Pure 2 Channel Stereo Setup

[shaizada]

[SYSTEM UPDATED] Pure 2 Channel Stereo Setup

UPDATE - 9/9/09

System Reconfigured.

END UPDATE - 9/9/09

UPDATE - 16/06/09

I did it...

I went ahead and purchased a full blown vinyl rig. I was at Mr. Bob Levi's house, the positive feedback reviewer (he is my neighbor actually) and was enjoying his vinyl rig so much more than anything else. I just had to get a piece of that analog nirvana.

Bob has the $18k Tim De Paravicini Disc Master:

This had two Helius Omega arms. One with a Koetsu Rosewood Signature MC and the other with a ZYX Airy 3.

To say that I was blown away would be an understatement. EAR 324 Phono, EAR 912 Preamp, EAR 890 Monoblocks running Marten Design Bird speakers.

Unbelievable! and should be for a circa $100,000 setup.

Well, I knew I had to do vinyl and the result is this:

- VPI TNT-5 Hot Rod Turntable JMW Memorial 12. 5 Tonearm
- SDS Synchronous Drive System.
- HRX drive system
- The C5001 TNT Stand and custom made top

Clearaudio Accurate Moving Coil Cartridge

Accurate
A further improvement in the search for superior pleasure, when listening to analogue records can be achieved by auditioning the Clearaudio Accurate MC cartridge. The greater precision in craftsmanship, utilising the most innovative manufacturing and testing facilities available results in unprecedented quality and reliability, creating a cartridge with particularly excellent data (channel separation for instance). The body of the "Accurate" has a hand-polished, heavy gold plated and tempered surface, displaying the same technical precision as all other cartridges of the Clearaudio family. All Clearaudio cartridges are placed very close to the border of technical ability, a result of tireless research for many years.

Design principal Moving Coil System with 24-Carat gold wires
Housing material MgAlSi-Alloy
Total mass 12 grams
Stylus TRIGON II, diamond tip radius 5x40 m
Cantilever Clearaudio-boron
Coil array Symmetrical to pivot point (Clearaudio-patent)
Compliance hor./vert. 15/15/mN
Recommended tracking force 2.2 grams (Individual)
Electrical Impedance 50 Ohms @ 1000hz
Channel separation >40dB
Channel balance Non measurable
Output voltage 0.7 mV (at 5 cm/sec peak)
Recommended break-in time 50 hours or more

Einstein "The Turntables Choice" Phono Stage

Product Specifications:
- Gain of 68dB (2500x)
- S/N ratio typically 76dB
- THD < 0.03%
- Star-grounding (stereo version too uses discrete dual-mono floating power supplies)
- passive RIAA equalization
- Adjustable impedance loading
- Discrete architecture with 24 monolithic transistors per channel
- High-current output stage with low 50-ohm output impedance
- Output voltage > 5V, balanced 10V
- External power supply (fully balanced version has twin power supplies)
- Resonance-free vibration-optimized chassis
- Dual-mono architecture, available fully balanced or single-ended
- Weight 3.5 / 7.0 kg (7.7 / 15.4 lbs)

This is where I stand now. Heavily dented and abused wallet but I think I will come out a better person in the end.

I'm still in shock and buyers remorse has kicked in heavily. Hopefully all this trouble will be worth it.

Oh by the way, this is my first and probably last Vinyl rig.

End UPDATE - 16/06/09


I feel fortunate to have come across this forum.

I'm visiting Delhi for a few months (live in Orange County, California) and am a massive audio addict

Anyhow, I do want to say a few things...in audio, after a certain level of financial investment, it's not about how much money the system is worth, but how well your components synergize with each other. I've spent a long time with a $500k + system and still found many flaws. The electronics here were something like this:

Grand Prix Monaco Turntable, VTL Reference Monoblocks, Wilson Alexandria X2, VTL Preamp...some $95k worth of cabling and so on and so forth.

I came away unimpressed with this system. Room was fully treated and it was a truly reference system in all respects. System was setup in Brooks Berdan, Monrovia, California.

However, take the time to properly address the system from the ground up, and it will be a super rewarding experience. I had personally invested approximately $200k in my system including a custom built room.

Still, I wasn't impressed with my end result and completely downsized. The soul of the music was still not ethereal as I had imagined so I sold it all off.

Now getting back into the system, I built it again from the ground up, concentrating on keeping the "soul" intact. I wanted to feel the spirit of the sound and the emotions of the performers. This is something that tends to get lost in the evaluation of the equipment which could dwindle our original aim of musicality.

