There have been many updates starting with the upgrade to Legacy Valor speakers & Wavelet v1 in June 2020, moving to Wavelet v2 later and continuing on through various upgrades across the entire system through February 2024. The combined effect of all these upgrades is a significant up-leveling of all aspects of system playback and musical realism.
Many system configurations have come and gone since the 1970s growing up.
My first exposure to RTR Tape and Vinyl as well as playing music was with my father who had a local jazz swing band, played trumpet & piano and arranged music. He taught me the love of playing and listening to great music, how important it was in life and so much more.
Many thanks to the countless people I have spoken with, read posts from, interacted with and learned much from over the years. The system has attained a state of organic and natural qualities and pure enjoyment of music that I have sought for a very long time and I'm very grateful to have it all.
Overall cable layout Elrod, Tubulus and Shunyata Research cables...
Various photos of the cable management method and layout...
Legacy Audio VALOR
Valor is an amazing speaker and these are built such that I need 4-channels of external amps to drive midrange & mid-bass via one set of binding posts and treble via a separate pair of binding posts for ultimate flexibility and resolving power.
I had heard these many times since their introduction and since; my dream of owning them has finally come true!
Legacy Audio Wavelet V2
The new Legacy V2 Wavelet platform with updated VALOR speaker Wavelet algorithms including Room Correction and active 4-way crossover and the latest Legacy-Boehmer "Stereo Unfold Technology" (SUT) which is groundbreaking sound!
Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums
Custom size & weight configuration for Legacy Valor collaboration with Townshend Audio. The results far exceeded even the highest expectations that I had.
A beautifully built and sounding stereo amplifier based upon the Grandioso S1 and identical build to it except for the Grandioso case work and binding posts.
Esoteric Audio Grandioso P1 Transport and Power Unit
Grandioso P1 and PSU power chassis, a 2-channel SOTA transport
Esoteric Audio Grandioso D1 Dual Monoblock DACs
Dual-mono separate chassis SOTA DAC implementatkon
The best clock of any kind I've had in my system including many worthwhile contenders. This 10 MHz master clock has the lowest phase noise, lowest effective jitter and most profound effect on sound quality of any out there!
Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Chassis Ground plane
An outstanding power conditioner on its own. Propels the system forward in terms of ultra quiet black backgrounds and detail plus musicality even more advanced than the prior combination of TRITON v3 and TYPHON QR.
Shunyata Research TYPHON T2_30amp
A high bandpass power conditioner focused purely on noise filtering for incoming power being used as the inbound power hub for my Esoteric S-02 amps, C-02X pre-amp, HDPlexx LPSU, Legacy Audio Wavelet v2 and the power leads for the built-in amplication of each Valor speaker (2,250 Watts in each speaker as mine are built).
Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone1: Amps, Preamp and Legacy Wavelet)
A great addition to the system, compliments the chassis grounding I already leverage via the chassis ground block on the Shunyata Triton v3 power conditioner. The Altaira SG-NR hubs are allocated one per component-type "zone" in my system and serve to siphon internal circuit and component noise always present in any audio component that introduces subtle aberrations to the analog and digital signal flow.
Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone2: Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU, dual D1 DACs)
A second Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground hub to specifically isolate the signal grounding plane for my digital front-end components...
Shunyata Research SIGMA v3 SGC/CGC Ground Cables with STIS v3 terminations (20)
Four 6-meter Sigma v3 cables used for chassis grounding for my Esoteric C-02X preamp, two S-02 amps to my TRITON v3's chassis ground plane. Interchangeable Shunyata STIS v3 spades or bananas are used on the source and destination ends.
The remaining fourteen Sigma v3 cables are all 1.5 meter and used for signal grounding multiple SG points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2. Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...
All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
Shunyata Research VTX-ag Ground Tails, various connector ends (14)
Used with SIGMA v3 SGC VTX-ag ground cables for signal grounding multiple signal grounding points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2. Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...
