Hi Mitch,
I'm listening to the Herron VTSP-1A/166 and the Vendetta Research phono stage. The Monbrison looks very interesting; I've read much about it, but never got a chance to hear any of the Shindo gear. When I heard the LL2 in a friends' rig, it didn't pair very well w/his Classe Omega/Eggleston/Wadia system, but that isn't going to help you much.
I won't be able to attend HE, but many members of the Philly Area Audio Group will be there. You really need to meet them sometime. Best,
Spencer

sbank May 07, 2007 23:56

What other linestages are you trying and what phono pre ? I am considering the Shindo Monbrison. I demoed it my system and it sounded outrageously good. I am also considering a Lamm LL2. Finally are you going to the He Show?

aronsss May 07, 2007 02:09

Hi Ozzy,
Well, the K&K did manage to avoid the RFI troubles that I've been fighting. OTOH, it wasn't that great a fit with the rest of the system, so I sold it(quite easily!). For all the positives written about it, compared to the Joules, CAT and Atma-Sphere, the sound in my system had "little meat on the bones", and was tonally on the dry side.

I'm currently auditioning another phono stage of legendary status and another tube linestage. After I get a better handle on things, I'll post about that. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank April 30, 2007 14:20

Spencer,

What was the outcome with the K&K preamp? If you posted it already, I missed it.

Oz

ozzy62 April 29, 2007 12:49

System edited: Added a VH Flavor 2 w/gold Furutechs to try w/my preamp. We'll see how it sounds...

sbank April 28, 2007 23:24

Stltrains,
Thanks, I built that rack with parts from McMaster-Carr, Audiopoints and maple from perfectplank.com. One of the posts above has the whole parts list. If you pursue and have any questions feel free to email me. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank April 17, 2007 00:21

spencer i love that rack you have, i haven't read all of the posts above so if i am double hitting sorry, looks like a samson clone, where did you get your materials,
BTW super fine system,

stltrains April 16, 2007 19:33

Hi Larry,
Bobby sent the woofers to me and I installed them with help from my pal, Badboss429.
They will take a significant amount of play time to break in, and I'm less than halfway there, so not really listening critically yet.
With all the tubes, etc. I'm reluctant to leave the rig on unattended for long periods. At times like these and old receiver would come in handy for burn-in assistance. Will post more later...Best,
Spencer

sbank April 01, 2007 17:05

.
Hi Spencer,
.
Are the MXe woofer upgrades being done by Bobby ?
.
Do you have any intial reactions ?
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello April 01, 2007 13:47

System edited: Recently upgraded to lead-free MXe woofers in my Merlins. Breaking them in now. Also deleted my now dead Omega Mikro power cable. Too expensive to repair, a waste of money IMO. A pathetic value prop. Too bad it sounded so nice while it worked.

sbank March 31, 2007 01:03

Lobnik
Nice room. Too bad it's at YOUR house.

tabl10s March 17, 2007 10:08

Lobnik,
Thanks. You system and room are pretty amazing. You obviously have given great thought to room interaction, and taken some well thought-out steps to get the most from your excellent components. I've always wanted to get a chance to hear the Kuzma airline setup in a great room and system like yours. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank December 25, 2006 16:10

Congratulations. I like your system. Very refined and well considered assortment of eyuipment. Enjoy. Lobnik.

lobnik December 24, 2006 20:18

Hi Chad,
The ring clamp is worthwhile sonically. Is it worth ~$600, I dunno. It eliminates warped records as an issue entirely. As a used record hunter, that's nice. Sonically, it helps mostly with tightening the bass. If you are in a lazy mood, it can be placed on the platter under the record, too. The mass supposedly helps with rotational stability, etc.
The Walker motor controller is great. Lloyd gives trial period & full refund; you've got nothing to lose if you demo it. It comes w/KAB strobe included. My speed is 100% spot on all the time.
The Juice Bar I added simply because I needed the outlets, and a friend had one for sale. Can't really say how good it sounds or not. My gut says it doesn't do much. You are welcome to come by for a listen sometime. Email me offline if you want to arrange something. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank December 19, 2006 17:17

Spencer

Amazing system...a league I hope to attain some years from now. Hopefully you can provide some insite that will aid me on this journey. Three specific questions for you: First, how much of an improvement does the metal ring record clamp provide? I have been enamered with improving my vinyl rig and previously have thought vacum was the only route. Can you comment on what kind of improvements this has made? Secondly, the Walker speed control box is interesting to me...do you feel it has improved your overall PRAT? Lastly, I almost jumped on a PS Audio Juice Bar that you are using. I have all this gear going direct into a Radio Shack power bar...I'm either a genious or a fool...would you say the Juice Bar improved the sound at all? I'm considering it for my digital and analog cords only...amps and pre amp are either going direct to the wall or through a Richard Grey 400s.

