What's your rig?

edited January 2011 in Systems
As of 21.43 hrs on 31/12/10 my system consists of...

Rega P7 & Thorens TD150 turntables
TD150 has a non-imp 3009
Audio Note IQ3/Stilton P77/Grado Prestige Black 1 cartridges
Squeezebox 3/Pioneer DV444 (as transport)/MacBook into CA Dacmagic
Inca Tech Claymore
Royd Merlins

Cables - interconnects by yours truly; Klotz audio/guitar cables with Neutrik plugs.
Digi cables - Maplin optical
Speaker cable - Talk 3 (highly recommended - especially at £3.99/metre!).

Picture now added. :)

image
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Comments

  • I'll do a 'this week I've mostly been using' in the morning - maybe with pictures :)
  • As of earlier today:

    Mac mini/iTunes
    Drobo storage
    M2Tech HiFace/Audioquest digital cable
    M2Tech Young DAC (on approval)
    NVA Statement Pre
    NVA TDS Mk1 Monoblocks
    Royd RR3s
    NVA interconnects (Sound Cord and Super Sound Pipe)
    NVA LS5 speaker cables

    Hoping to jettison the HiFace RSN!

  • Right now:

    Garrard 401 in Torlyte plinth

    Rebuilt RB250 arm and upgraded Decca Maroon

    Lenco L75 with Terminator 2 air powered parallel tracking arm and Denon 103 MC
    Musical Fidelity LPs Phono Stage
    MM/MC switchable
    Musical Fidelity Valve X-Pre

    Leak Stereo 20 chassis - rebuilt to 6SN7 and 807 in PP
    Lowther EX4's and Eminence 15" Betas in an Open Baffle

    Cables are a mixture of Kimber and DIY solid silver

    Also for convenience a laptop running into a DAC Magic II

    It's making noises I like.  Although due to the very cold weather lately the vinyl getting less use as it sounds a bit hard and strained - mechanical parts don't like the cold.  So the digital side is getting a hammering.
  • All change! As of yesterday:

    White MacBook with 4GB RAM, running Snow Leopard/AyreWave
    Drobo storage
    M2Tech HiFace/NVA Sound Pipe digital cable
    M2Tech Young DAC (on approval)
    NVA Statement Pre
    NVA TDS Mk1 Monoblocks
    Royd RR3s
    NVA interconnects (Sound Cord and Super Sound Pipe)
    NVA LS5 speaker cables

    and in the office:

    iMac/iTunes
    KingRex UD-01SE/KingRex Power Supply
    Pioneer A400X
    Mission 761 
    Motley collection of cabling
  • Voyd/Alphason HR100S/Shelter 901 turntable

    Tribute Audio MC step up

    Audio Innovations P2 phono stage

    CEC TL53Z CD player

    Audio Note Japan (Kondo) M7 line stage

    New Audio Frontiers 845SE power amp

    Living Voice OBX-R2 loudspeakers

    Cables by Kondo and Audio Note (all silver litz)

     

     

  • Another vinyl user!  We're catching up :)
  • Shivers down my spine...

    I hope we get some reel 2 reel users next! It's good to see this place grow, and there is some serious kit being used here! We must be an upper class forum...(how did I get in?!)
  • Shivers down my spine...

    I hope we get some reel 2 reel users next! It's good to see this place grow, and there is some serious kit being used here! We must be an upper class forum...(how did I get in?!)
    Tradesman's entrance?  O:)
  • Shivers down my spine...

    I hope we get some reel 2 reel users next! It's good to see this place grow, and there is some serious kit being used here! We must be an upper class forum...(how did I get in?!)
    Tradesman's entrance?  O:)
    Schnorrfff. :D
  • My rig with Twix the schnauzer guarding it !

     

    [IMG]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t220/scottyhammer/P1020265.jpg[/IMG]

        

  • Shit that didnt work ?
  • Voyd/Alphason HR100S/Shelter 901 turntable

    Tribute Audio MC step up

    Audio Innovations P2 phono stage

    CEC TL53Z CD player

    Audio Note Japan (Kondo) M7 line stage

    New Audio Frontiers 845SE power amp

    Living Voice OBX-R2 loudspeakers

    Cables by Kondo and Audio Note (all silver litz)

     

     



    Which Voyd is that you're using?
  • 3 motor "The Voyd" (later split phase psu model), Reference Lexan platter and Reference bearing.

