Just moved back to my loft after a remodel and the system is sounding good. The room is 70 feet long and 22 feet wide with a 22 ft high ceiling. It used to be a beer brewery and they converted the place to lofts. Concrete floors and ceiling.
The Audio Research Reference 3 preamp raised the system to a whole new level. It sounds outstanding.
The home theater portion really cooks....I plan to get the top of the line InFocus projector later this year.
Paste this link into your browser to see more photos of the whole room when the Kappa 9's were my main speakers.
VPI Industries HW-16.5 Record Cleaning Machine. A must-have if you are serious about your vinyl.
Audio Research PH-5 Tube Phono Preamp
Nice phono pre...
Oracle Audio Technologies Delphi
Nice table...I don't play it anymore since I got the Michell. It is beautiful and I keep it for eye candy.
Grado Platinum Cartdridge
Nice cartridge when I played my Oracle. I may try it on my Michell one day.
Audio Research Reference 3 Tube Preamp
Tube Preamp
All of the hype is true about this preamp. Outstanding.
Pass Labs X-600 Solid State Monoblocks
Nice amps. Open and detailed and fast. I'm using four of them, a pair to run the planar columns and a pair to drive the bass.
Infinity IRS BETA Speaker System
This speaker is everything that you've heard about it.
Infinity Kappa 9 Full Range Speaker
Very nice sound..... and good looking too! I use two of them for the rear channels and one for the center channel. These speakers would excel as main speakers in anyones 2 channel rig...they are exceptional as surrounds and center channel.
Signal Cable Premium XLR and RCA Cables
Nice cable...All Signal Cable interconnects throughout the entire system.
Signal Cable Ultra Double Run Speaker Cable
nice cables...used for the front mains and center channel.
Signal Cable Magic Power Cords
I have this power cord on all of my components. Excellent value.
Sansui TU-X1 Tuner
Baddest tuner on the planet.
Radio Shack Antenna FM
Grabs the stations by the throat and puts them in my living room.
Dave (Fabio) Ratcliff Hat Trick Component Feet
Ratcliff sound pucks under the amps, line conditioner and tuner. 18 month wait to get these from Dave.
Carver Silver 9t Monoblocks
I run three of them, one each for the center channel and two rears.
Velodyne DD-18 Subwoofer
Slam bam earthshaker
Optoma UHD35STx Short Throw True 4K UHD Short Throw Projector...that throws an amazing 16 foot wide image.
It is great to have the projector in front of you and not overhead and behind you.
Da-Lite Scenic Roller 16 Foot Wide Movie Screen
Sceen is 12 feet tall and 16 feet wide for a 240 inch diagonal picture.
Marantz AV-7705 Processor
Great on movies...incredible hi-def surround processor.
Sony Sony UBP-X700 4K Ultra HD Home Theater Streaming Blu-Ray Player
Killer player....the images are truly film-like. .
Audio Research DAC-8
Killer DAC
X-Box 360 by Microsoft
Gaming Console...playing a video game on a 12 foot high and 16 foot wide screen in high definition with killer surround sound is an incredibly immersive experience.
NVIDIA Shield Pro video streaming device
This was an incredible upgrade....forget about that Roku and Fire Stick stuff and get one of these as your video streamer.
BlueSound Node
Streaming device
Roon Digital Music Software
Amazing companion to a digital music library...you need this!!
Hi Microstrip. Awesome. Thanks. I'm checking some Ref 3s now. Interestingly, the Ref 5s appear to be going in the second hand market for just a bit more (at times). so, will perhaps hold out a little for a Ref 5. Thanks guys
Thanks Microstip. Your comments are music to my ears, as i really love the warmth of tubes. This is my very first high end system and I hope I can execute well. I intend to purchase a ref 3 in a month or so, but will of course demo before buying. ARC Anniversary...one day, one day. Out of curiosity, are you using a power conditioner? Thanks
Hi all, great link. Mitch, I have a question regarding your comments on the ARC Ref 3 being so much better than the Pass X0.2. I listened to the ARC Anniversary pre (paired with a Boulder SS amp) last week and loved the sound. The detail retrieval was awesome and my Yellowjackets album never sounded better. However, when i switched to a gospel album, the bass/depth was unimpressive and without me saying anything, even the sales guy changed the setting on the Esoteric X1 (i think) to DSD to improve the bass. The issue is that I'm now building a system (Bryston bcd and bda; Pass xono; Parasound JC1; Marantz TT and Revel Salon 1s) and my heart was set on a tube pre (Ref 3). However, now I'm also willing to consider SS (may get a deal on an X0.2), but have never heard it and am thus curious about your own experience and the experience of others here. Thanks.
