Babybear's System

Owner

HI Vicente,

Thanks very much - I wish that CH had a P10 phono stage already but since they don't, I assume you mean the CH L10 mono preamplifier.

As for how the CH M10 compares to the CH M1.1 - well you have to hear it to believe what the M10 can do. It is better than the M1.1 in every audio parameter that you can imagine and by a very significant amount. And to me, the M1.1 is an amazing amplifier and continues to be so, but the M10 is just such a significant achievement. If you haven't read Robert Harley's review of the L10 and M10 then please do so as what Robert has written is very accurate as to what I hear in my own system.

babybear December 30, 2021 01:46

Owner

HI,

Thanks very much.

I agree that the Arrakis by themselves are very capable of producing plenty of tight, textured and resolved bass especially when driven by the CH Precision M1.1 mono block amps running in active bi amplification mode (which is how I am using them).

I have found that the addition of the REL G1 subs in the six pack configuration that when properly dialed in to the room and to the Arrakis, take that even further. But in addition to enhancing the bottom end musical foundation, the REL G1's enhance the mid bass, midrange and high frequencies as well and also bring a sense of the venue where the musical performance was recorded.

Hope that helps.

Thanks

babybear September 28, 2021 12:28

Owner

HI Vicente,

Thanks very much.

To be honest, I was surprised by the improvements that I heard when I compared the Shunyata Everest to my Triton V3. The Triton V3 is a great product in its own right, but the Everest 8000 is better across the board. To be a little more specific, it presents an even lower noise floor than the Triton V3, it has better dynamics than the Triton V3, it has better attack on the leading edge of notes, the top end is significantly more open with better body and sparkle on the high notes, the bottom end is more solid, it has better resolution and textures across the board and the soundstage with the right recordings is even wider. I have tried enough different music now - both digital and analog and the results are very consistent. Hope that helps.

babybear October 31, 2020 12:43

Owner

I have made some changes in my system in the past 18 months so I wanted to bring my system page up to date. The key changes are:

1. I am now using The Beat SE Turntable from Steve Dobbins.

2. I am now using almost all Nordost Odin 2 cabling with a few Nordost Valhalla 2 power cords sprinkled in.

3. I am now using the new Lyra Atlas SL Lambda cartridge replacing my Lyra Etna SL cartridge.

4. I am now using the new Shunyata Everest 8000 Power Distributor replacing the Shunyata Triton V3.

5. I've added a few higher quality pictures.

babybear October 07, 2020 22:44

Owner

Hi Geoff,

The LP was Dream with Dean and it was probably the first track on the LP but I can't be sure about that.

babybear May 30, 2020 17:48

Owner

Hi Luther,

Thanks very much.

Let me know when you want to come by for some listening!

Arnie

babybear January 10, 2020 22:20

Owner

Hi Mark,

Thanks very much.

The CH Precision P1 phono stage, L1 line stage and the M1.1 mono block amplifiers are certainly for me in my system as good as it gets. I initially replaced my Absolare tubed preamp and my Allnic H5000 phono stage and 6 months after that replaced my VTL Siegfried series 2 amps. All of these electronics are wonderful but there is something special for me about the CH electronics (and not having to deal deal with the occasional tube failures, noise, etc is an added plus).

I have met Elliot at the Munich Hi-End show when I attended that in May 2018 but I already had a CH dealer that I am very happy with.

I am so very happy with my Totaldac D1-twelve digital front end so I don't have any plans on replacing that.

Happy Holidays to you!!

Thanks,

Arnie

babybear December 29, 2019 15:46

Owner

Hi Geoff,

Yes indeed, Chris was here this past week.

I think the Telos GNR units are very effective especially if you have everything else in your system fine tuned. To my ears, they impart a sense of finesse and coherence to the sound of my system which contributes to a greater sense of realism to what I hear. This becomes obvious when you listen with the GNR unit on and then shut it off. There is no break in required so you hear its effects immediately. I did not go through the process of identifying the lowest impedance connection points with a multimeter.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear April 22, 2019 16:54

Owner

Hi wpruett,

I have had the TotalDAC D1-Twelve digital front end (2 mono Dac's, outboard re clocker and the D1-server) for the past 4 years. I haven't found any issues in those 4 years with it being able to play any file types that I use.

The D1-Player is relatively new - I have had it in my system for about 3 months. When combined with the D1-Server it certainly was a sonic improvement compared to the QNAP NAS and Hynes Linear power supply that I had been using. I have not compared it to any other server/streamer so I cannot comment on that.

babybear March 18, 2019 12:49

Owner

Thanks Mark,

I sent you an email via Agon.

babybear December 31, 2018 13:16

Owner

Thanks Mark,

And a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family as well!

babybear December 24, 2018 22:42

Owner

Thanks very much Zephyr.

Arnie

babybear December 10, 2018 18:09

Owner

Hi Luther,

Thanks very much. You should definitely come by for some listening - you are welcome anytime.

I do think that there are many very high quality digital sources available now at just about any price point - both DAC's and music servers/streamers. They are too numerous to list but certainly offerings from TotalDAC (that I use), MSB, Aqua Formula, CH Precision, Aurender, and many others can provide wonderful sound. Always happy to discuss further if you stop by for a visit.

Thanks, Arnie

babybear October 20, 2018 13:13

Owner

Hi Paul,

The TotalDAC D1-player is a very nice sonic improvement from the NAS/Hynes setup. The sound became more refined and elegant, more textured, with a better bottom end and more presence of the performers within the soundstage. I highly recommend that you give it a try.

babybear October 19, 2018 17:12

Owner

Just updating my system description to reflect the most recent changes.

1. I have added 2 sets of the Critical Mass Center Stage version 2 footers under each of the CH Precision M1 mono block amps.

2. After 8 years of wonderful analog playback, I have just replaced my Steve Dobbins The Beat turntable with Steve's brand new ground up designed turntable, The Beat SE. Stunning to hear.

3. I have replaced my QNAP NAS and Paul Hynes Linear power supply with a new product from TotalDAC called the D1-Player. This is a silent NAS and an outboard linear power supply. The NAS also is running Roon Core and since the TotalDAC D1-Server is a certified Roon endpoint, I am now using Roon as my music player.

babybear October 18, 2018 13:04

Owner

Hi Lordcloud,

Feel free to send me a private message.

Thanks

babybear September 22, 2018 01:54

Owner

Thanks Vicente.

babybear September 05, 2018 12:13

Owner

Hi Vicente,

I've updated some of the pictures to now include the M1 amps.

babybear September 04, 2018 12:59

Owner

Hi Vicente,

Whoops, I seem to have forgotten to do that. I'll have take some new pictures and update my system thread.

Arnie

babybear September 02, 2018 12:29

Owner

Hi Rich,

Thanks very much.

The simple answer to your question is that I never thought that I would switch away from tubes, but in my system, the CH Precision electronics (Linestage, Phono Stage and M1 amps) provided me with better sound than I had before without any of the hassles of tube gear.

Arnie

babybear August 11, 2018 14:16

Owner

Hi,

Thanks very much.

I have not tried a Lampizator DAC in my system.

Arnie

babybear July 27, 2018 16:27

Owner

Hi Henri,

Thanks very much.

As for your question, I do enjoy my TotalDAC D1-Twelve digital front tne very much. It is the first digital setup that I have listened to in my system that I can listen to all night without thinking about switching to my vinyl front end. But having said that, once I do switch to listening to my vinyl front end, there isn’t any going back for me to the digital during that listening session. Assuming high quality mastering on both formats, my vinyl front end provides superior sound for me.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear June 10, 2018 13:39

Owner

Hi Geoff,

My REL's are the G1 as the MKII's were not available at the time of purchase.

I haven't tried any other brand of sub in my system. I have heard several systems that use JL Audio subs.

Since I use 6 of the REL G1 subs in REL's sixpack configuration, in my system there are three different crossover points. The 2 top G1's are crossed over at 28Hz, the middle G1's are crossed over at 25Hz and the bottom G1's are crossed over at 23Hz. Obviously these crossover points are room and speaker dependent.

Thanks, Arnie

babybear May 19, 2018 12:14

Owner

Hi Geoff,

Thanks very much.

I haven't tried the Triton V3's grounding solution so I don't have any comparison of it compared to the Telos GNR.

Arnie

babybear April 02, 2018 17:18

Owner

Hi Vicente,

Thanks very much.

I hope you can make another visit.

babybear February 27, 2018 15:40

Owner

HI Vicente,

Thanks very much.

Since you have heard my system, I'll your question in the following way. I would say that with the CH M1 amps running in active bi-amplification mode, the sonics of my system are improved across the board. The noise floor is lower, it's higher in resolution, and bass is unbelievably good. I was able to reduce the gain of my REL G1 sixpack subs and at the same time achieve even better integration of the G1's with the Arrakis, the highs are richer, etc. I would simply say that the music just sounds so much more real to me (and others who have heard it as well).

Hopefully you can visit me again and hear how it sounds.

Hope that helps somewhat.

babybear February 24, 2018 22:53

Owner

Just bringing my system description up to date. I have made made the following changes:

1. Two of the Telos GNR units

2. A Shunyata Hydra Triton V3 for my front end components

3. A Shunyata Hydra DPC 6 V3 for my digital audio server based components

4. A third custom LP record cabinet

5. A pair of CH Precision M1 amplifiers run in active bi-amplification mode

I still need to update pictures. Thanks

babybear February 18, 2018 17:22

Owner

I have added 4 of the Furutech GTX/NCF outlets with the GTX outlet Frames and the 105D NCF Carbon Fiber outlet covers. These are used for each of my VTL Siegfried Series 2 amps and the Rockport Arrakis 2 outboard crossover.

babybear October 22, 2017 01:13

Owner

HI Vicente,

You're very welcome.

Please be sure to try the new TotalDAC USB Gigafilter cable. It's a superb upgrade for connecting the TotalDAC D1-Server to its internal re clocker.

Arnie

babybear October 22, 2017 00:13

Owner

Hi Vicente,

That's a great question.

Here is what I have heard as the key sonic benefits of the going from the stereo CH L1/X1 combo to the full 4 box CH L1 True Dual mono configuration:

1. There is a significant increase in the sense of ease, effortlessness and flow to the music. Everything seems so much more relaxed but at the same time, there is no loss of speed, dynamics or energy to the musical presentation. I would simply say that the overall musical presentation that you would hear is at a level of refinement that is hard to describe.

2. Any hint of grain or glare or strain in the mids and highs are gone with the 4 box configuration (unless of course this was part of the recording itself).

3. Lower Noise floor and an increase in resolution.

4. More authoritative bottom end to the music.

5. Even better imaging with a wider and deeper soundstage. Truly amazing.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear October 19, 2017 22:45

Owner

Hi Jeff,

I have auditioned the MSB Select DAC II in my system but with only one power supply. I had here for a month so I was able to get a very good handle on how it sounds. Its a very good DAC.

Arnie

babybear September 14, 2017 19:45

Owner

Hi Sunseekerespana,

Thanks very much.

Those are very good questions so I will do my best to answer for you.

I have auditioned the CH C1 DAC in my system. This was about 2.5 - 3 years ago. It is a wonderful DAC and I really liked it. I did not purchase it because in my system, it sounded best without any preamp. When used with a preamp, it was just a very good DAC but when used without a preamp it was truly wonderful and the best digital sound that I had heard at that point in time. I have heard many dac's, but the CH C1 is the only one that really sounds better to me without a high quality preamp. But since I also play vinyl, I do need a preamp in my system and at the time, there was no CH L1 preamp available.

I have heard the Aeries Cerat Kassandra DAC in my system. I am certain it was the Reference version. I have also heard it in a full Aeries Cerat system - preamp, amps, speakers. I think it is a good DAC but it wasn't for me.

Since I do listen to vinyl, I am always looking for a digital front end that makes me want to listen to digital and not just use it to warm up my system before I listen to vinyl. That is one of my key digital evaluation criteria.

The TotalDAC D1-Twelve is for me, in my system and my musical preferences the best digital front end that I have heard in my system and I have heard a fair number of the top digital performers. They are all good but its so important to hear them in the context of your own system to be sure you know what you are getting. If it was me, I would certainly try to audition the D1-Twelve in your system - it is a fairly significant step above the Di dual. You still may prefer your Audio Note, but its certainly worth giving it a listen.

Hope that help,

Arnie

babybear August 24, 2017 12:37

Owner

Hi Vicente,

Sorry for the delay in responding as Laura & I have been traveling.

It was great to finally meet you and I so happy that you were able to make it here despite all of the airline delays.

Thanks so much for the wonderful words about my system. It gives me great pleasure to listen to it as I am sure your system does for you as well.

All the best and keep in touch.

Arnie

babybear August 09, 2017 00:13

Owner

HI Vincente,

Yes, I understood what you meant.

I'll just stay with my TotalDAC server for now. But I am happy to talk with people in Asia and better understand what they did and what they heard in comparison to the TotalDAC server.

babybear May 03, 2017 00:29

Owner

Hi Vincente,

Thanks so much.

I have not heard a system with the SGM 2015 music server in it so its difficult to comment on its sonics. I did go to their web site and it does read like it should be a very good music server. I tried to see what type of digital outputs it has but I did not see them listed. Looking at the picture of the SGM from its side view, I did not see an AES/EBU digital output. The TotalDAC outboard re clocker does have a USB input, but Vincent prefers the AES/EBU digital path for TotalDAC. So the TotalDAC server has an AES/EBU digital output which feeds an AES/EBU digital input on the outboard re clocker. The re clocker then uses two AES/EBU digital outputs - one for each of the mono Dac's.

As for the choice of NAS, I think with any high quality NAS the things to consider are:

1. Make sure it does not have a fan so that it is silent.

2. Use solid state drives - again to eliminate any noise

3. Try to avoid using the supplied switching power supply that they all come with. Replace it with a high quality linear power supply.

babybear May 02, 2017 23:41

Owner

I've made a few upgrades.

1. I upgraded my stereo CH P1 phono stage to the true dual monaural P1 phono stage which is a separate P1 for the left channel, a P1 for the right channel and 2 of the optional X1 power supplies.

2. I have added the new Echole Limited Edition power cords to power the dual monaural CH L1 preamp and the dual monaural CH P1 phono stage.

3. I have added the new Echole Limited Edition balanced IC between the phono stage and the preamp.

babybear April 18, 2017 13:01

Owner

Hi knghifi,

Thanks very much.

I have given some thought to auditioning the CH M1 mono block amps but I am really enjoying what I am hearing at the moment so perhaps further down the road I may listen to them in my system.

babybear February 19, 2017 14:57

Owner

Thanks again Zephyr,

babybear February 10, 2017 16:09

Owner

Thanks very much judomaniak.

babybear February 08, 2017 01:39

Owner

Thanks zephyr,

If you are ever in Texas let me know and perhaps we can do some listening.

babybear February 06, 2017 17:12

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

I have had 2 REL Studio III sub bass systems for the past few years and I really liked what they did sonically. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to visit with someone who had the REL G1 "sixpack" setup in his system that uses Rockport Avior speakers. His room was about the same size as mine. I am very familiar with how Aviors sound so I was quite surprised by how realistic his system sounded and how it was able to pressurize such a large room when the REL G1 "sixpack" was engaged (as I iistened to his system with and without it). I had some discussions with REL after hearing this and I ended up moving forward. I am very happy that I did.

Arnie

babybear January 25, 2017 22:58

Owner

This week Steve Dobbins visited me and installed a second Schroeder LT tonearm with Magnesium arm tube on my "Beat" turntable. This particular LT arm was my previous LT tonearm with wooden arm tube that Steve upgraded for me to the Magnesium arm tube version. I have the Lyra Olympos SL cartridge mounted on this particular arm. I have never heard the Olympus SL sound this good before - it just has so much more life and energy and with that magical midrange it is a joy to listen to with the LT Magnesium warm.

babybear January 21, 2017 01:33

Owner

Hi Altoman,

Thanks very much.

In my listening in my system, I don't find that the Totaldac D1-Twelve setup that I have lacks any "liveliness or jump factor" at all. I continue to be impressed with how much I enjoy listening to music via the totaldac.

babybear January 14, 2017 15:55

Owner

HI Vincente,

I guess the best way to state for me is that if you have both an L1 and a P1 and a single X1, the choice would be between dedicating the X1 to the L1 or to have 2 regulator boards and share it between the 2 components. Which one sounds best in your system would be up to you to decide.

As for scoring, I don't like to do that. Instead, here is the description from my listening notes of what the X1 does for whatever component it is connected to and hopefully that helps you to better understand the value of the X1 in your system:

-       An even better bottom end foundation to the music

-       More body to the performers

-       An increase in soundstage depth and front to back layering of the performers within the soundstage

-       A greater sense of ease and flow to the music

babybear November 26, 2016 14:44

Owner

Hi VPN,

Thanks very much. Yes, the CH Precision components really surprised me in how good they are.

The question that you ask is a very good one so I will do my best to answer it.

When I did my in home auditioning of the CH gear, I had a single L1, a single P1 (phono stage) and a single X1 with dual regulator boards. So I was able to listen to the L1 (your option A), the L1 with a dedicated X1 (your option B) and both the L1 and P1 powered by the same X1 using both regulator boards.

Even without any X1's involved, the L1 and P1 are superb sounding components. As I went through the various configurations that I tried, the best sound from my system was with the L1 powered by the dedicated X1 (your option B) and the P1 using its internal power supply. The next best sound was using the dual regulator boards of the X1 to power both the L1 and the P1. If I had to speculate as to the sonics between your Option B and Option C, I would guess that Option B overall would be better sounding because of the sonic improvements that the dedicated X1 brings to the table. However, the advantage of Option C is that it would also sound spectacular, and you can just add either one X1 or two X1's down the road.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear November 26, 2016 14:10

Owner

Thanks Zephyr.

babybear November 02, 2016 00:14

Owner

Hi Mike,

The Schroeder LT arm with the Magnesium arm tube is exactly the same arm as the standard LT arm with the wooden arm tube except for the difference in the arm tube material. Everything else is identical. We were able to do a direct comparison of the 2 versions of the arm in my system since the LT magnesium version was a brand new arm. We did the comparison with a Lyra Etna SL cartridge. Here is what I wrote from my listening notes: "The LT arm with magnesium arm tube is magnificent. As good as the stock LT arm is (and it’s superb), this arm is a definite step up. We listened to the LT Magnesium version and then went back to the LT Wooden version and the difference was quite remarkable. The LT Magnesium version has a more lively, dynamic, and resolving sound with more air around performers than the wood arm tube version. There was better overall clarity and the bottom end was punchier and more textured with the Magnesium version. When we put the wooden arm tube version back and listened with everything else being the same, in comparison, the sound became somewhat thicker, slower and “warmish” in comparison. This was all very easy to hear and not subtle at all."

