Jfrech
IME, its a no brainer between the Triplanar and the Talea. The Triplanar, great arm as it is( I have't sold mine nor do I intend to)is not in the same league as the Talea. Have recently mounted a Lyra Titan i on the Talea and the results are pretty amazing.
Thanks to your recommendation I tried the Full Music 12AX7 in the Nagra VPS. It was clearly superior than the stock EH tube. Unfortunately the tube was a dud with a rumbling thunder like background noise. Have reverted to the stock Nagra tube.
Ideally try and demo the Talea with your Skala...you will be smiling...

sunnyboy1956 July 13, 2011 07:05

Hi, how are you? I saw you posted on a separate thread about your new Thalea arm. Any comments how that compares to your TriPlanar? I've been thinking about this arm also for my Lyra Skala...

jfrech June 23, 2011 13:38

Definitely a 7 - 8 type of thing. I like em better in my Nagra PLL. Clear 10 there. In the phono they seem to have better drive, energy, lower noise floor. Sweeter top end and images seem more fleshy and round. Again, give a few days playing time before you make the call. I got the idea from here :

http://www.tonepublications.com/gear/tj-music-full-music-vacuum-tubes/

jfrech February 06, 2011 13:45

Hi Jfrech, good to hear from you. The HRS Nimbus couplers made a huge difference with my CJ pre amp. I had some stainless steel ball bearings in a cup type of isolation which I now use under the Hydra V power conditioner.The magnitude of improvements was such that I splurged and all my components now have some HRS gizmo. Has it made a similar improvement? I suspect not .
Am really curious about your tube rolling with the VPS. If you were to describe the improvement/difference on a scale of 10, how would rate the changes?

sunnyboy1956 February 06, 2011 05:33

Hi How are you? I'm reading your posts on the TriPlanar vs Talea. Will make a
few comments on that thread. Your system is really evolving. I to have found
the Nagra to be sensitive (like most everything) to placement and isolation. Even
the external power supplies. Looks like you have some of the nimbus plate on
top of your VPS and power supply...any comments? Maybe I should try...

Also, I tried a TJ full music 12ax7 (left the stock 12at7 in) in my Nagra VPS and
a pair in my PLL. Umm Wow. It's worth $110 to try a pair (but just use one in
your VPS !). I never went back to the stock tubes. Takes about 25 hours for
them to break in and sound their best...but right from the start I liked em...

jfrech February 05, 2011 13:22

System edited: Photos have been updated. Added a 2nd REL 505 sub and the system is as good if not better than I ever dreamt it could be.

sunnyboy1956 June 04, 2010 10:48

System edited: System up date with the arrival of the TW Acustic Raven AC1 as a replacement for a 3 year old Michel Orbe. The Triplanar arm and Transfiguration Orpheus L cart have been remounted on the AC with a Mint LP Best protractor. The AC has a little over 20 hours on it. Initially was a wee bit underwhelmed but with a few iso tweaks ie HRS Nimbus couplers under the motor, Stillpoint feet and the HRS Analog disc the AC is beginning to sound like the TT I had dreamt it would be. I also realise what a class act the Michel Orbe is with a wee bit greater top end sparkle/air while the TW has more body and muscle. I guess thats the trade off between a spring bearing design vs a mass loaded one.

sunnyboy1956 May 18, 2010 06:07

System edited: Huge improvement in my vinyl chain after a couple of effective yet expensive iso tweaks. Added a HRS - S1 iso platform under the TT. The TT feet and motor housing rest on Nimbus spacers and couplers which rest on the S-1. Added HRS dampening plates on top of all the other components. The benefits of the dampening plates are at best marginal and barely noticeable.

sunnyboy1956 July 21, 2009 10:24

System edited: System updated. The bulk of these changes took place over several months and for each of them there is an A'gon member deserving thanks. Primarily a vinyl system though the cd playback is no slouch. In my evoving vinyl story Doug Deacon and his Triplanar tips deserve special mention. Have shamelessly copied his advice to great benefit and its time to say a warm thank you. Future directions : concentrate on music as I don't seee any significant upgrades(famous last words) except perhaps for a pair of JL Audio f113 subs. But thats not a priority.

