UPDATE (12/23/07): added the MBL 5011 preamp. After living with my Esoteric front end for almost 3 months without a pre, I came to the realization that a pre was definitely needed. Without a pre, the sound was a bit thin and lacking bass. The 5011 addressed these issues and so much more. I did not realize how poor my soundstaging was until I introduced the 5011. This pre does in incredible job of layering the soundstage as well as separating each individual instrument.
UPDATE (12/07/07): added the Ayre MX-R amps. These were broken in by my dealer for 2 weeks before I took delivery. I rarely am taken back by gear but I was startled at how much real these amps sounded to me than my previous amps. There is more detail, more immediacy of notes, very good separation of instruments, and a very nice holographic presentation. I can go on and on but by far these amps are the most realistic sounding I have come across. They are just so enjoyable to listen to!
UPDATE (9/29/07): added Esoteric P-03 transport and D-05 DAC. The D-05 has the latest 32 bit DAC from AKM. Even only after a few hours I hear much better separation between instruments and notes, better sustain and decay, and more authoritative bass. More updates to follow.
UPDATE (8/03/07): added the Oyaide R1 outlet for my amps. Everything is a bit livelier with much better detail. I am hearing so many little nuances I have never heard before!
UPDATE (7/24/07): added the Oyaide SWO-GX Ultimo outlet to my front end. What a difference! The bass now goes lower and there is more detail across the board. I will adding another outlet for my amps next. This is by far one of the best tweaks I have ever done.
UPDATE (7/13/07): I finally got around to adding some heavy silk drapes and they made a world of difference. Everything is much smoother. I will continue to look for ways to judiciously treat my room without making it look like a recording studio.
Beauty:
-The sound is just incredible. Vocals are holographic and textured.
-The MBL 5011 preamp is beautiful to look at. Luckily the sound is just as good.
-The Ayre MX-R amps are just gorgeous to look at. The casework is outstanding. And as my wife said, "they are so cute"!
Beasts:
-The Usher BE-10 speakers are big and thick producing a powerful yet delicate sound.
-The Esoteric P-03 transport is incredibly heavy (75lb) and big but it sure sounds good.
My system has undergone A LOT of changes over the last few years. This has been mainly to me figuring out my own listening preferences and understanding what I wanted to get out of my system. After swapping out a lot of components and spending too much money, I have finally settled down a bit.
I listen to all kinds of music but tend to favor anything with female vocals, particularly acoustic folk and vocal jazz. I also favor simple orchestration and basic instrumentation with a preference for acoustic guitar and piano. The less number of instruments between me and the vocals the better. I mainly go to listen to music in small, intimate venues where I am able to sit within a few feet of the band.
Given my musical tastes, I wanted to put together a system that is able to reproduce the sound as organically as possible. I want to hear every little detail like the quiver in a singer's voice, the sound of the guitar pick striking the string, the feeling of the hammer hitting the piano string. To me, these tiny nuances help to make the music sound as real (i.e. organic) as possible. To this end, I wanted a system that was detailed, dynamic, fast, and immediate with just a hint of warmth. I did not want anything that was too syrupy sounding though. My current system gives me everything I am looking for. It is as close to hearing musicians in my room that I have ever heard with any previous iteration of my system.
I love the Esoteric sound so much I had to get their P-03 transport.
Esoteric D-05
Anniversary model with new AKM 32 bit DAC
Esoteric VRDS-Neo
This transport is a work of art! By far, the best, most accurate transport available. The amount of detail it extracts is amazing!
Sonos ZP-80
Wireless digital music system. Digital output is sent to Esoteric D-05 DAC, a huge improvement over internal DAC. I enjoy my music so much more now that I have instant access to my 40K song library
MBL 5011
A very musical preamp with outstanding soundstaging and separation of each instrument.
Ayre Acoustics MX-R
I am so happy with these amps. They make everything sound so real it is startling! The transparency and dynamics suit my preferences perfectly!
Usher BE-10
Very dynamic and neutral sounding speaker. I am sold on beryllium!
Tara Labs The One
Very transparent and "tight" sounding cable that also offers weight and solidity. These give me all the virtues I admired in my previous speaker cable, the Nordost Blue Heaven while providing what it was missing.
Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II
Used between my source and preamp. Great detail without sounding bright or edgy.
Acoustic Zen Matrix Reference II
Used between my preamp and amp. Very smooth sounding.
Acoustic Zen MC2 XLR
AES/EBU digital cable from Esoteric P-03 transport to D-05 DAC.