There wasn't anything that I heard that was negative with the LT magnesium version. - it was just better. I am having my LT with the wooden arm tube upgraded to one with the Magnesium arm tube as well. Hope that helps.

babybear November 02, 2016 00:02

Owner

I have done a few upgrades over the past 5 months.

1. The TotalDAC D1-Server has had 2 hardware upgrades done to it. The first one modified both the D1-Server and the outboard re clocker unit as to how electric power is handled within those units.

2. A second outboard power supply (26V) was added to the D1-Server to power the cubox micro computer inside of the server leaving the original outboard power supply to now just power the audio circuits inside of the D1-server.

3. I added a REL G1 sub bass system called the "G1 Six Pack". This consists of 6 of the REL G1 sub bass systems stacked in two columns each of which has 3 REL G1's. The G1's were designed to be able to perform in this type of configuration and are daisy chained together. Each of the G1's is adjusted individually as to its frequency roll off point and its gain. They are located to the outside of each of the Rockport Arrakis 2 speakers and just about flush with the front baffle of the Arrakis speakers.

4. I added a new version of the Schroeder Linear Tracking tonearm. This one has an arm tube made from magnesium instead of wood.

5. I added a Lyra ETNA SL cartridge.

All of these changes have made a very nice sonic improvement to my system.

babybear October 08, 2016 00:31

Owner

Hi Luther,

Just saw this. Thanks very much. I am hoping to having a get together perhaps in early October. Hopefully you will be able to attend.

Arnie

babybear September 16, 2016 23:29

Owner

Yes, driving that you could easily make the trip in record time! And I bet no one has ever done the drive in that car!

babybear March 12, 2016 01:23

Owner

Hi Paul,

Doing very well, thanks.

I hope everything is fine with you.

You are welcome anytime to do some listening (even though its a really long drive!).

babybear March 11, 2016 13:17

Owner

Hi Dante,

You are very welcome. Hopefully the WE 300b will make a very nice improvement as the Takatsuki 300b did!

babybear March 01, 2016 00:54

Owner

Hi Dante and thanks very much.

I will try and answer your question as best as I can.

As you already know, the Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage sounds wonderful with all of the stock tubes that it comes with. But the stock Electro Harmonix 300B voltage regulator tubes and the stock 5Y3 rectifier tubes in the power supply can be improved upon. I am certain you heard a nice sonic improvement when you switched to the WE 274B rectifier tubes as I have heard with the various rectifier tubes that I have also tried in particular the 1945 military RCA 5R4GY and now the Takatsuki 274B rectifier that I am currently evaluating.

When I compared the EH 300B voltage regulator tubes to the Takatsuki 300B tubes there was an easy to hear improvement as follows from my listening notes:

"With the Takatsuki 300B voltage regulator tubes in the Allnic H5000 DHT the sound became more liquid, refined and elegant with a more relaxed sounding midrange. There was an increase in harmonic richness in the upper mids and high frequencies."

I hope this helps,

Arnie

babybear February 29, 2016 22:51

Owner

Just a couple of updates.

I have replaced the Synergistic Research RED fuses in both the Absolare Altius preamp and the Allnic H5000 phono stage with the new Synergistic Research Black fuses. The black fuses are a step up in terms of bass impact with an overall more liquid sound.

Also, I have just started evaluating a new matched pair of Takatsuki 274B rectifier tubes in the Allnic H5000 phono stage. I just received these and had a chance to listen for a few hours and my initial impression is that these are superb in the Allnic H5000 phono stage. I am looking forward to getting a few more hours on these and then comparing them to the 1945 RCA 5R4GY rectifier tubes that i have been using.

babybear February 28, 2016 14:38

Owner

Hi Jeff,

Unfortunately I am cannot make it to CES this year. Have a great time and say hello to Kerem for me.

Arnie

babybear December 31, 2015 03:21

Owner

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to look into the Takatsuki 274B rectifier. I am already using the Takatsuki 300B in the Allnic H5000 power supply (they are used as voltage regulators) and the Takatsuki 300b made a very nice sonic improvement. It might be a very interesting pairing of their 300B with their 274B rectifier.

Arnie

babybear December 31, 2015 03:20

Owner

Hi Albert,

One thing about the 1945 RCA CRC JAN 5R4GY is that it does take around 5 hours or so of burn in to really wake up. I guess that is understandable since these tubes have been sleeping for 70 years now! On first listen, new out of the box (after about 90 minutes of system warmup), it sounded a little "tight" to me. But after about 5 hours it really opened up and started sounding wonderful and has continued to impress me with how good it sounds.

babybear December 30, 2015 14:03

Owner

I have finished my rectifier comparison for the Allnic H5000 phono preamplifier. I compared a pair of 1945 RCA CRC JAN 5R4GY rectifier tubes to a pair of 1940 RCA 5Y3GT rectifier tubes. The RCA 5Y3 are directly heated tubes and the 5Y3 style tube is the stock type of tube that the H5000 came with from the manufacturer.

I went back and forth between these 2 rectifiers a total of 3 times using the same music to verify all of my findings. When I had finished, it was very easy to recognize that the 1945 RCA CRC JAN 5R4GY rectifier provided the superior sound from the Allnic H5000. This somewhat surprised me because of my previous rectifier testing results. I had assumed that the 1940 RCA 5Y3GT would prove to be the better fit for the Allnic H5000.

In comparison between these 2 rectifiers when used in the Allnic H5000 phono preamplifier, the 1945 RCA 5R4GY provides a more refined sound, with greater transparency and better resolution. Voices and instruments just seem to have more texture and nuance with this rectifier providing a better sense of the performance. The soundstage is wider with this rectifier and the space and separation between performers within the soundstage is much better. The overall sound is punchier with the bass power and impact especially better while still remaining balanced within the overall sound.

The 1940 RCA 5Y3GT provides an overall warmer sound, but in doing so it casts a slight veil over the music (losing the wonderful transparency of the 1945 RCA 5R4GY). It also has less bass impact and clarity. The soundstage is not as wide and performers within the soundstage are closer together.

In summary, the sonic improvements that the 1945 RCA CRC JAN 5R4GY rectifiers make in the Allnic H5000 DHT phono preamplifier are very significant and easy to hear in my system.

babybear December 29, 2015 18:22

Owner

Hi Albert,

Sounds like some interesting rectifiers to try. I have seen pictures of that "potato masher" 5R4 rectifier. I'll let you know my listening results once I have finished.

babybear December 22, 2015 20:53

Owner

I've received the 2 new pairs of rectifiers to try yesterday. I didn't know that the US postal service delivers priority mail boxes on Sunday's - I thought they just did Sunday deliveries for Amazon. In any case, I will try the 1945 Military RCA 5R4GY tubes first and then the 1940 RCA 5Y3GT tubes. I did insert the 1945 RCA 5R4GY tubes into the power supply last night and powered it on to be sure everything worked and it seemed fine (but I didn't do any listening).

I also looked at the construction of the 1940 RCA 5Y3GT DH rectifiers and found them to be very, very different than the 1986 JAN Philips 5Y3WGTA rectifiers that i have been using. The 1940 RCA 5Y3GT has very similiar dual bottom getters to the 1945 Military RCA 5R4GY tubes while the 1986 JAN Phillips 5Y3WGTA has a single small halo getter at the top of the tube. The plates also look somewhat different with the 1940 RCA plates looking slightly shorter than the 1986 Philips plates. It will be interesting to see what effect these tubes have on the sonics of the H5000.

babybear December 21, 2015 13:50

Owner

Hi Christian,

It should be very interesting to hear how the 1945 Military RCA 5R4GY rectifiers sound - I'll definitely let you know what I think and how they compare to the JAN Philips 5Y3's that I have been using and the 1940's RCA 5Y3's that I also have coming. I hope they are a revelation - just can't imagine how what I am hearing now from vinyl can get much better. But, I've been surprised many times before!

babybear December 19, 2015 13:49

Owner

Hi Albert,

I will definitely post the results of my comparison once I have those 2 sets of tubes here. It will be interesting to hear the comparison between the 1940's era RCA 5Y3 rectifiers that I have coming and these 1986 JAN Phillips 5Y3's that I have been using that sound so good to me in the H5000. And of course, it will be very interesting to learn how these 5Y3's compare to the 1945 Military RCA 5R4GY rectifiers.

babybear December 17, 2015 04:22

Owner

HI Christian,

Yes - those JAN Philips 5Y3's have the blue print - at least for me in my system they easily sounded the best in the H5000. It will be interesting to hear these other tubes.

babybear December 17, 2015 04:15

Owner

Well, I am taking the plunge as well Christian - I have ordered a pair of the 1945 Military RCA 5R4GY tubes- the same ones that Albert has ordered. I also ordered a pair of 1940's RCA 5Y3 direct heated rectifiers as well. The 5Y3's that I have been using are JAN Philiips 5Y3 WGTA from 1986. What was interesting to me is that when I spoke with Andy at Vintage Tube Services today, he told me that those particular 1986 vintage JAN Philips 5Y3's are not very good tubes at all from a materials used in the manufacturing perspective. Yet, my analog playback sounds superb to me - I cannot find any fault with it at all so it will be interesting to hear how these other 2 rectifiers sound. I am looking forward to getting these tubes. As always , it will be fun.

babybear December 17, 2015 01:26

Owner

Hi Christian,

Well, I am starting to get used to it now and I understand better how to find new comments on the system pages so I would say that I am starting to enjoy using it.

babybear December 15, 2015 21:25

Owner

HI Albert,

Thanks and I enjoy reading your system page as well.

But, I still haven't figured out with the new changes to Audiogon how you are supposed to know when someone has commented on a system you are interested in. It used to be so simple - those systems with recent updates/comments just bubbled to the top - it doesn't appear to work that way anymore or am I missing something on how the new system works?

babybear December 07, 2015 14:52

Owner

Hi Vincente,

Actually, the REL subs, when used in a music system are designed to be connected to the speaker output terminals of your amplifier(s). This insures that the REL sub bass systems receive the same audio signal as the main speakers so that the sonic character of the bass from the main system is brought forward into the sub-bass. So, in my case, they are connected to the speaker output terminals of the VTL Siegfried amps that are used to power the bass drivers of the Rockport Arrakis. I use an after market REL Neutrik Speak-on cable to connect from those amps to the Balanced High Level input on the REL.

Arnie

babybear December 06, 2015 22:58

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

Thanks very much. I do enjoy listening to music! Your system must be sounding really good as well.

babybear December 04, 2015 14:37

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

Thanks very much.

I am using the Schroeder LT (linear tracking) arm on my Steve Dobbins "The Beat" turntable with the Lyra Atlas cartridge.

babybear July 21, 2015 17:56

Owner

Hi Albert,

Thanks very much.

You're always welcome to come on down for a visit and some listening. So much has changed since the last time you were here.

Hope you are staying dry!

babybear June 22, 2015 12:20

Owner

System edited: The TotalDAC D1-Server uses the Cubox mini computer internally. TotalDAC recently sent me a new processor board that contains the latest version of Cubox - the Cubox I4-Pro and associated linux software to install in the D1-Server (it was very simple to do). I was surprised at the sonic improvement that resulted from this change. A lower noise floor with more overall drive to the music and a bit more power in the bottom end. I cannot hear any negative effect from the change at all. After verifying the results of the cubox change, I installed Synergistic Research RED fuses in each of the 4 TotalDAC power supplies replacing the stock fuses. This also made a sonic improvement - subtle - but still audible. Perhaps I will try a fuse upgrade in the Allnic H5000 phono stage next.

babybear June 21, 2015 13:39

Owner

HI Christian,

I use the XLR outputs from the H5000 to my Absolare preamp. I use all XLR cabling in my system.

babybear May 30, 2015 22:27

Owner

Hi Jeff,

I haven't tried it yet. I do hope to spend some time with it in my system in June. Not sure of the exact date of when it will be shipped. It should be interesting to learn how it compares to the Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage which is simply superb.

babybear May 29, 2015 23:31

Owner

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for catching that. Somehow I must have deleted the phono stage from my equipment list. I've now added it back.

I use the Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage. It is superb.

Arnie

babybear May 29, 2015 22:15

Owner

System edited: Re-entered my Allnic H5000 phono stage to my equipment list. Somehow I accidentally deleted it.

babybear May 29, 2015 22:13

Owner

System edited: I have now added 2 of the Paul Hynes SR7 linear power supplies that replace the noisy stock switching power supplies that are supplied with the QNAP HS 251 NAS and the Belkin Router that provide the music storage and music access for the TotalDAC D1-Twelve and TotalDac D1-Server. I am surprised by the improvement that these power supplies have made in what I am now hearing from my digital front end.

babybear March 23, 2015 00:10

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much.

I still use my 2 REL Studio III subs. They do start operating at 9Hz and I have them rolling off at 22Hz with a fairly low gain setting which allows them to integrate seamlessly with the Arrakis in my room.

I really don't use the REL Studio III's so much to augment the bass from the Arrakis - it's really the other sonic improvements that the REL's bring to the table in the areas of better ambience cues, enhanced imaging and portrayal of space, and increased dynamic range. In addition with the REL's, the soundstage is wider and deeper, and there is more three-dimensionality to the sound, with clearer positioning of performers within the soundstage. I find that these attributes occur independent of the music's bass content.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear March 14, 2015 21:44

Owner

System edited: I've updated my system thread with some higher quality pictures. Thanks to my friend Luther for coming by, doing some listening and then using his wonderful photographic skills to take these pictures for me.

babybear March 14, 2015 13:21

Owner

Hi Tbg,

Yes, I don't know that there is any importer/dealer for Trinity now in the US.

But I must say that I am so pleased with my TotalDAC D1-Twelve and TotalDAC D1-Server digital front end that I am not even curious how the Trinity DAC would have sounded.

Arnie

babybear February 20, 2015 17:10

Owner

Hi Jeff,

I did consider the Trinity DAC. I tried to get an audition of the Trinity DAC at Audio Arts in NYC as they were a dealer for Trinity. When I was up in NYC this past September, he didn't have a Trinity DAC available in his showroom, and then later in 2014 Gideon emailed to let me know that he no longer was going to be carrying the Trinity product line. So, I wasn't able to hear it.

Arnie

babybear February 20, 2015 13:36

Owner

Hi Sam,

Thanks very much. It is always fun to have folks over to do some listening together. And the conversation is always great as well.

babybear February 17, 2015 13:33

Owner

Hi Paul,

Thanks so much for your kind words.

babybear February 17, 2015 13:32

Owner

Thanks John.

I very much enjoyed your visit as well. The conversation is always fun!

babybear February 16, 2015 14:59

Owner

System edited: I have now upgraded the power cords on all 4 of my VTL Siegfried mono blocks to the top of the line Echole Omnia power cords. I have also upgraded the power cord on the external crossover for the Rockport Arrakis 2 speaker to an Echole Omnia power cord with an inline ABsolare Power Purifier.

babybear February 14, 2015 20:51

Owner

Hi Luther,

Thanks so much.

That would be great if you can take some new pictures for me - my little digital camera in my hands cannot come close to pictures that you take. And of course, we can do some good listening as well.

babybear February 13, 2015 13:40

Owner

System edited: Updated a few of the pictures.

babybear January 31, 2015 20:43

Owner

System edited: I've replaced some of the Stillpoints footers in my system with Absolare Stabilian isolation footers. I have the Stabilian footers under my Absolare Altius preamp, both boxes of the Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage, all 4 boxes of the TotalDAC digital front end and the Rockport Arrakis external crossover. I am still using the Stillpoints under my Turntable, turntable power supply and my amps.

babybear January 30, 2015 13:47

Owner

System edited: I've now upgraded my Absolare preamp to the new Absolare Altius preamp.

babybear January 29, 2015 23:08

Owner

Hi Musicmann1,

The TotalDAC D1-Twelve and TotalDAC D1-Server setup that i am using doesn't use USB to connect any of the components together as the preferred connection method is via AES/EBU digital cables. However, I did order one of Vincent's USB cables in case I ever do want to connect another server or computer to the setup.

Arnie

babybear January 29, 2015 13:30

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

Thanks. I'll let you know how it progresses but it already superb sounding.

babybear January 29, 2015 13:27

Owner

System edited: Ive added the TotalDAC D1-Twelve DAC and D1-Server digital front end to my system replacing my MSB Diamond digital front end. The TotalDAC D1-twelve is a 4 box system which includes 2 mono DACs, a specialized re-clocker and the D1-Server. Music files are stored on a NAS and the D1-Server is controlled by the MPAD app on an IPAD or IPAD mini. I have auditioned several wonderful sounding digital front ends in the past 6 months some of which I felt were better than my MSB Diamond front end, but the TotalDAC D1-Twelve setup is the first digital front end that I have listened to that has actually made me want to switch away from my MSB Diamond digital front end.

babybear January 28, 2015 19:03

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

The Entreq cables that I auditioned are the Eartha Atlantis cables terminated with spades on one end to connect to the Silver Tellus grounding box and RCA's on the other end to connect to the equipment. The standard length from Entreq is 1.65 meters and I believe the retail price on one of these cables is $1640. Entreq also makes some other grounding cables that are lower in price as well. Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear January 27, 2015 14:19

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much. Your much appreciated feedback on what you heard with these products helped move me to give the Entreq an audition in my system.

Arnie

babybear January 27, 2015 14:15

Owner

Hi Albert,

It's definitely worth giving the Entreq Silver Tellus and the Eartha Atlantis cables a try in your system. It's available now in the US through Stillpoints.

Arnie

babybear January 27, 2015 14:13

Owner

System edited: I've added the Entreq Silver Tellus signal grounding box along with 4 Eartha Atlantis grounding cables to my system. I am using 2 of the Atlantis cables connected to my Allnic H5000 phono stage, one to my digital front end and one to my Absolare preamp. The addition of the Entreq products in my system has a very positive effect in the following areas: 1. Lower noise floor 2. Greater clarity of subtle musical cues 3. Musical notes have greater density and weight to them. 4. The music just seems to flow more effortlessly.

babybear January 26, 2015 23:57

Owner

Hi Jeff,

There is a chance that I may be going to CES this year. If you are going, and I do make it there this year, it would be great to meet you ( and Charles if he is going). I will know soon if I can make it and let you know for sure.

babybear December 20, 2014 13:48

Owner

Hi David,

Yes, I do like what the Absolare Purifier does. I only use it for my front end gear - phono stage, dac and main preamp and it clearly makes an audible improvement to my ears. The Absolare speaker bullets also are very effective to me as well.

babybear December 13, 2014 20:25

Owner

Hi David,

Not sure which component you are referring to. Let me know.
Thanks

babybear December 01, 2014 16:24

Owner

Hi Dennis,

Austin

babybear June 17, 2014 12:39

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks for coming by.

I am looking forward to hearing your system again with your cable upgrades and the Vivaldi DAC.

