The journey

defride

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It's been a while since I updated my system and much has changed. My system thread has been parked in the introductions forum. I'll move the content over here for context as I bring things up to date starting here from April 2013

Happy to share my journey thus far fwiw...

I love music and am open to listening to any genre, some I like, some I don't however I respect everyone's taste. For me there's value in every form of music that makes a connection with an individual. What I look for in reproducing music at home is a seemless sound, on a most basic level I can deal with a lack of transparency but struggle to listen to a system that overly emphasises part of the frequency spectrum, particularly if the emphasis has lean/hard/bright characteristics. For me that destroys the verisimilitude and I begin to analyze the system rather than listen to the music.

My system consists of an EMM CDSA, Aesthetix Calypso, Kharma MP150 and Kharma 2.3ce.

After much trial and error I have come to the conclusion that everything matters - that old adage 'synergy' is a fickle but vital ingredient. For me it starts with the room - speaker - amp combination. My room is a family room so treatment isn't an option but its not bad and while it could certainly be improved upon it doesn't seem to have obvious problems. Recent work on speaker placement has brought significant benefits and I don't doubt that if it were practical there would be more gains to be had. I chose the MP150's as they were built for the speaker and while thats not always a guaruntee for success in this case I think Kharma did a great job. While maybe not the last word in bass drive and grip they control the drivers and seem to reflect the information placed before them relatively unmolested. They've certainly reflected the character of a number of different pre's I have had in my system.

The final peices in the jigsaw have been a couple of products that I would put forward as contenders amoungst the pool of whats best in audio.

I've found that support is a fickle thing, it seems to be important with most, though not all audio equipment and it's a case of trial and error. Price is of no significance, what works with one piece can be poor with another. I have settled on some products by a German company called Alto Extremo. I have had most of the absorbers in my system and have settled on a combination of their Lyd 2 under the cdp and Lyd 1 under the pre. They don't offer any great benefit that I have noted when used under my amps. A diy collection of rubber, granite and perspex tube does seem to me to lift the performance over that of placed directly on their shelf. I've also heard the Alto's in other highend systems, when they make a difference it's generally in cleaning up the lower frequencies, bass notes in particular become better resolved. I think they're a product worthy of audition in any system.

The other product that I've found to be outstanding in both my system and others have been Teo liquid metal cables. I was a bit of a cable sceptic before I had the opportunity to try them. They blew me away and while they are expensive after exploring other options after hearing them the first time I knew I had to have them. When they became available ex-dem from our local distributor I bought interconnects. As a result of the purchase I have been fortunate to try some of the other products they import, more on which I can comment on elsewhere. I have tried the speaker cable however it's impractical to use in my set up with two runs required for the 16ft distance from my amps to the speakers and they're well beyond what I would feel comfortable spending on speaker cable in any case.

I'm fortunate to have a couple of friendly local dealers with whom I have been able to share experience as well as transact. One of whom runs a Soulution/Verity combination as a reference. Exposure to this system in the context of a dealer where products are moved in and out regularly has been an interesting experience. It has sounded from relatively poor to absolutely exceptional dependent on how it's been implemented. The first time I heard it briefly was eye opening, I didn't have long that day so determined to hear it again. The second time was a more extended visit and wasn't altogether successful. I was expecting based on that previous experience to go and listen to music but ended up listening to a system. We played around with the setup and eventually got it sounding good, more transparent than mine for sure but somehow not as musically engaging, a slightly hard edge to the sound that detracted from the message. Based on my experience with the Teo cable I felt that it might release some of the potential so I borrowed a pair of speaker cables, a digital cable and took my interconnects around. When I arrived the system was being run with Current Cable, a new design that uses some interesting precious metal brazing techniques. It had been recommended after one of his distributors had come across it at a one of the US shows. Perhaps the Current Cable loom might be forgiven for being new and needing burn in, whatever it was the system of Reimyo Transport or computer via usb, AMR dac, Soulution pre/pwr and Verity Parsifal sounded veiled and grainy, the worst I'd heard from this setup in this room and knowhere near what I listen to at home. Well, that was the first surprise. We proceeded to insert the Teo one at a time. Firstly the digital from transport to dac, the dealer felt it made an impact though it didn't seem to do a great deal for me. Next an interconnect and we were in business, the kick drum started to sound like a kick drum rather than a fuzzy damp squib. From there the system came to life and by the end of the process sounded as good as I've heard anywhere. I was surprised by the speaker cable. In my system it delivers greater tonal density, instruments take on a more physical nature. In the Soulution system they also delivered space. One of the tracks used began with the band chatting before they set too. With the s/c in the setup there was an uncanny sense that you were sitting next to and overhearing a conversation taking place next to you. To me it seemed to be as a result of being able to define the individuals in the space they were presented better than I'd ever experienced before (as well as nailing the usual suspects of tonality etc).

