Doctor's Orders-Part Two-The New Listening Room Of Steve Williams
- Thread starter Steve williams
- Start date
No worries Sam. I will be happy with whatever you have hooked up to them. It will be great to see you again
It's been a while since I have posted anything here to my system blog as the past 8 weeks have been involved on a daily basis getting the site converted to the new platform. Now that this has come and gone and I am feeling a little more comfortable with the new platform I wanted to post the following with respect to my system subsequent to going all solar at home and here is the thread for reference
https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/the-time-has-come-ive-gone-solar.26171/
My solar install went in on Thursday Sept 27 in one day and there wasn't even a hiccup. They started 2 days later than promised due to a delay in getting county permits and the solar company had promised that my install would be done by the following day. As a result 2 1/2 teams of guys were on my roof starting at 0730 and worked through until 6:00 PM when everything was done.
The following day (Friday) we got signed off by the county inspector and submitted application for Permission To Operate which we were told could take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. We got lucky I guess and got approval Monday around noon and we got turned on about 2:00 so we only made a small amount of solar the first day.
Since then however I have been making on the average about 250-270% of my need with the surplus going back to the grid to be used at a later date. Over the past 9 days I have banked sufficient Kwh's that I am entirely solar.
Why do I bring all of this up?
Well to answer the question as wells to dispel some of the preconceived notions that noise is introduced into the system in the form of colorization and/or RF
I waited until I knew that all of the energy I was producing at the time of listening was coming from solar , 100%
Well that happened 2 days ago and I have listened extensively in those three days and I can say with reasonable certainty that I heard nothing adverse.Everything sounded exactly as prior to the solar installation.
I have to admit that reports in the thread I linked gave me some pause but I truly believe the issues others experienced were due to the type of inverter and/or lack of micro inverters in older systems. The newer systems are better with even better still to come in this emerging technology. I know the thread I linked sparked heated debate.For me however the reason was economic as our electric bills had gotten so high that i sought alternate means and am completely happy with my decision but most importantly a huge sigh of relief that when I listen during 100% solar power I am hearing absolutely nothing untoward.
https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/the-time-has-come-ive-gone-solar.26171/
My solar install went in on Thursday Sept 27 in one day and there wasn't even a hiccup. They started 2 days later than promised due to a delay in getting county permits and the solar company had promised that my install would be done by the following day. As a result 2 1/2 teams of guys were on my roof starting at 0730 and worked through until 6:00 PM when everything was done.
The following day (Friday) we got signed off by the county inspector and submitted application for Permission To Operate which we were told could take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks. We got lucky I guess and got approval Monday around noon and we got turned on about 2:00 so we only made a small amount of solar the first day.
Since then however I have been making on the average about 250-270% of my need with the surplus going back to the grid to be used at a later date. Over the past 9 days I have banked sufficient Kwh's that I am entirely solar.
Why do I bring all of this up?
Well to answer the question as wells to dispel some of the preconceived notions that noise is introduced into the system in the form of colorization and/or RF
I waited until I knew that all of the energy I was producing at the time of listening was coming from solar , 100%
Well that happened 2 days ago and I have listened extensively in those three days and I can say with reasonable certainty that I heard nothing adverse.Everything sounded exactly as prior to the solar installation.
I have to admit that reports in the thread I linked gave me some pause but I truly believe the issues others experienced were due to the type of inverter and/or lack of micro inverters in older systems. The newer systems are better with even better still to come in this emerging technology. I know the thread I linked sparked heated debate.For me however the reason was economic as our electric bills had gotten so high that i sought alternate means and am completely happy with my decision but most importantly a huge sigh of relief that when I listen during 100% solar power I am hearing absolutely nothing untoward.
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Steve: Just curious. How many square feel of panel did you install on your house. (sorry couldn't figure out how to edit.
There must be an issue with the usergroups permissions that we will get fixed tomorrow. I guess as an admin I see your edit buttons but you can't .
We will get that fixed
To answer your question
I used Sun Power Direct and would recommend them in a heart beat
I used 30 panels, all 360 's for a total of 10.8 KW', I am producing in these much shorter days on the average of 55-58 kWh per day and am using on the average 30-35 kWh per day. Hence I have been banking easily 20 kWh's per day
We will get that fixed
To answer your question
I used Sun Power Direct and would recommend them in a heart beat
I used 30 panels, all 360 's for a total of 10.8 KW', I am producing in these much shorter days on the average of 55-58 kWh per day and am using on the average 30-35 kWh per day. Hence I have been banking easily 20 kWh's per day
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Congratulations on the solar installation, Steve! I am very happy for you that there is no noise issue whatsoever!