See you soon.

babybear June 08, 2014 12:32

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

I do enjoy what my speakers are able to do!

babybear June 05, 2014 12:57

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much.

That's interesting about using the HRS Nimbus/Coupler on top of the Ultra 5. So far, with what I am hearing with the Absolare Stabilian footers, I am getting all of the detail, clarity, and transparency of the Ultra 5's, but with a more natural sound (basically, no metallic signature that I can now clearly hear with the Ultra 5 when I switch back to it). In addition, the Stabilian footers provide even better bass resolution than the Ultra 5's.

babybear June 02, 2014 12:15

Owner

Thanks Albert,

You are most welcome to visit anytime.

With the changes, the performance has gone up, especially in the areas of overall transparency, resolution and bass impact.

babybear May 27, 2014 13:54

Owner

System edited: I've been busy the past few months making some changes to my system and really dialing in its performance. 1. I've now upgraded all of my IC's and speaker cables to the new Echole Omnia cabling, replacing the already wonderful Echole Signature IC's and speaker cables. I've also upgraded to the Echole Omnia power cords on my Allnic H5000 phono stage, Absolare Passion Signature Plus preamp and Absolare Purifier. 2. I had the opportunity to use the new Telos Audio Design Cable Run In Machine to "cook" all of the cables and power cords in my system. I have never cooked any of my cables myself so I was quite amazed at the improvement in sonics once this is done - increased transparency, improved extension at the frequency extremes and deeper and more powerful sounding bass. 3. I changed to a different input tube in the Absolare Passion preamp - to a 1955 Valvo Hamburg foil getter 12AU7 tube. 4. I changed the input tubes in the VTL Siegfried amps that power the mids/highs of the Rockport Arrakis 2 speakers to a pair of Philips Copenhagen 12AT7 tubes. 5. I have been experimenting with the rectifier tubes for the Allnic H5000 phono stage. I have now tried a GE 5 Star 6087, a Bendix 6106, Amperex Bugleboy GZ34 and a Philips Valvo GZ34. The best of these in my system to me was the Philips Valvo GZ34. But once I tried a Philips 5Y3GT (directly heated rectifier) it was easy to hear that this provided the best sound for me. 6. Finally, I have been doing some comparisons of a new isolation footer from Absolare called the Stabilian. I have compared a set of these under the Absolare Passion preamp to the Stillpoints Ultra 5 footers that I have been using. I have gone back and forth multiple times to validate what I hear and the Stabilian footers do sound better. When you go from the Stabilian footer to the Ultra 5 footer, you can hear an almost "metallic" sound in the music which completely disappears with the Stabilian footer. In addition, I cannot detect any negative effect from using the Stabilian. I now have some additional sets of Stabilian footers to do additional comparisons to Stillpoints Ultra 5's under some of my other components.

babybear May 26, 2014 22:57

Owner

The Philips Valvo GZ34's arrived yesterday and I did get a chance to do some initial listening with them yesterday afternoon for about an hour after an hour of warmup.

My initial impression of these rectifier tubes in the Allnic H5000 phono stage is that these are the best ones that I have heard in my system and with my preferences in comparison to the Bendix 6106, the GE 5 Star 6087 and the Philips Amperex Bugleboy GZ34.

The construction of the Philips Valvo looks very, very similiar to the Philips Amperex - both have the dual angled double D getters on top and the plate construction looks similiar to me (but they are made in different Philips plants in Holland).

From what I heard yesterday, the main difference between the Philips Valvo and the Philips Amprex GZ34's are in the upper frequencies. The Amperex has a bit more sizzle and high frequency energy than the Valvo with the Valvo being more evenly balanced across the entire frequency spectrum and it presents the upper frequencies in a more natural way. I will do some more critical listening over the next few days with a wider range of musical genres, but assuming what I heard yesterday stands up, I think I am set with the rectifiers now for the H5000 and will use the Philips Valvo GZ34's.

Christian, thanks for the heads up on these tubes - I will be curious to hear your impressions of the Telefunken GZ32's. If they allow the H5000 to sound even better than with the Philips Valvo GZ34's that will be something to look into.

babybear February 23, 2014 14:22

Owner

Albert, that is so true!

If the US mail comes through - I should have the Philips Valvo rectifiers here tomorrow. It should be interesting to hear how they sound.

babybear February 21, 2014 20:05

Owner

Hi Christian,

I ordered a pair of the Phillips Valvo GZ34 from Tubeworld. We'll see how they compare with the Phillips Amperex Bugleboy that I already have. With both of these in hand, I should be set with rectifiers now for H5000. Thanks for the link.

Arnie

babybear February 20, 2014 01:39

Owner

Hi Christian,

It is interesting to hear how the different rectifiers affect the sonics of the Allnic H5000. It was true as well with the Allnic H3000 phono stage.

Albert, It would be great to get your impressions of some of the different rectifiers for the H5000 that you have as well.

babybear February 18, 2014 19:29

Owner

HI Albert and Christian,

That is good to hear Christian. And your results are matching what I am hearing with the 1957 Phillips Amperex BugleBoy GZ34 rectifiers made in the Sittard, Holland plant that I have been trying for the past 2 days. As you said, these are much better to me than the Bendix - better bass, much, much better high end and without the sterility of the sound that I was hearing with the Bendix. In comparison to the GE 5 Star 6087 rectifiers - much, much better bass resolution and punch (as the GE was soft sounding), better overall transparency as the the GE 6087 are a little on the warm side, and much better mids and highs as I felt that the GE has a some grain in the upper mids and highs.

babybear February 18, 2014 13:53

Owner

Hi Albert,

I will let you know what I hear with the Phillips Amperex Holland GZ34 rectifiers and how they compare to the Bendix 6106 and the GE 5 Star 6087 rectifiers. They were shipped to me tonight so I should have them here by Thursday.

babybear February 11, 2014 00:45

Owner

HI Christian,

I've ordered a pair of Phillips 1957 Amperex Bugleboy GZ34's made in the Sittard, Holland plant. Hopefully I will have these here late this week so I can give them a try and we can compare sonic impressions of these and the Phillips Valvo GZ34's that you have coming in.

Arnie

babybear February 10, 2014 21:37

Owner

Hi Christian,

Thanks very much. I did see that in the manual as well.

When will you have a chance to hear the Phillips Valvo GZ34 rectifiers? I like different aspects of the Bendix 6106 and the Ge 5 Star 6087 rectifiers, but neither is totally satisfying to me so I would be very interested in learning what you think of the Valvo GZ34's.

Arnie

babybear February 07, 2014 13:45

Owner

Thanks Gmahlerfanatic.
I've sent you an email as well.

babybear February 03, 2014 15:22

Owner

System edited: I have made some further upgrades from Echole Signature Power cords to the new Echole Omnia power cords. I am now using the Omnia power cords on the Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage and the Absolare Purifier power conditioner which feeds my analog front end and Absolare Passion Signature preamp. Echole also made for me 2 Omnia DC power cords to connect my MSB Signature transport and MSB Diamond DAC to their respective MSB outboard power supplies.

babybear January 22, 2014 19:30

Owner

HI Christian,

Let me know how the Sylvania Nuvistor tubes compare to the stock RCA ones and your view of the sound with and without the HA3000.

I did find it interesting this time around with the Bendix tubes. My original listening notes from Jan 2, 2014 comparing the Bendix and GE rectifier tubes were:
"The GE 6087 tubes are somewhat warmer sounding than the Bendix tubes, less transparent sounding (more colored) and softer sounding tubes.
The GE 6087 tubes are also less well resolved and more "bloated" and less controlled sounding in the lower mid bass and bass frequencies. They seem to have an overall more "fuzzy" sound and are not as refined sounding.

The Bendix 6106 rectifier tubes sound more transparent and have a more refined sound. The Bendix have quite a bit more punch and resolution in the mid bass and bass frequencies and are more dynamic sounding
than the GE 6087 tubes. The Bendix also have a better portrayal of spacial relationships of the performers within the soundstage. "

Then a few days later on Jan 5th - I felt with further listening that something wasn't quite right in the upper frequencies with the Bendix so I switched back to the GE rectifiers. In my listening last night, I didn't really notice any problems with the upper frequencies but I want to do a few more listening sessions with a wider range of music to be sure.

babybear January 21, 2014 19:07

Owner

HI Christian,

Congratulations. Its good to know that the mu metal was effective and it will be interesting to learn what happens if you double the amount.

I have my Bendix rectifiers back in the H5000 and I did some preliminary listening last night - the Bendix tubes sounded quite a bit better to me than the last time that I used them. I will have to do some additional critical listening now with a wider range of music to see what I think.

babybear January 21, 2014 13:11

Owner

Hi Christian,

Thanks for the input on your comparison between the GE and the Bendix rectifier tubes in the H5000. Of course my comparison was done without the HA3000 head amp and my initial results are a little different. I do agree with you that the Bendix has tighter and more impactful deep bass, but that I found the GE to have an overall richer sound than the Bendix. I plan to go back and do the comparison again this week to see if I get the same results as I did previously.

I have listened, albeit very briefly (just 2 or 3 cuts from 2 different LP's) to the HA3000/H5000 combo at Albert's home and in that very short listening I did prefer what I heard going direct with the H5000 versus the HA3000/H5000 combo, but it was a very short listening comparison. Once I get my H5000 to the point that I think it is fully broken in I will try and do the comparison again - both at Albert's and then again in my system.

Arnie

babybear January 19, 2014 13:21

Owner

HI Christian,

I definitely agree with you about the bass control that the Bendix 6106 rectifiers have - they are better than the GE 6087 rectifiers in that regard at least based on what I have heard in my system. I have gone back and forth between the bendix and the GE rectifier tubes multiple times to validate what I keep hearing and each time it is consistent - at least to my ears and in my system, there is something just not right about the upper frequencies with the Bendix - the best way that I can describe it is a little sterile and stiff but also just not quite natural sounding to me.

I will be curious to learn what you think after you compare the Bendix to the GE in your system.

babybear January 06, 2014 18:52

Owner

Thanks John,

I actually made a change after you left to the Allnic H5000 - I changed the rectifier tubes from the Bendix 6106 to the GE 5 Star 6087 and it actually sounded quite a bit better. In comparison, the Bendix rectifiers that you heard it with are more sterile and stiff sounding in the upper frequencies. The GE rectifiers are more relaxed and natural sounding to me in those same upper frequencies and harmonically richer across the board.

Looking forward to hearing our system again soon.

babybear January 06, 2014 13:30

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much. The system that you heard at the Hong Kong dealer would certainly be very representative of the sound that I have in my room given the same speakers and amps. We just need to get you over to Texas so that you can hear some of the many wonderful systems we have here within a 3 hour drive.

Have a great holiday season!

babybear December 25, 2013 19:33

Owner

Hi Albert,

Thanks so much for those amazing and kind words about my system. That means alot to me as I know that you have heard so many systems over the years and also that you and I value the the same attributes in an audio system.

BTW, I finally received a pair of the Bendix 6106 red bank rectifier tubes. I have not listened to them yet but I installed them in the H5000 DHT yesterday and powered it on to be sure they were fine. They appear to have an even slower ramp up than the GE 6087 tubes. I'll let you know what, if any differences I hear between these and the GE rectifiers once I have done some listening.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

babybear December 25, 2013 19:24

Owner

Hi Dragon_vibe,

Thanks very much.

babybear December 24, 2013 18:44

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

"But there is always another mountain to climb...Mt. Arrakis! "

Now that is funny!!

babybear December 24, 2013 13:50

Owner

Hi Ish,

You are most welcome and thanks very much for the invite to your place. I have never heard the Apogee speakers that you have so I would definitely like to hear your system. I'll let you know next time I am headed your way and perhaps we can arrange a visit.

babybear December 22, 2013 14:20

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

No doubt that your Zanden digital front end sounds magnificent. I have never had the opportunity to hear that setup but one of these days I would like to do so.

babybear December 22, 2013 14:17

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

That is great news. Brent Jessie is very good tube resource. I have purchased multiple NOS tubes from him and his descriptions of how they will sound has always been spot on.

Now we just need to get you into vinyl playback!!

babybear December 20, 2013 19:01

Owner

Hi Knghifi,

I haven't heard the L5000 DHT preamp, but I think that KS Park from Allnic is planning to make some changes to it to apply some of the experience that he has learned from the H5000 DHT phono stage. I think that Albert knows more about this.

Arnie

babybear December 19, 2013 17:58

Owner

HI Christian,

I forgot to ask, but have you had a chance to try the Bendix 6106 rectifier tubes in the H5000 and if so, what's your opinion of them as far as sonics go?

babybear December 19, 2013 13:41

Owner

Hi GD,

I am still using the 2 REL Studio III subs with the Rockport Arrakis speakers. Not so much for bass output as the Arrakis have plenty of that, but more so for the other advantages that the Rel Subs bring to the table.

My previous system that you heard when you visited previously was very good indeed. But, I would have to say that this system is definitely a significant step up in sonics compared to what you heard previously. You are more than welcome to visit and do some listening with me and hear for yourself. Let me know.

Arnie

babybear December 19, 2013 01:14

Owner

Hi Christian,

Its hard for me to imagine better dynamics and a more enveloping soundstage than I am getting now with the H5000 and Lyra Atlas cartridge. I am now using the Granite Audio Phono stage break in CD to accelerate the break in of the H5000 so that I can get hear it more fully broken in and then perhaps have Albert send me the HA3000 to evaluate it in conjunction with the H5000. Either way, we are enjoying some amazing vinyl playback!

babybear December 19, 2013 01:09

Owner

Hi Christian,

I may have to audition the HA3000 in my system once my H5000 is fully broken in. The H5000 is just so good even with only 11 hours of play time on it. I am looking forward to hearing what it sounds like once I get to around 75-80 hours.

babybear December 18, 2013 13:41

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Have fun with your new tubes as they should make for some great holiday listening. My Bendix 6106 red bank rectifier tubes have shipped and will be here this week, so I will probably give them a try over the holidays as well and see what they do to the sound of my vinyl playback.

babybear December 16, 2013 16:07

Owner

Hi Christian,

Thanks so much for your feedback about the Allnic HA 3000 used in front of the H5000 DHT. I am happy that it is sounding so good in your system.

I visited Albert this weekend and he had recently inserted a HA 3000 into his system as well to see what it does. Albert was using a lower line Purist Audio IC and power cord with the HA 3000 than his normal wonderful Purist 25th Anniversay cables. We could clearly hear a difference in the sonics with and without the HA3000 using the Lyra Atlas cartridge, but I need to do a lengthier listening session in my own system once my H5000 DHT is fully broken in to see if I prefer the sound with the HA 3000 or just direct into the H5000 DHT. Either way, the sound is wonderful.

Thanks,
Arnie

babybear December 16, 2013 14:41

Owner

Hi Albert,

I am glad that you changed out those beyond their prime 6550's. I am looking forward to hearing how your system sounds now with new Gold Lion KT88 tubes. Also interested in hearing what the sonic differences are using the Allnic HA3000 with the H5000 DHT.

Arnie

babybear December 15, 2013 00:28

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Yep, rectifier tubes play an important part of the sonics - yet no signal passes through them but when they age beyond a certain point, the music just becomes dull and lifeless - it just suddenly hits you one day that something isn't right.

You should be good as new when your new Mullards arrive. Have fun.

Arnie

babybear December 15, 2013 00:24

Owner

Hi Albert,

I've purchased a NOS pair of the Bendix 6106 Red Bank rectifier tubes to try in the H5000. I should have them here sometime next week and I will give them a try. Although I hate to change anything because the analog front end is sounding so good right and I still only have 9 hours of playing time on the H5000.

babybear December 13, 2013 13:09

Owner

Christian, I bet you will be happy to have the H5000 back in your system.

I will also be curious to learn what you think of those Bendix rectifier tubes.

babybear December 12, 2013 23:32

Owner

Hi Christian,

Definitely agree with you that loading (or no loading adjustment) doesn't seem to be a problem with the 3 cartridges that i have heard so far with the H5000. It will be interesting to learn what you think of the Allnic HA 3000 in front of the H5000 and how the sound compares with and without.

Arnie

babybear December 12, 2013 13:24

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

That is an interesting question. The H5000 has adjustable gain settings the same as the H3000 does. But unlike the H3000, it does not have any cartridge loading control for moving coil cartridges. You set the gain and that is it. Both cartridges that I am using sound superb with the H5000 (using different gain settings). The gain is set by the knobs on top of the 2 step up transformers. There are 4 gain settings to choose from. Since there is no cover on top of the unit, you can easily change the gain for different cartridges - just mute the H5000, turn the knobs and you are done.

Arnie

babybear December 11, 2013 13:39

Owner

Hi Christian,

Thanks very much.

Its hard to describe how good the H5000 sounds so I am glad that you are hearing the same things as I do and are enjoying what you hear.

Let me know what you think of the HA-3000 paired with the H5000. Its hard to imagine that it can get much better and I only have about 6 hours of actual playing time on the H5000.

Arnie

babybear December 10, 2013 23:20

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

Thanks very much.

The Allnic H3000 is a really, really good phono stage. But having said that, the H5000 is a very significant jump in performance. I was expecting it to be better given its price, but I wasn't really prepared for how much better it was. I only have about 6 hours of actual playing time on the H5000 so a long way to go before it is really broken in, but here is what I am hearing so far.

1. The H5000 is completely effortless sounding regardless of what type of music you are listening to or what volume you are playing at. There just doesn't seem to be any strain at all to the music.

2. It is more transparent sounding top to bottom than the H3000 with more clarity and purity to the sound.

3. It is harmonically richer sounding than the H3000 with very dense and more realistic sounding images of performers that are more fully resolved than with the H3000. Everything that I have listened to so far just sounds more complete and fleshed out than with the H3000. This is hard for me to explain but easy to hear.

4. The H5000 always seems in control. There is an continuity to what you are hearing that is again hard to explain but is easy to hear that I have not heard before in my system with the H3000.

I am not sure I am doing a good job of explaining how good the H5000 really is. Last night, I listened and the combo of the Schroeder LT arm, the Lyra Atlas and the H5000 was the absolute best that I have heard my system sound by a fairly large margin.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear December 10, 2013 15:26

Owner

Hi 11flat6,

The Minus K in and of itself doesn't seem to present any problem to have the LT arm work perfectly. But when you make the final arm adjustments, you do want to insure that the Minus K floating platform or the Vibraplane floating platform is as level as you can make it and more importantly, that it maintains that same position consistently. I use ballast weights on the Minus K floating platform to get the total weight up to as close to the maximum load that I can. I then position these weights to achieve the best leveling of the platform as possible.

A handy tool to have when setting up the arm is a completely blank side of an LP. You can check how well the arm is set up by lowering the arm/cartridge towards the outer edge of the blank record, and then gently blow on the cartridge from the outside. The arm should then start to slowly move inwards toward the center of the record and maintain a constant speed while doing so. If it does this, the arm should perform perfectly.

