My 2 channel experiment

john925

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No prob Roger. Just promise me a slice or two of your Pizzas if I ever find my way in your parts :) I am rather biased towards miniatures in preamps but mainly because there seems to be a wider range of choices. That said, I don't really care for as long as I like what I hear.

Yup the soulshine is 12au7 input and 12bh7 driver. The Soulshine 8 is 6sn7s. Since I've tube rolled the Soulshine, I've seen the innards. I'm curious to see the inside of the Soulshine8. Our own Rob (rblnr) wrote a review of the Soulshine in PFO and I pretty much agree with everything he wrote about it. I liked what I heard so much, I took on the entire product line. I've since become good friends with Valvet's designer Knut Cornils. He even built a custom phonostage for me. Wonderful guy. His circuits are classic minimalist designs and pays great attention to parts quality. Give me a week. :)


Jack,

Do you still sell Valvet gears?
 

RogerD

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Digital playback

Can digital playback approach analog? Sounds good to me...the Judds.
 

RogerD

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To my hearing the extreme grounding is still adding clarity, power, tonality, and focus. I added the last 00 cable July 2017.
 

jkeny

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Sounds wonderful, Roger - from what can be judged via Youtube, it has as good as I've heard for dynamics & low level details

Once ground current disturbances are directed away from signal ground & this reference is rendered as clean as possible, the results are outstanding as you demonstrate & attest to
 
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RogerD

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Sounds wonderful, Roger - from what can be judged via Youtube, it has as good as I've heard for dynamics & low level details

Once ground current disturbances are directed away from signal ground & this reference is rendered as clean as possible, the results are outstanding as you demonstrate & attest to

Thanks John,
Yes, audio signal integrity is most important. Sometimes I wonder if you tube conveys what I hear....again thanks for the feedback,appreciated.
 
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jkeny

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Thanks Jkeny,
Yes, audio signal integrity is most important. Sometimes I wonder if you tube conveys what I hear....again thanks for the feedback,appreciated.
I doubt Youtube does deliver the auditory perception you have of your system 'in the flesh' but it still can be used to relatively evaluate one system Vs another & I can tell the bass energises the room, the subtle details are well presented & there's no hint of sibilance
 

RogerD

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I doubt Youtube does deliver the auditory perception you have of your system 'in the flesh' but it still can be used to relatively evaluate one system Vs another & I can tell the bass energises the room, the subtle details are well presented & there's no hint of sibilance

Hi John,

You have excellent listening skills, and ears. In fact the frontal projection from all the speakers energizes all frequency bands inside the room area. It is not bloom, it is pure efficient power from amplifier to the drivers. In my 50+ years of listening I have never quite experienced this and it's on every recording.
What blows me away...it still hasn't settled.
 

RogerD

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I added a pair of Fulton FMI 100 speakers to my psychoacoustic circuit. After listening, I think it was a improvement as more presence,weight,focus and clarity to the overall soundstage. The 100’s use a single 10 inch driver with 4 peerless 225 tweeters each. So now I have 18 drivers in the psycho circuit and a total of 33 drivers in the system total.
 

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RogerD

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I added a pair of Fulton FMI 100 speakers to my psychoacoustic circuit. After listening, I think it was a improvement as more presence,weight,focus and clarity to the overall soundstage. The 100’s use a single 10 inch driver with 4 peerless 225 tweeters each. So now I have 18 drivers in the psycho circuit and a total of 33 drivers in the system total.

Here’s a photo with the added FMI 100 to the psychoacoustic setup. Took about 30 minutes to get the system adjusted. Listened to Jimmy Smith “The Cat” and the dimensionality really came alive..wow!
 

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RogerD

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One of my favorite jazz recordings, done at Reeves Sound in NYC On Riverside 1959.
Blue Mitchell....Park Avenue Petit
 

RogerD

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Here’s a video of the system adjusted with the FMI 100’s added. To my ear the presentation is just more vivid. Standing 2 ft from the psycho speakers you can’t hear them as they only produce a certain spectrum of frequencies.

It takes about 3 hours for the ground circuit,cables,and amps to fully come up. I recorded the video at about 9:50 and after lowered the volume level to 9:30. There is a definite sweet spot for the volume. I still get that large amount of projection into the room,even over my head, but you can get too much power with this system. That’s the 4,000 watts....but at lower volume I have learned to really appreciate the power,weight, and presence at those lower volume levels.
Just playing Quincy Jones Walking in Space..probably listened to this album a hundred times since high school.....I have never had the clarity and overall definition in this recording....really nice projection too at 9:30 level

Noticed later that I didn’t have my dual sub LH side turned on. Will have to listen later.


