K.I.S.S., the basics and the Sound Revalation, for me anyhow!

[Empirical Audio]

BTW, my own system in extremely simple:

Router - Ethernet cable - Ethernet isolator - Ethernet cable - Network DAC with volume - balanced cables - Final Drive transformer - RCA cable - SET tube monoblocks - speaker cables - speakers

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

This happened on the cheap, finally they are free from their cardboard confines!


Listening mode.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

On The Diagonal!

As is the usual every time I come back from Mikes place I have to fiddle futz around with my kit a look for the missing music.
Last time I realized just how much I am missing in everything, all categories!
So I plugged in my rooms dimensions into Mr. Tooles spread sheet to confirm my suspicions. Pretty much no matter where sit due to my small room, I lose. I had no soundstage at all and was missing a ton of frequency bands.
So I researched diagonal replacement and it seemed like decent potential results.
SO WORTH THE EFFORT!
The Maggies finally disappear as much as the are going to in this shoebox, FINALLY!
The clarity/resolution/sound stage are back.
I can hear everything again, and most important, I got my bass back!
What a great day listening to music.
I know my kit sucks compared to everything here but it is all I have and the unsuspecting are loving it!

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Really enjoying this new arrangement, so much more engaging!
Didn't know the system had it available!

 

[bach_king]

Hi

I was very interested to read about your experiences. This is exactly what I have found over the years. Simple issues cause mayhem. The difficulty I have is identifying cause and effect. My problem is I keep making the same mistakes. It’s easy to blame poor records. Actually in my experience poor sound is more often a problem with the system than the records. Admittedly there are poor records but most records can sound acceptable when the system is on song. Most of us end up with swathes of our records that we never play because they don’t sound quite right. This is a sure sign in my view that we are doing something wrong. When we get it right it opens up whole areas of our record collections that are not only playable but also very enjoyable.


My own approach is to try to the KISS approach and avoid unnecessary accessories. However it’s easier said than done. I recently built some new mains cables specifically for use with power supplies that were not as good as those I use on the amps and source equipment. When I tried them out their performance was better that the supposedly good ones. Initially I could not understand what the issue was. Then I did some investigating and found that I had fouled up the directionality of two cables. I remade them and the situation was reversed. The good cables now showed their class. So KISS (keep it simple stupid) is the right way to go. Every additional element of complexity introduced to a system Provides further opportunities to mess it up and to get it wrong! It can be a very frustrating hobby but an absolute delight when you get it right.

Thanks again for sharing your experience with the Maggies. It made a good read

All the best

David

 

[spiritofmusic]

Hey, it’s always gratifying to hear about when people fight adversity to get it right.
Kudos to you and Hi-FiGuy.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it very much.
I know this thread is not nearly as exciting as other current threads, but the struggles are the same.

Bach, its funny you responded how you did as I have been rediscovering my vinyl music all over again.
I played Whos Next ( If i could only have one album to play for tbe rest of my life, thats the one) last night in its entirety and it was like I heard it for the first time! I could very easily listen to what ever instrumen I wanted to and everyone was in their place, kind of. That album is not mixed where they stand live, never noticed until last night.

Now Mike tells me he has that in tape and its to die for, so i will go listen to that and probably come home and sell my kit....

Anyhow, I am loving this arrangement, thank you for the comments.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, I love Who’s Next, but it’s a close second to Who Sellout IMHO.
It’s always a thrill to suddenly make albums intelligible. Sounds like you’re on the right road.
Unfortunately we’re all struggling to make something of Vapor Trails and Clockwork Angels. Even my well sorted system can’t polish these turds (sorry Geddy, Alex and Neil).

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Vapor Trails is one of those albums where they lost me for a bit, dont care for it.
Clockwork Angels, love the album and its energy! TBH I have not sat down an listened to it on my system as when the album came out we were in transit and the system boxed up, so only earbuds/cheap headphones and Bluetooth speaker so far. Love the concert video.
I wish Rush on their last couple tours would have found someone to sing the older stuff so we could experience that live one more time. R40 is unwatchable/unlistenable.
If they should do anymore shows it would be mandatory, Geddy has got nothing left to give in the vocal department.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Neil is the one who has officially retired. Mike, there’s a great album in CA, buried in that mix.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

There is no bad Rush album, some just get played more than others.
Not a fan of GUP but it has part one of the Fear Trilogy on it.
Hold Your Fire,Presto ,Roll The Bones,Test for Echo and Vapor Trails get played all be it not as much as the others.

