I'm a serious musician and audio has been important to me since the 1960s. This system is my third major upgrade in the last 40 years.
You can see that it's important for me to integrate my system into our apartment living space, that I share with my wife of 39-years. It was important for the speakers to be physically attractive as furniture and, most importantly, be very musical.
The analog front end is incredibly revealing. When I'm seriously listening I pull the speakers out to the positions that you see, which was determined using Sumiko's Master Set technolog. Rod Thomson of Soundings set mine for me. Believe it or not, that table to the left is no problem for either imaging or frequency response. The narrow set is defined by that short wall and the opening into the hall and foyer. The image goes out past the speakers and centered vocalists are about 3/4 the way up the armoire in the center and depth goes back to the back wall. You'd be amazed at the bass from this system, particularly given the wonderfully open and textured midrange.
At other times the AKG headphones and incredible Woo Audio amplifier provide a great alternative for listening without moving the furniture around.
The Korg MR1000 is used for live recording and archiving vinyl using 1-bit DSD at 5.6 mHz.
System edited: I replaced my Sumiko Blackbird cartridge with Soundsmith's The Voice Ebony, with .6mV, tracking at 1.4g. Mine's the medium compliance version. I'll try to post a review soon.
No, not satisfactorily, since the 701 demand pretty strong juice. The Ultimate Ears are fantastic with only the iPod and on a par with the AKGs for timbral balance, with slightly stronger bass. I seldom use the UEs at home.
Over at www.head-fi.org lots of people talk about the Grados and most of the Sennheisers work well with just an iPod. Those tend to sound a little thicker in the mids and have a little bass hump, but many people love them.
One other warning about the AKGs, they require a lot of break-in to sound they're best (100-200 hours, IME). I liked mine right out of the box, but the Woo amp is one of the very smoothest around and a great bargain at $545 (spring for the upgraded rectifier in a system as nice as yours). With "ordinary" amplification and average sources many people complain about the AKGs being too etched and lacking bass and needing 300-hours of break in. With your good sources I don't think you're going to have those problems.
A Wilson guy is going to want the "air" and accuracy of the AKGs vs. the slight euphonics of Senn and Grado, IMHO. Upgrading the cord to Cardas was a significant step forward, but not essential to really enjoy the 701s, IME. It's a bit of a pain since it needs to be hard wired, while the Senns and Grados accept plugs.
I also own a set of Audio Technica W5000 cans, which are highly regarded, but not as good as the AKGs, IMHO.
The timbral balance of my headphones and my speakers is very much the same, but I prefer the speakers when I'm allowed to crank them to realistic levels and sit in a good spot for serious listening. The cans are a great substitute for when I can't do that because of others in the house. There's nothing like the pants flapping in the breeze and powerful bass notes slamming into your chest, that you can't get with cans.
The AKGs are semi-open. Occasionally I'be wear the cans while running the speakers at a realistic level. That's an "interesting" mode of operation. It validates for me that the two systems are timbrally consistant. At that point there's so little difference that I just stay with the speakers, preferring not to put hours on the tubes in the Woo.
"I also enjoy listening to my iPod via headphones, I replaced the stock buds with Senn. PX100 headphones though."
For travel I use Ultimate Ear Triple.fi 10 Pro IEMs, straight out of either the iPod Classic 160-gig or my iPhone 16G. At home, now that I've got the Wadia, I route the signal to my Woo Audio WA-6 headphone amp and drive my AKG 701s that have been recabled with Cardas. That's a really sweet set up.
Yes Mapman, I'm in the DAC is VERY important camp with you. I'm really pleased that my Playback Designs allows me to take advantage of its DAC with other inputs.
Good news, I just compared the playback of a track from the CD I downloaded to iTunes this morning, using Lossless with error correction, to the same CD on my Playback Designs MPS-5. I could not distinguish them. The iPod/Wadia combination benefits from the upsampling in the PD, just as much as the internal CD-drive does. I'm VERY pleased with this result.
When I play the same CD through either my Oppo or my modded Pioneer Elite, it's not near as good sounding as the iPod/Wadia/PD trio. In comparison the Oppo and Pioneer are congested and add a layer of glare. This bodes well for my planned server-based system that'll feed into the MPS-5.