Anyhow, enough about the theory and my mentality. Here are a few pictures I took before flying to Delhi:

So what all do we have here:


Headphones: Ultrasone Edition 9, Sennheiser HD-650, HD-600 / Cardas / Equinox (Balanced) / APS V2 (Balanced), ATH-W1000, Shure E500PTH, UE 11 Pro, MDR-E66sl Eggos, KSC-35 (1 balanced, 1 regular) , MDR-E888sl, MDR-EX70sl

Speakers: Omega SuperHemps (Maccasar Ebony finsh), Usher Be-718 (Pioneer White)

Amps: Ray Samuels Audio B-52, AMB Beta 22, Ray Samuels Audio Predator, XIN Supermicro IV, Consonance Cyber 800 Monoblocks (1st Speaker Rig), Monarchy SE-100 Delux (2nd Speaker Rig), NuForce ICON

Sources: Reimyo DAP 777 with Upgrade Company mods, Sony CDP-x707es Transport

Power: Harmonix Studio Master XDC / Black Violet Z1 / Electraglide Epiphany X.2 on Reimyo, Black Violet Z1, Black Violet Z1 on Richard Gray Power Company 400s, Electraglide Reference Glide FATBOY on Richard Gray PolePig Isolation Transformer, Richard Gray 600s

Cabling/Interconnects: Virtual Dynamics Master RCAs, Harmonix Golden Performance HS101GP RCA, Jena Fugue RCA, Furutech Audio Reference III RCA, ALO Jumbo Cryo Dock, Revelation Audio Labs CryoSilver Reference iPod Dock Lineout, Genesis Project Titans, Grover S RCA, Cardas XLR/RCA adapter, RnB Black Diamond mini-mini, Silver Audio Symphony 32 Speaker Cable, Furutech Audio Reference III Speaker Cables

Tweaks: Stillpoints ESS Rack, Silent Running Audio (SRA) Ohio XL Plus Squared for Preamp, Symposium Ultra Shelf, Oyaide Cryoed SWO-XXX Outlet for Reimyo, Oyaide Cryoed R1, Craig Pro Gold on AC Plugs, Symposium Rollerblock Jr., Symposium SuperCouplers, Sistrum SP-1 (x2), Sistrum SP-004 (x2), Mapleshade shelves (x3)

Room is completely treated with Real Trapps (mini traps, mondo traps) and GIK Acoustics. Almost 35 traps placed strategically throughout the room.

 

[dali]

Hi

Nice equipments , but surprised to hear that you are not satisfied with the sound quality. may be there is no proper matching between the systems?
good looking racks as well.

vijay.

 

[reignofchaos]

Wow amazing setup and glad to see another Usher Be-718 user . Just curious what you found nice in the speaker since you seem to be very experienced in audio.

 

[shaizada]

Hi Dali,

The system that I was unimpressed with was the $500k system that I had heard. With my current system, I am completely impressed and satisfied
The stillpoints ess rack is absolutely amazing and really launched my system to the next level. Blacker backgrounds, more inner detail between notes and a golden silence between passages. Excellent channel separation and larger than life soundstage. The rack really is quite amazing.

reignofchaos,

I've actually moved the Usher Be-718 into my second system. Great speakers which do almost everything right (compared to Sonus Faber, Usher Be-20 that I've had previous experience with).

My current speakers in my main setup is the Omega Superhemps. Love them for their tonality and single speaker, crossover-less design. The cone is made from hemp material and is the same tone found in Audio Note speakers. My listening preferences have shifted to pure beauty of tone and musicality, both things nicely addressed by these Omega speakers. I've added a hemp cone based subwoofer (Omega Deephemp cube) which fills in the bottom end beautifully.

Anyhow, once the musical images become/feel real that you can reach out and touch them, I think the image is pretty much locked in. Thats the feeling I get from my current system.

Thanks for the feedback though!

 

[vinod_david]

I feel fortunate to have come across this forum.

I'm visiting Delhi for a few months (live in Orange County, California) and am a massive audio addict

Anyhow, I do want to say a few things...in audio, after a certain level of financial investment, it's not about how much money the system is worth, but how well your components synergize with each other. I've spent a long time with a $500k + system and still found many flaws. The electronics here were something like this:

Grand Prix Monaco Turntable, VTL Reference Monoblocks, Wilson Alexandria X2, VTL Preamp...some $95k worth of cabling and so on and so forth.

I came away unimpressed with this system. Room was fully treated and it was a truly reference system in all respects. System was setup in Brooks Berdan, Monrovia, California.

