This is my 8th generation stereo system that started with a Kenwood receiver in college in the 1970s. This is a great sounding analog system and the most musical yet to my ears. I am soon to upgrade the digital side with a new DAC and transport. Eagerly waiting delivery. Until then I am spinning Vinyl and enjoying my new to me preamps.
I used the Golden Ratio for speaker placement. The speakers are 7.6ft from the back wall to the center of the woofer and 4.7ft from the side walls. The listening chair makes a triangle from the distance between the two speakers. This room allowed me to set it up that way and it works.
This preamp uses a 6550 and 6H30 for power rectification. 4 additional 6H30 tubes amplify the stereo signal at line stage level. This 6550 tube runs hot. My laser thermometer shows 230+ F on the top of the tube. I had to lower the middle shelf of my rack to give this preamp at least 7 inches of clearance. I did not want the shelf over it getting too warm. Wonderful sound. This is my first stereo system since the mid 1970s to have remote control (not counting a CD player). I no longer need to get out of my chair to turn down the volume for my wife.
Audio Research Reference Phono 2 SE
This has the same tube set as the Ref 5SE although it does not run nearly has hot. I bought both the Ref 5 SE and this Phono 2 SE at the same time moving away from an older single box ARC preamp. It is quite a step up in clarity, imaging and a much lower noise floor. I have been very happy with the change. btw- I love peering under the clear cover to see the circuit boards. Beautiful layout of capacitors, tubes and transformers.
Pass Labs X-260.8 monoblocks
Just upgraded to these new mono amps. I noticed a bit bigger soundstage and clearer, more detailed bass as compared to my old X-350 amp. The X-350 is a classic and hard to let go.
Aries-Cerat Hele'na
This is a R2R ladder DAC with a SET tubed output stage. Produced in Cyprus, this DAC also allows for adjusting the tube bias voltage with a built in voltmeter. A GZ34 tube is used in the rectifier and two E280F tubes power the output. This thing is a beast weighing in at about 85 lbs.
Antipodes K50 G4
This is the current Gen 4 K50 Player/Server.
Sota Nova VI w/Condor Eclipse motor and Roadrunner Speed Control
This is my new Nova VI Turntable. I got all the options. This turntable features a magnetic bearing and the Eclipse Condor motor package with the Roadrunner spead control system. The Eclipse Condor package is an A/C motor with a very precise sine wave controller- the Condor. Lift of the motor cover and the Condor controller is visible inside the plinth.
SME 309 Tonearm
This is a rock solid performer. I find it works very well with both MM and MC cartridges. It does prefer heavier cartridge bodies. Benz, Koetsu and Soundsmith cartridges work out well giving this tonearm system a resonance at 10 Hz.
Soundsmith Zephyr Star MIMC ES
I wore my Benz cartridge down to a stub. After much deliberation I decided to try the latest Zephyr Star by Soundsmith. It sounds great and has outstanding tracking. A couple of old records that I was resigned to accepting distortion on a few tracks sound perfect with this Zephyr. I am very pleased with this phono cartridge.
Ayon Audio CD-T mkII
This is a CD transport with vacuum tube output. This transport upsamples CDs to 88.2 kHz PCM output through I2S, BNC, AES, RCA, OPT, or it can also output the CD code in DSD format using three BNC connectors- MCLK, DSD L, and DSD R.
AudioQuest Niagara 5000
Powers the front end
AudioQuest Hurricane
Power Cord for the Niagara
Nordost Silver Shadow BNC
I got three of these BNC cables to run between the Ayon CD transport and DAC. It takes three BNC cables for MCLK, DSD R and DSD L output/input. I know this breaks away from a complete Purist Audio Design cable system, but I felt these would be superior for the money.
Purist Audio Design Diamond Revision 30th Anniversary USB
1.0m USB from the RS9 Music Server to the DAC
Purist Audio Design Dominus Rev B XLR Interconnects
Big step up from the Museaus Line between my preamp and amps. Wow! So musical.
Purist Audio Design Corvus Diamond Revision Power Cord
Pair of Corvus Diamond Revision Power Cords for the Amplifiers
Nice upgrade from the Museaus line. Better bass and more 3 dimensionality.
Purist Audio Design Venustas XLR
This interconnect goes from the DAC to the Preamp.
Purist Audio Design Aqueous XLR
This interconnect goes from the phono preamp to the line level preamp.
Purist Audio Design Aqueous Aureus (Luminist Revision) Power Cords
These power cords are used on the Phono and Line Stage ARC Preamps.
Purist Audio Design Aquila Digital Power Cord 1.5 m
This is their series VII Power Cord made for digital devices such as DACs.
Purist Audio Design Genesis Luminist Phono Cable
1.2 meter Tonearm Cable that lowered the noise floor on my analog side. The sound easily bests the cable that came with my tonearm. Should have upgraded years ago.
