Description

Married for 20 years and got the Audio Bug about 5 years ago. She wanted AV Surround type crap and I wanted 2-channel. Here is how I made it to 20 and counting.... hopefully. A marriage of the needs of each has netted a basement AV room (16' X 24') that satisfies both parties. Center for me is my favorite amp, JJ Electronics 828. Tried many SS (Jeff Rowland, McIntosh, Bryston)& Tube (Jolida & Antique Sound Lab) but this baby made me feel best. Very warm sounding and suited to my musical tastes of Jazz, Blues & Acoustic. Only a change to Mono's (tubes of course) might tempt me down the road. The Denon CD player will eventually give way to a tube cd player, time & money permitting. For now it runs through the Channel Islands 24 bit DAC, an amazing little piece that really cleans things up. All my gear is connected through Zu Cable's offerings of RCA interconnects and power cords. Speaker wire is Verastarr Ultra Reference with WBT connectors. Video is watched on our 50' Samsung DLP. I used a Denon multi-disc DVD player (replacing the clunky NAD T-571 DVD) and the Marantz 6200 AVR. I connected a Bryston 3B (in mono) for the Center Channel and a Jeff Rowland Model 5 for the front left and right channels (in the shop at the time this picture was taken and being backed up by an old Carver TFM-15 at the moment) through the preouts of the AVR. I had the Angstrom Obbligato line all around for my 5 channel. The Legatos were used for front channel with the Pochettos for the rears. I have replaced them with Totem Acoustic's Rainmaker (fronts) and Lynx (bi-pole di-pole rears) while maintaining Angstrom's Libretto as my center channel. The sound was fine with the Angstroms but just seems a bit fuller with the Totem replacements. I still really like the Angstrom Libretto for my center channel however. 5.1 is completed with a Yamaha sub. It's a bit of a hodge podge collection to be sure but it works in my room, satisfies my wife and kids and allows me to keep my 2-channel setup free of the 5.1 system clutter. Want proof that compromise can result in domestic (and audio) harmony? She even let me pick the art for the room! Any advice on potential improvements would be appreciated.
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Components Toggle details

    • JJ Electronics 828
    JJ 828 Integrated power tube stereo amplifier - Curcuit type: Push-Pull Ultra Linear AB Power output: 70 W RMS each channel full output Frequency response: 20 Hz - 22 000 Hz @ 1 dB Tubes: 8 x KT 88, 2 x ECC 99, 4 x ECC 82 Weight: 75 lbs
    • Angstrom Loudspeakers Obbligato
    Angstrom Obbligato Full Range Speakers. 2mids, 2 tweeters (one is rear firing)and a side firing low freq, drivers for each speaker. The cabinets are hand polished cherry, inlaid with strips of Beechwood, Rosewood and Ebony. They are a very attractive speaker and have a very transparent sound. They are 87 pounds each. The best speaker I have heard under $10k
    • Denon DCM-380
    5-disc changer. A Multilevel Noise Shaping D/A converter fights jitter and helps bring out the subtlest musical details on your CDs. DCM-380 includes 20-bit HDCD® decoding. Reads HDCD discs and the HDCD high-precision digital filter actually improves the sound quality on Red Book discs. It handles CDs, audio CD-Rs and CD-RWs, and long-playing MP3 CDs. The tray rotates both clockwise and counter-clockwise for easy loading and unloading of your discs. Three random play modes and 32-track programming.
    • Channel Islands VDA-1
    The VDA-1 is capable of processing up to 24 bits at 96 KHZ with locking frequencies at 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 KHZ. It was designed with a simple signal path, about 6 inches from input to output, consistent with the designer's philosophy of minimal coloration -- a window on the music. Its output impedance is 100 ohms. The input receiver is a Burr Brown DIR 1701, a low jitter receiver--[lessthansign]50 ps. The signal is then passed to a Burr Brown PCM 1716 DAC and then to a class A biased dual op amp at the analog stage, a Burr Brown 2134. The DAC has as its standard power supply a 14 volt AC wall transformer.
    • Channel Islands VAC-1
    VAC-1, a high current power supply is available at $159. The VAC-1 features a transformer with 2.5 times the current capability of the stock transformer, an IEC socket, some AC filtering, selectable voltage -- 115 or 230 volts and ferrite beads on the output, i.e., input to the DAC. Essentially, this upgrade is a higher current, higher grade, low impedance, and quieter version of the stock unit.
    • Zu Cable Varial
    For $495/pr/m, the Zu Cable Varial is a no-compromise ultra-resolution cable in the so-called neutral class.
    • Zu Cable Bok (1 Meter)
    The new power cable featuring our super cool B3 field geometry, hybrid silver alloy and pure copper conductors, TFEP and XPE dielectric, 100% high magnitude shielding, billet IEC and wall plug and guaranteed performance.
    • Marantz SR-6200
    105w per channel. Processes all the usuals (DTS, Dolby, etc)
    • Jeff Rowland Model 5
    Heavy (110 lbs) and my favourite SS amp. Closest to tube sound I have ever had from a SS amp. 150 watts RMS continuous, 8 ohms
    Power Bandwidth: 0.15 Hz to 250 kHz, -3 dB; THD and Noise: Less than .03%, 1 kHz, 8 ohms, 20 watts
    Less than .075%, 1 kHz, 8 ohms, 60 watts.
    • Bryston 3B
    3B used in mono to power Center Channel
    • Totem Acoustics Rainmaker
    Frequency Response 42 Hz - 20 kHz ± 3 dB
    Impedance 4 ohms minimal
    Sensitivity 87.5 dB/W/m. Maximum sound pressure
    107 dB before dynamic compression
    Minimum Power 20 Watts at 4ohms
    Maximum Power 100 Watts
    Crossover 2.3 kHz 2nd order
    Woofer 5 1/2”.
    Tweeter 1” aluminum dome. Chambered
    Dimensions h 14 x w 6.8 x d 9”
    Weight: 5.8 kg ( approx. 12lbs)
    • Totem Acoustics Lynx
    Specifications Bipole/Dipole
    Frequency Response 45 Hz to 30 kHz
    Impedance 8 ohms
    Sensitivity 88 dB
    Power 20 to 125 W
    Crossover 2.5 kHz 1st order compensated
    Speaker Terminals 4 way bi-wireable
    Bass/Midrange Drivers 2 x 4
    • Angstrom Loudspeakers Libretto
    TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
    Nominal Impedance: 4 ohms
    Operational Frequency Response
    85 Hz - 30 KHz
    Weight: 33.5 lbs
    Dimensions (H x W x D) in.
    7 5/8 x 23 3/8 x 12.0
    • Yamaha YST-SW205
    Features

Comments 2

Owner
Sonus Faber Guarneri's!!! Very nice. I have to admit that I have one of the few wives out there who enjoys good audio. I had to drag her along at first but she is getting to understand my obsession now. Another blessing is that she enjoys football and hockey as much as I do. Downside is she oft times beats me to my seat when the game is on.

Cheers Davey and congrats on the Guarneri's.

canuxican

Canuxican,
WAF is I believe just about impossible. I have just acquired a pair of Sonus Faber Guarneri's..which I think are beautiful. Wife looks at them and says...yeah whatever, another damn speaker.
So, if you can get any compromise, go for it. I am now sure women HATE audio.

daveyf

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