Description

The front wall is the wall on the right side of the diagram.
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Room Details

Dimensions: 22’ × 14’  Medium
Ceiling: 12’


Components Toggle details

    • GoldenEar Technology Triton One
    These are my speakers for my front left, front right, left surround and right surround channels.
    • GoldenEar Technology SuperCenter Reference Center Channel Speaker
    I actually removed this from my system in Jan-Feb 2022 to test the phantom center channel image and actually like the phantom image more than using a separate center channel speaker.  The image is more cohesive and larger with the two front speakers generating the center channel image. This change has made me enjoy listening to the different surround formats when watching movies such as Dolby, DTS, etc.  In the past, I preferred the Multi-Channel Stereo mode because the center channel image was so small compared to the rest of my system.
    • GoldenEar Technology Invisa HTR 7000
    These are my in-ceiling speakers for my right front height, left front height, right rear height and left rear height channels.
    • Parasound JC 5
    This amp powers my front left and right channel Triton Ones.
    • Parasound Halo A-51
    I have two A51s: One powers my center speaker and rear L/R surrounds and one powers my 4 height channel in-ceiling Invisa HTR 7000 speakers.
    • Marantz AV-8805
    This is my preamp and surround sound processor.
    • OPPO 203
    CD and blu-ray player.
    • Oppomod Linear Power Supply SE
    This replaced the switched mode power supply in my Oppo 203.
    • LG Electronics OLED77CXPUA
    This TV is on a floor-mounted stand.
    • Audioquest William Tell Zero Speaker Cables 8 ft each
    Three of these speaker cables connect my Parasound JC5 to my front right and left Triton Ones and my Parasound A51 to my GE Reference center speaker.
    • AudioQuest Firebird High-Current (1m) 72v DBS power
    This connects my Oppo 203.
    • Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT
    These are my front speakers. They arrived late Saturday 2/5/22 after I picked them up in Tracy, CA.  They were worth the trip.
    • Antipodes Audio CX
    Music server and streamer.  I shipped this to Antipodes in Colorado for repair as it didn't work after the initial software update.
    • Antipodes Audio EX
    This arrived with the CX and two P1s on 2/7/22.  I use this as my server and streamer until the CX comes back from repair then the CX will be the server and the EX the streamer.
    • Denafrips Terminator
    This arrived on Saturday 2/19/22.  This is my first standalone DAC after auditioning the Border Patrol SEi for a week.  The Denafrips is more to my liking than the BP though my system may not be resolving enough to appreciate the tube like sound of the BP.  Good question.
    • AudioQuest Dragon Source 1 Meter Power Cord
    This arrived on 2/17/22 and am using it on my Marantz AV8805.  For now at least.
    • Butcher Block Acoustics 24"x24" Walnut Finish Speaker Platform
    I am using this to help decouple my Vandersteen Quatro Wood CTs from my living room carpet as the Vandersteen bass is very powerful and my only common wall neighbor lives downstairs.

Comments 1

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Owner

On Wednesday 12/22/21, I visited my local San Diego home audio dealer, Stereo Unlimited from 2:48 

pm to 3:32 pm.  The owner Bruce Heimburg took me into one of their listening rooms and played a Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss vinyl track "I'll Fly Away." The room came alive with the sound of their voices, the mandolin and guitar.  I told Bruce that it sounded like the singers were on a stage in between the two speakers. The center image of their voices between the two speakers was so large and so real sounding, I was in shock for awhile. Why would I be blown away by a center image between two speakers? We are talking two channels, guys, a 2.0 system. This is from a guy who has a 4.4.4 system that loves to listen to both movies and music in multichannel stereo mode from my Marantz AV8805 and has thought for the past two years that my system would blow away some of these audiophiles who think 2-channel stereo is all that.  Let me tell you that tonight I had the sensation of listening to live music like I never have with my 4 Goldenear Triton Ones, GE Reference center speaker and 4 GE Invisa HTR-7000s. My system sounds great guys.  Don't get me wrong. But I've never thought I was listening to live music, or a live singer was in my living room, or an actual actor was on stage in front of me. This was a completely different experience altogether. 


When I turned my system on that night and played the same Gillian Welch/Alison Krauss track, the Dave Brubeck Take Five track Bruce also played and the other tracks from my Qobuz playlist, I tried playing them in 2-channel mode by pressing the Pure mode button on my Marantz remote. Previously when I listened in this mode, the soundstage collapsed compared to using Multichannel Stereo mode.  But then I realized the reason was that I had to turn up the volume, almost 10 numbers, from the 20s in multichannel mode to the 30s or 40s in 2-channel mode.  Only after I turned up the volume did the center image between the front left and right speakers appear and engage. At first I thought maybe I could come close to what I heard tonight. But the more I listened the more I knew I was listening to reproduced music, reproduced very well mind you, but nothing like the real thing type experience I had with the Vandersteens and VTL system. 



Stereo Unlimited's System:

Vandersteen Quatro Wood CT

VTL 185 tube monoblock amps

VTL 6.5 tube preamp 

Shunyata Everest power conditioner 

Shunyata power cords to Everest power conditioner 

Nordost Valhalla speaker cables 

I didn't get the make or model of the turntable and cartridge used.  


Vinyl recordings played back were 

1. "I'll Fly Away" from the O'Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack LP.

2. Dave Brubeck Take 5 

From the late 1950s

missionvalleyguy