GIK Acoustics 244 Bass Traps and Panels
Wow! Room treatments are an effective way to upgrade a system. The biggest thing I noticed was clearer voices. More detail as well as cleaner mid bass. These traps took away the bloated mid bass. I find these treatments to be very cost effective.
VPI Industries HW-16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Gotta clean those records.
English Electric EE8
Audio grade network switch with reclocking and high quality SMPS.
LHY SW-8
Network Switch with a built in OCXO clock.
IsoAcoustics Gaia Titan Theis
Added these to my Wilson speakers.
Hifi 25 Watt Power Supply 5 Volt power supply
This power supply replaces the wall wart used to power the network switch.
AudioQuest NRG Edison 20
20 amp power outlet for the Monos. I was surprised at the improvement in sound this outlet made. Not cheap but it did something.
VPI Industries HW-16.5
Audio Additives Digital Stylus Force Guage
This gage works well. It comes with a 5 g weight for the auto calibration feature. Quick and easy to use.
RSX Power 8 20 S
An aluminum chassis power distribution box with a 20amp IEC type connection. Using it with the subs and main amplifier.
No Name Cable Risers
Designed and built by myself.
No Brand Audio Rack made by me
I built this rack in my shop. Took me a good week but was worth the effort. I have almost infinite adjustability, superb isolation. Best of all this rack is rock solid. I did something right for a change. I used butcher block boards, 3/4" threaded rod and brass acorn nuts. The brass polished up nicely using my car polisher. I mounted spikes on the bottom side. The entire rack is heavy and it doesn't budge.
You are correct. It is an Aquila, Luminist Revision. It is the only power cord that I have used on my K50. I bought the new Aquila, Diamond Revision and put it on my DAC a few weeks ago in anticipation of getting an Antipodes music server. I wanted the same power cord for both digital components.
The Aquila power cord was a big step up in sound for my previous Ayon DAC. So I didn't hesitate to use it with the Hele'ne DAC.
The CEO of Antipodes said in a video interview to treat the K50 like an amplifier. It needs a big power cord and needs to be plugged into a high current outlet. He cautioned plugging it into a source outlet on a power conditioner. So I have the K50 plugged into the Amplifier outlet on my power conditioner. The Aquila is 12 AWG equivalent and are reportedly designed for use with digital components. 12 AWG has pretty high current capacity although the Corvus power cords on my amps are 8 AWG equivalent.
Thank you for noticing. I have every component in my system isolated with springs. What I found is that the sound is better if the components sit on a shelf utilizing their own feet while the shelf is isolated from the floor with springs. Even the Sota Turntable, which has built-in spring isolation benefits with the Isoacoustic feet supporting that carbon fiber shelf that the turntable sits on.
I have the digital components sitting on Delrin boards and the preamps on butcher block boards, all sitting on spring isolation. I can’t say it was a big difference but I tended to prefer the preamps on wood and the DAC and Transport on Delrin. The graphs in my system pictures show the value of spring isolation. Those graphs were made by thumping on the equipment rack but I can also see the difference when playing music. Floor bourn vibrations can move up the rack and also the amp stands. So I placed 48lb/in springs on the feet of my amp stands to isolate the amps. It is very effective. The end result was more clarity and detail. It makes an amazing difference. So much so that it takes a while to get used to it. At first I thought about taking the springs out but once I heard that new found clarity I could not go back.
This started as an experiment to isolate my previous speakers, the Thiel CS6’s with springs like the Townsend Podiums. I bought springs and butcher blocks. The isolation was very effective. That led me to buy springs for all of my components. Eventually, I bought the IsoAcoustic Gaias for my Thiels and found they sounded even bettter. So I used the springs and butcher blocks on my subwoofers in my HT system. Very effective- clean, powerful bass and crisp. Duplicates gunshots and expolsions in movies quite well.
I see many hours of enjoyment in the near future (and long future!) :)
What are you using for component shelfs? there is one under the DAC, and I know the K50 comes with its own anti-resonant feet but I see others under there as well, and the amp stands?
Exciting upgrade- I got a new Antipodes K50 music player/server. It easily bested my old music server right out of the box. After 27 hours of break-in, I was spellbound by the sound and it still has 373 hours to go for full break-in. Looks like a keeper.
I just made a big and exciting change to my system. I have purchased the Aries-Cerat Hele'ne DAC. The Kronos had some issues so I ended up returning it. I have heard so much about R2R Ladder DACs that I decided to give that a try. The Aries-Cerat gear seems to get a lot of good press and I have come to trust my dealer's recommendations.
