You're looking at a different kind of "All Out Assault", this one based on utilizing a fuller expression of current excellent technology, as opposed to a limited expression of such. Some go for a cost-no-object expression of one technology. I have chosen to pursue a superb expression of different technologies. I have derived far more pleasure doing so than seeking one rig to satisfy my longings to hear beautiful systems.
Photos represent some of the speakers, components and cables I have reviewed over the years. I have spent time predominantly with four technologies in speakers; Full range hybrid dyanamic, Full range ESL, and Omnidirectional hybrid. I have branched out to horn hybrid as well.
I have moved to file and streaming playback exclusively utilizing Tidal and ROON. However, I maintain CD as backup source. I find a shocking disparity in performance of digital based systems.
This is a dedicated room, built by myself and tuned for two channel, but wired for 7.1 surround. I listen to 2 ch. audio approx. 95-98% of time. The surround and video compliment is not noteworthy, as a result. I upgrade them only every several years.
Source, amplification and speakers have all been reviewed and are highly recommended. The sound quality of the system is moving steadily toward SOTA.
Continuing development of Scott Kindt's DLT (Disproportionately Large Tweeter; my term) designs. The Grand Aspen is the new flagship, extension of the Capella (previously called the Lagrange L5 MkII, seen below).
The Grand Aspen is a six-way speaker with built in active, oppositional, slot loaded subwoofer. I will be giving this speaker an owner's review to appear at Dagogo.com
Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition
Bill Dudleston realized my concept of a fully configurable speaker able to be employed as both passive and active. The result is what I call a "crossover speaker," which can be configured; 1. Fully passive, with as little as one stereo amp and three sets of speaker cables; 2. Hybrid active/passive, using the Legacy processor for the bass and the Mid/Treble passive, and 3: Fully active, using six channels of outboard amplification.
The speaker has been retrofitted for a review of upgrade internal cabling and capacitors. The result is the Whisper DSW, which Bill Dudleston of Legacy measured a 2 dB improvement on the Bass!
PureAudioProject Trio15 PAP Horn 1
Wonderful two-way hybrid horn reviewed for Dagogo.com. I enjoy the flexibility of the speaker in the crossover and "internal" wiring. My special utilization of the speaker is in Landscape mode, the realization of a dream for an alternative sound which I have pursued for about five years. The Horn 1 in Landscape impressed the entire audio group of which I am a member; they all placed it among the very best systems I have made. It truly is a stunning application of an affordable speaker with high end sensibility.
Alternative application of using Sound Anchor custom stands to hold speakers sideways. This results in a far wider soundstage superlative for live music recordings. Note that the orientation of the horn of the Horn 1 speaker is normally horizontal, so the Landscape mode/application results in the speaker's horn turned vertical, similar to large horn speakers such as the Volti Audio Alura.
PureAudioProject Quintet15 Horn1
Largest of PureAudioProject (PAP) offerings, this one outfitted with the horn driver. Features upgradable crossover components (cap, resistor) and "internal" wiring.
This speaker is especially beautiful sounding with the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier. Both products reviewed for Dagogo.com
King Sound King III
The King III is a full range ESL with a performance which takes back seat to no magnetic planar speakers. With subwoofers they are a formidable ESL experience.
Aspen Acoustics Capella Speaker
Craft speaker made by a Colorado physics teacher. This is the pre-production model. Uses what I term the unique DLT (Disproportionately Large Tweeter) configuration. It has the punch of a dynamic speaker with the generosity of a panel speaker.
A more formidable model, the Grand Aspen, is under construction and will be replacing the pair of Capella speakers in my possession. The Grand Aspen features an enhanced DLT array, as seen on the Aspen Acoustics website.
See review of smaller model, L5 MkII at Dagogo.com
Kings Audio Kingsound King Tower
Omnidirectional hybrid dynamic/ribbon speaker system not available in N. America. and perhaps entirely disconintued by Kings Audio. Added to my collection as an expression of Omnidirectional speaker technology.
Perlisten D212s Subwoofers
Pair of Perlisten Audio D212s Subwoofers as reviewed by myself for Dagogo.com
I enjoyed the Legacy Audio XTREME XD Subs for ten years. Perlisten incorporates room correction in the subs, allowing me to maximize different genres of speakers used in reviewing. These are impressive devices.
Exogal Comet DAC and Ion PowerDAC
This is an unusual combination of a DAC (Comet) with an additional complementary extended DAC with integrated true digital amp (Ion). Together, they include everything needed in the front end of a system except for the source. The Comet can stand alone, but the Ion is dependent upon the Comet, it cannot be used separately.
