Your room is awesome as well, I especially like how you have infused some room acoustic devices into the room.
BTW, How far are your Strad's apart and how far is your listening position from the Strad's. have you played around with the rake angle on the front or back spikes??
My room dimensions are approx 22ft wide by 25 ft long and a standard 8 ft ceiling. However, next to my listening position, I have an alcove which the kitchen comes into the room by approx 8ft by 6ft. If you look at the back of my room picture, you can see on the left where the alcoves somes into the room as some of the record cabinets are behind the right hand lounge.
Great posts. I have read nearly every one of them.
Those McIntoshes are beautiful beasts. I am a McIntosh tube fan myself but of the less-costly vintage variety: A 1962 McIntosh MC240. I totally rebuilt it myself (I am an EE) and it was really cool to see how much I could change the sound with this cap and that resistor, etc. But it wasn't enough power for my JM Lab Electra 926 so I decided to biamp, rather unconventionally, with some Kora hybrid monoblocks on the bass. Running the 240 in "twin amp" mode rather than stereo and goosing up the gain to match the Koras totally transformed the amp into the most transparent and beautiful sounding amp I have ever laid ears on. It was a little dull and distant in stereo mode but in twin amp it does much better even when running full range. Perhaps that is similar to what you found when running your 2102s in parallel?
In any case, great choice of components. I have a C42 which is the same as the C46 except with bulb lighting and a busier front panel. I want to get a C46 for the fiber optic lighting but I think I will wait and get a C200 or something. Although I love the EQ. Some recordings just can't live without it.
If you measure your in-room response, I bet you will find that your treble starts to roll off around 8k. All the stereos I have setup for various people have been this way, including my own (and is the way it should be according to John Atkinson). So the 4k control is just about right since it easily affects from 1k to 8k. This isn't to say that 10k wouldn't work but my guess is that it would hurt transparency instead of making bright recordings bearable. This is based on all my frequency response experiments.
Anyway, great system, I would love to hear it. Too bad you are on the other side of the world! :)
The specs show the Strads go down to 22hz. At the moment they don't seem to have as much weight as the mahlers, however that is different to how low they go.
No frequency sweeps as yet. I do have the rives frequency sweep CD that I will try sometime in the future, but certainly no hurry.
How did we see it so quickly? If you go to "My page" and click on "Interaction - Forum Threads" it shows up all the updated threads in which you participated :) I check this every couple of days and saw that you had updated your system so here I am :)
Good to hear you are enjoying your new speakers. How low do those SF's go? Have you done any frequency sweeps yet?
By the way you should also post your system on SNA.
Why I went for the Strad's - mainly I guess for the musicality, slightly higher efficiency for my tube amps and I got a pretty good price from my dealer in Sydney ( still a shitload of money) OH and my wife let me!! I had the choice of buying a new car or buying a new set of speakers. I chose the speakers, so I am stuck with my Maxima for another 5 years at least.
Only early days at the moment. Main differences are that the mahlers have a very BIG bass sound, some would say an uncontrolled bass sound, where the Strad's are a lot tighter and allow you to hear the differences easier between bass guitar and the various parts of the drum kit. I must admit it will take a while for me to be weened off the more boom boom bass sound of the mahlhers as it is appealing. With the more in control bass I can hear more into the upper bass and mid's. mids are sublime. Treble is more forward and a lot more detailed than the mahlers and a bit of a two edged sword. It is smoother than the mahlers, however can bite your head off on some lesser recordings. Every change you make in the system is easily heard with the Strad's, something I am sure you and Darren would agree with the higher up in resolution you go.
Only had them for 3 weeks, so they will take some more time to break in and I guess over the next 6 months I will slowly move them around to find the best config in my room etc.
Wow, I never thought you would do it. Congratulations on the new gorgeous gorgeous speakers. I have heard some Sonus Fabers and they make music. Enjoy.
Congratulations on your new speakers, Shane. They already look right at home! Can you please write more about the difference between the two, and why you went for the Sonus Fabers?
Frankly, I have too many cartridges. I have been listening to the dyna XV-1 and Koetsu rosewood lately. I'll put the concerto on the HRX this week and let you know how it sounds compared to the dyna and rosewood. It has been a while so difficult to remmber. Swing by here in a bout a week and I'll have a report
Shane...You have a beautiful system. Judging from your components, the kind of sound you like seems extremely close to the kind I prefer. I only wish I had the available means to afford the same, but.....Otherwise, I just wanted to ask how you like the Clearaudio Concerto cartridge. From what I've read, although limited because of its relative newness on the market, it sounds as if it might suit nicely the kind of music (classical) I'm mainly interested in listening to. Thanks, and all the best in terms of enjoying your wonderful system.
Yea a lot of time = a lot of money :-) After a few false turns, I think I am just about where I want to be. Dyna cartridges are great, I have owned them for the last 12 years, with the XV-1 the last 5. It is still the best sounding cartridge I own. If you ever see a nice s/h XV-1, grab it.
Shane, I've gone back and read a lot of your threads/replies on various topics - its obvious you have put a lot of time into this hobby! Very good reading! Based on VPI's recommendation I'm using a Dynavector now but am keeping an eye out for a used Jubilee. The picture of my system is taken from the listening seat which made the stand look taller than it actually is. The stylus is just below my direct eye-level when standing next to the stand so its easier to find specific tracks (didn't design it that way - just coincidence). Congrats on the ART by the way. I'll check back occassionally. Scott Bayne
System edited: Sometimes you need to look backward's to move forward. After selling my luved cj prem 16 3 years back I have come full circle and bought a s/h cj ART. No 56 to be exact. That is now what my wife calls the entire system. Only got it it yesterday and all ready I know this is the place where I want to be. Music just floats in a huge musical soundstage that is wide and deep, luxurious and transparent. This is ART indeed.