Thanks for your thoughts...if you want to take this one off line I understand!

Great to see you Saturday...look forward to the next meet.

Chad

chadlesko December 19, 2006 05:42

Like the new photos, Spence. Things look quite handsome!

rushton October 25, 2006 01:07

System edited: Added photos of new amps, stands, and reconfigured room.

sbank October 25, 2006 00:33

hello Spencer, using black sand violets with great ear pleasure, i gotta put a rack together like you have done, its like you said, priceless for sure, beautiful, and i am willing to bet outstanding for your equipment, mike

stltrains October 21, 2006 15:24

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Spencer,
.
Keep your eyes open on Audiogon for a used BMI Whale Supreme (not a regular whale).
.
They are terrific and when they come up, you should be able to get one for between $ 350.00 and $ 450.00.
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello October 19, 2006 13:51

System edited: Just added a pair of custom made tiger maple amp stands from Timbernation. Also, been rolling tubes in the Atma preamp. Settled on best of what I've heard so far; KenRad 6SN7 drivers paired with Brimar 13D5s for the line stage. Next move will be a power cord upgrade for the preamp. Suggestions? Thinking about a Black Sand Violet w/Oyaide 046s, another Silent Source, or perhaps Omega Micro if I can find one used. Suggestions? Cheers, Spencer

sbank October 18, 2006 18:00

Swampwalker,
Thanks. They are pretty amazing. It's nice to be able to have the room for the monoblocks.
Lately, I've been rolling tubes in the Atma preamp, and finding that it dramatically affects the sonics, moreso than w/other tube preamps that I've used. So far a combo of Ken-Rad 6SN7s and Brimar 12au7s has been the best in my room. Cheers,
Spencer

sbank October 17, 2006 13:46

Spencer- Another convert to Atmas. Excellent!!! i only have room for the m-60s, but I believe that in my room, they are way ahead of the Berning in what i wanted in my system. in some ways they are the intermediary between the berning and the joule amps. Congrats.

swampwalker October 16, 2006 03:32

Hi Larry,

The decision on the ZYX was based on conversations w/Mehran, John Bent at Bent Audio and some audio friends here & elsewhere. Basically, I wanted to avoid adding a stepup tranny, and the .48 version allowed me to do that with the preamp/phono combos that I'd been considering. The Atma-Sphere MP3 allows for a Jensen stepup option (recommended w/carts below .3), but for now I'm okay w/o it.
The MA1s are quite remarkable in many respects. Tonality and transparency especially. I still need to do some tweaking on the preamp side(tubes and power cable) before I make too many comments.

Rushton, thanks for your suggestions! I have Lloyd's amp stands on my wishlist, but doubt that I can swing that right now. Currently I am considering something like Timbernation stands and adding Walker Valid Points on the amps themselves.
Perhaps another Silent Source PC for the preamp, too...Cheers,
Spencer

sbank August 11, 2006 00:14

Spencer, glad to hear the balanced cables all the way through the phono eliminated the RFI problem you were having! As to amp stands, the Walker Audio Prologue Reference Amp Stands were a huge improvement here under the Atma-Sphere MA-2s. The full Valid Points treatment made a material difference over trying to scrimp by without.
.

rushton August 10, 2006 21:21

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Spencer,
.
Glad to hear that you rid your system of the RFI issue.
.
How do you like the ZYX Airy3 cartridge now that you have had some time with it? Why did you decide to get the higher 0.48mv out put in lieu of the lower output ?
.
Is the Atmasphere a large upgrade over the Berning ?
.
Rgds,
Larry
.

cello August 10, 2006 20:15