However, take the time to properly address the system from the ground up, and it will be a super rewarding experience. I had personally invested approximately $200k in my system including a custom built room.

Still, I wasn't impressed with my end result and completely downsized. The soul of the music was still not ethereal as I had imagined so I sold it all off.

Now getting back into the system, I built it again from the ground up, concentrating on keeping the "soul" intact. I wanted to feel the spirit of the sound and the emotions of the performers. This is something that tends to get lost in the evaluation of the equipment which could dwindle our original aim of musicality.

Anyhow, enough about the theory and my mentality. Here are a few pictures I took before flying to Delhi:

So what all do we have here:


Headphones: Ultrasone Edition 9, Sennheiser HD-650, HD-600 / Cardas / Equinox (Balanced) / APS V2 (Balanced), ATH-W1000, Shure E500PTH, UE 11 Pro, MDR-E66sl Eggos, KSC-35 (1 balanced, 1 regular) , MDR-E888sl, MDR-EX70sl

Speakers: Omega SuperHemps (Maccasar Ebony finsh), Usher Be-718 (Pioneer White)

Amps: Ray Samuels Audio B-52, AMB Beta 22, Ray Samuels Audio Predator, XIN Supermicro IV, Consonance Cyber 800 Monoblocks (1st Speaker Rig), Monarchy SE-100 Delux (2nd Speaker Rig), NuForce ICON

Sources: Reimyo DAP 777 with Upgrade Company mods, Sony CDP-x707es Transport

Power: Harmonix Studio Master XDC / Black Violet Z1 / Electraglide Epiphany X.2 on Reimyo, Black Violet Z1, Black Violet Z1 on Richard Gray Power Company 400s, Electraglide Reference Glide FATBOY on Richard Gray PolePig Isolation Transformer, Richard Gray 600s

Cabling/Interconnects: Virtual Dynamics Master RCAs, Harmonix Golden Performance HS101GP RCA, Jena Fugue RCA, Furutech Audio Reference III RCA, ALO Jumbo Cryo Dock, Revelation Audio Labs CryoSilver Reference iPod Dock Lineout, Genesis Project Titans, Grover S RCA, Cardas XLR/RCA adapter, RnB Black Diamond mini-mini, Silver Audio Symphony 32 Speaker Cable, Furutech Audio Reference III Speaker Cables

Tweaks: Stillpoints ESS Rack, Silent Running Audio (SRA) Ohio XL Plus Squared for Preamp, Symposium Ultra Shelf, Oyaide Cryoed SWO-XXX Outlet for Reimyo, Oyaide Cryoed R1, Craig Pro Gold on AC Plugs, Symposium Rollerblock Jr., Symposium SuperCouplers, Sistrum SP-1 (x2), Sistrum SP-004 (x2), Mapleshade shelves (x3)

Room is completely treated with Real Trapps (mini traps, mondo traps) and GIK Acoustics. Almost 35 traps placed strategically throughout the room.

Hi:

Greetings. Amazing and lovely setup and I know it sounds sweet. We'd all be so happy if only you had put pictures of your speakers also. Hope, I too own something like you in the future.

 

[shaizada]

Let me dig up a picture of my speakers but the setup is completely different. At least you get to see the speakers themselves Here you go:

 

[drphil]

phenomenal. Do you have a phono/turntable? I know that purists hate every other format for listening to warm and natural sound!

 

[marsilians]

Blacker backgrounds, more inner detail between notes and a golden silence between passages. Excellent channel separation and larger than life soundstage. The rack really is quite amazing.


Anyhow, once the musical images become/feel real that you can reach out and touch them, I think the image is pretty much locked in. Thats the feeling I get from my current system.

What were you missing before that you built the 2nd system. could you give specific examples in the genre of music you listen to? My questions are because I think you reached the point of diminishing returns even with half your equipment. So curious in what order you built the pieces and why wrt. benefits.

I am planning a minor upgrade couple years down the road and still evaluating the pros- cons.

 

[shaizada]

Sorry for the later reply

Now I'm back home (California) but am on the verge of losing my job due to my company downsizing...so kinda been busy with figuring out what comes next for me. Funny how these things work...I had an absolute blast in India though.

Now, for the system, I started off with my Reimyo source, then Preamp (which doubles as an amazing headphone amp), followed by robust power conditioning for both these components. Ended up with Richard Gray stuff.

Then I bought my speakers and amps. In the meantime I experimented with various interconnects and power cables. After going through a flood, ended up with what I currently have (Furutech, Harmonix Golden Performance, and KCI Silkworm Pegasus for my digital cable). Finally, once I had the major components in place, I worked on treating the complete room (which isn't absolutely complete yet) with Real Traps and GiK acoustic traps. Got about 12 Real Traps, 11 GiK Traps but need just a few more to completely treat the room.