Acoustic Zen Silver Byte
Used to synch the word clock from the Esoteric D-05 DAC to the P-03 transport.
Acoustic Zen MC2 RCA
Digital cable from Sonos ZP-80 wireless digital music system to Esoteric D-05 DAC.
Virtual Dynamics Nite 3
Being used to power by MBL 5011 preamp. Like all VD power cables I immediately noticed more dynamics, speed, and authority. The soundstage with the VD power cables are incredible!
Star Sound Technology SP-4 Sistrum Stand
Great amp stand that helped to add smoothness to my system.
Oyaide SWO-GX Ultimo
Double cryo'd outlet with 24K gold plating - used for cdp and preamp
Oyaide R1
Cryo'd ac outlet with Beryllium/copper and palladium plating - used for amps
HiFi Tuning Fuse
I added this "audiophile" fuse to my MBL 5011 preamp. I am not sure it made any difference but it was cheap and lord knows I have spent much more money on things that actually made my system sound worse! My previous preamp, Classe CP-700 did respond positively to these fuses though. I still may try some in my other components.
System edited: I am such an Esoteric homer!!! I loved my X-03SE so much that I had to upgrade to the P-03/D-05 transport/DAC combo. The D-05 has the latest 32 bit DAC as well as integrated volume control. More thoughts to follow once the system breaks in.
Dgad, at this level, it really is about splitting hairs. The BAT, ARC, and VTL are all great preamps. I auditioned the BAT 52se in my system when it first came out after CES. The unit I demo'd was brand new and not broken in at all. What I heard was a tube pre and that sounded very much like a good SS pre. The lower end was great with a lot of dynamics and speed. At the time I was trying to get away from the SS sound. I wanted something more organic as I listen to a lot of acoustic and female vocals (pop, jazz, opera, etc). Though the Ref 3 can not touch the BAT in terms of dynamics, I personally thought it had more "Soul" to its sound, more emotion. This was what ultimately made me go with the Ref 3. For me, midrange magic is most important. As for the VTL, I have not had the pleasure of hearing it.
I would love to know more. A few details of how the comparison was performed and with what type of music. I have a few preamps these days. The VTL 7.5 mk II & the BAT Rex. The Rex has fabulous dynamics with the signature BAT bass which for me is tops. It isn't dark per say but does not have the smoothness of the VTL. I can actually do some changes internally to alter the sound but haven't tried. BAT has a recommended configuration which I am using. There is a switch that can change the tube setup. Also the current source tubes can be changed. They have plug in boards fo the different tubes. Actually the VTL 7.5 mk 1 is the smoothest. I am waiting on NOS tubes for the VTL to know more. Anyhow, on some music I prefer the Rex on others the VTL. The Rex for me is fabulously dynamic. The VTL is a little laid back. My question is, which one is right / true? Is there such a thing as too dynamic.
Dgad, the Einstein is a GREAT preamp!!! I have yet to hear a preamp sound so lively, realistic, and full. It remains my reference preamp. I felt the BAT 52se had a great bottom end but was a bit dark and lacked the dynamics I wanted. The ARC came closest to the Einstein. I was able to get a very good price on my Ref 3 so it was no a brainer. If money was no object, I would have purchased the Einstein without hesitation. Please let me know if you want more details about my evaluation of the Einstein, ARC, and BAT.
I read you compared the Einstein tube to the BAT 52 as well. I am curious what you felt about the Einstein and why you chose the ARC? Very very nice system. 20 to 30 cds a month has me jelous. You are right about Vinyl sucking up funds.
Tommy, yeah I know, it's a tough decision to take and let's be honest: who is willing to spend some $20,000-40,000 for amplification only? But if you have auditioned one of the contenders for world's best (that means FM Acoustics or Boulder), I'm affraid there is no turning back. But at least there is live music, which is much better of course (and far less expensive, unless you are attending the Vienna Philharmonic on regulare base :) ).
Chris, thank you very much for the kind words. You are right, it is a fine line between "better" and different. I am not sure if I am ready to spend the money required to get the ultimate. I guess will have to settle for pretty good (for now)...thanks again.