     

  • My rig with Twix the schnauzer guarding it !

     

    http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t220/scottyhammer/P1020265.jpg

        

    It works now!
  • edited January 2011
    Or even better, use the pic icon (next to the chain)

    image
  • 3 motor "The Voyd" (later split phase psu model), Reference Lexan platter and Reference bearing.

     


    Very, very nice!
  • Thanks Jim. Have to say i'm a big fan of the Voyd decks. I owned a late split phase Valdi before this one. To my ears they seem to have the best qualities of belt drive and direct drive decks,
  • Indeed they do.  All belt drives bother me with  the exception of the Voyds and the Rock.  The Rock is getting so other many things right and making it easy (almost) to forget it's a belt drive.

    I'm hatching a cunning plan to create a 3 motor TT using Rega motors and the trough and arm outrigger from Townsend.  If I can get it all to work it'll be a bloody miracle!  I'm just hunting for the 3rd motor, got all the bits apart from that.

    I've never heard a 3 motor Voyd.  I've heard the Audio Note 2 motor and I've heard Les' 2 motor Genesis.  Both sounded very good with plenty of torque and grip almost to idler levels.  I reckon the 3 motor would tip it over.

    Mind you Les W is adamant the 3 motors is wholly wrong, so what do I know?

    I've also heard an uber LP12 with a heavy duty Papst motor and an extra idler a la the Funk boys (although done at least 5 years before).  It has also had its subchassis and armboard replaced with ones made from carbon fibre.  Extremely good indeed.
  • A Voyd/Rock hybrid - now that would be interesting! Would love to hear that!

    BTW if you're ever near Milton Keynes you're welcome to pop in if you wanna hear a 3 motor Voyd.

  • I'll bear that in mind - that'd be good.
  • edited February 2011
    My little rig as it stands now...

    image

    I was very impressed with the Dacmagoc, but Si's hot-rodded 840C has been a revelation; so much more natural (no artificial edge to vocals for example now). More dynamic contrast, more weight, authority and just soooo much more listenable. Great bit of kit. :)
  • So you're sticking with the 150 for now then?
  • So you're using the 840C as a DAC?
  • Yes & Yes. :)

    The 150's in place because the PL71's arm is away being re-wired - the SME will then go off for the same treatment. Re-did the counterweight de-coupling rubber on the 3009 the other day and it's made a significant difference to the arm's sound, tightening up things no end, and I just love the sound of the little Thorens. That's not to say I wouldn't like a TD124 at some point though.

    The 840 makes for a great dac - a decent, and very worthwhile improvement over the already good Dacmagic. :)
  • The 150 sure is fun, agreed.  I've got a 160 Mk II around here somewhere - not as good but still pretty decent.  And I've always wanted an extended play with a 124.

    How many other inputs are there on the 840C?
  • The 150 sure is fun, agreed.  I've got a 160 Mk II around here somewhere - not as good but still pretty decent.  And I've always wanted an extended play with a 124.

    How many other inputs are there on the 840C?
    Yup - the 150's a great little turntable, I was really fortunate to pick this one up in such good nick. The quality of the bearing in particular is nigh on perfect and now, having spent some time learning how to set it up, it sounds really sweet. Still tempted to re-plinth it, but as the current one's so clean it almost seems a shame to chop it about, despite the sonic improvements a less flimsy (and it really is rather flexible!) one would bring.

    The 840 has 2 other inputs, one co-ax, the other optical which is just about enough for my needs. I really enjoyed my old, standard, 840c but this one's on another level - a fair few 'haven't heard that before' moments. :)
  • Nifty!  So you can plays CDs and have two other digital sources.  Neat.
  • Nifty!  So you can plays CDs and have two other digital sources.  Neat.
    Indeed. :)

    One is used for the Macbook, the other I have the Humax playing into so I can listen to Radio 3 through the hifi. :)
  • Looks good, Gromit. I have long thought the 840c to be overlooked as one of the best all-rounders in hifi, and particularly good vfm. To get a pimped one for a song is a result...I had forgotten what hulking big things they are though!
  • Hi Alan - yup, the 840's a cracker. One of those rare bits of kit that really doesn't seem to have any discernible character of its own. Been playing this little lot this avo...

