System edited: Traded in Reed 3P for Schröder LT. It is a significant improvement on the Reed. Worth every penny and more. First rate build quality, and sonics.
Hi Barry, My speakers are bi-amped. I use the DPR-500 on the electrostat panels. The bass amp for the woofers is Innersound as well. An active crossover is built into the bass amp and comes with the speakers when you buy them. My preamp output goes to the crossover/bass amp and then there is an output from that to the DPR-500 for the panels. I have plenty of power with this setup and never hear any clipping even at high SPL's. I find these amps transparent and revealing. They also have plenty of speed and are not sluggish. I have not used the DPR-500 on the bass drivers so I can not say for sure how it handles bass but the bass amp is of similar design with a little less power at 360 wpc.
Sanders Sound has a new amp called the Magtech that is pretty much the same amp as the DPR-500 except it has a regulated power supply according to Roger Sanders. The regulated power supply is supposed to be better for magnetic drivers like in your speakers. Roger said it was not necessary for my electrostat panels. It would be interesting to hear one driving my woofers.
Your system looks very nice. Looks like you have put allot of work into it. Was it difficult to get the Pass crossover dialed in?
Thanks Mrmb, The amp stands use constrained layer construction under the top butcher block. Similar to what I did with my plinth. I'm using layers of cork between layers maple. I also use roller feet of my own design in between the amps and the stands. The feet are similar to Roller Blocks but made out of Stainless Steel.
My amps are Innersound. I was using the JC-1's little brother A21 before I got the DPR-500.
What upstream equipment are you using in front of your Soundlabs?
Thanks Peter. I enjoy it allot. I'm sure your system sounds great as well. The SME 30/12 on a vibraplane must be something else. I want to try a vibraplane one of these days.
Hi C2300mc275, The improvement in sound I hear with the Teres outboard motor is a clearer and more focused sound. I believe this is due to the use of a belt material (tape) that stretches much less. Also the Teres motor controls speed with a sensor mounted under the platter reading a strobe pattern attached to the bottom of the platter. The speed is a little more accurate this way. The only drawback is it takes about 20-30 seconds for the motor to lock on to speed. By the time I clean the stylus and use the carbon fiber brush on the record its ready to go.
BTW I am selling the VPI and Linn. I will probably sell the Teres motor seperately unless someone wants them both. I'm going down to one TT with 2 arms.
Ya it's definately not a cookie cutter system. The Innersounds solve alot of the typical problems with electrostats. First is you can crank em up without worrying about the panels arcing. The stators have a coating on them to prevent that. The bass goes down to 20hz and integrates so well I don't hear the crossover. Unlike some others I've heard. The deal breaker for most people is the flat panels are beamy at high frequencies. Which means the sweet spot is only one person wide. The bonus of a flat panel is less reflections off the side walls and clearer sound.
The GTO gets alot of looks for sure. :)
Old Caddies are cool. The horns may be a bit much. ;)
Thanks Albert, Yes the mk2 is on the Equarack. The Equarack feet have visco elastic pellets in the middle. Each pellet can handle 3 lbs. So I can tune the feet for the exact weight of the component on them. It works pretty well. I'm on a suspended wood floor and can play with my dog without making the stylus skip. I would like to try a vibraplane one of these days though.
I got my CU-180 from user foxtan on ebay. It is not being manufactured anymore so you will have to find it used. I paid $600. It may take awhile to find one but it will be worth it. Albert Porter posted some pictures of one on his system page near the end. Take a look at those before you buy one to make sure you get the real thing. On Albert's page we discussed the TTWeights copper mat and he prefers the CU-180.
Sound wise in addition to the lower noise floor the bass tightened up and the mids/highs are more resolving. It's not something you will have to strain to hear.
I also have a Boston Audio mat 1 and a Herbies Way Excellent II mat. I like both of these over the stock rubber mat. I think the CU-180 is better on the SP-10 because it blocks EMF from the motor as well as adds some weight.
System edited: Added a Micro Seiki CU-180 mat to my SP10 mk2a. This is just about a mandatory accessory for the SP10 mk2. Bass is the most noticeable improvement. Tighter and better defined. Lower noise floor and more resolution as well. Sounds like I bought a supeior TT. Well worth the investment.
Lbelchev, I like the Reed/SP10 combo alot. It's the best analog setup I 've had so far. Very quiet and the speed is much more stable than the belt drives I've had. I think alot will depend on the quality of the plinth you use.
The Reed is the only arm I have had on the SP10 mk2a so far. At some point I will sell my other TT's and put a second arm on the SP10.
I have heard a 10.5" Reed 2P against a Durand Talea 2 on The Beat TT by Steve Dobbins. Both had an Ortofon A90. The only variable was the Reed was going into an Allnic H3000 and the Talea was going straight into the phono stage of the Dartzeel preamp. They both sounded very good. The Reed had a bit more bass weight and the Talea had a slight advantage in the highs. The owner prefered the Talea and I prefered the Reed. The differences were not large and I could live with either one. With a different cartridge it could be a different story. I don't think you can go wrong with the Reed it works well with a wide variety of carts.
Thanks Albert, I'm sure he's not above taking a bribe ;). Your welcome to visit if you find yourself in the Seattle area.
I am very happy with the Callisto and H3000. I was considering getting an IO but thought the Allnic would be a bit quieter. Plus it's got less tubes to deal with.
Just moved my AT-150mlx back to the Reed/SP10. The AT-150mlx is the most detailed cart I have at the moment and the Reed is the best at showing that off. I put the Rega Exact on the VPI Classic. The Rega is not as detailed but sounds better on some rock recordings. It has more body and is more fleshed out. I wonder how the Rega Exact would sound with a more advanced stylus profile/cantilever? I just sent my Ortofon A90 to Soundsmith to be rebuilt. Hopefully he can get it working again.
I am in the process of building some amp stands out of butcher block material. I also need to finish the plinth for my Technics SP10 mk2a. I have some birdseye maple trim for both projects that should look great when I'm done.
