I recently upgraded to what for some time have been my dream speakers, the incredible Daedalus Audio Ulysses, including the recently introduced all-poly crossover option. I want to thank the many Audiogon members who have posted about this speaker in past threads. It is those posts which led to my becoming aware of the speaker, and ultimately deciding to purchase it. I also want to thank Lou Hinkley, Mr. Daedalus Audio, for participating in the forums at Audiogon, and of course for creating and providing me with these magnificent speakers.
Although their break-in process has barely begun, I feel that I can already say that imho their overall combination of sound quality, dynamic range, bass extension, amplifier friendliness and versatility, efficiency, imaging, elegant appearance and craftsmanship, practicable size and weight, and price, borders on the miraculous. For further commentary on them, see the posts by Jazdoc, Paulfolbrecht, and Jax2 near the end of [url=http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1269555143&openflup&129&4#129]this thread[/url], and
the post by Fig in [url=http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1275949549&openflup&23&4#23]this thread[/url].
Please note that in addition to the following general comments, I have included considerable additional information under the individual component listings above.
I first became interested in high quality audio around 1978. Eventually that led me to explore the world of vintage tube equipment, which in turn led me to discover and intensively pursue a separate hobby as well, antique radio collecting.
During a period of several years during the 1990 s I was able to acquire examples of many of the vintage pieces that are considered to be classics, including most of the early Marantz tube products, among many others. I enjoyed them for a while, and in most cases eventually sold them, in part because of their high monetary value and in part because I did not have the time or the inclination to do the capacitor replacements and other upgrades that would have been necessary to put them in optimal condition. And I would have had very mixed feelings about affecting their originality, as well.
The one piece that to this day I regret selling, though, were the rare and fabulous pair of Marantz 2s I enjoyed during some of those years. They clearly outclassed a pair of the more powerful and more famous Marantz 9s I also owned, although condition may have been a factor in that. A major reason for selling the 2s, though, was that they were not quite powerful enough for the speakers I owned prior to the Ulysses, at least when playing wide dynamic range, well recorded, classical symphony.
The one very early piece that I continue to use in my main system, and that I dont ever anticipate selling, is the legendary 1954 REL Precedent FM tuner. See my further comments on it by clicking its listing above. I use it in conjunction with an H. H. Scott LM35 fm multiplex adapter (the kit version of the model 335), ca. 1961, which decodes the stereo information.
The other pieces in the system represent a mix of vintage and modern, purchased new in some cases and used in others. Some of them are considered to be classics, and deservedly so in my opinion, most notably the Mark Levinson ML-1, which I use as my phono stage (by connecting its tape out jacks to my Classe CP-60 line stage preamp).
I should add that my listening is about 90% classical, a disproportionately large amount of it on labels that are audiophile-oriented or are otherwise high quality, and 10% rock and miscellaneous.
A note on the room: Dimensions are 22L x 13.5W x 8H. The speakers fire along the long dimension, of course. The central part of the rear wall is an opening to another room, so acoustically the length dimension is quite long. The speakers are about 8 feet apart measured driver to driver; the fronts of the speakers are about 4 feet from the front wall. Listening distance is 11 feet (to mid-point between speakers). The speakers are toed in a bit more than half-way between being pointed straight ahead and being pointed directly at the listener. As you can see in the photos, the room is wood-panelled, with wood blinds on the windows that comprise most of the front wall. The Eames chair seen on the left in some of the photos swivels aside for listening, and in that position reduces reflections off of a stone fireplace which is at the center of the left wall. Finally, the two Wassily/Breuer chairs, which are used for listening, are re-positioned during listening sessions so that they are both centered, one in front of the other. If my wife is listening with me, she, being considerably shorter than I am, sits in front.
The price shown ($14,400) reflects the base price of $10,950; optional bases/stands ($600); quartersawn white oak ($900); and the recently introduced all-poly crossover upgrade option ($1950). It is absolutely uncanny how well these speakers match my requirements and preferences, to a degree that as far as I am aware (after having done extensive research prior to my recent purchase decision) no other speaker in existence can match. My requirements and preferences were/are: 1)Top-notch sound quality. 2)Wide dynamic range, specifically the ability to cleanly reproduce the peaks of well-recorded classical symphonic music. 3)Not requiring a high-powered amplifier (e.g., 200W) to do so. 4)Not requiring a subwoofer. 5)Tube-friendly impedance characteristics. 6)Good imaging. 7)Elegant, refined appearance that is a reasonable match to my wood-panelled 1950s living room. 8)A price that is considerably less than that of a new car. I purchased these in the optional quarter-sawn white oak version, btw. Magnificent doesnt begin to do justice to their appearance and build quality.
Valve Amplification Company REN-7070 mkIII
65 watts per channel of 300B, Class A, zero feedback magic. Purchased by me in 2011; I believe it was manufactured about 10 years earlier. The tubes I am using are a new (2011) set of Chinese 300B-98's, purchased from VAC by the previous owner, and vintage Sylvania 6SN7's.
DEQX HDP-5 Digital Preamp/Processor
Digital Preamp/Speaker & Room Correction Processor -- see the "Is DEQX A Game-Changer?" thread for further discussion
DEQX/Earthworks M23 Calibration Kit
Calibrated measurement microphone kit for use with DEQX HDP-5.