Arnie

babybear December 10, 2013 14:08

Owner

Frank Schroeder has posted some good information about the LT arm on the WBF forum. I took the liberty to repost some of that here because I find it interesting and useful information about the arm.

Also, for anyone interested in reading it, here is the link to the US patent that was granted on November 5, 2013 to Frank Schroeder for his LT tonearm. It is also protected by the design copyright law in the EU.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8576687.html

Here is the info from Frank that was posted:

"The use of this arm on any softly suspended deck(like a Linn LP12, Oracle Delphi, Voyd....) is less than optimal. Just like any tonearm - and airbearing tonearms in particular - the arm needs to be levelled(a provision for which is "hidden" in the arm base) or else the advantage of no side thrust generation(lack of skating force) will be jeopardized as, similar the an air bearing "sled", the pivoted arm will find a gravitational "null" or resting position. It's not as pronounced an issue as with airbearing arms as the mass displacement is a lot smaller, but still...

Tangency is maintained through a vector addition. Lateral tonearm displacement (and frictional pull) will move the fixed outrigger underneath the main arm bearing to which a magnet is attached. That magnet always maintains minimum proximity to the ferromagnetic "guide-rail" above, yet never touches it. So for any given angle that the main tonearm assumes, the pivoting bar is forced to move so that the magnet stays as close to the bar as possible.
Yes, that mechanism needs excellent, in fact, the very best bearings one can buy. The total bearing friction in the lateral plane(<3,5mN) is lower than ANY other conventional tonearm with captive bearings. In the vertical bearings, friction is ZERO, as in unmeasurable/waaay below what the wiring is contributing.
The slightest whiff will move the arm across a blank record, and a hair, gently put on the headshell while the arm is in equilibrum, will displace it. Yet there is NO play in any of the bearings in operation.

No skating compensation is required, even if set up with a little less care than what one should apply, side thrust on the cantilever can be brought down to unprescedented low levels. This means that it now takes the same amount of force to displace the cantilever laterally in either direction from center(all bass below 80-100Hz is mono on LPs), increasing linearity/dynamics/extension.

The eff. length was not chosen arbitrarily, but yields the best combination of geometry and associated forces. Longer wouldn't result in less tracing error(so why do it?), shorter forces the displacement of the pivoting bar to increase, requiring more force."

Thanks Arnie

babybear December 09, 2013 14:24

Owner

Hi Dev,

It's great to hear that you are very happy with the AF-1 and Elite arm combo. That setup should make some beautiful music. Congratulations. Enjoying what you are hearing is what it's all about.

Arnie

babybear December 09, 2013 13:45

Owner

Hi Dev,

Thanks very much.

Here are my impressions of the improvements that I hear with the LT arm compared to the Reed arm.

1. There is no inner groove distortion that I can hear at all. I used several LP's just playing the inner grooves, the middle grooves and the outer grooves. I could not hear any degradation in sound on any of them. This is one of the advantages of the LT arm that I was expecting and it delivered perfectly.

2. The improvement in bass is startling. There is a large increase in bass power, punch and slam (use your favorite adjective). I used 3 LP's to verify what I heard in this regard - Lyle Lovett's Release Me - track 1 - Garfield's Blackberry Blossom, Dave Brubeck's Time Out - Take Five and Cantante Domino the first few tracks of Side 2. In particular, the pipe organ on Cantante Domino took such a leap forward in power in the very lowest registers it was amazing. I have never heard any of these LP's sound as stunning as I heard them with the LT arm.

3. In the midrange and upper frequencies there is a clarity and purity to the sound that is very easy to hear. At the same time, there is a wonderful refinement to the sound. One of the LP's that I used to verify this is the second side of Cantante Domino. When you hear the soloist soaring above the choir in such a pure and refined voice it is simply amazing.

4. There is an increase in resolution that surprised me as well. On the same Cantante Domino LP, there is one spot on the second track of the second side where the female soloist really soars above the choir. It is my favorite cut on the LP and each time that I have listened to it, at the height of her solo there is what I thought was a slight distortion in her voice for about a second. Since I never heard that anywhere else I just assumed it was the pressing. With the LT arm, I realized it wasn't distortion at all but a tick in the record pressing as I could clearly hear her voice separate from the tick now.

5. There is an overall sense of ease and naturalness to the sound - it just sounds less strained than what I had been hearing previously.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear December 08, 2013 14:10

Owner

Hi 11flat6,

You're welcome.

Congratulations on getting the LT arm. You will love it and it will sound special with the Olympos. Installing and setting up the arm is more involved than swapping cartridges. The basic idea with the setting up the cartridge is to square the front of the cartridge with the front of the headshell. With the Olympos or the Atlas this is very simple to do and just by eyeballing it you will be 98% done. You then use the protractor and line up the stylus on the straight line that runs from the outer edge to the inner edge. The last step is to check to make sure that the cantilever is parallel to one of the lines that run perpendicular from the straight that you have put the stylus on. With a cartridge like the Olympos where the cantilever is visible it is simple to do. Set VTF and you are done.

babybear December 08, 2013 13:51

Owner

Hi 11flat6,

Thanks very much.

While I haven't tried changing cartridges yet on the LT arm, I would guess that it would take me about 15 minutes to install and correctly setup a different cartridge on the LT arm the first time that I did it (perhaps faster than that once I did it once or twice).

I haven't directly compared the Olympos SL to the Atlas on the Schroeder LT arm. They are both wonderful cartridges. But I have a very good idea of the differences between the cartridges. The analogy that I would use to compare them is that the Olympos SL is more like using a high quality Mullard 6201 gold pin 12AT7 input tube on my amps. It has a slightly more seductive midrange, a little more colored sounding in the upper frequencies, less transparent sounding and not quite as tight bass. The Atlas on the other hand, is more analogous to a Valvo 6201 gold pin input tube on my amp. It has a more evenly balanced sound across the frequency spectrum, more open and lively in the upper frequencies, greater transparency and tighter and more textured bass. Also, the Atlas throws a wider soundstage than the Olympos SL.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear December 07, 2013 22:59

Owner

System edited: The Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage is in the system now.

babybear December 07, 2013 00:04

Owner

I had a great visit with Albert yesterday and I had a chance to hear his wonderful system. I am looking forward to visiting him again very soon and to do a longer listening session.

I also got to meet KS Park the man behind Allnic Audio. KS is obviously a brilliant audio designer but at the same time a true gentleman and a very humble person.

babybear December 06, 2013 01:52

Owner

Hi Lotus340r,

Thanks very much.

I am just starting the break in process with the Allnic H5000, but paired with the Schroeder LT arm and the Lyra Atlas cartridge (which is also just breaking in) it's obvious to me that this will be very special.

Arnie

babybear December 05, 2013 13:51

Owner

System edited: Updated some pictures to show the Lyra Atlas cartridge and The Beat turntable with both arms - Reed 2A/Lyra OIympos SL combo and the Schroeder LT/Lyra Atlas combo.

babybear December 02, 2013 20:32

Owner

Hi Peter,

Steve actually does both. He actually builds the arms for the North America customers from the parts that are mostly sourced in Germany and then he sells and installs the arms for those customers NA customers.

Arnie

babybear November 27, 2013 20:23

Owner

Hi Unoear,

Thanks very much.

Yes, Frank has done a wonderful job in bringing the LT arm design to fruition and Steve has done a wonderful job in building the arm and installing it on both John's and my TT's.

babybear November 26, 2013 22:01

Owner

Here are some of my impressions of the sonic improvements that I have heard with the Schroeder LT arm in my system.

1. There is no inner groove distortion that I can hear at all. I used several LP's just playing the inner grooves, the middle grooves and the outer grooves. I could not hear any degradation in sound on any of them. This is one of the advantages of the LT arm that I was expecting and it delivered perfectly.

2. The improvement in bass is startling. There is a large increase in bass power, punch and slam (use your favorite adjective). I used 3 LP's to verify what I heard in this regard - Lyle Lovett's Release Me - track 1 - Garfield's Blackberry Blossom, Dave Brubeck's Time Out - Take Five and Cantante Domino the first few tracks of Side 2. In particular, the pipe organ on Cantante Domino took such a leap forward in power in the very lowest registers it was amazing. I have never heard any of these LP's sound as stunning as I heard them with the LT arm.

3. In the midrange and upper frequencies there is a clarity and purity to the sound that is very easy to hear. At the same time, there is a wonderful refinement to the sound. One of the LP's that I used to verify this is the second side of Cantante Domino. When you hear the soloist soaring above the choir in such a pure and refined voice it is simply amazing.

4. There is an increase in resolution that surprised me as well. On the same Cantante Domino LP, there is one spot on the second track of the second side where the female soloist really soars above the choir. It is my favorite cut on the LP and each time that I have listened to it, at the height of her solo there is what I thought was a slight distortion in her voice for about a second. Since I never heard that anywhere else I just assumed it was the pressing. With the LT arm, I realized it wasn't distortion at all but a tick in the record pressing as I could clearly hear her voice separate from the tick now.

5. There is an overall sense of ease and naturalness to the sound - it just sounds less strained than what I had been hearing previously.

Bottom line for me is that with the Schroeder LT arm in my system, vinyl playback has taken another major leap forward in sound quality. I am anxiously awaiting for my Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage to arrive as based on what I have previously heard, my expectation is for another major step forward.

Arnie

babybear November 26, 2013 14:06

Owner

Hi John,

I think you said it well - I wasn't really sure what to expect from the change in arms. I knew it would be better but not this level of improvement.

babybear November 26, 2013 13:24

Owner

Thanks Peter.

I will post my impressions about what I heard fairly soon. John and I live about 30 minutes apart so it was convenient for Steve to come down and set up both arms. John and I have talked about the improvements that each of us heard and they were very similiar. I keep trying to imagine what the sound will be like when my Allnic H5000 DHT phono arrives paired with the Schroeder LT arm/Atlas combo.

Arnie

babybear November 26, 2013 01:11

Owner

System edited: I made some upgrades this past weekend for my analog front end. Steve Dobbins flew down to visit with me for a few days this past weekend to make some changes. First he added a fifth Stillpoints Ultra 5 footer under the center of The Beat turntable. Then he added three Ultra 5 footers to the outboard power supply of The Beat. Then he installed a stainless steel arm pod (replacing the standard brass arm pod) to be used under the amazing Schroeder Linear Tracking tonearm that he installed. Finally, he installed the Lyra Atlas cartridge onto the Schroeder LT arm. The resulting improvements in vinyl playback are nothing short of stunning. I will post separately about those sonic improvements.

babybear November 25, 2013 20:51

Owner

System edited: I've changed the IC between the MSB Diamond DAC and the Absolare preamp from an Echole Signature XLR IC to the new Echole Omnia XLR IC. I've also cleaned up the descriptions of where i use various Stillppoints footers.

babybear November 14, 2013 15:00

Owner

I listened to my Allnic H3000 again after hearing the Allnic H5000 DHT. The Allnic H3000 is a great phono stage. But the Allnic H5000 DHT is very special. So I ordered the H5000. Looking forward to getting it.

Arnie

babybear November 11, 2013 13:18

Owner

Hi John,

I was very happy to finally meet Albert and we had a great time. He and I hear things very much the same and value the same sonic attributes in an audio system.

I plan to visit with him in about 4 weeks.

I'll let you know my impressions of the H3000 to the H5000 DHT.

Arnie

babybear November 09, 2013 14:13

Owner

Hi Jeff,

I gotta agree with you on that!!

Arnie

babybear November 09, 2013 00:17

Owner

I just wanted to thank Albert Porter for driving down to visit me this week. We had previously spoken by phone but had never met and we had a great time listening to vinyl and just talking. He also brought down his Allnic H5000 DHT phono stage for me to hear in my system. That is one amazing phono stage. I'll be listening to my Allnic H3000 today and tomorrow to verify that what I heard with the H5000 DHT wasn't a dream, but I am fairly certain it was all real!

Arnie

babybear November 08, 2013 13:10

Owner

System edited: I've just recently added the new Echole Omnia XLR IC between my phono stage and preamp and the new Echole Omnia power cord to power the Absolare Passion Signature preamp. Both of these cables replaced the Echole Signature versions. The Echole Omnia is the new top line of cabling from Echole and is quite a step up in performance even compared to the Echole Signature.

babybear August 29, 2013 14:20

Owner

Hi Spirit,

The few folks that I have corresponded with including you and Lloyd relative to the Entreq product and Booboobaer with the Tripoint Troy have certainly convinced me that these types of products can have a very positive effect on audio systems. Even when you have done a very good job of addressing the electrical power distribution of your audio systems. And the descriptions of the types of improvements appear to be consistent with the 2 products (I am sure there are differences as well). Also from what I have been able to read about these online from other users, the results are positive and consistent. I am definitely working to get one or both of these into my system to audition.

Arnie

babybear August 25, 2013 12:40

Owner

Hi Booboobaer,

I would very much like to learn what the Tripoint Troy has done for the sonics of your system. I will send you a PM. Thanks very much,

Arnie

babybear August 25, 2013 03:33

Owner

Hi Duane,

The audio world is very small indeed. I was at Goodwins a fews years back auditioning the Altair and the Magicos and I do remember meeting someone in one of the other listening rooms who was auditioning the Rockport Aquilas - obviously it was you - that's pretty amazing.

I don't use balanced power, but I do use an isolation transformer as part of my overall electrical distribution strategy for my audio system which does have a very high quality electrical ground for it. I have measured the impedance at my electrical outlets fed from the transformer and it is fractionally just slightly above 0 OHMS.

If you are also curious about the Entreq and Tripoint devices - I am as well. While they are referred to as grounding devices I am not sure that those names are all that correct as I am certain these boxes do not replace the electrical safety grounds of your power system. So, exactly what effect they will have in any given system remains to be seen. In talking to several folks who have heard either of these products, there seems to be a consistent theme that they make an improvement even in audio systems that have done some fairly extensive electrical system implementations. Hence my curiosity.

babybear August 23, 2013 20:10

Owner

I am looking forward to getting both hear and hearing what they do and how they compare to each other. Should be great fun.

babybear August 19, 2013 03:21

Owner

Hi Agear and Charles,

I have no doubt that someone must have done the comparison between these 2 products already, but like most of us, I would of course want to compare them in my own system and to understand what they do to the overall sonics of my system and how they compare in performance.

I have gone to great effort at this point to make the 2 foundational elements of any audio system - electrical power and the room itself, as good as I know how to make it. But, I also believe, especially with the power aspect, the right product or products can still bring real sonic improvements so these 2 products are intriguing to me.

I am working to see if I can arrange an audition of both products here at the same time. I have heard back from Entreq already and one of the Tripoint Troy dealers so it looks like it will be possible to do this (just not sure of the timing yet).

babybear August 17, 2013 12:41

Owner

Hi Knghifi,

I have been thinking along those same lines as well - try both of these products at the same time and see what I hear and then have John try them in his system and see what conclusion he reaches and then let's compare our results. That would be an interesting experiment.

Hopefully I will hear from Entreq very soon. The designer responded to my email and told me that he was traveling in Asia but would be back home tomorrow and then would contact me. Then I can contact Tripoint as well.

Arnie

babybear August 15, 2013 14:17

Owner

Hi Spirit,

Thanks for the information. I would like to try at least 3 connections - from the preamp, the dac and the phono stage, starting with the preamp and then adding the other 2 sources one at a time to see what I hear. Hopefully I will be able to arrange a home audition.

babybear August 14, 2013 18:36

Owner

Hi John,

I haven't heard either yet but they have definitely piqued my curiosity. Just need to find out how to audition them in my system and see what they can do. I'll let you if I manage to get the home audition.

babybear August 14, 2013 18:34

Owner

Thanks Lloyd,

I will contact Stillpoints and see what they can do for an in home audition.

babybear August 13, 2013 16:09

Owner

Hi Lloyd, Charles and Spiritofmusic,

I am thoroughly intrigued now by the Entreq product. I am not sure who is a dealer/distributor in the US (I couldn't find this information on the Entreq web site), but I will contact Entreq directly and see if an in home demo can be arranged.

Spiritofmusic, I read your separate thread on the topic and I was wondering if you ended up connecting anything from your analog front end - turntable or phono stage or both to the Entreq Tellus?

babybear August 13, 2013 12:24

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Your results with the Entreq in place does sound very interesting.

What did you connect to the Silver Tellus and what connection type to the component did you use?

babybear August 12, 2013 22:06

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

I definitely agree with you that the Ultra 5's make a very nice improvement as you describe. The Ultra SS work very well as well, with the Ultra 5's taking the improvements even further. And the more of them that you use, the better the sound gets - at least from what I have tried so far. I hope to try some under my amps fairly soon as well.

BTW, did you get a chance to listen to the Entreq grounding box in your system and if so, what were your impressions?

babybear August 12, 2013 15:57

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks very much and I enjoyed our listening time as well. It was great!

And I am looking forward to hearing your system again.

babybear August 12, 2013 03:43

Owner

Hi Albert,

You are so right about that. Once I had the system dialed in - meaning that experimenting with the different settings for damping factor as well as appropriately adjusting the Rockport Arrakis external crossover to rebalance the amps for each channel (as you raise the damping factor, the gain of the amp goes down a bit) I was pretty astounded as what the speakers are capable of doing.

So, as Bob Barker used to say on "The Price is Right" TV show - Albert Porter - "Come on Down" to Austin and have a listen!

And I am still planning to visit you in Dallas to hear your wonderful system.

babybear August 09, 2013 00:12

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much.

I am curious about what the Entreq Tellus does (I have read about it and the Trippoint products) so please let me know your impressions once you have heard your system with it in place.

The Rockport Altairs should be an interesting listening experience for you. Looking forward to your impressions.

babybear August 09, 2013 00:04

Owner

Just a short update on what I am hearing with the new Siegfried Series 2 amplifiers.

I have had them back from VTL for 8 days now and the jump in performance from the previous version of the Siegfried's is pretty amazing. The overall tonality is still the same (a good thing), but there are some significant sonic improvements in the following key areas:
1. The sound is more transparent, pure and open
2. There is better frequency extension at both the top and bottom
3. The sound is harmonically richer in the upper mid range and high frequencies
4. There is a definite increase in resolution.
5. The new amps allow the Arrakis to even better separate performers into their own space within an even wider soundstage.

There is a new feature on the Series 2 Siegfried amps which is an adjustable damping factor control. It has four settings - LOW, MED, HIGH and MAX. I have experimented with this feature and have ended up with the Siegfried amps driving the mids and highs of the Arrakis set to LOW and the Siegfried amps powering the bass drivers set to HIGH. The net result is pretty amazing - there is very large and easy to hear and feel increase in the grip and control of the speakers. I have not heard this type of control on such large speakers with tube amps before.

