Sublime Sound

I'm gonna ask my daughter to paint GC on mine with nail polish...
Why do you think these can be had at 25 cents on the dollar in Europe ? Someone with a steady hand and the ability to copy a 90 year old mans handwriting on a cigar box ! ;)
 
I just installed my new listening seat, er, living room sofa. It is a solid leather, three seat sofa, proportioned for our small living room with low ceilings. It replaces an old fabric sofa that was in my wife's family for generations. It lends a slight mid-century look to our very old house. It is the same length as the old sofa, but because the arms are thinner, there is actually more room to sit. When Madfloyd and Al M. come over, we will have just a bit more room to feel comfortable, LOL.

There was some discussion in the listening seat thread about the sonic effects of leather versus fabric. I can report there are no negative effects with all of this leather. In fact, rather than being reflective, it is simply less absorbent than was the fabric, with no detrimental effect on the sound. I love the feel and smell of the leather.

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Aren't u concerned the radiators will dry out the leather?
 
Aren't u concerned the radiators will dry out the leather?

Great question. In our cold New England winters, I have not had the need to turn on the radiators for years, basically ever since I got the big Pass Labs Class A amplifiers. It’s a small room with low ceilings so it never gets cold.

The radiators would probably be a concern if I used them.
 
Love your room Peter, the couch a great looking addition. Such an inviting space to sit and enjoy music with your adult beverage of choice. The radiators would probably creek and groan, but I remember them fondly from my youth. Are they functional should you so choose?

and where did you route your cables to get behind the fireplace?
 
Love your room Peter, the couch a great looking addition. Such an inviting space to sit and enjoy music with your adult beverage of choice. The radiators would probably creek and groan, but I remember them fondly from my youth. Are they functional should you so choose?

and where did you route your cables to get behind the fireplace?

Thank you Bob. My radiators are forced hot water. It's the old steam radiators that make the most noise. This is when the steam condenses and fills the pipes at low spots, and then when the pressure builds, you get noises. It is solved with sloping the pipes properly. My radiators are all properly functioning, and in the rest of the house, they provide a very nice even heat. I much prefer hot water radiators to forced hot air.

Cable routing was a problem to be solved for sure. The long interconnects go through holes in the floor near the rack and then along the basement ceiling, back up through holes near the amps, and then into each amp. From there, each mono block to speaker for power and cable is local and on the floor. The real challenge with the fireplace is that it protrudes into the room creating the two cavities on each side. It slightly affects the depth of the center image, but that has been largely mitigated through better speaker positioning and moving to zero toe-in. I was surprised by this.

I did enjoy a nice glass of port the other night on the new sofa.
 
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Lovely inviting setup-I enjoyed similar -even the same red leather couch in years past-ha!, my only Q would be --do you cover the radiators for serious listening? --I had Multi ones in my listening room(Dimplex's) and they tended to ring somewhat on some tracks.

Envious though great tastes show through--Kudos!:)

BruceD
 
Lovely inviting setup-I enjoyed similar -even the same red leather couch in years past-ha!, my only Q would be --do you cover the radiators for serious listening? --I had Multi ones in my listening room(Dimplex's) and they tended to ring somewhat on some tracks.

Envious though great tastes show through--Kudos!:)

BruceD

Thank you Bruce. The radiators are extremely heavy and solid and they are filled with water that does not circulate so there is absolutely no ringing, or at least none that I can detect.

I also want to avoid covering the radiators which would likely add more absorption to the room. I have not measured the system for years so I don’t know exactly what the frequency response is or how even it is, but as I have removed absorption from the room, the response seems more even and balanced. I suspect this is because certain frequencies are not absorbed which would simply accentuate other frequencies. This was most apparent in the upper base lower mid range area and also in the mid treble area based on listening.
 
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Thank you Bruce. The radiators are extremely heavy and solid and they are filled with water that does not circulate so there is absolutely no ringing, or at least none that I can detect.

