Zephyr, it's been a wild six months (as usual). I tried posting updated pics but have had issues; I'll try again sometime.

I am working through component changes now. The Pathos Amps are gone after a long run, the longest I had owned a component ever. I'm re-tooling the entire rig as well as working with some marvelous gear for articles. I never take a step backwards in performance; there is no need to.

A very exciting(at least to me!) development happening recently, but I'm not going to discuss publicly yet.

douglas_schroeder November 25, 2013 17:49

Doug...hope you've been doing well and enjoying your latest audio adventures! I remember seeing a note from you that the Whisper DSW edition is now complete; let us now how those are performing for you
and what else you've been working on....

My AERIS pair are on an ESTES Long-Haul truck as we speak(!) they'll arrive in the depot tonight so I could have them on Tuesday morning at the latest if all goes as planned. I will be somewhat sorry to see my Focus SEs leave but it's been just short of 3 great years with them so I am looking forward to the AERIS arriving very much. I'll keep you posted on what I hear as I break them in....

zephyr24069 November 24, 2013 13:14

Yes I tried and bought them.

jc4659 June 15, 2013 05:24

Jc4659, In brief, yes, I have built a lot of good sounding rigs with Clarity Cables.

My apologies for tardy reply; Have you gotten to try them yet?

douglas_schroeder April 11, 2013 01:49

Still happy with the clarity cables? I will be auditioning the organic speaker cables in a few days.

jc4659 April 02, 2013 09:50

Somewhere along the line I'll get pics updated. There are some changes/additions lately, some to this system, some elsewhere.

One fun change was the switch in my family room rig to a new setup comprised of Sonos (that remained), the NuForce DDA-100 Integrated DAC, and a pair of King Sound Guitar speakers I sent home from CES. It's intended as a mega-fun rig and soooooo much more pleasing on the eyes than another box speaker. There are some inherent limitations on performance due to the nature of the DDA-100 and the cabinet of the speaker being in a guitar form. However, I'm very happy with this as a lifestyle rig. I'll likely post a pic of it at some point.

In the big rig I have added the Wells Audio Innamorata Amplifiers (reviewed for Dagogo.com) and am quite pleased with their performance to date. I've been using them with the Legacy Whisper DSW Clarity Edition and the results are everything I hoped for. I ran one Innamorata on several speaker systems, and based on the performance and experience in the past with use of two amps in passive biamp mode went with two of them, but have only used the pair with the Legacy's at this point.

The experience is so good that I do not want to break the rig down. However, it is a necessity and I'll likely move to the King Sound King III next to see what the Innamoratas do for them. Based on what these amps are doing for the Whisper I anticipate hearing the best ESL sound in my room to date. It's a very gratifying feeling that after many years of frustration, of trying desperately to achieve a sound I could glory in, I now have the capacity to build multiple rigs all of which are so satisfying that I do not want to disassemble them. The key to such satisfaction was the realization that I find far more delight in the variety of experience than chasing "the One," as though there is a perfect system. Variety in experiences in systems has been my best friend in audio for the past few years, and as far as I can see for the future as well.

It did take more time, more money and more effort than I expected to get this goal accomplished, but it has been well worth it!

I have three or four little experiments tangential to reviewing either running currently or on tap; plenty to discover. Anyone who has been in this hobby long enough knows that there is a cyclical nature to it, sometimes "up" and sometimes "down." I'm enjoying this up part of the cycle. :)

douglas_schroeder February 07, 2013 16:56

System edited: I am making some pleasing progress in the exploration of the Landscape Orientation of tower speakers. I secured custom Sound Anchor Stands which I had modified to incorporate amp stands in the design. Now I can place the amps closer to the speakers and use shorter speaker cables, which is held to improve sound. I am very pleased with Bob and the crew at Sound Anchors. They worked with me patiently to develop the right stand and the product is first rate. I had casters put on the stands to aid with mobility/placement. The stands allow for elevation of the speakers far higher, up to about 39" versus 27" with simple stands I tried previously. The also allow for forward or backward tilt of the front baffle. I now have complete control of the placement of the speakers used in Landscape orientation. The sound quality has improved markedly, so this has been a good venture. The use of speakers in Landscape orientation is as powerful an experience as hearing a large tower speaker or big panel; it is a worthy alternative which is simply stunning with live recordings.