Bottom line, is that at this point, I couldn't be happier with what I am hearing.

babybear August 08, 2013 14:03

Owner

Hi Jeff,

Not sure on that one. When I ordered my Balanced Signature pre, I asked what configuration of inputs and outputs were available and so I decided to get one unbalanced RCA input just to be safe.

Perhaps that is the standard configuration for the balanced model?

babybear August 04, 2013 14:44

Owner

Hi Jeff,

My Absolare preamp on the input side has 1 pair of unbalanced RCA connectors and 2 pairs of Balanced XLR connectors. For output, I have one pair of each.

Arnie

babybear August 04, 2013 13:08

Owner

Hi Charles,

That is great to learn what you are hearing with Jeff's system and how the Absolare electronics are sounding with the Rockport Altair speakers. I have heard the full set of electronics at Kerem's wonderful home in Istanbul and what you are describing is what I heard as well.

babybear August 03, 2013 17:14

Owner

Hi Jeff,

That is great to hear. I can certainly speak from the perspective of the Absolare Balanced Signature preamp and agree with you 100% about how pure and transparent the sound is.

Glad you are enjoying both the preamp and the Absolare Passion amps with the Altairs!

babybear August 03, 2013 17:11

Owner

Thanks Jeff,

It has definitely been great the past 2 nights to have the music back again.

How are your Absolare electronics sounding so far?

babybear August 01, 2013 14:54

Owner

Thanks very much Lloyd. I am looking forward to the break in and determining the best damping factor settings for the 2 sets of amps with the Arrakis.

Update me on what you hear after you audition the Altairs.

babybear August 01, 2013 00:23

Owner

Hi Albert,

Yes, the change to the 12BH7 driver tubes was something that I didn't realize VTL had done. You are correct in that they are more readily available than the 6350 but also probably in general better sounding tubes.

I've never heard the VTL 750 amps - only the 450 Series 2, the S400 and of course the Siegfried's. All of which are quite wonderful. The new Series 2 Siegfrieds, at least so far sound quite a bit better - more relaxed, effortless, open
and at the same time I think more resolving and more extended at the frequency extremes. One of the many changes that they made was eliminating the global negative feedback from the amp which I think is a nice improvement and helps contribute to the sound that I have heard so far.

You are correct in that it will take some time to fully break in the new amps - they did put in a new fully balanced input circuit, new driver stages, new output transformer, new Mundorf silver oil capacitors, new tubes, new tube sockets, etc

babybear August 01, 2013 00:20

Owner

Hi Albert,

I did do some initial listening last night - it was great to hear my system again after 7 weeks.

Obviously my impressions are preliminary since the upgrade from the Siegfried to the new Series 2 Siegfried is basically a complete redesign of the entire audio path of the amplifier (and I had VTL provide all new tubes as well) and therefore some extensive break in will be required to fully assess the sound. But having said that, it was obvious as I listened last night, that the Series 2 Siegfried is quite a step up in sonic performance from the previous version. Even right out of the crates (and after about 30 minutes of warm up) the sound was more effortless and relaxed than the previous version with better transparency. After a few hours the soundstage began to open up and I could begin to hear what the new amps are capable of doing.

One of the new features on the Series 2 is an adjustable damping factor control to allow you to tailor the amps ability to control a particular speaker. It has 4 settings and since the Arrakis are bi amped with 2 pairs, I will need to experiment to find the optimum DF setting for the amps driving the mids and highs and the amps driving the bass of the Arrakis. I did use a higher DF setting last night on the bass amps and I could easily hear better control of the bass drivers than I had before (it was very obvious) but I will continue to experiment further to find the optimum settings for me.

Another change that VTL did was with the driver tubes - they aren't using dual 6350's per mono block any longer and have now switched to dual 12BH7 driver tubes and still use the 12AT7 input tube. Right now I have the stock 12BH7 and 12AT7 tubes that VTL provides but I will soon begin to experiment with some better sounding NOS 12AT7 input tubes.

babybear July 31, 2013 13:22

Owner

My new Siegfried Series 2 amps arrived today! They are back in the system and warming up. Looking forward to listening tonight and learning more about the sonics of the new amps. Alot of breaking in to do - new amps, new tubes and the system hasn't been on for about 7 weeks.

babybear July 30, 2013 23:34

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

VTL confirmed that both pairs of the new Siegfried 2 amps shipped out from VTL on Thursday so I should have them here middle of next week. Really looking forward to hearing how they sound. I am pretty excited about the new Series 2 amps.

You might have told me already, but where will you be hearing the Altairs?
I do agree that since Andy runs Gryphon amps and Transparent cabling in his sound rooms with the Altairs that should be a great match.

babybear July 27, 2013 00:05

Owner

Hi Albert,

Thanks very much.

I am really looking forward to hearing the new Siegfried Series 2 version. I know that the audio circuit has been completely redesigned from input to output as well as they have added the adjustable damping factor control. I suspect that this feature will be very nice with the bi amped Arrakis especially for the Siegfrieds powering the bass drivers to provide great control over those dual 15" drivers per speaker.

babybear July 24, 2013 12:39

Owner

Hi John,

Amen to that - I am so looking forward to having the new amps back - it will have been almost 8 weeks once they are here mid next week since I have been able to listen to my system.

Part of the upgrade process at VTL was to do some burn in of the amps (partially to burn them in a little and more importantly to test them from a reliability point of view to insure they are stable and everything works correctly over a reasonable length of time).

Once they are here and up and running I will let you know so that you can come by and do some listening.

babybear July 24, 2013 12:27

Owner

Spoke to VTL this week and both sets of my Siegfried mono blocks are in their final listening tests to validate their upgrade to the new Series 2 version. The Series 2 version is basically a new amplifier from the audio circuit point of view so this is very exciting. VTL hopes to ship them back to me later this week so I will soon have music again. And I am definitely looking forward to hear how the system sounds with the new Siegfried Series 2 amps.

babybear July 24, 2013 00:34

Owner

Hi Sam,

Thanks so much.

I took a look at your system - I bet it sounds superb as well.

Ah, the Revox R2R - I wish it were mine but it belongs to a friend who brought it over so that I could hear several of the Tape Project r2r tapes in my system and they were superb. I am slowly learning more about R2R decks and what source material is available. Maybe someday I will get one.

Arnie

babybear July 06, 2013 22:52

Owner

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the suggestion. I had given that some thought, but then decided not to do it.

Given that I bi-amplify the Arrakis 2 via the Rockport active external crossover with 2 matched sets of the Siegfried mono blocks I knew that I didn't need any more power from my amps. And one of the new Series 2 features is an adjustable 4 position damping factor control that should allow me to get even better control of the speakers in general and specifically the twin 15" bass drivers per speaker regardless of which power tubes that I use. Plus, I like the sound from the Genalex Gold Lion KT88 re issue tubes that I have been using.

Arnie

babybear July 06, 2013 16:08

Owner

System edited: I have sent all 4 of my VTL Siegfried mono block amps back to VTL to be upgraded to the new Siegfried Series 2 amps. I still have another 2 weeks or so to wait for their return. It's alot harder to go without music than I thought it would be but I am looking forward to getting the new amps back.

babybear July 05, 2013 18:48

Owner

Hi Jeff,

Thanks very much.

The MSB digital products are certainly some of the best digital available and the best that I have heard in my comparison evaluations.

With MSB's Universal Media Transport (UMT) and their new and improved UMT Plus model you can play SACD's direct to any of their current generation DAC's. You can also send DSD from a music server to any of their DAC's via any of their digital inputs - I2s, USB, SPDIF and AES/EBU (so not limited to USB for DSD).

You must be getting close to receiving your Absolare preamps and amps. Looking forward to hearing your impressions of them.

Arnie

babybear July 04, 2013 12:26

Owner

Hi Lawrence,

I live in Austin and you are welcome to come by and do some listening. There are many fine audio systems in the area as well as other parts of Texas. It would be a fun road trip for you.

Arnie

babybear July 04, 2013 12:10

Owner

Hi Albert,

And a very Happy 4th of July to you as well!

Whenever you visit John, just let me know as it would be great to have you over for some listening. I plan to visit John next weekend to hear how his system is sounding. You don't have to wait till fall - as my listening room has a dedicated 3-ton AC unit that keeps it very cool even with all of those tubes.

Anytime starting August should be good for a visit - my system is off line at the moment as I shipped all 4 of my Siegfried mono blocks back to VTL to get them upgraded to the newer Series 2 version. I should have them back in 3 weeks and I am really looking forward to hearing how they sound. The upgrade is supposed to be a very significant sonic improvement. But I must admit, going without music for the past 3.5 weeks has been much harder than I thought it would be!

babybear July 04, 2013 00:09

Owner

Hi Lawrence,

I was just lucky that I was able to raise the ceiling to 12 feet when I remodeled our home a few years back. But I have to say, I am very happy that I was able to do that as it allows me to use just about any size speaker (the Rockport Arrakis are just short of 7 feet tall) and it does sound pretty good.

Arnie

babybear July 03, 2013 13:11

Owner

Hi Lawrence.

Thanks very much.

I agree with you 100% about the importance of electric power when it comes to an audio system. To me, its one of the fundamental foundations of any audio system that one must get as good as they can to maximize the sonics regardless of the speakers and electronics.

That's interesting that you are lowering your ceiling - my ceiling height is 12 feet and previously it was 9 feet high - I greatly prefer the 12 foot height. What sonic improvements are you getting with lowering your ceiling?

Arnie

babybear July 02, 2013 13:40

Owner

Hi Lawrence,

I sounds like you have done a good job with your electrical power distribution for your audio system. Congratulations.

Arnie

babybear June 28, 2013 00:09

Owner

Hi Lawrence,

Thanks very much.

The electric power design includes the use of a 10Kva isolation transformer, feeding a dedicated sub panel with bolt-in breakers with 12 dedicated 20 amp outlets. The wiring is manually twisted 10 gauge solid copper strands for positive, neutral and ground, run through flexible steel conduit and uses Hubbell isolated ground outlets. The transformer itself has its own dedicated ground rod - the ground rod has a copper exterior, 2" in diameter with a ceramic center fill. The 11 foot long rod ground hole is back filled with a mixture of betonite and water to achieve very low resistance.

The iso transformer is from a company called Controlled Power Company.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear June 24, 2013 23:35

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

The bullets are about 6 inches long and not bendable. The spade end of your speaker cable attaches to one end and the other goes to the speaker binding post.

Send me a PM and I can get you the contact info of my friend who is using them with his Wilson speakers.

babybear June 24, 2013 14:45

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much. I've actually been using the Absolare bullets for about 8 months now. I don't remember the retail price exactly but somewhere in the $4k - 5k range for a complete set of 4 bullets.

They work with any speaker cable and any speaker. A friend of mine uses them with his Wilson Alexandria X-2's.

babybear June 23, 2013 16:20

Owner

Hi Jeff,

In my system, the Absolare bullets made the following improvements in the sonics of my system:

1. Lowered the noise floor

2. Increased the elegance and finesse of the upper frequencies

3. Increased the top to bottom coherence of the sound

When I first installed the bullets, I couldn't hear any real difference but I kept them in place for about 3 weeks. I then removed them and did some critical listening and the above 3 items improvements were immediately obvious.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear June 23, 2013 01:20

Owner

Hi Vincente,

Ah, Dueland CAST capacitors are superb. My version of the Absolare Signature preamp uses Dueland Silver Cast capacitors which I am sure contributes to its superb performance. It has such an effortless and open quality to the sound.

That should be a very nice upgrade for you.

Arnie.

babybear April 30, 2013 19:56

Owner

Hi Vincente,

Hopefully you will be able to compare the Obsession to the Signature in your own system.

Did you ever get a chance to try any of the Stillpoints footers in your system?

Arnie

babybear April 29, 2013 01:16

Owner

Hi VPN,

I did compare the Echole Obsession in my system to the Echole Signature IC's and power cords and to me the Signature were a very nice step up in performance. The cables have a very similiar tonal balance given they both use the same alloy wire (silver, gold and palladium) but the mix of the alloy is different with the Signature and the overall gauge of the wire is thicker. I found that the biggest improvements were in the frequency extremes - more resolved and powerful bass and more harmonically rich in the upper frequencies. I have a friend here locally who did the same comparison very recently and heard the same results and he ended up getting the Signature IC's and Speaker cables.

Obviously the Signature cables are not 80% better than the Obsession but they are a definite sonic improvement that I think you would easily hear in your system. But, they are quite a bit more expensive as well.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear April 28, 2013 12:46

Owner

Hi Peter,

Thanks very much!

If you are ever coming to Texas, let me know as you are very welcome to come by for some listening.

Arnie

babybear April 20, 2013 03:33

Owner

System edited: I made some changes last week. My dedicated room is also used for Home Theater and I have been using a fixed mount Stewart Studiotek 130 G3 screen. For 2 channel listening I would mount 3 fairly heavy acoustic panels over the screen which made significant improvements in the sound. I've been wanting to get a motorized screen for some time now so that it would be easier to go between home theater and 2 channel. I've been waiting for the Screen Innovations Black Diamond motorized screen to come to market and it finally has and I have one installed now. For those of you who have projection screen setups, the SI Black Diamond screens (fixed or motorized) are simply amazing. In addition, I reworked the acoustic panel setup on the front wall behind the speakers. The 2 channel sound is even better now. The old screen/acoustic panels can be seen in the first photograph and the new setup is shown in the third picture.

babybear April 16, 2013 21:44

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

I do have Saxophone Colossus and Waltz for Debby on CD but not on vinyl. We didn't do the comparison while I had the Revox R2R here, but I am very confident that there wouldn't be much comparison between the digital format and the R2R format. The realism that was presented by the R2R in my system was pretty amazing. Waltz for Debby definitely created the illusion of being at the Vanguard will Bill Evans. The vocals on Mose Allison - Creek Bank were so realistic sounding and the drum kit on Colossus had a very realistic presence in my room.

Arnie.

babybear April 16, 2013 12:40

Owner

I had a wonderful opportunity to hear 3 of the Tape Project reel to reel tapes in my system yesterday played back on a Revox professional level tape deck. I heard Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus, Mose Allison - Creek Bank and finally Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby. It was the first time I had heard reel to reel in my system and it was pretty special. A big thanks to my friends Luther and Travis for bringing the deck and tapes for all of us to enjoy! A truly great Sunday afternoon.

babybear April 15, 2013 16:54

Owner

Hi Darren,

Good to hear from you and thanks very much.

The Echole cables are very good - I am using the Signature version of Kerem's IC's, power cords and speaker cables and couldn't be happier.

Thanks for the tip about the Cryo Gold Lion 12au7 re-issues. I will have to give one a try. My Absolare preamp does indeed use 2 of the 12au7/ECC82 tubes - one tube for input and the second tube is in the output side. The 2 tubes do not need to be the same but they both need to be 12Au7/ECC82 or one of the compatible variants (like 5814, 6189, etc). I actually did try two Telefunken 802s tubes in the Absolare, but i did not like the sound at all. They were very extended with lots of air in the upper frequencies, but a little too thin and analytical sounding.

Arnie

babybear April 14, 2013 23:14

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

You should definitely give the Ultra 5's (or perhaps the Ultra SS's) a try under your Zanden transport and DAC - I would bet on a very nice improvement.

Arnie

babybear April 10, 2013 00:00

Owner

Hi VPN,

Thanks very much.

I would definitely give the Stillpoints Ultra 5's a try under your speakers. If they can be threaded onto your Dunlavy speakers that would be best and Stillpoints makes various threaded adapters that you can get that hopefully would fit your speakers. The weight of your speakers won't bother the Ultra 5's.

I have tried the Ultra 5's under several components (but not my speakers) and the results have been very consistent sonic improvements regardless of which component I have tried.

Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear April 08, 2013 13:29

Owner

Thanks Art,

Looking forward to it.

Arnie

babybear March 24, 2013 12:36

Owner

Hi Art,

Thanks very much and we are doing great here. Hope you are doing well also.

Art, you are welcome anytime (not an intrusion at all but the wine would be most welcome!)- just let me know when you will be coming so that we can get together for some listening!

Thanks again,
Arnie

babybear March 23, 2013 21:52

Owner

Hi Luther,

Thanks so much.

I had a great time as well and it was nice to meet John. I am looking forward to coming down to your place as well and learning more about reel to reel playback!

babybear March 21, 2013 22:51

Owner

System edited: The sonic improvements that the Stillpoints Ultra 5 footers provide is very addicting. I have now put a set under my Allnic H3000 phono stage and the external power supply for the Allnic phono stage. In both cases, the Ultra 5's replaced a set of the Ultra SS footers. The Ultra SS are very good and make a nive sonic improvement. The Ultra 5's go much further with increased resolution, blacker background, expanded soundstage and an even more relaxed and liquid sound. I have also put the extra Ultra SS's under the external crossover for the Rockport Arrakis speakers and the Absolare power Purifer. Again, in both cases, a further improvement.

babybear March 11, 2013 12:58

Owner

System edited: I have added 3 of the Stillpoints Ultra 5 footers under my Absolare Passion Signature preamp replacing a set of 3 of the Stillpoints Ultra SS footers. As good as the Ultra SS were under the preamp, the Ultra 5's are that much better. I moved the Ultra SS footers under the outboard power supply of the Allnic H3000 phono stage and as expected, there was a very nice improvement in sound quality by doing this. I am now planning to try some of the Ultra 5's under the main body of the Allnic H3000 phono stage (already using the Ultra SS's) once they arrive.

babybear February 24, 2013 21:51

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

The best way to connect the MSB transport and dac together is via the MSB Pro I2s connection so I have only ever used that connection type. MSB implements I2s over an ethernet cable. What surprised me was how significant the improvement was when I switched from the MSB ethernet cable to the the AudioQuest Diamond ethernet cable. It was a very, very large improvement - as large as any cable or power cord improvement that I have ever heard in my system.

Is the Zanden I2s cable a custom cable that they provide?

babybear February 20, 2013 01:31

Owner

System edited: I've made a couple of changes. I am now using the Audio Quest Diamond Ethernet cable to connect the MSB Signature Transport to the MSB Diamond DAC via the Pro I2s input. After auditioning this cable and comparing it to the optional MSB Ethernet cable, the performance improvement was so significant that I couldn't go back to the previous ethernet cable. Now that I have heard the performance improvement from this cable, I will when I have a chance look to audition other ethernet cables (like the Stealth).

babybear February 19, 2013 14:12

Owner

Thanks Nate,

I will give the Stealth ethernet cable a try. The level of improvement brought by the Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cable was very significant and surprising to me, so if the Stealth can improve that further, its worth hearing.

