Spatially intimate secondary system yet with reasonable scaling capabilities. Used mainly for relatively near-field (6') listening in a room nominally 11.5'w x 21'long x 8'-14'h in an open plan house. I do not advocate dedicated listening rooms. My hifis are out in the open living areas for people to enjoy, so no man-cave nonsense here. Also, no silly room treatments. If you can't get a normal domestic living space to sound good when recorded music is played into it, you're doing it wrong. This is also where components are vetted for consideration into my primary system.
Two-tonearm, direct-drive; original feet replaced by inverted brass cones resting on Aurios Media Bearings
Victor UA-7082
12", removable headshell
Victor UA-7045
9" tonearm
Ortofon SPU Meister Silver
Ruby Cantilever (Soundsmith).
Denon DL103D
moving coil, elliptical, mid/high compliance version of the 103
Signet TK10L
line contact, moving magnet
Thomas Schick G length
12" precision-bearings, "G" shell length
Sony UBP-X1000ES
BluRay/CD/4K/DSD universal disc player
Bricasti Design M1 LE Gold
Top version of Bricasti's original groundbreaking DAC. Best sigma-delta DAC heard by me to date. 15 selectable filters. Deep tone, nuanced, resolving musicality.
Parks Audio Puffin
Phone DSP. Handles most functions in the digital realm via ADC at 24/96. Extremely clean yet toneful. In-built DAC allows analog outputs, or you can get TOSLink digital out, galvanically isolated, to playback LPs via your DAC. Into the Bricasti this is excellent.
Melody Pure Black 101
6sn7-based tube line preamplifier
Pioneer Elite PRO150
penultimate generation Elite plasma, 60"
Custom EL-156 Single-ended pentode monoblocks
Quad II Jubilee
Last of the UK-made Quad II amps, commemorative from 1996
Zu Audio Druid 6
The Ultra Druid
Stax SRA3S
tube preamp/integrated amp for directly driving Stax headphones
Nice system. You've made me curious about hearing the 103D and the luxman turntable. I always enjoy reading your posts, which always come across to me as someone who is very knowledgeable and honest. I am still enjoying my audion quattro and audion elites and am mulling over the idea of putting in copper v caps. They are very fine amps. I hope you will explore the idea of putting a few pics up. Thanks, John.