My therapy

by markel on Done For Now

Description

After a long layoff from two channel, while I built a home theater, this system started with a yearning to return to audio. It started with headphones about two years ago. The headphones just could not satisfy the itch, so this system is what unfolded. Big thanks to my brick and mortar store owner who I have known since he opened his store in New Haven in 1977. He has been my audio mentor and guru and is truly a class act.
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Room Details

Dimensions: 12’ × 12’  Small
Ceiling: 8’

Components Toggle details

    • PS Audio Power Port
    Wall receptacle
    • Transparent Audio Power Isolater 4
    Isolated Power distribution
    • Billy Bags Three tier
    Industrial design 3 tier rack
    • Aurender N100H
    2 terabyte cache music server. The world of music at your fingertips.
    • Ayre Acoustics Codex DAC
    The Ayre Codex can blend seamlessly between working as a stand-alone DAC, DAC/Preamp combination, or Headphone Amplifier/DAC. It’s got a sleek casing that is filled with Ayre’s latest technologies that allow the versatility of being used as a serious home stereo set-up or a basic desktop headphone system. In my case, it is used primarily as a DAC and occasionaly as a headphone amp.
    • McIntosh C2500
    The Swiss army knife of preamps. All signals use balanced circuits.
    • Transparent Music link Super Gen 5
    Latest iteration balanced interconnect from Transparent
    • Shunyata Research Zitron Alpha HC Power Cable
    High current cable for my power amp.
    • PS Audio BHK SIGNATURE 250 HYBRID
    Bascom King designed from the ground up. Tube input stage. Sweet sound with gobs of power to grip any speaker
    • Transparent Super Gen 5
    Speaker cable is also a component
    • Wilson Audio Sophia 3
    Beautifully designed and built to last a lifetime. Oh yeah, they sound great.
    • JL Audio F110 (twins)
    Twin subs put a solid foundation under the Wilsons.

Comments 6

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I too shall mention our exchange to Ralph, I'm sure he will be delighted.
I'm still a hardcore vinyl devotee. Pre, phono stage, and amplifier are Audio Research; FM tuner is Magnum Dynalab MD 109 ( I still enjoy WPPB 88.3 which is out of Long Island ); Ayre CD player; Dr, Feickert Firebird with a 14 inch Kuzma 4 point, and Wilson Shasha 2's. I also went with Transparent speaker cable and interconnects.
Of course, the aforementioned may explain why I am still up here in Connecticut unable to relocate to a more temperate climate. All kidding aside it is a very musical and pleasing system.
Happy Holidays,
Joe

jmwick

There is no substitute for the brick and mortar experience.  Makes all the modern, cyber options look like Russian roulette....enjoy your system!

agear

Owner
Thanks JM.  Ralph has become a good friend.  I lived in CT my whole life until 4 years ago when the kids went off to college and we moved to Hilton Head, SC.
I come to CT three weeks during each year to meet with clients, and always try to stop and see Ralph whenever possible.  You gotta see the new toys right?  
My system is simple, but with the Aurender server, between my collection and Tidal, I have the world of music at my fingertips, and is sounds great.  I'd love to hear more about your set up.  I'll share our exchange with Ralph when I  chat with him next.  We can feed his audio ego!!  Thanks for the kind words,
Mark

markel

I was enjoying viewing the virtual systems in this new format when I happened yours, and just wanted to add my experience with the same New Haven brick and mortar store, Take 5 Audio. However, let me first say that you have a very fine system which was obviously very well thought out.
Thirty years ago I purchased my first high end system from Ralph, and recently "scratched the itch" with a new system; I also went with Wilsons which I love. Ralph is not only extremely knowledgeable, but a man of integrity who not only stands behind his products, he stands behind his cliental.
Again, beautiful system.

jmwick

Owner
Since this is a digital system, I have tried to warm it up with the components. Hence the tube preamp and then PS BHK, that has a tube front end. The amp it replaced was a Mark Levinson 331 that I bought new many moons ago. Now that it has broken in,I am very pleased with the PS amp. It took at least a couple hundred hours to break in. It was light on the lower frequncies out of the box, but it settled in nicely. It is articulate but not analytical sounding. It throws a wide soundstage and images like crazy. It also has plenty of punch. I took a leap of faith on this one based on BHK's pedigree. I'm very pleased. The only thing I foresee in 2016 is a DAC. The McIntosh internal DAC is very good, but I'd like to take it up a notch. Thanks for your kind words. Mark

markel

Nice system. How would you describe the overall sound of the PS AUDIO BSK 250 SIGNATURE, and do you mind disclosing the amp that the PS AUDIO replaced?

Cheers......

musicmann1

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