milpai's system

Owner

Added new pictures, after moving panels from back wall to the front sides, to manage bass and improve mid-range and treble. Huge improvement, that motivated to update system pics.

milpai April 21, 2024 20:46

Owner

I am not sure what technology the Puron uses. But after adding the second one, it increased the soundscape even more. It also brought some more liveliness to the overall sound and made the music more engaging. I would handily recommend this to anyone who wants a noticeable improvement in their system.

milpai February 16, 2024 04:23

Owner

Thank You @jheppe815, for the kind words. Your system looks fabulous with the all McIntosh gear. Pretty cool. And you got a nice size room to go with that. I would love to get a room as big as what you have.

milpai February 15, 2024 22:53

Owner

jafant,

Oh I wish it was easy making that decision. I never had the Marantz SA-10. I am currently taking my own sweet time to finalize a DAC. I have moved away from discs in July-2020. The Oppo UDP-205's disc mechanism has not been used since then. It is being used only as a DAC.

If Marantz would come up with a DAC that is exactly like the one they have in the SA-10, but without the disc playing capability, that would be on top of the list along with the T+A DAC 200.

I understand that there might might be some new launches during AXPONA 2024 or Munich 2024, especially with the new AKM DACs. Nothing wrong with the ESS DACs. But since I already have one with ESS, I would like to experience a AKM or something on the lines of T+A or Teac's own Delta Sigma. The Teac is tempting, pricewise, but I am not sure if it keeps DSD pure or converts to PCM on playback.

milpai February 09, 2024 18:15

Owner

Thank You @toro3. I checked out your system and you seems to have new stuff for 2024. Good for you.

milpai January 19, 2024 00:38

Owner

Added a Puron filter to the system. All I will say is - try it before you dismiss it.

milpai January 18, 2024 02:28

Owner

Thank You for the kind words, @vsrrr.I

I feel that with the spikes, it brought out more "naturalness", especially in the lower bass. The granite were fine. But the spikes stabilized the speaker setup and for me, it was worth it. I intent to use those Inakustiks for a long long time.

milpai September 24, 2023 14:15

Owner

Not sure if Spotify changed their file format. But tonight sounds different, for better. Slightly extended upper frequencies and more open sound. Maybe a figment of my imagination.

milpai March 11, 2023 04:48

Owner

I feel like a sense of achievement. I posted a couple of months ago on the MoFi speaker thread that 3 colleagues/friends came over to listen to my system. One of them purchased the Elac Debut B6.2 speakers in November/December time frame. And today another one got a completely new system - the Elacs 6.2 with Bluesound Powernode. I lent him my Signal Cable Classic speaker cables and he is in audiophile heaven listening to Spotify. Mind you, this guys is very young - 22. He is super thrilled to have this system. If I visit him, I will see if I can get hm to post here or if I can post his setup on my page.

milpai February 09, 2023 02:55

Owner

@edsel95 ,

Thank You for the kind words 🙏🏼

milpai August 30, 2022 01:43

Owner

@dcpillai ,

I did comment on your system page. Congratulations on the new acquisition. I was busy searching and finalizing the build of my new Audio Server that I built myself. Love the fanless desktop and the way it plays music.

milpai August 12, 2022 19:24

Owner

Thank You @whipsaw !

I love the Inakustik cables in my system. They have provided me with the most transparent window to whatever changes I make. Very happy with them. IF you get a chance, do audition them in your system. Would love to hear your take on these cables.

milpai February 11, 2022 23:10

Owner

@jerryg123

It is the Behr's Moss Landing(410D-6). I was finally able to track the paint card that I had stored in the basement.

milpai January 02, 2022 21:33

Owner

Thank You @jperry 🙏🏼

Yes, I have multiple treatments and that is what makes the music sound amazing. But one thing is for sure - these ProAcs that we have, surely benefit from after market footers like the ones you and I have.

I have updated the system with a new picture showing the setup of the complete system with the Fog Lifters.

milpai August 20, 2021 01:08

Owner

Added AudioQuest Fog Lifters were on my mind for quite some time and finally decided to get them. These replaced the homemade wooden footers.

Also updated the system pics - added the Foobar Eole interface and the iPad app MonkeyMoteHD which I use to control the Foobar on the laptop which resides on the audio rack. The MonkeyMote was paid, but the Eole for Foobar2000 is free and simply outstanding.

milpai August 19, 2021 19:52

Owner

Thank You for the kind words Deepak!

Yeah, Bose seems to be the common factor along with the hearing issues for our fathers. But my father was no audiophile. He liked music, but that's all.

Your room should be more than fine for the D48Rs. Just make sure that you have the room to place these at least 60" from the back wall and 30" from side wall. You can do with less space than that too, but you will have to add corner treatments, etc. My room is very similar to yours. It is actually 18.10 X 15.9 feet. In my system I mention it as 19 X 15. The Gaias were worthwhile additions and was money well spent. They cleared up the midrange and made the instruments and the overall music sound natural. Just make sure to install them as intended and level the feet per your liking. I listen to my system daily for at least 1 hour. The D48Rs has transformed my listening to way beyond what I had imagined was possible in my room. The fact that I listen to my system daily for at least an hour should tell you something.

milpai August 12, 2021 20:59

Owner

Now that I am pretty happy with where my system is, I want to share the story of my audiophile journey. I had mentioned it briefly on @dcpillai system. My journey started with a "fascination" for music system (hardware) when I was in grade 5-6 when the newspapers ran full page advts of Sony/Akai/Aiwa/ etc. It was expensive to buy these "systems" back from where I came because in those days you had to pay 120% duty on "imported" systems. Very few acquaintances had such systems and they were loud with great bass. Unfortunately 99% of such system's speakers were mounted high up on the corners on the walls and it was almost like a PA system. I was ignorant to "quality of music" back then. But my parents had a 2-in-1 that played the regional AM radio and I loved to listen to that and the cassettes that we purchased. The radio was generally "on" from morning 7am to about 12pm since it provided background music and told you the exact time! But I loved the songs that played and this was a factor in me getting interested in music. Around grade 9 the cassette qualities got much better with "Thomsun Original" cassettes that I started to collect.

Then one day I heard a "Bose" system at my dad's friend's place. I believe this was the turning point for me where the focus switched from hardware to music. It was incredibly different and clean and amazing than the Sonly/Aiwa/Akai/etc systems I heard. When I got into college many of my friends had purchased the local brands that started making the "systems". While those systems sounded good and loud, they could not match what I had heard from the Bose system. So I decided to go with a cassette walkman that sounded so much better than these so called all-in-one systems. I waited for quite some time to get my first system. After I was 1 1/2 years into my first job, I gathered all y savings, took some loan and purchased a system that comprised of Bose AM5 Series II speakers, + Sony Receiver + Kenwood CD player + Technics dual deck cassette player. The cables were initially the ones that came in the boxes and after a year they were replaced my Monster cables. Obviously this system made music in a way that was 10X better than any of my friends had. So it became a norm that when any of them purchased a new CD/cassette, they used to get that to our place and we used to site down together and listen to them.

I "tried to like Jazz and Classical", but only a few numbers interested me and I did not care for those genres. A few years later I got a chance to listen to Ajay Shirke's (owner of Spendor, SME, Siltech, Cadence) personal system. This time I was completely floored. I could actually "see" music forming in thin air from the LPs he played on the Cadence Arca, SME turntable and the Forsell Airbearing CD player. Once I got home, my system started sounding like a all-in-one system. I started to go to audio shows and after sitting in on some long sessions on these shows, I started appreciating Jazz and Classical music much more. It was a pair of PSB Silver I and Krell monoblocks at one demo that was playing the Tutti CD from Reference Recordings that caught my eyes (ears). When I moved to the US, there were a few years I had to do with a CD and a cassette walkman because I had no moolah to get a nice system that I dreamed of. Well, I started back into this passion (yeah, not hobby anymore) in 2005 and have not looked back.
One thing I will honestly admit is that for me - it is not only the music, but also the fascination for "live sounding" systems that drives me to listening. I find that if a system sounds better, it engages me more to listen to the music. The music that I ignored with my very first system sounds pleasurable to listen to on my current system. I am grateful that I am into this hobby (passion). At the end of the day when you sit back and experience your system, it relaxes and rejuvenates you and gets you ready for the next day. How great is that!

milpai August 04, 2021 15:55

Owner

Bruce,

Thank You for the kind words sir! One of the things that I learned from looking at other systems and positioning was about loudspeaker placement and symmetry. If you are able to nail the speaker placement, then the major work is done. Then you have to figure out the panels. Things that worked in other systems may not work in yours. I have found that a panel at the second reflection point killed the musicality.

So lot of stuff that you learn by checking other systems, communicating with other members, experimenting, etc. I remember your first system and you have come a long way yourself. In fact I would say you made much more changes to your system than what I did. You have experimented with a lot of speakers and components over the years. Yes, you are one of the members I connected way back and I am glad that we did. BTW, I love that flooring. Want to do it. But not top priority - especially since the finance ministry of the home will not approve the budget :-)

milpai May 16, 2021 14:17

Owner

@mscetal,

Thank You for the kind words. I thoroughly enjoy listening to music on my system. I get sad when I have to end my session :-/

@jperry,

Thanks for the comments on PP&M. Their songs have began to grow on me. For some reason, I seem to like older songs compared to the new songs. And for some reason older songs seem to have more "staying power" compare to the new songs that fade away in a few weeks/months.

milpai March 26, 2021 23:03

Owner

Thank You for the kind words @lalitk .

milpai January 29, 2021 20:52

Owner

Added new pictures with room treatment and component changes.

milpai January 13, 2021 02:36

Owner

Will post the updated room pics in the near future.

milpai December 04, 2020 20:38

Owner

@jperry ,

Thank You for the kind words.

Yes, the ProAcs are super addictive. Was listening to Peter, Paul and Mary's Album 1700 - The House Song. Mary's voice was coming from 3 feet to the right of right speaker. Spooky, but awesome! And yes, those footers are completely worth it!