Tommy, I'm an audiophile from The Netherlands. I came across your thread: Pass or Mark Levinson on Audiogon. If you want to go further with the sound, I mean to get to a higher fidelity plane, you've got to move to something like FM Acoustics or Boulder. These are outrageous expensive amps but they are the best, regardsless of speaker impedance behaviour or capacitance. If you are moving to a Levinson or Krell, I'm affraid it's going to be different, not better. Even if you go to DarTZeel. FM Acoustics and Boulder are the only options if you really want to get a much better (not only different) sound. I myself don't have one of these expensive amps, but a buddy of mine does. Btw, you've got a nice set up!
Oh i did not read your overall system thread. I skimmed. I see...Ok, well then how about pushing that rear wall out :)
I bet you get great dynamic slam in that room.
I read that one review on those pass amps from that classical composer and since then i have been dreaming about those amps. Do not sell them!! Take a break and get back to it.
I also share a living room; it's a bizarre L shape, but it actually sounds coherent and wide with a spotlit central image. Go figure. Hopefully when the market comes back to life (perhaps on a geologic time scale) we will sell and get a bigger pad.
Dpac996, I wish I could take your advice but since that room is also our living room, the wifey would not really appreciate me doing that. As it is, the front fact of the speakers are about 2.5ft from the back wall. I hope one day to have a dedicated listening room but until then its all about compromises....thanks again.
Have you tried pulling your speakers out, oh about 4 feet? I used to have mine about 36 inches from rear wall, but once they migrated to 55 inches the 3D thing happens much better, as if they "breath". Free tweak too!
Tommy, I'm all set with power cords for my amp as they are connected directly to my main AC service panel via JPS labs cable and IEC terminations with excellent results. No outlets or breaks in the connection. You may be referring to my interest in amp stands and spikes/isolation solutions. No progress to report. I just upgraded my phono cable. Details on my virtual system.
Peter, thank you for the kind words. My wife and I had a good time decorating that room. Right now, my system sounds very good to me. There is so much detail and nuance with just a touch of warmth and realism. I look forward to listening every day. As for vinyl, you are not the first to recommend me go down that path. Yes, I totally agree that the vinyl setups I have heard in friend's systems do indeed sound marvelous. My only concern is the overheard involved with vimyl. Even though I love collecting music (I buy 20-30 cds a month), I am a lazy listener. I just want to put in a cd and press play. That being said, even my wife says I should get into vinyl. Once I get my digital setup sorted out I will most likely move on to vinyl. All I have left to do with my system is cables. After this I will be asking around for good entry level vinyl gear. If you dont mind I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thanks again for the kind words.
By the way, have you had any luck with power cords for your XA amps?
Tboooe, I love the new photos. What a difference. That Ref 3/XA160 combo must sound incredible. At some risk, and no offense intended, I wonder if you have ever considered adding vinyl to your superb system? Peter
Thanks Joey...those lawn chairs had to finally go! I figure it was time to get rid of my college "furniture" and get grown up decor. Though I am not sure of the new chairs are more comfortable than my old trust lawn chairs...at least they look better (I think.....)
System edited: Added the Oyaide R1 ac outlet for my amps. Like my addition of the SWO-GX outlet for my cdp and preamp, this tweak has again raised the level of my system. This has brought a liveliness and crispness to the music while also adding much more detail. I am hearing so many little nuances within the fabric of the music that I have never heard before. Without a doubt, the addition of the Oyaide outlets has vastly improved my system. The only complaint I have is that I do not have anywhere else to add more Oyaide outlets. Even though these outlets cost approx $100 each, compared to the rest of my gear, the cost is trivial especially given the improvement. The only other change that has had this dramatic an effect on my system was when I changed cdp and when I treated my room with heavy curtains. Needless to say I highly recommend these outlets.
Thanks Ozzy...its great listening with the lights turned out with a light ocean breeze coming through rustling the curtain sheers...a very surreal and pleasant experience.
System edited: Added the Oyaide SWO-GX gold plated outlet to my front end. I really didn't know what to expect so I went into it without any pre-conceived notions about improvement. After only a short listen, I noticed considerably fuller bass that reached lower than before. I started to hear bass notes that I never noticed before. For example at about the 2min mark of "The Water is Wide" from her American Tune album, there are two very distinct high notes played by the guitar. What I noticed with the GX outlet was two low bass notes that is present simultaneously with the high notes. I have probably listened to that song and album at least 75 times over the last years since I purchased it so I thought I new it inside and out. I got this same kind of result with other songs on that album. Another benefit of the Oyaide outlet was improved detail across the board and a slightly more organic representation of female voices. Overall, I am very happy with the addition to my system. I will added either the new R1 or XXX outlets next for my amps.