This 85 lb brute comes in a wooden crate. With the help of my son we hoisted this monster onto my platform with spring isolation footers*. This DAC is optimized for USB input and accepts only PCM- no DSD, no oversampling. After giving it some thought, I realized that I stream PCM 99% of the time. So no misgivings about not having DSD playback capability. I am using the AES from my CD Transport to the DAC. This DAC double re-clocks the incoming USB and it can also re-clock the income AES and Coaxial signals as an option. Tube bias can be adjusted by turning the black knob next to the built-in voltmeter.
First impressions is that this DAC does everything better. It is not just better bass or better highs- it all sounds better. Cellos sound as real as I have ever heard them on my system. Piano is the best that I have ever heard on my system. Clarity- vocals, bass, cymbals all have more clarity. The cymbals rival the best of the best of my vinyl. The most satisfying thing so far? I played Chris Isaak's, Wicked Games on CD. Since I got that disc in the 1980s the one thing that has always bugged me is the words that the background vocalists are singing were obscured. For the first time, those words are clear. I can understand what they are saying. Finally, I can hear it all on that recording. That is impressive.
At this level of gear it is difficult to monetize the improvement in sound. Do improved highs make the difference, or improved lows? How can I justify the sound per dollar amount? I can't really. It comes down to this: could I live with a lessor DAC or not? And in this case I don't think I could now.
*I optimized the spring footers for the weight of this DAC. I show an accelerometer graph that is placed on the top of the DAC. That graph shows the effect of isolation while I rap on the floor with a heavy steel ball. The only reaction is at the Fn of this spring/mass system which is about 6 Hz. Isolation makes a difference.
Thank you kind sir. I did the acoustic treatment by trial and error. I did not use a software program to optimize. That would have been a lot faster. I worked over several months experimenting with placement and adding more panels. The diffusion panels on the ceiling came last. I bought some, tried them out in different locations got results that I liked so I bought more panels and added them to the ceiling too. The cloth covering was to reduce the intensity of the look of the diffusers. That was the only purpose. The cloth is semi transparent which means the cloth should be transparent to sound waves too. I didn't hear a difference before/after I installed the cloth coverings.
The wall behind my listening position is 12 feet away. I did not hear any difference with diffusers or absorber panels on that back wall behind me. The wool rug on the wood floor is a major component of my acoustic treatment. I also added a couple of small rugs to the floor. I had carpeting before but I do not like the sound with carpeting. I prefer to start with a wood floor and add absorption to taste. I can control the amount of liveliness that I want using rugs. Wool rugs are supposedly the best material acoustically.
It is a good thing I am retired. If I had this stereo while I was working, I might not ever made it to work. :)
I just upgraded my DAC. I moved from my Ayon Stealth XS to the Ayon Kronos Signature. It is one down from their top of the line DAC- the Kronos Ultimate. I have been thinking about this for a good while and when a used/almost new Kronos came up for sale I grabbed it. I am very happy with the new DAC. The Stealth XS is a very fine DAC. The Kronos is next level and a better fit for my system, I think. I have see-sawed my way up in my system over the past couple of years. First, with new preamps, then new amps, next was the Ayon Stealth XS and CD-TII, a new turntable and then the Sasha DAW speakers.
The Kronos has more clarity but also smoother highs. The bass is better and best of all Cellos sound more natural. I had become somewhat obsessed with the Cello because the band at church has a cellist. I would stand near the stage and listen to him practice and come home and listen on my system. Vinyl was good but digital was a little off. The Kronos nails it, I think.
Was it worth the substantial extra money over the Stealth? I don't have buyers remorse; but it has only been a couple of days...
You can see two pictures of the room now where I added sound diffusers to the sloping walls and then I made frames with cloth covering to place over the diffuser panels. That's because my wife did not like the look of the panels. So for not much money but a whole lot of work I made wooden frames and stretched thin cotton cloth over them.
I have been enjoying the stereo now in this treated room. The bass is the best that I have ever had. Listened to Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" on the Lady in the Balcony session last night. The bass guitar at the beginning of the song sounds deep and strong. Each bass note is strong and forceful- not at all muted because the notes are so low. The clarity is the best ever now without any edginess in the highs. I typically listen for twice as long as I plan every time I sit down.
The latest work on my stereo system hasn't been adding electronics or cables. I have been working on the room. Room treatments are effective tools for getting the most out of our stereo gear. I've known this since back in the 1990s when I built a dedicated listening room with treatments. Along that line I have done more experimenting. I bought some diffuser panels to attach to the sloped sides of the walls and the ceiling. These were not expensive at all. I had very positive results. The diffusers improved clarity and image focus. I added the panel in steps to experience the progressive improvement and to make sure it was not a detrimental change. I kept adding more panels and the sound kept getting better. In all, I have added 36 panels now. I do not intend to add more. It sounds better than it looks. I'm getting accustomed to the look. Luckily, it is a dedicated listening room.
