This is a collection of equipment (note how I dont call it a system!), the purpose of which was for me to sample as much as possible prior to settling down to equipment I can use in a final room I am building with Rives. Needless to say, I ended up getting deeper and deeper in this, learning that reviews are typically falwed because (i) reviewers have specific motives, (ii) they dont generally have very good systems, and (iii) no system is perfect and therefore personal preferences matter a lot.
The room is by no means great but it is custom designed and measured. It works quite well, even though these speakers need more room to breathe.
Happy to answer questions about my experience with all this equipment, all of which is quite excellent in its own way. I have some on order which I will add when the time comes.
Other equipment I have owned include:
-Tenor 300hp
-MBL 9011 monos
-MBL 6010D preamp
-VTL 7.5 mk i and ii
-Audio Research Ref 3 preamp
-BAT 75se
-Other
UPDATE: Moved to new room, much more spacious and finally allowing me to sit within the prescribed distance for driver integration. Also, I cleaned up somewhat the amp list: I now use the Wavac 833 mkii (4 box) and for solid state the Class A Gryphon Colosseum Solos. Added to the preamps is the Soulution. All cables are Jorma Prime including an 8m length xlr. Power cords being changed all to Valhalla. Here you also see an attempt to test the continuum turntable through a wavac phono. The sound of the system has ameliorated appreciably and it is now starting to be a system after all. Very happy with it.
I'll leave the heavy lifting to wordsmiths like classicjazz (with whom I wholeheartedly agree) but I would like to comment here that I love Mihalis' thread because it makes an important contribution to the pool of knowledge and experience that I need when considering what equipment I might want to audition. Am I a sitting duck? Perhaps, but I'm a relatively smart bird and don't fly with the flock. Nor, however, do I trust my own very subjective and limited experience as the one true test of what I should try next. I listen to equipment (lots);I listen to friends; I read reviews; and I puruse threads like this one. If the result, as Mihalis suggests, is sometimes extraordinary, then the process is sound. I love this hobby and many (thought not all) of its adherents as well as the professionals who make it possible. There are those who are deluded and deceptive, but I'm pretty confident I am not an easy mark. Could I hear the difference between a $1,000 power cord and stock wire while wearing a blindfold? I have. Can I be fooled by my own expectations? Undoubtedly. That's why I and many others rely on a variety of devices to help us find something approaching the "absolute sound."
Thanks *so* much for the very informative response! It's very helpful. I've not ventured into the server arena, so I know little about it. How does the Kaleidescape actually work? Does the CD part of it work like a transport and the rest of it like any computer harddrive? I apologize in advance for my naivete. Perhaps you could refer me to an article on the subject. I currently use a CEC transport and a Meitner BiDat...updated by John Wright of Museatex..in my price range it's about as good as it gets.
