Description

Audio Nirvana has arrived. Being involved in this hobby for the past 40 years proves that this is a journey and not a destination. Over these years I have had countless iterations of too many systems to mention. Over the past 15 years I have become a loyal fan of Wilson Audio speakers and have steadily moved up their production line. Four years ago I never thought it could get any better than my Wilson X-2 Alexandria series l until I heard the X-2 series ll this year. Suffice it to say the X-2 Series ll speakers were added in October of this year in Black Almondine and now occupy the center of my sound syatem. For the past 3 years I have been seriously considering a return to vinyl and was ready to make the move until I began reading about the resurgence of reel to reel tape recorders and The Tape Project. Recently I found a fully restored Studer A810 tape recorder and added it to my system as well as becoming a Charter Subscriber to The Tape Project. Needless to say I was smitten. Recently I also swapped out my much beloved Meitner digital gear for the newer Playback Designs PDS MP-S5 and have been more than happpy with that decision. Earlier this year the video side of my room underwent a complete change and installed the Sim2 C3X1080 triple chip DLP with an Isco lll anamorphic lens. This allows me to enjoy either 16 X 9 format as well as 2.35 on a CIH Stewart Firehawk G3 132 inch curved screen. When I did this I upgraded the subwoofer(s) in my room by swapping the Wilson XS for two JL Audio Gotham subs. It took the better part of four months to get these subs dialed in for my room but once done they are simply better than I could have ever imagined. As far as what the future holds in the hobby, I am in a holding pattern but I never say never.
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    • Wilson Audio X-2 Alexandria Series ll
    I am in awe of this speaker both from the way it sounds as well as the way it looks. After 3 months of anxiously awaiting, the speaker finally arrived. Color is Black Almondine with Parchment Gray grill covers. The speakers weigh in at a cool 720 lbs each and stand 2 inches taller than the X-1's I had. Simply put, I have never heard a speaker as real as this. The soundstage is huge, more open than even the X-2 series l. The ease of setup as well was amazing. It took us only 2 hours to get the speakers operational. The wonderful thing about the X-2 is that the upper modules can now be meticulously set to image at ear level. The X-1's were always imaging just a bit high. These speakers are truly Dave Wilson at the pinnacle of his game. Just when I thought my X-2 series l's put me at audio nirvana, along comes the X-2 Series ll. The best way to compare this speaker to anything else is with a big smile rather than with hyperbole. IMO this speaker has brought me to Audio Nirvana.
    • Lamm Industries ML 3 Signature
    The ML3 is a single-ended (SE) tube amplifier utilizing a very powerful direct-heated triode GM-70 (125W plate dissipation) and a separate power supply. Combining the most sophisticated technologies and electronic design with graceful looks reminiscent of the classic era of tubes, the ML3 is our top-of-the-line, no-compromise product. It is a 32-watt amplifier that operates in pure class A and utilizes no overall feedback. The topology is absolutely unique and incorporates one of the most advanced power supplies ever featured in an audio device. These factors, along with the designer’s unique vision and understanding of the underlying principles of audio electronics, make the ML3 an amplifier without peer. With the ML3 as the centerpiece of a high-end system, the recorded event is recreated in one’s listening room with astonishing verisimilitude. The listener is able to experience an ephemeral yet tangible connection to the essence of the music. These are not empty claims. Those who have listened to the ML3 firsthand have unanimously acknowledged this phenomenon and have reported it to be utterly unique in their collective experience. IMO this amp rises above all others and is the the new king of the hill. Audio Nirvana has arrived
    • Lamm Industries LL1 Signature Dual Mono Line Level