sunnyboy1956 July 20, 2009 11:33

Hi Kiwi
Thanks for looking. I had a pair of ML ODYSSEYS for nearly a year. Loved many things about that holographic magic that only a ESL can produce but I guess I disliked the narrow sweet spot which could change dramatically if you stood up from your listening chair etc.
I auditioned the 2805s but ended up with the 2905s which have better LFE on a/c of larger bass panels etc.
Hmnn...Lets start with weaknesses.They don't play loud by this I mean ear splitting levels. They play loud enough for me and my musical preferences are varied but rock and blues are perennial favorites. I have overcome the obvious bass limitation by adding a REL 505 sub.Another gripe is that I need to vaccuum them at least once a week. Its pretty hot and dusty where I live and this may not apply elsewhere.
The strengths are many : predominantly, IMHO a floor to ceiling and wall to wall soundstage coupled with a holographic magic in the mid range which IME no conventional box speaker with its cross overs can equal.
Have often thought of upgrading but I have yet to come across( admittedly there are many superb speakers that I have yet to hear) something that truly excites me. The Quads with decent tubes and ideally a pair of subs are wow!!
Cheers
PS. The system pics etc need an update. Will try to do so over the weekend.

sunnyboy1956 June 16, 2009 07:04

Nice set up. Out of interest did you audition any other ESL speakers before buying the 2905's? If you were to pick a weakness with these speakers what would it be? Ditto for strength?

kiwi_1282001 June 13, 2009 17:25

Stik:
Many thanks. Your pre/power combo is almost identical to mine. Have heard great things about the CT6. I started with Cardas Cross many years ago and moved to Gold Cross and now to Gold Reference incl ics and all pcs except the Hydra VRay which has a Shunyata top end cable.Yes there are subtle differences in the Cardas line and the more expensive is not necessarily better. I don't have any specific room treatment in place apart from a lot of fabric coverings, carpets and some cork on the back wall. Have not really experimented with too many cable varieties. Did try Nordost Blue ics but found them too lean. Had a similar experience with Transparent pcs.Cables are sooo system dependent that what works for me may be sub optimal in another system.
IMHO the only way to go is a home trial. Try the Cardas Gold Reference and also the Neutral Reference. I may be wrong but the older line up of CJ amps had a sweetish 'tubey 'sound that is missing in the new generation which are perhaps a bit leaner sounding eg CJ LP70S and CT 5/6.
Best of luck.

sunnyboy1956 March 10, 2009 06:58

Very nice setup. I have Quad 988 and conrad-johnsons, but I am not there yet, and looking to upgrade my IC between conrad-johnson CT6 and MV60 (and eventually my Cardas Cross loaner speaker cables from a friend).

I read that Cardas Golden Reference works better in a room that has acoustic treatments, so I purchased Golden Cross IC between my CDP and CT6. What is your experience trying different cables in your system/room? Have you tried Kimber?

stik March 07, 2009 13:16

System edited: Added fresh pics post minor room renovations

sunnyboy1956 August 22, 2008 10:59

System edited: System updated. The Lyra Helikon has made way for the Lyra Skala, the Hydra 6 for the Hydra VRay. Also added a Shunyata Research Anaconda powe chord from the wall outlet to the VRay

sunnyboy1956 August 22, 2008 05:43

Stiltskin,
Thank you for your kind words.
Recently added a REL B2 sub.The 2905s go down to 27hz and have tuned the REL to kick in at 26hz. IOWs there is no overlap or smearing. This is one match made in heaven. Not just PF but Dire Straits and any rock with deep bass sounds divine. Patrica Barber on vinyl and even Jennifer Warnes - The Hunter, which has really deep bass sounds superb.
I guess it doesn't get much better than this : the holographic midrange of an ESL coupled with a deep satifying bass that only a great sub like REL can deliver.
Thanks for looking.
Cheers

sunnyboy1956 July 15, 2008 06:50

Hello Sunnyboy,

Wonderful! system you have put together.

No doubt music through your Quads is fabulous to hear driven by Conrad Johnston electronics.

As a long time Quad owner myself since 1984, I quickly realized their strengths Upton first listening to music through them back in the early 1980s.

Shocking natural sounding timbre with acoustic instruments and life like vocals were immediate with the Quads with good recordings.
I listen to Jazz ,Big Band, folk, Rock and some orchestral.

Through out the years I have always used two different pairs of speakers and electronics depending on my mood for music type.

