Tony's System for Stereo Playback

[TonyW]

My audio journey began in 1977, in college with a used Kenwood 16w/ch receiver and a couple of 2 way speakers and a Garrard Turntable. Upgraded to a pair of Scott 3-way speakers and a Kenwood Integrated Amp after graduation with a Kenwood Turntable. One day, I heard a pair of modded Quad ESLs with powered by a Quicksilver amp, ARC preamp and a Sota Star turntable. I was smitten. That was 1988 and so began my journey into high end hifi. Being a hardworking engineer with a family my hobbyist purists focused on some new, some used and diy upgrades to the room, the amps and preamp. I built a dedicated room in 1994 using what I learned doing Automotive NVH work including acoustics and FFT analysis. That was the best my stereo sounded for years to come. With relocations over the years I didn't have a dedicated listening room again until 2017. After retiring in 2021 I began my Audio upgrade project in earnest from the ground up. I rebuilt the room with a wood floor. Added acoustic treatments from GIK and others balancing out the absorption and reflections to make the room acoustically neutral. I updated my CD player of 15 years to a DAC and CD Transport. After 6 months or more of studying and experimenting I stepped up to streaming music. I have made a few changes to the digital side since then and have now settled into a system I enjoy very much. The last piece- I am awaiting the new SR Ethernet Switch UEF. I have their current switch on loan.

My system consists of components that I have either heard over the years or took a chance on and had them shipped to my home for audition. Not everything I tried in house stayed. I'd say it was a 50% success rate. I relied more on these forums for selecting gear than on published reviews. Even then it could be agonizing at times even to just make the decision to try something out. In the end, or as of today I am satisfied with the performance of my system. My one hesitation is that the Helene DAC and Antipodes K50 music server must stay on 24/7. They consume a modest amount of power so I count is as part of the operating cost of the system. The Antipodes is on a battery backup so I have time to power it down properly in case of a power outage. The Helene consumes GZ34 rectifier tubes at a rate of one tube every 7 months or so. It depends on keeping the Helene powered up. It seems aged tubes do not do well when turning the DAC back on. I have purchased some higher quality rectifier tubes but have not replaced the current tube yet. It is 8 months old now. So I know in the event of a power outage or if I decide to power down the DAC it will be time to replace the GZ34 Tube.

The system is as follows:

Wilson Audio Sasha DAW- got them in 2022. Wanted the Alexia 2's. Couldn't bring myself to write a check that big. For my room, 17X27 feet or (3700 cuft) the DAW's work and the Alexia's would have also worked, I think.
Pass Labs X260.8 Amplifiers- Got these in 2021 in anticipation of getting Wilson speakers. These monos replaced my Pass Labs X350 that I bought in 2002. My son now uses that amp.
Audio Research Ref 6SE Preamp- upgraded from the Ref 5SE last summer. It was a worthy upgrade as it turned out.
Audio Research Ref 2SE Phono Preamp- bought this with the Ref 5SE. Decided to stick with this vs upgrading to the REF 3SE Phono.
Sota Nova VI Turntable with vacuum and Roadrunner speed control system- My third Sota Turntable since 1992. Great sound, great PRaT.
SME 309 Tonearm
Soundsmith Zephyr MC phono cartridge
Aeries Cerat Helene DAC- Incredible sound, best PRaT from digital I have heard.
Antipodies K50 Music Server/Player
Ayon CD Transport- Originally paired with the Ayon Stealth DAC. Great sound and PRaT with the Helene DAC but really do not use it now since getting the Antipodes.
Synergistic Research Ethernet Switch UEF- on loan awaiting the new model which should be out already.
AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Power Conditioner- made quite a difference to my front end even with a dedicated power line.
Purist Audio Design Power Cords, Speaker Cables, Phono Cable, Interconnects and USB cable from Music Server to DAC
AudioQuest Power cord on the Power conditioner, Ethernet Cables and AES cable from Transport to DAC
Wellfloat Platform for DAC.
Gaia Titan Thesis 70 Speaker isolation feet on the Wilsons
Audioquest Power Outlets
Tweaks include GIK sound treatments, wool rugs, diffusers and absorbers. Also designed and built spring isolation platforms tuned specifically for the components that rest on them.

 

[TonyW]

Adding a few more photos.
So the system sounds big. The speakers seem to not be in the room. The soundstage goes beyond the walls if my eyes are closed or listening in the dark. On many albums the voices will be the height of that oval window while guitars or other instruments are about the height of the flowers in that vase. Otherwise the voices are the height of that vase and the instruments as well. The voices go to the ceiling on some Chorale pieces. They sound glorious. I don't know how the speakers do that.

I have to use the pillow on the couch to hear some bass notes better. Even when I used a chair I had to get my ears away from the back to hear certain bass notes better. I worked on speaker position and chair position but in the end its still requires that back support. Speaking of bass, all of the pictures on the wall are fastened with blu-tac to keep from rattling. I think in the 70s we would brag about rattling the walls. Now I find it an annoyance. It also tells me the walls should be reinforced more. Not much I can do about that. I have a 30x30 shop with heat and air. I thought about putting my listening room in the shop but my wife talked me off that ledge. I still dream about the perfect room with damped/reinforced walls. Sigh.

Note the two SSD's in the Antipodes K50. It can hold three SSD's. I haven't even hit half full with the first one. I also show a close up of the spring isolation platform that I made for the K50. It is similar to the other spring platforms on the other boxes. It consists of the wood base in black and then the wood bord supported by (4) 11 lb/in springs. That isolates the components from any vibration above 3-4 Hz. Makes a difference in the sound. I found the preamps sound better on the spring isolation platforms but also on cones on top of the wood platform. The same goes for the amps. The amps are on 48 lb/in springs. Those buggers are heavy.

It may not look it but that is a lot of money in power cords plugged into the back of the Niagara and the Amps. I was surprised and disappointed that power cords still make a difference even with a power conditioner.

 

[TonyW]

Here is a front view of the DAC on the Wellfloat platform. Had to order this directly from Japan. Couldn't find a US distributor. The VPI Magic Brick is leftover from the 1980s. I use it here simply to hold down that metal cover on the DAC. If I had a 2nd VPI Magic Brick I would place them both on my Amps just as weights. Anyway, the Wellfloat works well with this 86 lb DAC. I didn't care for it as much under my preamp.


The Sota Turntable uses springs on the subchassis to isolate the platter and tonearm from the Plinth. Evenso, I found the sound of the turntable is still affected by the shelf or platform it rests on. I also have the cones for the Plinth; but prefer the sound with the rubber feet. I have tried different materials for the shelf the turntable rests on, from Granite to Wood. This setup, a Carbon Fiber board on Isoacoustic pucks sounds the best to me with the Sota.



The Preamps sit on cones on top of the wood boards that are part of the spring isolation system. The weight of the top board and preamp combined with the springs yields a Natural System Frequency of about 3.3 Hz. So no vibrations coming up through the floor above about 3.3 Hz reach the preamp. You might see the weight on top of the preamp. It is sitting on Sorbathane washers. The main purpose of the weight is to move the center of gravity closer to center. The big transformers inside the preamps are mounted up front which makes the platform on the springs lean forward. The weight levels off the top board that is floating on the springs. The cones or springs do not really show up well in this picture.



This picture of the phono preamp which better shows the cones and springs. I can say I do not understand why the preamps and amps sound better on cones on these isolated boards vs their original feet.

 

[CJmooney]

Very nice system Tony, I bet it sounds glorious. Congrats! I also have Sasha DAW's in a smaller room, but am building a new room that will be approx 16.5 x 25 x 9 (WLH). I'm curious where your speakers are placed, as your room is similar in size. I'm planning on starting about 1/3 out from the front wall and then gradually inching them back if I need more bass support.

 

[TonyW]

Very nice system Tony, I bet it sounds glorious. Congrats! I also have Sasha DAW's in a smaller room, but am building a new room that will be approx 16.5 x 25 x 9 (WLH). I'm curious where your speakers are placed, as your room is similar in size. I'm planning on starting about 1/3 out from the front wall and then gradually inching them back if I need more bass support.

Great question because it seems this information is hard to find- where others end up as final placement of their Wilson speakers. Started with the WASP method. I couldn't help but tinker after final set up to get the bass and imaging just how I wanted it. For the past year or more I have not touched the speakers. The thing that prompted me to adjust them was the mid-bass. I could hear a difference when standing vs sitting. I ended up moving the speakers a little closer together- by an inch or so. And that moved the null point for that frequency up away from my head. The sound and the bass is very even and consistent now all around the room. I can sit at my desk near the back of the room and the sound is just as good. Even the imaging is surprisingly good from my desk chair.

The speakers ended up 110 inches apart on center lines. The listening position is 173 inches from the front wall or 132 inches from each tweeter. You can see in the pictures that the front corner of the speaker is 40 inches from the side wall measured at the corner and 41 inches from the front wall to the back corner of the speaker. I set the toe-in using a laser. The laser is placed square to the front baffle and each speaker is positioned to put their respective red spots about 8 inches apart at the plane of my ears at the listening position.

It ends up being an iterative process getting the toe-in and the two corners of the speaker dialed in perfectly and then duplicating it for the other side. Patience is a virtue, right? I find projecting a laser beam to a yardstick at the listening position more precise than measuring the distance of the back corner of the speaker to the side wall. In fact, I don't get the exact same measurement with a tape measure between both speakers (1/4" difference), so I rely on the laser settings.

So if you do the math, my triangle is 132, 132, 110. So a distance ratio of 1.2 speaker to listening position. But if I bisect the triangle, the distance from the plane of the front of the speakers to the listening position is 120 inches and that ratio (120/110) is 1.1. But I think the distance to each speaker from the listening position is the appropriate ratio, not from the plane of the speakers.



One final comment: I was tweaking speaker position by ear. I'm looking at these measurements with some surprise at the round numbers. Perhaps I was aware back when I was positioning the speakers. But I have moved my listening position a little here and there without remeasuring over time. Not a lot- maybe less than an inch or two.

 

[facten]

Tony, did you build the rack? If so what did you use? Txs

 

[TonyW]

Tony, did you build the rack? If so what did you use? Txs

Yes I did. I started with counter top butcher block wood and cut them down to 50"x19". I have a table saw so I was able to keep my edges straight and square. They are 1 1/2" thick. The 3/4" threaded rod in black coated steel, nuts, washers and brass cap nuts came from McMasterCarr. The brass nuts must be polished to make them shiny like that. Drilled through holes in the shelves with a drill press from Harbor Freight. That drill press has come in very handy. The butcher block countertops come unfinished. I did not stain them, I just used three coats of laquer.

I have seem some versions that let the brass cap nuts rest directly on the floor. I mounted steel square bars underneath and installed cones to support the rack. The cones sit on metal discs to protect my wood floor. The cones do not do much for limiting vibrations coming up from the floor based on my accelerometer measurements. So good isolation of components is still required. The 3/4" threaded rod with washers and nuts clamped to the 1 1/2" thick butcher block is very robust and rigid. Perhaps that is why vibrations come up through the floor so well. Even with all the weight (about 250 lbs) on this rack, it doesn't move at all. Its tight.

I've been thinking about making a new rack 6 feet long so that the CD transport and Music server could fit all on one rack. I would use those live edge Desk Top boards. They are 2" thick. That Bill of Materials runs over $3k. That gives me pause.

 

[facten]

Yes I did. I started with counter top butcher block wood and cut them down to 50"x19". I have a table saw so I was able to keep my edges straight and square. They are 1 1/2" thick. The 3/4" threaded rod in black coated steel, nuts, washers and brass cap nuts came from McMasterCarr. The brass nuts must be polished to make them shiny like that. Drilled through holes in the shelves with a drill press from Harbor Freight. That drill press has come in very handy. The butcher block countertops come unfinished. I did not stain them, I just used three coats of laquer.

I have seem some versions that let the brass cap nuts rest directly on the floor. I mounted steel square bars underneath and installed cones to support the rack. The cones sit on metal discs to protect my wood floor. The cones do not do much for limiting vibrations coming up from the floor based on my accelerometer measurements. So good isolation of components is still required. The 3/4" threaded rod with washers and nuts clamped to the 1 1/2" thick butcher block is very robust and rigid. Perhaps that is why vibrations come up through the floor so well. Even with all the weight (about 250 lbs) on this rack, it doesn't move at all. Its tight.

I've been thinking about making a new rack 6 feet long so that the CD transport and Music server could fit all on one rack. I would use those live edge Desk Top boards. They are 2" thick. That Bill of Materials runs over $3k. That gives me pause.

Thank you Tony for your very detailed response. Very nicely done

 

[TonyW]

I know I have posted this photo before but I think it belongs here. Very sultry- leaves much to the imagination.

 

[CJmooney]

Yes, thank you Tony.

 

[TonyW]

Some updated photos of my system front end. I moved the DAC up to the top and placed the phono preamp next to the line stage preamp. I don't recommend moving that DAC around. At 86 lbs it's a beast to move. You might think putting 86 lbs on the top shelf would be a bad idea but that rack is solid as a rock. Hence, why I need isolation platforms under each component. The weights on top of the components are nothing magical. It is simply to balance the components on my spring isolation platforms. The preamps are front heavy with their two large transformers placed towards their respective front covers. The DAC is just plain heavy. You might be wondering then why the weight on the preamp is towards the front. Well, I placed the rear springs of that isolation platform more towards the middle rather than at the back two corners in anticipation of better balancing the platform for this preamp. I miscalculated. So instead of drilling more holes to move the rear springs back I simply added the weight on top for balance. Lesson learned when I did the other platforms. I put the springs at the four corners and then balance accordingly.

The new Synergistics Research Ethernet Switch UEF MKII arrived yesterday. The first listen will be tonight. Can't wait to hear it. I use the Antipodes K50 configured with Roon on the Server side and Squeeze on the Player side. I could use Squeeze on the Server side too but I enjoy using Roon ARC in the car. Is that a compromise to ultimate sound? I guess so but I also am unsure about using squeeze as the server too. Roon just works so well in that regard.