Bryston 3b-sst (pair) to drive midrange and tweeters as part of active setup. Modified by PMC as part of active system
Bryston 7B-SST
Bryston 7B-sst (pair) to drive bass units Modified by PMC as part of active system
PMC MB2-XBD-A
4 way monitor with stands Active - price includes PMC modified amps and crossover
Townshend Seimic sink
TSS stands for speakers and deck.
WNA Custom built
All interconnects, speaker cables and mains cables custom built by WNA. Mains cables include lab grade filters. Compared with and beat nordost reference but only costs 10% of the price.
Bryston 10B
Bryston 10B crossover *2 Modified by PMC as part of active system
Pink Triangle Dacapo II CDP
Integral version of original dacapo and cardinal battery powered dac and transport but updated with 15 years of additional research. Less than a dozen ever made. Uses proprietary discrete dac and filter for a unique sound - never bettered. Built in digital volume control.
Hi Brizonbiovizier: I´m close to buying a newlike SZ-1T Ultimate with linear tracking tonearm from Micro (one of just five units ever made to special order - according to the papers!). If the deal doesn´t fail (price is still VERY high) I´ll invite you to bring whatever tt you like for comparison. I did extensive research during the last few weeks (worldwide) and this one blows EVERYTHING away you throw at it (Walker, Brinkmann, Pluto, Rockport, etc.). If poosible I´ll arrange a test listening with IMAGE Hifi - germans most respected hig-end mag. This one is THAT good - unbelievable - a real pitty that Micro went banckrupt ten years ago..
I have no clue? Might be.. This S4 is one of only a handful S4 with three motors - very nice sounding unit. The guy collects classic tt´s (Audiolabor Konstant, Kenwood L-07D, Nakamichi Dragon-Centrate, Goldmund Reference, Cotter B1, Zarathustra S4, Thorens Prestige, Micro SX 777 FV, Forsell Air Reference and some direct drive units from Onkyo and Yamaha). I´ll ask him to claryfy..
Brizonbiovizier: last weekend I had the chance to listen to three real classics: Zarathustra S4 (ancessor of S7), Micro Seiki SX 777 FV and Goldmund Reference. Let´s say it this way: Goldmund played in a league of its own (by a far margin), followed by SX 777 and S4. In comparison to the S4 the SX offered sheer stability, macro dynamics and detail. The other way round the S4 was better in respect of micro dynamics and rhythm. But it was a pleasure to listen to all of them. Did you have a chance to compare SX 8000 II to S7?
No. But a friend of mine runs since 15 years one of the most acknowledged high-end stores in Germany. He carries for years now: Brinkmann, Boulder, Stax, Spectral, ACapella, Avalon, Ayon, Audio Physic, Simon Yorke, Nagra, Hovland, Einstein, Esoteric, Kef, Magnephan, Martin Logan, Jeff Rowland, Linn, Lavardin, Rocksan, Transrotor, Clearaudio, Audiomeca, Fisher & Fisher, Symphonic Line, Egglestone, Vandersteen, Wadia, Sonus Faber, etc. etc. just to name a few. Every two month we are sitting together to audition the latest in high-end. Probably the new decks can match the vintage ones, but they won´t better them.
The best vintage tables I heard are Micro SX 8000 II, Forsell Air Reference, Thorens Reference and Goldmund Reference - and I bet if the owner realy takes care you´ll a) never will have problems with these units as they are build to last a life time (except the Forsell which is a bit difficult) and b) you won´t find a better sounding tt right now. But I agree that prices for the above mentionned tables are very high and you always have to consider that factory spare parts are no longer available. One of our former clients in Switzerland has build up a remarkable vintage tt collection - all the above mentionned plus: Audiolabor Konstant, Symphonic Line RG 6, Thorens Prestige, Nakamichi Dragon, Kenwood L0-7 D, Cotter B 1, Linn LP-12 and other stuff from Garrad, Onkyo and Yamaha - and he stated that he has never heard better sounding tables than the vintage ones he owns. His two set-ups were a complete Goldmund Reference set-up and a complete Audio Note Kondo set-up - so I bet he knows what he is talking about. For my personal taste I´m quite happy with the performance of my Transrotor Fat Bob.