I also want to avoid covering the radiators which would likely add more absorption to the room. I have not measured the system for years so I don’t know exactly what the frequency response is or how even it is, but as I have removed absorption from the room, the response seems more even and balanced. I suspect this is because certain frequencies are not absorbed which would simply accentuate other frequencies. This was most apparent in the upper base lower mid range area and also in the mid treble area based on listening.
Ah Ok water ones --mine were the early oil filled.

Your setting portrayed indeed bought back many memories of my Rooms-I always sought out fine Art / Furniture /Persian carpeting /etc to

enhance the Rooms as you have --all served to make for the far superior sonics then over the slightly sterile feeling one has to try and tame

in the newer post retirement "clinical" Apartment I have since found myself planted :confused: .

I do miss the grand wood beamed and walled period dwellings I enjoyed then.Downsizing ones lifestyle can come with a cost sadly.

Oh I forgot to mention--luvv the Spinet in the corner!! and being an ex Commercial Diver I'm so jealous of the Helmet!-;)

Good Listening,

BruceD
 
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Does the piano sing along? :)

Another good observation and question. The piano used to resonate. It was one of the first things Jim Smith noticed when he listened to my system. He asked me to dampen the keys so I placed some towels over them under the lid and that solved most of the problem.

my kids no longer take lessons, so it is not an issue. But it is very easy to lift the lid remove the towels and play the piano.
 
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Another good observation and question. The piano used to resonate. It was one of the first things Jim Smith noticed when he listened to my system. He asked me to dampen the keys so I placed some towels over them under the lid and that solved most of the problem.

my kids no longer take lessons, so it is not an issue. But it is very easy to lift the lid remove the towels and play the piano.

Embrace the piano - it is like a giant tuned Shun Mook resonator lol.
 
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I just installed my new listening seat, er, living room sofa. It is a solid leather, three seat sofa, proportioned for our small living room with low ceilings. It replaces an old fabric sofa that was in my wife's family for generations. It lends a slight mid-century look to our very old house. It is the same length as the old sofa, but because the arms are thinner, there is actually more room to sit. When Madfloyd and Al M. come over, we will have just a bit more room to feel comfortable, LOL.

There was some discussion in the listening seat thread about the sonic effects of leather versus fabric. I can report there are no negative effects with all of this leather. In fact, rather than being reflective, it is simply less absorbent than was the fabric, with no detrimental effect on the sound. I love the feel and smell of the leather.

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Nice couch and lovely room Peter!

I have a small suggestion/experiment for you - remove all the accessories/clutter of you rack (everything but the equipment). You may notice an improvement in focus, timing and dynamics.

Best Regards

David
 
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Nice couch and lovely room Peter!

I have a small suggestion/experiment for you - remove all the accessories/clutter of you rack (everything but the equipment). You may notice an improvement in focus, timing and dynamics.

Best Regards

David

Thanks David. It is not usually like that, but I just installed a different cartridge on one of the arms. I never notice a change in sound from that small stuff/clutter on the rack, but it is messy. The old discwasher dust brush is very useful and will stay along with the Zerostat in the dry winter.
 
Thanks David. It is not usually like that, but I just installed a different cartridge on one of the arms. I never notice a change in sound from that small stuff/clutter on the rack, but it is messy. The old discwasher dust brush is very useful and will stay along with the Zerostat in the dry winter.

No worries Peter!

I have a friend who insists on covering his racks with all sorts of junk. One time I showed him what a difference clearing it away made. Next time I went to his place it was all back on the rack again.
 
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Who is the fellow in the painting above the piano? Seems a buttoned-down chap, but I detect a very slight grin, just enough to soften a serious, studious look. Do you suppose he‘s the kind of guy who’d enjoy your music?
 
Who is the fellow in the painting above the piano? Seems a buttoned-down chap, but I detect a very slight grin, just enough to soften a serious, studious look. Do you suppose he‘s the kind of guy who’d enjoy your music?

I don’t know he’s a complete stranger.

Just kidding. He’s my paternal grandfather. He was quite the rogue and appreciated the finer things in life. He did indeed enjoy Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. He was a physicist and went around the world gathering orchids. He investigated UFOs and spent his later years fly fishing and hunting on enough of his own land that he didn’t have to worry about the authorities and permits.
 

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