My biggest mistake in the past year was to have the second panel on the side wall for the second reflection point. I have removed it 2 a month ago and put it on the wall behind me. It did 2 things - opened up the sound stage and tamed the bass even further making voices more intelligible. Some of the softer words are clearly heard now. Man, I should have done that a year ago!!

milpai December 04, 2020 20:38

Owner

Thank You @cymbop. You have a lovely system going on. I should get some tips from you on "computer audio" setup.

milpai June 19, 2020 16:54

Owner

@b_limo,

Thanks bud! The rack is Salamander Archetype 5. I got an amazing deal on the rack and spikes from Amazon. If you are not too critical on the color, the the black ones are on really good deal on Amazon. If I was looking at the same ones, I would do 2 Archetype 3 instead of a single Archetype 5, for flexibility.

I just received delivery of the Inakustik NF-2404 XLR cables to go between the Oppo and Backert & also from the Backert to the Parasound. Till date, Inakustik purchases have been ear opening, to say the least. But in my system IC changes were not as great as speaker cables changes. They were noticeable for sure. But the differences were only in the 30-40% guesstimates, than the more than 70% guesstimates for the loudspeaker cables. This was based on the upgrade I did in 2014, from Signal Cables to Clear Days. Lets see how the Inakustiks works out.

milpai June 17, 2020 21:37

Owner

@b_limo,

Thanks for the kind words, buddy. Yes long time we have been in touch. Yes, that room is all due to my wife's support who allows me to spend time in that room. If not, it would not have been possible.

From here I would like to upgrade my interconnects to some Referenz Inakustik ones. I am floored by the transformational change their speaker cables have made in my system.

milpai May 06, 2020 00:02

Owner

Thank You @highend64, for the kind words. I enjoy my system whenever I get a chance - which is mostly late night after kids have gone to bed.

milpai April 07, 2020 00:00

Owner

Finally got the Inakustik LS-2404 AIR loudspeaker cables. These replaced the venerable Clear Day Double shotgun + Clear Day double jumpers that Paul made for me almost 6 years ago. The system is finally sounding the way I had envisioned years ago.

milpai March 24, 2020 23:58

Owner

Seriously considering upgrading my speaker cables to the Inakustik LS-2404 AIR in bi-wires. I should stop discussing audio with @wig. He has put me in a fix now.

milpai February 05, 2020 03:56

Owner

Hello @losperales_29, welcome to Audiogon.

While I have not heard the D20R, I have heard the D30RS and own the D48R. But in both the cases, it was the mid-range of the ProAcs that got me. Listening to my D48R currently and I absolutely do not feel the midrange lacking. No way is the piano calm on the ProAc in my setup. I have not listened to a Martin Logan, so I cannot compare the mid-ranges of the 2 loudspeakers.

The sound stage that the the ProAcs throw are humongous. I spent many hours fine tuning my placement. But that goes for any loudspeaker that you purchase. You have to set them up properly to get the best qualities out of a loudspeaker. In my room the ProAcs are 71 inches from front wall and 42 inches from side walls. So there is a lot of room for the speakers to breath. Naturally because of this speaker placement, the bass is not boomy. I recently upgraded the footers on these speakers and the bass is tight and has a definition that previously was not as prominent.

My take on ProAcs is that they are very musical speakers and will provide hours of entertainment without fatigue on your ears. If you are getting these loudspeakers for background listening, I suggest that you look elsewhere, because these grab your attention once they start playing.

What are your existing room dimensions? And what is your current front end (amplification/source/etc)?

milpai December 21, 2019 05:20

Owner

Thank You @b_limo .

And thank you for the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8 recommendation. I was not thinking of cable upgrade at the current moment. But you just put that bug in my mind :-)

Your new system looks well set. I had posted on your system, but looks like you have not seen it. You need to post a latest pic of the system with those cables. I have heard good things about Analysis Plus.

milpai December 20, 2019 03:01

Owner

Got a great deal on the IsoAcoustics Gaia II footers that I was eyeing for more than 2 years. I have mentioned in a Gaia thread on this forum, what changes I hear. But to sum it up, I would say, the footer bring great "naturalness" to the system. I still have to get accustomed to the fact that the speaker rock left-right when pushed a bit.

milpai November 29, 2019 21:13

Owner

@pdreher ,

Thank You sir!

You have a nice system, with some exquisite equipment. My dealer keeps telling me that I should upgrade to tube power amp for the ProAcs.

I see that you have GIK tri-traps in the front corners. Do you have the same in the back corners as well? They make a huge difference.

milpai September 27, 2019 21:22

Owner

@b_limo,

Thank You for the kind words. Much appreciated.

Loos like you have been to RMAF and have experienced a lot more. Do you plan to make any upgrades?

milpai September 27, 2019 21:11

Owner

Been 2 weeks with the new power cord. The first couple of days seems as if nothing changed. After a week or so, it was as if something major changed in he presentation for good. Amazing clarity and images are presented with pin point location in space. Can play much louder and still maintain the clarity. Don't understand what technology this power conditioner uses, but whatever it does, seems magic. Huge stage, clean presentation, deep soundstage.

milpai July 15, 2019 02:49

Owner

Added more pics of the Inakustik power conditioner and the upgraded power cord, 2502F. Have not had a chance to listen to the system with the new power cord. This power cord is quite a bit step up compared to the standard power cord that came with the unit. It is terminated with Furutech connectors.

milpai June 30, 2019 19:32

Owner

Added the Inakustic AC-3500p to the system. Never imagined a power conditioner can make such a difference in a system. And this is with the standard power cord which came with the unit. Will upgrade the power cord soon.

People who term power conditioners as "snake oil" fall in one of the following categories:

1. Have poor resolution systems

2. Not heard a good one

3. No clue what they are talking about

4. Poor hearing

milpai June 22, 2019 15:48

Owner

@b_limo ,

Thank you for the kind words.

Yeah, I made major changes to my system last year including the loudspeakers, preamp, and CD player. I wish I had that nack of decorating the room with artifacts that I see in other systems, that make the room more inviting instead of just looking like a studio.

Really good to hear from you after several years. I hope everything is fine on your side. Would love to see your new setup, when you update it.

milpai January 05, 2019 04:03

Owner

Scott,

Thank You for the kind words!

milpai December 30, 2018 23:28

Owner

Sold my TVC last night. I have a feeling that I should not have done it. Should have retained it. It is after all a transformer with no circuits inside. So no chance of anything going bad. Would have come in handy if something were to happen to the Rhumba.

milpai December 16, 2018 20:57

Owner

Got my first ever tube component - the Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3 preamplifier. Yes, it took me almost 4 years to move from the TVC to an active preamp. But the time and research was well worth. The best thing about this preamp is, even though it is active, it did not diminish the transparency of my system (which I was worried about with an active preamp), while adding more dynamics in my system.

milpai November 26, 2018 02:37

Owner

Hi @gulpson,

That much space was really not necessary. But a 3-4 incl space was needed when the TVC was being used. This is because if the Bluetooth receiver was placed too close or next to the TVC, that would generate a slight hum in the speakers.

I have recently moved from the TVC to Backert Lab's Rhumba 1.3 preamplifier. I plan to change the layout of the components and the pictures when I get a chance during the long weekend.

milpai November 14, 2018 21:57

Owner

Want to try a active preamp in the system now. Tubes is something that many folks have suggested. Looking actively into tube preamps now, that use minimal tubes, but have XLR ins and outs.

milpai August 07, 2018 21:17

Owner

@aball,

You are right. Placement is very critical. But sometimes it comes at a cost. If the vocals in the source is not recorded dead center, then you feel as if there is some imbalance in the system. I had to get used to that. But it is amazing to see (hear actually), how many recording exists where the vocals are not dead center.

As far as the loudspeakers and room are concerned, trust me, these speakers are not big for the room. Well, when I had a 13 X 12 X 9 room, I had reached out to ProAc designer Stewart Tyler and he had recommended the D30S over the D40 then. But with the new room, he suggested the D48R. Unfortunately I do not have a wide angle lens to portray the actual dimensions of the room. In fact I see that there are some posters whose room look much larger than mine - because they have some really wide angle lens. And some of these rooms are actually smaller than mine.

These speakers are placed 6 feet into the room with 3 feet on the sides and they have 9 feet between them. Maybe in a few months I will get a really wide angle lens and post some new pics.

milpai May 29, 2018 21:43

Owner

@astewart8944 ,
Thanks! I encourage that you try to find the "exact" position over a period of time, rather than doing it in one go. The reason for this is, when you position the speakers at a particular position and then listen for "an album or two" and then re-position, your get better hang of the positioning.
Try to be as precise as you can. You will be able to judge this when the center image "locks". This means that when you move your head from, say center to right or left, you will hear the vocals in the direction your ears/head is. But the vocals will not be as clearly defined as it is in the center of the sound stage. There will be some "hollowness" in the vocals when your head is moved to the right or to the left. But when your head is right in the middle facing the center of the soundstage (between the speakers), the vocal will be super focused, natural and life-like. That is the magic of stereo!

milpai April 08, 2018 04:34

Owner

@jmlab926 ,

It took close to 400+ hours for the ProAcs to be broken-in. The room treatments are indeed very helpful. I find that the ProAcs are so clean in their mid/high frequency range that a lot of stuff that I was not able to "judge" on the other speakers, I can do on these speakers. The vocals are so clean that you do not have to strain your ears to hear the wordings in the songs. It is as if you just came back from a ENT specialist after cleaning your ears.

Thank You for the kind words. When I visited Canada about 2 years back, I saw quite a few dealers in the Toronto area. You are lucky to live in such a big city and have access to great dealers who can help you set up your system.

milpai April 06, 2018 21:14

Owner

Wanted to update on the speakers. These are now fully broken-in. I continue to be amazed by what the ProAcs can do that the Quads could not. I should also take credit for the hours (more than 18+) of fine tuning that I had to do to get that center image lock and the disappearing act. But it is worthwhile. Once you arrive at the BEST positions for these loudspeakers in your room, it is pure bliss. I will admit this - while I love music, I am also fascinated by "how sounds are produced" - be that be a loudspeaker, an instrument or simply an object that produces sound. I strongly believe this is what differentiates an audiophile from a casual music lover. And I am not ashamed of this fact.

One thing I tried with these speakers was the track "Aeris by Eric Godoy". I wish I had found this track when I was at AXPONA last year. You can use this track to test the "low end" that a loudspeaker can produce. The ProAcs showed me what they can achieve that the Pioneer SP-FS-52S and SP-BS22-LR that I also own cannot do. The ProAcs shake the room and pressurize it like crazy. Both the floor standing and bookshelf Pioneer simply poop out on this track. Don't get me wrong - the Pioneers can do pop/rock, movie tracks, demo explosions, etc very well. But when it comes to the 20Hz range, they simply cannot produce it. The 2 additional bass traps also help tame the bass and produce nice tight bass instead of flabby one. Overall, very happy with the $$$$ spent on the pair of ProAcs. Even the Oppo is a great match for the system.
I keep wondering if I should upgrade my TVC to an active preamp. But when I listen to the "Aeris" track, I wonder what am I missing? Most likely - nothing.

milpai April 03, 2018 03:43

Owner

Added 2 more Tri-Trap corners on the front wall this evening. Will not get serious time to evaluate till tomorrow. Later, will post latest pics with the traps completely re-oriented in the room.

milpai February 24, 2018 22:31

Owner

@pdreher ,
Thank You. Yes, the ProAcs are nice loudspeakers. I try to post detailed pics such that people can actually see them up close. Many people like to go into the details - at least I like it that way. I don't have tube amps, but understand that ProAcs go very well with Tube amps.
I remember your system from way back (April 2012). You have a great system yourself. Those Harbeth 40.1s must be something special, since you came back to them. Last year I auditioned the Harbeths and got a chance to listen to the 40s. They sound amazing on vocals. But at that point, I had not decided to spend so much on the speakers. I have ordered one more pair of GIK tri-traps to cover the entire front corners. I see that you are also using GIK.

milpai February 14, 2018 03:31

Owner

@twoleftears
Thank You for the kind words. I like the way my system sounds. I know that you have these ProAcs and the Spendor D9s on your shortlist for auditioning. Would love to hear your thoughts after auditioning the speakers.

milpai February 14, 2018 03:11

Owner

Updated system pics with some good quality photos. I am happy with the current speaker position. It gives me a great balance of imaging, bass and resolution. I have ordered 2 GIK Tri Traps with scatter plates so that the tri traps cover the corners from floor to ceiling on the front wall.
Next it to change the positions of the Monster Traps behind the seating position and adjust the 244s on the front wall.
The ProAcs continue to amaze me with how articulate they are. They clarity is astonishing while their mid-range is amazing. It is as if I have purchased new CDs all over again. Some of the bass on the Reference Recordings Tutti Orchestra is so phenomenal that it scared me. I am not used to this low bass and that is what caught me off guard.
Will post new pics when the new tri-traps are in place and when I change the positioning of other traps in the system. One thing - I do need a nicer wide angle lens, which does not cause distortion.

milpai February 10, 2018 22:48

Owner

Delivered the Quads to their new owners locally today. It is kind of making me sad. The Quads were that good. The only think they lacked was the full bodied bass and the scale. They were champs at imaging.
Still trying various spots in the room for the ProAcs. Getting accustomed to their sound which is very coherent.

milpai February 02, 2018 03:12

Owner

Updated with the pictures of the new loudspeakers. These are pretty low rez. Will soon update with some hi-rez pictures and replace the old Quad 21L pics.
Anyone wants a deal on the Quads?

milpai January 27, 2018 20:55

Owner

JM,
I am not saying that the difference in sound reproduction is 10X improvement. I think that is completely dependent on how much you "value" the upgrade. For me, I was looking for a loudspeaker that I plan to keep for a long time. The ProAcs are certainly that pedigree. They are showing me what a real full-range loudspeaker brings to the table, at a price.

milpai January 21, 2018 06:11

Owner

@jmlab926,

The Proacs are $12k, while the Quads were $1.3k.

I still love the way the Quads made music. I am sure you enjoy your Quads.

milpai January 18, 2018 04:13

Owner

I hope so too. I am told that I will get them in 2 weeks. How did you do the breakin on your loudspeaker gsmith5? I plan to leave them on during the night, playing at moderate volumes, since the system is in the basement, or wheneer we are not at home.

milpai December 02, 2017 23:29

Owner

Replaced the Teac CD-1000 with Oppo UDP-205. Is this a giant killer? I don't know. But what I know is that it has extended frequencies at both end of the sound spectrum compared to my previous players. The bass is well defined and has definition. I had set the player on "repeat" play for about 100 hours and I like what I hear.
Also decided on the new loudspeakers. They are on order. They would be the ProAc D48R in Ebony. Will receive them by end of November or start of December.

milpai October 31, 2017 02:38

Owner

Oppo UDP-205 on the way. I am hoping that this is a good improvement over the Teac CD-1000. But honestly, the Teac is a really good player. The Teac feels slight less voluptuous compared to the Marantz SA-8260 that I had before that. But no complaints on the musicality or definition.
Also hoping to get my new loudspeakers by end of November.

milpai October 24, 2017 02:21

Owner

Hi Aball,
Yes, I am very critical about my loudspeaker placement. And I ave to thank the communities on Audiogon. AudioAsylum, Audiocircle, etc to make me aware of the room/loudspeaker/treatment situation. It makes a HUGE difference. I have followed your system, when you had all the older posts that were simply wiped out one day. You and a couple of others were discussing on how you went out placing your loudspeakers. It is a painful task, but the rewards far outweigh the pain.
The dual volume control are actually symmetric. If you change volume by 1 position on the right, you do the same for the left as well. When the TVC is brand new, you start at 0 and move up 12 positions on the right channel. Then you do the same for the left channel. Then listen. If the volume is low/high, then move up/down further more on both the units. The benefit is, if for some reason you feel the left channel is louder on a recording than the right, then you simply dial the right 1 notch up, and you have a great balance. I have 24 steps and generally listen at about position 13 to 14. This is because my loudspeakers are 88db at 6 ohms. Hence looking for a speaker that is about 9db with a nominal impedance of 8 ohms. The Music First should provide you with enough steps and quite some gain in your wonderful system.
More details on my TVC is here:
http://www.promitheusaudio.com/Ref_c-core/index.htm

BTW, let no one tell you that Bass or Treble is truncated with a TVC. Plese experience it in your system. Looking at your system, I am sure that your system is more TVC friendly than mine. If I am happy with a TVC in mine, you will be thrilled with a TVC in your system.

milpai April 03, 2017 04:05

Owner

@ghosthouse,

Thanks for sharing your experience regarding the TEAC CD-3000. I had the same experience like yours. The player does take a long time to burn-in. But this is a superb CD player. Very detailed and plenty of bass. It does not have the warmth of a Marantz. But I like the fact that it shows you, what you have on the disc. That is why I am in no rush to change it.

@jmlab926,

Congratulations on your new purchase. Good to know that you are happy with your purchase, except for the ICs that you are leaning towards changing. What IC brand/models are you looking at? Will you be able to try them in your system before you buy them?

Good Luck!

milpai February 08, 2017 18:39

Owner

jmlab926,
You would be surprised by how good the Teac. I initially got it as a stop-gap for my Marantz SA 8260. But it is so good that I decided to go with it for a little while till I can find a nice SACD player that will be a real upgrade over this one. If you are able to pick one for under $500 go for it. With the Teac you get a glimpse of what high end Esoteric sounds like.And since you already know what Esoteric sounds like, this will be a nice choice for you.
Mind you though, it cannot do gapless SACD. Do you have a lot of classical SACDs? If yes, then stay away from this one, since it introduces 2 sec gaps between gap less songs.
Yes, I remember your Quads. I posted on your system page in 2013, when you asked A'goners to post on Quads. Hope you are still enjoying them.

milpai February 06, 2017 05:13

Owner

Hi Ghosthouse,
Apologies that I did not see your email earlier. I have responded to it now.
Suprisingly the Teac does not sound bright in my system. Mind you, I have connected it using RCA. The ClearDay cables have worked charms in my system. Though they are silvers, they sound pretty neutral. It does sound bright on poor recordings. In that case, I lower the volume and enjoy the music. I miss the watmth of Marantx SA8260 that it replaced, in these cases.

Yes the Teac Distinction series cannot do gapless when the SACD has gapless and introduces 1-2 second gap. I thought this would be my stop gap player till I get a dedicated player. But I found that the sound was very good for the price. So I am saving towards a loudspeaker upgrade that will yield the most benefits of a component change. The Teac is the only disc player in my system, besides the older Oppo that I use to play CDs that sometimes I get from the library. I want to eventually get a Oppo 105D and a Bryston BDA3 so that I could use a HDMI to play the SACDs from the Oppo via the Bryston. Again, these are just plans for the next 1 year. God knows what new players are going to be introduced in the near future that would change the plan. My ideal player on the market currently is a Esoteric K-03x. It is everything in one player. Unfortunately I will have to sell an organ to get one. I wish Marantz introduces SA11-S4 that could also do DSD via USB - I would jump on it, since it would be much more affordable.

milpai August 23, 2016 03:04

Owner

Ghosthouse,
Thank You for the kind words. Yes, this is a dedicated room.
I am curious on the loudspeaker changes in your system. How does the Totem Forest compare to your new Silverlines?
I am looking for a loudspeaker in the $5-8k range.
And those Clear Days are simply stunning!

milpai August 04, 2016 01:38

Owner

Added the Auris bluMe Bluetooth receiver. Was able to stream Spotify and Folk Alley for the first time without sound being anemic, as it did with a cheap Logitech BT receiver. The sound is amazing. Will soon post some pics of this unit. Very thrilled.

milpai April 29, 2016 02:36

Owner

Seriously looking for a new loudspeaker in the next 6 months or so. Looking for recommendations for highly sensitive speakers, > 89db, 6-8 ohms. Used or new up to $6-7k. Been intrigued by the Focals, Sonus Fabers, Audio Physic, PMC, etc that show up on the A'gon from time to time, but not sure how they will work out in my system. This is what happens when you do not have dealers near you. It was much convenient when we used to be in the SF area. So many dealers.