All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
Shunyata Research Sigma v3 SGC/CGC Grounding cables with STIS v3 terminations (5)
Used for chassis ground of my Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU and two D1 DACs plus my Cybershaft clock to the chassis ground plane on my TRITON v3 power conditioner. Lengths are 3-meter and four 2-meter cables with STIS v3 terminations.
Added 8 of these extremely effective quadratic diffusor panels on the back wall of the room. pArtScience QRD 64-well 2D panels are a cut above other options available as stock commercial offerings from the usual sources. Very impressive results...
Adona Corporation Master Reference Zero GX3, Zero GX2 (2) and Zero GX (3) Racks
After almost 20 years with Adona's AV45-series racks that were a great long-term investment, I have done a massive upgrade to Adona's Zero GX Master Reference racks across my entire system. These raise the performance bar even higher!
Composite Audio CF-2010 Platforms (7)
Wonderful and reasonably priced refinement to all the attributes of the Adona rack system,...I have yet to find any situation or external effect impacting sound quality or stability after adding these platforms many years ago.
Avatar Acoustics AfterBurner8 Duplex Outlets...
The Avatar AfterBurner8 are back in the system,...pure copper and brass with minimal coating to prevent corrosion is the way to go!
Harmonic Resolution Systems DPX Damping Plates (16)
Reported to pull in and dissipate airborne and chassis vibrations from all types of components...
Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold Speaker Cables 9-foot (2 pair)
Pair #1 is full-range, and utilized to drive Valor's mid-bass and midrange
Pair #2 is custom built and optimized for upper frequency playback.
Shunyata Research OMEGA CLOCK-50 50-ohm BNC:BNC 1.5-meter (2)
All OMEGA digital cables beat the seemingly unbeatable SIGMA V2 digital cables and deliver additional perfection in sonics and musical results!
Tubulus CONCENTUS HDMI 1.5 meter
Outstanding HDMI cables optimized for use with high-speed data protocols using by the Esoteric Grandioso P1 and dual D1 stack....
Elrod Power Systems Master Series Diamond XLR 2-meter (1 pair)
Outrageously good interconnect!
Elrod Power Systems Diamond XLR Interconnects 6-foot (1 pair)
A fantastic analog XLR interconnect!
Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold XLR 13ft pair and 6ft pair
Amazing Elrod Statement Gold XLR Analog interconnects!!!
Shunyata Research Anaconda Zitron XLR (with KPIP process) 6-meter
A tremendous long-run, super quiet, extremely quiet analog XLR!!!
Elrod Power Systems Master Series Statement Gold Y-Cable (custom)
An incredible bespoke Y-Cable pair built beyond any quality measure I could imagine. Sonically amazing and imparts great musicality, dynamics and tonality to the midrange and Legacy Valor SUT Array's impact and sound quality.
Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Diamond SE 10-foot 15-amp (2) and 20-amp (1)
Great SOTA power cords.....
Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold 3-meter 15-amp (2)
New smaller main center section and longer flexible ends; equal in performance to the original Master Series but much more easily placed and positioned in an audio system!
Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold Power Cords 15-amp (4)
Fantastic power cords,...
Audio Art Cable AAC Statement e2Plus Cryo AC Cable 15-amp, 2-meter (2)
A great power cable for use with my HDPLEXX 300W LPSU. Tremendous ROI for its price or any other. A great addition to the system!
Also does a great job between my Everest 8000 power conditioner and my Cybershaft Premium Limited 10 mHz OCXO Master clock.
Revelation Audio Labs 'Passage' Cryo-Silver Reference XLR3::XLR5 DC Umbilical
This is my 3rd setup to utilize this amazing DC Umbilical...
HDPLEX 300 Watt Quad-Rail LPSU (LT3045-enabled)
An outstanding multi-output DC Linear Regulated Power Supply to drive the Legacy Wavelet
AudioHiFiSolutions Audio HighWire Cable Elevators with extenders
This exciting new product line is unlike any other cable elevator I've seen or tried.
With the large amounts of analog & digital interconnects and chassis & signal grounding cables becoming typical in today's systems, traditional cable management falls short due to the plethora of cables and the complexity of routing.