I think it's really remarkable considering that I used a POS Dell to make the original transer to Lossless. That CD transport had to cost all of 10-bucks, yet the end result is right there with my expensive one-box CD/SACD player, at least when I run the file through the player's DAC. BTW, when I use the Oppo and Pioneer as CD transports and run their digital signals through the PD MPS-5 I get the same improvement in quality.
Oh yeah, I listened to the file straight from the iPod to my headphones (actually I used the headphones for all my comparisons). It was timbrally accurate, but I lost a lot of air and ambiance cues. The glare wasn't as bad as with the Oppo, but it was there at a low, but tolerable level. Perhaps the error correction routine of iTunes actually is superior to a direct read of a CD with a lesser quality transport. I don't really know why, but the iPod playback is actually slightly superior to playback on the low end CDPs that I own.
That makes you wonder how good iTune's error correction process really is. I think that I got a good transfer on this sample CD. I'll try to carve out some time to compare it via all the sources.
Brianmgrarcom said: "Something to think of Dave, a tip I got from others; rip all songs with error correction turned on, assuming you are using iTunes, as I don't know if others offer this option. This takes longer to rip, quite a bit actually, but I'd rather do it once, and do it right (or best)."
I checked my iTunes Preferences this morning and I DO have error correction set. However, just in case something was amiss in the past, I'll rip something new today and use that for my comparison.
I thought that I had that set, but I'll have to check when I get to the office on Monday. The distortion is so noticeable that I think something like that may be going on. Other tracks seem hunky-dory. I'll see.
Let me know if you're ever back in the area. Given their crummy division, the Broncos may give reason to watch again. We'll see...
I'm going to have to follow up about the Wadia. On shuffle I'm hearing the occasional song that's unfocused and rough, to a small degree, but enough to get my attention. I haven't had time to compare those songs straight from the iPod and straight from the original sources. It's not all songs, so I'm thinking that there may be recording errors with some CDs, but I don't know how to check for that, other than by ear. They were all ripped to Lossless on an inexpensive Dell desktop PC and I've never noticed roughness when listening to the iPod on trips.
Hey Brian. I see snow out your listening room window, but it looks flat outside, so I'm suspecting it's not Colorado. (Of course, you don't need to go too far East of the Rockies to get to the plain here. I look out one side and see 14,000 foot peaks and it's flat as a pancake on the other side). If you ever come to RMAF you could walk to my place.
BTW, I just added a Wadia 170i to my system last night. It sounds pretty good in casual listening. I'll burn it in another 24-hours and compare it to the CD/SACD player. It certainly is convenient and the sound would certainly satisfy 99% of the population. I'll give it the geek review soon.
I love your Mac/Luxman/Wilson combination. I bet it's very sweet sounding.
System edited: A few weeks ago I added a Furman Elite-15 PFi power conditioner and distributor to the system. This is a very impressive and cost effect upgrade that added a lot to the solidity of bass reproduction. The convenience of 13-outlets is what started me looking and Soundings loaned me one to try on a Sunday. I called Monday to say that it wasn't coming back. Dave
The horns and guitars are always out on their stands, staring at me. That gets them some attention. I've got enough rehearsals and gigs that I'm forced to play a lot (mostly trumpet). My playing condition ebbs and flows, but I warmed up with a double-C yesterday, so I can't complain.
System edited: I added two HRS Isolation Bases, one under the Pro-ject RM10 turntable and the other under the Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD player. Both are mounted in an armoire and I expected improvement under the TT even though it was already on a Pro-ject base. Now it's double isolated, with the Pro-ject base and HRS base. The big surprise to me was that the Playback Designs' bass control and clarity in dense, loud scoring also improved pretty dramatically. I used the Finale of Mahler's 1st by the San Francisco Symphony directed by Michael Tilson Thomas on SACD as my comparative tool. I played the system loud through the speakers but listened through my Ultimate Ears Triple-fi 10 Pro IEMs (with 26dB of attentuation) to really focus on the sound and remove the prospect of comb filtering impacting my findings. These are very impressive devices, with a massive polished granite platform, supported by a heavy metal frame and springs tuned to the weight of your equipment. (This tuning is with relatively broad ranges, such as 5 to 25 lbs and 25 to 50 lbs and up to 400 lbs on custom order). Stock sizes range from 14"X19" to 21"X23". The prices vary with the size. Bottom line, they're very attractive and effective. I suspect that if I ever move my equipment out of the armoire that these will be even more important. Dave
I haven't listened to Walsh since the mid-1980s. I'll look around CO for a dealer, but if they're not at the show and I can't drive to a dealer, that'll be a deal breaker for me.
