Golden Gate DAC arrives.

[Mike Lavigne]

That is one of the aspects I need to discuss with Jorn of Tidal when he visits me at the end of this month, Wisnon. But as we both know, it is not only a matter of lacking bass or getting more bass but also laying the foundation of an audio system and the space it is capable to create. A solid bass foundation is imho crucial for the realism and space of an audio system.

absolute bass headroom power and extension corrupts absolutely.

I would echo Audiocrack's comments on the added bass towers. this is not a matter of just adding subwoofer capacity. if you add 'headroom' to your bass capability that is truly seamless, and I mean designed in by the speaker designer to sound 100% coherent, then everything you play has this ease and weight that has it's effect up and down the frequency range. the bass towers of my MM7's extend to -3db at 7hz and -6db at 3hz......and only crossover at 37hz the way I have them set up. but they improve the mids and highs too. overtones from any frequency get filled in in the lowest octaves. and lots of headroom gives you more linearity in the audible frequencies. the -4- 7 foot tall 750 pound towers and walls of the room disappear and decays are endless.

recently when I did my ceiling project (closed up the last of the ceiling bass trap) and then had to adjust the bass towers to blend with the new flatter room, it was very interesting how tiny adjustments in each of the 4 parameters of the 4 individual amplifiers in bass towers had such an effect everywhere up and down the frequency range. it made a significant difference between moving the adjustment what seemed one hz on the crossover, a tiny bit on the 'Q' adjustment, a tiny bit on the 'bass volume' and the 'bass extension'. that was not logical that these very tiny changes to towers only crossing over in the mid-30hz range should be so evident. but it was.

it did not make sense to my mind, but it definitely made sense to my ears. real life bass foundation is not a trivial issue. and the last step in going from 'good enough' to 'over-the-top' takes you to another place.

and I can relate to the whole wife-budget issue too........with my Trinity dac and CAPS v4 Pipeline I've used all my 'good boy' points up for awhile.

 

[wisnon]

Hi guys,
Understood.

I recently had a demo shown in these pictures and the bass towers were turned down to 10% with Active X-overs...

 

[LL21]

That is one of the aspects I need to discuss with Jorn of Tidal when he visits me at the end of this month, Wisnon. But as we both know, it is not only a matter of lacking bass or getting more bass but also laying the foundation of an audio system and the space it is capable to create. A solid bass foundation is imho crucial for the realism and space an audio system can create.

+100! I dont have nearly the bass of some of the big rigs here, but with X1s and a Velodyne DD18+ (in parallel and cut off above 40hz), the big 18" servo Velodyne makes a difference i would not go without...and i see a number of Wilson X owners have done the same in their own systems. There really is just something about the immoveable solidity that comes solid bass and 'nothing' seeming to phase the system that really creates a musical foundation that, once heard, is hard to give up. it anchors the music in a realism that is hard to reproduce otherwise.

And as i said, i dont have nearly the big rigs that are here, but i would not give up the DD18+ even if it is "only" playing below 40hz.

 

[Geardaddy]

Tripoint grounding benefits the GG as it does the other devices that are connected to it. Of course a Tripoint emperor ground would even have a greater positive effect. And I am sure that indeed adding Tripoint ac components would add a lot to both my systems but .... I have invested great amounts of money in the systems lately. In particular the Tidal LA loudspeakers - although worth every penny I spend on them - drained my financial resources. So hopefully sometime in the future I will be able to add additional Tripoint products. In an ideal world I would add (i) an emperor ac to the Genesis 1.1 set up, (ii) both an emperor ground and ac to the Tidal LA set up and (iii) Tripoint emperor pc's and emperor grounding cables. Then of course the additional Tidal LA woofer towers, an active xover, additional (solid state?) power amps fot these woofers, etc. Realizing all these audio dreams will propably end up in a divorce although my wife has been very, very tolerant so far but I do not want to push my luck.

All kidding aside, I love the Tripoint stuff, Miguel deserves in my opinion much more credit than he actually gets and I am sure somewhere in the future one or more Tripoint power conditioners will be added to my systems but I do not know yet when this will happen.

Audiocrack, Miguel told me you were a professor of some sort (my father is too), and I was secretly wondering to myself how you could afford such lavish audio gear. My working hypothesis was that you came from old European money and had some sort of trust. My mother comes from such a family but minus the trust. Grandpapa blew it all. I thus inhabit a more meager, plebeian audio universe....

 

[Geardaddy]

That is one of the aspects I need to discuss with Jorn of Tidal when he visits me at the end of this month, Wisnon. But as we both know, it is not only a matter of lacking bass or getting more bass but also laying the foundation of an audio system and the space it is capable to create. A solid bass foundation is imho crucial for the realism and space an audio system can create.

+1

That is one reason why well integrated subs add such dimensionality, ease, and space. I have been told that most recordings (even piano) contain a lot of subsonic information that can be teased out by proper bass integration. That being said, I still enjoy my modest two ways....

 

[Audiocrack]

I

Audiocrack, Miguel told me you were a professor of some sort (my father is too), and I was secretly wondering to myself how you could afford such lavish audio gear. My working hypothesis was that you came from old European money and had some sort of trust. My mother comes from such a family but minus the trust. Grandpapa blew it all. I thus inhabit a more meager, plebeian audio universe....

Well it is getting very personal now but I suppose I should make a confession: now and then I rob a bank to be able to invest in my audio systems ... . All kidding aside.

