This new and almost finished room looks out over a beautiful and peaceful lake, which together create a wonderful atmosphere dedicated to listening to music. For the last year, I have been occupied with designing and building up this space. It has been a great experience combining further study of acoustics, a lot of necessary research into products and methods, many decisions and tradeoffs, and much hard labor.
The equipment consists of ARC tube electronics, AudioQuest wire, and Vandersteen speakers. This combination has great synergy, producing a very broad, transparent, high definition image and lifelike tonal reproduction.
Bottom line is that the result has far exceeded my expectations. Here are a few of the basic features of this room.
Length width and height based on the Fibonacci Series to minimize variation in room modal response.
An all out approach to ceiling isolation, which includes suspending 1600 lbs of dual 5/8 drywall layers and Green Glue, thereby reducing sound transmission to the rooms above.
Dual sound lock doors to reduce sound transmission to adjacent rooms.
A 100 cubic ft. Helmholtz resonator built into the rear wall to absorb low frequency energy.
Super chunk bass traps built into the front wall corners to absorb low frequency energy and reduce decay times.
A dedicated 60 amp subpanel driving a 4 kva isolation transformer, six dedicated 20 amp circuits, a second 125 va iso transformer on the CD player, and Hubble outlets.
The wonderful ambiance which includes warm clay colored walls, thick carpet, theater lighting and a great Ekornes chair and ottoman.
My fascination with music and its reproduction equipment began at age 3 while standing on a stool to wind up a Gramophone and play a 78 rpm recording of Little Toot. This evolved into singing in choirs and quartets, playing the trombone in bands, getting degrees in electrical engineering, and building and buying the makes of numerous audio systems over many years. My current music listening tastes are quite disparate and include the traditional big bands, small jazz instrumental groups, female jazz singers, and a mix of folk, blues, string ensembles, country and more. I spend as much time as possible at live events, and use that as a basis of improving my system.
My next steps are to experiment with absorption/diffusion on the front and side walls.
This TT features a lead shot pocket loaded platter constructed from solid cocobolo hardwood. This hardwood has been found to sound dramatically better than many other materials and adds beauty to the overall system. The Signature motor is speed regulated and battery driven. The plinth sits on a maple box filled with 50 lbs of sand and having a floating lid.
Graham Eng. 2.2 & Nightingale II
The Nightingale is based on a Transfiguration cartidge and designed specifically for Graham. The combination is unusually good in detail, tonal timber and tight bass.
Audio Research PH-5
I believe ARC hit a grand slam with this excellent phono pre for this price. The pre sits on a maple box filled with 50 lbs of sand and having a floating lid.
Audio Research CD3 MK II
This redbook only, top loading CD player has a very rugged build quality, and is very detailed without a hint of harshness. You can listen all day without fatique.
Audio Research Ref 3
The Ref 3 is a major step over the previous reference series. It exhibits great detail, precise imaging, and full rich tonal accuracy. This pre conveys the midrange with great musicality and makes your foot tap.
Audio Research VT100 MKIII
The VT 100 MK III is a substantial improvement over the MK I or II, and is very detailed, fast, and alive. It has plenty of power for the 5As.
Vandersteen 5As
This gem is simply the best speaker I have ever heard, and will be with me forever. Very cohesive 3 drivers that are time and phase accurate plus built in subwoofers and amps.
Interconnects and Cables (AQ and KS)
AQ LeoPard DBS RCA from TT to phono pre. AQ Panther DBS RCA from phono pre to pre. Kubala Sosna Emotion XLR from CD to pre. AQ Cheetah DBS XLR from pre to Vandy 5A high pass filter. AQ Volcano DBS from amp to Vandy 5A.
AC Power System Subpanel
This new subpanet is directly outside the listening room and utilizes 2 isolation transformers. No further power conditioning is required.
AC Power System - Architecture
See the AC power system architecture diagram for a pictoral schematic of how all of the power conditioning equipment is configured and wired.
Dedicated Subpanel & six dedicated circuits
The 60 amp subpanel feeds 6 - 10 gauge dedicated lines, with hot and common wires twisted and separate star grounds, which are encased in EMT and terminated in Porter Ports (20 amp Hubble cryoed outlets).
Topaz Isolation Transformers 4kva & 125va
The 4kva iso keeps any AC grunge out of all componants except the Vandy subs that are each wired dedicated direct to the subpanel. The 125va iso is fed from the 4 kva iso and keeps the CD from feeding back any grunge into the already isolated and filtered dedicated lines.
Timbernation Equipment Rack Custom
Custom designed and built to meet my equipment needs. Allows for air flow above and around the tube amp and preamp. The legs are finished in gloss black and the shelves in teak stain. There are spikes under the legs to provide for leveling and acoustic coupling.
Turntable Stand Antique Cabinet
This antique stand was completely dissembled and rebuilt to include a maple interior sand box and shelf. It is very rigid and weighs over 100 lbs before the TT is placed on top. There are audio points under the legs for coupling and leveling.
Stillpoints with Risers
These sit under the CD resting on the 2
Star Sound Audio Points
Four points under the TT cabinet legs to provide for coupling and leveling.
