Years and years in the making. I can sit here in peace for hours. Not bright, not dull. Once it starts, i'm helplessly stuck to my seat. I hate to say it but it's better than live MOST of the time. rare i go to a live show that has acoustics and PA that touch it. All acoustic treatments with Bob Hodas's help (works on systems from neil young to george lucas). lots of in room measurement and incremental movements. like hours upon hours......
The system took a massive leap when i replaced the einstein turntable's choice with the air-tight/lyra step up combo. the whole thing kills.
top of line spiral groove from allen perkins. dense and dead quiet
Lyra Titan(i)
Top of the line Lyra
Air Tight ATE-2
Best Preamplifier i've had in this system. and it beat some super pricey ones! NOS frame grid telefunkens make it special
Sprial Groove Tonearm
Does not get better
Loiminchay Kandinsky
TAD compression driver married to resonance free enclosure with 20 coats of laquer, concrete baffle for accurate pistionic take off and sheep wool interior
System edited: Just updated this page. I've made some big changes over the last few months. David Berning Quadrature Z amps, JPS Labs Aluminata interconnects and Kubala Sosna Elation Bi-wire speaker cables. Hard not to lose yourself in this.
i'm familiar with the audio consulting. even with my 97db speakers, i enjoy having the power of the quad. i listen to lots of rock and jazz and dynamics are as an important attribute to me as tonality and timbre. i had an audio consulting transformer based volume control and preferred the music first, so it's turned me off of the brand.
rf, the speakers are a purchase i'll never feel the need of replacing. the step up is an amazing match for the titan. imaging is unreal. although battling hum can become a full time job with a step up! be prepared for work. i can help you find one if you want. friends with importer.
yeah, i've been playing around with grounds and cheaters, and star grounding like a mad man. i've pretty much got it killed but it requires me to "float" the ground via switch on back of the erodian, which i'm told is not as good as if you didn't have to float it. but it's sounding dreamy. about to swap in david berning quadrature z to a/b test against the vitus.
R_f, thank you so much for the comments. the speakers are much better than they look! it's all about the TAD compression driver, the mundorf gold/siver capacitor in the crossover, and the herculean effort to remove resonances in the woofer enclosure. the pinth of solid concrete wrapped in leather. real lambswool is used internally.
the erodian is phenomenal with my lyra cartridge, although dealing with hum issues for me has been a major major ordeal. not 100% gone but the bit that i have still let's this blow away my previous einstein phono stage.
the vitus is $40k and i need an amp with an 833 or 845 tube that can put out 75 watts of class A. but the vitus is almost impossible to beat. TRUST ME BNRLAW. maybe the top of line wavac, ayon, emotive audio, etc. but it's a small list and a big gamble. guy who build emotive audio was willing to bring me one home to try but i'd have to spend $400 in shipping. issue is, how do i know for sure without testing in the house?
thanks jfrech! the only other arm i used was the earlier immedia arm from allen perkins which i had for a year prior to waiting for the spiral groove. you'll notice on audiogon im selling my audiomecca dac because this front end now kills any digital.