Arnie

babybear February 10, 2013 13:25

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks for the info about Martin Collom's review. I will check it out. I am still amazed about how much improvement the Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable provided.

babybear February 07, 2013 19:25

Owner

Hi Nate,

I had a chance to try the Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cable between my MSB Signature Transport and Diamond Dac tonight. You were certainly right that the ethernet cable from MSB is not good enough. The Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cable was a very, very significant step up in sonics across the board - much more resolving, greater dynamic contrasts, harmonically richer with deeper and more powerful and resolved bass. None of these improvements were subtle at all. I was quite surprised by the level of improvement.

Arnie

babybear February 07, 2013 04:45

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

You are very welcome.

And that is great to hear and again, congratulations on getting the Rockport Aviors!!. Its wonderful that you are enjoying them so much already and paired with the new Rel G1 subs it must wonderful sound!

Arnie

babybear January 21, 2013 15:16

Owner

Thanks for the link Nate,

I will check out that Stealth ethernet I2s cable.

Arnie

babybear January 20, 2013 19:11

Owner

Hi Nate,

You're very welcome indeed.
I have only done one recent comparison of a Stealth cable to an Echole cable. It was a Stealth AES/EBU digital IC compared to an Echole AES/EBU digital cable (we had 2 of each) and were using them for digital connections in a full 4 box DCS Scarlatti digital front end. There were several people involved in the comparison and each of the people preferred the sound of the system when the Echole digital cables were used. Easiest way to describe the difference was that the sound was fuller and more organic with no loss of resolution so I guess it would be up to you to decide. If you can audition the Echole Signature cables when you try the Absolare electronics that would be the best way.

Nate, I am using the MSB optional Ethernet cable to connect my Signature Transport to the Pro I2s connection on the Diamond DAC IV (so not the stock cable). I looked on the Stealth web site but I couldn't find any reference to an I2s cable or an ethernet cable. Do you have a link for this?

Thanks,
Arnie

babybear January 19, 2013 22:32

Owner

Hi Nate,

First, you have a really wonderful system - it must sound great!

I do have some experience with the ARC Ref 40. I used to own an ARC Ref 3 preamp with ARC Ref 210 amps and I have a listened to the ARC Ref 40 multiple times on a friend's system. The ARC Ref 40 is a great preamp. I have also heard the Nola Baby Grand speakers driven by all ARC Ref electronics - and it sounded wonderful. I have not heard the Plinius amps that you have but I have heard good things about Plinius.

But having said that, I would agree with Charles in that the Absolare Passion Preamp and Passion mono block amplifiers will be quite a step up in my opinion in the sonics of your system. I obviously have first hand experience with the Passion preamp and it is far and away the best preamp that I have heard in my system - it is very neutral and transparent and has an open and effortlessness in its sound that just draws you into more and more listening. Combined with the Absolare Passion amplifiers, you should be able to achieve similiar sonics to what you heard at CES (taking into account of course the difference sonic signature of the speakers). I suspect, you would probably actually do better than what you heard at CES because your room acoustics and electrical power are probably better than what you typically have at CES.

Hope that helps and happy to answer any other questions.

Arnie

babybear January 18, 2013 17:32

Owner

Hi Jeff and Charles,

Its great that you both were able to attend CES and had the opportunity to hear the Absolare/Echole room. Thanks for letting me know your listening impressions of what you heard as well. And I completely agree, the folks from Absolare and Echole are wonderful to speak with - they have great knowledge and also tremendous enthusiasm for what they do. As does Steve Dobbins (whose turntable was being used).

Charles, thanks so much and you are right. My system does give me great pleasure when I listen to it. The Absolare Passion preamp that I just added brought the sonics up another notch - adding a level of realism and especially so on well recorded "live" LP's. And with the active version of the Rockport Arrakis speakers - I am certainly done with ever changing speakers (besides the speakers would be far too difficult to ever get down the stairs from my music room)!

Thanks again,
Arnie

babybear January 13, 2013 16:02

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

That's great news about the Avior's arriving! I am sure you want to get home to get them set up and start listening to them. You will definitely enjoy them as they are wonderful sounding speakers.

Thanks very much about the Absolare preamp. It is a very purist design and doesn't have a remote control. At first, I thought that would be a problem for me but now I am OK without one. Especially given how good it sounds!!

Arnie

babybear December 30, 2012 01:17

Owner

Thanks very much Charles,

I have heard the Absolare Passion preamplifier and the Absolare Passion 845 amplifiers matched with Rockport Aquila speakers when I visited Absolare in Istanbul, Turkey this past summer. It was really, really good. I believe they will have a very similiar setup at CES this year with both digital and analog front ends. Have a great time.

Arnie

babybear December 23, 2012 20:34

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks very much.

I did decide to go ahead and purchase the Absolare preamp. I did 3 comparisons between the VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp and the Absolare Passion Signature preamp and every time I did this, the differences were consistent and obvious.

When I am at your place, we'll have to pick a day for you to come by here as well and do a lengthier listening session given all of the changes that I have made since the last time you did that (not counting the Christmas party).

Arnie

babybear December 22, 2012 14:42

Owner

System edited: I've been evaluating some new components for the past 6 weeks which have resulted in a few significant changes to my system. 1. First and most importantly is a new preamp, the Absolare Passion Signature Balanced preamplifier. This is a truly remarkable preamp that has a very open, transparent, effortless and natural sound that takes the performance of the system with the Rockport Arrakis even further than I thought possible, 2. Echole Signature power cord with an inline Purifier module to power the Rockport Arrakis external active crossover. This power cord with inline power filtering has helped to create an even blacker background and a more organic, coherent and refined sound. 3. The use of Stillpoint Ultra SS footers under the Allnic H3000 phono stage, the outboard power supply for the MSB CD transport, the outboard power supply for the MSB DAC and under the new Absolare Preamplifier.

babybear December 21, 2012 18:33

Owner

Hi Pradeep,

Thanks very much!

I find a glass of good red wine goes very well when I listen!

Let me know what you think about your listening with the VTL and when the Aviors arrive. They are wonderful speakers.

Arnie

babybear December 20, 2012 15:49

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

The preamp that I am auditioning is called the Absolare Passion preamp. It is made by the sister company of the cables that I use - Echole. I first got a chance to hear it when I visited Istanbul, Turkey this past summer where the company is headquartered.

Robert Harley was part of that same trip and he recently did a short blog about his visit and in the blog you can also see some pictures of the preamp as well as the amps. Here is a link:

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/absolare-launches-system-line-in-us/

Arnie

babybear December 16, 2012 16:27

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks very much and thanks for coming last night. Everyone seemed to have a great time. But we did order a little too much food!

Let me know when I can come by your place to listen to your system. Looking forward to hearing it with all of the new acoustic treatments. Most any time will work for me so whatever is good for you, just let me know.

babybear December 16, 2012 16:22

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

You're most welcome. Let me know what you hear when you put the Ultra 5's under your speakers.

Arnie

babybear November 28, 2012 19:38

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Yes, you are certainly correct in that I won't even try to put an Ultra 5 footer (or any other footer for that matter) under the Arrakis - not at 900 pounds for each speaker and given the substantial base and footers that the Arrakis come with.

As for the Stillpoints Ultra 5 and also the smaller Ultra SS footers - in my system they both perform exceptionally well. I have only used the Ultra 5's under my turntable and right now I am also experimenting with the Ultra SS footers under my phono stage, the outboard power supply of my CD transport, the outboard power supply of my DAC and the analog output stage of my preamp. I added one set of these footers at a time so that I can understand the impact of what each set does. With each set of these footers that I add, they have the same effect and it appears to be cumulative - increased resolution, increased focus and coherence and at the same time a greater sense of ease with the music. They also seem to increase the sense of the acoustic space that the music is played in. Overall, the performance just seems more natural sounding to me. I have been comparing them to what I was previously using - Pyon Sound Spira Ultra tuning feet. So far, based on what I am hearing, the Stillpoints Ultra 5 and Ultra SS footers are superior and by quite a bit.

babybear November 27, 2012 23:05

Owner

System edited: I've added a fourth Stillpoints Ultra 5 footer under The Beat turntable. I've also added a Minus K BM8 vibration isolation platform under the turntable. I've added 18 pounds of ballast weight onto the Minus K platform to bring the total weight up to 129 pounds (the BM8 that I ordered has a weight rane of 90-130 pounds). This allows the Minus K to operate at its maximum. In my system, adding the Minus K under the turntable has further reduced the noise floor when listening to vinyl. In addition, performers sound more palpable, the upper frequencies have more finesse and the overall presentation just feels more effortless.

babybear November 26, 2012 20:50

Owner

System edited: Changed the Interconnect between the Rockport active external crossover to the VTL Siegfried mono block amps powering the bass drivers of the Arrakis 2 from an Echole Obsession IC to an Echole Signature IC. The Signature IC provides deeper and more resolved bass than the Obsession IC.

babybear October 10, 2012 14:17

Owner

Hi Aaron,

I have done the listening comparison in my room between the Platinum Signature DAC IV with the Diamond Power supply and the Diamond DAC IV (with the optional clock) also with the Diamond power supply both fed by the Data CD IV powered by the same Diamond power supply. I found the Diamond DAC IV to be (With the clock) in audio terms, a significant improvement and the Platinum Signature DAC IV is already really good. The other really significant improvement was when I auditioned the Data CD IV powered by the new dedicated Signature Transport power supply (which is a linear power supply) instead of using the transport power supply inside of the Diamond power base which is a switching power supply. Both of these are well worth hearing in your system if you get the opportunity to do so.

babybear September 26, 2012 21:35

Owner

Thanks Aaron.

Which MSB digital setup do you have?

babybear September 26, 2012 00:43

Owner

Hi Zephyr - thanks very much.

Hi Luther- thanks and it was great having you over for some good listening. I've ordered the Melody Gardot and Jennifer Warnes LP's as well.

babybear September 25, 2012 18:26

Owner

System edited: Finally got some higher quality pictures (thanks to my friend Luther) that are so much better than my own awful photography skills. A good camera and a skilled person using it certainly makes a huge difference.

babybear September 24, 2012 22:06

Owner

Hi Albert,

Thanks for all of the information. I will definitely look into both the Vibraplane and the Minus K.

babybear September 24, 2012 12:20

Owner

Hi Albert,

I've gotten some additional information back from Steven at SOS about the Vibraplane. I am assuming you use the active version of the Vibraplane?

His email said that there is a compressor for the active version of the Vibraplane that they recommend from a company in Texas. Is this the compressor that you use and if so, is it quiet? He mentioned that it should only come on a few times a day for a very short duration.

I am sure you have been asked this before, but do you have any experience or thoughts on how the Minus K platform would compare in sonic results with the Vibraplane? In looking at the Minus K web site, they appear to be similiar in price to the Vibraplane but don't require any adjustments once they are setup.

babybear September 23, 2012 16:04

Owner

Hi Albert,

I have a suspended floor but its pretty solid. It is made of 3 layers of 3/4" plywood.

It would be interesting to try a Vibraplane under the table to see what it would do. I will need to look into that and learn more about it.

Arnie

babybear September 22, 2012 12:48

Owner

System edited: I replaced the 4 Stillpoints Ultra SS footers under The Beat turntable with 3 of the newer Stillpoints Ultra 5 footers for a very nice improvement in sonics. With the Ultra 5 footers, I am hearing more resolution and at the same time a sound with more finesse and coherency to it.

babybear September 21, 2012 22:51

Owner

Hi Bob,

I'll certainly keep that in mind. Hopefully you are a young man because it may be awhile.

babybear September 11, 2012 12:19

Owner

Hi Lenny,

It was good seeing you as well.

We loved the Lyle Lovett concert and really enjoyed hearing him at the new Moody theater for ACL. It holds a good number of people but has a more intimate feel than some of the other large venues that we have been to. Not quite as intimate as One World Theater but that same type of feel with a lot more people than One World. We're definitely going back there for more concerts.

Just let me know when its a good time for you to come by and do some listening.

babybear September 11, 2012 00:35

Owner

Hi John,

The LP cabinets are really beautiful to see and they are so nice to use. Its so much easier to find the records that I am looking for and to put them away. My friend is really, really good at this. Let me know when you want to stop by to take a look at them.

Sounds like good progress on your room as well. Let me know when you are finished so that I can come by for some listening.

babybear September 08, 2012 12:17

Owner

System edited: I just took delivery of 2 new LP record cabinets that I commissioned a friend of mine to build for me. He recently retired and has been doing woodworking for a very long time. These cabinets came out even more beautiful than I could have imagined and are so nice to use - its so much easier to find the record that I am looking for and also so easy to put it back.

babybear September 07, 2012 12:38

Owner

Hi brian,

Feel free to email me at:

[email protected]

Happy to discuss.

Arnie

babybear August 30, 2012 20:39

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Yes, it was a wonderful trip. We got to see and feel what Istanbul has to offer and it is a really wonderful city to visit. It is far more cosmopolitan than I was expecting.

You should definitely move the MSB digital front end up on your list. One of the folks that have moved to it did a direct comparison of the MSB Diamond DAC and CD IV transport with the full DCS Scarlatti stack and strongly preferred the MSB gear and so went ahead and purchased the MSB.

The CD IV transport that they used was not even the Signature CD IV with the Signature power supply, which in my listening tests makes a substantial sonic improvement.

Arnie

babybear August 27, 2012 20:51

Owner

Just returned from a wonderful trip visiting Istanbul, Turkey. I was there visiting the home location of Echole cables and Absolare electronics, both of which i use in my system. It was a small conference organized by Echole and Absolare to bring together a few of their customers and dealers. Istanbul is a fascinating place that I had never visited before. Part of the activities included a visit to an audio dealer in Istanbul, named Extreme Audio. I have never been to a brick and mortar dealer of this magnitude. They have 12 very well done listening rooms each fully equipped with great gear. The number of brands that they carry was a very long list as well. The location that we went to is the largest of Extreme Audio's 4 locations all of which are in Istanbul.

Another interesting thing to me was that within the small number of folks also on this trip, 2 others were using MSB digital front ends and another 2 had done in home auditions of the MSB digital gear and were planning to upgrade to MSB in the near future.

I also got a chance to hear The Beat turntable that I use with the new Reed 3P arm with the Lyra Atlas cartridge through the Allnic H3000 phono stage playing through the Rockport Aquila speakers with the Absolare preamp and mono block amps. A wonderful sounding system which made me even more curious to audition the Reed 3P arm in comparison to my Reed 2A arm which I hope to do later this fall.

Arnie

babybear August 27, 2012 07:05

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Based on what I hear in my system, mastering is always important. There are many SACD's, especially from the early days of SACD that don't sound very good in comparison to the CD layer. One of the worst SACD's that I have heard is the original Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me". (Not to be confused with the new LP's and SACD's that Analogue Productions have just released. I haven't heard the SACD but the LP is really, really good).

Having said that, if you play a high quality mastered CD/SACD disc, then the SACD layer played back through the UMT will sound better than playing the CD layer through the CD IV transport. To me, well done SACD's sound more relaxed and natural with less digital artifacts especially in the upper frequencies.

The CD IV is the better PCM transport so when playing a redbook CD via the CD IV it will sound better than the same CD played through the UMT.

Arnie

babybear August 14, 2012 12:45

Owner

System edited: Updated one additional picture. Also added the MSB UMT (universal transport). I use the MSB UMT for SACD playback and the MSB CD IV transport for redbook and hi-rez PCM playback. MSB just released new firmware upgrades for their DAC IV's and the UMT. The firmware upgrade for the DAC's adds native DSD playback support from any of their digital inputs (USB, SPDIF, optical) and the firmware upgrade for the UMT allows it to pass the native DSD data stream from a SACD to the DAC IV. I did the upgrades and it works flawlessly and the SACD playback sounds very, very good.

babybear August 07, 2012 13:03

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

There are a few key differences that I hear in my system between the Purist Audio Anniversary IC's and the Echole Signature IC's.

Overall, the Echole Signature cables have a greater sense of elegance and coherence to the sound along with greater resolution and texture. Both the bass and the upper frequencies are more extended with the Echole and the upper frequencies in particular are harmonically richer and more natural sounding to me. The mid range is very similiar in tonality but the Echole do exhibit the greater resolution and texture.

Arnie

babybear July 21, 2012 20:31

Owner

System edited: Just replaced the Purist Audio Anniversary balanced IC between the MSB Diamond DAC and the VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp with an Echole Signature balanced IC. I now have all Echole cabling in both my analog and digital signal paths from source to speakers.

babybear July 21, 2012 12:49

Owner

Hi Christian,

Yes, I agree that would be a good approach. One of the nice things about the MSB digital products is that they are for the most part user upgradeable both from a hardware and software point of view. So you can always add the clock at a later date. I also think that MSB even gives you a trial period with the clock such that you can try it and if you feel it's not worth the price they will give you your money back.

Also, with either their Platinum or Signature transports, you can download hi-Rez files either in .WAV format or convert them to .WAV format, burn them to a DVD and then just play them directly via the transport (which is what I do). In that case you are using their I2S interface between the transport and DAC for the best sound quality.

Arnie

babybear July 15, 2012 20:51

Owner

Hi Christian,

Yes, that is correct that I did get the Galaxy clock module. I did listen to the Diamond DAC with and without the Galaxy clock. With the clock, the improvements in sound are similar to what I heard when I added the G0s clock to my Esoteric stack. The affect of the clock is that the sound is further refined in the upper frequencies and you hear a level of elegance and coherency in the sound that is lost when you remove the clock. My opinion is that the signature DAC with the clock will not equal the sound of the Diamond DAC without the clock. The diamond DAC had better defined bass than the Signature DAC and was harmonically richer in the midrange and upper frequencies with more palpable images. Of course the best way for you to be sure would be to compare them in your system. Hope tha helps.

Arnie

babybear July 15, 2012 19:08

Owner

Hi Rockitman,

Thanks very much.

As for my MSB digital front end, I do enjoy it very much. I certainly consider it to be one of the best digital front ends available. Before deciding on it,
I owned the Esoteric P03/D03/G0s stack for 5 years. When I got back into analog however, I found myself having a hard time listening to the Esoteric digital - I just couldn't relax into the music with it. So I started to audition different digital front ends. In my system I was able to audition the MSB Signature DAC IV and Platinum transport, the MSB Diamond DAC IV with the optional clock module and the new Signature transport, the EMM XDS1, and the CH Precision CD/SACD transport with its matching C1 DAC. I was also able to hear the full DCS Scarlatti stack in my friends system and compared that to his analog front end.

Based on what I heard and also my personal listening preferences, the 2 digital front ends that I enjoyed the most were the MSB Diamond DAC with Signature transport and the CH Precision digital stack. The CH Precision, when used with its built in preamp and bypassing my preamp was really good and if I had a digital only system, I might have gone with it. But with the need for a preamp, the MSB sounded better to me going through my preamp than the CH Precision. I now fully enjoy listening to digital again.