    The monaural line level preamplifier model LL1 Signature is the ultimate statement of perfection in High-End audio. Just like ML3 Signature is the best creation of its designer's professional career among the LAMM amplifiers, so is the LL1 Signature among the line level LAMM preamplifiers. The LL1 Signature has been designed to complement the ML3 Signature amplifier, and this combination in a system represents a "match made in heaven". However, the LL1 Signature will perform magic with any other appropriate power amplifier. The LL1 Signature features a topology that brings out the most natural sound performance in the audio path. In principle, it is a single-stage unit that basically represents the shortest possible signal path. The preamplifier contains four very linear low impedance triodes paralleled into a single inverting gain stage. The LL1 Signature employs a pure single-ended class A operation, with no overall feedback applied. Also featured are specially selected high-transconductance dual triodes 6N30P-DR/ 6Н30П-ДР (original) in the signal path and TKD stepped potentiometers for volume control - the best available on today's market. The preamplifier's audibly neutral power supply features a full-wave vacuum rectifier. This rectifier, together with a choke-containing filter, allows to practically get rid of the hum and buzz and, in the end, to ensure the verity of dynamic range without coloration. Two solid-state analog voltage regulators supply dc voltage to the tube filaments (heaters). Other features include 3 inputs, one tape/HT processor loop, attenuator (-12 dB) switch, output 1/output 2 switches, protection circuitry designed to enable manual muting of the output signal, and built-in remote on/off for LAMM power amplifiers. The main distinction of the LL1 Signature from any other comparable type of preamplifiers is its practically inaudible sonic signature. When connected to an appropriate type of power amplifiers, especially LAMM power amplifiers, it assures the extraordinary transparency of perceived sound and recreation of a three-dimensional soundstage in the home, recording studio, etc., without boundaries and limitations. Each preamplifier is handcrafted of the finest materials and top quality parts like military-grade DALE metal-film resistors, PRC wire-wound resistors, BOURNS multi-turn potentiometers, CORNELL DUBILIER and UNITED CHEMI-CON electrolytic capacitors, ELECTROCUBE, ELCON and ROEDERSTEIN film capacitors; HAMMOND chokes, gold-plated NEUTRIC connectors, and military-grade low-noise long-life vacuum tubes. A custom-designed massive damping panel installed in the preamplifier unit significantly reduces all types of mechanical vibrations which, in turn, leads to a more extended, coherent and natural bass reproduction. The LL1 Signature features a custom-designed super-low noise power transformer. The LL1 Signature works on all world AC line voltages (100/120/220/230/240V).
    • JL Audio Gotham/g213
    Gotham® Your first look will tell you that you are looking at something special… your first listen will confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The beauty of the Gotham® extends well beyond its exotic design and exceptional craftsmanship, aiming right at the emotional core of musical and cinematic enjoyment. This is a subwoofer system with limits well beyond the needs of the typical home theater application, delivering a weight and integrity of reproduction that can only come from a system that is always in control. Its allure lies as much in its ability to convey subtleties as in its prodigious output capabilities. It is simply devastating. A luxurious, handcrafted gloss-black finish is complemented by machined aluminum and stainless steel accents for a look and feel that fits perfectly with the finest home furnishings. More importantly, the beautiful cabinet houses a pair of JL Audio’s highest-technology subwoofer drivers. When demanded by program material, the Gotham’s amplifier can deliver voltage equivalent to 3,800 watts of RMS power to take full advantage of the twin drivers’ four inches of peak-to-peak excursion capability. This ensures that the Gotham™ can breeze through material that makes other subwoofers go into clipping, limiting or distress. Listening to a Gotham® reveals an entirely new dimension of subwoofer performance... a dimension so satisfying that listening to lesser subwoofers will forever become an act of compromise. Available Models: g213 (click for specs and feature list) Model: g213-GLOSS SKU: 96237 Cabinet Finish: High-Gloss Black
    • Playback Designs System MS5
    I just never thought that I would sell my Meitner gear because for years IMO it was the leader of the pack. Not so fast any more as along came the PDS MS-5 which creates music as close to vinyl as the real thing
    • Studer Reel To Reel A-810
    A fully refurbished state of the art Studio reel to reel
    • Krell Theater Amplifier Standard
    This is used to drive my center channel, surround channels and rear channel. I use it only for home theater however when Krell releases their SACD standard in May, I will delve into multichannel audio. I continue to use a Krell FPB-750 mcX for my Wilson XS subwoofer. I use 6.1 and not 7.1 in my room
    • Wilson Audio WATCH Center Channel
    I have used many center channel speakers but have found this one to outperform anything that I have previously owned. I use it with its accompanying speaker stand centered right under my screen. Recently upgraded this center channel to Black Almondine to match my new X-2 series ll speakers
    • Wilson Audio WATCH Surround (left and right)