Yes Mapman, I plan to re-investigate the whole waterfront, including horns, electrostics, single-drivers and even Walsh. Fortunately the wife will be out of town for this RMAF and I'll devote three full days to getting almost totally up to date. (The poor setups at shows mean that you can't complete an investigation, but you can at least identify the leads worthy of further study. The truly horrible sounds at prior RMAFs give me slight dread, but it's worth the "work" in the long run).
The great thing about the Rowland is it sounds as good as any tube amp I've ever heard, so if I buy horn speakers I'll just have about 500 extra watts laying around. No harm in that, that I can see.
I love the Baby Grands in my current room; however, I plan to move to a large space with a dedicated music room with space to move up to The Music speakers just coming out from Vienna Acoustics. I'll need to hear them, of course, but that'll happen soon. I expect to make the move in mid 2009.
I love my simple, but purist system. It really works well in all respects.
If you don't already have LPs, I really would only recommend it as a side course, if you have the funds and desire to play with it. I love my LPs, but digital has caught up, IMHO. Still, there's something about taking out the full sized album, pulling the LP out, cleaning it, cleaning the stylus and then playing. The ritual is somehow satisfying and the music ain't bad.
My RM10 is well isolated already, in a two-hundred+ pound armoire, on a two-inch thick solid shelf with the Pro-ject isolation base on top of that. Hence, I think my TT is performing pretty near its potential. I play it with the doors to the armoire shut, which makes a huge difference, particularly at 100dB and above. Still, the HRS platform should be a further, but small incremental step.
Yes, I think you're right, analogue is a great bargain in source equipment, BUT good source software is more expensive by a large degree with LP. I like good surfaces on my LPs and that seldom happens in bargain bins. Also, new artists are hard to find on LP, which is about 80% of my listening.
If I could have only one source, then it'd be the MPS-5. Really, when you consider the quality of it's DAC and the ability to use it with a computer and/or server, then it's incredibly flexible. Source material costs way less in digital and it's improving in huge steps.
If I owned 2000 LPs then I might have a different view, but right now I've got about 800 LPs and 1200 CD/SACDs. Still, until I bought the MPS-5, my new purchases were 2-to-1 analog over digital. I think that gives you some idea how good the MPS-5 is. I think think that I could spend $10,000 on a TT and not have anaolog leap ahead of this system. Read Mike Lavigne's review of the MPS-5, if you haven't. His analog system is mega-bucks and the MPS-5 hangs in there in that tall cotton.
Oh, I just went with the reviews on the HRS. I like the technology and cramed reviews for a few days to see what else caught my eye. I've got a local dealer, but no loaner program. Still, the support of the dealer has been good ( www.audiofederation.com ) so far. They ARE expensive.
You know, no doubt, money's a huge factor. You can get a lot of this at half the cost and it's way, way better than half as good. I spent big bucks on digital because I'd tried several lower cost solutions and just wasn't happy listening to CDs. The MPS-5 totally got rid of listener fatigue and re-opened a huge portion of my library to me.
I went for $10,000 to $30,000 in my system in the last 12-months. I've been very blessed that I can do that with no impact on my budget. (Business has been very, very good). I still want big bang for the buck, but I can now afford what I really want. I wish that all audiophiles had that freedom and I realize that most don't. I didn't for several decades and still immensely enjoyed my various systems over the years.
I have almost no noise at all with the Rowland. When I listen to music at normal levels, say 85dB average or so, when I turn off the source and just put my ear to the tweeter I hear nothing. I have to raise the level 10 dB or so to start hearing anything at the tweeter. You really hear it on the decay of notes, with almost total blackness. BTW, I'm using balanced ICs, but there was no issue when I tried unbalanced. I figured with so much crap in the armoire it was better to play it safe.
I think the PFC converting the power to DC is part of the success of the low noise level in the Rowland, also Rowland's elegantly simple design, with an incredibly well sheild chassis, short signal paths and just high attention to such things. ICEPower demands attention to this to avoid noise getting into other components. Rowland delivers.
The Rowland phono stage is another example of an elegantly simple design that really works. I only had my old Pro-ject TubeBox SE to compare to and the Rowland blows that into the weeds. A friend just got a Rowland Capri pre-amp in June and he reports that the phono stage bettered his Levinson and Sutherland phono-pres. I haven't heard all the best phono-pres, but I'm suspecting this thing is in the top echelon.