I´ve listend twice to the Vyger Atlantis. The last time it was connected to the Aesthetix IO-phono stage and AYON Audio 300b mono blocks. All cords were Shunyata´s top-of-the line, speakers were Lumen White White Light Monitors with diamond tweeters. Cartridge was the top Kondo moving coil. VERY very nice and life-like sound. Never compared it to the SX but would be very interesting - probably a strong contendor for the SZ-1T or the Sirius III?
If your dealer want´s to get rid of his SX 8000 II (with the 28kg. stainless steel platter with vacuum sucction and airbearing, 60kg. air suspension base, 20kg. RY-5500 MK II motorblock, the 18kg. external flywheel and the 10kg. AX-10G tonearm rest) please email me, as my dealer is highly interested in exchanging his fully equipped Yorke S7 for such an equipped SX as our demo SX belonged to one of his customers who will never ever sell his SX as he just exchanged it for his VYGER Atlantis which I also preferred to either the Brinkmannand the S7.
Dgad/Brizonbiovizier: I double checked with my local dealer who made the comparison (Micro SX 8000 II vs. Brinkmann LaGrange vs. Simon Yorke S7) together with me as I was not sure about the suspension etc.. He told me that the S7 was fully equipped (with the hydropneumatic stand/suspension system offered by Simon Yorke for the S7) and the Brinkann was put on a special stone (I thought it was granite) but it was something heavy with oil in it - quite freaky). He himself prefers the Brinkmann to the Yorke but again states that the Micro was superior to both in most areas (quiteness, slamm, baseline, dynamics, stability, attack and equal in terms of transparency, detail, musical flow). But for him Simon Yorke and Brinkmann are together with Rocksan TMS, Walker Audio and Rockport the best tt´s currently available. By the way: he throws in the new Transrotor tt´s with magnet bearing and magnet drive.
Brizonbiovizier: try www.my-micro.de (com) this should work. A heated bearing is not a competetive advantage if you use an all air-bearing system. Every (proper) air-bering offers a lower noise floor than any conventional bearing. The big Pluto I´ve heard was a great performer. I heard it with an all Lamm tube reference system connected to Kharma Reference speakers - I heard no weaknesses in the treble area. If you listen to vinyl you should meticulously take care of room design, temperature, wiring and humidity -this effects the sound quality quite heavily as it has got effects on the tracking capability of the stylus. In resepct of the Clearaudio I fully agree with you. Nice to look at but the rest ... No competitor to Brinkmann or Yorke. But the new high efficiency cartridges (Stradivari, Goldfinger are absolutely amazing products). Comming back to top notch classical products: Goldmund Reference tt, Micro SX 8000 II / SZ-1T Ultimate, Thorens Reference/Prestige, Forsell Aire Refernce MK II - they all still represent the absolute state of the art. Tuner wise nothing beats Kenwood L-02 T/ Day Sequerra - both vintage designs. By the way: which system do you use?
Brizonbiovizier: no the guy who owns the high-end-shop is an acquaintance of me and one of the top 10 dealers for state-of-the art audio in Germany. He is very pally with Brinkmann and uses the LaGrange table himself as well as the S 7 so he knows very well how to get the best out of both tt´s. We didn´t put the airtangent on the Brinkmann but the Airline which is an equal level. The point is that the bearing of the Micro is far superior to the Yorke and the Brinkmann´s as well as the 15kg. motor used by Micro. As I´m an airline technichian who deals with bearings etc. the Micro bearing is still the best I ever saw (built exactly like a turbine in a jet). And even Brinkmann will tell you that the design and build quality of MS is unmatched. Another very interesting option (and better as Yorke is the top of the line Pluto tt). You should give it a try as well as Micro SX 8000 II is nearly not available in a mint condition. But for more information you can look at www.my-micro.com Regards, Frankpiet
Brizonbiovizier: sorry, there is a special support table available for Yorke and Brinkmann performs best (according to the Brinkmann dealer)when directly put on a massive Grantie base. It´s really nice how you fight for that product - are you a dealer? If you should ever come along to Germany I´ll try to arrange an audition for you - then everything becomes very obvious.
