Hi Peter,

I did not. I'm not sold on impedance matching network boxes, especially when one size would not fit all. Valhalla is neutral and fast amongst other desireable sonic traits, so I went with it...

rockitman June 28, 2012 18:57

Rockitman,
Did you ever audition speaker wire from Transparent? I'm curious because that is what Wilson uses in its speakers and it is supposed to be very good, though I have never tried it in my own system. Cables are the next area of investigation in my system as well.
Congratulations, your system must sound tremendous.

peterayer June 28, 2012 12:27

The final piece (speaker wire) was ordered today. After long deliberations between Siltech Royal Signature and Nordost Valhalla...I went for a 4 meter pair of Valhalla (shotgun) spade to spade.

rockitman June 28, 2012 03:30

Koetsu Coralstone Platinum cart arrives 6/22/12. Thanks Albert Porter ! :-)

rockitman June 21, 2012 04:14

System edited: Added new pics showing the Wilson Alexandria X-2 Series 2 and the Millennia NESQ-4 Parametric EQ that I use when the source mastering dictates. It's a modern day Cello and allows precise adjustment via my listening position. I now use Element Signature Titan Ag (6 nines) silver interconnect for the long run of the EQ to my main preamp. Two pairs, 13 feet each with Cardas Rhodium plated XLR's. They sound excellent and hold their own with my Nordost Valhalla, Tyr and Siltech 770i cables I use on source components. I connect it via a tape loop so I can one click disengage it from the sound chain with my remote.

rockitman June 16, 2012 14:53

Tell us all about those big boys!

madfloyd June 14, 2012 02:59

It's going to be a great day.

Regards,

metralla June 08, 2012 13:40

The Alexandria's arrive today !

rockitman June 08, 2012 05:30

06-02-12: Zerv
Can you recommend someone to do the retrofit on the Technics 1500? Thanks.

Contact Charles King (Chris Moynihan referred you)...from King/Cello Tape preamps. He made my tape pre and did my head block mod for the technics 1500.

607-432-0528

rockitman June 07, 2012 18:15

Can you recommend someone to do the retrofit on the Technics 1500? Thanks.

zerv June 03, 2012 02:16

W/P 8's are leaving my system (frown). They are being replaced June 8th with Wilson Alexandria X-2, Series 2 in Almandine Black. I can't wait. (smile)

rockitman June 02, 2012 19:11

05-29-12: Thankful
Rockitman how does the PS Audio P5 AC Re-generator perform in your system? I have the PWT and PWD MKII as well. Nice system.

It's great. Whether it sounds any better, different than the Power Plant Premier it replaced I don't know. I use a P5 for all the source components and use individual PPP's (1 for each monoblock).

rockitman June 02, 2012 19:09

05-22-12: Kmccarty
Very, very nice system. Can you compare and contrast your reel-to-reel machines? Also, how do you like your Adona racks? Do they provide good isolation?

I still have a Techincs 1500 deck with a pro Nortronics 2 track repro head that is wired out directly to an outboard tape preamp (King/Cello). The consumer playbck electronics are not very good, so that is why it is done this way. The Studer A810's are stock. They sound very good and have a very robust dynamic sound about them. For ultimate fidelity, the Technics with the outboard preamp wins by a bit over the Studer. The tape handling isn't as good. One fast forward/rewind speed...full out. With the Studer you can slow rewind way down to reduce tape shed. So I use them for all rewinding.

The Adona racks are great. Very well built and solid. I use them on a poured concrete floor...My basement that is carpeted.

rockitman June 02, 2012 19:07

Rockitman how does the PS Audio P5 AC Re-generator perform in your system? I have the PWT and PWD MKII as well. Nice system.

thankful May 30, 2012 00:39

Very, very nice system. Can you compare and contrast your reel-to-reel machines? Also, how do you like your Adona racks? Do they provide good isolation?

kmccarty May 22, 2012 14:30

Way cool system! I saw that model Clearaudio at CES, it's very beautiful.

A Technics tape deck is shown in one system image but I see in component list you appear to have replaced it with a Studer A810.