    Whitesnake - Greatest Hits
    The Incredibles Soundtrack
    Shostakovich String Quartets
    Yellowjackets - Altered State
    and now...JS Bach 48 preludes & fugues.

    Taken all that lot in its stride - the Whitesnake's meaty, powerful, the JSB is delicate and full of shape and colour. Si reckoned the mods to the 840c alone cost itro 300 quid.

    Yes, it's a big old beastie - not so much width/height but it goes back a long way in the rack. Weighs a ton too. Makes the Claymore look even tinier!! :D
  • Couldn't resist taking this one...

    Our little Emma (6 months) and a Royd...(think about it) ;)

    image
  • Gromit,
    I recognise that Inca Tech amp'!
    I have one powering my "second system" (behind my drum kit in the roof space), It sounds pretty nifty with my iphone into some JPWs. Keeps a nice clear grip even at stupid volumes. But, I've never really given it a proper run out in a proper listening situation. May be I should bring it down into the house...
    :-?
  • edited March 2011
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/59684834@N08/

    Flikcr pics, shot of hifi and room
  • edited March 2011
    image

    A few tech problems - iPhone pic so not the best quality.....
    Aaagggghhhh!
  • Has @Monty been rendered speechless?

    Looks good. Hopefully I'll get a hi-fi room when we move next. What's the stand?
  • edited March 2011
    Simon (and anyone else who has been wondering how to get Flickr pix to appear on Audio Chews). 

    To get the Flickr pix to appear here, you paste the HTML from Share This... on Flickr into the editor here, once you've chosen the HTML view - the <> icon:



    IMG_3921
  • Spent a while on Sunday rearranging things so that the new TFS had somewhere proper to sit.

    image

    Also, moving the TFS closer to the P90SA enabled me to use the lovely SSPs to make the link.

    I continue to be very happy with my first voyage into computer audio, even better with all SSP ICs. Thanks Jason!

    Most pleasingly, I managed to dismantle and reassemble the whole rig without breaking a single thing. Not even an SSP connection...! (I think 4 pairs in total. Is that a new world record...?)

    The large gap above the TFS is to allow for a bit of ventilation - as advised by Jason.

    I suppose all I need now is the NVA T-shirt... X_X

     

  • Jeepers creepers that photo is terrible. @-)

    I'll try again with a real camera later...

  • Wow Ben - I can't begin to work out what so many shiny boxes actually do! Well done wrt the cables, Dave is trialling some alternatives soon.
  • Wow Ben - I can't begin to work out what so many shiny boxes actually do! Well done wrt the cables, Dave is trialling some alternatives soon.
    Yeah. I kind of thought there were too many boxes for me to actually identify. Can we have a properly annotated photograph, please Ben? :-)
  • I'll get right on to it. I think one of the boxes contains dusty, the kids' dead rabbit.
  • Not RD's secret component?  :O
  • Finally got around to doing this, so i thought I'd combine "intro yourself" and "what's your rig".

    I am a 57 yr old semi-retired software exec in NE Ohio, USA. 
    I am a veteran of audio forums, and am creator/moderator of Audio
    Circle’s HiRez Music forum. I am a DAC aholic, having demo’d inhouse
    over a dozen hirez DACs in the past year. That being said, I am needing
    to redo some of that evaluation since my room acoustic makeover this
    past winter.



    I am also a huge multichannel fan, and have invested heavily in every
    surround format since day one, with a complete full range ITU setup. My
    plebian Oppo BDp-83 SE is either my ninth or tenth universal player,
    which has included modded ones, Sony’s earliest SACD flagships, etc.
    One reason m y listening environment has involved so much work and room
    treatments is due to the fact that I am successfully marrying a
    dedicated 5.1 surround signal path with a great dedicated 2.0 stereo
    listening space (I also run 7.1 with dipole surrounds but that’s for
    movies only and is separately amplified, etc).


