This system is a culmination of many years of realizing what I value most in music. With audio, the only way to move forward is to know what you want and then work your way to achieve your goal. With that in mind, every component in this system was chosen to deliver what I value most in music. I strongly believe that the first step in any system is to choose the speaker that delivers what you want, and then choose all upstream electronics to make the speaker work.
The Acapella Violon delivers what I want. The plasma tweeter is simply without equal. It works by ionizing air from a high voltage electrode so that the air is sufficiently energized to erupt into a ball of glowing plasma. The size of the plasma flame is modulated to produce sound. No moving mass, no inertia, no coloration from cone material. This tweeter sounds like nothing. There is no metallic ring like you would get from a metal dome tweeter, and no softness associated with textile tweeters. Sound simply emerges fully formed, the speed and dynamics is unmatched. It just sounds real. This is without doubt the best tweeter technology in the world.
The midrange horn very nearly keeps up with the tweeter. It covers a large range from 500Hz-5kHz with shallow (-6dB/oct) slopes either end. The dynamics from the horn match the tweeter, and it excels in delivering instrumental timbre and loads of inner detail.
The weakness in the system is obviously the woofer. The overall quoted sensitivity is 91dB/W/m, and I am certain that the horn and tweeter were padded back to match the woofer. The drivers are 10", and arranged in a pseudo-isobaric configuration. Strangely, the external woofer is run from the crossover (500Hz, -6dB/oct), but the internal woofer is run directly from the speaker binding posts - i.e. full range. The bass is muddy, sluggish, and there isn't much of it. It obviously sounds disconnected from the horn and tweeter.
Furthermore, the speaker exhibits a wicked impedance curve with 600 Ohms for the tweeter, 8 Ohms for the midrange, and down to 2 Ohms for the woofers. This further exacerbates bass problems when run with valve amps.
I was obviously aware of these problems when I bought the speaker, so why did I choose such an obviously compromised speaker? The answer is - I strongly believe that midrange and treble should be gotten right first. If your midrange and treble are not right, you will spend endless sleepless nights trying to fix a problem which may not be fixable. Bass, in contrast, is relatively easy to fix.
I am about to embark on an adventure to fix the bass on my speaker. The first step is to purchase a solid state amplifier to bi-amp. The next step is to purchase a DEQX to control the phase response and group delay of the individual drivers. After this, I will remove the crossover in the bass unit (converting the speaker to active), and change the woofer to a more suitable driver. Finally, I will build a custom crossover to go before the midrange/tweeter, which will prevent the ADC/DAC stage of the DEQX from contaminating the all-important midrange and treble.
Last but not least, I will return to an analogue source, but such a purchase is still very much on the horizon.
Watch this space.
Previous entry ---
Thanks to AudioGon, I became aware of this speaker. After salivating at some of the nicer Acapella setups here I had to go have a listen. Boy, was I captivated. The most revealing speaker I have ever heard. The plasma tweeter is something else!
I am currently also upgrading from the Cary CAD-805AE to the Cary CAD-211AE, which should allow me to control the Violons a little bit better.
I named this system "Southern Lights" after Eliotswede's Acapella Violon system ("Northern Lights"). After all, i'm in Australia!
-- Old description below --
Years ago I became aware of the sweet combination of Cary amplification and ProAc speakers. It has been my intention for a long time to replicate this system and I finally got the opportunity to build my dream system from scratch.
3 way speaker with plasma tweeter, horn midrange, and conventional woofer. The most astonishingly natural sound I have ever heard. Sounds seem to emanate from thin air, free of distortion and coloration. This picture was taken next to my old ProAc D38's.
Cary Audio Design SLP-05
This is an outstanding preamp with faultless sound. It takes forever for the tubes to run in. The first time I powered it up it was shockingly harsh and unmusical, but this settled down after 24 hours and is now gone.
Cary Audio Design CAD-211AE
110W of push-pull triodes. Incredibly grunty.
Marantz RC-9500 universal remote
The HT and 2 channel systems are tied together with this programmable remote. One press of the button starts a macro which ensures that all the correct settings are chosen.
Acrolink Mexcel 7N-S9000
Simply unbelievable transparency
Acrolink Mexcel 7N-A2070 XLR
Astoundingly transparent. With my last cable I was wondering where the midrange had gone. Well, now it's all back :)
Microseiki BL-99v
Micro-Seiki BL99V turntable with vacuum hold-down.