This combination is thrilling in its performance to cost ratio. One of the most outstanding products I have reviewed in ten years! The digital amplification is especially notable for its ability at 100wpc to drive more difficult speakers to listening levels of about 88-90dB.
Eastern Electric Minimax DSD DAC Supreme
Latest EE DAC featuring DSD and continues to offer opportunity to roll in discrete opamps. Allows contouring system to any selection of components.
Discrete Opamps Staccato, Burson, Sonic Imagery, Sparkos Lab
Discrete opamps rolled into Eastern Electric Minimax DACs and Kinki Studio EX-M1+ Integrated Amplifier
Iconoclast Cables and BAV Power Cords Iconoclast/Belden
Current reference cable line. See review at Dagogo.com
Owned/Reviewed Spkr Cables Various
Have owned: Audioquest, Harmonic Technology, XLO, etc; Reviewed cables for Dagogo.com include: Iconoclast, TEO Audio, Clarity Cable, Silnote Audio, Snake River Audio, Wire World. etc.
Outlaw 950 Surround Processor
Has nice variety of surround settings, 2 component in, plenty of other inputs... Only thing I wished it did was to convert s video to component.
Rotel RB-976
A lovely little workhorse amp! Configurable from 3-6 channels; a wonderful flexibility for surround applications.
Magnepan MGM W
Very affordable planars for surround. They only play down to about 100khz, but acceptable for surround. Awesome feature - they can be mounted upside down (will sound the same) to accomodate wiring near top of room.
Legacy Audio Silver Screen
Black piano finish; complementary driver set to Focus HD; dual 7" bass, 4" planar mid, 1" tweet
Tice Audio Solo/Solo High Current
I'm using two Solos, and one is High Current for power amps. Gotta have someting like this to open up the system's sound...but price might be a bit steep for some people. I will accept an offer of $1,000,000.00 though.
Furutech GTX-D (G)
Audiophile grade outlet featuring copper internals and gold plated sockets for power cord pins
Plateau AV 42
Wonderfully solid, black for AV use. Affordable. Nice to have on casters when you have to move it.
Panasonic PTL-500U
Upgrade from PTL-330U; this unit has high def capabilities.
Auralex Propannel 2x4'
Room tuning sound absorbing pannels. Made a shockingly huge difference in my two channel listening! Some of best audio $ I ever spent!
Very productive time at AXPONA. A good show this year. I was able to demo a great deal of digital front end gear and from listening received confirmation that I am on the right track with my choices and system building. Working with I2S and it's an impressive link for streaming to DAC.
I am working with another streamer and DAC combo and have set up several more comparisons. This will end up being an extended search for a digital front end. I may end up with a couple of options in terms of components in order to build a variety of systems. Each component maximizes with different equipment sets, so it is not as simple as the One best streamer, DAC, etc. Depending upon the combination of components and cables there can be a couple worthy outcomes.
One principle regarding systems has held true in these comparisons, the necessity of upper end equipment for upper end results. The use of more affordable separates does not assure superior results versus finer integrated components. Typically, the providence of the component takes precedence over system configuration.
Working on the next phase of the digital front end upgrade. I'm now handling units using different system configurations, including server, DAC, user interface/app, and streaming music services.
While digital music has become quite user-friendly, system building for it has become far more complex than in the old days of CD players/Transports and dedicated DACs. Software has become a major consideration in the process of assessing performance.
Review of the Aurender A20 Reference Analogue Output Network Player has been published at Dagogo.com. This was a great start to the digital source upgrade journey.
It has been five years with the same digital source, so it is time to reassess. I have been doing some work on setting up a new streaming and file playback front end.
Very nice results happening! I am elated, as the system's performance has been raised substantially. I am specifically looking at/reviewing streamer/servers and DACs of various iterations. Together, these are brining a nice advancement to the systems I build. My speakers have never sounded better. I have enjoyed extended listening to the PureAudioProject Trio15 10" Horn Speakers and the Legacy Audio Whisper DSW Clarity Edition Speakers. The hybrid coaxial (PAP) and the quasi-line source (Whisper) technologies both are responding well to the improved digital streamer/DAC combos. This is my fourth round of working with streamer/server devices, and I am pleased that already the results are most gratifying.
I urge those who have a preconception that digital sources largely exist within a narrow range of performance to reconsider. Going cheap on your digital source is killing advancement of your rig. Essentially, if your digital front end is more than a decade old or was less than $1K, you do not have great digital sound. There is SO much more in performance available. Like analogue, it's not cheap, but the result is impressive.
