3 way with full range electrostatic line source, dynamic ported stereo subwoofers, omnidirectional ribbon super tweeters. All crossovers are digital with time alignment. Midrange DAC powers Krell or Aragon amplifier directly after LR24 high pass at 80Hz. EQ is used only in the subwoofer range to cancel serious room modes and make a slightly rising room curve.
Intended to have DC to light transparency, vivid 3d infinitely multilayered imaging. Pretty much there when I can run the Krell FPB amplifier. The super tweeters are crossed over at 20kHz and very little seems to be coming from them, but when playing you feel no dead spots, comb filtering from the Acoustats is gone, and sound is slightly sweeter and more liquid, and cymbals and brass sound real.
Soon will add DEQ's for each crossover band, and each will have a PCM 1704 based DAC unit for full information preservation. Will use RDV-1 as DAC for subwoofers and currently unused Denon 5000 as DAC for super tweeters. That way I will finally supersede the mediocre analog outputs of the Behringer DCX 2496 crossovers currently used only for subs and super tweeters. Instead I program EQ's into the DEQ 2496's units that have the same effect as LR24, and use SPDIF digital I/O everywhere up to the DAC's which connect directly to amplifiers. I started doing this for the midrange/panels last year.
Currently run Mitsubishi LT-30 turntable from Bedroom System through Sonos, will be adding Lenco turntable to living room system this year, with custom base and Mapleshade rack.
Typically playing FM radio through Sonos for background music, Redbook Digital through Sonos, SACD on Denon 5900, HDCD on DVD-9000, DVD-Audio from BDP-95. Mac Mini shares SPDIF coax via patch panel with BDP-95, and that is how I play high rez PCM downloads.
Both FM tuners are top rank, with the F-26 a now well known classic which always sounds sweet, and the sleeper KT-6040 is a stand-in for my ultimate tuner, Kenwood L-1000T, #1 currently in storage and awaiting re-test, and (#2) awaiting modification.
CD and HDCD player (DVD-Audio not working now) featuring Burr Brown PCM 1704 DACs in differential mode
Denon DVD-5900
Universal Disc Player (used for SACD and DVD-Audio) featuring Burr Brown DACs and separate power supplies
OPPO BDP-95
Universal Disc Player, located in Kitchen but now digitally connected to Tact via SPDIF through 50ft belden coax, also via HDMI breakout device, used for dvd and dvd-audio, blu-ray.
Pioneer F-26
FM Stereo TunerÂ…used for KPAC classical music
Kenwood KT-6040
FM Stereo Tuner, successor to KT-5020, with GaAsFET front end, 3 IF bandwidths, linear PLL detector, LA 3450 stereo MPX. Modified to USA 75uS with Teflon EQ caps.
Lavry AD 10
Analog to Digital Converter 24/96, used to input analog from disc players and analog sources
Tact Audio RCS 2.0 AA
Digital Preamp with Room Correction System (RCS currently not used)
DB Systems DBP-2JAU/5
DB System Passive 5 input switchbox, used to switch inputs to Lavry AD 10
Sonos Connect
Living Room Zone Player with digital output and Input for Tuner #1
Sonos ZP 80
Zone input for Tuner #2
Behringer DCX 2496
Digital Crossover, EQ, Delay, currently used for Subwoofers and Supertweeters only
Behringer DEQ 2496
Digital EQ, used as midrange high pass crossover
Audio GD DAC 19 Anniversary Edition
Single Ended DAC with DSP and Burr Brown PCM 1704
Onkyo RDV-1
DVD-Audio player used as second DAC for Aragon amplifier
Krell FPB-300
Midrange amplifier, high performance mode, used to play Acoustat 1+1's
Aragon 8008 BB
Midrange Amplifier, Efficiency Mode, used to play Acoustat 1+1's for background music or during summertime
Parasound HCA-1000a
Supertweeter Amplifier used to play Elac 4pi tweeters
Acoustat 1+1
Tall electrostatic panels used 80-20000 Hz
SVS PB-13 Ultra (x2)
13
Elac CL 4 PI Plus
Omnidirectional Ribbon Supertweeters with response to 35 kHz
Actual connection goes like this: Suppose I am playing an HDCD on the Denon DVD-9000. Analog audio goes through the DB Systems switch box and thence to the Lavry AD 10 where it is converted to digital 24/96. Digital AES/EBU goes to the Tact, which sets the volume digitally. Then AES/EBU digital signal goes to a professional splitter which outputs to the DCX and DEQ units. The DCX performs crossover functions and EQ for the bass and super tweeters. It outputs analog to the Parasound amplifier and the SVS subwoofers. The DEQ ironically performs no EQ but uses a pair of PEQ functions to implement the LR24 crossover at 80Hz for the Acoustats. The DEQ outputs optical digital to the Audio GD DAC 19, which outputs analog to the Krell. The DEQ also outputs AES/EBU digital which is converted to coax by a professional converter and goes to the RDV-1, which serves as a DAC with output to the Aragon amplifier. I currently switch between the Krell and Aragon amplifiers by connection at the Acoustats themselves. Right now it's too hot to run the Krell and I run the Aragon instead.
Audiogon appends words like "Surround Pre" to item descriptions and I can't seem to change that. These items are not "surround pre" they are digital processors, which was the category I selected.