Lyra Lyra Dorian
Lyra Dorian cartridge
SGR EL30S
SGR EL30S solid state stereo amplifier, 300W. For bass duties only.
JL Audio F110
Pair of JL Audio F110 subwoofers.
DEQX HDP-3 preamp/processor
The DEQX HDP-3 is used to measure the system and will be removed from the loop as soon as development is done.
Hi VN, sorry for the late response. I don't often come to Agon these days.
You are correct, if you get an active external crossover, each channel will have to have its own power amp.
You COULD do what you suggest (pair of Velo DD18's) but really 100Hz is much too high for them. They will go up that high, but they are much happier doing 10-50Hz. At 100Hz they start to become directional.
Hi VN, I would highly doubt if it would be transparent enough above 100Hz to not lose any detail. I would suggest you do what I did - bypass the internal crossover, get an active external crossover (like Marchand), and run the lower frequencies through an inexpensive DSP like Behringer or MiniDSP. Those should have enough resolution to not do any harm to lower frequencies. Higher freqs is a different matter!!
If anyone is interested in pictures of the surgery, here they are.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/92182147 Standard exterior of the bass cabinet of the High Violon
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344562 Front panel removed. To get the front panel off, remove all the Allen bolts on the front except for the bolts holding the driver in. The panel will remain firmly stuck into the cabinet - this is because the driver is glued to the bracing from within. To remove the driver, remove the crossover to gain access to the back of the driver. A sharp tap with a hammer will break the bond and the panel will pop out. Be ready to catch it! The black cloth covers the second internal driver in the High Violon. Note the horizontal bracing behind the front driver - this is what the back of the driver is glued to.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344509 Internal bass driver removed. Note the bolt behind the rear driver to provide support.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/92181955 Picture of the hidden part of the front panel with the standard driver in place.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344563 http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344518 http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344515 http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344521 http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344513 Comparison of the standard and new driver. The standard driver is a SEAS CA 25 ACA, which should cost about $70-80 to buy. Note the stamped basket, small motor, and flimsy spider compared to the new driver.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344565 Because the motor is deeper, some surgery is required. The bracing needs to be cut 40mm to provide clearance for the motor. Don't worry, there is still adequate bracing left to provide stiffness for the cabinet.
http://www.pbase.com/amfibius/image/135344566 The mounting holes do not exactly line up, so the driver was rotated 5 degrees and new mounting holes drilled. Note the temporary duct tape to protect the port at the back of the driver from dust. Remember to remove this before mounting the panel back on the speaker!
Hi Kotjac, I am thinking of removing the padding resistor for the midrange horn! I am not sure how to get at it. I would suspect that it lives in the flange where it slots into the bass cabinet. Would you happen to know?
And yes it did cross my mind that I would be able to get away from the Cary 211 and go back to a SET. A friend of mine has the Yamamoto A-08S which I might be able to borrow if I can improve the efficiency of the midrange horn. The only thing stopping me would be the massive depreciation I would have to swallow when selling my CAD-211's - I bought them new :(
I have finally completed surgery on the bass cabinet and installed a new driver, replacing the standard drivers that came with the Acapella. The work was done by SGR Audio, a speaker design company in Melbourne.
I have always thought that the bass does not suit the character of the midrange horn and tweeter. The bass is noticably heavy, muddy, and flabby - which is in total contrast to the superb articulation of the horn and tweeter. Inspection of the bass cabinet reveals that the cabinet is very solidly made, but the woofer configuration is somewhat unusual. There is an external woofer connected to the crossover, and an internal woofer which runs straight from the binding posts - i.e. running full range.
The first step I took was to buy a pair of subwoofers and use an active crossover to remove all bass frequencies below 80Hz from the bass cabinet. The idea was to minimize woofer excursion and clean up the midbass. This helped tremendously but the problem was still there.
The next step was to purchase a solid state amp and bi-amp the speaker. The improvement was minimal.
After this, the next step was to bypass the internal crossover, disconnect the internal woofer, and connect the SS amp directly to the external driver. This yielded a tremendous improvement, but the problem with the flabby bass was still there.
The only logical next step would be to replace the external woofer with a new speaker driver. SGR Audio had a design for a high efficiency 10" woofer (98dB and 8 Ohm). Installing it required some surgery to the bass cabinet - the support brace at the back had to be cut to provide clearance for the deeper motor of the new driver. New mounting holes had to be drilled in the front baffle, and the hole had to be routed to make way for the thicker basket of the new driver.
The final result has the new driver connected directly to the SS amp with an active crossover upstream. The result is astounding - the midbass is SO MUCH cleaner. There is a certain lightness about the way it goes about its business. It very closely matches the midrange horn and tweeter in speed and tone.
For once, this speaker sings as one without any obvious disconnect between the drivers.
All my major modifications are over. From here on the overall system architecture will remain the same, but my future plans involve refinements to the crossover and amplification. In short - I can be a normal audiophile again and put the speaker engineering hat away.
That's a good idea kotjac, except that the speaker will not sum up to be flat at the crossover point if I did that. Still, it is only a matter of pulling out a plug. I might try that later :)
Hi Kotjac, I used a 48dB/oct slope for all crossover points. The Marchand allows me to do that.
You are correct that the speakers have two woofers in the cabinet, but the second woofer was in a bizarre configuration. As I have mentioned elsewhere, in the default configuration it is connected directly to the speaker binding posts, thus bypassing the crossover and relying on the natural roll-off of the driver. Further, it is mounted at 45 deg, and there is acoustic material muffling the output of the driver. A speaker engineer friend made this discovery, and he could not figure out why the Acapella designers did this.
I have therefore disconnected the interior driver. It is a very easy modification to make - just undo the Allen bolts on top and the crossover pops right off. Find the the cables from both the drivers, and snip them both off. Find the cable that runs to the exterior woofer, and connect that directly to the binding post. Should take you 15 mins per cabinet if you have the right tools!
I can't post measurements on the 'Gon, so perhaps I might do a write-up on another webpage.
Mickep, the JL Audio can be integrated until it is more or less blended - so the crossover point is not measurable, nor is it audible.
FWIW I have just completed a pretty substantial upgrade. I have always had problems with the bass not integrating properly with the midrange horn and tweeter. This is what I have done in steps:
- Use a line level crossover to remove everything below 80Hz and send it to the subwoofer. Everything above 80Hz goes to the Cary amp and the rest of the speaker.
- Purchased a SGR EL30S solid state amp and then bi-amped with the Cary's on top.
- Purchased a Marchand 3-way crossover - 600Hz to Cary (then to horn/tweeter).
- Removed the crossover from the bass cabinet, so the SS amp is hooked up directly to the driver (i.e. active configuration) --> this is my current configuration.
The modifications have made a world of improvement to the coherence of the sound. If you are interested, I could do a more detailed write-up with my measurements and how I tackled the problems.
System edited: System edited - a lot of new hardware added: - Analogue system: Micro-Seiki BL99V turntable, MA505 Mk2 tonearm, Lyra Dorian cartridge, RCM phono stage. - Speakers now bi-amped with Cary CAD-211AE on top, and SGR EL30S solid state amplifier on bottom. - DEQX purchased to help with bi-amping. - A pair of JL Audio F110 subwoofers has been added to the system
Kevin, I have to hang my head in shame. I am using a Behringer CX2310 crossover to remove signal from the main speakers. This means - I have a $100 crossover inserted in the signal path in a system where the cheapest interconnect is $1k. I was hoping that nobody would ask!
I arrived at the 70Hz crossover point by ear. I have software and calibrated equipment to measure the frequency response, but no matter where I set the crossover point I can get nearly flat frequency response. The advantage of the Behringer is that all the settings can be set by tweaking the pot, rather than something like the Marchand where you change the settings by inserting daughter cards.
If I go higher than 70Hz, the bass starts to become directional. If I go lower, the benefits of the subwoofers are not realized as much. It is probably 70Hz +/- 10Hz, my ears aren't that good!
The plan is to replace the Behringer with a Marchand. Or maybe a Bryston. I'm still investigating.
Hi Kevin, thanks for the response. I haven't updated my system in a while, but I have now inserted a pair of JL Audio F110 subwoofers. A crossover sits between the preamp and power amp, and removes all bass below 70Hz from reaching the main speakers. The benefits are many:
- more versatile placement of the subwoofers - increased apparent amplifier power - less cone breakup from the main speakers as the excursions are now lower
It has worked wonders.
I do have acoustic foam. And I am trying to find Floyd Toole's book.
Thanks Jack, you are right - the DEQX will introduce delay of its own. I did not think of that. Thanks to your response, I had to google up some audio delay circuitry, to see whether it would be possible to integrate that into the crossover.