Since my Whos Next experience I have gotten my Who Catalogue out and am going through beginning to end.
Been through My Generation and Magic bus. Next up, A Quick One and Sell Out.

For me its Whos Next and Quadrophenia (Who version),the Loons performance on that album, one of the best ever in music history of all bands.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Hey Mike, there’s no massive difference of opinion amongst Who fanatics like us.
For me I love Who Sell Out (just picked up Japanese vinyl of outtakes incl Glow Girl and Jaguar) and Tommy for the amazing joie de vivre and sonics, Who’s Next and Live At Leeds for sheer power and emotion, and Quadrophenia for the album to both top off the end of their truly creative period and look back lovingly to their roots.
We’ll never see their like again.
And of course if it wasn’t for Who’s Next, Rush may never have sounded the way they did (Geddy was in maxx John Entwistle worship mode in the early 70s).

 

[ddk]

Hi Mike,

I believe in a tight space such as yours and speakers with limited low frequency a sub even a small one will go a very long way to add to your pleasure.

david

As is the usual every time I come back from Mikes place I have to fiddle futz around with my kit a look for the missing music.
Last time I realized just how much I am missing in everything, all categories!
So I plugged in my rooms dimensions into Mr. Tooles spread sheet to confirm my suspicions. Pretty much no matter where sit due to my small room, I lose. I had no soundstage at all and was missing a ton of frequency bands.
So I researched diagonal replacement and it seemed like decent potential results.
SO WORTH THE EFFORT!
The Maggies finally disappear as much as the are going to in this shoebox, FINALLY!
The clarity/resolution/sound stage are back.
I can hear everything again, and most important, I got my bass back!
What a great day listening to music.
I know my kit sucks compared to everything here but it is all I have and the unsuspecting are loving it!
View attachment 39095

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Agreed.
Imagine my disappointment as I went on family vacation in the summer of 78, all poised to go to the concert in support of Who Are You,my chance to see Moon live.
I still remember dad pulling into the driveway and my buddy running up to the car," You heard the news didn't you?"

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Hi Mike,

I believe in a tight space such as yours and speakers with limited low frequency a sub even a small one will go a very long way to add to your pleasure.

david

Its there standing in the corner behind the amp.

 

[ddk]

Its there standing in the corner behind the amp.

I thought that was a tube trap.

david

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

I thought that was a tube trap.

david

Lol, I have 4 to choose from and this one is probably headed back to the theater.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Neil is the one who has officially retired. Mike, there’s a great album in CA, buried in that mix.

So yeah, sat down and listened officially, its a pretty poor mix and explains why I prefer just watching the Blu-ray!
To bad because i think its some of their best.

Hey Mike, there’s no massive difference of opinion amongst Who fanatics like us.
For me I love Who Sell Out (just picked up Japanese vinyl of outtakes incl Glow Girl and Jaguar) and Tommy for the amazing joie de vivre and sonics, Who’s Next and Live At Leeds for sheer power and emotion, and Quadrophenia for the album to both top off the end of their truly creative period and look back lovingly to their roots.
We’ll never see their like again.
And of course if it wasn’t for Who’s Next, Rush may never have sounded the way they did (Geddy was in maxx John Entwistle worship mode in the early 70s).

Sat down and listened to My Generation/Magic Bus/A Quick One/Sell Out in their entirety for the first time in 30 years.
Holy crap are the mixes all over the place, never noticed before.
There are some great tracks, and a bunch of unlistenable ones. Forgot about their attempt at The Beach Boys with Bucket T!
Very interesting how quickly they progressed into the power house that they are.
Sell out was the first that had a consistent production from beginning to end.
Between those four albums you can hear Tommy trying to break open.
Maybe I have bad mixes as I have the bundle albums so to speak AQO and SO in one cover and MG and MB in another released by MCA early 80's.
So much great music, and a bunch of not so great.
Tell me if there are monumentally better pressing out there and I will investigate.
On to Tommy and forward, hell yes Sparks on the menu!

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, I just picked up Tommy on a Japanese pressing, and Quadrophenia on Classic Records 140g.
Let’s see if they beat my stock 80s UK Track Records pressings.
A late 60s Fillmore live Who set has just been released, picking this one up toute suite.

 

[Hi-FiGuy]

Whats the verdict Marc?