    A perfect compliment for my Wilson X-1/XS speakers.
    • Nordost Valhalla
    I use this in my front end. An unbelievably transparent interconnect. I was using Tara Labs The Zero which was magnificent but I feel the Valhalla is a notch above even though The Zero was priced at $12,500 for a 2 meter pair of balanced cables
    • Wilson Audio WATCH rear
    I decided on only 6.1 rather than 7.1 and am very impressed with this speaker in my home theater
    • Sim2 Triple Chip DLP Projector C3X 1080
    For those following the buzz on the internet this is the latest triple chip DLP from Sim that has a picture unequaled for projectors of this price and size
    • Isco 2.35 Anamorphic Lens Model lll
    Anamorphic 2.35 lens for Sim 2 projector
    • Stewart Filmscreen Firehawk G3 CineV 130
    A CIH screen with native 2.35 aspect ratio and 120 inch width. Masks to 16 x 9 as well
    • Sony BDP-S2000ES
    Sony's flagship Blu-ray Disc™ player, with astounding audio enhancements and vibration-reduction that deliver phenomenal results in a rock-solid design
    • Lexicon MC12B-HD v 1.2
    Most impressive about the MC-12 HD is its extensive custom processing capabilities. Four 32-bit floating-point DSP engines provide vast resources for such proprietary features as Logic 7, Auto Azimuth correction, five-speaker enhancement, bass enhancement, and dialog enhancement. Lexicon?s bass management system, digital crossovers and tone controls are also powered by these DSP engines. This processing is performed at sample rates up to 96kHz with 24-bit resolution to retain top performance from all input sources. A fifth DSP engine is dedicated to decoding Dolby Digital and DTS sources. Inside and out, the MC-12 HD is designed to accommodate potential hardware and software advancements with internal expansion, a removable rear panel access plate, and two RS-232 connectors.
    • Nordost Valhalla AES/EBU
    A digital cable with XLR (balanced)terminations. Used to connect the Krell kps25sc to the EMM Labs DAC 6
    • Nordost Valhalla
    Simply the best and most transparent cable I have ever used. I sold my Tara Labs The Omega for these cables. As great as the Omega was, I find there is no comparison with the Valhalla
    • Nordost Valhalla
    20 amp IEC power cables (one pair) used for my Audio Research Refernce 600 Mark lll mono amps. This resulted in immediate improvement in bass as well as producing a somewhat more dynamic sound.
    • Tara Labs RSC Gen 2
    Used in my home theater
    • Tara Labs RSC Air One
    5 pair of balanced cables used in my home theater
    • Tara Labs The One
    I have 2 of these in my front end. They made a big difference
    • Absolute Power Line Purifier
    Used in my home theater side. A very solid work horse
    • Aurios Pro MIb
    Decouplers. An absolute must in any system. I use these under my Krell kps25sc and Audio Research Reference ll Mark ll. I have also found dramatic improvement in my bass when used under my Wilson X-1 Grand Slamm speakers. These are sold exclusively at http://www.audionut.com Ask for Bob Williams. he will give you all of the theory behind this tweak.You can reach him at 1-877-944-5505
    • Acoustic Sciences Corporation Tube Traps
    The single best tweak to my room was to have ASC design room modifications (tube traps)according to the size of my room with the type of gear used. I have a total of 38 tube traps in the room in all sizes, varying from Super trap 20's, Super trap 16's and trap 13's, 11's and 9's. I did this in stages according to the plans provided by ASC and once finished I had a true 2C3D room. The walls are virtually invisible.
    • Acoustic Sciences Corporation Sound Planks
    Also part of the design rendered for my room by ASC. These sit at the front wall and have vastly improved the sound in the room.
    • Billy Bags AV Pro
    This is used for my home theater equiment
    • Billy Bags CD/DVD Stand
    Designrd specifically for my room I am able to store over 1000 CD's and/or DVD's
    • Zoethecus component stands Z.2/R (2 in all)
    Great looking, good support and excellent isolation
    • Zoethecus amp stands (3 in all) Z.block/1d
    Great looking with super isolation
    • Musical Fidelity Tube Output Buffer X-10v3
    high input impedance allowing me to drive my new JL Gotham subs without compromising my Audio Research Reference 3 preamp
    • Musical Fidelity Tube Output Buffer Power Supply
    Optional separate power supply for tube buffer which helps bass response from Gotham Subs
    • Transparent Reference (RSE) Interconnect
    20 foot pair from Tube Buffer Output to Gotham subs and one meter pair from ARC Ref3 to Tube Output Buffer
    • See Other Web site For More Details And Pictures
    [URL]http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?10535-Doctor-s-Orders-Part-Two-The-New-Listening-Room-Of-Steve-Williams&p=191656&viewfull=1#post191656[/URL]

