Hi Mike!

Marvelous system, and i really like the room concept, it can give some good ideas to the "ordinary" man, (no pun intended) :D, how to treat a room.

I would really like to hear your opinion on 2 things, i would appretiate it.
1.
Have you compared the nordost valhalla IC to the Dart BNC link? Or any other IC? I know the preproduction dartzeel pre did not hve this option, but if the final version arrives, i would enjoy a comparison from you.
2.
Have you compared the db-99 to the VR9? What is the main difference, that justifies the 6x price?

Thanks in advance for the reply

Lazlow

guitarman24 January 16, 2006 12:59

Hi Mike,

I hope you enjoyed the show!

Congratulations on having your system copied exactly by the manufacturers/distributors. There has to be no greater sign of flatery then having the reps and manufacturers mimick your tastes and system matching to display and sell their product.

Any stand-out rooms at the show (besides yours)? Did you have the opportunity to hear the new Pipedreams?

Welcome home. I know it's always refreshing to go back to your own system after hear all that variety.

-Matt

mattnshilp January 15, 2006 20:44

Mike,

That room is gorgeous. There are alot of great Virtual Systems on this site, but I think this room has to be the best.

firecracker_77 January 13, 2006 14:23

Dear Mike, I had a listen to the new Kharma Grand Exquisite
at the OLS factory in Breda, Holland. As you are familiar with the previous Kharma top of the line loudspeaker, start saving and offer the VSR for sale. The Grand Exquisite will really blow you out of your NASA chair.

loxodrome January 12, 2006 02:46

Thanks MIke,

I wait with baited breath for your report. Man I wish I were going!!!

-Matt

mattnshilp January 05, 2006 08:55

Greg, i did finally read Uncle Mikey's review of the Caliburn. i also have heard that Andy Payor is possibly building a new tt.

after 10 years the Sirius III may be truely challenged for the first time. to me that is good news for vinyl lovers......i'm always happy for better sound. i don't anticipate having any particular desire to pursue a different tt for myself; as i am more than fully satisfied with what i am enjoying now. also, from reading Mikey's review; the Caliburn is not a fully sorted out product just yet.

i am looking forward to spending time at CES listening to the Caliburn and talking to Andy.

mikelavigne January 04, 2006 00:11

hi Matt,

as i said above; sorry for the delay in my response.

i have heard the Dali and Pipedreams at shows; i expect to listen to them both at CES starting Thursday morning. the Dali's are very good; the Pipedreams have never been 'fully' satisfying to me; they are never wholey coherent although often able to stage very well. i will try and pay particular attention to the Pipedreams Series V and report back.

the Dali's don't really seam to have a weakness at all; although i do think that the Von Schweikerts simply go a good deal farther down the road to recreating the musical event......more dynamic, more extended, more coherent, and disappear better....the differences are not earth-shakeing but definite.

i think 17 feet is plenty wide for most real world speakers......you may find the Firebirds do all that you need.....i will look forward to your feedback on them.

mikelavigne January 04, 2006 00:00

Thom_y, sorry for the delay in my response. i've been gone, then really busy at work, and now leaving for CES tomorrow.

the darTZeel preamp was sent to CES early last week; so i've been without any music for the last week or so. i did buy a new better digital camera (Nikon D70s) and do plan on upgrading all my system info (including new pictures) here and on AA when my new production dart pre arrives.

you are correct; i was not 'wanting' for further system enhancements for Christmas. i'm simply appreciative of my dear wife and her tolerance of my obsession.

there are a few Lps that have been in 'heavy rotation' recently; some of which i mentioned in some recent posts above.

Neil Young, Greatest Hits, Classic Reissue.
Nojima Plays List, RR
The Royal Ballet, Classic Reissue, 33 rpm.
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, Warner Bros, early pressing.
For Duke, M&K, direct to disk.
Moussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, Classic reissue, 45 rpm.
Muddy Watters, Folk Singer, both Classic and MFSL.
Cantate Domino, proprius
Sinatra, Basie, It Might As Well Be Swing, Reprise, original pressing.

these are a few of my favorite test records that i know backwards and forwards. they tell me about exactly what is doing what and keep getting better and better as the system improves.

mikelavigne January 03, 2006 23:46

Mike- the Aussies have thrown down the gauntlet. My January Sterophile arrived witht the review of the Continuum arm table and stand. $87k. Uncle Mikey thinks it's better than your table. Happy hunting.

gregadd December 27, 2005 17:09

HI Mike and Happy Holidays to all!

