Tom's modest system...

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,459
961
1,290
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Hello all and good morning to you. I'd like to share a photo of my rig that is being featured at this year's Carverfest. I know that it does not hold a candle to some of the systems on this board but I am very proud of what I have assembled and designed along my audio journey.


Here is a run down of the system itself...

PS - Richard Grey 400Pro Power Supply to –

CD/SACD - Marantz Reference Series SA-7S1, Nerve Audio PC and Transparent Reference IC's to Pre –

TT - Music Hall MMF-5 w/ Goldring 1012Gx cart, Joe's "The Clamp", isolation footing, the 25th Anniversary Edition Nitty Gritty DS Record Cleaning Machine in Jatoba finish and optional smoked acrylic cover. The "Shark" steam cleaner for additional cleaning effectiveness and superior LP playback performance. Jolida JD9 MarkII tubed phono pre w/ Tung Sol Gold-Pin 12AX7 Tubes, Analysis Plus Power Oval 10 PC and Transparent Reference IC's to Pre–

SERVER - Bluesound Node 2 NAP w/Transparent Gen5 Optical cable to a Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 Tube DAC w/ Transparent Reference IC's to Pre-

PRE - Dodd Audio MLP tubed pre-amplifier with custom wood remote and 4ea. 12AX7Ei Gold-Pins, isolation footings w/ custom cord to separate PS and pre. and from RG 400Pro to PS w/ Transparent Reference IC's to –

AMP - Musical Fidelity AC3r Dual Mono SS amplifier w/ PS Audio Prelude PC, Transparent Music Wave Ultra SC's to –

CROSSOVER - The crosssovers have been removed from the cabinets and were part of a 3 and a half year project from design to finished product. Completely custom. A cabinet enclosure was manufactured from scratch to hold three levels of crossover components. 1st level, the original crossovers that came with the speakers. 2nd level, the tweeter network with all VR3 Abott series upgrades (his top tier line). 3rd level, VR3 Abott series upgrade bass and mid-bass network. This is actually two crossover networks in one enclosure so we can very rapidly change from the original crossovers that came with the speakers to the upgraded crossovers. Custom aircraft aluminum chassis with independently suspended/isolated shelves, powder coated black and spiked w/ custom umbilical cord to speakers with NL4 connections to –

SPEAKERS - Tyler Acoustics Lynbrook Signature Series one piece towers in Ribbon Mahogany. The speakers have been completely disassembled and rebuilt/finished from the ground up, resealed, damping material added, crossovers removed from the cabinet. Also, upgraded wiring, spikes, back plate and NL4 connector/umbilical cord that connects back to the crossover networks.

SUBS - Stereo set of Rythmik 800w Direct Servo sub's, on Target stands that are (normally) spiked w/ AQ King Cobra IC's and MIT "Y" splitter cables coming from the MF AC3r and PS Audio Prelude PC's


Tom
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woofer and Tweet

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
What a lovely and well conceived system and with a view to die for.
Congratulations!

Ditto all of the above

Tom where in the photo is your external crossover that you made
 

ack

VIP/Donor & WBF Founding Member
May 6, 2010
6,774
1,198
580
Boston, MA
This is just beautiful!
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,459
961
1,290
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Thanks for the kind words, gentlemen. :)

Tom where in the photo is your external crossover that you made

Hi, Steve, the external crossovers are both located in between the rack and the mains. It's the 2 big, black boxes with the outriggers. Most folks who see them think that they are the subs. Nope, those are the crossovers. The subs are outside and behind the mains.

Tom
 

marty

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
3,025
4,173
2,520
United States
Kudos Tom. Really beautiful rig with no shortage of effort and aesthetics. I love the choice of the Bluesound piece. From what I've heard, it's a screaming value.
 

GaryProtein

VIP/Donor
Jul 25, 2012
2,542
31
385
NY
Very nice system and I love your view.

Your turntable looks very high off the floor. You must be very tall to reach it.
 

Jazzhead

VIP/Donor
Aug 26, 2012
1,466
108
985
Lovely warm and inviting . Congrats on a well coceived rig and listening space .
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Thanks for the kind words, gentlemen. :)



Hi, Steve, the external crossovers are both located in between the rack and the mains. It's the 2 big, black boxes with the outriggers. Most folks who see them think that they are the subs. Nope, those are the crossovers. The subs are outside and behind the mains.

Tom

I actually thought those were the crossovers. The only other external crossovers that I have seen that were in such a large cabinet were last year in Manila when I heard Jim's system
 

Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
6,024
1,490
520
Eastern WA
That's my kind of listening space, it has a view!

I bet your rig sounds really good, despite the $ figure vs some of the extremes we see. Your speakers use the same drivers as many much more expensive speakers, so if that crossover is real trick, I am sure they sound very nice. And the subs are much nicer than people realize, for a tiny bit of money compared to competitors, sound wise. To me it seems like you've chosen wisely, to be able to transcend a lot of $ factors. But I can say from experience the thing probably holding it back the most is the TT. I've had two of those, and I get such better sound with a DD and careful setup.

I'll admit, I'm curious about the X-overs, too.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Great looking system Tom. I'm sure it sounds amazing.
Couple of questions...since you appear to have a sliding glass door behind the left speaker and particularly the left subwoofer, do you have any issues with rattles or ? from that. I can see why you would not want to block your view though! Very nice.
 

RogerD

VIP/Donor
May 23, 2010
3,734
318
565
BiggestLittleCity
Wow..intelligent audio over bucks,I love all of it pictured...congrats.
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,459
961
1,290
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Couple of questions...since you appear to have a sliding glass door behind the left speaker and particularly the left subwoofer, do you have any issues with rattles or ? from that.
There is no overponderance of any frequency, so we have not one issue with rattles anywhere in the cabin. I have the subs blended perfectly to the mains and both to the room and the system sounds wonderful in a less than ideal location. No one here has been able to locate the subs or even tell if they are on or not, they blend in so well.

The WBF helped to make this system what it is. I'd like to thank those who pointed me in the direction of the Rythmik subs. They were a wonderful addition to the rig and offer way more than I had ever expected in a sub. Very, very fast and accurate......worthy of any 2 channel system with even the most discerning audiophile. Highly recommended.

Thanks to all for the kind words. I'll add more as time permits, right now, back to the event...

Tom
 

Leif S

Industry Expert
Feb 13, 2015
770
166
180
California
www.vonschweikert.com
Very Nice system Tom!!! And the cabin is beautiful along with the view.
 

WLVCA

Member Sponsor
Nov 2, 2012
3,911
2,374
1,395
Tucson
Lovely room and incredible view....oh, nice system, too. :)

Thanks for sharing.

I own speakers from Tyler Acoustics as well. Ty is a very nice and helpful guy.
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,411
2,509
1,448
Fantastic...and the level of commitment to redesign and rebuild such a significant proportion of the system is truly remarkable. How did you establish the base designs/re-designs and who did the work for you? Or did you do this yourself? Would love to read more!
 
Last edited:

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
Congratulations, Tom!

That is an amazingly well thought out system, with a beautiful view!
 

SCAudiophile

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2010
1,156
435
1,205
Greer South Carolina (USA)
Tom,

Amazing system, beautifully laid out and thought out with a beautiful room around it. You are extremely fortunate to have all of that! NICE!!!
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing