So Im completely starting over the description of this "modest" system. I dont know at what point in dollars you have into a system it becomes immodest but I may be getting there! I have completely changed this entire system around from the time I first submitted my Virtual System. My main reason for having this system is for relaxation. I really dont watch much TV and I prefer music over TV anyways. I probably listen 1-2 times a week. I enjoy just making a cocktail or an espresso and just sitting myself front and center in the "music room". The room is sizably challenged as it is too small. The next real major upgrade would be a new home with a larger dedicated music room but until that happens I will make do.
I have around 2000 cd's and maybe 200-300 records. I enjoy pretty much every form of music except for Country and Classical...sorry...maybe it's an acquired tatse? Anyways I will update my page with what is in Heavy Rotation for the week or month as I have time. If anyone reads my "Heavy Rotation" and has any suggestions based on what Im listening to please let me know...Im always up for new music. That seems to be a real problem...sometimes I go in to listen to music but I cant think of what I want to listen to....It's a real battle sometimes.
Tube SACD/CD playback with cherry wood accents. This thing is built like a tank!
Musical Fidelity TriVista 21
Tube DAC with all the bells and whistles I need.
Project Audio II Xperience
Carbon fiber Pro-Ject tone arm, Im using the Tara Labs Air RSC cables
Shelter 501 II
MC Cartridge
Musical Fidelity A-3.2cr
MF preamp with class A phono output
Opera Audio Consonance Cyer 800 Mono
Mono blocks, 78wpc, beautiful to look at and even better to listen to.
Project Audio Speed Box II
This helps to switch from 33 rpm to 45 rpm with a push of a button
Tara Labs Vanishing Points
These work great under my DAC but they were a little hard to set up.
Black Diamond Racing MK III Cones
These are very easy to set up and made a real difference on my sacd player.
Purist Audio Design Rev. A Digital
Excellent digital cable I have between SACD and DAC
Zu Audio Libtec MK II
Just replaced my old Tara Labs Prism cables and wow! what a difference! Should have changed those out a while ago...
Usher CP-6311
2-way floorstanders that sound absolutely amazing! These were just what my system was lacking! Sorry Dali Suite 1.7's, these are the real deal! Im still breaking them in as I bought them new.
Synergistic Research Alpha A/C Coupler
2m power cord on preamp
Transparent Audio Powerlink Plus
2m power cord on each amp
Black Diamond Racing Mk III Cones
under preamp
Von Gaylord Chinchilla
I have a 2m pair of Chinchilla's from my preamp to monoblocks...these really opened up the soundstage and made background noise a little more quiet
Von Gaylord Chinchilla
1m pair between my turntable and preamp
Richard Gray RGPC 400s
I have my DAC, SACD and preamp plugged into this
Richard Gray RGPC 400PRO
I have my monoblocks plugged into this
Von Gaylord Chinchilla Power Cable
I have this on my preamp
RoomTunes ClampRacks
OMG this thing almost gave me a hernia just moving it from the truck into the house...it is EXTREMELY heavy!
OK so in the next couple weeks Im emabrking on the challenge of moving my system from the second bedroom to the living room. Im giving up the second bedroom to my wife so that she can use it for her hobby. So my hobby is moving into a bigger room which is good but will now share space with my HT system. It may look cluttered, I dont know. The only thing now because it is wider and longer Im in need of longer cables. I just sold my beloved Von Gaylord interconnects that run from my amps to preamp and I purchased some 4m XLO Reference Type 1 cables and now Im on the hunt for a 3m or 4m power cable. Thepower cables will only be temporary until we buy a new TV that can hang on the wall. For now our 60" LCD Projection TV sits on a table that takes up a lot of room. Anyways, I hope this is a good move for me, I know it is in the sense of sharing with my wife (We will have been married for 12 years this coming Sept 25th), but I hope I get a nice sound from the living room. It will probably be better than the little second bedroom I had it in...I will let you know once I make the move...
My RoomTunes ClampRacks stand is a great upgrade. This stand is able to be adjustable and can be leveled exactly true. This thing is soooo heavy but it is very stable and helps dampen any vibration. Sold my Target Audio rack and replaced it with this.....
So I just received Lhasa self titled 180g record in the mail today. I have been listening to the cd as well as her "Living Road" cd. Both are excellent. I also took a serious listen to Tool "Aenima" and Deftones "White Pony" both of which surprised me, Especially the Deftones cd. Well recorded and very open sound stage.
So I upgraded my IC's on my mono-blocks and turntable both to Von Gaylord Chinchilla's and it really opened up the soundstage and made for a more quiet background...hopefully Im explaining that correctly...either way, the new cables made a huge improvement.
I have a pair of NBS Serpent II power cords coming and a Von Gaylord Chinchilla PC. Im replacing a Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler with the VG on my preamp and the NBS PC's will replace a WireWorld Startus 5-2 on my SACD and a Cardas TwinLink on my DAC....next will be to replace my Monster HTS5000 power conditioner...looking at Richard Gray 1200 or Shunyata Hydra 8...or an Audience AR12 if I can afford it...
System edited: I just looked through my interconnects a little closer and I found that I really need to do some upgrading on my Tara Labs cheap-o cables....
System edited: So I just replaced my Dali Suite 1.7's (I put those on my HT system as Im just now starting to bild that up and I will have it up on Virtual System soon) with Usher CP-6311 in Glossy Claret color. These speakers are absolutely AMAZING! I only have about 20 -25 hours on them so they are still breaking in but WOW! I was between buying these Usher's or a pair of Thiel CS2.4 but the more I read up on the 2.4's the more I realized they would NOT work in the small room I have my system in but Im really happy with my CP-6311's. They look cool to, very well built. They are EXTREMELY heavy for their size, the bases are cast iron and the floor spikes are oversized brazz spikes. I can also add sand/lead shot to bottom of cabinets which I will probably end up doing soon.
System edited: Just changed my speaker cables from Tara Labs Prism 2+2 to Zu Audio Libtec MK II and WOW! what a HUGE difference!!! I didnt realize what I had been missing!
I sold the Myryad transport and now just use the Consonance as my SACD and CD playback. I have the SACD interconnects straight to the preamp and the CD is running through the DAC. This works really well.
System Revision: I just recently updated my RCA's for my SACD and DAC to Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling. They are great, very open and transparent.
The "painting" is actually a painting that was re-worked by Banksy...you can check out more of his work at banksy.co.uk I would love to have some of his original work but it is WAAAAY too much $$$ for my small income...
I just purchased some Transparent Audio PowerLink AC cables for my mono blocks, a Cardas Twinlink for my SACD and a WireWorld Stratus 2 for my DAC...so far so good but I will have to check out the Signal Cable PC's when I get a chance
Really nice setup. I'm also using the Cyber 800's in my system along with the Consonance Cyber 222 pre. Blows away the KT88 integrated I was running before. You might want to take a look at power cables from Signal Cable.