Just curious if you have ever given the Dali Megaline or the new Pupedreams (series V) a good listen and any comparisons between them and your Schweikerts.

I finally had my meeting with my architect and I am definitely limited to a listening room no larger then 17 feet wide. I still have not received my Firebirds, but they are going to arrive very soon.

I'm in no rush to replace the Firebirds. In fact, I am assuming they will fit every possible need I have. But I know that these two line source radiators work well in smaller rooms and I am always looking...

Of course, I am not going to make any huge changes until my room is done, which won't be for quite some time (as you know).

It was more of a curiosity. And since I won't be able to make it to CES this year, where I know the new Pipedreams series V will be, I guess this is a backhanded way of getting you to give them a good listen for us all. :-)

-Matt

mattnshilp December 25, 2005 10:58

Mike,

Now that you've reached nirvana ... perhaps, some new photos would be great this holiday to see the current setup.

Thanks

Lawrence

PS. I hope you're not getting any new toys this Christmas ... I don't think you can go beyond "u n f * k c i n g b e l i e v a b l e" //

PSS/ what LP seems to be hogging the Rockport now that you've reached this point ??

thom_y December 20, 2005 06:16

Husk; even though i have my 2-channel room wired for a future projector and screen i don't ever plan on haveing video in my 2-channel room. it's wired in case i were to sell the home, a future buyer would likely use the room for a HT. i have my HT in a dedicated room in my main house.

in any case; i cancelled my Ruby order yesterday. there were four reasons.

first; after reading all the commentary on AVS i want to wait a bit until there is more longer term feedback on the unit.

second; i want to see how the industry reacts to the Ruby and what CES might have to compete with it.

third; in the last week i've watched a couple of movies on my Marantz S3 and i really enjoyed the picture.....i have no immediate need for anything better.

forth, and likely most important; after listening to what the second set of Opus speaker cable did; i don't expect to have much time for watching anything.....all i want to do is listen.

mikelavigne December 18, 2005 19:57

Greg, you are right on; i do plan on focusing on source material.

i am very anxious to get off the gear focus and into the music focus. my audio path has been unbalanaced for the last few years while dealing with all the stuff. constant system changes has taken some of the joy away from the listening. being wowed by gear changes has it's positives......but the satisfaction from a great listening session is far better.

in the immediate future i just want to enjoy the system and listen.....maybe see what software (of formats i already enjoy) i need to aquire. i am interested in pursuing some of these redbook tweaks i keep reading about.

as far as master tapes; i know they can be amazingly good......you never know. maybe if someone was getting out of it and i could aquire some software and quality gear without a huge effort.....i might jump into it. OTOH i do have the space......maybe it's something to consider.

mikelavigne December 18, 2005 19:40

Jayctoy; thanks. but be careful....passion has a price.

Larry; i am in my personal (sonic) place i want to be. i think Nirvana comes in many shapes and sizes.....and may be a path and not a place.

mikelavigne December 18, 2005 19:27

Mike, Is the new Ruby going to be in your listening room? Have you decided on a screen size and material?

husk01 December 18, 2005 12:36

Mike- maybe it's time to turn you attention to source material? How about adding first class reel to reel deck and get some master tapes?

gregadd December 18, 2005 08:45

.
Congratulations Mike.....It sounds like you have reached Nirvana.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello December 17, 2005 23:26

Mike I agree, why stop now,this is your passion
that makes you happy.I support you 100%.I am
closely watching your upgrades,I am totally
impress, even though I have not heard your system, I
could tell, its always for big improvement,Not
just for a change.When I win the lottery, I will
do the same.Its my passion too.Why will I stop now?
I also appreciate you come this far, I have learn
a lot from your post though.

jayctoy December 17, 2005 17:12

".....if i've come all this way.....why stop now?"

i've been trying to rationalize my latest excess and the above is the best i can do.

i've had Transparent Opus speaker cable for 5 years. i've compared it to maybe 25 other speaker cables and it has humbled every one.....but it's very expensive.

in my new room my VR9 speakers need bi-amping. two months ago i made the mistake of borrowing a friends set of Opus speaker cable and hearing what 2 sets of Opus speaker sound like. it was a (insert over the top phrase here) experience. a month ago in a weak moment i ordered a second set of Opus.

it arrived yesterday.

when i had listened two months ago to 'double-Opus' i did not yet have the darTZeel battery powered preamp. so now i would be listening to the double-Opus thru the magical dart pre.

u n f * c k i n g b e l i e v a b l e.

i'm not going to try to explain it. words fail me. double-Opus......as obscene as it clearly is......allowed everything to 'click' into a total groove.

it's been 14 months since i moved into the new room. at this particular moment i am at a point where there are no more 'issues'. i am there. the system is in harmony with the room and my audio compass. i want to listen 24 hours a day......the music is alive......touching.......peaceful and energizing.

mikelavigne December 17, 2005 00:42

Mcrheist, thanks.

the following was copied from a previous post in this thread. i recommend 'googleing' 'zero gravity chair' and 'perfect chair' and finding one that fits your needs. mine was purchased 5 years ago from The Relax the Back Store. to my knowledge my exact chair is no longer offered.

********

my chair; the 'Relax-the-Back' store zero gravity chair is designed for almost permanent use. The 'Zero Gravity' chair was originally designed by NASA for space flights to minimize body stress during long flights; and minimize stress on the body at launch and re-entry.

This chair distributes the weight along the entire length of the body for zero stress on your spine; doctors perscribe this chair for patients to use that cannot sleep laying down.

My particular chair uses visco-elactic foam that forms to your body with heat to eliminate points of stress. My chair also has a very narrow top section for minimal acoustic influence. the head rest (also visco-elastic foam) keeps my head out from the top section and both the head rest and top section curve away from my head; which reduces the acoustical influence.

there is almost zero difference between the sound i get with a low back chair and my chair. most other high back chairs (including the OSIM message chair) have wide backs and head supports that have a 'cupping' effect and really affect sonic performance.

i have spent 20 hours straight in this chair (excepting bathroom visits) with no back strain or stiffness. in fact; if something does hurt; an hour or two in the chair usually fixes it.

i have had my chair for 5 years and they will likely bury me on it.

********

mikelavigne December 16, 2005 23:38

Mike,

Impressive room and audio equipment! It has been fun following your odyssey as the room and equipment have evolved.

Would you mind sharing information about your listening chair? I am curious about the manufacturer and specific "model" of your listening chair. Very attractive and looks comfortable, to boot.

Thank you for keeping us posted!

mcrheist December 16, 2005 17:26

Kamil; i have heard the Nagra more than a few times and to my ears is a good ss preamp which is very good under battery power.....but not as good as my Placette passive.....which the dart pre destroyed.

i have heard the Gryphon and Viola but not enough to have any particular feel for what they were specifically doing. i would be guessing to comment beyond that.

none of the systems i have heard any of these in gave me a sense that these pre's perfromance was close to what the darTZeel pre does......for what that is worth (likely not much).

mikelavigne December 07, 2005 21:04

Mike, have you ever had a chance to listen to any of the Nagra, Gryphon or Viola preamps? How do you think they compare to the Dartzeel?

kamil December 07, 2005 09:08

Treemed; i have not listened to the ML2.1 in my room (although it's on a very short list of amps i would like to try in my room). OTOH i have listened numerous times to the ML2 and ML2.1 on very familiar gear at shows......so i think i have a pretty good sense of it.

the darTZeel is equally natural sounding to the ML2; with more dynamics, better sense of control and ease, better frequency extension top and bottom and more transparency (all of which you would expect with ss). the ML2.1 has more 'bloom' and tonal color. the darTZeel is more 'alive' and 'open'with better micro-dynamics where the ML2.1 is relatively polite (relative to the dart) and a bit dark (but only a bit). the dart will 'work' with more speakers but the ML2 is surprisingly robust for it's 18 SET watts.

these amps sound much more alike (resemble music) than different. if you did not know the dart was ss you would never get a sense of that from listening. the magic of the dart is the advantages of ss without the drawbacks.

the synergy of the dart amp with the dart pre seals the deal for me. if i could have one additional amp laying around for 'fun' the ML2.1 would be on that very short list as a slight 'change of pace'.

i would guess that most ML2 owners would be quite at home with the dart.

mikelavigne December 07, 2005 08:08

I never found solid state amp I liked, it's hard to believe that you found dartzel better sounding than tenor, but obviously that's the case. have you ever listened to Lamm ML2.1 in familiar environment?

treemed67 December 07, 2005 00:01