I have evaluated the DEQX several times now, and I can safely report that I DO NOT LIKE what I hear. Against my SACD player, there is a loss of resolution and dynamics, but this is nothing compared to what happens when you put a top flight vinyl system in front of it. The DEQX simply falls way behind. If I say that the performance hit is 10% with my SACD player in front of it, it would be closer to 30% with my friend's vinyl setup (Basis Debut Vac + Vector 4 + Transfiguration Orpheus + ASR Basis Phono). On that system, the DEQX homogenized the sound to the extent that the vinyl source sounded only slightly better than the CD player.
Nevertheless, I had an utterly convincing demonstration on my own system and I know precisely where I would gain, and where I would lose. However being a typical neurotic audiophile I do not want to go backwards in any way, and I especially do NOT want to compromise the midrange/treble resolution that I paid good money for.
At this stage, all I can tell you (as a fellow Acapella Violon owner), is that the midrange/bass crossover is very poorly sorted. There is room for improvement. I don't know if you are happy with your bass or not, but I'm not happy with mine.
Rushbattle, yes I am planning to run the DEQX in the bass only, but I will only do this eventually :) I was lucky enough to have Alan Langford (one of the DEQX developers) come to my house for a demo. He set it up so that it rolled off the midrange sharply at 500Hz and time aligned the mid/tweet to the bass unit. We compared that against the uncorrected midrange. The difference was massive - both the bass and midrange became so much clearer. This has convinced me that the midrange/tweet would benefit from steeper slopes than what it has currently.
My plan is to use the DEQX to find the point and slope for the midrange/tweet, and then make an active crossover to suit - thereby removing the DEQX from the signal path. So yes, your suggestion is a very good one.
Longtime Audiogonners will know that I have been trying hard to fix the bass on my speakers. The chief complaint is that it is muddy, indistinct, sluggish, and there is not much of it. It does not match the incredible articulation of the horn and tweeter. I have tried bi-amping, tried a Paul Speltz autoformer, tried mono-amping with a solid state amp, and (as above) reversed the phase of the bass box. They all help somewhat but does not really alleviate the problem.
I have been fiddling more with this system, and I should report an experience I had recently with a DEQX. For those who don't know, the DEQX is an amazing box of tricks that functions as an active crossover, can correct for phase anomalies, can correct group delay, and can correct for frequency anomalies caused by the room. The catch is that it redigitizes the analogue signal and outputs to multiple DAC's. Of course, you could feed it a straight digital signal via AES/EBU but I am using an SACD source with a view to vinyl in the future, so I was concerned about its analogue performance.
These are the measured frequency responses of each driver:
* Tweeter: High passed at 5kHz, steep crossover (48dB/oct?)
* Midrange horn: Low passed at 5kHz, first order crossover (6dB/oct), high passed at 500Hz, 2nd order crossover (12dB/oct).
* Bass: Low passed at 450Hz, 1st order crossover (6dB/oct).
As you can see from the above slopes, the bass box bleeds significantly into the midrange (it is -6dB at 900Hz), and the midrange horn bleeds into the low bass (-6dB at 375Hz). These are the *measured* crossover slopes (incorporating mechanical and electrical rolloff).
To cut a long story short, we set the DEQX to do the following:
* Profile 1: Midrange horn: High pass at 450Hz, 60dB/oct Linear filter, Bass box: Low pass at 500Hz, 60dB/oct Linear filter. RESULT: obvious and immediate improvement in the bass. Now became much more articulate, individual notes were more defined. Lower piano fundamentals were obvious and no longer murky. However, sound became too thin and lacked body.
* Profile 2: As above, with a 1.5ms Group delay to the midrange/tweeter. RESULT: Immediate improvement in perceived bass speed and overall coherence. Bass was also much fuller and louder. I did not initially understand why and how, so it was explained to me.
* Profile 3: As above, but corrected for room frequency response. RESULT: By this stage, the speaker was far more linear but the high bass and low midrange still sounded thin. This filled out the body by a tremendous amount, and the speaker now sounded natural.
It's not all good news though. The DEQX definitely knocks down overall resolution a notch or two, dynamics and inner detail also suffer. The question is whether the gains offset the losses, particularly when I move to a high end analogue rig.
I should probably clarify that the above experiment was suggested by another audiophile (Mark, are you there) who visited me. One of the benefits of having a community of audiophiles in your town :)
Been experimenting more and more with this system. Because the speakers can be tri-wired, it is possible to change the phase of the midrange driver relative to the bass driver. All you need to do is swap the +/- on the cable that goes to that particular driver.