That experience left me and the dealer reeling, I don't think either of us expected to hear that sort of transformation. It'd suggest to me that the more transparent the system the better the Teo can potentially deliver. What they have over other highend cables I've heard is a sense of tonal richness and note decay that is superlative and not at the expense of any sort of non-linearity or lack of transparency. Why this should be is beyond me, in theory there are better conductors available, so go figure...

What it also rammed home was a system is a system and there is little point in making definitive statements about individual products within a system outside of the context of a setup one knows intimately.

While I'm very happy where I'm at for the moment I'll continue to explore. This weekend I'm off to hear a Wadia/Einstein/Karan/Magico Q5 system along with a Robert Koda K-10 pre to try and I'll take my Teo's for good measure. Should be fun.

The journey continues... Dan

Can only find a couple of pics from this period, the system and part system during an afternoon trying some interesting Pre's, room 13x19x8ft (pics edited in Jan 23) Kings Lane system.jpg Kharma at South Rd.jpg
 

defride

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Moving on, now to 2020

Gosh, it's been a while, seven years since I joined and posted here. Much has changed though the hifi remained unchanged for much of this time.

I dipped out for a while happy with my lot

That changed three years ago with a house move. Having enjoyed a mid size listening room limited by it's dual use as a family room the downsizing to a 14.5 x 11.5 x 8ft room came as a bit of a shock. On the up side the listening space is now dedicated and this has made all the difference.

My speakers Kharma 2.3ce have been the constant, initially the fear they'd be too much for the room proved accurate. Boom boom... Freedom to experiment with placement proved they would work and I've continued to be very happy with them.

The first big equipment change came in the form of moving most of my listening from digital to vinyl. When my Emm CDSA died I decided rather than repair it I'd buy a TT. Initial thoughts were a Garrard 301/401 however a serviced Technics SP10mk2 came up for sale locally, set up with a Jelco 750L and Denon 103 it looked an ideal starting point. In fact it was very disappointing, plenty of guts but murky and indistinct sounding via a Cyrus Phono Signature that has oodles of adjustability. A change of cart to an Audio Technics PTGii lifted things and analogue came to life. Swapping out the Jelco for a Funk FX3 arm proved as big an improvement as I've ever experienced in audio. The real surprise came checking the Denon 103 in preparation to sell. It came to life, a little rough around the edges but bold and engaging. What a difference an arm can make, the 103 stayed and I sold the PTG when I bought a Hana ML. In my system this cart took the strengths of both the Denon and AT and built on them. Next, out with the Cyrus and in with a Tom Evans Groove SRX phonostage. Another leap forward. For the money the Cyrus is great and perfect for someone exploring, adjustable for most any cart and inputs for up to 4 tonearms.

The digital side has rather stagnated and I rarely listen. The Marantz 8005 sounds better to these ears via it's Dac inputs than via disc and when I do listen it's streaming via Amazon HD. I'll revisit digital one of these days, in the meantime records to purchase and clean. Ultrasonic has been a revelation.

