Sublime Sound

[Frenchrooster]

Beautiful deck. Congrats !

 

[PeterA]

Nice presentation, Peter - it's all so clean. You did a good job on the steel plates.

Do you hear a difference between the two 3012R and Grand Cru?

Hello Tim, The two arms/cartridges are not presently both set up. I had been comparing a variety of phono stages and they are positioned on the floor, below the top shelf of the rack. Only one arm cable could reach one phono at a time. Once things settle, I will have them both hooked up to the phono stage. In time.

 

[PeterA]

Peter, simply beautiful. Congratulations!

Bravo Peter! It looks fantastic. You must be thrilled to own such a trophy. I hope it provides all the “natural” sound you desire. I know I’d be thrilled.

That Micro looks brand new.... wow! You will enjoy that for a long time.

Beautiful deck. Congrats !

Thank you everyone. Yes, the Micro looks brand new. I am very grateful and appreciative for the efforts to which @ddk went to find me one and assure it was complete and in good working order. I am thrilled with the result.

 

[PeterA]

Those SME 12 arms are very good. Older SME arms are the one to get, Not the newer ones.

When I visited ddk, I asked if I could buy a couple of NOS 3012Rs. He showed me a number of options and I simply selected two that matched: same cosmetics (silver arm lifts), and made for the Japanese market around the same time. I wanted these to match this legendary Japanese table.

I happen to also like the SME V-12 which sounds different from the 9" V. They just sound different from the older 3012R. I really enjoyed my time with both on my Model 30/12 so that I could compare them. I learned a lot during that period.

 

[PeterA]

@PeterA What's next in your quest for natural sound? Speakers? Going to horns?

That is always an interesting question. I've got some ideas, certainly inspired by my visit to Utah at the end of last January. Time will tell.

 

[flez007]

View attachment 12757

The room is 16' X 15' X 7.5" with minimal treatment as it also serves as our formal living room

View attachment 12758

Speaker positioning and listening location were optimized by Jim Smith with his RoomPlay service

View attachment 12759

Another view of the room. Built in 1790s, suspended pine floors, plaster and lathe walls.

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Magico Mini 2, Pass Labs XA160.5, Transparent Audio Ref XL MM2 cables, custom Vibraplane/birch ply stand matches speaker aesthetics

View attachment 12761

SME 30/12A, V-12 arm, AirTight Supreme cartridge all on a Vibraplane isolation platform preloaded with 136lbs of steel ballast plate. 400lbs of black steel on top shelf of rack.
Pass Labs XOno, XP-20 on Townshend Seismic Sink isolation platforms.
Very rigid and stable DIY 17 ply birch rack with cherry legs to match speaker aesthetics


I listen mostly to classical concertos, chamber and small group jazz and the occasional classic rock. Bach, Brahms and Beethoven, Chet Baker, Ray Brown, Shirley Horn, Johnny Hartman. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd.

Nice setup, I always liked those early Magico speakers! - Enjoy!

 

[tima]

I had been comparing a variety of phono stages and they are positioned on the floor, below the top shelf of the rack.

Choose the one that has a nice sonic SIgnature.

 

[Kingsrule]

I see your Magico's are for sale.....

 

[andromedaaudio]

?? I thought the pass amps were likely to go first .
I thought peter would go all black after hearing so much lamm at davids place .
L2.1 ref 1.2 ref seems like a nice combo to drive a wide range of speakers

 

[ddk]

Choose the one that has a nice sonic SIgnature.

?? I thought the pass amps were likely to go first .
I thought peter would go all black after hearing so much lamm at davids place .
L2.1 ref 1.2 ref seems like a nice combo to drive a wide range of speakers

He reveals all!

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/natural-sound.32867/

david

 

[PeterA]

@PeterA What's next in your quest for natural sound? Speakers? Going to horns?

That is always an interesting question. I've got some ideas, certainly inspired by my visit to Utah at the end of last January. Time will tell.

Mdp632, the time is now and you can read all about my system change in my new virtual system thread: Natural Sound

 

[andromedaaudio]

All black it is .
Seems david and his set up made a huge impression.
This is quit a dramatic change ,
but no half work here , all the way.
Absolutely stunning write up / gear peter you have .
Looks like a real music loversystem now indeed .
Those speakers sounded very nice on you tube .
Did you go with the 4 box ll1 sign pre and the ml 2s or the ml 2.1,?


Only one thing david and you miss is a telefunken or a studer and some high quality tapes , just to make the setting complete, lol

Your room fits the gear very nicely .
Classic nostalgic

 

[ddk]

All black it is .
Seems david and his set up made a huge impression.
This is quit a dramatic change ,
but no half work here , all the way.
Absolutely stunning write up / gear peter you have .
Looks like a real music loversystem now indeed .
Those speakers sounded very nice on you tube .
Did you go with the 4 box ll1 sign pre and the ml 2s or the ml 2.1,?


Only thing david and you miss is a telefunken or a studer and some high quality tapes , just to make the setting complete, lol

I have a couple of tape machines but no software and I'm not spending $$$ on audiophile recordings for music that I don't really care for. At a certain level of LP playback tape loses most of it's "advantage" if any and when you compare the music available for each medium, there's no contest.

david

 

[andromedaaudio]

Sure , i meant merely looks /setting in this case .
Regarding buying a second hand lamm ml 2 , is there any downside to come from an older amp .
Regarding needing recaps things like that , or are those older lamms pretty riskfree .
I am sometimes tempted to buy a pair and see how they drive the speakers.