Today I enjoyed another wonderful afternoon in Dr. Steve's listening room! Nobody believes me when I say that if our house is every finished and if the stereo is ever set up I estimate that I'll be listening approximately 50% to vinyl and approximately 50% to tape.
Today I brought over to Steve one LP and three tapes. The only LP we played is my Chesky The Power of the Orchestra. We played the second side which is the last two-thirds of "Pictures at an Exhibition." This has become my standard classical music test track.
Among all of the systems in which I have played this particular track on this particular LP, based on what I heard today I am comfortable reporting that, at least with respect to reproducing symphony orchestra classical music, Steve's system is one of my three favorite high-end audio systems for classical music. (Please note this is a provisional statement because I really need to go back and play this track on my friend's Rockport Arrakis/VTL/Air Force 1/SAT/Etna SL system, and on my friend's Magnepan 20.7/ARC/Kuzma Stabi/4Point/Etna SL system, for comparison purposes.)
This track on Steve's system was totally spectacular. I would give it a 10 on all the usual points of transparency, dynamics, tonal quality, sound-staging, etc.
I suggested to Steve today (although in the interest of full disclosure I have said this to him a couple of times previously) that I think his system is now so finely-tuned that he should not change a thing. (As with almost all state-of-the-art systems the only way you could really improve the sound would be to transfer the entire system to a significantly larger room.) At this point any component change would occasion a big risk of losing more than you gain while expending a significant sum of money.
While I love Lamm electronics I am not a huge fan of the Wilson X2 (with its metal dome tweeter) by itself, but that prejudice is all water under the bridge and the proof is in the listening, and what I heard today was stunning. David is 100% correct that the JL Audio subwoofers were having a deleterious effect on the sound. Steve gets all the bass oomph he could possibly want (and all the bass oomph I think the room can handle).
Ever since my revelatory visit to MikeL whose listening position is proportionally closer to the speakers than is the listening position in most other systems I notice that I like having a listening seat closer to the speakers than I thought I did. Just by moving closer to the speakers (assuming you don't lose center imaging or proper stereo separation) you just hear more, and there is a greater sense of involvement by being a little bit closer rather than a little bit further away.
I brought three tapes (15ips, NAB): Side 2 of Gloria Estefan's Cuts Both Ways from one tape source; 2) Side 2 of Gloria Estefan's Cuts Both Way from a second tape source; and 3) The Doors' "Light My Fire.”
"
We often compare different pressings or different reissues of the same vinyl track, but how often do we get to compare different tapes of the same track? (I intend to do a lot of tape versus tape comparisons in the future. I have some of my favorite titles on tape from three different sources, and I have a few of my favorite titles on tape from four different sources.)
We listened to "Don't Want to Lose You Now" and "Cuts Both Ways." On the tape comparison we both heard the same things: one tape sounded more detailed, punchier and more dynamic, and maybe a little bit more transparent. The second tape sounded smoother and less detailed and less dynamic. But the vocal on the second tape sounded more organic, more natural. Overall, we both preferred the smoother vocal on the second tape.
"Light My Fire" sounded fantastic! Now we're talk'in! That's what tape is all about! At the end I said to Steve: "I thought that sounded GREAT! Of course now we have to compare this tape to a heavy-vinyl 45rpm reissue."
Towards the end of our session Steve played Edward Pong's UltraAnalogue Recordings Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 5, Op.24. This recording may very well be the single most in-the-room real thing I have ever heard! It is not the kind of music I care for (the sound quality of this tape made me wish I did), but PeterA, who loves chamber music, should get a tape deck if for no other reason than to listen to these Edward Pong tapes!
Thanks to Steve and Cathy for another wonderful listening session!
Today I brought over to Steve one LP and three tapes. The only LP we played is my Chesky The Power of the Orchestra. We played the second side which is the last two-thirds of "Pictures at an Exhibition." This has become my standard classical music test track.
