Main system

by o_holter on Ever Evolving

Description

In living room ca 50 m2 (548 square feet)

Dimensions:

8,30 x 6,10 x 2,62 m / 27,2 x 20,0 x 8,5 feet (ca 4624 cubic feet)

The system plays from short (20 feet) wall.
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Room Details

Dimensions: 27’ × 20’  X large
Ceiling: 9’

Components Toggle details

    • Lyra Atlas
    New version 2018, after the diamond left the cantilever on my 2013 version, for no clear reason. In 2013, The Atlas replaced the Titan i. The 2018 version has run perfect so far (2022). And yes, I do clean my LPs better, and find the MoFi brush useful, since it goes down into the grooves.

    • SME Series V
    1999 model
    No problems so far (2022). It replaced a Souther/Triquartz parallel arm that never worked for me.
    • Hanss T30
    Two motors, six belts, 10 kg aluminium platter, magnetic bearing (demo model bought in 2013). I prefer it without a mat. I used some butylen damping under the platter, but the importer advised against this, so I removed it.
    No problems or repairs so far (2022). The speed control screws on the power supply are a bit awkward. You need a light touch and much patience, to set them right.
    Also the cylindrical arm board for the SME V arm, supplied with the player, is a bit high - I cannot adjust the arm down at the back, only parallel to the platter.
    Otherwise, no complaint.
    • Aesthetix IO Eclipse
    2004: I bought Io mk 2 with volume and one power supply.
    2012: Factory upgrade to Partial Eclipse version (Eclipse electronics, old chassis)
    Volume controls. Dual power supplies.
    2017: Full factory repair and service.
    Running with new stock tubes (2017). NOS Telefunken in the first gain stage (2018).
    Has a demanding personality, but I've never heard a better phono preamp.
    2021: Philips Herleen NOS in the first gain stage, since the Tele were getting noisy.
    I do not recommend keeping the Io on all the time. This probably caused the problems fixed by the 2017 repair. Both volume controls, and other components, were replaced.
    2022: No problems after the 2017 repair.
    • Einstein The Tube mk2
    Tube preamp w s-state ps
    Came with stock JAN Philips tubes. Using Siemens NOS in the phono inputs and CBS Hytron for the 12au7 (June 14)
    Running problem-free (2017)
    Still fine (2020)
    One channel silent (2021) - but easily fixed by a local tech here in Norway

    • Atma-Sphere MA-1
    These monoblocs were bought second hand through Audiogon 2011.
    I had never heard them, yet I jumped into it, since I found that I liked the OTL sound from my little Jade headphone amp. No regrets. I sold my former amp Krell FPB600. 
    Factory upgraded to mk 3.2 in 2013.
    One amp failed, but it was fixed here in Norway (2015) for moderate cost.
    No problems after this (2022).
    Over the years, my appreciation for these amps has grown. A wide range of speakers sound better with these amps - from my testing. But to get the best of the amps, speaker matching is key - my Audiokinesis 16 ohm speakers is a great match.
    Excellent support from Ralph at Atma-sphere through the years.   