milpai December 07, 2015 01:42

Owner

Thank You for the kind words, Timrhu. The room is so new, and I am still trying to make sure that I have the correct placement. Once things are finalized, I will put some furnishing in there. I think I know why you are suggesting diagonal setup. Does it improve bass and sound in general? I visited AXPONA recently and there were many rooms that did NOT position the speakers in a symmetry. They told me that it makes the bass more solid.

milpai May 17, 2015 14:04

Owner

System edited: Moved to new room last month. Initially I placed the speakers on the floor without spikes and using "rough" measurements. They sounded muddy. In the new room they sounded thin compared to my previous room. This is when I realized that TVC sounds so nice at low volumes that the owners never think of raising the volumes. It was only when I raised the volume dial, 3 levels up that I got back the life of the music. In fact I had to move the speakers more into the room so that the bass does not get boomy. I feel I still need to pull the speakers couple of more inches to reduce the bass boom. Currently speakers are 4 feet from back wall and 3 feet from side walls.

milpai May 15, 2015 19:28

Owner

Build for new room started 03/30. Room will be 15X18X8. 2 dedicated lines on 10 gauge wire, 20 Amp switches at board, same phase. Thanks to members on this forum and others who have made many good recommendations.

milpai April 03, 2015 12:52

Owner

System edited: I ordered the RCA cables from Paul, since I liked his speaker cables and XLR cables so much. I let the cables burn in my system for 24 hours before sitting down to do some critical listening. Did not take much to decide to buy the cables. The guitar strings that start Dar William's Iowa song in Mortal City, simply had an awesome timbre that was so close to the real thing. One thing I have found with Clear Day cables - in my system - they bring out the truth in timbre. I love how it makes the music sound so natural.

milpai February 22, 2015 19:22

Owner

B_limo, good to hear back from you. I had left a comment on your system page. But there was no updates from you. I though you had abandoned this wonderful hobby. But good to see you active on this site.
I am exited about Bryston's new DAC that will come out in Jan. The configuration it sports is what I was looking for. This is because I wanted a DAC that not only does DSD through USB, but somehow able to support the SACDs I have. I plan to visit AXPONA this coming year. I need to hear some new loudspeakers and digital front ends.

milpai December 30, 2014 20:21

Owner

LaPierre,
I meant to write about the Clear Day in a separate thread. But I was busy with family and work. With these cables in place, I have never experienced such a humongous and clean soundstage. The experience reminded me of going from Nordost 4Flat to Signal's Silver Resolution. But in the case of Clear Day, the impact was much more. The images of singers and instruments are placed very precisely in the sound stage.
But it was the naturalness or the truth of timber that captured my attention, with these cables in place in my system. I made sure that it was not a psychological thing and changed back to my Signals. I did this test with my wife and she could also easily make out the difference in sound staging and naturalness. I always test components with older recordings. The reason for this is, if older recordings can sound good with the new component, then the newer recordings (nicely mastered only) will no doubt sound amazing. So I went with the "Sweet Misery" from John Denver's Farewell Andromeda. This is an older recording and my system is bass shy on this disc. With the Clear Days in place, the bass was so nice and full. A few days later, I inserted the Clear Day ICs in the system and listened to this same song. The one thing I did this time was to compare how the initial guitar strings sounded on the Signals vs the Clear Day. It was pretty apparent that the Clear Days were in a different league all together, albeit at a cost. There was this "hang" or resonance that a guitar should have with the Clear Days in place. The Signal XLR did not have this much body of the guitar. Same thing with Eva Cassidy's Simply Eva CD. There is some sort of jump factor in the classical recordings that I have not heard before. I feel this is happening because the cables are able to deliver more current from my amp to my speakers.
One more thing - I am enjoying the Blue Coast Collection - The E.S.E Sessions with the Clear Day cables. This SACD used to make me sleepy previously. I am enjoying my entire CD collection all over again. I am really exited about these new cables.

milpai September 30, 2014 02:26

Owner

System edited: Major changes in cables during Aug/Sep. I had contacted Paul in 2012 and hesitated to try out his cables. What a mistake! These cables made a big difference in my system that a $4K preamplifier could not make. Every audiophile should checkout the Clear Day cables, especially when they are ready from budget to mid-priced cables. These are giant killers.

milpai September 29, 2014 01:05

Owner

A recent comparison between the JC-2 and my TVC proved that expensive need not always be better. Though the JC-2 had issues in it's board and the dealer would correct it and let me have it for demo again, I really wonder "how much" of a difference would $2600 (price difference between the preamps) make?

milpai July 31, 2014 04:28

Owner

System edited: Looking for a nice active preamp currently. The JC-2 is on top of the list, but also seeking advise for competitions in the same price range.

milpai July 11, 2014 13:26

Owner

Lapierre,
Why do you say that the loudspeaker will provide the most change? I love the Quads. And even if I have to upgrade my loudspeakers, I will probably have to spend more than $5K to justify the upgrades.
I was thinking of the Parasound JC-2 as a upgrade this summer. Or any SS pre-amplifier in that range.

milpai March 31, 2014 17:25

Owner

Lapierre,
Thank You.

Recently I visited Dallas. And during my time there, I visited Audio Concepts. Landon Swindoll from AudioConcepts was kind enough to demo me many of their setups. It was a awesome experience to hear some big league stuff - especially their PMC and Boulder room. I was carrying some carrying my own CDs with me. One was "Big Joe Maher" from Mapleshade and it was as if the band was playing right there in front of me. Of course the system was more than $150k with all Valhalla cabling - but an awesome experience.

With that and some other system, I really think I am up for some upgrades. I want to start looking into either upgrading the SACD player or the pre-amplifier. Another upgrade is probably the room, but it will not happen at least in the next 2 years. If the Marantz SA-11S3 could do DSD files, I would order one right away. I am hoping that the Axpona in Chicago has some up nice toys that they show off.

milpai March 26, 2014 14:15

Owner

Adding 3 useful links:

First Reflections
Room Modes calculator
Loudspeaker placement calculator

milpai January 21, 2014 02:55

Owner

System edited: Adding 3 useful links: [url=http://www.acoustic.ua/forms/calculator4.en.html]First Reflections[/url] [url=http://www.bobgolds.com/Mode/RoomModes.htm]Room Modes calculator[/url] [url=http://www.hunecke.de/en/calculators/loudspeakers.html]Loudspeaker placement calculator[/url]

milpai January 21, 2014 02:51

Owner

Thanks B_Limo.
Yes, enjoying the music ever more! It is crazy what some footers can do in your system. Besides that I got some cool LEDs for my room. Will put out some pics during the holidays.

You got better toys than what I did. Those Jamos look cool. How do you like their sound compared to the Paradigms that you had? You need to update your system pics soon with the Jamos. I am sure they look great in your setup.

I want to get a nice SACD player. The Oppo 105 is a good option. But I am waiting to see if anything new comes up during CES 2014. I generally hang on to my players for a long time. I wish I could get a SACD/CD transport and a DSD DAC for about $4K. No options like these in the market. They are all ultra expensive.

milpai December 12, 2013 20:46

Owner

System edited: This site is dedicated to people who believe in good sound and music. Yes - SOUND - because that is what fascinates us audiophiles. We love some good music and the way it is re-created in our homes. We go to any extent to achieve the best possible sound within our reach/means. And we do stuff that ordinary folks get baffled with. Like these footers that I recently put under my TVC - replacing the original footers that came with the TVC. I have been meaning to replace the original ones for quite some time, but could not decide on the replacements. Finally I decided to try the ebony cones that Promitheus themselves and some members here and other forums recommend. I purchased them from ebay from a genuine seller. I installed it last week and somehow been regretting. Not regretting purchasing the footers, but regretting why did I now do this 3 years back! All I can say is - now I am a big believer in what some good footers can do. Here are a few things that I cannot explain why the footers do, in my system: 1. Increased upper bass and bass definition 2. "Definition" improvements in all areas 3. "Lengthened decay" at the end of a song - but not ringing 4. Added more "naturalness" to the instruments I cannot explain the last one enough. It is like going from arid to moist. The sound stage seems to have come forward a bit and I have to go down on the sound level by one notch. The improvements by these ebony footers are almost what I heard when moving from Nordost 4Flats to Signal Cable Silver Resolution speaker cables. Localization has improved so much that sometimes it seems uncanny. I should also mention that I have added 2 more GIK 244 panels on back walls to tame more reflections - about 2-3 months back. They also helped improve the sound stage. But these footers are something else. Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy your music.!

milpai December 08, 2013 22:11

Owner

System edited: Changed the title to "Searching...." today. Because I have started my search for a new source. I initially wanted the Marantz SA-11S3. But I have also been considering the Oppo BDP-105. And reading all the positive reviews of the Oppo, I have started asking myself, if the Marantz is worth the price difference? I would like to hear from anyone who has experienced both these players in their system.

milpai August 24, 2013 05:53

Owner

Thank You Lapierre.
I am more eager to see your new room/system, as I have gone through many of your "Answers" on this site and I know that you have collected tons of info to improve your system :-)

milpai April 05, 2013 14:24

Owner

Congratulations on the Florida house. And good to know that you are all settled with the new house. I will be eager to see your system updates soon. I know that you have done a lot of research on various equipment in the past few months.

If you are at the New York Audio show, please do try to find out from the manufacturers, whether they plan to do a firmware update on SACD players so that their USB inputs can be used to play DSD downloads. I am surprised to find that all SACD players what have digital inputs, including USB type-B, cannot be used as DSD DACs.

milpai April 05, 2013 01:55

Owner

B_lim0,
Thanks! Wife got the decal from Hobby Lobby. She says there are tons of stuff for my room...but she says it is time to look at the other room too and stop spending on my room :-)
The Salamander stand was purchased in 2008. I was using it in my apartment. When I moved into this house, I decided to keep the equipment on the floor thinking that the stand was causing "imaging" issues. Turns out that I was not as careful with speaker placement in apartments, as much as I did in this house. Even with the stand in place, the image does not move or is diffused. The "panels on the center wall" is a awesome thing!! The only thing I did not do this time with the stand is use the topmost shelf. That might cause some reflection issues, since it is plain without any components on it.
Thank You for the offer on letting me try the DAC. I have lend to my colleague, my pair of Signal Cable RCAs to try out. He recently purchased a Prima Luna Integrated and is soon going to get the Anthony Gallo Classico CL-3 speakers. He has a 20 year old Phillips CDP that he plans to use as a transport and get a DAC. He is the one who put the DAC idea in my mind.

milpai April 03, 2013 03:47

Owner

Hi Lapierre,
I am not sure I need them. They are expensive too. I have achieved the sound stage I was looking for. Maybe I should listen to some demo systems to find out what I am missing. Plan to do this when I visit the local Marantz and Esoteric dealers sometimes in future. Currently researching into SACD players and DACs. Had never thought about DACs; but looks like that is the direction for future. My perfect player would have SACD playback with 24/192 and DSD inputs :-)
How is your new home search coming? You already moved in and have a dedicated room?
Thanks!

milpai April 02, 2013 02:35

Owner

System edited: Wife got a new decal for the room :-)

milpai April 01, 2013 01:23

Owner

That's funny B_limo.
But I think, besides the first reflection panels on the side walls, the 2 panels on the wall in between the speakers that you are going to do, it going to be a HUGE positive effect. Of course to get this, the TV needs to come down. The center wall treatment is something may of us with SMALLER rooms, SHOULD do.
I understand that you are enjoying the new speakers. The GIKs will take your enjoyment to the next level. Enjoy your music!!

milpai March 22, 2013 16:56

Owner

Thank You B_limo. Actually I do not miss the remote at all. With TVC, you set the volume once (twice for me because of dual mono) and enjoy the sound. I am sure you will enjoy the TVC. The GIKs will also make a lot of positive difference. Besides the regular placement, for me, the 2 GOK panels on the wall between the 2 speakers "locked" the image. They made a profound difference and I recommend that placement to everyone.

milpai March 21, 2013 23:13

Owner

B_limo,
I think the biggest difference was the panels on the wall between the speakers. This made substantial difference in stabilizing the imaging. The difference in Poang and Jappling were not as noteworthy.

milpai February 03, 2013 16:20

Owner

Highend64,
The Parasound is musical and resolving. The Quads sound awesome with that extra power.....especially when I have to listen late into the night at low volume. The bass is tight with this amp and the details come out very well. Honestly, the power amp of my previous integrated was my only reference. But very happy with this amp.

milpai January 31, 2013 04:23

Owner

I put the 244 on the front wall, since I wanted broadband treatment.

milpai January 25, 2013 14:49

Owner

Thanks Sidvee! Yes, the sound of the system and the room is really nice now.

B_limo, Thanks man! The Oppo is 970H. No way it is as good as the Marantz. It sounds slightly thin compared to the Marantz. The Marantz is in a separate league.

Highend64, Thanks! I love the Parasound A21 - especially when using it's XLR connection. You should listen to it in your own system to see what it can really do. You have a pretty nice system yourself, that I bet would sound better than many $$ systems - especially because of the treatments you put in. It simply amazes me, what room treatments can do to your sound (music). At the same time I am sorry to hear that you had to downgrade. Whatever it was - hope you recover and have agreat upgrade in near future. Good Luck to you!

milpai January 25, 2013 04:11

Owner

Finally completed the room treatment project (famous last words from a audiophile). Have to thank so many of you who encouraged me in that direction. I am a big believer now!
One of the key pieces of advice came from Sidvee who mentioned that

Actually I read a white paper by Dr. Flyod Toole on room acoustics where in one of the conclusions was that the center of the wall behind the speakers and the center of the wall behind the listener are points in the room (specifically small rooms) which need to be treated for greatest acoustic benefit.

I did more research into this and found that people had positive experience with this. When I put the treatments on the wall between the two speakers, it was an UNBELIEVABLE experience. The speakers simply disappear and the imaging is so strong. The ambiguity in the imaging is completely killed. Bass is taut and you can follow the words so clearly. I was completely amazed by the depth that the system achieves. The best part is most of the music comes from thin air rather than the 2 physical speakers. Yes there are times when the music seems to come directly from the speakers - but this is probably for about 10% of the time. I am mesmerized when I lean towards extreme left or extreme right and still the music seems to come from beyond the speaker box. I say anyone who has a small room like mine must do this treatment and be amazed at how your system sounds - not matter how cheap/expensive your equipment is.
Over the past week purchased a new BDP for the family and stole the Oppo that was our primary DVD player. The Oppo now resides in my system. It gives me the ability to play DVD audio and MP3. I think I am satisfied for now. I was thinking of upgrading my CDP in a year or so, but reading about all the new DSD DACs that can play DSF files, I am now leaning towards that.

milpai January 20, 2013 23:28

Owner

I feel the Poangs will sit a bit low after some months/years of use. I used mine for 8 years and now they have been moved to the basement. They are very comfy chairs.
I love the Jappling. In fact we went back and got the Jappling sofa, another chair and ottoman.
Bruce, is your system totally set up? You should post some pics. One suggestion to you or anyone looking to upgrade equipment - before you buy any new equipment, please treat your room. The change in sound, for good, is simply astounding! I put up my last set of acoustic treatments and will post some pics and updates this week.

milpai January 08, 2013 01:46

Owner

I picked up the Jappling ottoman today.

milpai January 06, 2013 05:54

Owner

Lapierre,
It surely is comfortable. But it is different from the previous Poang that I had. The Poang is in the sleepy comfort zone. If you are the person who likes to listen to music and wants to fall asleep, then Poang is the one for you. But if you are the person who wants to be attentive during the listening session, then Jappling is the one for you. I liked the Ekenas at Ikea too, but the color I liked was not in stock. Besides, the Jappling had a big WAF.

milpai December 30, 2012 20:20

Owner

System edited: Picked up a new chair from IKEA. It is a Jappling chair. Was almost tempted to pick another Poang with the new material, but wife wanted a change. This, I believe is a closeout chair, but it matched most of my criteria, as it matched my height requirement as well as the panels. Set it up last night and it is pretty nice. Unlike the Poang, I do not have a headrest now. But that is fine. And surprise of surprises - this chair is MADE IN THE USA!! Please see the system pics for the label. Though you cannot find this chair on IKEA site, you can find it here: http://www.overmaninternational.com/livingroom/jappling/

milpai December 30, 2012 03:29

Owner

Yes Samhar. I am glad that I chose HAL for the isolation. I did read your post. You have done a lot of experimentation with the treatments. I have ordered 2 244 panels that will go on the wall behind the speakers. Since my room is small, this will help stabilize the image. This would be broadband absorption and I am thinking that this will provide some "clarity" to the sound image.

milpai December 22, 2012 02:21

Owner

Nd4speed,
Thanks. Yes the Quads are nice speakers. But I like the looks of Rethm much more. I am really surprised (in a good way) what you have done with your room. It's practically same size as mine, but looking at it, I thought it was probably 14 X 17 or larger. BTW, I got a response from Jacon from Rethm and he feels that the Trishnas are the right size for our rooms. Apparently Rethms also do well with solid state amps. Jacob mentioned that one Chicago dealer plays the Rethms with 300Wpc Clayton amps!

milpai December 22, 2012 02:12

Owner

System edited: I needed some isolation devices and went with Herbie's Audio Labs. HAL's products successfully removed most of the hash that I was experiencing in my system, despite the careful speaker placement and room treatments. I am well aware that I need some more panels to make the music sound better, but I am pretty happy with HAL products. Very higly recommended. And special recommendations on the Hush Puckies. I have not seen people use them so much, as compared to the TenderFoot. But I will recommend these over the plain metal footer cups. The dBNeutralizer base does it's job of stopping the vibrations while stabilizing the speakers.

milpai November 24, 2012 04:27

Owner

Bjensen,
Thank you for the post and sharing your experience on 8260 upgrade. The Marantz in my system will be the next upgrade for me. I have been thinking about the SA-11S3 recently. I am surprised to hear your upgrade made such a difference. I can only imagine what the S3 would sound. I am also looking into a dac that can do DSD, besides the regular PCM stuff. I simply love SACD and would like a DAC that can accept DSD over hdmi, which obviously means, I have to have a transport with hdmi out.

milpai November 18, 2012 06:14

Owner

You are welcome, B_limo. I think you are in for a pleasant surprise with the Signal Cable XLRs. 2 feet should work fine in a closet setup. You are on the right upgrade path with the Brickwall. One thing I fotgot to mention that, with the Brickwall, make sure that you plug the CDP in one of the 6 available filtered outlets. You will hear slight improvement in the playback -much quieter background. Sorry to hear about your bro's misfortune.
Once you are all setup, do post some pics. Eager to see them :-)

milpai November 04, 2012 04:38

Owner

B_limo,
Thank You.
I plug all my components into the brickwall. I cannot really give a shotreview of this. But one thing I must say that when I connected the amp "direct to the wall" Vs "to the always-on outlet" on the Brickwall, there is no difference in the sound. This is a solid surge protector that provides me peace of mind. I did not purchase the Brickwall for cleaning up the power - not sure if it does that. For power cords, I think you should have at least 4 feet. That way you can "snake" the cables around so that they do not touch/cross other cables and you have component placement flexibility.
I am eager to know your experience with the Signal cable XLRs. I can see your excitement to make some nice equipment purchases. This is a crazy hobby. But love it. Make sure that you enjoy your music everyday :-)

milpai October 31, 2012 03:07

Owner

B_limo,
Good to know that you experimented with the speaker positions. It is a painful task, but very rewarding. I am not a DIY person like you. Zman has done some nice work on acoustic treatment:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vbudg&1267991000
Signal Cable's products are "value for money". You would have to pay significantly higher to surpass their performance.
As for the 2 CDPs - the Marantz is the primary one. I do not play any "unknown" or "CDRs" on the Marantz. All those go into the cheap Sony DVD-player. None of the CDs that I put in the Sony are "dirty". Unknown CDs include the CDs that I have not purchased or belong to someone else. The issue with such CDs is that they "may" have multiple scratches on them which may miss-align the SACD laser. Library CDs are full of such. If a unknown CD is dirty, I simply wipe them clean with a clean soft moist cloth. No special cleaners, since they are not mine. And (touch wood) none of my CDs get touched on the flat surfaces. I handle my personal CDs as carefully as possible, only on the edges.

milpai October 27, 2012 00:26

Owner

Sam,
Hope you setup your equipment soon and post some pics. I would be eager to see your new room. I would guess for this move that would be one of your consideration and hence the new room would be a step-up over the previous one.
I have posted a comment on your system page with couple of questions for you.
BTW, I am looking at Herbie's Audio products for component isolation.

milpai October 26, 2012 23:37

Owner

Samhar,
Thank You for the kind words and the suggestions on the sorbothane isolation pods provided. Do you know if Herbie's Audio Lab has any comparable product? I am pretty impressed by their Hush Puckies.
Have you moved into your new home? I am curious - have you built a dedicated room for your system? You have a awesome system, which totally justifies a custom built dedicated room. Can you throw some light on why you chose Cable Isolators ESD over the ceramic ones for cable isolation? This is one more thing I need to look at. I went though your system and saw that you are using GIK 242 on the wall behind your system. Why did you decide on these and not 2 panels on 244? I am undecided on this part.

milpai October 21, 2012 05:55

Owner

One thing I noticed from my listening last night was, the system clearly separates each instruments and vocals when there are not too may things in the mix - for example Sara K. or Norah Jones or Patricia Barber songs. But when I go to the oldies like "Casablanca" (Bertie Higgins), there are a hell lot of instruments in the background and the system does not delineate each instrument clearly. Can this be resolved by additional diffusion/absorption panels?

milpai October 13, 2012 18:58

Owner

Lapierre,
You are welcome.
Actually Brian suggested me the 244s at the first reflection points, based on my dimensions. You are right, I do not want to kill the room sound; but want to tame the bass. I am surprised how a "gain" can change from "ok bass" to "awesome bass" and body. I am absolutely delighted with the overall sound of my system. I had never achieved such quality levels before. Every CD seems to be new.

The next thing on the hifi map would be a new SACD player with USB/Optical/Co-axial INs. But this is not scheduled at least for another year. The Marantz SA11-S3 is high on my radar. But would lookout for any other brand that also decodes HDCD. The ultimate player would be a audio only player that has all the features mentioned above and that can also do Blu-Ray audio.

milpai October 13, 2012 18:52

Owner

Jaxwired,
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I am a very big believer in placement now. I think it is a learning that all audiophiles have to go through. Till you experiment and find out for yourself, you will not be able to appreciate it, if someone suggests you about it. Sad but true. But sometimes space constraints limit your ability. I really envy you for that fantastic room and a very good system. The right words are "tastefully done".

milpai October 13, 2012 18:41

Owner

B_limo,
Hold on. Your bass/body issue sounds similar to mine. I looked up your amp and preamp on the net and see that you can use XLRs to connect them. Why not try that? For me it was a night and day difference. The bass that was missing in my system, suddenly came thru with the XLRs. I had to move my speakers from 40" to the current 48" from the front wall. And yet the bass is powerful. One of my friends came to listen last week and could not belive his ears, with the change he heard in my system. Basically it was a gain issue. Did you contact Signal cable yet?
Your setup is respectable and I am sure that with proper connections and speaker placement you will be amazed at what your system can do. As for toe in, use a female vocal CD and make sure that you can hear the "throat" voice (for lack of better words) and not the diffused vocals. When you look straight ahead, you will notice that one spot where the vocalization is absolutely prominent. Same goes for the other various instruments. In my setup the speakers simply disappear. It is a mesmerising experience. Goodluck for acheiving the sound you desire. I am sure, with a little patience and effort you will be there.

milpai October 12, 2012 04:14

Owner

Kevinzoe,
Thank You. I do not have a measurement device, unfortunately. I have seen the discussions between you and Kiwi on his system page and know what you mean. Hopefully I will have a tool like that in the future sometime. You know how this hobby goes.
I am not sure if I should even treat the wall behind the speakers. I have looked at other system pages and assume that that would benefit. With the current setup, I got the imaging and depth I was looking for. I don't want to loose that by putting something on that wall. I am not a diy guy, so have to rely on ready-made stuff. I like your Toole advise. I don't think I have enough space in my room for the poly.
Again, thank you for the suggestions. Very much appreciated.

milpai October 12, 2012 03:48

Owner

B_limo,
You are welcome. I am glad that the changed speaker position worked for you. Yes, all of us go through this routine and it is indeed cumbersome. One more pointer - try to play with the toe-in - this could be different for your speakers. One simple way to do this without moving the speaker is, remove the chair from listening position. Sit on the floor. Then move your head side-to-side, w.r.t. one speaker and see if you are hearing more focus/dynamics/clarity. If yes, then change the toe-in accordingly. I have used female vocals to do this setup. For me, the human voice is the most important aspect that my system should bring out. And it is also difficult to get this aspect correct in the system. But once you get this aspect right, the rest of the sound will follow the same and everything will be set up correctly.

For the cables, I am sticking to the Silvers, cause I like the way they bring out the details in my system. One would imagine that Silvers in an all solid state setup would sound harsh. But this is absolutely not the case in my system. I don't think you can go wrong even if you went with Analog Two Balanced XLRs in your system. You can call up Frank at Signal cable. Discuss with him about your requirements and your equipment. Like Srg mentioned above, Frank can guide you accordingly. I believe he can send you demo pair of the XLRs, so that you can try and decide for yourself.
I am just curious - what components do you have in your system?

milpai October 10, 2012 13:56

Owner

Sgr,
I am completely with you on the Signal Cable choice. I have compared their cables to some Nordost sub-$1000 ones and preferred the Signal Cables. It may not have been a fair comparison, because I compared the Silver Resolutions to Nordost copper ones. But the price points for Nordost were much higher. From a feedback long ago, a user had replied that the Silver Resolutions back then was comparable to Nordost SPMs.
Out of curiosity - what other cables have you tried in your system? You have some formidable gear and I am sure they would definitely have resolved the differences, between the cables. What is your feedback on Auralex diffusers between the speakers on the front wall? BTW, I use Herbie's products too :-)

milpai October 09, 2012 18:17

Owner

B_limo,
Thank You for the kind words. You should certainly experiment with the speaker and chair position. I have spent more than 30 man hours experimenting this. Some of these hours are all alone. But trust me, the juice is more than worth the squeeze. I have read on these forums that speakers should not be spaced equally from side and back wall. Use that front port to your advantage. You can place your speakers close to a feet from back and experiment with "diffusion" on the back wall to give you more depth. I highly recommend GIK for their products and customer support. They provided me genuine advise and their recommendation worked perfectly in my room. I am still debating whether I should go the "diffusion" or "absorption" route on the front wall. Removing the equipment rack from between the speakers made a very big difference in imaging. But if your equipment rack is very low, then it would not matter. Mine, is on the floor, on wooden platforms (from the rack), now.
You are heading in the right direction about the Signal XLRs. check SGR's system. He could have easily afforded megabuck cables - but did not go for them. I don't think I will want to try anything less than Nordost Vallhala or the likes, if I am replacing my Signals :-) I would recommend the Silver Resolutions from Signal cables.
And yes, would love to see your system pics. Do let me know when you post your system on this forum. Good luck in finding the perfect spot for speakers and seating position in your room. Enjoy your music!!

milpai October 09, 2012 18:05

Owner

Pinpoint imaging - something that I was searching for! After much experimenting, found the optimal seating distance that gives me this image. The speakers are 7' apart. I have to seat myself 8' away. This not only gives me pinpoint imaging, but also makes the speaker disappear (kind of). This puts very close to the back wall. The speaker toe-in is such that the tweeter axis cross slightly behind my back.
Speaker placement and seat positioning can make a HUGE difference. I don't recollect reading about any other pair of Quad 21L speakers anywhere on this forum or others that have been optimized, both in terms of rom treatment and electronics. These are holographic speakers. Listening to "Don's Solo" from Joni Mitchell - Shadows and Light, and the drums are so real. Never before experienced such realism!!!

milpai October 08, 2012 03:48

Owner

System edited: Added/Replaced pics of system and components.

milpai October 07, 2012 21:42

Owner

Kiwi,
Thank You for the encouragement. Yes, I love this hobby or "passion" as a friend put it for me. I feel this is a good "addiction". And yes, I have read your blog about room setup and the stuff that you went through to get to where you are today. You have a great setup.

Sidvee,
Thanks for letting me know. Yes, I plan to experiment with the monster panels on the front wall. How did you decide on the location of the panels? Is it again the first reflection points on the front wall? BTW, are you the same Sidvee from http://www.hifi-forum.de. If yes, then I have read your threads from that forum and others. Are you still located in Detroit? I like that Symphonic amp. I have heard great stuff about Symphonic.

milpai October 02, 2012 13:38

Owner

Thanks Sidvee.
I would like to get those cable raisers - for getting the cables off the floor and for aesthetic purpose. Did those positively affect your system? What about the panels between the speakers? Did it tighten the sound stage? I like the area rug that you have. That will come sometimes next year. I have one with me, but it is too light for the setup and so, I did not put it in there.

milpai October 01, 2012 17:12

Owner

System edited: Added latest pics and description of my new room and tweaks. Many changes in place, thanks to forum member's suggestions and advises.

milpai October 01, 2012 04:41

Owner

Kevinzoe,
Thank You. Yes, the room treatments were at the back of my mind for couple of years now. But I was living in a apartment and wanted to wait till we moved into a home. That has finally happened. I have already ordered my panels from GIK. They should be here in a week or so.

Also, thanks for the references you have provided. You make some good points on the panels -especially having space behind them to be effective. Everything I read on the net points in this direction and that is 1 reason I went with GIK. Cost was also a big factor to go with GIK. I will experiment with the positions you mentioned, once the panels arrive.

Some clarifications - Bryan from GIK was very helpful. In fact he would not suggest me any panels without first taking a look at my room and knowing it's dimensions. So I sent the pics and measurements. Then I mentioned to him that I wanted some absorption panels on the first reflection points, corner traps (top to bottom, so 4 panels) and bass panels on the back. It was then he explained me how my room would be affecting the sound and why. He mentioned that my carpet acts as an absorption panel for high and mids, but not for the bass. So he suggested 2 corner traps instead of 4 and 2 monster traps at the back directly behind the listening position. He suggested I should experiment with the bass panels on the first absorption point and decide if I really need absorption. He mentioned that if anything is needed, we can discuss and find if reflection or diffusion is needed. I liked the way he did not push his products on me.

Yes, my room is small. But the bass is not bad, as I had read on the net. I guess it is the 9 foot ceiling that is making the difference. I have the speakers 4 feet into the room and the setup is optimized for near-field listening. I have spent about 5 hours experimenting with the speaker positioning and have found the best spot for these speakers in this room. I have never had these speakers image this great. And this is even without the granite slab and spikes that I will soon install. The speakers are on bare carpet. Well, each room is different.

I am not a DIY guy. But thanks for the suggestion. If I get interested some day, I can refer to your suggestion. Your setup is awesome!! All the DIY stuff you have done shows how dedicated an audiophile you are. I can only envy you. I noticed that you are also setup for near-field listening. I do not like parametric eq in my chain. It might just be psychological, but I don't want that. I am pretty happy with the bass from my setup and I am hoping that the GIK panels will tighten it up.

I am seriously thinking of setting the components on the floor, using the wood panels from the stand, after disassembling it. That should improve the image and I can take the speakers closer to the wall behind them, by a foot.

Next thing to focus is on a new chair without the high back. I understand that this improves the image further, since there are no reflections from the high back. The Ikea chair that I use is good. But there is better and best out there.

milpai March 13, 2012 03:17

Owner

Rodm3878,
Thanks. I am just about getting my new room finished. This time I have taken great care to optimize the speaker positioning for near-field listening. Without a plinth or spikes on them, they are already sounding very good. I know that with their spikes, it will take the bass up a notch and stabilize the stereo image further.
I have decided to go with GIK audio treatments. I will post new pics soon.

milpai March 10, 2012 05:25

Owner

Thanks for your kind words Baxman. I am in the process of building a new music room. But my equipment will remain the same. Yes, it's a joy to hear the system play. But it has been a frustrating 6 months with the system packed up. We had a baby and then moved from an apartment into a home.

Currently done "priming" the walls to get rid of the olive green paint. Will go with some light paint. Will also do some room treatments in the near future. I planned to get the room done this weekend, but with 2 kids, it's always a hands full.

milpai February 06, 2012 04:30

Owner

Was out of the country on a vacation for more than a month. Got back and looking to get the room completed soon. The doors were done before we left on a vacation.
The first and foremost thing we will do is paint the room. The next thing is to set up the system. Then I intend to put in some room treatments. The room is 13.5L X 12.5W X 9H. I know it is squarish, but I have no other option. I am, in the meanwhile, discussing the treatments with GIK Acoustics, who have made their preliminary recommendations based on the room dimensions and pictures I sent across. One think that I want to find out is, treating the glass panels on the french door. I also am not sure if I should get some professional in, to help me figure out the problems in this room and then decide on the treatment.

milpai January 20, 2012 18:49

Owner

Getting the french-doors installed in the next week. Frankly I do not know how it will work out, since this room is kind of small (13 X 12). I envy all the people with big/medium rooms. But I will have to look at some good room treatments, since this is my home and not an apartment, where it was not an option. My wife seems to be fine with me spending on room treatments. So once the door is done, I will focus on room treatments.

milpai November 04, 2011 15:14

Owner

Thank You for the kind words, Evan. I am dying to setup my new room, once I get doors installed. I have 2 installers coming in to see the space and providing me quotes, this weekend.

Alex, I am so glad to hear about the offer. I think it is time for you to THOROUGHLY your system and celebrate!! Thank You for the compliments. I liked the Grados for their open sound. I did compare them to the other cans in the $100 range and I felt that they had a good airy sound. They are easy to drive and do not specially need headphone amps. I listen to them once in a while (like once every week - when the system is up and running). Again , good luck on the offer that you are expecting and update us about it on your system page.

milpai September 27, 2011 17:21

Owner

Finally moved to a house. This is our first one. Have not yet set up the system. The reason is - the dedicated music room does not have a door. It has a rough opening of 94" X 65" and I need to put a door in. I was told that this is not the standard size for a French Door. So I am open to ideas from members on this forum. This room is 13 X 12.

milpai September 20, 2011 00:50

Owner

Hell lot of anticipation to move into new house that we are closing soon. One critical requirement while searching for a house was - a dedicated music room. Keeping fingers crossed.

milpai August 27, 2011 01:36

Owner

System edited: Good to be back after 5 1/2 months. I think I am simply addicted to music. During the hibernation stages I continued to buy music and make minor changes to the system. I changed the spaces on the amp-end of my speaker cable to BFA. The connection to the amp with this change is much more stable and provide more "area" for connection. The system had to be run it at least 6-10 hours before, what I felt, it reached the clarity level I am accustomed to. The system sounds a bit louder than I remember from 5 1/2 months back. Dunno if this is because of the minor cable tweak or my perception.

milpai April 03, 2011 15:23

Owner

System edited: With the new baby due next month, the system is packed up till spring. Need to use the 2nd bedroom. Did late night listening till almost 4:00am last night and enjoyed every bit of it. Will miss my music so much. Though I have a decent pair of headphones, I don't thing they even come close.

milpai October 11, 2010 02:23

Owner

Gmc56, thanks for the info. How do you find out where to place the panels on the wall? I have not worked with fiberglass panels. But will like to know more - where you get them (Home Depot?), how to handle them, how to frame them, etc.

milpai May 04, 2010 02:45

Owner

Gmc56, I totally believe you. I tried experimenting with room treatment using some old rugs on the wall. The WAF was 0% and had to take it down. But the changes that made in the sound was amazing. Did you use the Duct Board as well to create your own panels?

milpai April 20, 2010 19:35

Owner

One thing I realize is that my room does have some unwanted reflections. The new amp is superb for mono CDs and I can clearly hear the added body that it delivers to mono sound (older Jazz and Blues). The "natural" bass that was missing in action from the previous amp is very apparent now. I will look into "Duct Board" that Zmanastronomy has used very effectively in his room setup. I need to find out about the placement about the panels, if I buy any kind of room treatment panels. I am in two minds about treating the room currently, as I live in an apartment. But I am 100% sure that my system will benefit a lot from room treatment.

milpai April 05, 2010 02:36

Owner

System edited: February 2010: Added the Parasound A21 power amp to my system. The sensitivity of this amp matches the TVC perfectly. Sold the NAD integrated. The Parasound is in a totally different league than the NAD. Will update the thread latter with my experience with the a21. For now, let me say this - I have achieved what I was looking for in my system.

milpai February 15, 2010 04:03

Owner

Yep, they got the first shipment of H20 just 3-4 weeks back. So yes, you would be the first one to get the H20 in either Canada or US. I am guessing there may not be too many units even in Norway or Japan, because I could not find anything on avforum.no (used google translate). Just 1 or 2 mention of that amp along with a new integrated - the H70. Did you check out their video on YouTube? They claim to reduce the harmonics greater than third order, there by making their sound almost tube-like, maybe better. They do mention that their amps are the best of both world (tube and SS).
One thing I must say about the A21 though - I am amazed by what this amp can do after just 10 hours of break in. You need to audition this amp and then decide if you want to go any other route. A bonus is that it matches VERY WELL with passive preamps.

milpai January 22, 2010 16:10

Owner

Enfanform, I will update my system shortly with new pics and experience. In short - I love the A21. Did you get a chance to listen to the A21 and compare with Hegel? How did you like the sound of H10/H4A? I believe the H200 is an integrated amp. If you like the sound of Hegel, then get the H20. You would be one of the FIRST persons in the US to get it.

milpai January 20, 2010 14:51

Owner

Afranta,
It does not matter you use an old or new amp, as long as you enjoy your music. I guess with the PS Audio P200 you will start looking for a better amp, you never know. I will update my system once I get the new amp. The Parasound A21 is something that seem to fit my requirements and budget. But I will wait till CES 2010 in Jan before I reach a decision, since Aragon and Acurus are supposed to make some anouncements.

milpai December 05, 2009 02:41

Owner

I will look into PS Audio A100. Thanks for letting me know Afranta. I as looking for something in the lines of Parasound A21, as it has massive power (250W 8 Ohma), high current (60 amps) and high sensitivity (1V). I did not see any specs on the PS audio site.
The Quad 11Ls are superb speakers. In fact I love the entire Quad L series line. What preamp are you using with the PS Audio amp?

milpai December 01, 2009 18:41

Owner

Jehuty,
Thanks. I intend to go for a solid state amp rather than tube amp. Just a preference and nothing else.
I always felt that the Quads would like a high-current amp. How did the "dynamics" of the Quads change after you introduced JLTi amp? I get the same feedback from other a'goners on Krell.
I recently got a feedback to for for Wyred 4 sound instead of Plinius 301. I was interested in the SX-1000 from W4S. But it's sensitivity is too low to go with my TVC. I will check with W4S if the sensitivity of that amp can be changed.

milpai November 30, 2009 22:42

Owner

System edited: Guess it is time to upgrade to a full-fledge power amp. Looking for a solid state power amp with sensitivity < 1V and high input impedance. If you have any recommendations, please suggest. Thanks :-)

milpai September 02, 2009 00:35

Owner

Jadisboy,
Thanks much. Your opinion was very helpful in making the decision. I had posted reviews of this TVC on audiogon as well as audioasylum. See the links below:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?rprea&1242576656
http://www.audioasylum.com/reviews/Preamplifier-SS/Promitheus-Audio/Reference-C-Core/amp/14/144765.html

I am pretty impressed by the TVC - coming from a modest integrated. I want to get a good power amp in the next 6-12 months.