Among all of the systems in which I have played this particular track on this particular LP, based on what I heard today I am comfortable reporting that, at least with respect to reproducing symphony orchestra classical music, Steve's system is one of my three favorite high-end audio systems for classical music. (Please note this is a provisional statement because I really need to go back and play this track on my friend's Rockport Arrakis/VTL/Air Force 1/SAT/Etna SL system, and on my friend's Magnepan 20.7/ARC/Kuzma Stabi/4Point/Etna SL system, for comparison purposes.)
This track on Steve's system was totally spectacular. I would give it a 10 on all the usual points of transparency, dynamics, tonal quality, sound-staging, etc.
I suggested to Steve today (although in the interest of full disclosure I have said this to him a couple of times previously) that I think his system is now so finely-tuned that he should not change a thing. (As with almost all state-of-the-art systems the only way you could really improve the sound would be to transfer the entire system to a significantly larger room.) At this point any component change would occasion a big risk of losing more than you gain while expending a significant sum of money.
While I love Lamm electronics I am not a huge fan of the Wilson X2 (with its metal dome tweeter) by itself, but that prejudice is all water under the bridge and the proof is in the listening, and what I heard today was stunning. David is 100% correct that the JL Audio subwoofers were having a deleterious effect on the sound. Steve gets all the bass oomph he could possibly want (and all the bass oomph I think the room can handle).
Ever since my revelatory visit to MikeL whose listening position is proportionally closer to the speakers than is the listening position in most other systems I notice that I like having a listening seat closer to the speakers than I thought I did. Just by moving closer to the speakers (assuming you don't lose center imaging or proper stereo separation) you just hear more, and there is a greater sense of involvement by being a little bit closer rather than a little bit further away.
I brought three tapes (15ips, NAB): Side 2 of Gloria Estefan's Cuts Both Ways from one tape source; 2) Side 2 of Gloria Estefan's Cuts Both Way from a second tape source; and 3) The Doors' "Light My Fire.”
"
We often compare different pressings or different reissues of the same vinyl track, but how often do we get to compare different tapes of the same track? (I intend to do a lot of tape versus tape comparisons in the future. I have some of my favorite titles on tape from three different sources, and I have a few of my favorite titles on tape from four different sources.)
We listened to "Don't Want to Lose You Now" and "Cuts Both Ways." On the tape comparison we both heard the same things: one tape sounded more detailed, punchier and more dynamic, and maybe a little bit more transparent. The second tape sounded smoother and less detailed and less dynamic. But the vocal on the second tape sounded more organic, more natural. Overall, we both preferred the smoother vocal on the second tape.
"Light My Fire" sounded fantastic! Now we're talk'in! That's what tape is all about! At the end I said to Steve: "I thought that sounded GREAT! Of course now we have to compare this tape to a heavy-vinyl 45rpm reissue."
Towards the end of our session Steve played Edward Pong's UltraAnalogue Recordings Beethoven Violin Sonata No. 5, Op.24. This recording may very well be the single most in-the-room real thing I have ever heard! It is not the kind of music I care for (the sound quality of this tape made me wish I did), but PeterA, who loves chamber music, should get a tape deck if for no other reason than to listen to these Edward Pong tapes!
Thanks to Steve and Cathy for another wonderful listening session!
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Nice report, but disagree on one point. If PeterA wants to listen to those Beethoven Violin Sonatas he should just buy some original LPs and play them on his TT. Unless Pong got in Heifetz to play his Kreutzer on tape. I don't know the best performance for no. 5 but easy to find out
I hope I’m not speaking out of line but I am hoping Ed Iis going to release some of his music on vinyl
I know nothing about the performance; I was reporting solely on the recording/sound quality.
Well, I also disagree with you on one point.
Beethoven Violin Sonatas are masterpieces and we have many excellent interpretations, including some modern ones. IMHO there is no "best" performance of any classical work and most of the time I also valuate the emotional connection I establish with recorded performances for factors other than the typical expert recommendation.Well, I also disagree with you on one point.
No there is a cross between performance and quality. You can listen to as many quality performances as you want on digital. There are some excellent performances greatly recorded on vinyl that still exist (their tapes are gone). I have seldom heard a tape with a great recording and a great performance, and I am sure there are minor exceptions like yarlung and pong but to Ron's point of Sonatas and chamber I am sure there are not sufficent numbers of good performances on good tapes to justify tape. If someone wants to listen to cafe jazz, cafe classical, on great quality tape, or great performances on poor quality tape, sure.
Also I do not understand what stops you from evaluating emotional connections on originals. One does not give one recommendation, you are welcome to choose
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