Hope that helps.
Arnie

babybear July 15, 2012 12:51

Owner

Hi Art,

Glad to know that I finally made idol status!!!

Thanks so much and if you are ever down here please let me know as it would be great to have you come by for some listening.

BTW, your room and system are looking great!! Your room looks warm and very comfortable and it must be a great environment to enjoy listening to music in.

Thanks again, Arnie

babybear July 09, 2012 16:23

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks so much for the wonderful complements.

I am glad you were able to come by as I had a great time as well. Its always nice to have people over who really enjoy talking about audio and more importantly enjoy listening to music.

I am looking forward to coming by your place to hear your system once you have your room acoustics project completed.

Thanks again,

Arnie

babybear July 09, 2012 12:40

Owner

Hi Sgr,

Thanks so much.

You are right about what the active configuration can do - music just sounds so effortless and relaxed with seemingly unlimited dynamics compared to a passive configuration. I was hesitant at first to do the active configuration but now that I have it, I am glad that I was lucky enough to be able to do it.

Arnie

babybear June 23, 2012 13:08

Owner

Hi Mike,

Thanks very much for your kind words.

I always felt that the Rockport Arrakis would be my ultimate speaker. When I saw that pair come up for sale a few months ago, I contacted Andy Payor to see if in fact that pair could be upgraded to the latest active version and when he assured me that he could do that, I went ahead and purchased them. Andy was wonderful to work with - taking care of all of the shipping involved, arranging with Goodwins in Boston to come down to handle all of the setup and completing the upgrade on schedule. Goodwins was also great to work with as they did a wonderful job putting the speakers together (no small task in and of itself), dialing in the speakers with my room, integrating my 2 Rel Studio III subs, etc. They spent 3 days here getting it right. All in all, both Andy and the Goodwins team made the purchase and upgrade a first class experience for me and the sound is more than I ever imagined it would be.

Thanks again, Arnie

babybear June 23, 2012 00:15

Owner

Thanks Booboo!

Lots of Bears out there!

babybear June 22, 2012 21:28

Owner

Hi Bob,

Thanks very much for your kind words.

I have heard the Rockport Avior (their new model that you heard at The Show) and I agree with you that its a great speaker.

As for power cords and cables I definitely agree with you that its the hardest thing to get right and usually very subjective and which cable works in one person's system may not work as well in another system. Before I tried the Echole cables I was using primarily Purist Audio Anniversary power cords and IC's with Elrod Statement Gold power cords on my amps. I never gave much thought to changing any of the cabling.

There was a lot of buzz going around about Argento Flow Master Reference cabling and my local dealer got some of those in (power cords, IC's and speaker cables) so he brought quite a bit of the Argento over and during the course of several weeks I began to add that to my system, one cable at a time so that I could hear the effect of the Argento cables. The more I added, the more I did not like what I heard. The sound of the system became too dry and analytical for my tastes.

A friend of mine in Australia suggested that I try some Echole cables in my system. The first one that I had a chance to try were the speaker cables and the synergy with the Purist cabling was very good. They add a little more life and extension in the upper frequencies. I then began to experiment with additional Echole cables- both power cords and IC's. Again, one component at a time over a 2 month period. With the Echole, as I added more, the sound became better and better and in a very consistent manner. The primary differences that I was hearing with the Echole compared to my Purist and Elrod cables was greater frequency extension both in the lower and upper frequencies, better resolution across the board, deeper and tighter bass, a very even tonal balance and a greater sense of space with improved front to back layering of performers. So I decided to go with the current set of cabling that I have listed.

Hope that helps.

Arnie

babybear June 22, 2012 12:50

Owner

System edited: Changed a picture and added some items that I had left out.

babybear June 18, 2012 18:47

Owner

Hi Clement,

You are welcome.

Might I also suggest that if you can, and if you don't already have it installed, that you try to audition the MSB Galaxy clock module for your MSB DAC IV Signature. I tried my MSB Diamond DAC with and without the clock and the clock definitely makes an audible improvement in the sound. It adds a purity to the high frequency notes and also enhances the overall coherency of the sound.

babybear June 13, 2012 16:53

Owner

Hi Clement,

Thanks very much.

I have not tried the other power conditioners that you mention. I do have a 10KVa isolation transformer that powers all of my dedicated outlets for my audio system.

I use the Absolare Purifier for my front end electronics - specifically my phono stage, turntable power supply, MSB Dac and VTL preamplifier.

The model that I have is the latest version with the Bybee's that are specifically made for Absolare. .

As good as the isolation transformer is, the Absolare Purifer makes an even further level of improvement primarily in a lower noise floor resulting in a blacker background, a further refinement in the overall sound especially in the high frequencies and enables a coherence to the sound that is easily noticed when I remove the Absolare and plug everything directly into the wall outlets.

babybear June 12, 2012 17:27

Owner

Hi John,

Everything is well here. Thanks

Once I installed the Olympos and heard it in my system, I pretty much knew that I wanted the cartridge. It was really, really good after about 3 hours of break in. It is such a natural and effortless sound. I had thought about an Atlas, and I have no doubt that it is also a great cartridge that I would enjoy as well, but the Olympos SL is really good. I am looking forward to getting my Allnic Puritas back and doing some head to head comparisons if I get the second arm for the table.

As for arms, I am hoping to try the new Reed 3P arm which has both VTA and Azimuth adjustment on the fly and a new bearing system compared to my current Reed 2A arm. Hopefully that will happen in the next few months. And perhaps towards the end of the year I am hoping to try the new Schroeder Linear Tracking arm.

How is the room project going?

babybear June 03, 2012 14:24

Owner

System edited: I have sent my Allnic Puritas phono cartridge back to get re-tipped. While I am waiting to get it back, I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to hear the Lyra Olympos SL cartridge in my system. The Olympos SL, even with only a few hours on it sounds so natural and effortless with my new system setup that I went ahead and purchased it. I am also looking forward to getting back my Puritas (which I have not heard yet with the Rockport Arrakis speakers) and then I may just have to add a second arm to my table so that I can enjoy both of these wonderful cartridges.

babybear May 31, 2012 13:55

Owner

Hi Agear,

OK - sorry, I should have realized what you were referring to.

I really can't comment on what improvement the grounding system itself makes as I didn't do any comparison of the sound with and without the grounding system in and of itself as the entire electrical power work was done together as part of building the dedicated music room.

babybear May 29, 2012 20:00

Owner

HI Agear,

Thanks Agear.

I am not sure to what you are referring to by "the ionic grounding unit"?

babybear May 29, 2012 13:18

Owner

Thanks very much Glai..

I already had one pair of the VTL Siegfried mono blocks paired with my Magico M5 speakers. It was a great match. I did try an ARC Ref 210 amp that I had with the M5's but it did not have anywhere near the power to bring the M5's to life. At the time I did give some thought to the ARC 610t's but I felt that the ease of operation of the VTL tube amps (auto bias, tube fault protection, ability to use either 6550 or KT88 tubes and no fans) was for me one of the big advantages of VTL. In addition, the VTL gear is typically upgrade able as VTL brings out new versions both in their preamps and amps. So coupling all of that with how wonderful they sound I have been very happy. When I decided to get the Arrakis, I just wanted to stay with VTL so I got another pair of Siegfrieds. Based on what I have heard so far, VTL and Rockport is a great match.

babybear May 24, 2012 15:34

Owner

Thanks Zephyr.

Goodwins did a great job and the 2 folks that came were a pleasure to work with and both great guys.

babybear May 23, 2012 12:18

Owner

Hi Zephyr and Kevinzoe,

Thanks very much.

I really enjoyed my system with the Magico M5's. It is a wonderful speaker and paired with the 2 Rel Studio III sub bass systems in my room the sound that I was able to achieve was, at least to me, one of the better systems that I have had the opportunity to hear.

Having said that, I have always liked Rockport speakers. I have heard the Rockport Altair on 2 occasions over the past 3 years and always enjoyed what I heard. I then heard the new Rockport Avior paired with VTL electronics at the 2012 CES and again, I really liked what I heard. Given the size of my room, I began to think that perhaps a truly high quality, extraordinarily engineered, physically larger speaker that is expertly setup with my room might be able to achieve a level of sound that a physically smaller speaker might not be able to do. When the opportunity to get the Arrakis arose, I decided to do it. I had not heard the Arrakis but I was able to speak with a person who owns a pair which helped convince me. The question that i had to think through carefully was whether to get the passive version or the active version of the Arrakis. The active version has an active external crossover and requires two full sets of amplifiers, an additional 2 pairs of IC's, additional power cords, amp stands, etc. Again, I was able to speak to several people that I trust about about an active speaker system such as this and became convinced that an active system done correctly makes it possible to achieve even higher levels of performance.

Goodwins High End from Boston came down last week to setup and dial in the speakers with my 2 Rel Studio III sub bass systems and my room and they did an amazing job. They were here for almost 3 days doing the work. The sound exceeds my expectations regardless of what medium I use (CD, SACD, LP), or what type of music I play.

babybear May 21, 2012 12:56

Owner

Hi Lloyd,

Thanks very much.

While I am certainly no expert, if you were to have the passive version of the Arrakis which has no external active crossover you should be able to run that version of the Arrakis with a stereo amp (and that version of the Arrakis is single wire as well. The version that I have is the active version which can only be run with 2 sets of amplifiers. In my case 2 sets of VTL Siegfried mono blocks (4 amps). The 2 Arrakis setups that you have seen must have been the active version. Also, the active external crossover is configured with balanced inputs only from the preamp and 2 sets of balanced outputs only to the amps.

I am happy to answer any questions. Hope that helps,

Arnie

babybear May 19, 2012 22:31

Owner

Hi Metralla,

Thanks very much.

You are right in that the Arrakis definitely don't need the 2 Rel Studio III's but since I already had them, we went ahead and dialed them in and once the integration of the Room, the 2 REL Studio III's and the Arrakis was completed the sound was simply breathtaking.

babybear May 19, 2012 13:02

Owner

Hi Eddie,

I hope everything is well with you.

My wife said the same words to me!!

You have got to come on down to hear this setup. The Magico M5 setup was so good but the Rockport Arrakis in the active version are something very special. Let me know.

babybear May 19, 2012 12:57

Owner

Thanks so much John.

I am looking forward to hearing your system once the room acoustics project is finished. Of course you are welcome to come by anytime to hear my system with the bi amped Arrakis.

babybear May 18, 2012 22:00

Owner

System edited: I've just completed a major system upgrade. I have moved to the Rockport Arrakis 2 speaker system from my wonderful Magico M5 speakers. The Arrakis 2 uses the Be tweeter and a Rockport external active crossover that takes the signal from the VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp and splits it between the bass drivers of the Arrakis and the mids and highs. The crossover has adjustable gain for each channel. I am driving the Arrakis with 2 sets of the VTL Siegfried mono block amps both using the Gold Lion KT 88 tubes. Goodwins High End from the Boston area flew down to my home to do the setup. They did an amazing job of integrating the Arrakis with my 2 Rel Studio III subs and most importantly my room. The sound is nothing short of amazing (at least to me).

babybear May 18, 2012 12:50

Owner

System edited: I changed my digital front end to an all MSB digital front end. I now have the MSB Platinum CD IV with the Signature power base mated with the MSB Diamond DAC IV with optional clock module powered by the Diamond power base.

babybear April 12, 2012 22:49

Owner

System edited: I've made some changes. Replaced my Audio Excellence Power Wing conditioner with the Absolare Purifier power conditioner that is powered from a wall socket with an Echole Signature Power Cord. There is a very significant improvement in sound quality compared to the Power Wing (and the Power Wing was very good). Also replaced my Audio Desk RCM with the Loricraft PRC Deluxe RCM.

babybear February 28, 2012 14:40

Owner

Hi Rugyboogie,

Thanks very much.

My previous table was a Steve Dobbins Garrard 301. I would say that the Beat is better than the Garrard in the following areas:
1. A significantly lower noise floor
2. Image Stability of performers within the soundstage
3. Wider and deeper soundstage
4. Deeper and tighter bass
5. The sense that the table never loses control over the musical performance even on complex musical passages
6. Upper frequencies sound even more natural and real.

Hope this helps.

babybear February 28, 2012 14:02

Owner

HI Sean,

Thanks very much.

I started out with one Rel Studio III and it made a significant improvement and then 6 months later I tried the second one and it was even better so I went with 2 of them.

I have talked to Steve about the Linear Tracking arm as well so it will be interesting to hear it once they have it ready to go. I have also asked him about the new Reed 2P arm that came out in the last couple of months - it has both on the fly VTA and Azimuth adjustment and uses 3 bearings instead of 4.

I really enjoy The Beat. Works like a champ and sounds so amazingly good. I've had mine for over a year now and it is my main source. I previously had one of Steve's fully loaded Garrard 301's and that too was wonderful, but The Beat is a definite step above that.

Arnie

babybear February 19, 2012 13:57

Owner

Hi Sabertouch,

If I remember correctly, it was around $8K to upgrade from the Series 2 to the Series 3. It was alot of money but before I did it I was able to compare a Series 3 that my dealer had to my Series 2 and it was a pretty significant improvement. As for tubes, I was using a pair of CIFTE tubes that came from VTL. In the past few months I have upgraded to a pair of NOS Telefunken 802s tubes that VTL had tested and matched. Also a very nice upgrade.

babybear February 14, 2012 14:05

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

I know what you mean when you say that the idea of analog playback gnaws at you. For me, I had to become convinced that I would enjoy LP sound more than my current digital and that I wouldn't tire of the additional steps required (like cleaning records, more careful handling and storage of records, cartridge adjustment, etc).

What finally convinced me is that a friend of mine has the full DCS Scarlatti digital stack and had recently acquired an analog front end. He bought all of the analog front end used (turntable, arm, cartridge and phono stage) and while it was all good quality gear, even at new retail prices it was probably a quarter of the retail price of his Scarlatti stack. I went over and we compared 4 or 5 CD's to their LP equivalent and each time I thoroughly enjoyed the LP versions by quite a bit. Right then, I decided I would go ahead and give it a try and I have been very happy listening to LP's since.

The best part is, I enjoy having both digital and analog front ends even though I spend more time listening to LP's.

babybear January 24, 2012 19:45

Owner

Hi,

The bottom line for me with having a vinyl front end for about 18 months now has been great. I find that I truly enjoy the full vinyl experience - finding records (both used and new), cleaning them (probably the least fun part but I still don't mind it as I don't let any backlog of records to be cleaned accumulate and you really only have to clean a record with a RCM once), learning how to properly setup a cartridge, arm and table and best of all is the sound. I find that there is plenty of great music available on vinyl - both used and new and it seems to be increasing all of the time. I also find that the tinkering time and hassle factor is greatly overrated. There are certain points along the way as a new cartridge is breaking in, that you will need to adjust the cartridge/tonearm setup - but as I have gotten better at that - its pretty simple to do and you don't do it very often. I would agree that to get top line performance its not cheap but you can get very good performance for less than you might think. I have listened to some entry level analog front ends that sound very good indeed. One other important factor at least for me is to have someone who can help you get started - especially with teaching you how to do the table, arm, and cartridge setup and can answer questions for you as you learn more.
Hope that helps and feel free to ask more questions, etc.

babybear January 24, 2012 14:39

Owner

Hi Zephyr,

Thanks very much.

I took a look at your latest system page - very nice indeed and quite a lot of Elrod cabling. I am glad you are enjoying what the Elrod cables can do. His latest designs do sound so very good.

Now, you just need to add an analog front end!!

babybear October 31, 2011 17:18

Owner

System edited: I have replaced the Weizhi Gold Glory isolation footers that I was using under the VTL Siegfried amps with Pyon Audio's Spira Ultra Tuning feet. The Weizhi Gold Glory footers are very good, but the Spira footers bring out the life in the music in comparison. The results under the amps are consistent with what I have heard the with the Spira footers when I tried them under the VTL preamp and the Allnic phono stage. These footers work very, very well.

babybear October 12, 2011 22:06

Owner

Hi Vincente,

I first had the VTL 7.5 Series 2 preamp. When VTL came out with the Series 3 preamp, my local dealer had his demo VTL 7.5 series 2 preamp sent to VTL to get it upgraded to the Series 3 version. Once he had it back and broken in, he brought it over to my place so that I could compare it to my Series 2 version. So, I went back and looked at my listening notes from that comparison and the net of what I wrote is:

"I would say that as good as the VTL 7.5 Series 2 preamp was in my system, the Series 3 preamp is a very significant improvement. The Series 3 is more transparent, has much better bass (more extended and natural sounding with better resolution), improved mid bass and mid range presence, is harmonically richer in the high frequencies and has a more airy and relaxed sonic presentation with overall greater resolution."

Vincente, it was not a subtle improvement at all, but a very significant sonic upgrade for me in my system. Once I heard my dealers Series 3 in my system, we packed my Series 2 up right there and had him ship it to VTL for the upgrade. Luckily for me I have a very wonderful local dealer as he let me keep his Series 3 preamp in my system while mine was at VTL being upgraded.

Hope that helps.

babybear August 20, 2011 21:51

Owner

Hi Audioblazer. I would definitely agree with you about the Harmonizers. A friend of mine brought over some of those ASI Resonators - about 10 of them and placed them correctly in my room. I didn't hear any change - positive or negative.

babybear August 05, 2011 17:26

Owner

Thanks very much Audioblazer.

I have the Stein Music harmonizers in my setup as well. I forgot to add those to my system description. I don't know how or why they work, but once I got them dialed in correctly the results were always consistent each time I listened with or without them. The system lost focus with them off - almost incoherent sounding when I turned them off. I also heard a level of glare removed in the high frequencies that I never knew was there. Also an even more dimensional soundstage with better front to back layering. I had several audio friends over to listen on separate occasions and they also heard the same results. Easy to hear the difference.

babybear August 04, 2011 17:57

Owner

Hi Audioblazer.

I really like the Pyon Spira footers. I did compare a set of those under my Allnic phono stage to the Appogg isolation platform that I was using there previously. The Appogg platform works very well, but the Spira footers were a definite improvement. There was more life in the music, more sparkle and harmonic richness in the high frequencies and a more textured midrange with the Pyon Spira footers. I am hoping to compare a set of the Spira footers to the Weizhi Gold Glory footers under my VTL Siegfried amps in the not too distant future.

Hope that helps.

babybear August 04, 2011 16:19

Owner

System edited: I have added 3 sets of Pyon Audio Spira Ultra Tuning feet. I have placed a set under each of the 2 boxes of the VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp and one set under the main unit of the Allnic phono stage. With the analog output stage of the VTL preamp, I am using the Spira Ultra tuning feet in conjunction with my Appogg isolation platform.

babybear August 03, 2011 18:21

Owner

System edited: I replaced the 10 meter run of Purist Anniversary IC from the VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp to the VTL SIegfried mono block amps with a 10 meter Echole Signature IC. So, I now have a complete Echole Signature cabling path (IC's, PC's and Speaker cables) from my turntable to my speakers.

babybear June 28, 2011 15:51

Owner

System edited: I've now replaced my previous Purist Audio Dominus Praesto IC between my Allnic phono stage and VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp with the new Echole Signature IC. The Echole Signature IC is truly superb in this position in my system. I only need to replace my very long Purist Audio Anniversary IC between my preamp and Siegfried amps to have a complete Echole Signature cable path from phono stage to speakers.

babybear June 03, 2011 17:55

Owner

Hi Slipknot1,

Thanks very much!