I still have my Quads and do use them on occasion and just up until recently used a pair of Dynaudio Anniversary Special 25s I bought in 2004 for listening to Rock, Orchestral including some of my Jazz collection and Big Band music for sure.
A beautifully made small musical speaker with a big sound, plays loud and sounds best driven by vacuum tube amps.
A gift at a used price if you come across a pair for sale.
Something to consider for a Pink Floyd fan with Quad speakers.

stiltskin July 12, 2008 14:54

System edited: System edited with pics of the Rega RB 1000 Tonearm and the Gyro SE upgraded to a Gyrodec. Will add pics of the Lyra Skala and REL B1 sub. Cheers

sunnyboy1956 July 09, 2008 05:57

Hi Joey,
Basically, given the climate here(New Delhi,India),dusty, hot and humid, maintaining the MLs was a real pain in the butt. I would vacuum them twice a week. Possibly was also not feeding them enough power. All in all it was not a happy experience. Around this time heard the ML Summits at a dealer in Mumbai and was totally smitten. The ML dealer( had bought the Odyssey from him)refused a trade in. Decided not to deal with him again.Meanwhile the Conrad Johnson dealer in New Delhi(this does get a wee bit curious)offered a trade in for the MLs against a CJ Pre/Power.I jumped at this.
Had heard great things about the Quads and was really surprised that they had a dealer in India...anyway to cut a long story short I was completely bowled over. I have a decent size room : 24'x 15'x10'in which the 2905s made a lot more sense.
The Quads are in a different league compared to the Odyssey.A head to head comparison with the Summits, IMHO, would be close, with the 2905 inching ahead. Everything you love about the Summits is there in the Quads plus I suspect a much much wider sweet spot.According to me thats the one real drawback with the MLs. The Quads have a wall to wall sound stage that extends from floor to ceiling plus the holographic magic that only, again my opinion, a ELS can conjure.
I have recently added a REL B1 sub and this combo is a match made in heaven. Will start a thread on this.
I would not only do it again but strongly urge anyone down this path.
Cheers and thanks for keeping in touch.

sunnyboy1956 July 08, 2008 10:41

Sunny,
I have the ML Summits right now. How would you compare your previous Oddysey with your current 2905? How big of an issue is the bass (or lack of)?

Why did you get the 2905 and not the 2805?

Lastly, would you do the same all over again?

Thanks!

Joey

joey_v May 14, 2008 15:24

Pops
Don't get me wrong.I love my Quads. The point I was trying to make in the context of rock music is that it is extremely enjoyable(to my ears) and deeply satisfying without the deep thud and grunt(poor choice of words!)that a box enclosure can reproduce.Listened to a 20 yr old vinyl copy of Communique on the weekend and believe me it was heaven. Another great thing about the Quads is that they are not too demanding in terms of wpc.
Fabulous speakers without doubt.
Cheers and Happy listening.

sunnyboy1956 November 20, 2007 05:06

Thanks for your kind words Sunnyboy and the info on your outstanding Quads! The ones I heard yesterday were driven by solid state Conrad Johnson preamp and amp. They were cranked pretty loud but I was in a smallish room listening in nearfield. I am definitely interested and will thoroughly check them out but like you I need a little loud rock....like Dire Straits "Telegraph Road"....Oh Man!

pops November 16, 2007 16:04

Pops
Thats an awesome system you have. Love the acrylic look of your TT.For a moment I thought it was from the Clearaudio family.
The new generation of Quads are spectacular speakers.I had a pair of Martin Logans for nearly a year. Loved the holographic sound, superb midrange but maintainence was a real pain in the butt in a fairly dusty enviroment. Had to vaccuum clean the panels twice a week.The progression from the MLs to the Quads was a natural journey.I was completely smitten after a 30 min demo in Mumbai. India,a year back. Eventually got them at a 10% discount to US/UK retail price.
The Quads are not everyones cup of tea. For starters they don't play very loud. Second, while the bass is deep and satisfying it really does't plumb the depths or compare with a 10 inch woofer. I guess its a trade off between the virtues of a dynamic box speaker which does a lot of things incredibly well but falls short of an ELS panel when it comes to a holographic midrange and a huge soundstage with each instrument/voice clearly delineated in its own space. I love the 2905s but sometimes do miss the tight deep bass that some rock recordings demand ie Pink Floyd, Dire Straits etc. May add a sub some day!
Thanks for your kind words.
Chadlintz
Well if it sounds great simply Njoy and don't fix it. Advice I have never followed!!
Cheers and happy listening.

sunnyboy1956 November 16, 2007 06:09

Thanks Sunnyboy, I really think I am geting fantastic sound (believe it or not) with my very carefully set-up combo.....but it could always go up a notch.
My dad has a Scoutmaster with $600 Benz cart, and his pops and ticks are lower then mine but we compete head to head in all other areas, I think my midrange is more forward compared to his.

chadnliz November 15, 2007 21:15

Sunnyboy....tell me about those Quads! I just listened to a pair of 2805's and they are addictive. They are so different than my thiels.

Great looking system...nice job!

pops November 15, 2007 21:00