These are available in multiple cable tolerance sizes (0.25", 0.5" and 0.75") and accommodate, from 2 to 9 cables depending upon cable size.
There is also an on-wall or on-rack mount option coming available.
They've done wonders here in my setup...
Music Collection Many Genres CD XRCD/2/24/K2/DXD/UltraHD SACD
I love music, all kinds, shapes, colors and types; this is an extensive collection of music in many genres and formats from pipe organ, classical, jazz, all the way to hard rock, electronica/techno and everything in between.
Formats: CD XRCD, XRCD2, XRCD24, K2HD, DXD, UltraHD, SACD
PRIOR 2-channel: TAD R1 MK2s, Esoteric, Cybershaft, Elrod, Isotek
Loved this system in many ways, lasted about 2 years,....many things evolved during this time, power cords, interconnects, power conditioning, speaker cables, my overall listening tastes and a distinct missing/longing for the extremely musical experience of Legacy Audio speakers, active room correction, etc... Don't get me wrong, the TAD R1 MK2s are within their stated range as perfect a speaker as I've heard in many aspects but the bottom octave rolling off halfway up and the bottom half octave rolling off even more plus my preference for the Legacy AMT tweeter and super-tweeter sound led me back in very short order!
I love this setup and will be sad to see the AERIS and all of its active-speaker benefits with great RoomEQ by the WAVELET and HDPlex Custom PSU leave my system. This has impressed all who have heard it and me daily for the past 1-2 years. Truly Amazing!!!
PRIOR 2-ch with Legacy FocusSE
Prior to the arrival of the AERIS statement reference speakers, this was the configuration of the system. I will miss the FocusSEs from the point of view they gave me several great years of listening and produced far more than their price point would have indicated. A great speaker in a great sounding setup!
PRIOR 2-channel: Legacy Focus HDs biamped...
The system has evolved and been refined many levels over how it sounds quite a few years ago. Prior generations centered around high-end Tara, AQ and Shunyata with Classe pre-amplification and dual NL 12.1 amps in a vertical bi-amp configuration.
PRIOR 7.1 HT & 2-channel: All Legacy Audio
This is the system configuration many years ago when I attempted to go all out for 7.1 HT and 2-channel all rolled into one system. The impact, musicality and overall enjoyment factor on the HT portion of the system based upon custom-built Edge amplification, Classe HT surround-proc, 2-channel pre-amp, multiple pairs of Legacy speakers in all positions plus a REL B1 subwoofer with Velodyne processor was off the charts however the 2-channel never attained what I have always hoped for in my primary system. It took about 2 years to reach the decision but several years ago I decided to focus on 2-channel listening and have not looked back ever since.
Great new additions in the cable area with ELROD Masters Series cables and Shunyata OMEGA in 2021 as well as ELROD Masters Series cables. The biggest upgrades came after long searches and listening comparisons the last 3 years; added Esoteric C-02X preamplifier and the Grandioso P1 and D1 stack,...the effects of which are immediately obvious from the first minutes of play as output by the VALOR speakes which I've had now for over 1.5 years and am still discovering more that they can do...
All new photos of reorganized system layout with particular attention to cable layout, organization and optimization including even more isolation. I started with a goal of organizing and making better use of space and wound up with a definite audible benefit, much more than expected. Even more clear and layered instrument, voice and ensemble location accuracy within the soundstage. Hope you'll enjoy the new photos!
@cymbop Thank you very much,...I appreciate them very much and I'm glad you enjoyed music on the system as much as I do. Thanks for sharing time and some great music!
Zeph! Thanks for the listening and the fellowship last night. All I can say is that I have never heard a system do as many amazing things, and that includes 4 trips to RMAF.
The top end is hair-raising with air and ambience. My ears could follow studio reverb tails to clear to the end of time.... The bottom end is shocking in its power and precision. Your valors pressurize the room (when called for) without muddying anything in the midrange or higher.
