Tubes meet Transistors

Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 on Skylan SKY-4P20 stands

Description

The love of music and the passion for all things audio started more than 45 years ago. This system delivers on the expectation of communicating music with tone and emotion while providing excellent imaging and sound staging.

The Room: dedicated to audio, second story, frame construction with carpet/pad over wood sub-floor. Excellent (treated) room acoustics and fortunately low mains noise. A Symposium Acoustics Segue ISO platform provides effective isolation for the Rega Planar 8 turntable.

Other Bits:

Symposium Acoustics isolation shelves
Per Madsen record racks
Stable 33.33 Record Transit Platter
Equipment lighting by Reliable
StylusTimer How did we survive all these years without this device?
Herbie's Audio Lab cone/spike decoupling gliders
Walker Audio Resonance Control Discs
HRS MKII Damping Plates
HRS ADL light record weight
Stillpoints Ultra SS isolation footers
Audio Bastion cable supports
Herbie's Audio Lab Grungebuster 1.6mm turntable mat
Aesthetix MC cartridge demagnetizer

Room Details

Dimensions: 18’ × 14’ Medium
Ceiling: 9’

Components Toggle details

- Rega Research Planar 8
Turntable, tonearm and NEO TT speed controller. 12/2024 replaced the NEO with the new NEO TT MK2 50Hz speed controller. It utilizes the same DSP generator found in the Planar 10 power supply.
- Rega Research Ania Pro MC
Low output (.35mV) moving coil phono cartridge
- Sbooster BOTW AC
Substantial power supply powering the Rega Planar 8/NEO MK2. Replacing the diminutive Rega wall wart power supply.
- LFD Audio Mistral Plus
Integrated amplifier. When musically credible performance is valued over anything else.
- Audio Research VSi75
75 w/channel vacuum tube integrated amplifier sharing the same transformers as the ARC Reference 75. Vacuum tube compliment: TungSol KT-120 (4), Electro-Harmonix 6H30Pi Gold Pin (2)
- Linn Linto
MC Phono Preamplifier with an ultra-low noise floor and phenomenal overall performance. Direct coupled precision phono preamplifier that takes the output of the cartridge and transfers it directly to the amplifying transistors. There is no adjustable loading network as Linn believes it is not necessary and only adds to increased noise and wasted signal power.
- Allnic Audio H-1201 MM/MC Phono Preamplifier
Purchased from the great folks at The Music Room. Vacuum tube compliment: Mullard E180CC (4)
- California Audio Labs Delta
CD Transport
- California Audio Labs Sigma II
Vacuum tube (12AX7) 24/96 DAC
- McIntosh MR-71
Vacuum tube FM tuner clad in a McIntosh L12 slant leg cabinet. This particular tuner was late production (second half 1967) and purchased from the great folks at Audio Classics. All service work performed prior to sale was done by the late Richard Modafferi.
- Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 30th Anniversary Edition
Speakers wrapped in eucalyptus veneer. Resting on dedicated Compact 7 TonTrager stands.
- Audio Physic Virgo III
Speakers wrapped in cherry veneer. I've owned these Virgo III's for years. They're extremely balanced and sound staging champions.
- LFD Audio Mains Cable
Power cable providing AC to the LFD Audio Mistral Plus integrated amplifier.
- Audience Studio ONE MP
Power cable feeding AC to the phono preamplifier.
- Audience Au24 SE LP
Power cable
- Shunyata Research Taipan Helix Alpha Power Cable
Power cable feeding AC to CD transport
- Shunyata Research ZiTron Alpha Digital Power Cable
Power cable feeding AC to the DAC
- Black Cat Cable 3202
RCA interconnects created by the gifted Chris Sommovogio. Connecting Linn Linto to LFD Audio Mistral Plus.
- Black Cat Cable Coppertone
RCA interconnects created by the gifted Chris Sommovogio.
- Audience Au24 SX
Copper single crystal (Ohno) speaker cables
- Snake River Audio Boomslang
S/PDIF cable purchased from the great folks at The Music Room.
- Audioquest Niagara 3000
Low-Z Power / Noise Dissipation System
- Audioquest Thunder High (Variable) Current
Power cable feeding AC to the Audioquest Niagra 3000.
- Stillpoints LLC Aperture II
Five acoustic panels in Cherry/Cream that are an absorber, diffusor and resonator. THE most effective and profound acoustical room treatment devices I have purchased in 40 years. Located at the side wall first reflection points and the front wall behind the speakers.
- GIK Acoustics Acoustic Panels
4A Alpha Diffusors, Q7d Diffusors, 4A Alpha Pro Series Bass Trap Diffusor/Absorbers, Gotham Quadratic Diffusor
- ATS Acoustics Tri-Corner Bass Traps
Located in the four wall/ceiling corners. A very simple and effective magnetic system used for mounting.
- VPI Industries 16.5
Vacuum record cleaning machine

Comments 18

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You mention Echo Audio. Does that mean you are from Portland? I have a couple of friends there, and I've been in Echo Audio with them.

Very nice system, enjoy, and stay well.

Dan

islandmandan April 05, 2020 19:15

Audiogon

Forum

Bluebook

Merch

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

Rega Research Planar 8

Rega Research Ania Pro MC

Sbooster BOTW AC

LFD Audio Mistral Plus

Audio Research VSi75

Linn Linto

Allnic Audio H-1201 MM/MC Phono Preamplifier

California Audio Labs Delta

California Audio Labs Sigma II

McIntosh MR-71

Harbeth HL Compact 7ES-3 30th Anniversary Edition

Audio Physic Virgo III

LFD Audio Mains Cable

Audience Studio ONE MP

Audience Au24 SE LP

Shunyata Research Taipan Helix Alpha Power Cable

Shunyata Research ZiTron Alpha Digital Power Cable

Black Cat Cable 3202

Black Cat Cable Coppertone

Audience Au24 SX

Snake River Audio Boomslang

Audioquest Niagara 3000

Audioquest Thunder High (Variable) Current

Stillpoints LLC Aperture II

GIK Acoustics Acoustic Panels

ATS Acoustics Tri-Corner Bass Traps

VPI Industries 16.5

Comments 18

Showing all comments by islandmandan.