It's been a long time (5 years?) since I posted anything about my system... and there have been changes so I guess it's time! It's been both fascinating and insightful to go back and view my threads from 2015/2016 so if anything this thread will provide me with a record that I can look back on.
I've had my Magico M-Project speakers and Kronos turntable for over 5 years now but electronics have fluctuated. I've enjoyed the journey and learned much about the strengths and weaknesses of various components and my tastes (which have evolved over time).
So here's my system today:
What hasn't changed in 5 years:
Magico Projects
Kronos turntable
I've also had my CH Precision P1 for 4 years or so.
I have CAT JL7 monoblocks which were upgraded last year to Special Editions (where I also changed from KT-150s to KT-120s). You can see one of them on the right side as they're obviously not in use at the moment. I think very highly of these amps.
I was using a Dartzeel preamp for a couple years but last August I decided to try the CH Precision L1 and loved it. Interestingly I had tried it 4 years ago (when I ultimately purchased the P1) but I didn't appreciate it at the time. Now I think it's the best preamp I've ever heard (and I've had more preamps in here than I care to list). Live and learn!
While I love many aspects of tubes, there are drawbacks, so you could say I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love the spatiality, imaging, body etc., but I can become distracted if there's a softness and too much distortion. The added 2nd harmonics that many tube components bring to the system can really help 'fill in' what gets lost in the recording process and evoke emotion while solid state has tended to sound more forced, grainy and sometimes brittle to my ears. I have more or less come to the conclusion that tube preamps are not a good long-term match for me because I always seem to perceive some degree of coloring and softness of the sound that distracts. That said, I do enjoy them short term and of course in other people's systems; they certainly have their strengths.
But tube amplifiers, especially CAT, are fantastic products. They do not have a typical 'tube' presentation and they are incredibly impressive in bass control - better than some solid state amplifiers and are fairly neutral sounding. My CAT JL7s have a leaner mid-bass presentation than many solid state amps I've heard.
That said, they're still tubes and over time I always found myself wondering if the distortion I was perceiving originated in the recording or was an artifact of my system. This was sometimes very tough to discern since I happen to enjoy listening to a lot of older classical LPs. I have two other systems that I listen to: a near field pro audio rig (home recording studio) and a high end mobile (in-ear) system that over time became my go-to tools to evaluate what my main system was doing right or wrong. I found myself enjoying my mobile rig more than my main system. Part of that is that the room is removed from the equation (and my room is challenging) but I found myself enjoying what I perceived as a purity of sound - or very low distortion.
The CH Precision L1 made a huge impact on my enjoyment of music, especially classical, where I value the accuracy of timbre and lack of artifacts.
So it was inevitable that I began to get very curious how CH Precision amplification would sound in my system. How different would it be from my beloved CAT JL7s? How significant would the tradeoffs be? This past February I found myself in a position to try them in my system and did so. They stayed. There are tradeoffs and while I don't plan to sell my CATs, I've been totally immersed in my system for the past 4 months.
OK, enough words, time for a few pics:
Kronos Pro Limited Edition / SCPS-1 / SME 3012R / Lyra Atlas SL Lambda
CH Precision P1/X1
CH Precision L1/X1
The mighty CH Precision M1.1
The 'David vs Goliath' of digital, the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC (which I've modified thanks to tips from member ack)
Digital server & networking: InnuOS Zen Mk2 music server, Edison ethernet switch
EtherREGEN and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler/streamer
Listening area
I've had my Magico M-Project speakers and Kronos turntable for over 5 years now but electronics have fluctuated. I've enjoyed the journey and learned much about the strengths and weaknesses of various components and my tastes (which have evolved over time).
So here's my system today:
What hasn't changed in 5 years:
Magico Projects
Kronos turntable
I've also had my CH Precision P1 for 4 years or so.
I have CAT JL7 monoblocks which were upgraded last year to Special Editions (where I also changed from KT-150s to KT-120s). You can see one of them on the right side as they're obviously not in use at the moment. I think very highly of these amps.
I was using a Dartzeel preamp for a couple years but last August I decided to try the CH Precision L1 and loved it. Interestingly I had tried it 4 years ago (when I ultimately purchased the P1) but I didn't appreciate it at the time. Now I think it's the best preamp I've ever heard (and I've had more preamps in here than I care to list). Live and learn!
While I love many aspects of tubes, there are drawbacks, so you could say I have a love/hate relationship with them. I love the spatiality, imaging, body etc., but I can become distracted if there's a softness and too much distortion. The added 2nd harmonics that many tube components bring to the system can really help 'fill in' what gets lost in the recording process and evoke emotion while solid state has tended to sound more forced, grainy and sometimes brittle to my ears. I have more or less come to the conclusion that tube preamps are not a good long-term match for me because I always seem to perceive some degree of coloring and softness of the sound that distracts. That said, I do enjoy them short term and of course in other people's systems; they certainly have their strengths.
But tube amplifiers, especially CAT, are fantastic products. They do not have a typical 'tube' presentation and they are incredibly impressive in bass control - better than some solid state amplifiers and are fairly neutral sounding. My CAT JL7s have a leaner mid-bass presentation than many solid state amps I've heard.
That said, they're still tubes and over time I always found myself wondering if the distortion I was perceiving originated in the recording or was an artifact of my system. This was sometimes very tough to discern since I happen to enjoy listening to a lot of older classical LPs. I have two other systems that I listen to: a near field pro audio rig (home recording studio) and a high end mobile (in-ear) system that over time became my go-to tools to evaluate what my main system was doing right or wrong. I found myself enjoying my mobile rig more than my main system. Part of that is that the room is removed from the equation (and my room is challenging) but I found myself enjoying what I perceived as a purity of sound - or very low distortion.
The CH Precision L1 made a huge impact on my enjoyment of music, especially classical, where I value the accuracy of timbre and lack of artifacts.
So it was inevitable that I began to get very curious how CH Precision amplification would sound in my system. How different would it be from my beloved CAT JL7s? How significant would the tradeoffs be? This past February I found myself in a position to try them in my system and did so. They stayed. There are tradeoffs and while I don't plan to sell my CATs, I've been totally immersed in my system for the past 4 months.
OK, enough words, time for a few pics:
Kronos Pro Limited Edition / SCPS-1 / SME 3012R / Lyra Atlas SL Lambda
CH Precision P1/X1
CH Precision L1/X1
The mighty CH Precision M1.1
The 'David vs Goliath' of digital, the Schiit Yggdrasil DAC (which I've modified thanks to tips from member ack)
Digital server & networking: InnuOS Zen Mk2 music server, Edison ethernet switch
EtherREGEN and dCS Vivaldi Upsampler/streamer
Listening area