I have built about 10 systems so far in assessment and will continue as more components are assessed. It seems that things are shaping up to be a series of reviews associated with this quest for a new digital front end.
I had a great time working with the enviable Clarisys Minuet Speaker, a gorgeous dipole. The community can read my assessment in the new article just published at Dagogo.com.
My latest experiment was to try the Perlisten D212s Subwoofers with the Grand Aspen Speakers. That necessitated leaving the internal subs silent and sending the line level signal to the Perlisten subs. That is not to be taken as a negative comment on the GA's internal subs, which are excellent. The Perlisten subs are smart subs with room correction and have been tuned to my room.
The results are impressive! I am using all 8 channels of the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra amplifiers (2 units with 4 channels, the maximum number of channels in the Ultra version of the amp is four), so the combined Wattage for the system including the powered subs is conservatively 10,800 Watts. The speakers have an immediacy I have not heard previously from dipoles I have used, and this setup has exceptional resolution and extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. The dynamics are high efficiency/horn-like, but with the generosity in sound stage similar to a dipole. I love the particular combination of characteristics of this system, and it is one of the most perfect combinations of equipment I have assembled. Listening across a very wide spectrum of musical genres, the only adjustment I make to the system is a +/- .5dB output adjustment of the Perlisten subs. Older recordings which are light on the low end take the extra .5 dB, while the newer recordings get dialed back .5 dB. The subs have so much capacity to pressurize the room that I have to operate them between -6 dB and -6/5 dB.
The system:
Small Green Computer sonicTransporter
Signature Rendu SE with systemOptique
Clarity Cable Supernatural USB
COS Engineering D1 DAC + Pre-Amplifier
Full loom of Iconoclast Cables, using 2 pair XLR IC, 2 pair RCA IC, and 4 pair of speaker cables, and Iconoclast's Belden PCs
Grand Aspen Speakers
Perlisten D212s Subs with Iconoclast's RCA 3m interconnect and Belden's PCs
There is an irony in the hybrid setup incorporating two products which are dissimilar in terms of their development. The Perlisten subs are from industry veterans with extensive capital at their disposal. The Grand Aspen Speakers are the work of one man working in obscurity. I don't recall having such a radical disparity in a system, yet I rank this system as easily in the top 3 I have ever built. I hesitate to name it absolutely the best ever, for fear of inappropriately downgrading other fine equipment that involved other components, cables, etc. and so did not allow for a direct comparison.
Recently had a lovely experience with the PureAudioProject Trio15 10" Coaxial Speaker when I decided to experiment with rolling in upgraded capacitors. When I was using the Horn1 version I bought some Mundorf MCap Supreme EVO Aluminum Oil caps, 33mf +/-2%, 600VDC caps. It made a nice improvement in cleanness and briskness of the speaker.
Once in a while I am game to try a change even when there may be some degree of risk. I believe that most of the risks I take in system building are low, as evidenced by not many issues arising in decades of system building. I am also willing to take the full responsibility of a potential failure. I caution those who would try such things that it is at your own risk, because such things as a capacitor change which is not sanctioned by the speaker company is your issue and voids the warranty. Do at your own risk.
So, I rolled in the oil filled caps for use with the 10" Coaxial and I am quite pleased! The speaker has much higher end sensibilities now. Using them with the Perlisten D212s Subwoofers (also reviewed; love these subs!). Together these are wonderful combination of subs and sizable "monitors". I am using the 10" Coaxial in the Landscape Orientation and I am so happy that I have kept working with that setup over the years. FYI, if anyone is interested in using Perlisten subs with the PAP Trio15 10" Coaxial, I am using a cutoff of 42Hz with the subs and it is seamless with the speakers' 15" woofers. Even though the PAP speakers sport 15" woofers, they do benefit greatly from good subwoofers if serous LF is a goal. Subs are not needed, but if you are trying to play more challenging music with much low end response or attempting to get performance like a much larger speaker, then you'll want subs.
I am driving the speakers with four channels of the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier. Be careful that you do not attempt to bridge/join channels of this amp.
Recently had a lovely experience with the PureAudioProject Trio15 10" Coaxial Speaker when I decided to experiment with rolling in upgraded capacitors. When I was using the Horn1 version I bought some Mundorf MCap Supreme EVO Aluminum Oil caps, 33mf +/-2%, 600VDC caps. It made a nice improvement in cleanness and briskness of the speaker.
