I have been in this hobby over 30 years and in that time have had the pleasure and good fortune to own many many high end components and gear. My goal in the past 6 years was to progress to a smaller footprint than my big Genesis speakers with Vitus monos, and still have great sound. I just didn't have the room in my new home for the big system AND all the boxes and crates! LOL.
I tried a number of fantastic products over those 6 years......Manley, Zanden, the amazing D'Agostino, Coincident, Backert Labs, Vitus, APL, Jeff Rowland, Emm Labs. I'm finally settled on my MSB/ EMM DV2 combo, with Absolare Stereo amp and Tannoy Speakers.........bit of a mix for cables, with Echole Omnia, TEO, Stage III Gorgon and Musica Bella Kuala2 power cables. Pics to come.
The newest and greatest from Tannoy, the Gold Reference series. Still breaking in the system but loving it!
Six years later, very very happy with these speakers. They gave me exactly what I was looking for stepping down from my 4 tower Genesis speakers. Still wanted great sound, emotion and soul and a much smaller footprint. On top of that they can pound out some unbelievable bass, and drums, when I kick things up. I've tried many different amps with these speakers, to get what I feel is right. I finally feel like I've hit a home run with the Absolare/Tannoy combo....just unbelievable.
Absolare Passion Hybrid Stereo
The latest amp from Absolare. Released end of May 2020. Just breaking it in. Fabulous tone and soundstage already. Added some NOS 12AU7 tubes from the 1950's and 1960's and this amp just loves them.
MSB UMT Plus
Plays and Spins everything digital, including 3D BluRay. Awesome.
MSB Technology Dual Signature Power Base
I was using a desktop power supply for my MSB UMT Plus. Switched to a new Dual signature power base from MSB. Love the improved performance.
EMM Labs DV2
Latest and greatest from EMM. Picked up new July 2020, with newly designed remote. Awesome unit. Improvement in Soundstage depth, tone, timing, bass, voice. Without a doubt my last DAC.
EMM Labs NS-1
Added the EMM Labs Streamer, NS1. This will be my 1st time steaming, looking forward to the convenience when not spinning discs.
Tripoint Troy Signature NG
This is the third Troy I’ve owned, amazing gear.
Stage III Concepts Gorgon Interconnect
Sold the Purist and moving to the Stage III Concepts top of the line Gorgon. It's on order and should be here within 2 weeks. Loved the Purist of course, fantastic cable! The Stage III stuff I'm interested in because of the body it adds, even moreso than the Purist. Love that big beautiful romantic sound......will see soon just how different it is from the Purist, or not!!
PS Audio P15
Added the PS Audio P15 power regenerator. Upgrade from the P12. Very very happy with the performance of PS Audio Regenerators. I have everything plugged into it.
Stage III Concepts Medusa Speaker Cable
Stage III Concepts Cerberus Jumpers
Best Jumpers Stage III sells……..the Tannoy Love them.
Musica Bella Kuala2 power cords
Design and build by Mike Vice with Bybee influence. Check out Clement Perry review.
Stand: Home made
I made my stand using a double layer of Maple, so it's 3.5" thick on the shelves. Weight is easily 300lbs. This made a serious improvement in the sound. Really seemed to literally anchor the music in place. Was a lot of work and it's not perfect by any means, but I'm very very happy with the results.
Critical Mass Systems Centre stage footers
IsoAcoustics GAIA
Put these footers on my Tannoy and the results are fabulous. The speakers now sound like they weight 1000lbs.
Walker Valid points
These were laying around doing nothing so put them under the digital gear. Not sure if they made much difference as I've had lots going on in the system lately, but I do love the look and extra height they give the gear for airflow.
QSA Black/Red Receptacle
Wow, love these! Thought I would try the Red Receptacle first, loved it so much I immediately upgraded to the black/red!!
HRS S3 Platforms
A couple of HRS Platforms for the EMM Labs gear.
Hemingway Creation Power Cord
I owned the Hemingway speaker cable and loved it…..thrilled to get some Hemingway back in the system via this Power Cord.
@bullot ~ Shane, hope you’re doing well. I wanted to share my recent experience on grounding the Tannoy’s. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much but this was one of those things on my wish list ever since I bought my Canterbury’s. I picked up a pair of Entreq Silver Minimus Infinity ground boxes with Argo grounding cables. An hour into listening with Entreq revealed this next level of detail retrieval and clarity. I heard more air, separation and deeper blacks…all I can say, wish I jumped on this tweak sooner than waiting for 2+ years! If you haven’t tried grounding the Canterbury’s my friend, you’re in for a nice treat!
@bullot, TAS latest issue featured a glowing review of Absolare Hybrid Stereo amp. And I immediately thought of you :-) I am hoping to get my hands on the Hybrid Stereo amp in very near future.
Shane, update on darTZeel. Sadly, it wasn’t a good match for Canterbury’s. The CTH-8550 sounded contrived and thus unpleasant. While CTH had more speed and conveyed transients slightly better but it just didn’t sound as relaxed, musical and organic as my E-650. With E-650, music just floats! At the end of the day, it’s all comes down to SYNERGY.
Hey Shane, thanks for sharing your in-depth feedback on amps. Both Zanden and Absolare been on my list to try with Canterbury’s. I recently went through the similar transformation on my digital front end when I switched from EMM Labs DA2 / Aurender N20 to Merging Technologies Trio :-) Once I heard the +player, +power and +clock trio, there was no going back!
What’s next, I have darTZeel CTH-8550 on the way. Should be interesting to find out how darTZeel pairs with my Tannoy’s and betters my current reference - Accuphase. I also have Entreq Tellus II on the list to try next in my system. Does it ever end..LOL!
Shane, how do you like GAIA’s underneath Tannoy’s. I am switching to wood flooring and looking at feet options. Hope you’re still enjoying Absolare paring with Canterbury’s.
That's great to hear! Very few amps out there that can convey mid-range 'magic' with enough grunt in the low end. I know Canterbury's loves power, they may not demand it but nevertheless loves the extra juice. I went from 8W SET to 30W, class A and the difference was day n night. I have added Absolare Hybrid to my wish list, thanks for your feedback. Enjoy!
Congrats Shane! Based on my experience I think you’re going to love the DV2. The DAC in DV2 is absolutely one of the best digital converter on the market.