The Aesthetix / Kharma MP150 amp combination lasted eight and half years and I got them dialled in to the point I've been very happy pairing them with my Kharma speakers.

All change recently with the opportunity to acquire an Analog Domain M75 intergrated amp. Not an entirely straightforward transition... While there were strengths it's taken adjustment to listening position, toe in and equipment set up to find the right balance for the room. Got there in the end and it's now living up to it's stellar reputation.

The journey continues

Music room.jpg

As we head into 2023 much has changed

The first big change came in the form of amplification. I'd been welded to Kharma driving Kharma for some years, should work, right? During the Pre shoot out some years before I felt as compared to the Aesthetix Pre with NOS tubes only the Robert Koda and to a degree Shindo Pre's offered substantially more and at some uptick in cost. As such no reason to change.

I'd been aware of Analog Domain for some time so when in early 2020 just as Covid was beginning to bite the stars aligned, I had some funds and an integrated amp came up for sale at an attractive price I took a punt. It was initially disappointing, somethings better but the system was a little wooly and indistinct. In a nod to Roy Gregory... perhaps the introduction of the amp had changed the frequency response sufficiently that speaker placement required revisiting. Sure enough after a day of experimentation things were starting to come together, gone was the flab and the obvious increase in resolution and control was singing. A substantial step up from the previous amplification.

Then disaster, after only 6 weeks or so the amp developed a fault. Angel at Analog Domain couldn't have been more helpful, fast communication and a promise that while not in warranty it would be looked at and repaired at the cost of parts and shipping. As it turned out a single transistor had failed, Angel said he'd been using these chips for years and had never seen one fail before. No charge for the repair and sorry for the inconvenience. Can't ask for more.

Inside 2 weeks the amp went back to Germany, was repaired and back in the rack.

Immediately I noticed a change. Despite what the reviews said about the amps sounding good to go from start up this was not my experience. I felt mine took a couple of days from cold to really start to sing. As I reinserted the unit it sounded great from the get go. Like really great, better than I'd heard my system ever before. I called Angel to thank him and I could see his wry smile as I commented on the uptick. Ah... in the time between the Isis mk1, my unit and mk2 he'd stumbled on a bias adjust that had made a substantial improvement in the sound. This he attributes for the noted up tick in sound between mk1's and mk2's and he implemented it in my unit before returning it. When I mentioned upgrading to a mk2, what I'd really wanted, he said don't bother they sound identical! Very happy indeed.

Digital has for a long time been a secondary source, the addition of the Marantz NA11S1 used as a dac rather than streamer has increased my use of digital hugely. @Uk Paul s digital interconnect and SGS signal grounding have brought it to the point where digital no longer grates. It's not as good as the analogue setup but sounds great in isolation.

In April 2021 the opportunity to make some substantial changes arose. I decided to focus on the turntable and explore speakers. My first thought was to replace the SP10mk2 with a SP10r, it made sense as a drop in replacement. Two things ended up swaying me away, firstly it would eat into the budget for speakers and cartridge. Also, I contacted a chap who'd just made the switch. For him it was more an aesthetic change, he didn't feel there was a massive up tick in sound in his system as a result of the change.

Starting to look elsewhere a mint Brinkmann Oasis popped up, complete with 10.5 arm and Ront2 power supply. Having always been intrigued by the brand I bit the bullet. What a disappointment it turned out to be! It did hifi better than the SP10 but the latter sounded far more like music. For me there was a real beauty in the way the SP10/Funk FX3/Hana ML delivered, the Brinkmann sounded tight and detailed but not musical. Debating what to do I almost traded it in on a Grand Prix Audio Monaco 1.5, I agreed a price with the dealer but subsequent talks with it's original owner brought worries about provenance between his sale and it's arrival at the dealer so I pulled out.