Once in a while I am game to try a change even when there may be some degree of risk. I believe that most of the risks I take in system building are low, as evidenced by not many issues arising in decades of system building. I am also willing to take the full responsibility of a potential failure. I caution those who would try such things that it is at your own risk, because such things as a capacitor change which is not sanctioned by the speaker company is your issue and voids the warranty. Do at your own risk.
So, I rolled in the oil filled caps for use with the 10" Coaxial and I am quite pleased! The speaker has much higher end sensibilities now. Using them with the Perlisten D212s Subwoofers (also reviewed; love these subs!). Together these are wonderful combination of subs and sizable "monitors". I am using the 10" Coaxial in the Landscape Orientation and I am so happy that I have kept working with that setup over the years. FYI, if anyone is interested in using Perlisten subs with the PAP Trio15 10" Coaxial, I am using a cutoff of 42Hz with the subs and it is seamless with the speakers' 15" woofers. Even though the PAP speakers sport 15" woofers, they do benefit greatly from good subwoofers if serous LF is a goal. Subs are not needed, but if you are trying to play more challenging music with much low end response or attempting to get performance like a much larger speaker, then you'll want subs.
I am driving the speakers with four channels of the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier. Be careful that you do not attempt to bridge/join channels of this amp.
I have successfully found a way to operate the Grand Aspen Speaker with all 8 channels of the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifiers! In order to pull it off I had to use both RCA and XLR outputs of the COS Engineering D1 DAC + Pre-Amplifier, then at the amps split all four outputs with Y cables.
The Grand Aspen has taken on the character of an enormous active speaker with stimulating transients and complete effortless sound. I worked through four variations of placement of the XLR and RCA cables to achieve the perfect mix, as each combination yielded a distinct result.
The Aspen Acoustics Grand Aspen Speakers were delivered yesterday and I am in the process of my aggressive stepping through changes to tune them to optimize them.
These are six way hybrid (active subwoofer integral) speakers with complete adjustability, for the super tweeter, tweeter, midrange ribbon, and 12" bass drivers all have passive attenuators allowing similar configurability to an active speaker, but allowing one's selection of amps and cables.
I am workout out how to drive them with 8 channels of the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifiers. This, finally, has tapped out my reserve of cables for alternative systems if I were to go with all RCA or XLR. However, I believe I could do a mix of them given that the speaker is fully adjustable.
From the first moments of listening it is obvious the Grand Aspen handily outperforms the previous flagship, the renamed Capella (formerly Lagrange L5 MkII).
Further discussion of Scott's goal to recreate the sonic signature of the largest Apogee speakers will be found in the review.
I appreciate the compliment! I am feeling grateful and content that I have achieved a lifetime goal of diversity in systems to experience a great deal of variety in sound.
The Aspen Acoustics Capella (twin tower, Maple pair pictured) will be replaced in a few days by the Grand Aspen, a much more ambitious and prodigious design. I have the same kind of excitement for it as I did when discovering the Eminent Technology LFT-A many years ago.
Further experiences with the Perlisten D212s Subwoofer, which I call a smart sub. It has capacity to change the character of speakers which are not SOTA and elevate their sound quality substantially. I tried the King Tower omni with the D212s this evening and am most pleased with the result. The subwoofers dovetail nicely with the low end of the King Tower such that they now seem as if much more prodigious omni speakers.Having the ability to adjust the low pass filter of the subs with 1dB increments is terrifically helpful. The operation of the mains and subs is more seamless than any subwoofer I have used previously. I was thinking of selling the King Tower omni speakers lately, but not after this result! I'll enjoy them some more - a lot more! Gorgeous omni sound with bottom end akin to the mbl monitor/sub setup at AXPONA 2022, and that with the Perlisten subs loafing, not dialed up. It's a great experience!
There is more upside for two channel to be had when adding such subwoofers than one might think. Reaching down and capturing the frequencies below 20 Hz is valuable in raising the performance of all but the largest speaker systems.
Working on a lovely speaker system review at the moment. It's great how many expressions of sound there are in this hobby! The various technologies employed give a wide assortment of sounds such that there truly is something for everyone.
It's been a long time since I reviewed subwoofers, and I am returning to them once again. There will be some significant changes to the system going forward, I think.
Recently I completed the review of the PureAudioProject Trio15 10" Coaxial (Coax10) version of this open baffle speaker.
In a word, splendid! This is my favorite version of this speaker. PAP did a great job in developing and mating this driver to the 15" woofers. For open baffle fans, strongly recommended you give it a listen!
