Room Built for Music

by barnes on All Out Assault

Description

System includes Sonus Faber Stradivari with McIntosh components. I was driving the system from the 2nd zone of a McIntosh MX132 (Which is upstairs in our TV Room-Required 100 Foot of Speaker Cable), until I borrowed the Pre C45 from my Mac Dealer. I have just ordered a Tube Mcintosh Pre C220, and am going to see which is better the Solid State or Tube Pre-Amp.

System is very Musical, and powerful enough to drive the Room, which is a 2 Story Space with Hard Surfaces, ie Glass and Stone Floors. The Irregular Shape of the Room, which is very Open helps by not creating any reflections or Standing Waves. The system is warm and exceedingly Musical. Wife loves the Music. Looking for a Piece of Furniture to put the McIntosh Components into it.(I know that would be Blasphemy). The Look of the components was very important to the design of the Room.
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Components Toggle details

    • McIntosh MCD205
    5-Disc CD Changer
    • McIntosh MC-2102
    100 W/Channel Tube Amp
    • Sonus Faber Stradivari
    Full Range Speakers
    • Bel The Wire Interconnects
    Interconnects
    • Monster Dual 14 Ga
    Musical Wire
    • McIntosh McIntosh C220
    Tube PreAmp
    • Benchmark Dac 1 USB
    Digital to Audio Converter

Comments 52

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Owner
Thanks for your comment.

The Sumiko Rep (Sonus Faber) dialed them in, took about 2 hours. They are out to just barely not touching the rug. The 1st pictures is not their final location.

There is no echo, because of the tall ceilings, drop to lower ceilings, curved glass wall, and the other two walls or lack thereof are open to the kitchen and entry hall, ie no parallel walls at all.

Saw your system with Mac Mini, Trying to decide to go that route, or a server like Sooloos. Sooloos Interface is to die for, or so they say. I've had two reps say Sooloos interface is the best, (they don't rep it.) And I don't want to spend all my time messing with Itunes. I don't have an I-pod.

barnes

Owner
System edited: Just added a Benchmark Dac 1 USB, hasn't settled in yet. Love the Balance of the sound...Trying with and without the Mac Pre. I got this so I can work on bulding a music server system.

barnes

Owner
It's all about the senses...See, Hear, Feel, Smell.... can't ya just Taste it........

barnes

Owner
I wish I grew up as my dog...lay around a while, get someone to feed ya, bark at the garbage men,

Or grow up as my kids..............

Which to upgrade next, preamp or cd player????...or maybe the dog........

barnes

Owner
Haven't lost a bulb yet!!!!
But my window cleaner can do it when one does go out...gonna change em all when one goes out. hahahaha

barnes

Owner
Gerryn
I live in Hunters Creek. E-mail me.

barnes

Owner
I bought a small AV rack and moved the equipment behind the right speaker. I thought I wouldn't like it, but it looks great, ie nice and neat. Gotta fix my camera before I re-shoot the room.
Love the C220, my dealer leant me a C45 and I like the tubes better.

barnes

Owner
Love the Strad's. I don't find them bright, very smooth. Poor Recordings need not apply. The room has No parallel walls, so I only hear the speaakers. The bass is Outstanding in the room. Been thinking about getting a second 2102, like you. Might do some tube rolling someday??

barnes

Owner
System edited: Just added the Mcintosh C220 Tube Preamp yesterday. Soundstage is opening up, depth of the instruments increased, very smooth. The C45 was a little more polite, let's see how the C220 does in a couple of weeks. Added picture showing sweat spot listening area. With the McIntosh, great sound all the way into the Kitchen. Music I listen too includes Jazz, vocals (ie Diana Krall, Michael Buble, Steve Tyrell, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, and the usual), Pop music,(Try Patricia Kaas, "Piano Bar" or "La Mot de Passe". French Pop singer with a wonderful Voice and dynamic recordings), and instrumentals for Piano or acoustic (Try Jackson Brown's "Solo Acoustic, Vol 1")

barnes

Owner
The photo does not show a leather sectional which has a sweet spot for critical listening, but the room goes all the way into the kitchen, where the sound, including bass loading, really sounds good too, (actually sounds great in anyplace in the room).
Ambient music, not with these babies. I'll upload photo in other direction shortly.

barnes

Owner
I just found a credenza to put the equipment in between the chairs, which I am just getting ready to order. The Equipment needs to be hidden away, and the corner placement would also distreact from the window elevations. Clean and simple.
Gotta work on speaker cables also going forward, flatwire or something, or pull some Marble up to run it under the flooring.

barnes

Owner
Windows built of Mahogany in Maine, shipped to Houston.

Speakers go down to 22 Hz, (no need for a subwoofer and it is used for music only, ie no home theater which might require a sub).
Bass is incredible, tight, no walls for it to bounce off of. Speakers are fairly benign to the room, placed by the Sonus Faber Regional Rep along with the dealer.
Organ, piano, and acoustic music is like geing in a concert hall or a church, expecially with organ and chamber music. That McIntosh can really provide with some great bass too.

barnes

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