I have been in the hobby for more than forty years,now that my hearing is declining I finally put together a system I enjoy.I have a very understanding wife.My living room is rather large no parallel walls or ceiling(three stories high)I can seat on the second or third level and listen to what sounds like live music.I power the Loreley speakers with a YBA passion monos for the mid and high section while the low frequency section is powered with the Innersound 1KW amps ,the low frequency section of the german Physics Loreley is 4ohms and the innersound output is 2 kw. at 4 ohms. That change made a significant difference o the bass output.The center is now powered by one YBA 1000 passion,again an improvement over the acoustic reality .Another two Acoustic Reality 1001 monos powers the Legato rear speakers.I use any of the four source cd/sacd/dvd-A players depending on the recordingReimyo for redbook playback and the accuphase and the Esoteric for sacd playback,the meridian 800 is used for dvd A and dvd video music and. the pioneer Blu-Ray for dvd video movies.
System is just about complete added a cello equalizer system .The CD and sacd players and the Meridian 800 are now connected through RCA and xlr IC into the Cello encore and the encore is connected to the Cello Palette equalizer feeding meridian 861 processor.The cd player Reimyo/Accuphase and esoteric are also connected directly into the 861.I also connect the digital outputs of the Reimyo,to both the DG-38 and the Zanden DAC.Lots of combinations are possible for different connections are possible.
I previously had the MBL6010D very open and detailed but too fatiguing and harsh for my taste,I also had the EMM signature sacd transport and DAC,did not perform well im my system and poorly constructed the Accuphase 800/801 is by far superior for two channel SACD,while the Esoteric X-01 is by far superior for multi channel sacd,one excellent player.
I have now put in two dedicate 20 amp line with Furetech and Onyada receptacle and plugs.The dedicated lines did improve the sound somewhat and got rid of the hum.I have a number of conditioners not convinced they improve the sound but I am convinced at times they have a negative impact.I have lots of high end power cables I have yet to hear the improvement,I have not listed all the IC cables I use to time consuming ,the difference they make at least in my system is minimal.
I listen to primarily classical music ,like 95% of the time.The music includes solo instruments ,chamber music,choral and symphonic,no opera. The sound is great especially outstanding in large symphonic reproductions of Shostakovitch, Bartok, etc.
System edited: I have just got some new sofa which allows me and guest to have a more comfortable envoironment.I have attempted to take more pictures to give more of a sense of the room and the layout.
I do not know much about most of the equipent you have. I bet they sound fabulous but the room... ahh... the room... Beautiful...Well put. congratulations for a marvellous system in an exceptionnal room
Wall units /cabinets custom order and assembly from Italian furniture maker Polyform they specialize in walk in closets,kitchen cabinets etc.Total cost approximate $18,000.They have distributers in all major US cities.
Ramy: Your set up looks like a slice of heaven, I can only imagine the sound. The path you have taken in speakers is very enlighting and perhaps will save others from having to thread over the same ground to sonic perfection. Three cheers for your wife, take her out to dinner, better yet order out and stay in and enjoy the music.
Hi Ramy I have a vsei modded sony scd-1 that does not require a dac.The signal is in pure dsd with a low pass filter.Can I still mate this with a meridian 861 and utilise the trifield mode.I understand the 861 only splits the digital signal.I have been using the Levinson 380s preamp with no problems.I use atc asl 150 pro speakers from our friend Doug.
While the equipment is nice you need to work a bit on wire management. The wires draw me away from the system in the overhead shot. Other than that very nice
System edited: I am converging on a final upgrade.The violin concierto interconnect between the Reimyo and the 861 was a noticable improvment over the silver analysis plus. Acoustic reality 1001 monos are excellent overkill for the Legato and a real bargain.The Acoustic Reality One MkII mono was an improvement over the stereo version. The extra Acoustic Reality One mono went to the bedroom system replacing the Gryphon S100 for driving the center channel JM Lab Utopia,while the Acoustic reality stereo is used to drive the rear speakers in the bedroom replacing the Classe 201.
