Description

I wrote the comments below years ago. I will keep them for a while as a reminder of my newbie thinking at the time. This hobby is a series of plateaus. I have reached a new one with my current gear. Having a lot of fun.

Have made quite a few changes to this system as my fledgling knowlege of audio has begun to mature. I still have a long way to go...in the knowlege department! I probably won't change components for a while. My goal is best possible 2 channel playback with secondary theater application. Have dedicated room 24 x 17 x 11. There are 5 dedicated 20 amp circuits. My recent focus has been on minimizing negative effects from the room. I have recently added ASC tube traps behind the main speakers and in the ceiling behind the listening position. The most interesting thing I did was to cut a 50x12" hole in the double sheetrocked wall behind the main speakers. There is a large floor to ceiling enclosed cavity that I filled with fiberglass. Then we covered the opening with an ASC custom built sound plank with an open back. The other issue I have worked on feverishly is speaker placement. Getting that right really improved clarity. timbre, and air. Before there was a bit of "congestion" in the sound. Finally, the bass trapping did more for the quality of the bass than I would have expected. Now I have zero bass boom; very tuneful low frequency. Nothing is perfect, but I (with the help of many others!!), have really achieved an outstanding quality of 2 channel music reproduction. Maybe now it's time to focus on the theatre side for a while.
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Components Toggle details

    • Wilson Audio Alexandria X2 Series 2
    Aspen Silver
    • DCS Vivaldi
    Transport, DAC, Upsampler, Clock
    • Boulder 2060
    Stereo amp used with Wilson Maxx 2
    • Boulder 2010 Preamp
    Replaced 1012 DAC/pre. Similar neutral sound with significantly more detail yet musical.
    • Goodwins Silent Server Server
    Custom server for High Rez downloads. Connected to an 8Tb NAS drive
    • Wilson Audio watch
    center channel
    • JL Audio Fathom F113
    Pair of stereo subs. excellent quality. Integrates well with the Wilsons
    • Theta Digital Casablanca 3
    with extreme DAC'c
    • Oppo BDP-95
    DVD/Blu-Ray
    • Balanced Audio VK 250SE Mono
    Center channel amplifier. Replaces BAT VK 110 mono. Sounds great and not nearly as hot.
    • Balanced Audio vk-220
    SOLID STATE for surrounds (pair)
    • B&W SCM-8
    side and rear channels
    • Transparent Audio Opus MM2 Speaker cable
    12 ft pair. Great synergy with my equipment
    • Transparent Audio Opus MM2 Interconnect
    2 ft pair from preamplifier to amplifier.
    • Nordost Odin
    analog interconnect from Vivaldi DAC to preamp
    • MIT MA-X Digital Proline
    3 Digital cables, Vivaldi Transport to Upsampler and Upsampler to DAC
    • Tara Labs Zero digital
    Stereo Pair from Vivaldi Transport to Vivaldi DAC for SACD. Clearly one of the best digital cables made
    • Tara Labs The One XL Cobalt Power Cable
    On pre-amp, and all Vivaldi components
    • Tara Labs 0.8
    balanced 50 ft interconnect run to right and left channel preamp from Theta casablanca
    • Kimber Hero interconnect and speaker cable
    balanced from processor to center channel amp and from amp to center
    • Running Springs Jaco
    power conditioner on theater front end
    • Sound Application RLS-1
    Very transparent. I used this in the past with my Maxx 2's than changed for the Audience AR6T. The Sound app is better on the alexandrias.
    • Sound Application Brass Alloy Power Outlets
    Highly conductive modified Hubbell outlets. Remarkably better that the PS Audio. Used on 2 channel front end and amps.
    • PS Audio Power Port
    Modified Hubbell power outlets used in 2 dedicated circuits on theater front end.
    • Pagoda Finite Element Master Reference
    Rack for Pre amp and transport. Also master reference amplifier stand for Boulder 2060.
    • ASC Tube traps
    This photo shows 16" full rounds behind Maxx's. Recently added a second pair of 16" super traps behind speakers. Unbelievable improvement in imaging. Can't understate the difference this made. The panel on the rear wall covers a 12" by 50" hole cut into the sheetrock which allows low frequency to pass into a floor to ceiling enclosed cavity which is filled with fiberglass. Homemade (sort of) bass trap. There are also 3 16" half rounds on the ceiling behind the listening position.
    • Sony SXRD
    1080p projector
    • Room Acoustics Custom
    Custom designed combination of diffusors and absorption covered in fabric on walls and ceiling.

Comments 146

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Hi Bflowers

I own a vivaldi dac + scarlatti upsampler and clock and i'm thinking going to a vivaldi upsamler in order to use it as a streamer connected to a ripping NAS controlled by the vivaldi app. Do you use it also as a streamer or do you use the transport only as a digital music source ?
if you do - cn you share your thoughts? Thanks

icorem