And the imaging is unlike anything I've heard from solid-state. Left-to-right is spot-on, but the font-to-back palpability of the soundstage is the real coup you pulled off. Image stability never collapses even when a passage gets very loud or complicated. What's more, images that are supposed to be small are presented as small, which is a feat for big speakers. And images that are supposed to be big.... Well, they're enormous.
This system is an achievement. A benchmark. A reference. The state of our art. Thanks again for the communion, mon frere.
It's not a plague though it is serious and life, work, education, fellowship must go on with care. You ("Y'all") are welcome any time and proper precautions are being followed.
@cutlr7 Thanks for the great conversation yesterday; I definitely enjoy hooking up with music and HT lovers and talking speakers, systems, etc....it was cool to hear all the Legacy models we've both owned and have in common and hear about your experiences with them as well;the AERIS are a great speaker as you know by owning them,....if you have a chance to get up to Valor though, Go For It!!!
@cutlr7 Apologies for the delay in replying, I've not spent a lot of time on Audiogon lately and it does not notify/alert via email most times there is a post on my system thread. I am hoping that you see this.
The Valor have not stopped amazing me in terms of their ability to deftly play the most delicate of passages, violin, cello, flute, percussion instruments of a fine nature up through the most dynamic ensemble works of pipe organ, symphony orchestras with incredible presence, imaging well beyond the speaker and room boundaries all equally well. How a 300lb speaker disappears like this and simply leaves music in all three dimensions hanging in the air, enveloping the listener is beyond me. The softest passage you can imagine to the loudest and most intensely conveyed music all done with a finesse and beauty that I find hard to put into words. Sounds like happy ears right? It's not, that I can promise you. I find they have the resolving power for individual instruments and voices while also being able to convey the power and beauty of a large ensemble AND without losing the individual instruments and voices when playing large complex works.
They show you a scale of musical playback that you've not heard before and with the Room Correction and Stereo Unfold Array with a presence and a realism that is hard to describe.
Range,....12 Hz all the way up with an accuracy in the bass and sub-bass that I've not heard before. Midrange,...there is nothing I've heard that renders mids like this 14" driver at the heart of the concentric mid & treble concentric driver array.
DEEP Bass, body impacting yet smooth, fast, articulate, accurate,...I could go on and on. I will NOT ever need subs with these, that is for sure as they have their own 4-pack of subs, two per tower!
Oh, and they rock out too, will I'm sure amaze you in a Home Theater & 2ch hybrid setup.
I listen to everything from Pipe Organ, Classical, Jazz and New Agee to Hard Rock, Prog-Rock, Heavy Metal, Techno and Electronica. There is nothing I've tried out of a huge collection that did not drop my jaw in amazement.
I am truly glad I have these; it's the speaker I've waited to find and be able to have in my system. I went to Munich HIGH-END and Hifideluxe in 2019, both shows, 4 full days, hundreds of speakers......a veritable who's who in high end audio.
The only speakers I heard that i would put in the same league as the Valor started around $250K-$3000K and went to $500K and beyond. That list was also very short, probably 5-6 names.
At any rate, if you have a chance to get these, I highly recommend them.
At Legacy's retail prices you'd be crazy not to (IMHO).
If you are at Scott's a good friend's Valors in Rosewood finish for sale here at a killer price, you'll be even happier with the speaker and also be getting a great deal from a guy you can trust all day long.
I would calmly say that Valor is a 'destination' purchase. Only way to improve on it is power cable, interconnect and speaker cable choices.
Write me here on the message Inbox. I'm happy to get on the phone and give very specific examples of what I've heard on many different types of music, what I've compared it to and heard over the years and why I think this speaker is the best reference speaker purchase in all audio though i am biased by my own listening preferences.
Updated with 14 GSM Eco professional canvas art and a nice fractal-generated pattern,...the art looks great to me and sonically is a great improvement,...much more attractive than normal room treatments and just a small amount of diffusion on the backplane/wall...