The results are interesting to say the least. With "recommended" settings, the bass is poorly defined and there isn't much of it. With the +/- swapped across the entire system, the bass improves markedly but the soundstage becomes constricted. My next experiment was to put the bass driver out of phase and wire the midrange in phase. I was expecting to get the bass improvements with preserved soundstage but no - it sounded all disjointed and wrong.
Speakers are back at factory settings. At least it provided me with an evening of free amusement!
Joey I have no idea what kind of amps are best for your Martin Logans as I do not know anyone who has them!
The 805AE's are VERY good value here in Australia thanks to strong AU$ against US$. So it is hardly worthwhile here to get the 805C when the 805AE can be had for a small premium. But for what it's worth - yes I think the 805AE's are better. You have the choice of using 845's or 211's as the output tube which makes a huge difference.
The biggest difference with tube rolling comes from the input 6SN7's, followed by the output tube. Rolling the 300B will yield a difference but not worth the cost. Far more cost effective to change the input and output tubes.
BTW I know you have an SLP-05 as well. You gain the most difference by changing the tubes on the preamp, especially the input tubes.
Hi Joey, thanks for the message :) It is a difficult question you ask, because you have to give something up to get something else (and i'm not just talking about money!!). If you have the speaker for it, the 805AE will keep you perfectly happy but unfortunately those amps do not have enough guts to drive the Acapella's.
The 211AE has a much richer midrange, and more authority from midbass down. The soundstage is noticably wider (but no deeper). Macrodynamics are a huge improvement, although you take a step back with microdynamics.
The 805AE has an amazing top end, so much more liquid and listenable than the 211AE. It also seems more transparent. While the 211AE is no slouch on its own, you only need to listen to the two of them side by side to realize that the 211AE seems to have a slight haze over it.
I will be moving to a bi-amp setup and when I do, I might switch back to the 805AE.
BTW I am planning many changes to the system in the coming months.
Flg2001, it is much less of a problem now that I have moved the speakers even further out since that photo was taken. Also, for critical listening I lean a couple of pieces of acoustic foam on the screen.
Tabl10s mate, when I listen I have a hunting knife to fight off the crocodiles :)
And speaking of dangerous animals ... a surfer got his leg bitten off by a shark a few months ago just a couple of km up the road from where I live.
Just got off the phone with Murali. He recommends: Airtight PC1, Copperhead tonearm, DPS2 turntable, and Einstein phono stage. He felt that the Copperhead arm is superior to the Schroder (yes I know that he is a major shareholder of Continuum, but I have always been impressed by his impartial advice). He thought the Verdier was an excellent t/t as well but cautioned that they are not represented in Australia.
Looks like another trip to Sydney is on the cards!
Thanks once again for your post Aaron, I have taken your advice on board.
Thanks again Aaron for your contribution. At the moment I am undecided between the Schroder and the Continuum Copperhead. They are both roughly the same price but the Copperhead's advantage is that I can actually buy one, and not go on some waiting list!
What do you think of the Audio Research, paired with the Airtight?
Mickep, you are right - just two years ago I was still enjoying the system I bought as a penniless university student. It was getting rather long in the tooth - the speakers were bought in 1993! I finally decided it was time to upgrade, so here I am.
I am still not so sure if my Cary CAD-211AE's are the perfect amp for the Violons. There is nothing wrong per se with the frequency response, it's just that it has a very broad warm sound. I have heard these speakers with Wavac amplification. While the 55W Wavac SET's could not match the low frequency extension of the Cary CAD-211's, the Wavac's had a certain cool refined elegance about the sound. The first time I heard the Wavacs I just had to laugh - it was ridiculously good.
And thank you also for the Kuzma recommendation. I am not sure where to get them in Australia though.
Right now I am looking at getting back into vinyl. Considering the following setup: Verdier Platine, Schroder tonearm, Airtight PC1 cartridge, and Audio Research PH5 phono. Any comments before I go ahead?
Jkalman I think that the importer is Brian Ackerman (who is on AudioGon, can't remember his ID for now). Also, "docsavage" is in FLA. Not sure which part of the USA you're in.
And thanks, Glenhifi. It's coming along nicely.
I have installed some Finite Elemente Ceraballs under the power amps, CD player, and preamp. I liked the Ceraballs under the CDP and pre, but did not like them under the power amps. They thin out the sound and seem to recess the midrange. The trebles become a bit more shrill as a result. So I now have 6 spare Ceraballs ... I put 3 under the DVD player and 3 under the Playstation :) So far I have not yet noticed any improvement in my Gran Turismo times but i'm sure that will come!