Thanks for the tube suggestion and you are right - that is a very good tube for the Allnic H3000 PS - I have been using it in the Allnic from the beginning.

Thanks again.

babybear May 12, 2011 17:07

Owner

System edited: i have added 4 Echole SIgnature power cords. One for my Allnic phono stage, one for my VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp and 2 for the VTL Siegfried mono block amplifiers. These have replaced 2 of the Purist Audio Limited Edition power cords (one on the phono and one on the preamp) and 2 of the Elrod Statement Gold PC's (on the Siegfried amps). These are simply amazingly great power cords and I never thought anything would replace the Elrod Statement Gold PC's on the amps. There is a special synergy as I continued to add more of the Echole Signature cabling to my system and I am not finished yet.

babybear April 25, 2011 23:02

Owner

Hi John,

I would say that I am listening to LP's about the same as you - at least 80%. The well recorded SACD's do sound great and those are fun to listen to. But when I do listen to digital, its always the first music that I start a listening session with because once I put LP's on, its hard for me to then go back to listen to digital in the same listening session.

If you get a chance, you should come by and do some listening - there have been many changes since the last time you were here.

babybear April 15, 2011 12:57

Owner

System edited: I received the latest version of the Allnic Puritas MC cartridge to compare to the production version that I have been using. This new version makes 2 changes - first it lowers the output impedance of the cartridge and second it makes some changes to help reduce static electricity buildup within the cartridge. I only have about 20 hours on this cartridge so far - which isn't even close to the 60 hours that it needs to really blossom but what I am hearing is very impressive. There seems to be more life in the music across the frequency spectrum with even more high end energy and wonderful highs than the previous version - but no hardness, glare or edginess that I can hear. I felt that I was hearing more of the recording venue ambience and more space around performers than previously. Bass is better with more texture. Overall background noise is reduced. It was just thrilling to listen to the music. All this with just 20 hours of play time. I am looking forward to hearing what it does as it continues to break in.

babybear April 14, 2011 18:54

Owner

Hi Darren,

Thanks very much.

I highly recommend the upgrade of the VTL 7.5 to the Series 3 version. It's expensive for an upgrade, but it is a significant improvement on the Series 2 version. I was fortunate to be able to compare my dealer's upgraded Series 3 to my Series 2 before I went for the upgrade and I was very surprised by just how big an improvement the Series 3 actually was.

And, if you are ever headed to Texas, please let me know - you are more than welcome to come by for a listening session.

babybear March 09, 2011 04:44

Owner

System edited: I just got my VTL 7.5 preamp back from VTL after having it upgraded from the Series 2 version to the new Series 3 version. From what has been described to me, this is a very extensive upgrade of both the control chasis and the audio circuitry chassis. I have been listening with my dealer's Series 3 while mine was at VTL.

babybear February 17, 2011 20:44

Owner

Thanks very much Mark.

babybear February 06, 2011 00:56

Owner

Thanks very much Glenfihi.

One of these days I will have to have one of my friends who has a better camera and better technique than me to take some higher quality pictures of the room. I can't quite capture what the room really looks like with my sub compact camera.

babybear January 22, 2011 15:48

Owner

System edited: I've made a couple of changes in the past few weeks. 1. Replaced my Echole Obsession speaker cables with the new Echole Obsession "Signature" speaker cables. The "Signature" cables from Echole use thicker conductors compared to the standard Obsession cables and the improvement is easy to hear - harmonically richer across the frequency spectrum with improved resolution. 2. I am using my dealer's newly upgraded VTL 7.5 Series 3 preamp that VTL recently introduced at the 2010 RMAF while my Series 2 is at VTL to be upgraded. As good as the Series 2 version was in my system, the Series 3 preamp is a very significant improvement. The Series 3 is more transparent, has much better bass, mid bass and mid range presence, is richer in the high frequencies and has a more airy and relaxed sonic presentation. Its also very nice the VTL preamps are upgradeable as improvements are made.

babybear January 19, 2011 15:30

Owner

System edited: I've made a few changes to the acoustics in my room - additional bass traps as well as some additional acoustic panels around my projection screen. As a result, I've adjusted the position and gain settings on my 2 Rel Studio 3 subs and all of this has resulted in a very nice improvement. I've tried to take some better pictures, but I obviously need a much better camera.

babybear December 04, 2010 17:54

Owner

Hi Jeff,

You are very welcome and thanks for the kind words about what you heard here last week.

I am in the process now of tweaking the acoustics in my room as well as breaking in the new Allnic Puritas cartridge that Steve provided me when he was here. Hopefully I can improve the sound a little more - I should know soon.

You are always welcome to come by whenever you are in town and hopefully I will make it out to your place one of these days.

See you soon.

babybear November 23, 2010 23:57

Owner

Hi Lee,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you could make it and meet Steve Dobbins. I knew you were really enjoying the music since you were the first to arrive and just about the last to leave - I think you were here for about 9 hours - that must be some kind of record. I look forward to visiting you next week and hearing your system as well. Thanks again.

babybear November 16, 2010 21:57

Owner

Hi Ish,

It was a pleasure meeting you and I am very happy that you were able to drive down and join us. We all had a great time visiting with you. And thank you so much for your gracious and kind thoughts and comments about what you heard while you were here. Thanks so much for introducing me to some very good music. That's always one of the best parts about having new music lovers over for a visit in that they introduce you to new music that you might not ever hear otherwise.

I guess I will have to find someone who has a better camera than me and more importantly more skill in using a camera to get some better pictures of my room.

I have already been giving some thought to slightly modifying the acoustics in the room. Steve and I discussed it after you left and he gave me a few suggestions to try along those same lines so we will see what happens.

I'll let you know when I am headed up your way so that I can come by your place and do some listening with you. I very much look forward to hearing your system.

Thanks again for the kind words and again, it was great meeting you.

babybear November 16, 2010 13:48

Owner

Hi Dev,

I have not compared the Adona rack that I use for my analog front end with any other racks. I like the Adona rack - it solidly built, very stable, easily adjustable for the spacing between shelves, much heavier than it appears and I like the way it looks. The Appogg platforms work very well for every component that I have them under. In each case, using the Appogg platforms have had the same sonic improvement - more air around performers and more ease and refinement to the music. For each component that I use them under, I have had a demo platform under that component for about a week, and then I removed the platform and you can easily the improvement that the Appogg platform made. In addition, they are quite attractive and compared to other high end passive isolation platforms, very reasonably priced.

babybear November 14, 2010 14:30

Owner

Hi Dev,
Thanks very much.

I haven't had a lot of critical listening time yet with The Beat as we had a quite a few folks over the past few days to meet Steve and to do some listening to the table as well. But my impressions so far of what I have heard compared to my Dobbins Garrard 301 (which is also a wonderful tt as well) are:

1. The noise floor is significantly lower. This strikes you almost immediately and it was startling at first hearing how quiet The Beat is.
2. Dynamics and resolution are better (due to the lower noise floor)
3. Percussive instruments such as cymbals and high hats (while very, very good on the Garrard 301) are simply stunning with The Beat.
4. Bass is more powerful, tighter and more resolute.
5. The soundstage is a good deal wider. The Beat also provides better front to back layering of performers within the soundstage.
6. The overall presentation, especially with complex music, is so effortless and relaxed sounding.

I would say the above are what I have learned so far. I listened to The Beat with my Reed 2A arm and Allnic Puritas cartridge so the differences that I heard were from the table. I think its important to keep in mind that Steve's Garrard 301 is also a world class table and is so great to listen to as well. But "The Beat" is even better. I am very fortunate to be able to own one. Oh, I forgot to mention that The Beat is simply stunning to look at.

Hope that helps.

babybear November 12, 2010 13:53

Owner

System edited: System Update: After having Steve Dobbins here for the past 2.5 days and listening to his wonderful "Beat" turntable, I went ahead and purchased it. Steve also did the transformer upgrade on the Allnic H3000 phono stage while he was here.

babybear November 12, 2010 03:15

Owner

Hi Ish,

"The Beat" and Steve arrived yesterday afternoon and we had a wonderful time last night. Quite a few local folks came by to meet Steve and hear The Beat. I look forward to meeting you later today.

babybear November 10, 2010 15:35

Owner

System edited: I have made a few additions to my system in the last few weeks. First, I've added 3 additional Appogg Breve Reference Platforms in piano black. I had 3 of these previously and now I have the 3 new ones under my Dobbins Garrard 301 turntable, the Allnic H3000 phono stage and the outboard power supplies for the Garrard and the H3000. In addition, I have added a second Rel Studio III sub bass system. Finally, in the next few weeks I am greatly looking forward to having Steve Dobbins visiting me and bringing his new "Beat" turntable for me to hear and to compare to my Dobbins Garrard 301 turntable as well as to do the new transformer upgrade for my Allnic H3000 while he is here. This should be a very fun and interesting couple of days.

babybear October 27, 2010 19:33

Owner

Hi Elescher.

The Elrod Statement Gold power cords are doing very well. They replaced a pair of the previous generation Elrod Statement power cords which I always preferred to other power cords that I had tried on whatever amps that I had at the time. The new Statement Gold add a level of refinement and finesse to the overall sound and are noticeably better in the high frequencies compared to the previous generation Elrod Statements.

babybear June 15, 2010 12:46

Owner

Hi G,
Thanks very much.
This is actually my first analog front end in about 35 years, so I can't compare the Allnic phono stage to my previous ones. However, when Steve D was here a few weeks back to setup the table, arm & cartridge, my local dealer did bring over a VTL 6.5 Signature phono stage to compare to the Allnic H3000. The VTL phono was very good indeed, but the Allnic was better in my system in that it brings a sense of life to the music that the VTL could not match.

I do travel to DFW a few times a year so it would be great to hear your wonderful system. And the same for you, if you are ever visiting Austin, please come by to listen.

babybear June 15, 2010 12:45

Owner

babybear June 15, 2010 12:37

Owner

Thanks Art,

Your new room looks great!! And I am sure it sounds as good as it looks. Congratulations.

babybear June 03, 2010 12:33

Owner

Hi John,

Thanks very much. I am very happy that I went with Steve's table and the Reed arm along with auditioning the cartridges that he recommended. It was great fun when he was here. And I am really enjoying what I am hearing.

I am expecting it to sound even better very soon as when you were here we were listening with an Audience power cord on the Allnic phono stage. My Purist Audio LE power cord arrives later this week for the Allnic and after some break in, I expect it to further enhance the overall performance.

And I am buying up those records fast!

babybear June 02, 2010 13:53

Owner

Hi Art,

We're doing fine and I hope you are as well.
Thanks for the kind words.

So far I am enjoying the analog experience - both in terms of the sound as well as all of the other rituals that go along with it.

Let me know if you will be down here again as you are more than welcome to come on by and do some listening.

babybear June 02, 2010 12:32

Owner

System edited: I finally added an analog front end consisting of the Steve Dobbins Garrard 301 TT with Steve's copper platter, the Loricraft external power supply, the Reed 2A tonearm with silver wiring and the Allnic H3000 phono stage. Its been 35 years since I had a turntable but I decided it was time to get one again. Steve flew down to Texas and spent 2.5 days here setting everything up, teaching me how to do it, comparing 2 phono stages and 3 different cartridges and of course listening to some great music. We had a great time.

babybear June 01, 2010 13:57

Owner

Hi John,
Thanks for the very kind words. I'm glad that you could come by.

I look forward to hearing your system and also having you back to hear some vinyl once I have my analog front end in place.

babybear May 04, 2010 12:30

Owner

Hi Lapierre,

I've read the various postings sbout the Q5, but other than that, I haven't done any further inquiries about it. There doesn't seem to be much information about it and certainly no one has heard it to report how it sounds, which is what is most important. I guess everyone will learn more about the Q5 at CES. To be honest, I don't have much interest in it as I am very happy with the sound that i am getting from the M5's.

babybear December 14, 2009 15:13

Owner

System edited: I also hope to have an in home audition of some of the new Elrod power cords very soon. I want to try these on the VTL Siegfried amps and see how they compare with my current older model Elrod Statement power cords.

babybear October 28, 2009 18:17

Owner

System edited: I have made some system changes. I have gone ahead with the VTL Siegfried amps to pair with the Magico M5 speakers. I then went through a long auditioning process for a preamp. I was very fortunate to be able to compare my ARC Ref 3, the Jeff Rowland Criterion, the Allnic L4000 and the VTL 7.5 Series 2 preamps in my home system. These are all great preamps, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. In the end, I felt that the VTL 7.5 series 2 preamp was for me, providing the best overall sonics so I went ahead with the VTL preamp. I was also able to do some in home auditioning of some very fine cabling. In addition to my own Purist Audio Anniversary cables and power cords, I was again fortunate enough to be able to audition an Echole Obsession IC, power cord and speaker cables as well as Argento Flow Master Reference IC's, power cords and speaker cables. Again, all of these are great cables and to me it came down to the best system synergy and my own personal preference for the sound that I enjoy. I ended up keeping my existing cabling with the exception of the Prana Wire speaker cables as I replaced these with 2 pair (for bi-wiring) of the Echole Obsession speaker cables. I have updated my system description and pictures to reflect these changes.

babybear October 28, 2009 18:13

Owner

Hi Dev,

Thanks very much and thanks for the additional feedback on the Ref 5. I have spent about a week with the Criterion and compared it to the VTL 7.5 Series 2 using the VTL Siegfried amps. I'll send you a email with my thoughts on what I heard.

As for isolation platforms, I have seen both the Harmonic Resolution SXR series stand and platforms and the Finite Elemente Pagode Master Reference series rack at dealers and you are right that they are both very expensive. I am sure that they both can make positive improvements, but as you say, its really not possible to understand how well they work in your system as home auditions are usually not practical. I can only say for certain that the Appogg platforms make a very nice audible improvement, look good to me and compared to the others are very reasonably priced.

babybear October 16, 2009 13:11

Owner

Hi Art,

Thanks for the kind words. It was great having you, Ken and John over. We will definitely have to do it again.

babybear September 27, 2009 22:56

Owner

Hi jfrech,
Thanks very much. Your system looks great as well.

I was lucky that we could tear my old room down and basically start from scratch. Reinforcing the floor was a huge improvement especially for bass - so much of the bass used to leak through the floor into the garage, but not much at all now. I highly recommend adding the additional layers of plywood on the floor (of course that means ripping up carpeting, changing baseboards, adjusting any doors, etc, but it is a very worthwhile improvement).

The power improvement is very significant as well. If you already have dedicated lines run, then adding the isolation transformer is not very difficult - far easier and cheaper than adding the reinforcement to the floor. The isolation transformer that I used is priced somewhere between $2500 and $4500 depending on the size that you need and the various options that you want with it. Installation, etc via a well qualified electrician is probably around $1000 - $1500. The transformer can be ordered to go inside (in your garage) or outside (which is where I have mine).

The Purist Limited edition power cord is a nice step up from the Purist 20th Anniversary. It has the same tonal balance as the anniversary cord but it sounds more coherent than the anniversary cord and what surprised me the most is that when I switched back from the LE to the Anniversary - the Anniversary sounded fat and fuzzy around the edges.

Since you are in the Austin area, contact me sometime and you can come by for a listen and we can talk more about the room treatments, power, etc.

babybear August 29, 2009 13:16

Owner

Hi Bflowers,

I had it designed by a guy from California. The key to it is the isolation transformer (quality and size) and the grounding. The company that builds the iso transformer is called Controlled Power Company - do a google search and check out their web site. The type of product that you want to look at is called a K-Rated isolation transformer. If you give them a call, they can put you in touch with a local Dallas area distributor and the distributor knows the local electricians who have installed their products. You'll need a transformer that is sized at least double the maximum power draw of the sum of your components. You'll want a separate grounding rod for the transformer and the last step is to use isolated ground outlets. The distributor can help with the ordering of the correct transformer based on what your needs are. If you decide to go this route, feel free to privately email me and I can walk you through the various options that come with the transformer and other tips that were used in my power design.

babybear August 29, 2009 12:59

Owner

Hi Bsal,

I had the diffusors on the side walls made for me by a local cabinet maker.

babybear August 28, 2009 23:02

Owner

System Update:

I have been auditioning 2 pairs of Echole Obsession speaker cables (need 2 pairs because the Magico M5's are designed for bi-wiring) for the past several weeks. I have not done a direct comparison to my Prana Wire Cosmos speaker cables yet, but the Echole Obsession speaker cables are very good indeed!

I am also auditioning a VTL 7.5 Series II preamp. My local dealer, who is a really good dealer, got this brand new from VTL so I am breaking it in as well, and once that is complete, I will be able to compare how it sounds to my ARC Ref 3. I will also have a chance to compare it to the new Jeff Rowland Criterion preamp, as local audiophile Guidocorona has been breaking in a Criterion for the past several weeks in his system. I am using a Echole Obsession power cord on the VTL so that I will be able to compare that to my Purist Audio Limited Edition power cord which I normally use on my Ref 3.

babybear August 19, 2009 19:29

Owner

Thanks Roypan,

I haven't heard the Mini's but I have heard the V3 at my dealers and its a great speaker as well.

babybear August 16, 2009 13:32

Owner

Hi Art,

Your memory has served you very well indeed. Thanks very much for the nice words. Please let me know if you are headed down to Austin again as it would be great to have you visit and do some listening.

babybear August 15, 2009 01:02

Owner

System edited: System Update: 8/14/2009. I added 3 Appogg Systems Isolation platforms under my P03, D03 and Ref 3. With all 3 removed, the sonic difference was easy to hear - to me it was a loss of air around performers and seemingly moving the performers closer together towards the center of the soundstage. There was a loss of delicacy in the upper frequencies and some loss of depth in the soundstage. Perhaps the bass was a not quite as tight as well.

babybear August 14, 2009 23:43

Owner

Pdreher, thanks very much.

babybear August 13, 2009 20:22

Owner

Thanks Lapierre.
I really want to use tube amps and the M5's need a good deal of power to bring them alive especially in the larger room that I have now. I have tried the ARC Ref 210's with them - they just don't have enough power but I can hear how well the ARC amps sound with the M5's. The Siegfried is wonderful with the M5's as well - and more than enough power. I guess the only other one that I can think of is the ARC Ref 610t's.

babybear August 13, 2009 13:58

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