconfigured in any way? Thanks for XLR perspective! There must be something with the Super Secret G4 Macintosh Anti-Audiophile Filtering I embedded into the pics before I uploaded them. I wonder why so many people can't see them. I am a digital retoucher though, so maybe it was Anti-Microsoft Watermark I embedded. And I know EXACTLY what you mean by trying to place all CDs and DVDs into other mechanisms label down. I always have to catch myself from doing it at work.
Sugarbrie: Maybe you can see the pics because we are fellow Blue Circle fans, hahah. It would be great to see the interior of one of Gilbert's mods. I still plan to do this with my BC21, when the funds are available.
Dtanclim: Have you considered switching your speaker cables so that the Neutral Reference is on the bottom jumpers to your woofer instead? That should clear up your bass and I think placing the more forgiving Golden Reference on the tweeter jumpers would yield a mellower sound. Good luck!
I will post more pics soon! And I will send them to whoever wasn't able to view them here. Thanks again!
Dtanclim, for the last two and a half years I used biwired runs of Analysis Plus Oval 9, then Virtual Dynamics Audition, and my current Acoustic Zen Hologram II. To be honest, I haven't A/B'd any like cables, so I can't offer an opinion. But the way you're doing it by using two single runs is a good way of comparing. What did you notice as the differences?
That Concentra is a sweet piece. I love the minimalist looks and the solid vault-like build. I always wondered how it sounded.
The upgrade bug is a bitch ain't it? I was sitting happy with my system, then BAM!!! I changed amps and even borrowed Viggen's Aleph 3, then changed all my cables. I bought the VK200 just for the heck of it, and all the Acoustic Zen because I thought they looked neat.
If you're enjoying the sound but still have the bug, maybe you should consider the power cord upgrade before a cable change. The Cardas do have a special sound when mated with the right components. It really depends on what kind of improvement you're looking for.
I bet the D15 are awesome as well. I'm considering the Response 2.5 DIY project as a future goal, and possibly finishing them with padauk veneer to create some individuality.
Yeah, you've seen these pictures before. Remember my 4am photo shoot? And actually, you're the only one that has seen the REAL messy photos. I posted JPEGs, I don't know why you and Dave can't see 'em, maybe you both need to get Macs, hahah.
The Blue Circle is RCA out only, although I'm sure Gilbert can make any kind of custom mod a BC owner would like. The nice fellow [Thaiq] that sold me the VK200, threw in a pair of BAT RCA to XLR adapters free. They do the job nicely, but I have thought about a fully balanced preamp.
So Junji of 47 Labs has a disheveled listening room like me? And you thought all us Japanese fellars were neat. The genious of Japanese acoustic theory is that all items such as freshly laundered clothes, toilet paper rolls and trash are valid and effective sound treatment.
Dave. Ed. When should we plan a Carolina/47 Labs listening session?
I'll e-mail you these pictures. Nothing special since I did my best to hide the mess, but you'll get an idea of my listening "environment". And stop visitng those Russ Meyers websites or you'll go blind.
I like your statement, "organizationally challenged audiophiles". I definitely fall in this category. And yes, you're correct about the creative cropping. I'm a graphic designer and digital retoucher, and I've done everything possible to make these pictures presentable.
The shot of the cables behind the rack and the one with the Hologram leading to the ProAc was shot in absolute darknessat 4am on a sunday morning. Who the hell knows why I woke up and decided to shoot those shots. Acoustic Zen cables glow like iridescent eels when you shine a light on them in the dark. Unfortunately, it seems the human eye can see much more than what a CCD digital camera can capture and what an RGB monitor can display, so I had to brighten the cables in Photoshop.
And yes, I hopes Rives doesn't drop in and see that I;ve broken every acoustic rule in the book, heheh.
I have the "Anti-Ewha System". Yours is so cool looking. While you have to search through the rubble to find my components! Your listening room is a great babe nest, while mine is a great roach nest, hahah!
I've had pretty good luck getting the Bryston/NHT to integrate with the rest of my gear. I forgot to list that I have a Paradigm X30 controlling both. I think many people would consider my sub-bass system a bit hodgepodge or low tech, but it has worked quite well for me. The NHT SW3 is located on the right side wall half way between the monitors and the listening position. Possibly another Gunbei-Rives-Sin! The sub is shared by the HT setup. While the location is not conducive to super low extended bass, I feel it works for both systems. HT bass doesn't go super low, so impact isn't compromised too much, and I feel this location makes the bass sound tighter and faster with better pitch than if I placed it in the corner.
Yeah, I'm pretty happy with my sound Eric. And, the funny thing is, is that no one besides my dad has sat in my Herman Miller Aeron chair to enjoy it. Hopefully, everything will be presentable the next time you swoop in from the Windy City and revisit LA.
I'm still breaking in all my Acoustic Zen cables, but I'm very happy so far. As a fellow ProAc owner you're aware of the outstanding imaging and soundstage size they're capable of, and I feel that is also one of the Acoustic Zen's attributes.
Following the advice of many experienced Acoustic Zen owners, I placed the Silver Reference II between the DAC and preamp and the Matrix Reference II between the preamp and amp. The sonic characterstics of the two cables are quite different in that the Silver Ref imparts a very extended yet smooth top and while the Matrix offers a fuller, richer sound. The Silver Ref brings the detail the MAtrix lacks and Matrix has the richness the Silver Ref doesn't. Therefore I feel they compliment each other very well. In my current rig I can't imagine using two Silver Refs or two Matrix.
I used to own a run of Cardas Golden Cross and liked it very much, but sold it along with a bunch of other cables to help finance some upgrades. Comparing the Golden Cross to the Acoustic Zen from memory, I would say that the Acoustic Zen definitley throw a bigger soundstage, but the Golden Cross has a nice balance of warmth, detail and imaging that the Silver Ref or Matrix can't match by themselves.
How are you liking the D15s with the Concentra? It should be killer!