I am thrilled that it is the highest quality sound I have achieved with the Landscape Orientation. I may post an image of it. I use the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra amp (4 channels, 1,200 total Watts to Left and to Right) to power the Coax10, and added the Legacy XTREME XD Subs for a truly full range, powerful experience.
To learn more about these speakers and my impression of them, see my review at Dagogo.com
The system has been updated to reflect some reviews I did for Dagogo.com
The Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier has been delicious in every system. Strongly recommended for a wide variety of speakers.
I worked with smaller and larger models of speakers from PureAudioProject and Aspen Acoustics. These are quite different transducers, as can be seen from my descriptions in the reviews.
The Aspen Acoustics Lagrange L1 shown is a pre-production model. The production model will be coming to me for review. I strongly recommend that fans of extreme value/performance in a hybrid, i.e. like Eminent Technology LFT-8B, look into the Aspen Acoustics line. The L5 MkII that I reviewed has extreme performance at its price point, beyond the capabilities of the LFT-8B.
In a bit of a side project, an interest I have nurtured for years, I returned (not exclusively, but in addition) to the Wharfedale Opus 2-M2 Bookshelf Speaker. I had regretted not buying it following my review, so for years I watched to see if a pair would show up. It did eventually, so I snagged them. My goal was to have the luscious 3" dome midrange on hand. It covers from 700Hz to 3kHz, avoiding crossover in the midrange.
For this project I did not wish to expend big money on a PCM or ATC; the Wharfedale would do, as it's a venerable speaker company with a serious disposition. I am quite pleased with the result, and I think the larger, bi-wirable bookshelf will do quite nicely as a representative of the dynamic speaker genre. I am seeing how it mates with the different subs on hand. For starters I have it running with the active bass module of the Aspen Acoustics Lagrange L1 preproduction model (Owner's review of the L1 production model forthcoming at Dagogo.com as the speaker is brought to me and I work with it). In due time I will also pair them with the Legacy Audio XTREME XD Subs, which I have used many times with smaller speakers.
Very pleased with the brisk, crisp sound of the 2-M2 thus far! It's somewhat in your face, a touch bright, but all adjustable with the system. I am enjoying the vividness and resolution of the vocals and primary instruments. Very happy I snagged them to have the long term experience. High end sensibility for a relative pittance. Of course they do not replace the larger transducers I have used, but they are a legit good listen!
Now a couple of reviews have been published that I had been working on over the winter; the Salk Sound SS 9.5 Speaker review, and the incredible Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amplifier review!
The amps are astonishing; I have not built a sub-optimal system with them! Class D has now overtaken the other genres of amps, imo! I discuss this at length in the article.
I also would like to reinforce the previous comment I made about my new article at Dagogo.com, "Audiophile Law: Burn In Test Redux". The Iconoclast cables were in use for that review, and you will see how that extra resolution and accuracy was helpful in the comparisons conducted in regard to the purported efficacy of break in, isolation, warm up, etc.
Very pleased with the experience of working with the Iconoclast by Belden and BAV (Belden Audio/Video) Power cords. I used the top level Iconoclast speaker and IC cables. They have yielded unparalleled performance in many systems. Terrific resolution without stridency.
To add to the wonder of it all, I am about done with a review of a mind-blowing, great sounding class D amplifier! When the extreme precision of both of these products is combined, the sense of a natural sound is immensely gratifying. I have said for many years that it is a categorical mistake to think that higher resolution/definition is a problem. Once again, the systems are taking a big leap upward in detail and refinement, and the sound is more organic sounding than ever.
An important article has been published at the site I review for, Dagogo.com, in which I discuss an extensive comparison of 8 different tweaks/methods, all of which are said to confer meaningful changes to equipment over time that are easily heard.
Individuals serious about setting up better systems need to read it, entitled "Audiophile Law: Burn In Test Redux"
Switched this week from the rebuilt Ohm Walsh Model F back to the King Sound King III electrostatic speakers. I was surprised that the adaptation period to the changed soundstage was longer than normal, about five days. It had been reduced among speakers I have to about 1-2 days. I credit the extension to the unique omni pattern, and my not being accustomed to it in my room.
The King III is kicking butt with four channels of very powerful new class D amp under review. This is the first class D to actually HANDLE the King III.
One thing learned is that panel sound is, like all other speakers, on a spectrum. Particularly glorious about this setup is that both precision and warmth/richness are being improved vastly. VERY fulfilling!
