A life time of buying and selling to upgrade. I started 40 years ago. My 20x12x8 room is the biggest limiting factor. Two dedicated lines help power the system with one wired with 10 gauge instead of 12 gauge code. A definite sonic upgrade is my DIY speaker bases. I have wood floors and these tighten up and lower the bass quite a bit. Its not a subtle difference either. Here is how to make them.
1. Start 4 aluminum cones. I used my old Mod Squad Tip Toes but any ones will do.
2. 16x16 slab of granite.
3. 1/4 inch cork.
4. 1/2 inch neoprene rubber. The extra 1/4 inch made a small difference.
5. 1/4 inch cork.
6. Top it off with another 16x16 slab of granite.
7. Finally a wood cradle to hide the mechanism.
It's based on well known industry isolation/damping standards and a wealth of information fellow Audiogon members have shared.
With 2nd motor and latest upgrade. New silencer platter with 24 rubber/brass inserts. Graham 2.2 ceramic tonearm with Ortofon cadenza bronze cartridge.
Marantz SA-10
Its a chameleon with Marantz music mastering I have multiple options of shaping my music from mellow to razor sharp detail and increased dynamic range. It up converts as well
AcousTech Electronics PH1 Premium
Phono preamp
Bryston BP 17 cubed
The quietest preamp.
Bryston 14b 3
600 hundred watt amp. It bench tested to 680 watts. It makes any speaker its bitch. Wish I could find a pair of those amp killer Infinity Kappa 9s to try. lol.
PS Audio. PS 1000
Power regenerator.
Nakamichi DRAGON
Modified with a switch on the back that raises the pinch rollers for better access for cleaning.
Ohm Acoustics 5000
Single driver with tweeter CLS omni directional speaker
One of my great regrets is in not purchasing the original Ohm A when it was first introduced ( I bought the Infinity Servostatics instead ) . Those 18 in. inverted " ice cream" cones sounded incredible . Unfortunately there were no amplifiers that could realistically drive them .
Really fun system you've assembled . What do you play on the Dragon ? I have many fond memories of the 700 I owned which I reluctantly gave up with the introduction of DATs .
Great system. Years ago I bought a Thorens turntable from a guy who auditioned the Thorens through the same Ohm speakers. Very impressive speakers. BTW I love your ‘Taste of Honey’ album art. I was infatuated with it as a youngster.
Much love for the Ohms. I also have run into issues with my Ohm Walsh 2000s on carpet. Found they sounded significantly better on hard floors than carpet. I have mine raised up about an inch off the floor with pegs; however, I like your method a lot better.
Very nice system. I see you listed a Nakamichi Dragon but I didn’t see it in the pictures. That is by far the nicest Cassette I’ve ever seen. I had the Nakamichi LX3 back in the early 80’s and always wanted the Dragon just couldn’t afford it then. If I missed the Dragon in the photo please point it out. Thanks.
