CJF's ZERO WAF 2ch Channel Rig & Room

[cjf]

Hello,

I decided it was time to share a few pics of my system and listening room which is, clearly, still awaiting finishing touches. Priorities to work on the WAF factor always seem to take a back seat to acquiring more gear but I'm perfectly fine with that. It all looks the same once the lights are off and the wine/music start to flow

My audio philosophy is to try and maintain a minimalistic "KISS" approach to the extent possible. Despite my lack of room treatment (other than throw rugs) and lack of subs the room itself doesn't measure too hideously IMO all things considered. Within the next month I am expecting the arrival of a new set of speakers that I've recently purchased (Magico S3) and once they settle in I will be redoing the Room measurements and determine next steps. I will most likely acquire a pair of JL F112's when I do get something.

New updates will appear in "Green" text in the list found below

Thanks for looking

Here is a run down of the gear:

PREAMP: Classe CP-800 Preamp (Running in Analog Bypass Mode)
DAC: Meitner MA-1
SPEAKERS: Magico S3
AMPS: Mola Mola Kaluga

CABLES/POWER:
Mogami 2549 Balanced XLR w/ Neutrik
Radio Shack 12ga OFC Zip Cord
Neotech NEP-3003 Powercords /w Furutech (Front End Components)
Waveform Fidelity HE MK3/HC Powercords (Amps)
WireWorld - Platinum Starlight USB 1.5m (DAC)
Poor Mans DIY Cable Elevators
Torus Power RM20 Isolation Transformer


EQUIPMENT RACKS:
Poor Mans DIY Homemade Special
2" Maple Butcher Blocks
2" Granite Grade A Surface Plates
Cork Yoga Blocks
Solid Tech Disks of Silence
Solid Tech Isoclear
Herbie Audio Lab Spikes
Symposium Rollerblock Series 2+ w/ Grade 2.5 Tungsten Carbide Super Balls

COMPUTER AUDIO:
PC Engines ALIX 2D2
500 MHz AMD Geode LX800
256 MB RAM
Voyage Linux MPD / RT Kernel OS
Library Controlled via Apple i-Devices / MPOD/MPAD Apps
Agilent U8001A Power Supply 0-30v Adjustable
BlackBox - Ethernet Opto-Isolator
Schiit Audio WYRD
Synology NAS
Poor Mans DIY Power Cable

SEATING:
Stressless Wave

 

[amirm]

Thanks for documenting your system. Enjoyed going through it. Got a kick out of the Agilent power supply and beautiful butcher blocks under the equipment.

Now, did you really spend all this money on gear but skimped on putting back the baseboards???

 

[cjf]

Now, did you really spend all this money on gear but skimped on putting back the baseboards???

Thanks for checking it out.

Lol...Heh yeah, a mans gotta chose his priorities

I'll get to them one day, probably right before I sell the house

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

Good Looking system ... I like the idea of using an Agilent as Linear DC Power Supply. I just bought one from eBay.

 

[cjf]

Hi

Good Looking system ... I like the idea of using an Agilent as Linear DC Power Supply. I just bought one from eBay.

Hello, Thanks for checking it out.

The Agilent has been a solid performer for me for about 3 years now. The only complaint I would have against it is that it has a very noisy fan. But, for me that wasn't a big deal since I have it stuffed in the basement and can't hear it from the listening room. I bought it because it was fairly inexpensive and had pretty solid Specs in terms of Ripple/Noise..etc. I use mine in constant voltage mode which is said to have a Ripple/Noise value of 12 mVp-p <1mVrms

 

[amirm]

Many times you can swap out their fans for much quieter computer fans. And if you are not running them at full load, slow down the airflow.

 

[cjf]

Making an update to the system list here in this post.

So...I've recently acquired X 2 sets of Symposium Rollerblocks Series 2+ isolation doodads and along with them I also sprung for the Grade 2.5 Tungsten Carbide Super Ball upgrade. These devices have been placed under my amplifiers. The Rollerblocks replaced a set of SolidTech IsoClear disks which have now been relocated to under the Maple Butch Block amp racks. The IsoClear disks themselves are now replacing a set of Cork Yoga blocks which used to live under the Maple Amp racks. The Cork blocks are now retired.

In my next post I will provide some Accelerometer test data that I have been gathering from the various amplifier rack configurations I have used to date. The tests will compare how well the Symposium & SolidTech products work as well as how the Cork Yoga blocks stack up to them.

Understandably, I've made more than one change here and any one of them or all of them combined could be responsible for what I'm hearing now. Naturally I will point my subjective finger at the Rollerblocks as being the most responsible party for the differences I hear now; probably because I spent good money on them. But, I do have some evidence to support this which you will see in the next post.

So far, I am pretty pleased with the outcome using these Rollerblocks though. I wont say I hear a night and day difference but there have been undeniable increases in low level details as well as greater separation between instruments and performers within the soundstage. Without the Rollerblocks on certain musical material when there is more than one performer singing in close proximity to one another voices sometimes had the tendency to get lost and sound blended together or on top of each other. Now with the Rollerblocks in place those same voices have a definite separation/distance between each other and are much easier to pick out.