I'd been researching cartridges in the meantime, first thoughts were Lyra and Etsuro. I came close to buying one of Mik's, if you're in the market for an Etsuro make sure you contact Mik @108CY. In the end I swayed toward Phasemation and their PP2000 in no small part due to advice from Brinkmann user and a man with vast experience with Brinkmann and various cartridges member @Vienna. Very happy with this purchase, it took what I Iike about the Hana ML and built on it working nicely on both the SP10 and Brinkmann, though not changing my perception of the latter.

Having failed to complete on trading the Brinkmann I gave it another shot and relooked at setup. Firstly support. Helmet Brinkmann has done a great deal of work on testing materials so I commissioned a granite plinth, his favoured platform. Fortunately we were having our kitchen redone at the time and the stone mason kindly made one to size and quite out of the blue delivered it as a thank you gift. The TT stood on this using it's adjustable feet. A simple experiment was to try different supports. I ended up with Alto Extremo feet between the granite and plinth. A step in the right direction.

Next the interconnect. I'd bought a mid-price Atlas rca to get started. It was reportedly well screened and well reviewed so should do the job nicely as a phono interconnect? @Uk Paul lent me a pair of his Z:axis rca's, wow! There's the problem, what a difference. For whatever reason that Atlas DD Ultra phono did not work in this implementation. This simple change brought about the music from the Brinkmann, it was now outperforming the SP10. Close but the up tick in sound and the aesthetic beauty of the Brinkmann swayed it and the SP10 went to a new home, hopefully it's being enjoyed there to this day. I'd not be unhappy to have one again, I don't doubt it could be optimised better than in my implementation, a real bargain even at todays rising prices. Just make sure you find a good-un.

Oasis.jpg

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defride

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On to speakers.

I have a small room 14x10.5x8ft so limited in what might work. First thoughts were Avalon which I've heard and liked in the past and Verity, in particular the Parsifal. Also a friend had had a pair of Lumen White speakers in storage for some years while working overseas. He was keen I heard them in this space, I felt they were far to big with little hope they'd work. We arranged to get them down and after much experimentation got them working nicely. Much to my surprise! These became the benchmark and I was fortunate that I could hear Analog Domain with both Avalon at Choice Hifi in Richmond and a member of another forum was running AD with Verity Parsifal not far away.

The Verity system sounded good, good but not great. The owner had ordered an Aqua La Scala dac, the dealer lent him a Formula which apparently sounded really nice. Just before I arrived the La Scala turned up and this is what I heard. It was going straight back in favour of the Formula! In any case the general gist of the system didn't come close to what I felt I was getting at home with the Lumen. Next Avalon. PM2's were dreadful, brand new and not run in and they sounded that way, loose and wooly. PM3s were outside budget but to get a sense of what the 2s could sound like they went into the system. They sounded really nice but by comparison a little loose in the bass and I was more conscious in this setup of the upper frequencies emanating from the speaker more than the space around the speaker. I heard Time as well, also nice but not different level, different rather than a step change from what I was becoming used too.

@bonzo75 was pretty adamant that the likes of Tannoy would work better in my room where they could be potentially placed in the corners. I've never liked them, they lack the resolution I like and having heard a well set up system recently am not swayed. They're nice but I don't feel they offer any more natural presentation but do lack the speed and resolution that to me at least sounds more natural, more real.

So, I decided to buy the Lumen's. I get the criticism some have toward ceramic driver speakers the Lumen's at their best for me seem to sidestep that coloration. They can sound full, rich and open with the best of them. In my room they don't open out the soundstage to quite the degree I've heard in a bigger space but in a bigger space they can deliver an amazing sense of the space in which music is being played if it's on the disc. In time we'd hope to be able to deliver up a space where they can breath better. Very happy in the meantime.

Lumen White.jpg

Now also using Z:axis speaker cable, Anticable sound a little lean by comparison in my system.