milpai June 29, 2009 19:50

Owner

System edited: Received the TVC over a month ago and have been busy listening to it. The addition of this TVC has been an excellent upgrade to my system. I will post my comments after doing some critical listening.

milpai May 12, 2009 14:35

Owner

Just now ordered the Promitheus Reference C-Core dual box with Elma switches. Have never heard one, but ordered it based on positive feedback/reviews from fellow audiogoners/asylum inmates/audiocircle pals. The estimated wait period in 3 weeks.
This is going to be my first "separates" component. Will eventually move to a separate power amp when budgets permit. So the "upgrade bug" finally got me!!

milpai January 31, 2009 17:44

Owner

System edited: Added the Salamander Designs Archetype 5 stand for the components. The sonic benefits of this stands far exceed the cost, which I did not expect. Besides making the system look better, the imaging and spaciousness of the sound has improved a lot. I guess the Megaspikes are also responsible for this change. I really like the slight added depth that is now added during the playback. Wow, who could have thought that a dedicated stand could make such a difference!! The setup did take about a hour or so, which included the leveling of each shelf. But it was worth it. Looks like a decent system rather than a starter system. My quest for a preamplifier and power amp continues. I really look forward to add the Promitheus TVC to my system. And then the Red Wine Audio 30.2 power amp later.

milpai October 04, 2008 19:34

Owner

Chris,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, the Quads sound amazing with the NAD amp. I wonder how they would sound with a more expensive integrated like the Unico that you have. I am somewhat skeptical about tubes in my system, as it involves some maintenance.
I am sure though that the upgrade from NAD to Unico must really be a couple of notches up.

milpai August 12, 2008 03:58

Owner

Hmm. This time I re-read your thread links and the changes that many people had in their system, because of the fuse change. I am thinking of opening up my amp and taking a look inside. Thanks for the encouragement :-)

milpai August 09, 2008 18:04

Owner

Knownothing,
Thanks for your kind words on my setup and advise about the fuses. Trust me, I tried to post on this forum (and others) about the fuses for NAD amplifiers. But I have not got much information. And on top of it, I wrote to NAD, and the engineer told me that there were no "user replaceable fuses" in my amp. I am completely with you on the fuse treatment - no doubt about that. But I am a bit skeptical to open my amp.

BTW, you have a misnomer. You seems to know quite Something :-)

Thanks,

milpai August 08, 2008 22:41

Owner

Thanks Decapg. The NAD C352 is a very capable amp. I compared it to Rotel and Arcam before purchasing it. And if you replace the power chord and pre-amp jumpers, the sound quality goes up a notch. It is pretty noticeable.
To answer your question about turntable: I do not want to go the TT route. Maintenance and high cost keep me away. I would rather hope for the SACD to survive. I feel that SACD is as good as Vinyl, without the maintenance. Of course the vinyl guys will never accept that. But I am fine with SACD.
BTW, what front end you have and the speakers to go with?

milpai April 18, 2008 23:58

Owner

System edited: Some of my friends/colleagues complained about the picture quality. I have updated some, but for the rest of the components, I will do later sometimes.

milpai April 11, 2008 03:57

Owner

Thanks Mapman.

Yes, it sounds very good. I have been in listening rooms at some dealers with mega-gears. But the pleasure that I get out of my system is so much more. I have yet to upload a better picture of my listening room and the Quad speakers. I will do it ASAP.

milpai April 07, 2008 17:55

Owner

System edited: Finally got time to update the site on the changes that I made in my system. I have replaced the Nordost with Signal Cable Silver Resolution Bi-wires. Added pre-amp jumpers from the same company. Brought in my cassette deck from the older system. Added an Oppo universal player for listening to CD-RWs. The Oppo is for background listening, when I do my office work or miscellaneous chores. The speaker wire upgrade is the best thing that happened to me - especially after the break-in period. The resolution and details retrieval has gone up to a completely different level. Cymbals sound like real cymbals. Imaging is pin point. And those who say that speakers don't disappear with a NAD integrated are DEAD wrong. I can only imagine what improvements my system will have if I replace the NAD with a more expensive amp. I have the urge but priorities are different. I will look at Blue Circle, Red Wine Audio, LDF, etc. But for right now, I am very happy with my setup!!

milpai April 07, 2008 03:46

Owner

Jmlab926,
I think the new Marantz SA8001 may suit your needs. But if in future I would change my SACD player, then I would move in the $1500-$2500 range.

milpai May 01, 2007 03:51

Owner

System edited: Added a Cassette Deck to the system. Love the music made by cassettes!!

milpai April 08, 2007 06:03

Owner

"Listening is not absolutely pleasure"
should be
"Listening is NOW absolutely pleasure"

milpai September 12, 2006 23:47

Owner

System edited: Moved to a new apartment where the Quads have enough breathing space. Also the window is covered with a thick cloth. This has made the change in sound staging and localization. Listening is not absolutely pleasure. A dedicated listening room is the best upgrade rather than equipment upgrade. My basic NAD C352 sounds so good now, that the urge to upgrade has gone away. The speakers are thworing a soundstage/music as if they have just been broken in again. The listening sessions are now getting extended beyond my regular 2-3 hours!! Will look forward to small tweaks like feet for amp/cd player and a better audio stand.

milpai September 12, 2006 02:12

Owner

Thank you Keyarae. The bass from the cables is pretty good with the Quads. I have never felt the bass anemic. It is more than I require. For the price I really like them...no complaints.

milpai August 01, 2006 18:55

Owner

Thanks Brent. Nothing much compared to yours.

milpai April 11, 2006 23:40

Owner

System edited: Finally decided on a quality headphones and purchased the Grado SR80. Luv the music they make, especially playing the SACDs through the Marantz SA8260.

milpai March 03, 2006 05:13

Owner

Need to add a fullsize headphone for latenight sessions.

milpai January 27, 2006 08:31

Owner

Thanks Kozine. But me and my wife really don't care too much about video. So you see that basic TV and the Cyberhome DVD player on top of it. Maybe I will get a flatscreen SXRD/DLP later next year.

milpai December 10, 2005 07:43

Owner

Finally my Brickwall PW8R15AUD arrived today. I just meant it for surge protection. But something is not as expected. I did not expect to hear any differences. But there were positive differences than negative.I thought that it was psychological. So I started my listening session with Diana Krall - Girl in the other room, Firebird - Complete Ballad, Beatles - 1, East O Eden - Kalipse, Rebecca Pidgeon - The Raven and Tracy Chapman (self titled).
I could hear the tracks more clearly and there was an increased dynamics. The imaging was more precise and the soundstage expanded. I removed the Brickwall from the system and hooked my equipment directly to the wall outlet. Things were a bit narrower overall. Then I reinserted the brickwall into the system and again, everything seemed to improve a bit. I did this with all the CDs that I mentioned.
This is crazy, this is not supposed to happen - it is just a surge protector. I would like to think of this as psychological. But if it is real - then I got more than I asked for.

milpai December 06, 2005 08:20

Owner

Thanks Timrhu. Very true of what you said. I don't want to compare my system to anything else. That leads to anxiety and you end up thinking about the system, than about music.
I almost ended up buying the NAD C342 CD player, but decided to go the SACD way, as I am starting new in Jazz/Classical. The NAD amp is a fantastic player and I believe, people don't want to assosiate much with it, because it does not have a bank-breaking price tag.

milpai December 05, 2005 21:30

Owner

System edited: Ordered the Brickwall surge protector.

milpai November 28, 2005 04:56

Owner

Hi Nhunsaker, I had listened to the Quad 12L on Arcam A65 and the sound was really nice. I did a A/B comparison against the NAD C352 and prefered it over the Arcam.
What L-series do you have?

milpai November 17, 2005 08:02

Owner

Thank you for your suggestion Bill. But $125 is not bad. My only concern is that the protector should not change (for bad) the musical quality of my system. I will surely look at Panamax.

Your system is AWESOME. That is something I hope to have at some point in time. I have just started. That doggie is nice.

milpai November 02, 2005 22:53

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

ProAc Response D48R Loudspeakers

Parasound A21

Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3

OPPO UDP-205

Foobar Foobar2000

MonkeyMote MonkeyMoteHD

Inakustik Reference Power Station AC-3500P

Inakustik LS-2404 Air

Inakustik NF-2404 Air

Inakustik Reference High Speed USB

Cardes Parsec

Inakustik 2502F

Furutech FI-28(R)/FI-32(R)

Cullen Cables Crossover Series 10 AWG

Cullen Cables Crossover Series 12 AWG

IsoAcoustics Gaia II

IsoAcoustics Gaia II Carpet Spikes

IsoAcoustics ISO-puck mini

AudioQuest Fog Lifters

World Market Kendall Chair

GIK Acoustics Tri-Trap

GIK Acoustics Monster Bass Trap

GIK Acoustics 244 Bass Trap

GIK Acoustics 242 broadband panel

Porterhouse Audio Porter Ports

Custom build Audio Server Audio Server

Puron

Apple iPad Gen 9

Comments 289

Showing all comments by milpai.

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milpai's system

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

ProAc Response D48R Loudspeakers

Parasound A21

Backert Labs Rhumba 1.3

OPPO UDP-205

Foobar Foobar2000

MonkeyMote MonkeyMoteHD

Inakustik Reference Power Station AC-3500P

Inakustik LS-2404 Air

Inakustik NF-2404 Air

Inakustik Reference High Speed USB

Cardes Parsec

Inakustik 2502F

Furutech FI-28(R)/FI-32(R)

Cullen Cables Crossover Series 10 AWG

Cullen Cables Crossover Series 12 AWG

IsoAcoustics Gaia II

IsoAcoustics Gaia II Carpet Spikes

IsoAcoustics ISO-puck mini

AudioQuest Fog Lifters

World Market Kendall Chair

GIK Acoustics Tri-Trap

GIK Acoustics Monster Bass Trap

GIK Acoustics 244 Bass Trap

GIK Acoustics 242 broadband panel

Porterhouse Audio Porter Ports

Custom build Audio Server Audio Server

Puron

Apple iPad Gen 9

Comments 289

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