I did realize finally that the components are only about 55% of the sound. The room that houses all the equipment is about 45% if not more. All reflections that muddy the sound get treated and the bass comes in clear. The soundstage gets laid out properly in front of you and you can place instruments and musicians in the air...I mean you can tell exactly where they are sitting in relation to one another.

I listen to all kinds of music...I love Dance/Trance/Electronica, I enjoy Jazz trios and quartets, Rock, acoustic/vocals and tons of Hindi Classical. Also I am crazy about AR Rahman so I guess....musical tastes are very varied. A good system should be well balanced enough to play everything very well. I hate building a system around a singular genre of music...a system should be versatile and enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!

~Gaurav

 

[shaizada]

System updated a little bit. Added an Exactpower EP15a to regenerate power for my preamp and DAC. 2 major advantages:

1) Music emanates from a deeper, blacker background. Can hear more into the recordings.

2) Audio circuit was being shared with an adjoining bathroom. Every time a light was turned on or the exhaust fan was switched, there was a pop sound through the speakers. That is all gone now. Next step would be some dedicated lines running to the system from my electrical panel.

Here are some updated pics:

This is just the front wall, back wall and side walls are properly treated as well to take care of first reflection points and bass trapping in the corners. Sorry for the crooked picture...it was very late at night.

 

[Colecutter]

system, and the room, looks good gaurav. must sound heavenly.

 

[shaizada]

System Updated with Vinyl rig.

 

[psychotropic]

Hey shaizada, why don't you edit your post and date your update (as in UPDATE - 16/06/09) so that people reading will know the currency of the post immediately. And yes, looks like a jaw-drop system simply from the fact that I've never heard of most your components

 

[shaizada]

^^
Thanks. Edited the first post. Its like 3:15am in the morning here so I'm kinda tired and ready to go to sleep. Don't know why I didn't think of that.

Anyhow, most of the equipment is boutique manufacturers. However, if you do a search for the components (if you care to learn about them), most will come up in Google.

 

[anm]

hey! howz the job thing? I hope you are able to hold on to your job and treat us with pics of more high end stuff

 

[psychotropic]

your excellency......with your 2 posts you're running down someone who has 34 posts and at least takes the pains of talking about his rig on these forums. Where do you get off?? how the hell does it bother you what he does and how people respond to it?

So wots with dis guy and da rest of you???

hiz lordship will post in 1 yr 2 show off his junk stuf an the rest of you will bow down an worship him???

wot a joke!!!

 

[suri]

So wots with dis guy and da rest of you???

hiz lordship will post in 1 yr 2 show off his junk stuf an the rest of you will bow down an worship him???


wot a joke!!!

dilsez,

horses for the courses!

there are people who would buy a Bentley Continental GT Speed over a Honda NSX Type-R.

Well, the people in the know will COMMISERATE!

but then again,

different strokes for different folks, and like was mentioned by one of us - "GO WITH WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT"

 

[moserw]

dilsez,

horses for the courses!

there are people who would buy a Bentley Continental GT Speed over a Honda NSX Type-R.

Well, the people in the know will COMMISERATE!

Well I would not. I would buy it anyday. More especially a Buggati Veyron but after the Focals of course!

 

[hemantwaghe]

dilsez,
I think you are some of the older culprits..
I've checked all 3 of your posts and disgusted by your arroganced...

Shahjada pls do not loose heart and keep posting - Jo dilo pe raaj kate hain unhe log "shahjade" kahte hain!!!:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[shaizada]

Its no problem Thread trolls are everywhere so I'm used to it.
I try to share gear and knowledge that I've gained in this journey.

It only helps to have some sort of direction when we're all chasing down that elusive sound.

ANM, job is gone Got laid off, but now that has given me an excuse to get into a few of my business ventures that I had been planning.

One of the things I would love to get into is Audio consulting in India. It's an upcoming market and the collective knowledge I have gained over the 13 years I've been in this hobby, could be put to good use in getting others to build their systems according to their taste level.

In my knowledge, I know that having a taste developed for good sounding audio is MUCH MORE important than buying high end gear.

Buying high end gear DOES NOT equate to good quality sound. Generally, the more the spend, the more refinement you get, but that still does not guarantee that the sound would be to your liking and taste.

Anyhow, you have to learn and understand along the way. It IS a journey after all. Nice to have friends who care about the end result in your journey.

~Gaurav