Nice system yourself. Is the TT that high, or is it the angle of the photo??. It looks as thou your stand is 7ft high.
The denon 103R is an excellent cartridge which excels in natural warmth and a nice rich bass. I hope that is what you hear. They really are chalk and cheese in the way they product music. The jubilee has more extension in the treble, without being bright and does the hi fi things better. I believe overall it is a better cartridge, however I do like the 103R. I think the jubilee migbt well be in between the blackbird and denon tone wise with better seperation and refinament. It has been a while since i heard the jubilee on the HRX, so it probably sounds better. I have it currently on my LP12 and it sounds sweet.
Hi, just read through your system. Seems very well thought out and I'm sure its very musical. I've got a question about cartridges. I have a Super Scoutmaster and have been using a Sumiko Blackbird and Denon 103R. Based on what I've read the Ortofon Jubilee may be a clear step-up and excellent value. What are your opinions on the 103R v. the Jubilee? The HRX has a 12.5 arm so it may not be apples to apples with my table but any input would be appreciated. Thanks, sbayne
My speakers are difficult to drive because of the bass section - it is a conventional woofer in a box. No doubt Acapella padded back the horn and the tweeter to match the woofer. If Acapella had gone the Avantgarde route and made the woofer section active it could probably escape this problem, but they chose to make the woofer cross over at 800Hz. That is already well into the midrange, so you would run into problems with amplifier matching. With their solution, you are forced to consider expensive quality amplification.
Next time you are in Melbourne, look me up and pop by for a listen. But I suspect that my system will be very similar to Aaron's in that it's more a classical music system than a rock system. I wouldn't know the first thing to listen for with rock, so I don't know how good it would be for that type of music. I have 15 shelves worth of CD's, and only 1 of those 15 has a mixture of stuff (jazz and world music).
Yea, I am Shane From AUS in the asylum. Who are u in the asylum??
Nice to see that Niki is a least consistent as Rob says he can be difficult as well :) Rob is a nice guy. He bought my dyna XV-1s after I realised I preferred the XV-1 model.
I am sure your soon to arrive CAD-211AE's will be heaven. I would have thought your horn based speakers would have been an easy impedance curve - go figure.
What you don't like rock, pop, elctronica etc. Sounds like you maybe a classical and jazz fan. Me I like that as well, but not as much. I won't be having any garage sales soon, my LP's will be with me til I die.
Compromise is what audio is all about. your yamamoto's were in a different class musically than the atmosphere. I guess the point I was tryig to make, not so successfully was I don't believe I have heard the Zu's sounding what they are capable of with my rock, alternative and electronic musical diet. If you can talk your mate/distributor in Melb for an extended listen at my house, I think the Zu's may well be stunning in combination with the all so quiet Mac tubes amps. I have no issue paying transport to and from etc for the privilage.
Why do you need long IC's. Your TT is right behind the speakers???. Of are you changing the front end location?
As far as the new room goes. The boss changes her mind every 2nd week on what she wants to do with the kitchen, bathroom etc that we are no closer to finalising anything. me I am still unsure on how large I want the room, as the bigger the room the more air you need to move.
Thanks for your comments, Shane. BTW, are you the same "Shane from Aus" on AudioAsylum?
I know what you mean about Nik. He has been trying for ages to get me to buy one of his Tannoys but unfortunately I don't like them. He can be very dismissive of products which he does not carry. It would be nice if he could recognize that there are more than one ways to skin a cat. Every time I walked into his shop he would diss the ProAc's which I was using. It turned out to be a very painful experience to go there. It seems as if he likes my new speaker so the tirade has stopped ... for the time being.
And yes I know Rob with the big Tannoys. In fact he was over here yesterday to have a listen. He is a real gentleman and always great company.
I am still waiting for the CAD-211AE's to arrive and then it will be party time! I've been told that the amp has seemingly got limitless reserves of power. Which will be good, because my speakers are only 91dB/W/m efficient and have a difficult impedance curve.
Your listening room looks like a taste of heaven. You've certainly invested quite a bit in software! Pity we don't share musical taste otherwise I would be waiting for you to have a garage sale!
Sorry if I seemed overly defensive of my system's performance, us crazy audiophiles tend to treat them like children sometimes and given the amount of time and money invested it is easy to see why.
I definitely agree that the combination of Atmasphere 60W OTL and Zu Definitions was a disaster, even my friend who owned the amps agreed. I am still looking for an amp that combines the little Yamamoto's strengths of transparency and purity of tone with more power, perhaps such a beast does not exist and I will have to strike some sort of compromise.
On the preamp front I am still attracted to the passive concept but I would like remote control and the ability to drive long interconnects. The Placette Active is at the top of my list but it has had a real price hike lately and thus I am watching the second hand market.
I am sure that your system is really cooking now. Has there been any further discussion with your "boss" regarding the new audio room? That will be the icing on the cake I suspect.
Heh Aaron, didn't mean to dis your system. It sounded better than OK :) My only point was it was underpowered for what we played. AT higher volumes it started to run out of headroom, at lower volumes all was good. You would also agree that your friend's atmosphere was not your or my cup of tea. I don't hate classical music, It just does not move me as much as other styles of music.
Anyway, I am reasonbly close on my hifi journey, good to see you are to.