I had a couple questions about your system....I have been through some of the same speakers that you have....Focus 20/20>Focus SE>Aeris....I have an opportunity to get a set of Valors and wanted to get your feedback on what you have heard since upgrading? Do you feel the juice is worth the squeeze as it is said. I too have a Wavelet with the HD PLEX LPS...made a huge difference! One difference I have is that my Aeris are integrated into a home theater system so I would be putting the Valors in the same place....Bill said no issues so I am not worried. With that said, I would love to get another end user's feedback who recently upgraded.
Wavelet is powered by an HDPlex 300W power supply with both fixed and adjustable XLR3 DC outputs. I use the variable output to hit the optimal input voltage for Wavelet exactly as it varies a bit above 12V from what Bill told me a couple years ago. The HDPlex is connected to the Wavelet by a Revelation Audio Labs XLR3->XLR5 DC umbilical, this is my 2nd order from Brad and I have pointed several other Wavelet owners there with similarly great results. I also have a Ghent JSSG360 umbilical that I also think is amazing.
Let's talk this week if can spare some time,...
These Valor speakers are well broken in, over 600 hours...this is truly a world class speaker.
zephyr, Shunyata needs to get me going with one of those prototype things! ;)
Very nice, great flexibliity! Good move on the controls for different driver sets.
Huh, LPS for Wavelet; no doubt I have to check into that. Who put that together for you with umbilical, HD Plex?
Not surprised the Esoteric is DAC of choice running into Wavelet. Any given DAC may sound preferable jacked into the Wavelet. Then again, any given DAC may not... One simply has to try.
Hello, great to hear from you! Yes, many changes in life, audio, etc....
The results of the audio wave sound better than I've ever heard before and I could not be happier!
I do not think that you are suffering at all with Whisper DSW Clarity Edition,...different speaker than Valor however it is definitely to my ears one of the finest speakers ever made in terms of rendering music realistically and without fatigue regardless of how many hours you listen!
The custom part of the Valor setup is that this pair has separate binding post inputs requiring 4 channels of external amplification instead of 2 for the top end; this means I have separate amp channels for treble and another 2 for the upper midbass and midrange. I love how this combination sounds,...out of the Wavelet. are still 4 pairs of XLRs of course, outputs 2 and 6 require a Ycable to route to both the external amp channels for midrange and then Y off the same output for the 8" cancellation driver internal to the speaker that is used when SUT in engaged. Very innovative and a bit different than stock Valor but like your DSW version, these little pluses give us the future flexibility to go whichever direction is best to amp and cable the mids and the treble as is best in each case.
The black box on the floor in front is a design prototype I have been testing for a few months; would love to share details as it is really something unique and special however I cannot at this time and any news would come out as official from Shunyata.
Wavelet is powered by an HDPlex 300W power supply with both fixed and adjustable XLR3 DC outputs. I use the variable output to hit the optimal input voltage for Wavelet exactly as it varies a bit above 12V from what Bill told me a couple years ago. The HDPlex is connected to the Wavelet by a Revelation Audio Labs XLR3->XLR5 DC umbilical. I also have a Ghent JSSG360 umbilical that I also think is damned good.
The rest is a sea of Elrod Master Series Statement Gold, Statement Gold powercords, speaker cables and interconnect and Shunyata SIGMA XLR and Anaconda Ztron (w/KPIP, 6meter run) which gives me a great sounding result!
I run Esoteric D-02 analog outputs to the Wavelet; I like the result better and I believe the volume control is better, the Esoteric DAC certainly is my favorite. I've tried the Wavelet as an all in one and it's great,...there is nothing like dual-mono master clocked playback from my Esoteric Transport and DAC here so I'm sticking with that configuration and love Wavelet for it's RoomEQ and other features that I do utilize.
Woa! Just glancing over here, and... ZOWIE! Big changes! Lookie there, it's the VALOR Speaker system! NICE! And with the I.V Amp, too! You're riding one tidal wave of change and performance upgrades! Kudos!