The RM10 and MPS-5 are incredibly close. I've stopped buying 45 rpm vinyl and opting for SACD or CD reissues, generally, if that tells you anything. In the last year I spent a lot on 45 rpm jazz reissues because the RM10 was so superior to my prior digital players. The MPS-5 totally voided that and now it depends on the engineering, not the format.
I'll opt for a CD reissue over the initial release, if there's a choice. The differnce between SACD and CD is very small, with the SACDs tending to be slightly more articulate, but not necessarily "better". Part of the MPS-5's success is its upsampling scheme that seems to add a very small touch of bloom to CDs. I'm talking really small here, but when you compare the CD-layer and two-channel SACD layer on the same hybrid SACD, the SACD layer has NO extra bloom. Some will actually prefer the CD-layer. Anyway, the MPS-5 "trick" with CDs is amazingly good sounding. Vinyl and CD are right together now, unless you want to listen to Mahler's 6th at realistic levels, then the either CD or SACD will let you crank without regard to feedback. (Those 100dB plus peaks can challenge my well isolated RM10).
BTW, I've ordered HRS isolation platforms for the RM10 and MPS-5. Hopefully I'll have a report before the end of the month.
Mapman, my friend, like I've said earlier, I think, you really need to hear a modern "purest" system that's been well set up in someone's home to hear what we're talking about. (Most stores do NOT set their demo systems up correctly). That Carver is coloring everything that goes through it. If you lived near me I'd love for you to come over with several of your favorites CDs and LPs. I think you'd clearly hear what we're talking about.
Don't get too enamored with ICE or Class-D per se. There are several good iterations of each, but there are also not-so-brillinat attempts also. You MF will probably do you fine until you're ready to make a big jump up to the top of the heap.
Darn Mapman, too bad you missed Rowland. The new Capri-style preamp and the addition of the PFC and new caps really take the Continuum well beyond the old Concerto. It's "all new" really. Jeff has always done some things with ICEPower that no one else does. Just looking at his chassis you know it's something special, but that chassis is very functional, isolating things from each other internally and within and without the chassis. (ICEPower can generate a lot of RFI/EMI that needs to be contained and as always the amp needs to be isolated from nearby RFI/EFI sources, like CDPs, etc.)
I really think that the Continuum 500 is a tour de force exhibit of all Jeff's best current ideas and an incredible bargain.
Ok, this is second hand, but from a guy that owns an AMR CD-77 and just took delivery of the Playback Designs. He's saying that the bass and mids of the PD is much better in his system.
I suppose if I get in the habit of carrying my MPS-5 around to various sites for "shootouts" the case would be handy. (It might be a powerful psychosomatic tool indeed, rendering opposing CDPs unlistenable). I'm usually a guy that puts it up on the shelf and just listens to it. However, I acknowledge, my life may be changing and somehow the guys at AMR perfectly anticipated it. ;-)
Pierre, forgive me if I just "react" to the AMR. I'm sure it's very good, BUT I see a lot of concessions to "fashion" that are unlikely to payoff in performance. First the shipping case, next all the blue lights, next the top loading drawer (which I hate) and worst of all - those tubes. Also, why isn't the disc bay flat black instead of shiny? Oh, I almost forgot, where are the digital inputs other than USB???? I'm going to use this thing as a DAC and USB is very limiting. At this price there's no excuse for not offering a full set of digital inputs. Of course, one will be better than the others, just say so. (I wish the MPS-5 had HDMI to accept the DSD-out on my Pioneer, although it's got everything else).
What do I like? The hefty output stage, the custom upsampling DAC, solid transport, solid chassis.
As I wrote in an email recently, my tests using my Pioneer DV-58AV as a transport and the MPS-5 as the DAC, I was getting 90% of the "improvement" of the stand-alone MPS-5. That tells me, "The DAC is where it's at." So, despite my negative reactions to many of AMR's choices, I'd say you can't know how it works until you try it. It looks like a high-potential design, despite my quirky objections.
Anyone in the Denver area got one?? I'd love to do some A-Bing. I suspect they're both very good.
Mapman, if you decided to change tacks, then you'd probably do it over a period of a couple of years. I've been very blessed financially lately and found myself able to make a lot of changes in quick order, but in the past I probably would have taken two to three years to make changes like those I've made in the last year.
