Dedicated 2 channel & home theater system

Added Teac Reel to Reel, Vintage JBL Lancer L55 Speakers on custom made maple & acrylic stands, with Mcintosh 1700 receiver.

Oracle Delphi MKII Alphason HR 100-S TONEARM & Benz wood M-2 Cartridge

Linn Sondek Ekos arm, Linn Lingo power supply & Linn Arkiv Cartridge

Empire 208 Turntable & 980 Tonearm with Empire 2000E MKlll Cartridge. Connected to McIntosh 1700 receiver.

Description

I started my audio journey in 1960's working for a stereo store in Los Angeles. Great hobby.

Handcrafted two inch maple shelving.
Maple Custom Amplifier stand 3 inch maple

Spiked using Sound Achor stablizers for Pass Amp.
Audioquest Sky

Used between preamp & amplifier
Audioquest Cheeta

Cables for Linn & Oracle
Kimber Kable Select 1021

Used for Musical Fidelity/DM-25 Transport & Dac Tube Section
Paul Speltz Anti-Cable Level 4 Ref Double Shielded

Used with VPI Classic 3
DH Labs Silver Sonic Air Matrix

Used with CD Transport & D/A Converter/Solid state section/ I listen to records now 85% of the time.
Audioquest Mont Blanc

Reference-level cable. Double Bi- wire.
Kimber Kable Palladian PK-10 Power Cable

Used for my Pass Labs XP-20 Line Stage
Fusion Audio Enchanter Power Cable

Used for my PS Multiwave II
Virtual Dynamics Master Series

Used for my Cary Phono Preamp

Room Details

Dimensions: 18’ × 25’ Large
Ceiling: 8’

Components Toggle details

- Vandersteen 5A's
This is the most complete speaker I've yet to hear. It does everything extraordinary well, from the lowest building rattling bass drum whacks, to the delicate triangle "ting" clearly coming through the whole orchestra playing at their most earnest. This speaker is terribly revealing about all of your upstream components are doing - they must be the highest caliber.

STRENGTH:

Frequency Response

Clarity

Dynamic Shadings
- Vandersteen VSM-Signatures & VCC-1 Center speaker
With its superior capabilities, the VSM-1 excels as a surround speaker in a high-fidelity A/V system. Like all Vandersteen speakers, the VSM-1 is phase-correct.

The VCC-1 is a two-way center-channel speaker built with a time- and phase-correct coaxial woofer/tweeter, and a perfect companion for Vandersteen home theater.
- VPI Classic 3 using Hana ML Cartridge
Michael Fremer quoted: The best the LP should have done was sound as good as the file—assuming the cut was from a hi-rez file to begin with. If it the LP was cut from a 16/44.1k CD master, it shouldn't sound as good as the hi-rez file. But I was listening more for tonal balance than for retrieval of detail. The comparison proved that the Classic 3 was a remarkably neutral, tonally well-balanced combination of turntable and tonearm capable of floating three-dimensional images as well as 'tables costing far more—and, of course, that the vinyl mastering was honest.
- Linn Sondek & Herbie's Way Excellent Turntable Mat ll Linn Sondek LP-12 & Bob's Sky 40 Step-up Transformer
Linn Ekos Tonearm, Linn Arkiv Cartridge, Linn Lingo Power Supply.
Herbie's Way Excellent Turntable Mat ll. Performs outstanding in comparison to the original Linn Mat. Better detail & bass response.
- V.PI. 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
A must have!
- Cary Audio PH-302 Phono Stage
(4) Philips Holland GL7GT Branded Adzam from the early1950's
1972 5RAGYS Rectifier Tube. Takes the Cary to another level. Thanks to Kevin at Upscale Audio.
- Pass Labs XP-20
How does this translate into the sonic fidelity you really care about? Instruments and voice are presented in a more refined soundstage, and with better spectral balance. Fine nuances and details, which frequently go un-noticed, now become beautifully apparent -- even in loud and highly complex musical passages.

PS Audio Multiwave 1+

Used with Pass Labs XP-20 only.
- Arcam & B&K AVP 700 7.1
Preamplifier used in conjunction with my Pass XP-20 For films.

B & K Video 5 Sonata Amplifier

Powers Center & rear channel speakers. Oldie but goodie.
- SVS PC12+
Subwoofer for Home Theater.
- Pass Labs X350.5
Kirk Midtskog
I bought the amplifier from Reno HI-FI from Mark. It's the one Kirk Midtskog used in his review in 2013.

Considerably more than merely good sonic performance. It provides truly compelling listening sessions with your music collection—fatigue-free, imagination-inspiring, emotion-filled listening sessions. Its prodigious power, natural tonal balance, and liquidity impart a solid foundation to even the most demanding music while caressing delicate passages with a silky fine touch. Powerful and non-fatiguing amp.

Comments 3

Showing all comments by bkeske.

View all comments

Nice 5’s, and agree with @tomic601, come over and partake at the Vandersteen forums 👍🏼

bkeske August 07, 2021 22:21

Audiogon

Forum

Bluebook

Merch