This system took me a couple years to complete.Over the years of upgrading I have come to what I would say is my reference system.
My dedicated listening room measures 15'x 22'.With a custom cieling made from MDF frames and then covered with speaker cloth.Doing this gave me the look of a drop ceiling but with the extra height all the way up to the floor joist.Sound treatment is from Aurelex.My speakers are positioned out into the room about 8' and fairly close to the side walls 30"....
The speakers are the Artemis EOS signature W/large bass modules.I heared these in the late 90s and had to own them.With the right gear and of course the right material the sound that these speakers create is spectacular.I have not heared every speaker on the market but from what I did hear these are still one of the best for "imaging"...
As for the amps,the Pass X-600 have the power and control that I was looking for with a touch of warmth.These amps are very dynamic with no sense of strain in anyway(you'll ony strain if you try to move them)...
The Pre-amp is the Pass X-1.It is my latest addition to the system and I'm still trying to put a 'handle on it.As for right now all I can say it is VERY transparent and a great synergy to the amp...
CD player is a Sonic Frontiers CD-1.Since day one I always thought this player gave you a sense of whats happening within the recording,For the money it is a fanastic sounding player...
Cables are all MIT...
To sum up the sound I would have to say it's very "Holographic" with lots of detail...
Greetings! I have recently come into ownership of a pair of Eos Sig speakers, but not the bass modules. I am a bit confused about how to power these babies. In the back of each speaker are the high and low speaker connections for speaker cable, and then I also have two square 6 inch high floor units that have high and low speaker wire attachments for both Amplifier and Speaker.
How do I connect my amp up to this setup? If I want to add a subwoofer, how do I hook that up? I see your picture of the speaker wire connections behind one of the speakers, but it is still not clear to me.
I agree with Aigenga about having 3 metal (the harder, the better) cone spikes between the top speakers and the bass modules (it improves the highs and high-mid dynamics and focus)
Another easy and no-cost upgrade would be to twist each positive and negative "pair" of wires instead of having them hanging individually (and separated from each other).
One note about power conditioners: most so called "line conditioners" because of their "toy" nature actually end up limiting the dynamics of power amps and some of them even "pollute" the audio system power ground by "coupling" the noise from the live and the neutral lines to ground.
Serious, professional power conditioners that actually work, don't limit amp dynamics, greatly improve soundstage while giving the "darkest blacks" while not being very expensive must be sized for the whole room/system. I highly recommend to try the Sola/Heavy-Duty MCR Hardwired Series: http://www.solahevidutysales.com/pdf/powerconditioners/mcr.pdf
The only drawback of these MCR (and all ferro-resonant) power conditioners is that due to their physical design, the units produce some audible noise. However as these must be connected to the facility/home Main Power panel, as long as such panel is not co-located with the sound system, the noise should not be a problem.
Disclaimer: not affiliated with Sola/Heavy-Duty, just a very happy owner of one of their units.
Back in time I worked part time in an ultra high end audio store. We sold the Artemis EOS Sig. One tweak we did that really helped the imaging was to put some damping material between the top speaker and the bass modules. If you haven't tried it, you might use some Blue Tack. That's not what we used, but it should have a similar effect. The Artemis speakers are spectacular in their ability to get a 3D image. We also sold the Venture speakers ... another great speaker in its own right.
Great set-up! I'm a 2-channel man myself, have been sense the mid-1970's. I guess that's what happens when you grow-up with it. I use the PS Audio P-10 regenerator and I can't say enough good things about it. You absolutely do not have to use a computer. I'm like yourself, at this time I don't use a PC in my system. Maybe down the road when high res. digital is the norm, but for me at this time there just isn't enough music available that I like in high res. As far as the P-10 it's really overkill for me. I could have gotten away with the P-3, but I came-across a good deal on a pre-owned. When it comes to firmware updates just like my PS Audio transport and DSD I use the SD card mounted in the rear to transfer updates. Once again, the P-10 does it's job wonderfully without the PC. Happy listening!
I really enjoy looking at and reading about your system. I have has the Artemis Eos 2.1 with the smaller base modules for many years - no intention to change, although a pair of Magico Q5's might be fun. I use Jolida Fusion mono-block tube amps that use 211 tubes and produce 200 watts per channel. I have tried a few other amps and heard faster sound but never as involving as these amps.
I have the speakers connected with NBS cables. One set from amps to low end another set jumping to the mid-range and then AQ bare wire silver/copper jumpers up to the tweeters. I did a lot of trials and this configuration of all solid wires sounds best to my ears.
I have never blown a driver, knock on wood. Best, Gary
I heard these a number of times with and without the bass modules in the mid-90s with some very expensive Gryphon monoblocks and they had one of the most transparent and holographic soundstages I have ever heard, even to this day. The guy at Precision Audio/Video here in SoCal played an Opus 3 Depth of Image LP and the soundstage layering was stunning. You could hear instruments in the back corners behind other instruments. I spent some time looking for these speakers a few years back but I either found them in poor shape and needing work or very expensive. I am sure you still love these speakers if they sound the way I remember.