Brizonbiovizier: the dealer is an absolute analog crazy guy - by the way: if you look at the used prices for a SX 8000 II (US $ 12.000 - 15.000) you can imagine the status of this tt (a yorke you´ll easily get for 7.500,-). The Simon Yorke was used with all the possible stands/tweaks etc. from Yorke. But even equipped with a Graham Phantom the SX 8000 II was WAY better then the Yorke and Brinkmann with various arms due to its superior bearing and design. Nothing comes close to an airbearing with vacuum sucction - the best tt´s ever build have all got this feature (Micro, Forsell, Walker, Rockport). Except of the Rockport I´ve listened to all quite extensively. SX 8000 II is better then Forsell, equal to Walker. Micro SZ-1T Ultimate is even better and probably along side with the Rockport the best tt ever.
Brizonbiovizier: we played around a lot e.g. mount every cartridge on every tonearm involved in the shoutout; exchanged tonearms; used different support bases, airconditionned the room down to 23 degree celsius, etc. The Micro is unbeatable by Brinkmann and Simon Yorke - you can be VERY sure of that as the dealer lost 500,- on that bet (I said the Micro is far better as the tt´s he carries and he said not - we proved (four experienced listeners) that he is wrong and that I was right).
Dgad: it was in the same system(s) at the same day. It depends on which Micro your friend owned. The SX 8000 MK II with the external flywheel and the 28kg. stainless steel platter with air-bearing and vacuum suction is VERY rare and was second to the SZ-1T Ultimate. I would wonder if your friend exchanged that particular one to the Simon Yorke as the differences were HUGE (MUCH more dynamics, MUCH quieter, DEEPEST baseline ever, MUCH deeper and wider soundstage, more detail and transparency).
yes, I did at the dealers private listening room together with the dealer and two other guys.. system 1 was: Boulder 2008, Boulder 1012, Boulder 1060. Speakers were: Avalon Eidolon N Diamond, Audioplan Konzert III, ACapella Violon High and Ayon Audio Seagull Ceramique. System 2: Brinkmann Marconi & Brinkmann Mono´s, Southerland PHD/Ayre P-5xe, speakers as before. Cables were Tara Labs Zero/Omega as well as Acoustic Zen Absolute/Silver Reference II and Shunyata Phoenix/Altair. Power cords: Electraglide Epiphany and Shunyata Anaconda Vx. Micro Seiki was equipped with Kuzma Airline lineartracking tonearm, external flywheel and Temper W. as well as Dynavector DV 507 with Dynavector TeKaitora (2nd base). Brinkmann came with Brinkmann tonearm and Brinkmann EMT system as well as Graham 2.2 with Lyra Titan (2nd base). Simon Yorke came with Simon Yorke tonearm and Jan Allearts top of the line cartridge. The SX 8000 II was FAR ahead of the two. Listening session was one whole saturday (8 hours of intense listening). But to be honest. To own the SX 8000 II equipped like that and in mint condition you´ll have to pay at least US $ 25.000,00. Brinkmann and Simon Yorke ist 2/3 or half the price.
Brizonbiovizier: try to get hold of a vintage Micro Seiki SX 8000 MK II - I´promise you, you´ll throw away either the Brinkmann as well as the Simon Yorke S 7. The Micro betters both by quite a big margin (my local dealer carries both Simon Yorke and Brinkmann as well as Clearaudio, Transrotor, VPI, Linn and Rocksan). He said he never heard vinyl THAT good..