I picked up an inexpensive sub just to experiment, to see what one might bring. Filling in the lower octaves in my experience usually delivers not just at the bottom but also sweetens the mids and highs if you can overcome the downsides of integration. It really surprised that even an inexpensive small, sealed sub, mine by UK firm BK (they have Rel connections) can add something. After much work on set up I consistently prefer with than without. Mine is set at it's lowest crossover point 40hz and lowest gain setting. I'd like more adjustment and in the fullness of time will replace this one. What I like is the sense of space it brings with benefits in the upper freq. It is not set to deliver more bass and I feel integrates better this way.

Music room 2.jpg
 

defride

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So to today.



A thank you here to an unknown WBF member. Before Christmas I read a post contending something along the lines that in order to integrate a sub into a two channel system the sub needs to be time aligned with the mains. If not there's a subtle blurring of leading edges. That's as I remember it and I can't find the thread/post/poster. In any case the idea stuck even though it was after Christmas before I had an opportunity to experiment.



Well, whether that poster is correct or whether it is as much to do with all the changes to the system and room, experimenting with sub placement has been a bit of a revelation.



When I initially added the sub I couldn't get it to work when placed on the floor. It wouldn't get out of the way. Raising it off the ground made a big difference and I ended up happy with it on the rear wall.



In order to get the mains to work and disappear I've sat very close. The speaker baffles 5 1/2ft from the front wall, the listening position 5ft from the tweeter and around 4ft from the listening position to the rear wall. Very much a front row seat and possibly not to everyone's taste. I've enjoyed it.



Moving the sub between the speakers and lower, around the level of the bass drivers has made a much bigger difference than I'd have credited. Highs are much sweeter and fuller, one area the Brinkmann never quite matched the SP10/Funk was the beauty in the highs, I no longer feel that way. Across the board the system sounds more right, there's a better sense of the timbre and sense of a real instrument being played, be that a cello, electric bass, whistle or kick drum. I've been able to move the listening position back where the perspective is rather less elbows on the stage but no less engaging.



Is the system perfect, no, do I like the way it sounds, yes. Is there room for more experimentation, of course but in the meantime I'll be spinning some tunes and smiling.

Lumen room.jpeg



The journey will continue (because that's a part of the fun)
 

Uk Paul

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Very nice and detailed write up Dan, clear system evolution to a really enjoyable experience in your room, looking forward to visiting again at some not too distant point..
 

spiritofmusic

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Dan, you're in the UK? Greetings from (not so) sunny Norfolk.
I read w some interest that you used to run the Emm CDSA. That was the first CDP that I owned that got me completely comfortable listening to CDs on a daily basis.
I fully get your realignment w vinyl as primary source.
 

bonzo75

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Dan, you're in the UK? Greetings from (not so) sunny Norfolk.
I read w some interest that you used to run the Emm CDSA. That was the first CDP that I owned that got me completely comfortable listening to CDs on a daily basis.
I fully get your realignment w vinyl as primary source.

Dan is the Kharma guy we had visited together many years ago, the tripoint guys were visiting at the time. He still hasn’t recovered from us jointly being there but since changed speakers and added the TT
 

spiritofmusic

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Oh yes Ked, our first date together.
What the HELL were our chaperones thinking of?
 
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defride

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Mar 28, 2013
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Dan, you're in the UK? Greetings from (not so) sunny Norfolk.
I read w some interest that you used to run the Emm CDSA. That was the first CDP that I owned that got me completely comfortable listening to CDs on a daily basis.
I fully get your realignment w vinyl as primary source.
Hi Marc, sorry missed your post. Hope the sun finally came out for a bit, not looking so good today!
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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That's ok, Dan. The sun surely hiding today.
 

Birdwatcher

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Dan, what a nice story, very informative and interesting, thanks a lot. And great to read your experiences with the cables from Paul, I plan to add a special digital cable, too.
 
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