 

[ddk]

Sure , i meant merely looks /setting in this case .
Regarding buying a second hand lamm ml 2 , is there any downside to come from an older amp .
Regarding needing recaps things like that , or are those older lamms pretty riskfree .
I am sometimes tempted to buy a pair and see how they drive the speakers.

It depends on the history and condition of course but they're generally bullet proof and not that old for caps to be an issue. Lamm still supports all their products so service isn't a concern if you're in the US.

david

 

[PeterA]

After almost eight years of sharing my progress in this virtual system thread, I have decided to sell this entire system and move in a very different direction: SET tubes and horns. With the guidance of fellow member and industry expert, David Karmeli, I have set up a completely new system and started to follow a different approach to the hobby. The new system is described in a new virtual system thread called "Natural Sound" here on WBF (link in my signature). I enjoyed this Sublime Sound system for close to twenty years and learned much about audio. I met many wonderful visitors and relished in the joy of this wonderful hobby.

The SME 30/12, all Pass gear, and the Magico Q3s are now sold. It is time for a new beginning and for listening to music presented in a different way. Thank you to all those who contributed to this thread, the guests who shared their listening impressions, the skeptics who questioned my decisions, and all those who simply read and enjoyed the flow of the conversation. I am grateful for all of it.

Thank you to Steve Williams, Ron Resnick, and others behind the scenes, as well as the many members here, who have made such an exchange between like minded hobbyists, a possibility and a pleasant experience. WhatsBestForum is truly the standard for what is possible in an audio forum.

I would like to especially thank my three local friends, most of whom I met through WBF, for forming what we loosely call the "Boston Audio Group": @Al M., @ack, and @MadFloyd . I have learned much from you guys, shared some great meals, and enjoyed many listening sessions and live concerts. Our lively discussions, some rather contentious, led to the many improvements I experienced in my Sublime Sound system. We will all soon meet again after the long absence to continue the learning and convivial gatherings.

 

[Barry2013]

After almost eight years of sharing my progress in this virtual system thread, I have decided to sell this entire system and move in a very different direction: SET tubes and horns. With the guidance of fellow member and industry expert, David Karmeli, I have set up a completely new system and started to follow a different approach to the hobby. The new system is described in a new virtual system thread called "Natural Sound" here on WBF (link in my signature). I enjoyed this Sublime Sound system for close to twenty years and learned much about audio. I met many wonderful visitors and relished in the joy of this wonderful hobby.

The SME 30/12, all Pass gear, and the Magico Q3s are now sold. It is time for a new beginning and for listening to music presented in a different way. Thank you to all those who contributed to this thread, the guests who shared their listening impressions, the skeptics who questioned my decisions, and all those who simply read and enjoyed the flow of the conversation. I am grateful for all of it.

Thank you to Steve Williams, Ron Resnick, and others behind the scenes, as well as the many members here, who have made such an exchange between like minded hobbyists, a possibility and a pleasant experience. WhatsBestForum is truly the standard for what is possible in an audio forum.

I would like to especially thank my three local friends, most of whom I met through WBF, for forming what we loosely call the "Boston Audio Group": @Al M., @ack, and @MadFloyd . I have learned much from you guys, shared some great meals, and enjoyed many listening sessions and live concerts. Our lively discussions, some rather contentious, led to the many improvements I experienced in my Sublime Sound system. We will all soon meet again after the long absence to continue the learning and convivial gatherings.

View attachment 77439

Thank you Peter
I will look forward to reading your new thread and my very best wishes for a fulfilling new audio journey

 

[christoph]

After almost eight years of sharing my progress in this virtual system thread, I have decided to sell this entire system and move in a very different direction: SET tubes and horns. With the guidance of fellow member and industry expert, David Karmeli, I have set up a completely new system and started to follow a different approach to the hobby. The new system is described in a new virtual system thread called "Natural Sound" here on WBF (link in my signature). I enjoyed this Sublime Sound system for close to twenty years and learned much about audio. I met many wonderful visitors and relished in the joy of this wonderful hobby.

The SME 30/12, all Pass gear, and the Magico Q3s are now sold. It is time for a new beginning and for listening to music presented in a different way. Thank you to all those who contributed to this thread, the guests who shared their listening impressions, the skeptics who questioned my decisions, and all those who simply read and enjoyed the flow of the conversation. I am grateful for all of it.

Thank you to Steve Williams, Ron Resnick, and others behind the scenes, as well as the many members here, who have made such an exchange between like minded hobbyists, a possibility and a pleasant experience. WhatsBestForum is truly the standard for what is possible in an audio forum.

I would like to especially thank my three local friends, most of whom I met through WBF, for forming what we loosely call the "Boston Audio Group": @Al M., @ack, and @MadFloyd . I have learned much from you guys, shared some great meals, and enjoyed many listening sessions and live concerts. Our lively discussions, some rather contentious, led to the many improvements I experienced in my Sublime Sound system. We will all soon meet again after the long absence to continue the learning and convivial gatherings.

View attachment 77439

I find it a very nice touch to summarize and wrap up this thread with a conclusion and to start a new thread for the new adventure

Thanks Peter for letting us partake in your endeavors, always a very good, elaborate read

 

[PeterA]

I find it a very nice touch to summarize and wrap up this thread with a conclusion and to start a new thread for the new adventure

Thanks Peter for letting us partake in your endeavors, always a very good, elaborate read

Thank you Christoph. I appreciate the kind words. Here is the last iteration of this wonderful Sublime Sound system with the new Micro Seiki turntable, the full Lamm chain of electronics (LP2.1 Deluxe, LL1.1 Signature, M1.1) with the Magico Q3 speakers.



Carla White/Manny Duran Band, Lover Man:

Scheherazade/Mehta, Decca:

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Peter you uploaded same video twice