Comments 1014

Thanks. That's consistant with my view after comparing my MPS-5 to an Emm CDSA-SE.

Dave

dcstep

Owner
Dave

I have had the unit for a month now and feel it to be well broken in. My impression is that it is as good or better than the Meitner stack that I had in every way. As well it is a one box unit with some eye appeal. There is finally a remote that is user friendly. I love the back light for ease of use. Those of us who have owned both will notice immediately how quickly the Esoteric drive loads as well as how quietly it performs. It seemed with the Meitner there was always a long wait for it to read the data. Overall I would never have thought that I would have sold my Meitner stack but when Andreas brought the PDS over to my house and we A/B'd the two units there was just no question on the winner. Overall a very enthousiastic thumbs up. Jonathan and Andreas have hit a home run IMO.

oneobgyn

Doc, now that you've lived with the Playback Designs MPS-5 a while do you have any new reactions?

Dave

dcstep

Wow, a $4,000 interconnect. Good thing it's modestly priced...[smile]

Best Wishes,

-RW-

rlwainwright

Owner
Hi Jeff

I had a look last night and don't have the problem that you describe.

oneobgyn

OB,

I have a question for you if you have a chance to check it out. If you hit the zoom button on your projector remote and then hit the black circle button (to put the zoom image on the screen), is part of the zoom image missing on the right hand portion of your screen (one side of the outer rectangle of the two rectangles that comprise the border of the zoom image)?

Thanks,

- Jeff

jkalman

Owner
Visiting friends and family in Toronto but presently am at my friend's summerhome which is on Lake Simcoe. Here until Aug 3rd

oneobgyn

In Canada, eh? I should be in Toronto by August 18th or so. . . where about are you Doc?

guidocorona

Owner
Im up in Canada at the moment and intend on finally making the descriptive changes when I get home

oneobgyn

Hi Doc, have you thought of replacing Meitner with Playback Designs in the title of your system thread? Would give PD greater visibility within the community. G.

guidocorona

Owner
Gallant Diva

I have gone back and forth so many times on the TT issue but with the speaker upgrade I am really comfortable with my decision.

oneobgyn

Hi Oneobgyn,

Congratulations on the Wilson X-2 upgrade decision can't wait to hear the outcome from a listening perspective.

Kind Regards

Bigpond

bigpond

Hi Doc, if you go for a TT, you ain't gonna be satsified for something cheap. You need something that is in the league of the rest of your system. So set aside $100k at least :)

Also you need a big collection of LPs.

gallant_diva

That is sweet. Much easier and less time consuming that the upgrade. Congrats on the new speakers.

mikeduke

Owner
Indeed I did say that. A simple solution came along. My dealer has a pair of upgraded X-2's along with a WATCH center both in Black Almondine which I am going to buy. He is taking in trade my X-2's and WATCH center which are both in Aspen Silver. Hence no down time for me whatsoever.

oneobgyn

Oh well, if you are going to ONLY :) upgrade your speakers, I guess that is OK. I would still be interested in how you you set up the hard drive system. I was playing around with that idea as well. I remember you saying above that you were not looking forward to doing the upgrade because of the hassle of the moving of the crates and the speakers. But, that is great. How long would the upgrade take?