douglas_schroeder December 03, 2012 03:43

Zephyr, I appreciate the encouragement. I will have comment upon the Aeris in my Dagogo.com show report of RMAF 2012. My overall impression is that it is a classic Bill Dudleston design. Bill works in the pro/domestic worlds and bleeds his design concepts over from one to the other.

Consequently, his speakers will be capable of more dynamic impact via active X-over for the bass than most big floor standers. The new twin element air motion tweeter is superb and elevates the performance radically. The past five years or so have seen big leaps in performance from Legacy speakers.

I have an article comming but it's a bit different than expected.

douglas_schroeder November 01, 2012 19:38

Doug,...as always I enjoy following your system posts and the results of your creative audio journey! Keep the great stuff coming! As you know I heard the Legacy AERIS recently and was extremely impressed by the truly organic and musical performance of the speaker and the tapestry of sound they painted! When you have a chance, please let us know your impressions having heard it or if you have a review scheduled in the near future.

zephyr24069 November 01, 2012 13:50

Barrysandy, I appreciate the feedback; I enjoy describing experiences so that others can benefit and perhaps be inspired to try new things. Anyone who has a manageable monitor should put it on the side to see what it sounds like. The experience can be quite informative and enjoyable.

I'm not quite done with the Landscape concept; there will be more to come! It's going to take another turn (Pun!), one which until a week ago I did not consider. It's surprising and very pleasing how far a concept can be taken with additional input. Thanks to an industry insider the concept has further to run. I'll be sharing it here in due time. Nothing too radical, but significant enough to merit pursuing. I expect a sizable performance improvement in the sound of the Ulysses.

I encourage people who have manageable tower speakers and stands, who have curiosity, to try the Landscape orientation. But, PLEASE read the article first. There are quite a number of WARNINGS associated with the unusual use of the speakers, warnings related to the awkwardness of the speaker on a stand and safety. The Landscape sound is quite the surprising experience! One of the most striking things about it is how utterly pristine the bass becomes when elevated off the floor. When you move the speakers higher and lose the floor bounce you will realize how much distortion and negative interaction with the floor one hears when the speakers are in normal Portrait orientation. I was shocked especially by the transformation of the bass quality when moving the Ulysses into Landscape mode. This would be true for the overwhelming majority of traditional towers with with the bass drivers near the floor.

The King Sound King Tower (Omnis) are a jewel which I am sad to see no longer available to audiophiles. Omnis have such a powerfully immersive quality to their soundstage that I would think many more casual listening audiophiles would love them. They do not have to be large form factor, and are quite endearing with exquisite openness.

I know some panel speaker owners place their speakers immediately flanking the listening chair, to the Left and Right of the chair on edge to the listener. This may to a degree simulate the experience of an Omni. I would guess that it might be like the ultimate headphone experience to put a pair of omnis in that arrangement! Next time I have them set up I may sit for a while in the center between them and see what happens to the soundstage.

There is no end to the creativity one can have with audio systems; one simply has to be open to trying novel things. However, I distinguish between quackery and novel alternative arrangements/systems.

douglas_schroeder October 31, 2012 01:54

Doug: Your Den descriptions are a great read - thanks. I'm not sure I'm going to experiment with "portrait" versus "landscape" on my system quite yet (Didn't need to with my old Magnepan T-1Ds they were so big). Really love the look of the King Omni's though. Looks like a disarmed Dalek from Dr Who! Your desription of their sound field reminds me of the sound of the big Ohm F omni-directionals. You could literally walk around in it and it was radically different than anything else. Thanks again for sharing all your insights.

