That is great to hear that you are still using the Audiomods! It is a dreary arm for many carts. The new Audiomods looks like a big leap forward. Lots of changes there.
The Mørch is no slouch. Compared to the Kuzma, it just seems to be slightly, slightly over damped? The Mørch would also do nicely on a Sota.
I am still using both arms. The FR-64S matches really well with the Koetsu RSP. I use the Morch with the SoundSmith, Ortofon A90 and Lyra Etna SL. The Morch is a great arm too. My only complaint is that it is difficult to individually adjust azimuth for the three different carts. But I think that the arm works really well otherwise and is easy to dial in.
System edited: Sold the Legacy Focus SE even though they were fantastic speakers. The new Vandersteen Quatro Wood are smaller and less intrisove looking in my room. The image better and have different bass characteristics. More impactful than the Focus SE in my room.
I think lots of issues I was having with Kinsky were actually a dying router. I replaced the router and every streaming program is working fine. I'm actually mainly using Kinsky now.
I am only familiar with the Logitech (Slim Devices) Squeezebox streamers and the Linn. I have heard good things about Sonos for easy to use, not necessarily hi-fi streaming. There seems to be a nice proliferation of DLNA devices that can receive video streams as well. The "easy" part of the equation still needs work.
I recently purchased a Linn Akurate DS.
I discovered a good app for streaming in my system that has largely solved the problems I was having with Kinsky (and therefore the Linn DS). SongBook Lite (iPhone) and SongBook (Mac) work great in my system. There is a short delay on initiation but always finds the NAS UPnP server. The Linn Akurate DS (ADS/1) was a big step up in listening pleasure compared to the Squeeze/Bel Canto combo.
Thanks! I really like it and it meets the goals of full frequency, natural sounding. I am currently using a Linn DS (Majik) and I like the difference in sound, more lifelike, better imaging. But I am having problems liking the software setup with the Linn (UPnP) based streaming compared to the superior Logitech/Slim Devices streaming protocol. I am looking around. I am always interested in swapping in different cables for fun but I am concentrating on the front end for now.
System edited: Traded in the Pass INT-150 for an XP-10/XA30.5 combo. I am enjoying the change. More body and bloom in the music. More engaging. INT 150 was great, but I think this combo is even more enjoyable. No problem driving the Legacy Focus SE with the XA 30.5, stays in Class A mode even when playing loud. Next step, Bel Canto3.5VB? Weiss DAC 202? Its hard to imagine things sounding much better than they do right now.
System edited: Its been a long time since I updated this system. Young kids are getting a little older and I'm finding a little more time to listen again! Over the past year, I ripped my entire 2000+ CD collection to FLAC. I now listen by streaming these files to a Squeezebox Receiver and then to the wonderful Bel Canto DAC-3. A couple years ago I sold the BAT VK-75SE and found a Forte Model 1A which I had restored. It was matched to the Forte Model 2 pre. Things sounded great but detail/dynamics were lacking at times. I think the North Creeks can be a bit current hungry. I took the plung and bought a Pass Labs INT-150 a couple weeks ago. This is an amazing amp. Dead quiet, great detail and dynamics. I think I gained another octave of music on the bottom. Very happy! I will probably retire the North Creeks in a year or so. Still want to get some Dynaudios, Sonus Fabor or Vandersteen's into the system. I'll post more if things change.
System edited: Just changed the speaker cables to AZ Holograms from Satori's. Full report to follow. Still love the effect of the room treatments. For the future, I am considering a new digital front end. AA Capitole, Cary 306/200 or a Wadia 861?
System edited: I've read on this site many times about the importance of room treatment. I finally bit the bullet after reading up on the subject here and on Audio Asylum. Overall, my room is pretty quiet. I have angled ceiling, a cross shaped floorplan (as opposed to the rectangle) and the floor is carpeted. There are lots of bookshelves and furniture around. The speakers are placed about 6 feet off the rear wall (shoulder of the cross) with about 15 feet of space to the rear wall at the center of the speakers (head of the cross.) Listening position is about 10 feet in front of the speakers which are about 10 feet apart from eachother. I constructed the panels according to Jon Risch's design, using 8" fiberglass as the main absorbing material. I used a 5' x 3' pine frame. The backing is a sound absorbing particle board as opposed to Rock Wool or Owens Corning 700 series material. Listening confirmed the worth of these panels. The already excellent imagings is even more palpable. I finally understand what is meant by "air" and "space" around the instruments. The bass response is a bit tighter and better integrated. This was a great tweek. I recommend it to anyone thinking about it to just do it. I thought my room was already pretty well configured but the improvement here is not subtle. For info check out Jon's site. http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/index2.htm
As I understand it, the external crossover has two advantages. 1. Unrestricted design of the crossover. The North Creeks use 8 AWG inductor coils for the midrange/bass drivers ( http://www.northcreekmusic.com/NorthCreekKits.html ) and they are big. So you wouldn't need to alter your speaker designb to fit them internally. 2. Isolation of the crossover from vibration in the speaker cabinet.
The only disadvantage I see is the need to add another set of binding posts at the crossover.
System edited: Acoustic Zen Satori now in place of the Zu Cable Wax. Both are excellent cables with different characteristics. After the Satori's settled in I was able to percieve their true character in my system. They do a better job at presenting the depth of space in a recording but perhaps a bit more compact soundstage. I like the realism they present, the sense of an actual performer in your room. They are more dynamic than the WAX. I was initially worried because they sounded flat when I hooked them up. But they settled in quite nicely.