Stax Lambda Pro Headphones w/SRM-T1 Tube Amplifier
From the late 1980s. Being electrostatic headphones they nicely complement the dynamic speakers I've had, and help me to sort out room effects or amplifier and speaker-related issues from recording or front-end related things. As well as making it possible to listen when listening via speakers would interfere with my wife's activities.
Herron VTPH-2 Phono Stage
Wonderful sounding, versatile, beautifully engineered phono stage. The many accolades that have been bestowed here and elsewhere on both this phono stage and on Keith Herron as a wonderful person to deal with are more than well deserved.
Bryston BCD-1 CD Player (transport section)
Using it as a transport, with AES/EBU output connected to DEQX.
Sota Sapphire Turntable
Purchased in 1983; still looks and works like new. Built like the proverbial tank. I can literally pound my fist on the plinth during play, with no audible effects whatsoever. Beautiful oak finish.
Magnepan Unitrac-1 Tonearm
Purchased in 1983. Highly regarded and rightly so. Includes in-play adjustability of vta/sra.
Audio Technica AT-ART9 Phono Cartridge
Purchased in 2016. A very nice upgrade, replacing the Grace F9-E variants I had been using for the majority of the past 35 years. Especially notable among the improvements provided by the ART9 are increased detail and better definition in the treble region, and improved dynamics.
Radio Engineering Laboratories Precedent FM Tuner
The legendary REL Precedent FM tuner, designed by former associates of Edwin Armstrong. Mono, with multiplex out jack for connection to external stereo multiplex adapter. From 1954; I purchased it in 1992. Other tuners I've had in my system at one time or another include two Marantz 10B's, a Carver TX11, a McIntosh MR71, and numerous Scott and Fisher units. The REL outperformed all of them sonically (at least in the case of the specific units that I had), and was equalled in station-getting ability only by the 10B. However every now and then it doesn't work properly, I believe due to either a bad diode or capacitor in the detector section. I'm hesitant to start changing parts, though, at least without being certain of exactly which part is the culprit, because I don't want to destroy its originality.
H. H. Scott LM35 Multiplex Adapter
Stereo Multiplex Adapter, used in conjunction with REL Precedent. Kit version of the model 335. Ca. 1961.
Channel Master Roof-Mounted FM Antenna
With rotator.
Tandberg TCD-3004 Cassette Deck
One of the best cassette decks ever made. The 80 or so cassettes in my collection include much of the excellent Connoisseur In Sync series from the 1970's and 1980's. The deck is ca. 1980. I acquired it in the mid-90's.
Logitech Squeezebox Touch
Using it just for Internet radio. A technological marvel given its low price. Too bad it is no longer made.
Nitty Gritty 2.5FiMk2 Record Cleaning Machine
Record Cleaning Machine. Purchased during the 1990's. I used Torumat fluid until it was no longer available; Nitty Gritty Pure2 since.
DB Systems DBP-2JAU/5 Switchbox
Line-level switchbox used to select whether the FM tuner combo or the cassette deck is routed to the DEQX
Audience aR2p Surge Suppressor/Conditioner
This suppressor/conditioner plugs into an outlet of my 20 amp dedicated line. A Wiremold power strip (listed below) plugs into the aR2p and expands its 2 outlets to 10. The Venom Defender surge suppressor/conditioner (listed below) plugs into the power strip, to provide some degree of filtering of noise that may be coupled between components.
This plugs into the Wiremold power strip (listed below) to provide some degree of filtering of noise that may couple between components.
Wiremold UL210BC Power Strip
This well-made power strip expands the 2 outlets of the Audience aR2p surge suppressor/conditioner to 10.
Hammond Power Strip
This plugs into the Wiremold power strip (listed above) to provide additional outlets. It also allows me to switch off the wall wart power supply of the Squeezebox when listening to other sources.
Analysis Plus Toslink Cable
Squeezebox to DEQX, 3 meters
Mogami AES/EBU Cable
Mogami "Gold" AES/EBU Cable, CDP to DEQX, 6 feet
Various Pro-Oriented Interconnects -- Mogami, Pearstone, Comprehensive
Mogami Neglex 2534 quad cable with TecNec RCA connectors (from Markertek.com) between preamp and power amp; Mogami, Pearstone, and Comprehensive (B& H house brand) single-ended ic's for various other analog interconnections.
Vampire Wire Speaker Cable
3 meters, 12 gauge.
Signal Cable Digital Reference Power Cords
One 6 foot cord for the CDP; two 13 foot cords for the VAC dual mono amplifier, which uses two power cords. These are nominally intended for digital components, but the 12 gauge wire they utilize seems adequate for use with the amp as well, and I chose them particularly because of the excellent shielding they provide. In my setup these cords are routed such that they pass fairly close to the phono stage, which presumably increases the importance of their shielding. Also, the fact that the amplifier operates in class A, drawing essentially constant current regardless of the dynamics of the music, presumably lessens the importance of how responsive the cord may be to abrupt changes in demands for current.
Stock Power Cords
Stock cords on all components other than the CDP and the VAC power amplifier.
Adona Multi-Element Isolation Platform
With brass cones. This is used under the Herron phono stage. In addition to being well designed for its purpose, its craftsmanship and beauty make this practically a work of art.
Mapleshade Maple Platform & Isoblocks
4 inch version; used under Power Amp.
Mapleshade Isoblocks
Under Daedalus maple bases.
Sims (Sumiko) Navcom Silencers
Vibration control footers, used under REL Precedent tuner. Ca. 1992.
Planax PX Record Clamp
ca. 1983.
Zerostat 3 Milty
Anti-static gun.
LAST Stylus Cleaner
Stylus cleaner.
20 Amp Dedicated AC Line, New Circuit Breaker Panel & Wiring
New 20 amp dedicated AC line, new circuit breaker panel, new inside and outside wiring to where the utility company's overhead lines attach to the house. All installed in 2010-2011.
For a couple of decades prior to acquiring my Herron VTPH-2 (not 2A) a few years ago I had used the phono section of a vintage Mark Levinson ML-1 preamp as my phono stage, accessing its phono section via the preamp's tape outputs. So I can't comment on how the Herron phono stage compares with other currently available units.
Regarding loading, I tried 1K, 47K, and no loading with the Herron and my AT-ART9. The differences were slight, but I settled on no loading (i.e., on the nearly infinite input impedance the Herron's FET-based LOMC input stage presents to the cartridge when loading plugs are not connected on its rear panel).
I’ve never heard a 30/30, but based on many comments I’ve
seen over the years by owners of that amp I would expect that if it provides
enough power for your application it should sound at least as good as the
70/70, and perhaps better. One reason it
might sound better is that since it has four 300Bs rather than eight there is
less possibility for tube characteristics to be mismatched to a degree that
might be audibly significant.
I should also mention that I’ve been delinquent in updating
my system description. Last year I sold
the 70/70 and replaced it with a solid state Pass XA25, which I’ve been
delighted with. With my speakers, at
least, which have an extremely flat and benign impedance curve, as well as
sensitivity in the upper 90s, it comes amazingly close to the VAC in terms of
dimensionality, imaging, liquidity, and other traditional fortes of high
quality tube amps. It’s a bit less rich sounding than the VAC, but I interpret
that as an increase in accuracy, which is fine as far as I am concerned.
Also, my decision to move on from the 70/70 was driven
mainly by non-sonic factors, including the likelihood of greater reliability in
the years ahead considering the age of the VAC (during my seven years of
ownership the VAC required two trips to the factory for repairs, which were not trivial undertakings given its 100+ pound weight);
the fact that even though both amps operate in class A the XA25 puts only 240
watts of heat into the room compared to what I believe is something like 700
watts for the VAC 70/70; and the cost that would be involved in re-tubing eight
300Bs if and when that were to become necessary.
Johnyb1982, apologies for not noticing your post sooner; I just saw it today. If it still matters, I've never heard the M40.1 and MC275, either singly or as a combo, but I do have some knowledge of their characteristics. And I suspect they would be a suitable pairing.
Jim (Lowrider), thanks for the nice words. I replaced the BrickWall with the Audience conditioner at about the same time as I was making a number of other changes to the system, as described below in my post dated 10-25-2015. So I can't say what difference, if any, the change of conditioners may have made. There was nothing in particular that prompted that change, btw, other than the fact that I had been using the BrickWall for many years and the Cable Company had a special deal at the time on the Audience.
One of the associated changes I made at that time was to purchase and install the Shunyata Venom Defender listed above into the Wiremold Power Strip into which most of the components in the system are plugged, to reduce and hopefully minimize any coupling of noise that might otherwise occur between the power connections of digital and analog components. (The Audience conditioner just has two outlets; the Wiremold plugs into one of them, and provides 10 outlets). But as you'll see in the following paragraphs, the Venom Defender may not even have been necessary.
The only components in the system which contain digital circuitry are the Bryston CDP, the DEQX HDP-5 which serves as my preamp in addition to providing speaker time alignment, room correction, and other functions, and the Squeezebox.
The Squeezebox is just used for non-critical Internet radio listening, and is plugged into a Hammond Power Strip that in turn plugs into the Wiremold power strip. Which allows me to conveniently turn off its wall wart power supply when I am listening to my critical sources (those being phono and CD).
The DEQX is a mixed signal analog and digital component, which in turn connects to nearly everything else in the system, so isolating its power source from one or the other type of component in the system doesn't seem likely to be meaningful. And I suppose doing that might contribute to ground loop issues, given especially that most of the interconnections in the system are unbalanced.
That leaves the CDP, which I'm using just as a transport, with its AES/EBU output connected to a corresponding input of the DEQX. When I'm listening to LPs it is usually in standby mode, and is therefore presumably not coupling any noise into the analog components or the DEQX. And when I'm listening to CDs the coupling path that is potentially relevant would be from the CDP to the power amp. But I've never sensed that to be an issue, and the arrangement seems to work well.
Replaced my Soundsmith-retipped Grace F-9E Ruby moving magnet phono cartridge with an Audio Technica AT-ART9 low output moving coil cartridge. While the Grace F-9E series has to me been so satisfactory that I have used it in various incarnations for most of the past 35 years, the ART9 has proven to be a very worthwhile upgrade. Especially notable among the
improvements it has provided are increased detail and better
definition in the treble region, and improved dynamics.
Bill (Brownsfan) and Barry, a very belated thank you for your kind comments below.
Dan and Needfreestuff, thanks so much for your very gracious comments! Always a pleasure to discuss audio with sincere and gentlemanly class acts such as yourselves.
Ive just made several changes to the system, described below. Ill update the photos at a later date.
1)Replaced my previous phono stage (the phono section of a vintage Mark Levinson ML-1 preamp, accessed via its tape outputs) with a brand new Herron VTPH-2. Quick initial impressions, using it with my Soundsmith re-tipped vintage Grace F-9E moving magnet cartridge, are that the many accolades and almost unanimous praise this phono stage has received here and elsewhere are more than well deserved. And I can say with total assurance at this point that all of the very positive things that have been said about how wonderful Keith Herron is to deal with could not be more true.
2)Added an Adona Multi-Element Isolation Platform with brass cones for the Herron to rest on. In addition to being well designed for its purpose, its craftsmanship and beauty make this practically a work of art. Paul at Adona was very good to deal with as well.
3)Replaced my BrickWall surge suppressor/line conditioner with a combination of an Audience aR2p, a Shunyata Venom Defender, and a Wiremold UL210BC power strip. The aR2p surge suppressor/conditioner plugs into an outlet of my 20 amp dedicated line. The Wiremold power strip plugs into the aR2p and expands its 2 outlets to 10. The Venom Defender surge suppressor/conditioner plugs into the power strip, to provide some degree of filtering of noise that may be coupled between components. I also have a Hammond power strip plugged into the Wiremold, which provides some additional outlets but also allows me to switch off the wall wart power supply of the Squeezebox when listening to other sources. I havent noticed any adverse effects of the wall wart on the sonics of other sources, but switching it off for critical listening to other sources seems like good practice.
4)Replaced the stock power cords of my VAC amplifier with Signal Cable MagicPower Digital Reference cords. These are nominally intended for digital components, but the 12 gauge wire they utilize seems adequate for this purpose, and I chose them particularly because of the excellent shielding they provide. In my setup these cords are routed such that they pass fairly close to the phono stage, which presumably increases the importance of their shielding. Also, the fact that the amplifier operates in class A, drawing essentially constant current regardless of the dynamics of the music, presumably lessens the importance of how responsive the cord may be to abrupt changes in demands for current.
Great to see you here, and thanks for your comments, which of course I always value highly! Regarding the PS Audio power regenerators, given the large current draw of my amp (which is indicated as 1,000 watts in the manual, although I suspect it may be somewhat less than that), and the multitude of components in the system, if I were to go with a regenerator I would probably want the P10, which costs $5K. And in the case of a power regenerator I don't think I'd feel fully comfortable buying used. Also, the many anecdotal reports I've seen over the years about these and other regenerators seem to be divided as to whether they do more good than harm, which leads me to conclude that the benefit they may provide is system dependent and therefore not entirely predictable. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, there would be no reasonable place to put it in my living room setup :-)
In a few minutes, btw, I'll be posting an update about the latest changes to the system, some of which I've mentioned to you.
Replaced Classe CP-60 Preamplifier with DEQX HDP-5 Digital Preamp/Speaker & Room Correction Processor. Implemented various associated interconnection changes, including connecting my CDP and Squeezebox to the DEQX digitally, rather than utilizing their internal DACs and analog outputs. I will be posting updates on my experiences with the DEQX in the "Is DEQX A Game-Changer?" thread.
Cdk, thanks so much for your exceptionally eloquent comments. The adjectives you used, especially "articulate" and "gracious," certainly apply to your words as well. And also "informed," as evidenced in part by your comments about the chairs.
Glad I was able to be helpful in your threads. And all the best in your audio (and other) endeavors.
Michaela, Milpai, Albert, thank you kindly for the very nice comments.
Milpai, I have everything plugged into the BrickWall line filter/surge protector. I see that you use one also, btw; great minds think alike :-)
Due to the multitude of source components I have, as well as my headphone amp, I have more power plugs than the BrickWall can accommodate. So I plug some of the less critical things into a good quality Hammond power strip, which in turn plugs into the BrickWall.
Obviously protection against lightning-induced or other power surges is one reason I have chosen to have everything powered via the BrickWall. Another consideration is that my amplifier operates in class A, so its AC current draw does not fluctuate significantly with the dynamics of the music, as it would with a class AB or class D amp. I suspect that is a major reason the BrickWall doesn't seem to have any adverse effects on the sonics of my amp, in contrast to a few less than positive experiences with it that I've seen reported. Also, the noise filtering the BrickWall provides between duplex outlets presumably helps against the possibility of amplifier generated noise being coupled to other components.
Those are also reasons why I haven't installed a second dedicated line, as many here do. An additional reason being that having interconnected components powered via separate runs can sometimes contribute to ground loop issues, depending on the internal grounding scheme of the components and on the nature of the AC wiring. Especially if the interconnections are unbalanced, as they are between my preamp and power amp.
Re "the nature of the AC wiring" and ground loops, you may find pages 31 to 35 of this paper, which member Jea48 (Jim) had called attention to here a while back, to be informative and perhaps relevant to your new installation. I'm using 12/2 NM-B (Romex), btw, the run being about 35 feet from breaker to outlet.
One final point, which factored into my choice of the BrickWall rather than more exotic and expensive forms of power conditioning: My area is almost entirely low density residential, with no industry and almost no commercial development, so presumably the power quality here is relatively good.
Regarding your question, while I certainly believe that cables can make a significant difference (and I have said so in many prior threads), I also believe that for many reasons a high degree of correlation between cable price and cable performance should not be expected. I described some of those reasons in this post in a past thread.
One consequence of those beliefs is that I do not subscribe to the rule-of-thumb guidelines that are sometimes cited in relation to cable costs, such as that they should be approximately 10% or so of total system cost.
Now, could I realize significant improvement in the performance of my system by investing much greater amounts of money in cables? Certainly. But my degree of satisfaction with the system as it stands, my expectation of the degree of further improvement that an investment of major amounts of money in cables may provide, and my expectation of the amount of time that would be necessary to find the right synergies, are such that it doesn't seem likely to be worth it, to me.
Other opinions and preferences will certainly differ in many cases, of course, and that's fine too.
Dan, thanks very much for your comment. I always enjoy reading your invariably gracious, sincere, and informative comments.
Bruce, glad the problem seems to be on the road to recovery now. I started seeing the ENT doctor annually about 10 years ago, when I started having some major difficulty hearing in one ear. He removed a very large amount of wax from that ear, which sounds just like what you are describing. That fixed the hearing issue instantly and completely (in my case there was no infection involved). Remarkably, he indicated that the other ear had no wax at all.
He indicated that in his many years of experience (he's in his 60's) there seems to be no predictability or consistency to wax buildup, not even consistency from one year to the next for a given person, or from one ear to the other.
Thanks for your comments, gentlemen (and other) :-)
Windfall66, thanks. Youre comment drew some chuckles from me and my wife. As you may have noticed, the Wassily chairs and the Eames chair were the subject of some discussion earlier in the thread. Nice to see that another Agoner recognizes they are something special.
Obuckley, regarding frequencies below 28 Hz, Ive seen it said many times that the deepest bass frequencies tend to be felt more than heard. And that is consistent with my experience using test records, and using those few recordings having significant content that far down (e.g., the 1978 M&K Realtime Power and the Glory direct-to-disc organ recording, volume 1).
Also, keep in mind that because of the equal loudness curves which characterize human hearing the sensitivity of virtually everyones hearing to those frequencies is vastly less than it is to higher frequencies, especially at moderate and lower volume levels.
Regarding the uppermost octave, Ive never had my hearing professionally checked, but I can say based on listening to various test records and test CDs that it extends roughly about as far as youve described for yourself. However it is my belief that how far into the top octave ones hearing extends is by no means a critical factor in being able to hear differences between components or other system hardware, and I suspect that other factors are at play in your own situation as you described it.
One possibility that comes to mind is recording quality. In my listening experience, comprising mostly classical music, Ive found that the higher the quality of the recording (meaning among other things that a minimal number of well-placed microphones were used, and that minimal or no compression or other post-processing was applied), the easier it is to hear differences. And once those differences are identified and locked on to, it becomes somewhat easier to perceive them on lesser recordings.
One more point: Although Ive never had my hearing professionally checked, I do see an otolaryngologist once a year to have wax removed. That certainly makes a difference in my case, and likewise for a number of other Agoners Ive seen report similarly.
System edited: Replaced Stax SRM-1 Mk2 solid state headphone amplifier and Stax ED-1 Diffuse Field Equalizer with Stax SRM-T1 tube headphone amplifier. Quick initial impressions are that it's an excellent upgrade, smoothing out the upper mid-range and treble regions without any notable tradeoffs.
Actually my wife and I almost never roll up the wooden blinds. We "open" them by moving the slats to the horizontal position, which is done by turning the thin wooden handle you can see in some of the photos. Or in the morning, when the sun is on that side of the house, we move them to an angle which is partially open but blocks the direct sunlight. When comparing sonics among those three positions I have not perceived a significant difference, and certainly not a difference that would cause me to consistently prefer one position over the others.
Pradeep, thanks very much for your kind comment. And speaking of impressive and well thought out systems, I can only say "wow" when it comes to yours! Enjoy.
I don't use the Tandberg cassette deck too often, but it's something that I definitely appreciate having in my system, and I use every now and then. I just have about 100 cassettes in my collection, but included among those are a considerable number of the classical piano recordings that were issued ca. 1980 on the Connoisseur Society "In Sync" label. Those featured performances by outstanding pianists such as Ivan Moravec, Ruth Laredo, etc, and sonically they were particularly high quality as cassettes go. Which is not to say, of course, that they are competitive with well engineered LP's or CD's.
The deck still performs very well. I purchased it around 1996, at a tag sale actually. It was in need of some repairs, which I had done together with a general overhaul at the factory service facility which Tandberg had at the time in Brewster, NY. A few years ago a belt snapped, which I replaced myself with a replacement I obtained from Soundsmith. Otherwise it has been a pleasure to use.
I believe that today Soundsmith is one of a very limited number of places that are equipped to work on this deck, or its highly regarded successor model, the 3014. It's a very complex machine internally, with many printed circuit boards, and anything more than a simple tuneup is likely to be an expensive proposition. I suspect that parts availability may also be an issue in some circumstances.
Also, the few 3004's and 3014's I've seen offered for sale in recent years have had asking prices that are quite high.
Grindstaff, I continue to be very happy with the VAC amplifier. I have not tried any SET amps.
At this point the weakest link seems to be room acoustics, although on most recordings the issues are not particularly bothersome, and I'm generally very happy with the system. The most notable issue is a frequency response dip in the 40 to 45 Hz area, caused by a rear wall reflection.
Also, Halcro, although it's not possible to tell from the photos, the cane chairs are not Breuer cantilevers. They are similar to the Prague chair designed by Josef Hoffman in 1925, except without the arms.
Thanks for your comment. I recall that you are an architect, so it's interesting to get your perspective. The main explanation would be a practical one -- we purchased the furniture when we lived in a different house!
But to my sensibilities, and those of my wife (who is an artist among other things, and has two family members who are architects), it all seems to work reasonably well. A mix of seemingly disparate elements, just like my system :-)
I enjoyed reading the Stereophile writeups on the show, and the posts by you and others in the thread about it.
Once or twice a year my wife and I take the Acela high speed train from here in Connecticut to DC, to visit some relatives. Perhaps the relatives will happen to be available around the time of next year's show :-)
I hadn't considered the possibility of attempting to fix the line stage module. Although after a bit of research I see some potential issues. I believe that module is identical to the one that was used in the ML-1's predecessor, the JC-2, for which I found the schematic here. While the two bipolar transistors it uses are still readily available, it appears likely that I would have to substitute alternate parts for the FETs, if one of those is what is causing the problem. Also, as you'll see, there is a note on the drawing from John Curl, who designed it, that careful matching of some of the electrical parameters of the FETs is required. Finally, there appears to be a 500 ohm trimpot in the circuit, that presumably would have to be readjusted in some undefined manner if the FETs were changed.
So considering that I'm not using that part of the ML-1, I'll probably just let it be for the foreseeable future. Although I might reconsider that if and when the time comes to sell it. I've been pondering the idea of eventually changing to a tube-based phono stage, and one that provides passive RIAA equalization, with the Herron VTPH-2 being particularly intriguing.
Thanks so much for the kind comments, which are much appreciated.
A couple of updates. I had previously mentioned that a matched quad of Sophia Electric 6SN7's I had purchased caused objectionable hum in the VAC amplifier, as a result of excessive leakage (I believe between the heaters and cathodes). The good folks at Sophia replaced those tubes with a new matched quad under the extended warranty I had purchased, after verifying the leakage measurements I reported to them. The new tubes have insignificant leakage per my Hickok 800A tube tester, and cause no hum in the amplifier. Although they are presumably still in the midst of their breakin process, I find their sonics to be slightly preferable to the vintage Sylvania's I had been using, and so I will continue to use them for the foreseeable future.
Also, I just purchased a Squeezebox Touch, to use for non-critical Internet radio listening. My quick initial impression is that its internal DAC works reasonably well for that purpose. I don't plan at present to computerize my music collection, so I don't foresee purchasing a quality separate DAC, at least in the near term. The Touch connects reliably to an 802.11g wireless access point I have on the upper floor of my house, through several walls and a floor and ceiling. Quite a remarkable piece of technology, given its low price.
Salectric, thanks very much for your kind comment.
Pierre, I'm pretty happy with the system as it stands now, and I don't envision any major changes in the near term (assuming no problems develop with the older stuff). The most notable issue now, although it's not especially severe, is a suckout around 40 or 45 Hz due to a rear wall reflection. Which is kind of surprising, because the central third of the rear wall is an opening into another room. But I've verified that is what is happening via measurements. Considering that it is our living room, though, adding room treatments, especially treatments that would be effective at those frequencies, would be a non-starter. Fortunately it is not severe enough to be bothersome on most recordings.
At some point in the future I suppose I'll get into computer-based audio, starting perhaps with a Squeezebox so that I can listen to internet radio via the system. I always seem to be late in adopting new technologies for audio (I didn't purchase my first CD player until 1992, although it was perhaps a good thing that I waited that long). Which is ironic, because I'm also a computer enthusiast, who builds his own computers.
System edited: Replaced the Sophia Electric 6SN7s I had been using in my VAC amplifier with 1950's Sylvania 6SN7GTBs, a matched pair of "chrome domes," and a matched pair of "chrome tops." A slight hum that had resulted from excessive heater-to-cathode leakage in two of the Sophias recently worsened, prompting the change. The Sylvanias have no measurable leakage, and do not produce any hum. Preliminary listening impressions are that the change resulted in significantly improved dimensionality and instrumental "body," while retaining the timbral accuracy of the Sophias, which I had been very pleased with.
Regarding the speaker selection process, if the Daedalus Ulysses hadn't existed probably one of the Coincident models would have headed my short list. But after extensive research I was so convinced that the Ulysses were the perfect match for my selection criteria (described under the link for the speakers in my equipment list above) that I ordered without having heard either them or any competitive models. (Daedalus provides 30 day audition privileges, less two-way shipping and a very reasonable restocking fee).
Thanks very much, Roxy. Yes, I am pretty much in heaven with my present system configuration. While I've perceived many strengths and no significant weaknesses in it since the recent 6SN7 upgrade I mentioned above, what I continue to find most striking about the VAC/Daedalus combination is how well piano is reproduced (with good recordings, of course), whether on CD or LP.
Charles, thanks very much for your kind comment. You've certainly got a beautiful system yourself! And I always enjoy and appreciate your invariably constructive, helpful, and knowledgeable posts in the forums.
System edited: Upgraded small signal tubes in VAC power amp from 1960 vintage CBS 6SN7GTB's to a matched quad of Sophia Electric 6SN7's (their "Grade A" version). The thinness on brass instruments that I referred to in my previous post is now completely gone, as I had hoped. Other significant changes I've noted during my first few hours listening with the new 6SN7's are improved definition and "body" on instruments such as flutes, oboes, and horns, and increased soundstage width and depth, particularly depth. As was the case with the previous tubes, reproduction of well recorded solo piano amazes me!
Would be interesting to hear your assessment of the VAC compared to some of the legacy tube gear you have experienced over the years.
I can't really say with any definitiveness, because most of my experience with vintage tube amps was during the 1990's, and at that time most of the rest of the system was different. And of course the condition of each particular example is a major variable with vintage equipment.
I believe I can say with reasonable confidence, though, that among the vintage tube amps that I had experience with (which included a pair of the legendary Marantz 9's), that only the Marantz 2's I mentioned early in this thread MIGHT have been in the same league as the VAC, in SOME respects (particularly in the mid-range), when used in triode mode (while being far less powerful and dynamic).
That amp is on my bucket list. Curious to hear what you think of it.
First, let me say that I would be cautious in extrapolating from my experience using the amp with Daedalus Ulysses speakers to your Harbeth's, as their impedance characteristics and sensitivities are VERY different.
That said, after perhaps ten hours of listening, mostly to classical music, I am basically thrilled.
The amp handles high volume symphonic peaks on minimally compressed audiophile quality recordings without the slightest hint of strain or congestion. It handles female voice beautifully. Bass is tight and well controlled.
The Wilson Audio cd of Hyperion Knight performing Chopin's Sonata in B Minor, op. 58 (Wilson WCD-9129) played via this amp was the best reproduction of solo piano in my experience. It had my wife in tears, something which had never happened before while listening to music.
The one very slight negative I've sensed so far is a slight thinness on brass instruments. I'll have to assess that further in the coming weeks. I suspect that I'll eventually want to experiment with different small signal tubes (6SN7's), which very conceivably could affect that. Right now I'm using 1960 vintage CBS 6SN7GTB's. The power tubes are a brand new set of Chinese 300B-98's, which the previous owner had purchased from VAC.
System edited: Replaced Paxthon VTA-160 Amplifier with a VAC Renaissance 70/70 Mk III Amplifier. 65 watts per channel of 300B, Class A, zero feedback magic!
Thanks very much for your comments and suggestion, Lloyd.
You are probably right about the Grado. But as I indicated under the link for it in my equipment list above, I was only using it on an interim basis, while my vintage Grace F9E Ruby was being retipped at Soundsmith. I received that back and reinstalled it, in place of the Grado, during the past few months, and I have been completely thrilled with it in every way. Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith has made it much better than its highly regarded original incarnation.
I recall Audiogon member Mofimadness saying in a thread some time ago that a Soundsmith-retipped F9E Ruby he once had was the best moving magnet cartridge he has ever heard. I am not surprised.
In terms of future upgrades, I'm likely to upgrade the power amp sometime this year. I find myself intrigued by the Coincident Dragon, as I had indicated in this thread, but I understand that a MkII version is in the works, so I'll wait for that to be released before finalizing a decision.
Thanks very much again for your comment and thoughts.
Best regards, -- Al
Edit: I've deleted the Grado cartridge from the equipment list.
I took a look at the Ben Martin site, which I hadn't previously been aware of. He's really done a nice job of presenting a lot of nice radios, and his prices seem very fair considering the restoration work he's put into most of them.
I hadn't been familiar with the Charles Pollock sling chair, either. Certainly something special!
Thanks very much for your comments, David. I've followed your posts about the DA-RMa's with interest, here and at the Daedalus forum at Audio Circle.
Yes, the Ulysses are physically imposing when viewed from the side, but my wife and I were pleasantly surprised at how unobtrusive they are when viewed from the front (which is the view that is primarily relevant in our setup). Their 11 inch width seems significantly narrower, because the black grill cloths are only 9.5 inches wide, with the adjacent wood curving back gracefully to where the sides are met.
I don't envision trying any SET or other low powered amps in the foreseeable future, because even with the high sensitivity of the Ulysses I suspect that low powered amps would have problems dealing with the very wide dynamic range of some of the classical symphonic music that I do a lot of listening to. And in any event I don't want to explore possible amp alternatives at least until the speakers reach their recommended 400 hour break-in, which will take a few more months.
The Ulysses have a nominal impedance of 6 ohms (while as you know the DA-RMa's are nominally 8 ohms). I tried both the 4 ohm and 8 ohm taps on my amp, and I would have to say that the differences were surprisingly minor. I settled on the 4 ohm taps, which according to my calculations reduces the 80W capability of my amp to the rough vicinity of 50W into the 6 ohm load, that having proved to be very comfortably sufficient.