barrysandy October 30, 2012 18:48

System edited: It has been a rewarding few months, as approximately one year of effort has resulted in changes to three speaker systems; I recently had published at Dagogo.com my discussion of a recent alternative placement for the Daedalus Ulysses full range speaker; horizontal, or "Landscape" orientation. I am immensely enjoying the immersive character of the monstrously large and immersive soundstage. This is roughly equivalent of a large Panel experience on the horizontal axis, truly an exciting alternative to typical "Portrait" orientation of full range speakers. Having bided my time for the King Sound King III full range ESL it has arrived, and will not leave. I make some sweeping conclusions about the performance of this speaker relative to others in its price class in my review. The last of the big changes is by no means the least; the Legacy Whisper DSW has been upgraded to "Clarity Edition" by the replacement of all internal cabling to 10Ga. Clarity Cable, Clarity Caps, and the new Legacy Air Motion Tweeter system (tweeter and supertweeter). Owner's review forthcoming. There is an incredible amount of variety in the audiophile experience available through different technological applications, as the systems I build suggest.

douglas_schroeder October 23, 2012 17:44

Frank, no I haven not tried those particular amps with the Ayon players. The highest I reached on the rung of use in my room with Ayon players was the CD-5, and I have not used any of the amps you mention.

I will urge you to try at least three diffent ICs with the player, as these are critical. But perhaps you are a cable warrior and have had plenty of wire wars. :)

douglas_schroeder March 15, 2012 02:46

Hi Doug.

Just jumped on the Ayon train again (Ayon Gyrfalcon, Ayon CD-5s) - and I´m now experimenting with a few stereo power amps to complement the Ayon gear (Ayre V-5xe, Ayon Helios, Aesthetx Atlas, KR Audio SD, Boulder 850).

Have you ever tried one of these together with the CD-5s ?

frankpiet March 14, 2012 11:36

Zephyr, thanks; I think the big competition would have been between panel speakers and the King Tower. Especially in terms of soundstage the K.T. does some things even the Kingsound King ESL can't.

I am now double bi-wiring with four sets of speaker cables both of the modules on each speaker, and the results are splendid!

Glory, I think you're intending to speak with Doug Schneider; people occasionally mistake me for him.

douglas_schroeder March 12, 2012 02:29

Doug,

I read you checked out the Crystal Cable factory and thought you would know how their wire stacks up against CC Vortex/Organic wire. I have a Vortex on my AMR but need ,I think, some silver AC cable on it to open it up more. Have a Stage 3 Minatour on demo and it is a great cable but to Much $$$. Any thoughts on the Crystal Cable Ultra AC cables?

glory March 11, 2012 16:20

Wow! That is one very impressive looking new speaker Doug! It is a shame they won't be distributing those in NA any longer as (for omni speaker lovers) they look to represent serious competition to other omni speaker brands that have rather daunting price tags.

zephyr24069 March 11, 2012 11:34

Mapman, there is such a terrific satisfaction from the variety of sound possible that I would feel nearly impoverished if I didn't get involved in that technological variety. This is where the Quality/Quantity ratio is most critical. One only has so much disposable income, so obviously one can't "have it all" if not swimming in money. I find the additional factor of seeking an entourage of speakers at a set price level to add another dimension of skill to the task of system building - one which I relish.

What's great is that an audiophile/gear head can do this at nearly any level of investment in the hobby!

douglas_schroeder March 09, 2012 18:33

"I have chosen to pursue a superb expression of two different speaker technologies. I have derived far more pleasure doing so than seeking one speaker to satisfy my longings to hear beautiful systems."

We think alike in this regard I see! Variety is the spice of life! Why be locked into a single sound at any given time, no matter how exquisite it may sound?

Have not seen or heard of Kingsound before. Something new to learn about I suppose.

mapman March 09, 2012 16:28

Oh, boy; I should have added so as to not cause consternation - the King Tower is not available in North America. The distributor, Performance Devices, has decided not to carry this model but to focus solely on ESL and ESL hybrid speakers. This may be the only pair in North America. In fact, the King Tower is no longer listed on the Kings Audio website, so it may have been discontinued, at least in N. America. I'm not sure if it is still available in other parts of the world.