I noticed your 5A's are toed in a little. I just tried mine last night for the first time. Very big improvement. Because my living room opens up into the dinning room. I experimented and well.... I'm very happy. This was because I saw your great setup.
Awesome wiring schematics. Do you know if the separate ground from the main panel to the new panel is required separate from the ground from the main panel through the Topaz? Seems unnecessary, but you have temporary marked, then final. Great stuff!!
Mr. Z, you have a beautifully selected, designed, and assembled system. While I don't own them, the Vandy 5s are one of my favorite speakers.
Your photo of the lake reminds me of visiting family in Michigan. And your mention of the Great Lakes means you are in that area. It is always nice to see anyone live out their dreams, but when it so closely matches my own ideals then I have a special appreciation.
Thanks for all your help with my recent 5a purchase setup questions. A great and well thought out room from both the passion of music AND the engineering mind perspectives. :) As some said, you make your own luck - thanks for sharing and helping.
My first Audio experience was at age 5 watching my parents setup Boazaks, MX110, MC240' Dual table and a Shure and listening late into the nite - before they even had much furniture to sit on. I understand how the passion can be instilleed at a very early age. I have that Mac gear (Richard M just rebuilt the 110 ).....and it will from time to time run the new 5's.
Fabulous. Can't think of anything more relaxing than sitting there listening to that system while watching a sunset over the lake. You really are lucky...but I'm sure you've made your own luck, too. Congrats on a great system and a superb living setting.
Airegin, yes its Beethoven. The nearest thing I have is an autographed copy of the Horowitz Concerts 1977/1978 on an RCA Red Seal LP with Horowitz playing the List: Sinata in B Minor. What a special performance.
What a thoughtful system and The schematics on the electrical system are very helpful. As I plan my room I will surely take your ideas to my electrician
After experimentation, I actually am now running without them. This deserves some explanation as every situation is different.
My current room has concrete floors and block walls and thus is quite rigid. While a concrete slab can transmit vibrations, they are mostly in the horizontal, not vertical direction. If you look at the Stillpoint design, it appears that it is best at absorbing vertical vibrations.
Between the floor, the TT stand, the sand boxes, and heavily lead loaded plinth and platter, things are very well coupled and if the move at all, they move together. My listening sessions find no difference with the Stillpoints under these circumstances.
Stillpoints are a great product and in my previous room with a suspended floor and stud walls, they were clearly an effective solution. So, as always if in doubt try them. They resell for the same price you pay for them used.
Glad to hear that the room treatments helped improve things.
In my room, I found that absorption (Realtraps RFZ panels) at the side first reflection points and diffusion (Realtraps Diffusors) behind me on the rear wall produced the best results.
All of this is in addition to the other absorption panels I have throughout the room (all from Realtraps - (2) Mondo Traps, (6) Tri-Corner traps, (5) Mini Traps, and (2) Micro Traps).
Vernneal, thanks. I note you have McIntosh gear. My first real audiophile system (after building and owning Dynakits, was McIntosh based. It included an MA 5100 integrated amp and MR 67 Tuner both of which I still own and use.
This is a good opportunity to provide an update on my room experiments. The back wall was designed with album storage cubes and does provide a measure of diffusion which I have found to be quite satisfactory. I have not found any objectionable reflections or measurable cancellations from that area.
My more important focus is on the front and side walls, as this room is smaller than I am used to and I wanted to see if I could improve the sound stage. My first experiments included trying different kinds of absorbing materials from couch cushions, pillows, foam, ceiling sound soak panels, insulation, etc., placed in all combinations to the side and rear of the front speakers. After weeks of listening, I concluded that whatever reflections were present were not degrading the image and in fact reducing them caused the room to be overdamped and loose some of its liveness. Note that while I have little sound absorbing furniture in the room, there is a plush carpet on the floor.
So based on advice from Richard Vandersteen, I turned to experimenting with diffusion. I decided to try some RPG Skylines (that are quite reasonably priced) on the left and right reflection points. This produced an immediate and unmistakable widening and deeping of the sound stage without loss of image clarity and convinced me that diffusion is the better answer for my room. I'm glad I trusted his advice despite the commonly reported and accepted need to reduce first reflections.
I now plan to try additional diffusion on the front wall (perhaps the CORE AD-3 2D diffusors), and potentially something on the ceiling as well. Diffusors seem to be a great area for DIYs, and I might try building something that will fit dimensionally and esthetically in my room.
"My next steps are to experiment with absorption/diffusion on the front and side walls."
Diffusion is normally needed on the back wall, if it is not too close to you. Front and side walls need absorption (for rooms of your size), not diffusion.
Themadmilkman, the room is 8 ft.H by 13 ft.W by 21 ft.L. That matches the Fibonacci Series (8, 13, 21) where each number is the sum of the previous two numbers. The Helmholtz resonator built behind the rear wall is very effective in absorbing the resonant low end energy. As a result, there are no noticable low frequency peaks anywhere in the listening area.
Mapman, the Teres is an eye catcher besides sounding great. I just upgraded to a Graham Phantom and the Teres Verus DD motor, and will report soon on the results.
