The system components have remained largely unchanged, but for the additions of a large Minus K platform for the turntable, a pair of 15" subwoofers to augment the lowest octaves and the installation of a robust electrical sub-system--powered through a Controlled Power 10kVa isolation transformer. The main change is the room--we relocated from New York to Austin, TX in 2017 and I now have a longer, narrower room that occupies most of the 2nd floor of the house. I have added a few photos reflecting updates since 2017. Bill
It may sound crazy, but......... Have you tried a good linestage with your setup? I know the Steelhead has a volume and you are adding "more" to the signal but it may be an improvement for you. I had the chance to borrow an Aesthetix IO sig. w/volume (this is my dream phono pre) and it sounded much better running it in conjunction with my Callisto line stage. More bottom end, more seperation and much wider deeper soundstage.......... Just a thought.
Well, a few upgrades in the past couple days. First, a Grand Prix stand, with the carbon shelf and the Apex footers, for the amps. It was like pulling the car out of the mud and driving on fresh tarmac. Looks good too. Then the TT/arm/cartridge arrived. A bit of confrontation with the dealer- whom I didn't nickel and dime, but did insist pull everything together quickly. After two weeks, he finally got the Triplanar (I had to call to follow up several times since I guess he was busy)- I understand that Triplanar shipments are not always predictable- but then, the dealer needed another week plus, because he was 'busy.' So, I insisted that he deliver everything today- in boxes, unassembled. Hadn't really done turntable/tonearm/cartridge mounting since the dark days of the seventies and early eighties- and I had originally planned on having my brilliant friend, MT, do the honors. But, I couldn't resist and a few hours later- music! I was actually suprised at how easy the Triplanar was to set up. The Kuzma Reference table was ordered with a pre-fitted board, and everything went together like clockwork. The Titan(i) sounded a tad bright once I got things rolling (that's an understatement- it was nasty sounding) but by 3-4 hours of steady play, it started to mellow a bit. The lower registers are really impressive with the Kuzma Reference/Triplanar/Titan combo. I'm hoping the top end of the cartridge becomes a little less 'hi-fi' and the mids open up. I'm still futzing around trying to get to the bottom of my noise problem, but the music was so glorious despite the break-in issues with the cartridge, that I got to enjoy the system at a level closer to my expectations.
How does one edit the original spread to show the changes and additions in equipment and add new photos?
Thanks, Chris. It is, like most systems, a work in progress. I have added the RealTraps, Hydras with Shunyata cords- also using them on the Duos- and am closing in on a turntable. I won't change the stands and hardware configuration until I settle on the TT, since that, in turn, will dictate the type of isolation I'll need- from there, I'll consider the best arrangement of boxes and then, and only then, will I start to worry the aesthetics of the front listening wall. (Which, as you can see, is the 'back' wall for the home theatre set-up). Frankly, I have far too much equipment in that one room- I've thought about setting up the Duos in our living room but we have a large grand piano there, and the resonances of the piano will only add another unnecessary dimension to tuning the system. I'll keep ya posted...
With all the thoughts you have given on my systems post I figured I should check your set-up out. I must say things look very nice........ How are the Audiopax amps comming? Are you planning to put a preamp and/or digital in the system? I have also received a number of emails from a 'Goner who swears by the Basis PC's on the Duo's subs. I am still using the Cardas but wonder if you have experimented with anything else in that regard.