Full system tweaked

 
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RogerD

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Well I adjusted further...about as good as I can get all 3 pair of speakers in the circuit matched as far as level goes. The level is at the lower limit. I’ll live with it for a while. I think it has fleshed things out a bit. My goal was to increase information while playing at lower volume levels.
Anyway I have taken this system to the limits as far as digital goes. A pretty successful experiment so far I think. I like a big sound, a lot of people may not...but that’s the way I have always designed this system, for the kind of music I listen to.

Listening now to Alex North 2001 which is recorded in the classical style...it is wonderful. The psychoacoustics are just a part of it. Without my extreme grounding concept, which I see others have now taken up on. Most systems will be stuck in the mud. There is no other way to achieve the level of performance or audio signal perfection with out it and the great thing it is easy to implement and cheap to do so....pennies in the high end world.
 
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RogerD

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Well I listened a bit and then let the system sit and cycle till yesterday,about 5 days. When I turned on the mono blocks the power up was extremely quiet. When the grounding cycles the amplifiers can go from a loud bing to a softer bing. Yesterday was like dropping a dollop of mashed potatoes on a plate.

I was rewarded with a lot more nuance and vividness, just more information. The soundscape was just fleshed out more. Which is what I expected with adding 2 10 inch drivers and 8 tweeters.

I was concerned especially with the tweeters that they would just be too much. But the psychoacoustic circuit doesn’t produce a full range of frequencies, so I am happy.

 

RogerD

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I have had my 30+ pounds of double 00 star ground cable fully installed for 19 months and my Parasound right channel finally went dead quiet mechanically and the dual sub also is dead quiet. The mono block 4 toroidal transformers are now the same. The whole darn system is dead quiet...5 amps and 33 drivers.
It’s amazing to me the circuit has taken that long to settle in.
Grounding has many benefits.
 

RogerD

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I have been dialing in the psychoacoustic Fulton FMI 100 Speakers for the last week or so. About 2 hours worth as I adjust and listen. Amazing as moving the speakers back and forth and to Left or right can effect the whole presentation.
At first I did not think they would work, as the psycho circuit output level should be very low, but these are good size bookshelf speakers.
They actually increased resolution,especially in chorale pieces.they also seemed to fill holes in the stereo landscape. With greater power,weight,and nuance....just more of everything.
The last CD I played last night was a Bill Evans Riverside recording and what struck me was the drum kit. Clear powerful and highly nuanced and the position in the soundstage added to the performance And realism.
 

RogerD

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Btw....I used this Nelson Riddle album to dial in my system today. If you have never heard horns growl and muted trumpets mute or bells ring...well this is the album that can be a bitch to have it sound beautiful and natural.
I found myself adjusting my satellites mostly a 64th of a inch at a time. If my setup is not perfect the bells over ring and the muted horns can sound strident. The decay can be unnatural too. With the 33 driver system it can take some time to get it rightt, but well worth the trouble.
A great analog recording done at Capitol studios.
When correct the digital CD can be stunning. 37FC706C-FE2B-4CA7-A867-224C5CFFA118.png
 
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RogerD

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Back in high school me and my brother took a ride to the Oakland Coliseum for probably the greatest Jazz Concert ever. Pick a name and they were there. Miles,Dizzy,Ella,Buddy,Les McCann
Ect.
The thing that struck me was how the trumpet sounded as it wafted and pierced through the night air.
The sound reminds me of that night. Is it the 33 drivers? I don’t know, but I love the sound signature.

 

RogerD

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I have been fiddling with speaker placement and toe in since adding the FMI’s. Was never really happy but the setup was close. I decided to go back to basics and place the satellites straight out with a little toe in and that opened everything up better to my liking.
Adding the FMI 100 which are powerful bookshelf speakers alone has really improved the psychoacoustic circuit. The quality of presence weight and ambience is really stunning and with the extreme grounding,really makes the illusion come alive.
I’m listening to Thompson’s “the river” right now on Vanguard. A splendid recording...worth having. 068CCC04-F038-40F7-BC28-D39708A5B69E.png
 
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RogerD

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I never thought Reprise sounded good...I was wrong. Recorded in 1962 - CD released 1998
I love this album.
 

RogerD

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Sunday afternoon listening...
Judy Collins...nice
London Phase 4 Beautiful Recording

The sound is really up front and powerful. Just the 2 subs and satellites, no psychoacoustic Speakers. The extreme grounding is responsible. Now whether it’s to your liking is a preference. I personally have grown to enjoy it. The increased dispersion pattern and behind the speakers allows the increasing power level to be quite enjoyable. For me the gestalt is everything, it’s what produces the emotional response.
 
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