Meanwhile I've received my rebuilt Grace F9E Ruby cartridge back from Soundsmith -- getting that installed and its setup optimized is my next audio-related priority, aside from continuing to enjoy the music.
Hornblower -- Thanks for your comments. Per your suggestion, I have uploaded photographs of the E. H. Scott and McMurdo Silver sets in my antique radio collection, as well as a few of the others. They can be viewed at flickr.com via the link below.
As you probably realize, but others may not, Scott and McMurdo radios are often found without cabinets, either because they were originally purchased that way or because at some point in their history their owners sacrilegiously applied the cabinets to other purposes. As you'll see, two of my Scott sets have cabinets (including the model 800 shown in my system pics above), and two do not. My McMurdo Silver Masterpiece V does not.
I also have a Masterpiece VI (not photographed) in a McMurdo Silver "Oxford" cabinet, but both the chassis and the cabinet are in poor condition. One of these years I'll get it restored and refinished.
Jriggy and Bryon, thanks very much for the very nice and much appreciated comments. Jriggy, congratulations in advance on your pair of Ulysses. I'm sure you'll be thrilled.
Hornblower -- Actually, according to its nameplate mine is an 800, as I indicated above, not an 800B, which is the much more widely encountered designation. I don't know what the differences are.
Its sound quality on FM, as well as on AM and shortwave, I would liken to that of a decent quality table radio with the hypothetically added abilities to play very loudly without distortion, and to go moderately deep in the bass region. Yours may do considerably better, assuming the electronic restoration and the mods are done well. Mine is, I believe, all original except for tubes, and as far as I know has never been given a realignment.
I'll add that perhaps the most consistent theme that has characterized my forays into vintage audio and radio is the inconsistency and variability of the performance of any particular design, depending on its condition.
The best AM sound quality I have ever heard in my life has been produced by two other antique radios in my collection, a 1935 McMurdo Silver Masterpiece V (which utilizes an 18 inch Jensen speaker), and a 1932(!) E. H. Scott Allwave 12 Deluxe. I have a couple of other comparably regarded sets, that are a bit more recent, which do not come close to the performance of those two older sets, even though I've worked them over fairly thoroughly.
Re the LM-35, I'm not sure if you meant that you are considering using it in conjunction with the 800B. But, as I suspect you are aware, that would at best require modification to the 800B to provide the proper multiplexed output signal.
Best of luck with the project. I know that the LC-1A is both rare and a treasure.
Thanks to all for the nice comments, which are much appreciated. Actually, it's my wife who gets credit for the "phenomenal taste" that Therobbstory's post referred to.
Since a lot of the comments have dealt with the furniture, I'll add that the large mahogany piece with the brass handles that is next to the right wall, which looks like a Chippendale-style bureau, is actually one of my antique radios. Or semi-antique, in this case. It is an E. H. Scott model 800, from 1946, containing an am/fm/shortwave tuner chassis, a power supply/power amplifier chassis (which uses push-pull 6L6's in the output stage), an early Thorens turntable, and a 15 inch Jensen speaker. There are 24 tubes in total. The chassis are chrome-plated.
"Radio" is really a misnomer; E. H. Scott (no relation to H. H. Scott, the hifi manufacturer who came later) made very high end "radios" during the 1930's and through 1946, which can be considered to have been precursors of modern hifi systems.
Its shipping weight, in the large crate in which it was shipped to me when I purchased it about 15 years ago, was 567 pounds, and I suspect that the actual set comprised about 400 of those pounds! I believe it cost about $1100 in 1946. A noted industrial designer of that time, Walter Dorwin Teague, was responsible for much of its visual design. Quite a piece of history!
Lou had commented in a thread here a while back that the DA-RMa and the Ulysses sound very similar, except for the difference in deep bass extension. The DA-RMa's also have about 1.5db lower sensitivity, according to the specs at Lou's site, although their sensitivity is still quite high at 95.5db. I recall him stating also that the new all-poly crossover option increases the sensitivity of both speakers slightly.
Any concerns thus far on the amp's output with the Daedalus units?
None at all. 80W/channel + 97db sensitivity + an 11 foot listening distance is more volume than I would ever want to subject my ears to, even with the very wide dynamic range classical recordings I listen to a lot. Actually, those numbers calculate roughly to a maximum volume level at the listening position of around 109db, not including room effects.
One of the special things about Daedalus speakers is that they can work in a reasonable manner with just about any amplifier known to mankind. Some people use them with SET's, and some people use them with high powered ss amps. See this thread in the Daedalus forum at AudioCircle for some discussion of amp selection:
Eleven feet, as measured to the mid-point between the speakers (slightly more if measured from listening position to speaker).
Seating height is significantly lower in those chairs than in most other chairs, which works out perfectly for me -- my ears wind up exactly at the mid-point of the vertical array of drivers. That is where the two tweeters are, with one mid-range driver a bit above that point and the other mid-range a bit below. So arrival times from the two mid-ranges are perfectly coincident (for me at least, not quite so for my wife).
Therefore I don't use the separate stands that are included in the base/stand option, which would raise the speaker height a few additional inches.
If anyone is interested, there is an informative writeup on the chairs at Wikipedia. Search there under "Wassily Chair."
