So I figure some of you have to be audio nerds, like me. Let's talk about your rig. I'd like to see pics, as well.
grado gold cart>pro-ject debut III tt>van alstine fet 3 pre-amp>van alstine mos fet series C amp>allison a115 ls
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So I figure some of you have to be audio nerds, like me. Let's talk about your rig. I'd like to see pics, as well.
grado gold cart>pro-ject debut III tt>van alstine fet 3 pre-amp>van alstine mos fet series C amp>allison a115 ls
Joined AA around the time they started explaining how a/c cables are directional,
or maybe it was the wooden cones to hold up equipment.
Of course here we have people who think carbon bikes ride better when unpainted,
so maybe I haven't yet escaped the dept. of magical thinking.
ahhh yes, the wooden cones......yeah, the audiophile realm is filled with a bunch of BS, smoke-and-mirrors, type stuff. Remember the marker for the edge of CDs? C'mon though, some of you have to have nice set-ups. I want to know all about your $1000 cables.
I could’ve sworn there was a thread about this somewhere, but damned if I can find it. So, here’s my story:
I was a serious audiophile during the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Then, all of a sudden I was content with my stuff and stopped obsessively evaluating & buying equipment. So most of my audio equipment is from back then. The only recent changes have been on the video & digital side. I made those changes a little over a year ago when I integrated TV, cable and Internet into my ancient high-end audio system. Here’s what I’ve got:
Analog: VPI HW-19 turntable; Rega RB-300 tonearm; Grado Signature cartridge (and VPI PLC)
Digital: Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray player (CD, DVD, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, etc.); Enlighted Audio Design DSP-7000 outboard converter
Video: Samsung UN40D6400 40” television; Comcast HD cablebox
Radio: Adcom GFT-555 tuner
Control & Power: Audible Illusions Modulus 2D pre-amp; Forte Audio 1A power amp
Speakers: Thiel Audio 1.2 speakers
Everything works together, so I can even do stupid stuff like watch/listen to YouTube through the stereo. I like it a lot.
p.s. I haven't heard the name "Van Alstine" in a long, long time. That dredges up the memories...
p.p.s. I had my audio follies for sure. Who remembers the VPI "magic brick"? I still have it, use it as a bookend.
There is this one...
http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...uff-29086.html
yeah, i dug around for a "stereo setup" thread, but couldn't find one. Frank's business is in the eastern TC area, where I grew up. I was lucky enough to pick up an older pre/amp setup from a customer of mine at the bike shop. Very happy with the equipment. I need to step up my loud speaker game, though. How do you like those Thiels?
I love them. Smooth and neutral. Decent, tight bass. Just on the forgiving side of detailed.
Here's the thing about speakers, though - The room is a integral part of the equation in making them work right: I'd auditioned a lot of speakers in stores before narrowing the choices down to the Thiels and Vandersteen 2Cs (...I'm a little embarrassed at how easily these names & models are flowing back to me...) I really, really liked the Vandersteens in the store. Really. And then I plopped them in my little parlor and they were a muddy mess. The difference between them and the Thiels was ridiculous.
BTW, this was all 20 years ago! I have no idea what Thiel's products are like today.
p.s. A photo from before the video/internet upgrades. The headphones and craptastic DVD player have been retired:
Here's by buget setup:
Attachment 48578Attachment 48579
Its a Rega P3 with a clearaudio aurum classics cartridge. Currently hooked up, but not pictured, is the musical fidelity X-DAC/X-LPS/X-10/X-PSU combo. These feed my homebuilt preamp (a 6DJ8 cascode with white cathode follower) and then my homebuilt poweramp, a single ended job on a board from tubelab. I designed the amp to be super flexible: it has a choice between two B+ voltages, 375 and 480, a variable cathode resistor, and a swtich to choose between triode strapped and ultralinear. It runs everything from old 6L6s to KT90s. I think it might sound best with EL34s, but 6550s also sound very nice.
The speakers are homebuilt as well. It's a quadratic taper quarter wave design (search for metronome) using a single fostex fe127 which, in this case, has been specially treated. They push a very surprising amount of bass (solid down just below 50hz).
I am, however, working a subwoofer into my system. Currently being run with a cheap plate amp and a mini-dsp, It's a tapped horn with a 6" sub. I'll be building a much better amp and analog filter for it... sometime...
Here's my current rig, recently acquired from a friend. MC2300 + C28. I need new speakers, but right now it's pushing my brother's Wharfedales. This thing is amazing.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8...e39ed50d88.jpg
IMG_20121113_234729.jpg by cortezcycles, on Flickr
Turntable not shown - it's a Thorens TD125 Mk II, and there's an Onkyo CD player nearby as well.
i use a 1956 eico hf87, a melos gk1 preamp, a thorens td124, and some homebuilt altec 414 cabinets and crossover with horns when I can.. but a lotta the time, I just rock my little denon ss integrated in the house with some mackie studio monitors, and a 1200 with an at 95e into a lil sumiko phono pre.
then there's the headphone problem.. but lots o' music in the house.
CD Player: Audio Research CD3
Pre-Amp: Audible Illusion Modulus IIc
Amp: Audio Research VT50
Speakers: ProAc Response 2.5
Cables: MIT
Wanted Krells, but never had money for it. Creek integrated amp was the best deal I had ever heard.
Not really an audiophile by any standard, but I enjoy playing around with audio gear. My current system uses a pair homebuilt of single driver back loaded horn/transmission line hybrid speakers, driven by a small Marantz integrated amp from the late 70s. I also have a cheap Chinese tube amp that I enjoy.
i've got nothing. i listen to jam'n 94.5 through a shitty ford radio in my car. kayne's new clique jam is awesome.
Speakers - Sonus Faber Cremona
Turntable - Clearaudio Emotion+Denon 103
Amp (a/v)- Pioneer AX4AVi
Sources - Pioneer DV600; Macbook Air (USB connection), iPod Video 80GB; Sony PS3
I use filter (sort of parametric EQ) generated by DRCoP.
You guys have some cool gear, not that I am surprised.
On a slightly related tangent, anyone know of a cheapish blueray player that does a decent job as a CD source for a two channel audio system? In my experience DVD players vary greatly in this regard, and not always proportional to price-I would expect the same from BR players. Maybe an external DAC would be the way to go-what do you guys think?
Me and some friends had not find differences in the sound coming from a cheap cd/dvd player or from a high-end source. The last time I tried to find any difference, we compared a dCS Verdi versus an old Denon cd player: we failed.
Test 1 & Test 2
Try them in a blind test: if you can't find differences, you'll save a lot of money. :blink1: