System has grown in complexity of late (8/06) however the sound quality has grown as well. Pipedream reference 18's have taken the place of the Aerial 20t's. The "pipes" have a presence not many speakers can match, and give me the big sound I crave. The 4 18" woofers are amazingly fast, tight and tuneful. Bass dynamics and resolution are fantastic.
System edited: I swapped out the Transparent Reference speaker cable, for Verastarr Silver Reference. Pipedreams do not like network boxes. The Verastarr at 1/10 the cost has more synergy. Soundstage, imaging and layering all improved. Vocal sound far more real. Me Likey! Best, Paul :-)
Nice setup. I have the Pipedream 18's and I used to have two Levinson 336's on top & bottom. I switched the bottom to a Krell 750cx and it really tightened the bass. Then I switched the top to a VTL S400 and the difference was astounding. The Pipedreams really like the tubes. The system does not sound anything like it did when I started.
Beemer Ironic that you chose to trade the Aerials. The Levinson is a good match. But I always thought one of the big vtls might be a good match. Variety is the spice of life.
Pics to come. I bought a set of 7' Pipedreams. System is in disarray right now as I need to move amps around and do some tweaking under my listening room floor as in the front of the room will be:
Pipedreams about 1500 lbs Levinson 33's about 900 lbs Levinson 33H's about 500 lbs and my 65" Tv that about another 300 lbs.
Lally columns and spreader are on the way!
I miss the resolution of my Aerial 20t's a bit, and the ease of the ribbon tweeter, however the Pipes have the huge sound I crave.
Hey Beemer, Nice racks! Your system looks and sounds incredible, I know. I own many of the same components. Still working on 33s and 30.6 though. It would have been cool if the racks would have matched. Now your system is in an "Unbalanced" mode. I bet it would sound better if both racks were the same color! Have fun! Steve
System edited: I've added a new pic with the second Billy Bags long rack. I wish both racks were an exact match, however the long racks are hard-to-find in these parts. It's nice to have the system spread out, room for turntable accessories, and the view in my listening room improved. Best, Paul :-)
Cal audio Icon MKII Meridian 508-24 Bat VKD5 Bat VKD5SE Wadia 860x Wadia 270/27ix combo Levinson 390S
And now the 30.6 DAC 31.5 Transport.
I have heard the latest reference digital "flavors of the month" and for me the Levinson combo still gets it. Plus I had made a decision to build a system with all the last of the Levinson Reference components, and I have accomplished that task, and now there's no money left!
The 390S is my favorite sounding single box player, followed by the BAT VKD5SE. The Wadias just don't do it for me at all, no matter what wire or digital cable styles I used.
The 30.6 is full of air without being bright, gets the details right and last but not least is music friendly. It makes my foot tap. The 390S wouldn't produce the same air and space, however it comes darn close.
System edited: Added Transparent Reference Phone MC interconnects and Reference XL speaker cable. Changed system name. Absolutely no money left. Grilled cheese sandwiches and Ramen noodles will be my fate for months......but....the music sounds great! ;-) Best, Paul :-)
Way to go Paul! Good looking orig. Aries TT. Now, let the dust settle and the CC balance come back down..then next year you can upgrade the Aries to the new 2 Platter/ bearing /motor /ring clamp combo for a substantial improvement.
I hear the frog (ribb-itt) sounds good on the JMW. :) Good listening!
System edited: Picked up the missing link in my Levinson Reference system, the 31.5 transport. I had been using my Sony SCD-777ES, however the 31.5 with Transparent Reference AES/EBU has taken it to a new level. Image, staging focus and placement of instruments is great. And for another milestone, I'm back to vinyl after almost 20 years. Picked up a VPI Aries with JMW memorial arm, van den Hul Frog cartridge, with upgraded platter and clamp. I have to read up and set up the table, and this will take some time, however the pieces are in place. I have updated the rack pic. Now I'm damn near broke. Nothing like audiophilia to keep the wallet thin and the CC statement high.....however the joy of music and the stress relief it provides cannot be measured in dollars. Best, Paul :-)
Very nice. Glad to hear the levinson's sounding good. I remember back about 1992 when they brought out the 30 or 30.5 I think it was..sold for a cool 15K back then.. 30K for the Dac/Trans combo!!I knew a guy who was taking a second mort. just to finance it!
Anyway, Id say the rack is pretty well filled :-) and if you ever want to sell one of the open reel decks..please let me know.My Dad has many reels from back when he used his Revox.
System edited: Added a Levinson 30.6 DAC a few weeks ago. LOL, it just gets better. This is not the latest flavor of the month, however it has withstood the test of time, and AFAIC, sounds as good if not better then the latest high-end DACS. Best, Paul :-)
Don't you just love it when you stumble across a deal like you did with the Accuphase!
You are right about your room, I would of never guessed that your TV is 65 inches. Have you ever tried throwing a blanket over the TV just to see if there was a difference?
I would like to try my TV between my speakers, it is a 52", but I am afraid it will hinder the sound too much. I was at my local stereo shop not long ago and when they raised the motorized picture screen that was between the speakers I was amazed at the difference, granted this was a much bigger screen.
I concur, you are very fortunate, I would really like to hear your system, then again it could cause that tail chasing thing!
The Accuphase happened to be at a local dealer when I popped in. Knowing full well it wouldn't be there next time, I had to do it. ;-)
I find the big TV doesn't hurt the staging. In the pic the room looks smaller than it is. The TV is a 65" widescreen Mitsu, it's huge.
What was fun for me is up 'til actually buying them, I had never seen Levinson 33's. When I saw them, I was amazed at the size, and then found just how hard they are to move!
Anyway, I'm lucky as my girl doesn't mind the audiophilia, in fact she enjoys it. For me, it's the absolute best stress relief imaginable. The music plays effortlessly thru this system, with large scale dynamics and punch. I count myself as being very fortunate.
System edited: Today I bought and moved a pair of levinson 33 Reference monoblocks. Let me tell ya....these puppies are real close to 400 lbs each.....and they sound as good as they are heavy. Compared to the bi-amp configuration of 33H on the top, and 336 on the bottom the 33's just plain blow it away. Weight, depth, harmonic texture, space between the instruments and slam and dynamics took a quantum leap. Soundstage come far forward and more "in yer face". LOL :-) I'm out of money......but the music sure sounds good and the 33's will help keep us warm this winter. Paul :-)
System edited: As luck would have it, I found a super rare Accuphase T-109V tuner last night and added it to the system. Currently this tuner is "king of the hill" at www.fmtunerinfo.com. My understanding is there are less than 10 of these in the US! I listen to my PBS stations for jazz and classical, and this tuner's intial impressions are quite good. Best, Paul :-)
Your system continues to grow. I really enjoy my #32 as well. Keep up the good work. Youmight look into adding subs. I recently add Revel Sub 30s to my Salons and this improved my system greatly, even with passive biamping.