My comments and experiences therefore will not be able to be duplicated, but will be helpful to those contemplating Omnidirectional speakers of different brands. There are transferrable lessons/insights from using a particular technology of speakers and that is what I wish to convey. My comments also do not constitute a formal review, but are owner's comments. I make no claims as to the speaker's ultimate performance, long term compatibility or reliability. With time I may have an unofficial opinion, but not at this time.

douglas_schroeder March 09, 2012 15:40

System edited: This week I added another dimension to my quest for variety in system development; I have acquired the Kingsound King Tower omnidirectional speakers. These are hybrid dynamic/ribbon speakers which fire vertically from the dynamic drivers and horizontally from the ribbon drivers. The tweeter is literally a "dome" of ribbons firing upward. The Omnidirectional dispersion is quite unique, requiring them to be placed well away from the walls. This is the most distant from the headwall I have positioned any speaker system. The distance from head wall to listening chair is nearly equidistant. The speakers are currently (perhaps not their final position) out approx. 1/3 the length of the room. I had heard the King Tower only once or twice, very briefly at shows. From that quick encounter I had to assess their potential quickly. I'm glad to say I feel vindicated, as these already are worth acquiring and hold tremendous potential going forward; every speaker system I acquire with time has been elevated in performance with time as I continue to build systems around them. The most striking thing about an Omni speaker is the vast acoustic envelope - yea, an enveloping envelope of sound - resting above the listener, like being under a canopy of sound. For those who crave an "immersive" experience they are far more so than any panel I've used or heard. Of course, the nature of the technology also inhibits; their greatest drawback is the lack of localization of images which would normally be pinned quite readily in the foreground of the soundstage. It's a bit like watching a 3D movie; unrealistic in many respects, but so big and 'larger than life' it's worth the mild effort to suspend reality to experience it. I have some friends who have been in bands and they are constantly sitting up tight to stereo speaker systems. They want to be in the performance. This technology does so better than any other I've used (short of an extreme near field listening position or headphones), which would be expected given the nature of it. I anticipate that I will have a far more well developed expression of this speaker system in the years ahead as it is used with several systems. For now it's pure fun! It is also confirmation that I'm in the right zone for me as an audiophile. I have heard/demoed and owned some fantastic speakers. I cannot imagine any one speaker system regardless of price satisfying my longings for radically different expression of music via systems. There is simply too much difference between a panel, dynamic, horn or Omni to experience, and I do not want to be bereft of any of those experiences. I would far rather work to build a stable of competent speakers than put all my bucks into one speaker system and be deprived of the variety which cannot be obtained through ownership of one set. Obviously, people's tastes will differ, and realistic limitations apply; it's hard to accumulate even affordable speakers when you simply don't have room or WAF must be taken into consideration. But barring those factors pursuit of the glory of audio via a multi-faceted system building approach is wonderfully fulfilling. It took me about 15 years of seeking "the one" to realize there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - there is no one speaker which "does it all." Once I accepted that and branched out to new technologies my satisfaction has been higher than ever before. I strongly encourage gearheads to explore this "road less traveled" for a journey of immense fulfilment!

douglas_schroeder March 09, 2012 15:32

I now have an entire listing of Opamps from Cimmaron Technology for the Minimax DAC Plus, which I will post at AA and Agon.

Here is what I'm posting regarding rolling the Opamps in this unit.

Phil from Cimmaron Technology sent me a list of approved Opamps for
respective positions on the board of the EE Minimax DAC Plus; prices
include the Brown Dog Adapters provided by Cimmaron. I have been using
in the U1/U2 position the OPA2604 and in the U6/U7 position the OPA827.
I have not Opamp rolled this unit much, as I have been busied with other
components for review. I attest that the DAC Plus in SS output with the
tube removed and these opamps is sensational.