There have been other changes to the sound as well with the Rollerblocks thrown into the mix but I don’t quite have the vocabulary to put into words what I'm hearing. I'll just say somethings different and I don’t think its for the worse by any means but only time will tell.

 

[cjf]

OK,

So as mentioned in the last post I am posting the Accelerometer data I have gathered over the course of several weeks between the various Amp rack configurations I have used. Basicly this will show how well or not so well these various configurations work at isolating the Amps from vibration. I am using a less than exact device and software to gather this data but IMO something is better than nothing at all.

Device Used = iPhone 6
Axis's Measured = X,Y,Z
Software APP Used =

The rest of the test parameters can be seen in the screenshots below:

MapleBlock-AxisX - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Maple Amp Rack on the X Axis between the bare floor and the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

MapleBlock-AxisY - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Maple Amp Rack on the Y Axis between the bare floor and the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

MapleBlock-AxisZ - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Maple Amp Rack on the Z Axis between the bare floor and the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

Amp-AxisX - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Center Top of the Amplifier Chassis on the X Axis between the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

Amp-AxisY - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Center Top of the Amplifier Chassis on the Y Axis between the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

Amp-AxisZ - These set of measurements compare the vibration found in the Center Top of the Amplifier Chassis on the Z Axis between the two isolation methods used as seen in the pics from Post #1 and my last Post # 7

 

[cjf]

Cool Tool

OK,

So since my last update when I installed the Symposium Rollerblocks under my amps I've been doing some noodling on how I could better position the amps on top of the Rollerballs. In my first attempt, I found it more difficult than one would think to place the amps on top of the Rollerballs while at the same time not trying to disturb the ball while its at rest within its cup.

With any number of persons on hand I found this was an impossible task. To add to the misery, the maple blocks my amps rest on are sitting on springs so the slightest touch would send the ball wiggling about within the Symposium cups. I had to come up with a better way to do this since its fairly critical to the operation of the Rollerballs for the device resting on them to be "dead nuts" top/center of the ball while the balls themselves are resting dead center and motionless at the bottom of the cups sit in.

After several days of searching I believe I found the perfect solution and the results turned out great. Believe it or not, this slight tweak brought out even more low level details to the sound of my system. I plan on doing another round of Accelerometer testing just for $hits and giggles to see if I see any change in the data previously posted.

The basic operation of the device goes like this. You place it under the device you want to lift, close the valve that maintains air pressure inside the bag, give the turkey baster a few pumps and watch in joy as it slowly and gently lifts the object. In my case, I did just that and waited for just the right moment when the Rollerballs came to a rest at which point I turned the air valve so it would then very gradually release air from the bag and bring the amps down on top of the Rollerballs in perfect position. Its a beautiful thing!

So here is the device I ended up using. The second set of steady hands you've always wanted. Bought from Amazon for a whopping $13. The device itself is meant to be used as a locksmiths tool to pry open car door jams while they are picked open. Another benefit I intend to test with a larger version of the one pictured below is speaker toe-in positioning. The larger version is capable of lifting up to 300 pounds!

 

[amirm]

If your software in the app allows an FFT, it would be far more useful to see that than time domain. Can it? I think with mine the free version would not.

 

[ACHiPo]

Love the air bladder! It'd be interesting to see the vibration analysis with just the bladder compared to the roller blocks, et al.

Oh, and great idea using the iPhone--it has tremendous sensors built in. I like Amir's idea on the FFT, however, as it could be more instructive.

 

[cjf]

If your software in the app allows an FFT, it would be far more useful to see that than time domain. Can it? I think with mine the free version would not.

Hello Amirm,

With the APP used I don't see an option for FFT at all unfortunately. I do have another APP called "iSeismometer" that has something that looks like an FFT (kind of) which I will play with and see what kind of data is exportable.

 

[cjf]

Love the air bladder! It'd be interesting to see the vibration analysis with just the bladder compared to the roller blocks, et al.

Oh, and great idea using the iPhone--it has tremendous sensors built in. I like Amir's idea on the FFT, however, as it could be more instructive.

Hello and thanks for checking out my system info. The air bladder was only used for lifting the amps in a controlled manor for better placement of the Rollerballs.I only have one on hand so I couldn't test that method even if I wanted to.

I'll do some more playing this weekend with another i-Phone App and see what info I can dig up in terms of FFT data

 

[ACHiPo]

Hello and thanks for checking out my system info. The air bladder was only used for lifting the amps in a controlled manor for better placement of the Rollerballs.I only have one on hand so I couldn't test that method even if I wanted to.

I understand you just used it as a "jack", but it did give me the idea. For less than $15 you could have a second to test. I was kinda kidding on the bladder testing, but I am curious how a bladder would compare to the ball bearing approach for vibration isolation. I'm also interested in vibration absorption vs. sinking.

 

[cjf]

New Arrivals

Recently received these Magico S3's in matte bronze. They are breaking in nicely with only about 20hrs on them so far.