If you are looking to add some more open/airiness due to a bit of reflection then adding a smooth surface floor at your speaker end will do this. Hardwood would probably be a good choice ( as "natural wood" is certainly "Natural") but be careful what you're wishing for. If you sense that your system seems just a bit too 'damped' or lacking a bit of decay...this would be a step in the right direction. When I was building my [dedicated] room I weighed the ups/downs of different flooring. I have a concrete base which I covered with a product called "Dri core" (avail at Home Depot) then topped it with a vinyl flooring called 'Allure' (also from depot...) I left approximately 1/3 of my room (speaker end) with the Allure and the back (behind my listening chair) also with the Allure ( which amounted to approximately 3' or so). The center part of the room I placed a medium density carpet (above its own [felt-type] padding) and it worked out quite well. In my mind the theory was to let the speaker floor area "breathe" without added absorption as well as the final few feet behind me with the same idea...The In-Between would be somewhat 'tamed' by the carpeting (as well as via the extensive room treatments placed carefully throughout)... It's truly a case of experimentation. As a side note: I actually had 2 additional sections of the carpet cut and bound for me when I bought the main one...I made them each the width of the speakers (about 30" each as I have planars) and the actual length of each as the distance [behind] them to the wall ( I refer to as the front wall); just so I could freely add/remove to compare the sound. I knew I wanted most of the area sans carpet but I also thought it would be interesting to add some just to effect the rear wave (dipole) of the speakers. After auditions with/without I settled on going without the additional 2 pieces as I felt it was a better balance of the aforementioned 'openness' and air... In theory your hardwood should be better than vinyl?...in as much as it is, as I said before, more natural...but will probably add even more of this effect. If you can try something a bit make-shift at first, maybe you can figure out some way?, I can attest that even with a fwd firing dynamic-driver speaker such as yours, there will still be some [possibly promising] effect for you. Good luck and happy Lissn'n
Thanks for the words Lissnr,I'm thinking about putting in a hardwood floor at the speaker end of the room.Not sure how this will change the sound though.Some of the top rooms on Audiogon have this configuration ..For me the room is almost everything in this hobby.also thinking about doing something with the ceiling as a lot of energy is leaking out to the room above.
Tbooe,The PS3 would be all I need ,but it seems very complicated to operate and hookup.I don't use my system with any computer so I don't have the option to do the procedures they talk about in there owners manual ,so I think it wouldn't be for me..It does get great feedback from a lot of users though..
Ground conditioners are the new frontier and the only real way to get real harmonic detail. Good sound reproduction is as good as you 'll get without a ground conditioner. Manufacturer disclaimer.
I absolutely agree conditioners doesn't do good things for the sound. I use the PS Audio AC regenerator. Incredible improvement in sound. As for getting your room freq response measures you can use free software like Room EQ Wizard and a decent mic. Or you can just get an SPL meter and measure the dbs across various freqs to see if your room has any bumps or dips at the listening positioning.
Tabooe,I tried many power conditioners with almost all bad effects to the sound.I have dedicated lines for every component and that seems to make things better but conditioners killed the sound..vibration control is use,I have the 2 blatter seismic sinks on the CD player and the preamp.the sinks are spiked with lead filled pucks under them.Amps are on custom 2" thick granite stands I had made for a local granite shop. I never had the measured though,how did you measure yours?
Spaz, the two things aside from room treatments that improved my system was clean, consistent power and vibration control. Have you had your room measured to obtain it's freq response?
Pettyfeversk,Hard to compare to the Capri,but I can tell you its better then my x1.Its the most transparent preamp I've owned.There is very and I mean very little sonic signature from this preamp.It just gets out of the way.I think it would be perfect match with your amps..
I am also thinking about the Pass XP-20 Preamp and wonder what you like most about it. I currently have the Pass XA100.5 mono blocks and the preamp I am currently using is the Jeff Rowland Capri. Feel free to take a look at my system and I would appreciate any thoughts you might have about the Pass Preamp. you can write me on my system page if you like. Thanks very much. Stephen
After a week or so of settling in,the xp20 sounds even better then when I first got it.Everything sounds much cleaner.The X1 is a great preamp but the xp20 sounds better in my system..
System edited: Made a move with the preamp..The volume control was just not right for me with the x-1.The XP-20 has a lot more adjustments for more precise listening levels.
Spaz. Envious system! I'm in the process of building a music room and considering Eos 2.1 system. I know it's not as complex a version as yours...and those bass modules are huge! Do you still have yours? If so, do you feel they are worth building asystem around with todays loudspeaker technology? I currently use Usher 6381 which are in storage and there are two paris of Eos for sale one with the other without bass modules. Your thoughts on using without modules and maybe adding Rel sub later, since I'm unlikely to find Artemis bass modules at a later date...or the like? I'm in an apartment for the next few months waiting for construction to be completed but I'd hate to lose the opportunity to acquire these speakers if they are really that good. Your thoughts? Appreciate it.