Keeping the hobby interesting, I still vote for you trying to hear your Cambridge in a more "purist" minimalist system vs. a high-end CDP. I'd be willing to bet that Carver is masking some of the glory of your vinyl and protecting your CDP from full scrutiny. It's entirely valid to leave things that way, but just so you'll know...
Mapman, I think that most of the performance of the MPS-5 is equally spread between the transport, the proprietary DAC and the proprietary firmware. The firmware can extract the most out of the transport and DAC, but it's unlikely to overcome any basic weakness.
I looked at your system and suspect it's very good, BUT you've got lots of "stuff" in it, including a lot of old technology. I think that if you could get a chance to A-B your Cambridge in a "purist" style system with modern speakers, a state of the art electronics, then you'd hear a clear difference. The issue would then be, is it enough difference to push you to change your approach. You're happy now, so it may not make sense for you.
Just for instance, that Carver is going to be a big limiting factor compared to the latest by Rowland, Ayre, DarTZeel and even Mac. It was an incredible bargain at its price point, but a lot has happened in the intervening years. Moving from my old Bryston 1B/2B amp/pre setup to the Rowland Continuum 500 was HUGE. Running balanced, with minimal length, high quality ICs and speaker cables, you'd be amazed at the depth of the silence and richness of the musical signal. The electronic edge disappears and is not replaced by euphonic tube noise, but just pure music.
If there's an audio society in your area, you could probably join and find a member with a "purist", "minimalist" type of system to insert your cambridge in vs. one of these uber CDPs. I think it would be worth the effort. BTW, I think that the Cambridge is really excellent at it's price points.
Yes Pierre, I have been busy. When the Rowland Continuum unexpectedly (for me anyway) hit the market, suddenly there was everything that I ever wanted in an intergrated available right down the street, so I took that plunge. That step revealed the need to upgrade EVERY IC (now totally AP) and laid bare the shortcomings of my CD reproduction (SACD and vinyl were hunky-dory), so then I discovered the PD at a great introductory price and decided to take that plunge.
About the only thing remaining is a bigger listening room and, perhaps, larger speakers. (I'm eyeing VA's Die Musik that I should be able to hear at Soundings and RMAF as soon as they're available).
Yes, the PD will accept firmware updates via USB.
I'd really be up for an A-B of the Emm and PD. Since they're both one-boxers, it'd be easy to get them together if we're near each other (Denver area?). Who knows, we might could swap out for a week. I'd love to hear your Dali 300/REL system. That might just be superior to the 400 MkIIs, which I've had trouble getting complete bass with (over at Soundings). The 300/REL combination may give the best of both worlds.
I think that the PD MPS-5's success is a combination of hardware (particularly the transport and custom DAC) and software. Andreas got the chance to design the piece that he wanted to and incorporated all of his most recent ideas. He and others will probably continue to make improvements, but I really do think he took a big step forward with this design. Comparing it to something he was involved with not too long ago would be very entertaining for both of us.
System edited: I just added a Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD player and upgraded all interconnects to Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval, with balanced from the MPS-5 to the Rowland Continuum 500. I've gained a ton of transparency since I took the first upgrade step of moving to the Vienna Acoustics speakers.
Yes, agreed, the cost does need to come down. Even in our high end products, most of the parts are no longer that expensive. Oppo's shown how inexpensively a "pretty good" piece can be made. My little Korg MR-1000 recorder is amazing at one-thousand bucks, recording 1-bit DSD @5.6MHz. Somebody's going to put together an incredible player for well under $5000 that'll run with my PD or your DSD.
Hopefully hi rez source material will survive. I know it will at my home.
The PD is supposed to ship on Monday. Hopefully that'll put it in the house by next weekend and I'll have over 150-hours on it by the following weekend.
Alas my friend, I have no super hi rez deck to compare it to, other than my vinyl. My modded Pioneer Elite is pretty good, but it shouldn't be able to touch this PD. If it does, then the PD will be going back. Given Mike Lavigne's experience and the resolution of his system and the early report from David Robinson, I don't think that I'll have much to worry about. Also, Mike's friend Ted Smith, an owner of the best Emm rig, gave it high praise.
BTW, the Pioneer will stay in the system as a DVD-A deck and oddball disk player. I'll take its digital-out into the PD's DAC.