I became a full professor many moons ago at the age of 34 and at the moment I am working for two days per week at a couple of Dutch universities. The other three days I am a partner of a big firm. So I am extremely busy and music is my fairytale world that I find crucial to cope with the heavy workload. I consider listening to (in my case mostly classical) music as a very important part of my life.

 

[wisnon]

+100! I dont have nearly the bass of some of the big rigs here, but with X1s and a Velodyne DD18+ (in parallel and cut off above 40hz), the big 18" servo Velodyne makes a difference i would not go without...and i see a number of Wilson X owners have done the same in their own systems. There really is just something about the immoveable solidity that comes solid bass and 'nothing' seeming to phase the system that really creates a musical foundation that, once heard, is hard to give up. it anchors the music in a realism that is hard to reproduce otherwise.

And as i said, i dont have nearly the big rigs that are here, but i would not give up the DD18+ even if it is "only" playing below 40hz.

Lloyd, Just take a look at the picture of the Stenheims I posted! Those woofers are also mirrored in the rear too. Thus if you ONLY use the Reference boxes (not the extra woofer boxes) you already have in total 8 15 inch woofers!!! Thus to me the bass towers would ONLY be needed to pressurize a HUGE hall, maybe three times bigger than the room in my picture. I cant recall how big the LA woofers are, but I think you get my point about possible overkill.

 

[wisnon]

I

Well it is getting very personal now but I suppose I should make a confession: now and then I rob a bank to be able to invest in my audio systems ... . All kidding aside.

I became a full professor many moons ago at the age of 34 and at the moment I am working for two days per week at a couple of Dutch universities. The other three days I am a partner of a big firm. So I am extremely busy and music is my fairytale world that I find crucial to cope with the heavy workload. I consider listening to (in my case mostly classical) music as a very important part of my life.

My answer would have been...careful budgeting and prioritization! LoL

 

[Geardaddy]

I

Well it is getting very personal now but I suppose I should make a confession: now and then I rob a bank to be able to invest in my audio systems ... . All kidding aside.

I became a full professor many moons ago at the age of 34 and at the moment I am working for two days per week at a couple of Dutch universities. The other three days I am a partner of a big firm. So I am extremely busy and music is my fairytale world that I find crucial to cope with the heavy workload. I consider listening to (in my case mostly classical) music as a very important part of my life.

In other words, you pilfer your wife's trust? You are the mirror image of my Dad in professional respects. He started at Oxford 2 years early and was a tenured professor in his early thirties. I try to make audio an occasional sanctuary, but the little people keep invading my space!

 

[MarinJim]

Hi guys,
Understood.

I recently had a demo shown in these pictures and the bass towers were turned down to 10% with Active X-overs...

View attachment 22436

Now this is what I call "Addicted to the Best".

 

[Geardaddy]

Now this is what I call "Addicted to the Best".

Why not just shorten it to "Addicted." The "Best" designation is redundant since it is subjective. Listening to music releases the same subset of brain chemicals that heroin does. Its a closed loop phenomena that Lucas described with such graphic language.

 

[Audiocrack]

In other words, you pilfer your wife's trust? You are the mirror image of my Dad in professional respects. He started at Oxford 2 years early and was a tenured professor in his early thirties. I try to make audio an occasional sanctuary, but the little people keep invading my space!

But in the end those little people are much more important than whatever audio set up, don't you think?

 

[Geardaddy]

But in the end those little people are much more important than whatever audio set up, don't you think?

I jest of course. I encourage them to invade my space. My system thread on Audiogon is littered with pics of the little beasts....

 

[MarinJim]

Why not just shorten it to "Addicted." The "Best" designation is redundant since it is subjective. Listening to music releases the same subset of brain chemicals that heroin does. Its a closed loop phenomena that Lucas described with such graphic language.

LOL, but listening to music is not against the law or cause one (I hope not) to kill or steal. And life is subjective, is it not?

 

[Geardaddy]

LOL, but listening to music is not against the law or cause one (I hope not) to kill or steal. And life is subjective, is it not?

My wife feels it should be when done in the context of the axis II personality disorder known as audiophilia. I have had friends (who were upstanding men of noble character) actively try to veil their audio purchases from their wives. My sneaking suspicion is that with the right medication, much of the hobby (and the websites associated with the hobby) would fade.

As for totality of subjectivity, I am unsure. I think there is a spectrum of subjectivity amongst people. I also think environment plays a role. The closer you get to the west coast, the higher the degree of subjectivity... From a purely neuroscience standpoint, I am sure one could prove that a virtual stereo system could provide the same effect as a material one with PET scans and whatnot. I think the future will be virtual....just like Aldous Huxley prophesied....

 

[Zero000]

Another output valve possibility.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32378-Lampizator-Level-7&p=689980#post689980

 

[Geardaddy]

Another output valve possibility.

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?32378-Lampizator-Level-7&p=689980#post689980

Very interesting. Thank u. I will try that and the 45s Norman mentioned....

 

[Audiocrack]

On the Tidal La Assoluta thread on WBF I just described the latest changes in my Tidal set up and the positive effect of these changes on the aspect of focussing. The Lampi GG dac is clearly better in the 'focussing department' than I gave it credit for up till very recently (although not as good as my Trinity combo).

 

[Bruce B]

Back from RMAF. Want to thank everyone that dropped by to hear the awesome Lampizator, Cavalli Liquid Gold and Abyss Headphones!

 

[wisnon]

Hearty congrats, Bruce!