Mike ,Thanks for providing the links above!Very good reading! You truly have a piece of Heaven here on Earth!

raytheprinter May 10, 2006 22:49

Greg, your comment implies that i 'know' something about how the Opus works. i assure you that i have already disclosed what i 'know'......which is just a rehash of what i have read.

Transparent has not disclosed any proprietary info to me that i am withholding.

my guess is that the intended customers for Opus don't give a rip about 'why'.....and that Transparent doesn't really care what anyone else thinks. i have a couple of other friends that have bought very expensive cables and none of them has ever got hung up on the scientific proof or justification for their choices.

i honestly don't see why Transparent owes anyone an explaination beyond what they have already said or not said.

mikelavigne May 10, 2006 20:57

come on mike... I agree as the end user you have no obligation to explain how it works.

However, when you charge what this cable costs and make the claim they make you have got to be prepared to take the heat. It is unlikley that thier cable is not doing the same thing other cables are doing. My point is are they correcting for it in that pod? If so I would lik to know how? Would not you?

gregadd May 10, 2006 20:46

adding onto my response to Greg;

some manufacturers choose not to disclose the science behind their products because they have invested in research they don't want their competitors to know. or maybe they got lucky and stumbled on some technical advantage.

i find that many explainations read like polite smoke screens.

mikelavigne May 10, 2006 20:36

Greg; actually i believe i am saying the opposite. IMHO 'ALL' other cables allow the signal to be affected by resonance and impedence to a much greater degree than the Opus. the Opus comes closer to not altering the signal.

that is my viewpoint; i repeat i'm not capable of argueing the science.

speaking only for myself; i have no need to understand the 'why's' of the Opus cable's performance. i do understand that many would like to have an explaination. the problem becomes when a manufacturer tries to justify performance with a scientific explaination then all the quasi-scientists come out to whine about how it can't be true.......or.....the manufacturer doesn't really understand or maybe is not capable of properly communicating and screws up the explaination.

the only question for me is performance.

mikelavigne May 10, 2006 20:26

mike- it seems you are conceding that the cables are doing more than passing the signal unaltered. I think it is important that the manufacturer tell us what it is. don't you?

gregadd May 10, 2006 20:12

hk109717,

greetings to Yokohama.

the speakers are Von Schweikert VR9SE's. here is a link to the web site.

VR9SE

here is a link to more pictures;

more pictures

here is a link to contruction pictures; the pictures at the top are of my old room, toward the bottom are construction pictures of my new room;

constrution pictures

here is a link to an article i wrote about the process of building the room including plans;

building the room

i'm not exactly sure what your question is but the answer should be somewhere in these links.

feel free to ask any other questions after looking over the linked info......and best wishes on your room project.

best regards,

mikelavigne May 10, 2006 20:04

Dear sir,
I had a look at WEB information.
Because I send a question and a request, please reply it.
Please inform it of a detailed room photograph, simple size of the room configurations, an SPERAKER brand &
its model name etc.
Of the room design that a use purpose builds from now on of my own refer to it.
I wait for pleasure,in YOKOHAMA JAPAN.

[email protected] May 10, 2006 19:10

thanks for the invite Mike...one day....

fyi i have been posting my auditioning results in system thread Finally Over, I Think (yeah right!).....currently investigating speakers....wanted to try the Von Schweikerts (probably the 7s?) but a) currently not available in HK and b) may be too big for my room.

My current speakers are Kharmas 2.3Fs...before the diamond tweeter etc...just experiementing as I do luv them...so far Sonus Faber Amati, Goldmund Epilogue, Dali MS5, Vivid K1, Marten Design Coltranes, Zu Definitions have been auditioned, albeit at dealers...and none have led me the urge to chg...and then I heard the Magico Minis today. Holy cow. Bass extension though certainly not as good as your VS9SEs but you will be surprised. But everything else is wow. Need to try them several more times myself but recommend u check them out one day...for your room think VS9SEs are better (my room pales in comparison including size) but these are really really good indeed.

henryhk May 09, 2006 04:41

Mike,
First off thank you for being such a fabulous host. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed the company of all. Secondly as far as your room and system go, WOW!!!!! This has to be the most thought out and well prepared setup I will ever have the pleasure of hearing. Now there is a new point of reference for reproduced music for me. My wife has not met you yet but that might want to wait a while. She has already absconded my Visa...and said no more Mike's. LOL.
Looking forward to the next time.