I'm wondering if we're not now nearing a topping-out level for digital audio (famous last words). The sampling schemes seem to be finally pushing the limits of audibility. IF, that's a big if, the Playback Design owns any sonic advantage over DCS or Emm now I imagine it'll be shortlived and all will stay clustered together.
Anyway, it was time for me to make a move when I saw Mike Lavigne's review. I really like the one-box setup and the stellar onboard DAC (alas no HDMI input). With AES/EBU it can fill the DAC function in a dedicated music server in the not too distant future.
I'll write a report after I've had it a couple of weeks.
Power Factor Correction has taken the Rowland monos to a new level. I'm told that 501s+PFC gives the 312 a run for it's money.
There's a review of the Playback Design here on A'gon, by Mike Lavigne. Mine's supposed to ship tomorrow or Monday, so I'll be adding my comments in a couple of weeks.
Thanks Chadeffect. Yes, you wouldn't want to say something so clear over in that thread with the tubies, which, after all, is a thread specifically asking for SS pre-amp suggestions.
You reminded me that I need to update my pictures to show my even more revealing and transparent Rowland. I've still got a picture of the C-J. In a week or so I'll be adding a Playback Designs MPS-5 CD/SACD player.
I'll have to seek out Cessaro. Maybe they'll be at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest next October. I'm going to give horns a very serious listen before my next upgrade.
Very interesting Dgad. I'm a musician also and also have trouble loving most horns. I love their dynamic ease but I've yet to hear one without a midrange coloration that made it hard for me to enjoy trumpet and female vocals.
I'm moving to a larger space by summer of 2009 and plan to upgrade my speakers and will reconsider horns one last time. I'm curious to hear about Wilson's new driver when it comes out. I'll probably listen to Wilson, Sonus Faber and Vienna Acoustic's new "The Music". The VAs also have a new midrange driver.
If you find horns that move you away from the Wilsons I'd be very curious to hear about it. The new Spectron amps in mono mode might free up that congestion in you Wilson. Rowland is good, but can't offer you much more power than you now have on tap. As you know, copious power is required to get dynamics speakers to get truly stress free.
Interesting, if I apply those adjustments then it reduces the dip and reduces the steepness of the roll-off below 31.5Hz; however, that's not my meter. Mine is a later version with digital readout.
It's also interesting to read further at that site. He's talking about taking readings outdoors at close range. I'm wondering of what use such readings would be. I'm interested in in-room response at and around the listening position. The guy's advocating the kind of thoughtless testing that we'd expect from Consumer's Union. I wonder if people actually chose their speakers based on such testing.
Those readings were from the listening head-position taken with a Radio Shack SPL meter, set for fast response and C-weighting. I repeated the results once, giving the meter about 5-seconds to settle each time.
System edited: At the request of a sceptic or two, I added a graph of the in-room response from 25hz to 200hz. I used that range because that's what's available on the Stereophile test CD. 20hz is down to 65dB and 1000hz is 87dB. The response is very smooth, averaging 85dB. At 31.5hz the response is a pretty healthy 80dB, but there's a dip down to 72dB at 40 Hz. BTW, my average listening level ranges around 85-87dB, so these measurements should correlate well with my listening experience. It's interesting, this dip is the only serious measured roughness, but it doesn't create a perceived "hole" when listening to music, perhaps because it's so low. Now that I've got 40Hz in my head I'll start listening for it in music. At 50Hz the response is just a couple of dB over the average, reading 87dB. I may do a more involved study in the near future. It's interesting to note that if I move the speakers back two inches the 50Hz reading bumps up over 90dB. The Master Set apparently removed the peaks and really smoothed the lower midrange and upper bass. I was a little reluctant to post this curve because I don't want readers to think that the Master Set is all about frequency response. As much effort goes into minimizing Intermodulation Distortion by properly aligning the speakers in relation to each other and the room. I don't know how to measure IM Distortion, but if someone does know, please let me know. I'm really curious to see that. Still, there's no doubt that avoiding bass nodes and over-emphasis has a big impact on midrange clarity. Before the Master Set, working by myself, I couldn't get both a smooth midrange and a full bass. I ended up sacrificing bass by moving the speakers way out into the room. This is a very common solution, but I think it's really a shame when your system doesn't work to its full potential. Some people like to insert a complex EQ circuit into the system to electronically do what Master Set did with physical placement. I think that's valid, but I've spent a great deal of effort making my system transparent, detailed and stress free and I doubt that inserting any device will add to that transparency. Also, those insertations may not be able to deal with IM Distortion.