I miss the Valor speakers in my room; they were a singular experience. (Sigh) I just have to "suffer" with the Legacy Whisper DSW Clarity Edition. Can't you tell my agony is endless? ;)
So, I see that this is a "custom" Valor setup. What's the config? Looks like you're doing active sub, bass, mid-bass and passive mid and treble concentric driver?
What's the black box on the ground out front? No power cord that I see. Going from Wavelet to amp? Is this some sort of filter between the Wavelet and I.V? The triangular logo atop appears close to Shunyata, but I don't see anything on the website quite like it.
Question: Are you using the Esoteric DAC, feeding the signal into the Wavelet, or are you going direct with digital input into Wavelet? I have tried both ways with the digital source and the results are distinctly different. I can see some individuals preferring one over the other.
Updated photos and gear list,...more work to do, Audiogon photo handling and reordered takes much work so most critical changes are up today, more when I have time.
Big news besides selling old house, renting an interim house since last September is the arrival several weeks ago of a Legacy Audio i.V4 ULTRA amp.....fantastic is what I'm experiencing.
Further the arrival of my dream speaker, the Legacy Valor 2 weeks and 3 days ago means the multiple years I've waited and wanted this speaker are now over (!).....words don't suffice to describe how much I am enjoying and amazing by these speakers. Bill and the Legacy team have done it again to bring amazing and real music into my home on an entirely more impressive level!
Well, the winds of change have blown through my life 🙃, a welcome and new path in life has now emerged, so many changes have occurred. The house pictured has been sold and I will be in temporary quarters (read "rental house") for a couple years while I regroup, get back to more music and plan the next steps...
The system as pictured is still with me and despite being in a rental "as is" sounds great and I am enjoying it as much or more than before.
The Legacy i.V4 ULTRA is now fully broken in and I am gobsmacked at how it competes and exceeds much more vaunted and expensive amps I have owned and others I have heard previously.
The same can be said for the custom Legacy CaliberXD build and Foundations setup I have been running since late Novemeber 2018. Having been to High End 2019 HifiDeuxe 2019, I heard a veritable Who's Who of speakers and found that Legacy once again what I preferred to come home to as they are the most musical that I prefer.
The next 2 weeks should be VERY interesting and all I can say is...
As the current rental is short term I probably will not go through the pains of taking all new, posting, etc...only to have to do it again a year from now.
Updated the list to clean up things that are no longer in the system. Will post updated photos after I return from Munich High End 2019...
The Legacy Powerbloc2 is fully broken in and is an incredible addition to the system. It is a surprising experience as it is full digital amplification that does not sound like it at all and the system sounds quite amazing to me.
First bit of news....after several years of musical nirvana using the Esoteric A-02 to drive the mids and tweeters on the Legacy AERIS and later full-range for the TAD R1, with the install of my latest almost totally active Legacy speaker config, the A-02 has been relegated to driving a pair of tweeters. Arguable this sounded great but this was wasting most of the capabilities of such a fine amp so I've now sold it and will be replacing a great sounding Legacy Powerbloc 2 dual-mono stereo amp (and Powerbloc monos if Bill ever brings them out) to drive the upper frequencies on this great speaker setup!
In other news, the 10 MHz master clock is just recently returned from Cybershaft in Japan where it was converted from custom build prototype to current production version, better power supply, 102 SSC lead wiring to and from the new transformer, addition of a 3-output 50/75-ohm distribution amplifier board...all the best of Cybershaft's latest creations brought to production specs.
Test results of the overall unit are even better than before using the same OCXO OP21 level master clock assembly. This now tests out better than any other OCXO clock I've seen including the BVA!
zephyr24069 on Tubulus CablesComposite AudioLegacy Audio ValorLegacy Audio WaveletAll Out AssaultEver EvolvingOpinions PleaseDedicated StereoAlmost There...EsotericCybershaftLegacy AudioElrod Power SystemsShunyata ResearchHD Plex2 channellabor of loveShunyata#Shunyata ResearchElrod CablesAdonaAdona Corporation