Its way too early to give any solid impressions on how they sound but I can say one thing for certain at this stage, I'm certainly not disappointed by what I hear

NOTE::: Pics moved to first Post

 

[cjf]

OK,

So providing some initial early impressions so far with about 40hrs on the speakers.

First things first, these things do the human voice extremely well. Two albums of note are Eric Capton's Slowhand and Tory Amos's Little Earth Quakes. In both albums I've heard the most realistic representation of the human voice in room that I can recall to date.

Listening fatigue seems non existent so far, even at louder volumes.

Speaker positioning has been fairly forgiving and I think I've already homed in on the ideal spot which is saying something considering it took me almost 6mos of trial and error to find the ideal spot on my previous speakers.

I get the impression that these Magico S3's can play rather loudly without even a hint of trouble or distortion. Granted, I'll be taking it pretty easy for a few hundred hours anyway but thus far 100db in room hasn't even phased them with no visible driver movement related drama to report.

Bass output is deceptive. At one point it seems average then when the recording calls for it, it's there without question. Tight and accurate would be the best terms to describe it.

Even with only 40hrs or so on them they have already gotten better than when out of the box. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed this progression continues in a positive way.

Lastly, I'm very glad I decided to go with a very powerful amp to drive these puppies. I'm pretty certain the 700w @4ohms I'm driving them with is paying dividends in the way they seem to effortlessly present the music. My initial concerns of using Class D amplification on these seems unfounded. The clean amp and clean speaker combo seem right at home with each other.

More to come later

 

[jeff1225]

congratulations on the new speakers. how are you getting used to the differences between porrted and sealed bass?

 

[cjf]

congratulations on the new speakers. how are you getting used to the differences between porrted and sealed bass?

Hello and thanks.

So far, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed it remains true, I don't sense a lack of bass output with these sealed boxes compared to the previous ported boxes. This was certainly an initial concern of mine given the size of my room which isn't massive but not exactly small either (24x15 w/8.5' ceilings).

Listening to familiar tracks on the sealed speakers produces a bit more impact of bass notes and energy in the room. I can feel the impact more when touching objects within the room (like the floor and the glass of beverage in hand) compared to before where that effect was not really there before. When moving about the house on the second floor doing daily activities while music is playing downstairs I don't hear as much of the rumble or resonance of low rolling bass lines like I did with the ported boxes but the bass I do hear is more pointed and positive sounding.

I've been surprised more than once though with the amount of air these things can move within the room when your not expecting it. This was of course bass that was always there in the album before but went mostly unnoticed because it didn't have as much impact before. I get the sense that after I get more hours on the new speakers they will ultimately end up having more,better bass than the last speakers did despite the Magico's having slightly less woofer displacement numerically speaking (3 x 7" vrs 2 x 8").

 

[PeterA]

Congratulations on your new speakers. I'm a big fan of Magico, though I have not heard the S3 yet. Have you considered simply playing a digital loop while away from the house to break them in faster? I did this with my Mini 2s and I noticed a difference every day or so and it went quickly.

Also, I'm curious about which speakers you considered before deciding to get the S3. I know what you mean about the quality of bass and vocals. Magico speakers have always sounded very clean and coherent with almost no distortion or cabinet sound. And I also agree with you decision to use powerful amps with Magico. They need lots of good clean power. Enjoy them. They look great and must sound wonderful.

 

[cjf]

Congratulations on your new speakers. I'm a big fan of Magico, though I have not heard the S3 yet. Have you considered simply playing a digital loop while away from the house to break them in faster? I did this with my Mini 2s and I noticed a difference every day or so and it went quickly.

Also, I'm curious about which speakers you considered before deciding to get the S3. I know what you mean about the quality of bass and vocals. Magico speakers have always sounded very clean and coherent with almost no distortion or cabinet sound. And I also agree with you decision to use powerful amps with Magico. They need lots of good clean power. Enjoy them. They look great and must sound wonderful.

Hello PeterA and thanks for the kind words.

For break in during the work day I have indeed been playing a random selection of music (mainly Classical and other things categorized as mellow or dynamic) on a loop from the playlist.

My other speaker auditions before the purchase of these Magico's was very limited. I did a direct compare at the dealer against both the new B&W 803 D3 and the 802 D3 and that's it unfortunatly. I think price drove the main reason for me as well since the dealer had a limited selection of other contenders in the same price range on hand that I could afford to even consider.

While the new B&W offerings did sound very good and were an improvement to my older 803 D2's ultimatly I didn't find them to be enough of a jump in performance from what I already had. They sounded very similar in most cases. The Magico's on the other hand seemed to offer up more detail without being aggressive sounding. It seemed pretty clear to me during the audition that B&W was going for a more detailed sound with the new line but to my ear it was doing so in a more aggressive way and at times too much so. I had the sense that this sound could become fatiguing over the long haul which for me was a problem since I went into this endeavor believing this would be my last major speaker purchase. Though I have uttered those words before and yet here I am doing it again