No Keith, the armoire is actually integrated into the sonic picture. Apparently it's reinforcing the bass and by pulling the fronts of the speakers past the front of the armoire the imaging and mids are exceptionally coherant.
If you want to know more, read my review of the Sumiko Master Set in the Reviews section of A'gon.
System edited: I plugged the new Jeff Rowland Design Group Continuum 500 into the system. Even with only about 100 hours on the amp, I can tell it's a step up from the Conrad Johnson CA200 that it replaced. I've started a review in the Review section, which I'll complete after it gets a few hundred hours on it.
System edited to replace the fine Oppo universal player with an even finer Pioneer Elite DV-58AV universal player modified by Ric Schultz. This was a big digital upgrade, bringing digital performance in line with analog.
Yes, my problem has been that the DSD solutions I've found have been "pro-level" and, accordingly, very expensive. I ultimately want to store DSD, 24/196, 24/96, Redbook, etc. on a large HD and have a server that will convert and distribute. A PC server would be ok also; however, I'd like a slick interface that even my wife could operate (a BIG IF-ONLY).
We're on the same trail and I think it's going to come to fruition in the next few quarters.
04-08-08: Bigamp said: "I've been looking into this a little more. The Korg records in raw DSD, but only outputs that kind of signal via UBS connector. It looks like the Tascam 1000HD recorder has raw DSD inputs and outputs on BNC connections. If you had a DAC like an Emmlabs dac with a raw DSD input on BNC connectors, you could play back the DSD files from your recorder through the Emmlabs dac on your stereo system. That way, the files are always in DSD format, never downsampled/converted. Just food for thought."
Yes, you're right, it's either analog out or USB. Using the Korg as a player isn't totally bad, but you'd want a better DAC if it were to become your main source.
So the Emm Labs DAC will convert raw DSD? I can move the Korg files via USB to a larger HD easily enough. Can the Emm read a file off a HD with no other intervening device needed, or is something else needed?
Thanks Bigamp. The Korg is way-portable, so I plug it in to any source I want to record, then I carry it over to the computer and plug in via USB to save the files. It comes with a program called Audiogate that then downconverts. Unfortunately it's a slow process to downconvert. Someone using Discwelder Bronze tells me it's also slow. It's as if the conversion is in real time rather that what you'd expect of digital conversion. It takes almost as long to downconvert as to make a live recording.
Other than that issue, now worked around by doing it at night and converting a whole folder, it's pretty slick. (Set the computer not to go into Sleep mode). I use DVD-A in my universal player.
I'm holding off doing wholesale archiving until I can have an upgrade mod of the input/output sections and shielding added.
It's incredibly powerful. Hopefully there's a Sumiko dealer near you that has someone qualified to do this. It's the most dramatic upgrade you can do for a small cost.
12-30-07: Devilboy said: "...Music is my passion in life and my system is a way for me to fuel that passion. I would like to make my system look as visually appealing to my own taste as possible."
I think your system is one of the better looking on this site. Consider a Sumiko Master Set to get the most out of the rig.
Shadorne, your observation about the rear wall vs bass is astute. Yes, the placement relative to that rear wall, the corners of the wall and the hall was hyper-critical. Move a fraction of an inch one way and the bass gets boomy and interferes with the mids, go the other way and you lose a ton of bass. Notice that the right side has an odd protrusion. That was very critical in the placement. With the speakers properly placed, it doesn't matter whether I move that table on the left out of the way or just leave it.
I've written a review of the Sumiko Master Set process because I believe it's so valuable and important. On my own, I'd pulled the speakers much further into the room. I achieve very smooth and coherant mids with wonderful imaging, but I'd given up considerable bass. I'd tried moving back towards the walls, but it muddied the midrange.
My Sumiko consultant, Rod Thomson of Soundings in Colorado, spent an hour and a half optimizing placement as I listened. It was amazing to hear how he first got the bass coherant and well controlled and then moved to the mids and finally the tweaking of the image. I know use a laser line and 1/16" scale rule to get the speakers back into the same spot. (I push them back, in line with the armoire when not listening seriously).
Anyway, I'm extremely happy with this rig and the Sumiko Master Set gets at least half the credit.