(NOTE CAREFULLY the warning at the bottom NOT to use the AD 8620 in the U1/U2 positions!) Also note that the positioning of the opamps/adapter is always with the small square solder point on the topside of the Opamp at the upper right hand when the unit is facing the installer. Finally, it is recommended that an opamp extraction tool and an anti-static device be used when removing/installing Opamps.

Is it "worth it"? YES! YES! YES! :)

RECOMMENDATIONS OF OPAMPS FROM CIMMARON TECHNOLOGY:
For U1/U2
Single-channel op-amps mounted on the 020302 SO8-to-DIP8 single-to-dual
channel adapter:
qty 2 each required

020302-OPA627 $48.00 x 2 = $96.00
020302-OPA827 $38.00 x 2 = $76.00
020302-AD797B $48.00 x 2 = $96.00

. . . also for U1/U2
Dual-channel op-amps mounted on the 970601A SO8-to-DIP8 adapter
qty 2 each required

970601A-AD8620 $23.00 x 2 = $46.00
970601A-OPA2604 $13.00 x 2 = $26.00
970601A-OPA2134 $10.00 x 2 = $20.00

For U6/U7
Single-channel op-amps mounted on the 970601A SO8-to-DIP8 adapter
qty 2 each required

970601A-OPA627 $28.00 x 2 = $56.00
970601A-OPA827 $23.00 x 2 = $46.00
970601A-AD797B $23.00 x 2 = $46.00

The AD 8620 should not be used in the DAC PLUS.
"On some forum there was a suggestion to use the AD8620. for positions U1
and U2. While this is a dual op-amp, it is only rated to use up to
plus/minus 13 volts. The circuit in the EE Mini Max DAC and DAC Plus is
plus/minus 15 volts."

douglas_schroeder January 24, 2012 19:30

As always, it is great to hear from you! I will definitely be thinking about giving that DAC a trial soon and will be looking to you for suggestions on the OPamps, etc...The Focus SEs and my system as a whole in the last few months have reached a level of playback enjoyment and musical realism that I did not think I would achieve. I am thoroughly enjoying what emanates from my system and am exploring discs both old/known and new with equal fervor!

zephyr24069 January 24, 2012 11:04

Zephyr, a joyous and Blessed New Year to you as well!

2012 has started out with a very dangerous experience; the kind which threatens a system builder's vision for the future. I have just in the past week assembled a rig so good that it emotionally seems as though it is at the top of the hill, the kind which when I hear it I think, "It doesn't get better than this..."

The reason I say that's a dangerous experience is because that smug satisfaction is what kills the drive to excel, to continue seeking future fantastic rigs. I often say that the greatest impediment to developing an audiophile system is the audiophile, and that is one big reason why; most people conclude that the sound they have is so good that it just cannot get much better. That is SO wrong! Thankfully, I've been through enough levels of change and improvement that I no longer believe it.

But, for the time being, it is safe to say that my rig is the best it has ever been. The key was Opamp rolling the EE Minimax DAC Plus; the potency of that change makes almost every other tweak I've done seem like child's play. I had an exhilarating two hour listening session last night. The music with this rig has been more emotionally gripping than I can recall in a while.

I can't say it enough; ownership of more than one technology in speakers has been crucial to a far richer experience and satisfaction level in audiophilia for me. I believe I am of such a nature that no one speaker would ever quench my thirst for experiences musically. For a hobby which owes so much to technology I believe that widening one's capacity to swap out technologies in audio systems gets short shrift. Even if a person has less space and would work with two different bookself speakers the reward is immense. It also helps dispel the myth that there's one speaker which can do it all.

In terms of the future, I anticipate some interesting experiences up ahead. :)

douglas_schroeder January 23, 2012 18:07

Doug...Happy New Year! What new fun and great forays into different componentry and upgrades have you made as of late?

zephyr24069 January 08, 2012 16:32