Jkalman, did they respond to your email? Managed to find a local dealer? I don't speak a word of German but thanks to Google language tools I can "speak" pretty awful German :)
Jzach, you must have heard my Violons. I bought them from Murali.
Kuzibri, thanks for your suggestion. I have tried bi-amping my speakers, but the results were pretty disappointing. I was hoping for the result to be GREATER than the sum of its parts (since each amplifier has less work to do) - but no.
The result was simply the sum of its parts. It had the bottom end of the CAD-211AE, and the top end of the CAD-805AE. I believe the CAD-211AE has a better overall sound, and I achieved better results by mono-amping with the CAD-211AE.
The CAD-211AE delivers a fuller, richer midrange. The top end of the CAD-805AE is arguably more pure and sweeter, but the 211AE is simply superior everywhere else in the frequency range. I will write more about this in a seperate review to be posted.
Jeff, I could not find an Australian dealer for Acapella on their website either. I used a google machine translation to ask them if they have an Australian dealer. If the English versions of the google translator is anything to go by, they must have had a hearty laugh at the pathetic translation :) They understood enough of my email to point me to a local dealer. And they replied in English.
There are quite a few Americans with Acapella speakers, and quite a few here on AudioGon. If you ever drop by in Melbourne, drop me a line and I will be glad to entertain you for a day :)
System edited: My new Cary CAD-211AE amplifiers arrived today. For the time being I am keeping the CAD-805AE's and will experiment with bi-amping the speakers. The CAD-211AE's are fresh out of the box and have only been running for a couple of hours, but first impressions are WOW! There is the midbass and bass which I have been looking for. Dynamics are massively improved. And the system goes louder without sounding compressed. At the moment the top end is not there, imaging is poor, and bass is flabby. Hopefully these will go away when the amp has had a few more hours in it. Dennis Had, you are a genius!
A few days after I got the speakers up and running, I developed a problem with the left plasma tweeter. It would not fire correctly and the output was much attenuated compared to the "good" tweeter. I made a quick phone call to the dealer who suggested that I change the PL519 valve.
After chatting to a few people here, I was told that there is little point tube rolling the PL519. So I just bought a PL519 from the tube store without caring what brand it was.
It just arrived today. After much swearing, a cut finger, a stripped Allen bolt, and more swearing, I got the plasma tweeter unboxed and stared at the problem. The PL519 was sitting at a slight angle no doubt contributing to the intermittent problems I was having. Also, the tube was smoky in colour. I pulled the tube out and replaced it with the new PL519 and then replaced the tweeters.
WOW! The new tubes definitely make a difference! At the moment they are a little bit forward and eager so I have had to turn down the tweeter pot a little bit. The new tubes are also dead quiet. No doubt the sound will improve once the tubes settle in a little bit.
All you Acapella guys ... you should try tube rolling the PL519. It's painful (and bloody) experience to get into the case but the difference is worth it. Oh, and you need a metric Allen key if you want to get in.
Drajreynolds, I have not upgraded the interconnect yet. Right now I am taking stock of the upgrades I have made. Up till now i've been quite a cable skeptic. The Acrolinks do sound better than my old cables (a pair of $200 Osborn Datalinks) - with better high and low frequency extension - but i'm not sure if the improvement was worth the asking price. I would like to try the Acrolink interconnects as well, but a 5m pair would be very expensive.
Mark, thanks for the offer but I have already ordered my CAD-211AE's. The other problem is that I am in Australia (240V).
Since I mady my last entry I have rearranged the room so the speakers fire down the length of the room. The difference was massive. You know how you sometimes change a cable and struggle to hear a difference? Try rearranging your room sometime. It's not subtle.
Pehare, before I got my 306 I was using the Sony XB-940 which I still have. You can see it sitting on top of the Cary CDP.
Thanks for your suggestion Arthur. I haven't really had time to play with speaker positioning since I got my panels. Before I got the panels, the imaging was definitely better with a large degree of toe in. It might be different with the panels.
These panels are awesome - 50cm wide, 100cm tall, and 9cm thick. They were flock coated in dark blue and have a wonderful lustrous finish. Anyone in Australia (and especially in Melbourne) should consider having these installed - they make a huge difference. Putting one next to your ear is a weird sensation - you hearing in that ear goes down, almost as if the panel is sucking the sound from the air around you.
I need to play around with them a lot more before making any definite conclusions.