Ramy: Phenomenal system to say the least. I have NO doubt that it sounds fabulous as many of the others here that are familiar with well designed Omni's can attest to. I have never heard the German Physiks version of the Walsh driver, but i'm guessing it does a lot more right than it does wrong. I can only imagine the sense of space and coherency that such a system in the size of your room can produce. Kudo's to you and THANK YOU for sharing this with us. Sean >
PS... If you are ever looking to adopt, please keep me in mind : )
My side/rear speakers are in line with the listening position I onderstand that to be the priciple for surround.The meridian DOES adjust for speaker positions.I find the flexibilty provided by the meridian 861 is superb.It is hard to program (for me) but when done right it is by far superior to the multi channel of sacd recording.I find the combination of the Reimyo cdp 777 and 861 is far superior on red book to both sacd and dvd-A playback. There no one I know who compared the MBL with the German Physics.German Physics is not readily avbailable in the USA.There are only three Lorely speakers in the USA. I would guess that if you have a large room 8x15x9 widexlongxslopping height in meters the large german physics would be better.The sound is good everywhere independent of seating position including the third level(upstairs) for large orchestral music.When sound level measurement versus frequency were made in the room listening position it was flat +/- 3db ftom 20 hz to 12khz where it started declinilg.Impulse response was outstanding with no ringing.
First: Ramy, much congratulations for your system!! I am from Frankfurt/Germany, just 10 miles beside the manufacturing of German Physiks. But my favorite speaker in the moment is the MBL 101E and I plan to go for a MBL 101 five-channel setup. So I would be very interested if somebody has experience with German Physiks against MBL 101 or 111 ?? Generally the basics of both speaker technologies seem so be quiet near to each other (concerning the sound effect). For CD and SACD I use the EMM-Labs and I am very happy with it. One question to Ramy: in your system the distance between your listening position and front and rear speakers seams not to be identical (on your photos). Is this correct? I would think that it is important to have the same distances because the speed of tone in air is rather slow and you would get time differences at the listening position otherwise. Or does the Meridian 861 make an adjustment? Best regards from Germany!
Thanks for your response. I have a similar story -buying all sorts of new equipment until I had my hearing tested. I have had the In The Ear hearing aids for about 6 years and am ready for new ones. I have been told by 3 audiologists that the Behind The Ear type are the best for restoring hearing loss. They are not popular because they are more conspicuous. It's an ego thing. Dave
Noticed the comment about hearing. I went form Theil to Genisis... etc, etc.. and the most profound difference I have heard was getting a pair of ResoundAir hearing aids. They are behind the ear so all sounds pass thought the ear canal, they are not the plug up your ear type. The hearing aids are tuned to your audiogram to bring the frequencies that are low up to normal, just like having eyeglasses, and just as huge a difference for me. I have hearing loss from loud noises... duh. I wonder how many people like me have spent a fortune on equipment not realizing how limited they are to actually perceive what's there.
I too have been an audiophile since the early 60s and my hearing has deteriorated to the point that I now wear 2 hearing aids. My set-up still sounds OK but common sense tells me that no matter what equipment I buy, the sound really depends on the hearing aid circuitry which was never designed for music. There must be thousands of audiophiles ( and equipment reviewers) with hearing problems. I have yet to find any article.s on this problem. Did you make any modifications in your system to accomodate your hearing loss? I would appreciate any information you could send me
Thanks for the invitation, if I am in the Washington D.C. area I will be shure to stop in and check it out. I just finished posting my system so have a look and tell me what you think. I live in Carmel Indiana and you are more than welcome to come and have a listen as well if you are ever in the area. Enjoy your music. Thanks Greg
Ramy, you have beautiful set ups both sonically and to the eye. living in tokyo and san francisco, i am envious of all that space you have! congratulations. mehran