I stuck the panels to the ceiling and walls with 3M adhesive patches. They are not coming off without requiring some wall repair. This is stereo living with fortitude.
A few new developments since my last post. I rearranged the room first by moving a sofa into my listening position. This is my favorite sofa that we have had for years. We got a new sofa for the family room but I could not let this old friend go. I actually enjoy listening more on this couch than my previous leather recliner.
I also moved bass traps into the dormers on the sides of the room. Big difference in how the bass sounds. Love it. I also learned that moving the speakers closer together moves the bass nodes upwards towards the ceiling. I had not realized until recently how much speaker distance apart affects the bass response. I also moved my GIK wall absorbers from the back wall to the side walls near the speakers. This improved clarity in the highs.
The last stage of building my new system is complete with the addition of the Dominos XLR cable from the preamps to the amps. I started out with the lower line of Purist Audio Design Cables just to see what I thought of them. I have now upgraded all of my cables and power cords to the upper middle and in one case the upper level (Dominus) Purist cables. This is as much as my wallet can take :) The sound is excellent. It is interesting how Purist is able to "maneuver" the sound quailty of their cables as I move up the product line. The higher level power cords make a profound difference in the highs and producing a quiet, black background. Amazing what power cords can do. Up to a few years ago I would have never believed it.
Thank you. I think it sounds pretty good. It has been difficult to stop making changes. I think I am about done for now. I mean, when changes are down to SFP’s, what else?
I haven’t played a record in over a month now. I have been captivated with the sound quality of streaming after adding the network switch. I have spent a lot of time these past two years studying and learning about the digital streaming side of music. It was frustrating at times and always agonizing over choices with little to no direct listening experience. I was planning to upgrade the FMCS or get an audiophile network switch over a year ago. I hesitated because I was not sure the benefit would justify the cost. When I saw the SW-8 I thought it would be a good value. It turned out to be a good move. The SFPs were a small risk as well. But the most notable thing now is that I am listening to music for music’s sake. I am no longer wondering how to make the bass better or how to tone down the highs or how to make the digital soundstage bigger. I am finally just enjoying the music.
I added the Finisar 1475 SFPs to my FMCs. They made a change to the sound. Combined with the LHY SW-8, they have made streaming music most enjoyable. To sum up my network configuration, I have a Netgear modem feeding a DECO Wifi 6 router. A Cat 7 cable comes out of the router to a FMC powered with a linear power supply to a second FMC with a linear power supply. These two FMC's are not fitted with the Finisar SFPs. A Cat 7 cable exits the second FMC and goes into the LHY SW-8 Network switch. An AQ ethernet cable exits the network switch and goes into my music streamer.
I haven’t thought of this until now but here is a breakdown in percentage of my components to total system cost. I will leave out room treatments and dedicated outlet costs. Btw- I started using dedicated outlets in 1988. It was such an improvement that I have added them to every house that I have owned since. Don’t hesitate to do it.
Speakers 28%
Amps 11%
Preamps (both line and phono) 18%
DAC, Transport 11%
Music Server/streamer (ROON) 2%
TT/Tonearm/Phono cartridge 9%
Tweaks such as footers, linear power supplies, etc 2%
I added a picture of my first bit of stereo gear. That is from 1977. It is a Kenwood receiver and a tape deck that I bought from my cousin. I had a couple of 2 way speakers sitting at each end of my bed. Almost never turned it off.
My newest addition are the Aqueous Aureus power cords for the ARC preamps. They have over 200 hours of break-in time now. Sound is excellent. Amazing the difference power cords can make. I moved up from the PAD more basic Musaeus line to these power cords. Noise floor dropped noticeably. Highs got smoother, more delicate sounding. But the surprise was after about 160 hrs the bass changed. It was like I either moved or changed the speakers. The bass became stronger and clearer. Even a buddy who came by a day after that change noticed the difference.
The system is there. I can listen w/o fatigue at even loud levels. The Wilsons are so musical- the music flows out of them like water out of a hose- clear and natural sounding.
Streaming is sounding great using Fiber Optic media converters in between the router and music server. I find albums I like on Qobuz and if they are 44.1kHz/16 bit FLACC I go ahead and buy the CD or record. I can hear a slight difference with the nod going to the local source. Streaming any 24 bit FLACC file is very close to a wash when compared to a local source.
And btw- I don't know why Ayon does not get more notice. Their DACs are superior to anything else I have listened to. I was ready to drop some $$$ on a $15k+ DAC but then started looking into the Denafrips and Holo top DACs. Good for the money but not quite there in absolute sound terms. Ayon is there in absolute sound terms. To me, my Ayon DAC bested the $15k+ DACs that I heard. But that was after I added the PAD Aquila Digital power cord to my DAC. Yes, quite a difference it made. A true treasure of a find.