    • Audiokinesis Dream Maker 2
    2013 model, bought direct from Audiokinesis.
    Two-way controlled-pattern offset bipole, low-tuned reflex enclosure, 16 ohm, 86 kg, designed by Duke/Audiokinesis to emulate big Sound Labs. Conventional woofers plus horn (compression driver) tweeters. One of each in front, and one of each at the back (plus two adjustable ports).
    This is an evolution of the Dream Maker 1 model that won the TAS 2008 Golden Ear Award.
    The woofers - Acoustic Elegance TD10X - have never caused trouble and have not been replaced.
    Several treble drivers were tried, after I received the speakers, since the first ones broke down. The problems were soon solved with help from Audiokinesis.
    2018 upgrade: Compression drivers. PRV Audio D290Py-B.
    2020 - works fine, no problems. Maybe a little x-over tuning would have been even better. Tweak: a little wool ring around the front firing treble drivers, they are a bit too energetic.
    2022 - no problems.
    Amazing how the speakers change according to the music.
    With these speakers, and a moderate / large room, you can do a lot of speaker / room adjustment in the analog dimension. I prefer them with normal (not radical) toe-in, the front drivers crossing a bit behind the listener position.
    2022 - now running on their own, without LCS effect speakers (both alternatives are good, but this is maybe more 'pure' in my room, and these speakers already have a lot of reverberant energy). 
    • Audiokinesis LCS
    LCS - late ceiling splash - effect speakers specially made for combination with the Dream Maker front speakers. The LCS speakers are placed behind the front, pointing towards the ceiling. Two woofers, one tweeter, firing upwards. Length 71 cm, W 51, H 31.
    An early edition of the woofers had to be replaced, new ones work OK (2017).
    2018 upgrade - compression drivers. PRV Audio D290Py-B. (same as the front speakers).
    2022 - now sidelined for a period. The main speakers run on their own. Still in two minds...what sounds best...nice to have the choice.
    Audiokinesis has developed these speakers in various ways - now called "Space generators".
    • Pioneer VSX-D912
    Drives the LCS (effect) speakers in brige-tied load mode. Modified by James Romeyn in 2015.
    Works fine - no problems or repairs (2022)
    • Kimber KCAG
    Used for the most vital connection, between turntable and the Io phono preamp. DIY of a short KCAG single ended interconnect, taking off the RCA plugs at one end, connecting the leads to the DIN plug needed for the SME V arm.
    2022: have not tested phono cables much, but a Hovland cable sounded only slightly better, so I've kept my own.
    • JPS Superconductor 3
    1.8 m speaker cables between MA-1 amps and Dream Maker speakers. JPS also used for balanced interconnects, between Aesthetix Io and Einstein preamp, and from Einstein to Atma-sphere MA-1 amps.
    • Tascam DA-3000
    DSD recording / playback / DAC.
    2022: I now use the Teac NT-505 as DAC, so this is only used in its primary mission - recording from LPs. Vinyl rips. Very useful in that respect.
    I had a Stello DAC, but sold it, since the Tascam sounded at least as good. But the NT-505 is a bit better.
    • Various tweaks My own
    "Surviving tweaks" - changes I have kept: A separate mains course and a very solid rack - mean a lot... - 2 x 15 + 1 x 10 ampere 240 volts - Solid Larvikite stone rack.
    Cerapucs and similar good feet under components. Some damping here and there. I use some Herbie tube dampers and Hifi tuning fuses.
    • Beck RM-1 tube tester RM-1
    Tester for 12AX7, 6922, 6AS7 and other tube types in my system. Easy to use, and good help from the manufacturer in Germany. But with some problem tubes I have to reach the OFF switch quickly (the meter rises to the top), or the fuse blows.
    • Room treatment Acoustic room treatments
    This is a fairly large rectangular 51 m2 living room in a solid wood house, the system playing in the long axis of the room. The roof area above and in front of the speakers was first covered by a 3 x 2 m field of isolations mats, later reduced to a 2 x 1 meter, to avoid overdamping. The floor is damped by a huge silk carpet. Two DAAD3 absorbers/diffusors are used to help regulate the sound. Natural living room furniture helps. The back wall is quite far from the listener and damped by book cases. The side wall reflection points are not specially treated (project on-going, 2017). The room is not fully symmetrical in acoustic properties. The right hand channel is inwards, towards an inner wall of the house, while the left is outwards, towards an outer wall with windows - so it tends to sound brighter. Speakers usually sound best fairly symmetrically placed, but with some adjustment due to room peculiarities.
    • Teac NT-505
    2020 upgrade of my digital chain. The Teac dac/streamer replaced my earlier Logitech Touch (streamer) -> Tascam DA-3000 (DAC). The Tascam uses two

    BurrBrown PCM1795 D/A converter chips, while the Teac uses two AK 4497. Sound a bit better. Needed burn-in, too polite at first.

    2022: no problems so far.

Comments 34

Showing all comments by charles1dad.

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Very nice system! I imagine that the Atmasphere-Audiokinesis pairing is something quite special. I hope to hear that speaker one day.
Charles,

charles1dad

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