John

synjohn May 08, 2006 17:09

Greg; i am always concerned about cable discussions; as they can attract the 'wrong' crowd. but i'll close my eyes here and give you my best answer.

i can't really say why the cables are so expensive other than the workmanship is certainly top-notch and they use expensive carbon fibre enclosures (made by Andy Payor of Rockport Technologies). they are big and very stiff and heavy. if you ask Transparent they would likely tell you the price has much to do with the research behind the cables.....kinda like software (where the actual production costs are peanuts compared to the work to develop). in any case; they are damn expensive......and a few people do buy them.

my opinion is that the Opus cables do two different things to a better degree than other cables (this is just my opinion.....i can't argue the science). first, they control resonance better than other cables.

i have read that when developing the network pods that the bigger and denser they made the pods the better the performance they got. at a certain point they had to limit the size and then developed the carbon fibre enclosure to optimize performance at a resonable size.

second, the Opus resolves impedence issues to keep all frequencies coherent better than other cables. how they do that i have no idea.

these two issues result in bass performance a few orders of magnatude better than anything else i have heard. since my speakers and room have such potential in bass performance (the VR9's extend down to 15hz (-2db) and 11hz (-6db) and the room supports it) the performance of the Opus on the bass is fully realized. in addition, the Opus on the top is wonderfully extended, natural and coherent.

even though my speakers are basically tri-amped, use 6 drivers each, have adjustments for each tweeter (3) and adjustments on the sub, and are basically 6-way.......it all comes together as more coherent than my Kharma Exquisites (which had been coherency champs for dynamic speakers in my experience). there is no doubt in my mind that the Opus gets a good deal of credit for that.

until you hear truely coherent yet fully extended bass and fully dynamic bass fill the room without compromise it would be hard to appreciate what is possible. not to say it can't be improved but i've not heard my overall bass performance approached.

my electronics, racks, power cables, etc. all allow the best possible signal to reach the speaker cables and then the Opus does it's job. IMHO speaker cables might be as important to overall performance as anything in your system after the (#1) speakers (#2) amps and (#3) room.....as they allow the proper integration between amp and speaker. if a system has limited bass output (say a mini monitor or horn that only goes to 50+hz) then the speaker cables are less significant and they don't need to do the 'heavy lifting' of the low bass. but when you have low bass potential getting it right pays big dividends. there are many issues in low bass performance (if you have read my thread it has been a constant theme) and speaker cables are just one of them.

final thought; when the bass is right everything is right......when the bass is wrong......

mikelavigne May 08, 2006 08:27

Having already maocked Mike and let's put Albertporter in there two. His total cable cost probably exceeds Mike's. It sort of begs two questions.
What is in those cables that makes them so expensive?
Should a neutral cable have any effect on system sound?
Are they simply allowing more of the music through? Or are they adding something that was left out by the component up stream?
It appears to me that the more exotic cables are additive rather than subtractive. If it is additive, then may be you could do that for less money somewhere else in the chain?

gregadd May 08, 2006 06:04

Ray, no problem, i took no offense. i was talking to myself as much as you with my answer.....i guess i'm still rationalizing it myself.

when you hear something that truely rings your bell it's hard to turn your back. just like the first time i bought Opus speaker cables i searched around to try and find something that would do the same thing.....there wasn't anything.

mikelavigne May 07, 2006 23:42

Mike,I hope i didnt seem to be judging ,,its certainly not my place or intention to,,i was wondering if it was a typo!I can relate,as the speaker cables i will buy sooner or later,cost half as much as my speakers!Ive really enjoyed seeing and reading your system and room progress!Its my goal to one day have a dedicated great sounding room!I imagine your system sounds great esp. in a room such as yours!

raytheprinter May 07, 2006 18:36

Ray; at list price the speaker cables are a bit more expensive than the speakers, but a good deal less than the Rockport.

i know it seems quite ridiculous to spend such a large amount of money on the speaker cables. the problem is when you get to the very end of a cost-no-object project and a critical piece of the puzzel happens to be very spendy..........it is not about what it costs but whether the incremental performance is worth it to me or not. i've simply come so far that to compromise now would not be acceptable.

