Decades of experimentation, since the late '60s, have taught me you're never done trying new things if you want better sound. I'm now having a serious love affair with tubes, have finally reconciled with CDs/SACDs, and am embracing all the new tools available for room measurement that never existed when I started this hobby.

In the past few years I added a ARC Ref 40 pre-amp that has tremendous spacial and textural resolution, something that was missing from my solid state front-end. I've been suffering from serious sleep deprivation since I got it. It's that good.

After many years of vinyl only (I was a diehard) I added a Marantz SA 7 S1 CD player. This was the first CD player I really enjoy listening to and I've kept it. SACD can rival vinyl & well-recorded CDs sound really good. The addition of a Lyra Etna cartridge, the ARC REF 10 phono and the TW Acustic TT however, all have added a presence and naturalness for analog playback that's simply breathtaking. +1 for Vinyl!

I can't leave anything alone. Most of the components are very heavily modified, especially the Sansui TU-717, and both the Counterpoint SA-220s which actually use a completely different circuit than the original amplifier. The first SA-20 became an NP-220 courtesy of Michael Elliott. It has Mullard brown base CV-569 ECC35s (6SL7s), CuTF V-Caps, and a 160,000 uF all-Black Gate power supply with boatloads of TX2575 resistors in all critical places. I loved the sound of this hybrid amp so much I added a second one that is almost identical. These amps are classics and the proverbial "open window" when it comes to transparency and tonal color. Too bad few will get the chance to hear these since the "retirement" of Aria Audio.

The system speakers are tri-amped Magnepan 3.6s and include Kinergetics subwoofer towers(5 10" woofers per side). One Counterpoint NP220 drives the tweets/mids, the other the 3.6r bass panels, and a recently added Krell Evolution S2250e drives the subs providing a deep and solid foundation. This system's flat to about 16 Hz.

The Pass Labs XVR-1-3 3way XO is incredibly flexible. It would have been impossible to get this tri-amped system set up as well with an ordinary XO as the Magnepan 3.6s have some funky passive XO slopes you need to emulate. I'm using it in bandpass mode. Much more transparent this way.

I ran out of wall outlets and gave up on active quad amping. I upgraded the only remaining passive tweeter-mid speaker XO in the 3.6s to something exotic - Duelund Cast caps and inductors instead of another XVR-1. It was well worth it but big passive XO parts are best broken in with a cable cooker if you want to live long enough to hear what they sound like (nothing) when broken in. Nelson, you will have to fund your own retirement plan!

All the system cabling is supported by Cable Elevators - I tried using the empty champagne bottles but the system didn't quite sound as good -- burrrpppp.

The room had a makeover with acoustic treatment. It's 13.5 x 27' and is in the basement. An RPG pro diffusor sits behind the speakers with Real Traps & GIK Acoustics along the side walls & in corners. The back wall also has an RPG pro. The speakers have been moved away from the front wall so that second relection arrival time is almost 10 milliseconds delayed from direct radiation at the listener location. This treatment work substantially improved the imaging, depth, and bass control. You just can't get good sound without paying serious attention to room acoustics.

I've finished the final room EQ on the subs using REW and the DSPeaker Anti-mode 2.0 Dual Core processor. What a great gadget! The EQ settings still need a little work below 100Hz to minimize group delay. None of this impacts the main speakers so that transparency is maintained.

Various AZ cables were added and all have been "cooked". The transformation is remarkable. I've tried other stuff and I wonder why people spend $1,000s. The power cords are LessLoss.

The system power outlets are all Hubbell hospital grade 20 amp jobs on their own lines.

Let's talk about the music. It's thrilling to listen to it. There's not enough time in the day. There's lots of immediacy a trait which I value the most, wonderful tonal color, and the sytem has a terrific sound stage with solid center imaging. Most notably, there's a sweetness and liquidity somewhat like you'll only hear from SET audio systems. Overall balance is perfect, neither warm or bright, but with power and authority.

I listen to all kinds of music, classical, pop, jazz, world, etc. and this system is very musical. I'll miss the Aleph 2s heatsinks that all ran at 125 F but the sound still warms my heart!