Here is my setup with details of the chain
Source Hardware: Mac Mini late 2009 model.
Configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo with 8GB RAM with two hard disks.
The main hard disk runs OS and the program files.
The 2nd 1TB hard disk takes the place of the optical drive and stores music files.
Will soon be upgrading the boot HDD to SSD and the music HDD to 5 TB.
The mac mini runs a heavily stripped Windows 7 OS with most background processes disabled and connected to the network via ethernet port.
Wifi and bluetooth are disabled.
DAC cum preamp
Dual mono design Teac UD-301 DSD DAC connected via USB to mac mini.
Audio Player:
Default TEAC player with ASIO drivers or optimized Foobar with WASAPI
Mac Mini Control:
With my laptop using Remote Desktop.
Power Supply 1:
Since both mac mini and the DAC are 110 volt devices, I am using a Maxine Auto Would step down transformer
Power Amplifier:
Nelson Pass designed Adcom GFA-4302 Class A dual mono amplifier rated for 30 watt RMS at 4 ohms per channel.
Separate gain control for each channel.
Power Supply 2:
A 220 volt AC to 12 volts DC inverter to power the Adcom amplifier
Subwoofer:
Wharfedale SW150 10 inch active subwoofer.
Speakers:
A heavily DIY modified Infinity RS425 2-way infinite baffle (sealed) bookshelf speakers with 6.5 inch IMG (graphite) woofer and polycell ferrofluid cooled tweeters. Tweeters/Midbass crossed at 3.1khz / 12 db slope.
Speaker Modifications from the original design:
Changed the surrounds of the midbass as they had weakened. Purchased the surround repair kit from simplyspeakers.com.
Removed the passive radiators and sealed the opening.
Front baffle reinforced with another 18mm MDF panel.
Internal panels damped for reducing enclosure resonance.
Midbass and tweeters flush mounted, tweeters a little further recessed to improve time alignment with the woofer.
Minor changes to the crossover.
Added some wool based sheets inside the enclosure to reduce impact of back waves.
Changes it made to the sound/tonality:
Improved midrange
Though the removal of the passive radiators made bass to roll off earlier, it became more taut, cleaned the lower midrange, improved clarity and the integration with the subwoofer was much better.
Speaker Stands:
Hand made with tree trunks.
Cable chain:
1. ATAAudio 6 inch USB cable between the DAC and mac mini
2. Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect between the DAC and subwoofer input
3. Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect between the subwoofer output and amplifier input
4. Amplifier secondary inputs shorted with good quality phono connectors
5. Klotz 12 awg speaker cables between the amplifier and speakers. Heavy duty MX gold plated banana plugs used for terminating the speaker cables.
Amplifier/Subwoofer Gain Setting:
Power amp gains set with sine waves/multimeter and listening sessions after adjusting idle current and bias.
Subwoofer crossed at around 63hz at 12db slope. Attenuated to the bookshelf by listening.
Listening area:
10 x 10 space which is open on the left side and has a wall with windows on the right side.
Listening position roughly 6/7 feet from the speakers and 3/4 feet from the rear wall
Speakers Position:
Speakers placed 1.5 feet from the rear wall and around 4 feet from the side walls.
Distance between speakers around 6 feet
No toe in.
Subwoofer similarly placed bang in the middle of the two speakers.
No EQ or acoustic room correction
A pic of the setup:
Source Hardware: Mac Mini late 2009 model.
Configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo with 8GB RAM with two hard disks.
The main hard disk runs OS and the program files.
The 2nd 1TB hard disk takes the place of the optical drive and stores music files.
Will soon be upgrading the boot HDD to SSD and the music HDD to 5 TB.
The mac mini runs a heavily stripped Windows 7 OS with most background processes disabled and connected to the network via ethernet port.
Wifi and bluetooth are disabled.
DAC cum preamp
Dual mono design Teac UD-301 DSD DAC connected via USB to mac mini.
Audio Player:
Default TEAC player with ASIO drivers or optimized Foobar with WASAPI
Mac Mini Control:
With my laptop using Remote Desktop.
Power Supply 1:
Since both mac mini and the DAC are 110 volt devices, I am using a Maxine Auto Would step down transformer
Power Amplifier:
Nelson Pass designed Adcom GFA-4302 Class A dual mono amplifier rated for 30 watt RMS at 4 ohms per channel.
Separate gain control for each channel.
Power Supply 2:
A 220 volt AC to 12 volts DC inverter to power the Adcom amplifier
Subwoofer:
Wharfedale SW150 10 inch active subwoofer.
Speakers:
A heavily DIY modified Infinity RS425 2-way infinite baffle (sealed) bookshelf speakers with 6.5 inch IMG (graphite) woofer and polycell ferrofluid cooled tweeters. Tweeters/Midbass crossed at 3.1khz / 12 db slope.
Speaker Modifications from the original design:
Changed the surrounds of the midbass as they had weakened. Purchased the surround repair kit from simplyspeakers.com.
Removed the passive radiators and sealed the opening.
Front baffle reinforced with another 18mm MDF panel.
Internal panels damped for reducing enclosure resonance.
Midbass and tweeters flush mounted, tweeters a little further recessed to improve time alignment with the woofer.
Minor changes to the crossover.
Added some wool based sheets inside the enclosure to reduce impact of back waves.
Changes it made to the sound/tonality:
Improved midrange
Though the removal of the passive radiators made bass to roll off earlier, it became more taut, cleaned the lower midrange, improved clarity and the integration with the subwoofer was much better.
Speaker Stands:
Hand made with tree trunks.
Cable chain:
1. ATAAudio 6 inch USB cable between the DAC and mac mini
2. Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect between the DAC and subwoofer input
3. Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnect between the subwoofer output and amplifier input
4. Amplifier secondary inputs shorted with good quality phono connectors
5. Klotz 12 awg speaker cables between the amplifier and speakers. Heavy duty MX gold plated banana plugs used for terminating the speaker cables.
Amplifier/Subwoofer Gain Setting:
Power amp gains set with sine waves/multimeter and listening sessions after adjusting idle current and bias.
Subwoofer crossed at around 63hz at 12db slope. Attenuated to the bookshelf by listening.
Listening area:
10 x 10 space which is open on the left side and has a wall with windows on the right side.
Listening position roughly 6/7 feet from the speakers and 3/4 feet from the rear wall
Speakers Position:
Speakers placed 1.5 feet from the rear wall and around 4 feet from the side walls.
Distance between speakers around 6 feet
No toe in.
Subwoofer similarly placed bang in the middle of the two speakers.
No EQ or acoustic room correction
A pic of the setup:
