The speakers are set up in roughly a 3m equilateral triangle with the listening position. The toe-in is such that I can just see the inside flank of each speaker.
I think you might find that your system sounds more powerful and expansive when you add one.
When I added the 10Y to my system it was, subjectively, as if I had gone from 2 watt amp to a 20 watt amp. The preamp that it replaced was an Audio Note M6, which itself sounded very robust (especially with upgraded tubes) but not like the 10Y.
I've never used the Mayer 45 with a passive pre so I can't say whether an active pre is a must and I would certainly never say that the 10Y is a must. There are lots of great preamps out there.
love your set up and interested in your experience using low wattage Thomas Mayer. I only own a power amp and no preamp. I'm using a Slagle passive. Is the 10y pre amp a absolute must? in your experience? I know most people run an active pre but curious if you have an opinion.
High-pass filter between the preamp and the main amp. The main speakers are now down 3dB at 60Hz (9dB at 30Hz etc.). The device is passive and uses a small Audio Note UK capacitor.
This takes a lot of strain off the main amplifier. 60Hz and below is largely covered by the subwoofer system.
I've always struggled with AC in my condo and have borrowed many expensive power conditioners and power regenerators to try and deal with it. In every case the cure was worse than the disease. The Akiko Audio Corelli simply plugs into an extra outlet and none of your gear plugs into it. The results are amazing. Everything becomes more natural, more effortless, and more three-dimensional. And best of all, there are no drawbacks.
That's a good question. I'll have a look at my cabling and see if I can move the table more toward the centre of the rack. The only time that I have noticed a problem is on a track on "Sea Change" by Beck. The stylus can't hold the groove near the end of the song. I don't think this is because of vibration caused by the speaker but I could be wrong. As an experiment, I'll temporarily move the table out in front of the preamp (on the floor - well away from both speakers) and try and play that track. The floor beneath the hardwood is 8" of poured concrete so there shouldn't be any movement there.
Hi Exlibris. Beautiful system and room. I've been following your comments about the system's progress over the years. Congrats on your great results. I'm by no means an expert on vinyl, but I do wonder if having your TT placed "in front of" your speaker introduces any vibration into the mix?