mikeduke

Owner
I have gone back and forth so many times on the issue of TT that I am getting nystagmus. I have finally decided against the turntable as I am going in a different direction only because it is my anticipation in the next year or so that we will all be doing Hi Rez downloads to a hard drive. I have decided that I am going to upgrade my speakers to X-2 Series ll. Stay tuned

oneobgyn

Ant new news on the TT front? When I get back from Florida my Grand Prix rack will be installed. From all my readings, I think that Nottingham would suit me fine. I thought about the Raven one, but to be honest, based on what I have read, I don't think its sound is for me. I really think that the Nottingham suits my style. Can't wait to hear you thoughts on your new Brinkman. I am sure that will sound great. I am assuming that the Playback still sounds great also.

mikeduke

Owner
Bigpond

I am pleased however that you made the decision on the Ref3 as it is just too good a preamp not to have in the present rather than worry about a Ref3 Mk ll version sometime in the future.

oneobgyn

Oneobgyn,
It was introduced virtually exactly 4 years after the Alexandria was released in September 2003,from my recollection.
On this basis if you or i purchased a new set say a year from now you would have 2 years or a bit more before another version.
This is why i waited so long before changing to the Reference 3 i have been waiting for a new version but Audio Research have assured my dealer no new model for at least 18 months so i just couldn't wait any longer!!

Kind Regards

Bigpond

bigpond

Owner
Dgad

You have made that argument to me before. I just won't get a second set of speakers to bridge the time gap. I know the upgrade to Series ll is that good. It is also the inconvenience of going to storage and getting all of the crates back to my house, then up to the second floor and then hiring some movers to get the gear downstairs to the truck. I have a very large circular staircase which is not fun for movers.

Only other option would be to sell mine and buy a new pair of X-2 Series ll

As for Playback Designs all I can say is that I am stunned that it is indeed so much better than the Meitner. I never thought this could be possible. The genius of Andreas starting with a blank piece of paper and working from the ground up made IMO a so much better unit with a much more reliable Esoteric drive

oneobgyn

Obgyn,

Allow me to recommend getting a 2nd pair of speakers to get you through the time you have no music. Why not get a different type of speaker altogether. I am sure you will enjoy it. My system is actually down and driving me nuts, but I do have my old speakers (Hales). They were not worth selling. Unfortunately it is not a speaker problem and I don't have a spare for what is down.

Also, seeing the upgrade does not change the crossover to being visible and what appears to allow field upgrades in the future might make the upgrade less valuable for future upgrades. In that case your best alternative is to buy and sell or visa versa. We all have our dilemas.

On a different note, do you find the Playback Designs to be better on SACD to the EMM? If so in what ways. I am wondering if I do a power supply upgrade if it will get me closer. I would run a 2nd separate DAC for PC Audio, and keep the EMM. I know the PD does both but this would be a less expensive alternative.

dgad

Owner
It is unfortunate that the X-2 series ll upgrade is not field upgradeable because of circumstances such as yours. I also am not eager to send them back and have my system down for so long. If you wait a few years almost certainly by then there will be a Series lll and then what to do?

oneobgyn

Hi Oneobgyn,Time meter is a great innovation,i will wait the 100 hours before i comment too much on the sound.
I could not even use my Nordost Valhalla power cable,as you would already know the Ref.3 has the larger power receptacle on the rear,have now sent my cable to have the larger plug fitted.

By the way the price to upgrade my Alexandria's to Series 2 down here in Australia is virtually price prohibitive so i may just wait a couple of years and buy a new pair.

Kind Regards

Bigpond

bigpond

Owner
Bigpond

Great improvement between the Ref2 Mkll and the Ref 3. I too had the former and thought it to be wonderful until I heard the latter which IMO is in a league of its own.BTW many have been doing tube rolling with the Ref 3 which I feel to be unnecessary.
By 100 hours of use you will find it to open up. Don't you love that time meter on it?

oneobgyn

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