That's exactly the same path I took and how I got sucked into collecting tape. Great job on all, I know you're enjoying it.

albertporter May 22, 2012 02:52

Love the photos of your room. The wide angle makes the XA100.5 look HUGE. I know Pass/Wilson are a great combination, so your system must sound great. Could you describe the sonic difference you heard when you put your amps up on stands?

Also I'm curious about the gain settings on both your XP-25 and XP-30. I have the XP-20 and Xono. I just got a new analog rig - SME 30/12, V-12 arm, Air Tight supreme cartridge. I've been experimenting with cartridge loading and gain settings inside the Xono. There are so many possible settings that it is a long process, though I'm hearing differences and learning in the process. I'm finding that it is all about getting the balance right. Too much in either direction loses the magic.

I prefer the lowest gain settings in both pre amps. This may be from my days owning the Pass Aleph P which was a one box unit but it had gain dials on the front with a volume control, similar to the XP-30. Pass recommended at the time that the gain be turned as low as possible (to the left) while the volume be turned as high as possible (to the right). This resulted in lower noise and higher fidelity. In my Xono, increasing the gain results in a pronounced and aggressive mid range. Too forward with glare.

Could you share your finding with these next generation Pass pre amps? Thanks.

peterayer May 21, 2012 21:39

nice set up /room

andromedaaudio April 13, 2012 18:33

Thanks for posting in my system thread Ortofon. I'm happy the record has finally been set straight.

rockitman March 12, 2012 23:15

As there have been a few questions about Ortofon stylus life lately, we would like to set some facts straight.

Understandably, there had previously been some confusion as we had once issued a statement claiming 600-1000 hours for stylus life. This, unfortunately, was regarding the lifetime of “tipped” or “bonded” type diamonds which are found primarily in the cartridges we manufacture for DJ use.

However, according to our designer and engineers, HiFi cartridges with Nude diamonds can expect to far exceed 2,000 hours with proper care and maintenance. The precursors to this lifespan are as follows:

1. Proper care must be taken to ensure the proper alignment, tracking force, and azimuth of the cartridge during setup.
2. Appropriate vinyl care must be exercised regularly in order to keep each record free of dust, record release compound, record sleeve residue, and other contaminants.
3. The stylus must be gently cleaned without the use of solvents, directly before and after each record side is played.

Another consideration to be made is that the diamond stylus will begin to exhibit physical changes after approximately 1,000 hours. This is a feature of all diamond styli from all manufacturers, not uniquely ones used by Ortofon. To a degree, the usability of cartridges in the thousands of hours becomes a personal preference rather than an absolute.

Lastly, Ortofon does not use cultured (synthetic) diamonds.

We hope that this information has cleared up any former confusion.

Regards,

Ortofon

ortofoninc March 07, 2012 21:28

Thanks Dan,

I need to update this gallery with my RTR stuff. Just bought my 4th RTR deck today...Studer A810 with output electronics updated.

rockitman March 06, 2012 03:01

Rockitman,

I've been looking at your updated system on whatsbestforum.com

Wow!

danielk141 March 03, 2012 16:13

Peter,

I am very pleased with the Graham. I have lost motivation to spend $8K on another arm at this time. RTR has been hogging my focus as of late...

rockitman February 17, 2012 19:32

Rockit, have you compared the Graham Supreme to either the Talea or the Reed? You mention those as your next upgrades, yet you seem extremely pleased with the Graham. I envy the adjustability of the Graham as I have an SME V. And I'm a huge fan of the Pass electronics. Congratulations again on the XP25 and 30.

peterayer February 16, 2012 21:18

01-29-12: Bigpond
Hi Rockitman, How is the Graham compared to the Clearaudio Tonearm. Kind Regards Bigpond

The Graham Supreme beat the Universal in both sound quality and VTA adjustment precision. The Graham's spirit bubble level on the pivot tower makes all the difference. Getting a base VTA (perfectly level) with the Universal is hit and miss...with the Graham, I get it right for every record I play within 5 seconds. I fine tune, if necessary by ear from the reference level position established by the Graham bubble level. I would buy a Graham again over virtually any pivoted arm available.

rockitman February 16, 2012 17:22