my big mistake was to borrow my friends set of Opus speaker cables and hear what two sets did. once i heard it i knew i was in trouble.

the only issue is how soon i can afford to retire. if my excesses cause me to work an additional year or so that's a price i am willing to pay. i'm a big boy and it my call.

mikelavigne May 07, 2006 18:05

Elescher; bed sheets will definitly dampen reflections; and depending on your overall room design that may be ideal in your setup. OTOH the Duettes actually DIFFUSE the sound without taking too much 'life' out of it. avoiding reflections but retaining energy is what the Duettes do that bed sheets won't. it all comes down to a matter of natural balance and what will help you acheive it.

covering windows does involve a bit more than a bed sheet. the bed sheet will affect upper frequencies but will do nothing for lower frequencies. depending on the size and location of the window that may not be much of an issue.

mikelavigne May 07, 2006 17:56

Mike,Beautifull room and system!Did your speaker cables really cost more than your speakers,or the Rockport?

raytheprinter May 07, 2006 17:14

I was thinking along the same lines as the Duets. I tried several different materials; so far a standard bed sheet seems to be doing the trick. It is interesting to hear how much of a change in the music presentation these things make. Even after spending many a thousand dollars on my sound room, it all boils down to the window coverings.

elescher May 07, 2006 08:30

FYI, if anyone has interest in my 'deleted post' regarding the EMM Labs Signature comparison with the original version it has been reposted on the Hi-Rez board on the audioasylum........

here

please don't comment here on my thread as i don't want big brother to delete my thread......

....on the other hand......

mikelavigne May 02, 2006 09:00

Dear Mike, thank you so much for your very thorough reply. Your pictures are not bad, I like them very much indeed. If you have a little time, please check my system as well and feel free to tell me what your great experience suggests.

All the best,
luca

luke72 May 02, 2006 05:45

luca, on re-reading your post you ask about what is on the 'white' surfaces around the speakers. sorry my photography is so bad. those 'white' surfaces are actually very large bass traps. the surface you see is acoustical fabric stretched over a birchwood frame. these frames are then nailed to a framework that has 1" Corning 703 fibreglass. the bass penetrates thru the fibreglass and then dissapates in the chamber.

these big bass traps extend from mid-room back to the corner behind the speakers and then over to the edge of the bif center diffuser behind the speaker. at the corner they are 18" deep.

mikelavigne May 01, 2006 23:13

Guys; once again i apologize for my neglect.

Elescher; my window coverings are 'Duettes' by Levelor. i highly recommend them as diffusive without overdeadening the sound. they seem to be a great way to neutralize windows. you can even hang them on a flat wall behind/between the speakers. as they can be lowered and raised they are tuneable.

Scott, Henry and Witz; i appreciate the kind words. Henry; you would be welcome to visit if you get the chance.

luca; the wood surfaces you see in my pictures are primarily 3/4" finish grade plywood. anything that is structural is made from this as it is solid and non-resonate. the 3/4" plywood in the ceiling is part of the ceiling bass traps and must be evry solid.

the curved wood surfaces are 1/4" plywood bent around round frames; then a very thin veneer is glued to the curved surface. these curved cavities are lined with 2" Corning 703 fibreglass.

i have no idea what woods would have the best characteristics. my acoustic designer, Chris Huston of Rives Audio, said that plywood had similar characteristics to sheetrock and that the surface would have the same sound as painted sheetrock. it would also be influenced by the solidity of the construction. i was very careful to inspect the construction at every step to make sure that everything was very stoutly built. lots of screws and glue were used.

it does seem that all the wood surfaces sound good.....but it is just a feeling as i have no way to compare. my last room had lots of wood paneling and it just felt good.

mikelavigne May 01, 2006 23:01

Hello Sir!

I read your building process and hope to someday be able to do the same. I am sure a well matched room would bring out much more information from my DIVA's then i get now. Your story has inspired me to work towards that goal and to reach greatness, in an audio sense :-)

Enjoy a fantastic system!

Best greetings from a young german audiophile who will be looking for a barn in bavaria soon ;-)

florianw May 01, 2006 21:26

Shouldn't this be listed under "Budget-Minded" ;)?

witz May 01, 2006 09:11

Can you plaease tell me what type material you used to cover your windows?

elescher April 22, 2006 09:36