    The core of my space is my speaker setup, a set of largely unknown SP
    Tech Revelation MR-1 mk 2 speakers (with custom external Mundorf
    crossovers and Aether Audio magic boxes). Bob Smith is the genius
    behind SP tech 9now Aether Audio) and I’ve become very close to Bob
    throughout the years. Although a huge favorite of reviewers like Jim
    Merod, Bob needs one big break to make it to the brand awareness levels
    of Devore, etc. I own Bob’s full range Revelations, and three full
    range Continuums (center, music surrounds) which are the MTM portion of
    the Revs (without the t-line).



    Sources:

    Macbook SSD with external USB/FW music (16/44 through DXD 24/384)

    Weiss DAC2 (firewire, etc)) DAC

    M2Tech Young (USB, etc) DAC (on loan)
    Antelope Zodiac plus (USB, etc) (on loan as of this week)

    Rega P5/Rega/Dynavector vinyl (seldom used)

    Oppo BDP 83 SE (SACD/DVD-A multichannel, BluRay)

    Atlona HD570 HDMi de-embedder (for 2 channel SACD and blURay decoding to 24/192)



    Amplification:

    Concert Fidelity CF-080 tube hybrid stereo preamp

    Modwright KWA-150 monoblock amplifiers

    McCormack DNA surround amplification (various)



    Cabling:

    ASI Liveline (sources to pre)

    Furutech Reference III (pre to amps)

    ASI liveline speaker cabling

    Cardas/ASI/Kaplan power cords

    Audience Adept Response AR12 power conditioner

    UberbUss power conditioner

    whole house ground and RF products from EPNA



    The room is also home to side and rear Alon movie surrounds, a DLP
    projector, Stewart 130 screen, and some movie amplification. My room is
    heavily treated with over twenty (22+) of Ethan’s wonderful Realtraps,
    Mondo Traps, Minitraps, Difffusors and RFZ’s. I am one of Ethan’s
    monthly Stereophile testimonial ads, as I love his products and their
    value prop. I also have two GIK art panels, and of course the whole
    room centers around the room acoustic system designed by Jeff Hedback
    (HDAcoustics) and completed last month. I have discovered that the room
    is everything; it is more significant than any piece of gear, even
    $100k speakers. And once it is “fixed” the value of you audio
    investments skyrockets, literally.



    My listening is eclectic. Beatles to Beck. Radiohead to Rickie Lee.
    Cassandra Wilson to Cowboy Junkies to Charlie Haden. Steely Dan to
    Suzanne Vega to Shostakovich. Miles to Monkees (just kidding, hoping
    you’ve read this far).

    More about the Hedback remodel project:
    Jeff Hedback (http://www.hedbackdesignedacoustics.com/)
    is a musician and expert acoustical engineer who designed and developed
    the changes we implemented, including the large ceiling diffusor cloud,
    side wall diffusor systems and the 400 lb MAT tuned membrane "floating
    wall" (behind the screen)..



    We installed the large ceiling diffusor/trap in January and the
    sound of the room is transformational...a qualitative shift in
    everything...tonality, image specificity, detail, naturalness,
    soundstage depth. It's as if I told the room to "settle down and let me
    listen" and a whole new world opened up. Hell, it will probably force
    me to relook speaker positioning, etc...except it's all so good right now.  (Edit: I did in fact point the waveguides more direct on to my ears.  The fact that they are above my ear level helps to eliminate any beaming or brightness that direct on axis would normally invoke).



    Thanks to Jeff, my local craftsman extraordinaire Doug Carpenter (yes, that's his real last name ) and to my wife and family for putting up with this.



    All told, the major changes were:

    * front corner traps, floor to ceiling, custom made. Allowed me to
    repurpose the Realtrap Mondo corners to the back sloped area.

    * a 400 lb tuned membrane "floating wall" on the front wall, behind the
    screen assembly, which brought about amazing soundstage and balance
    (fewer nulls, etc) improvements by itself

    * side wall diffusors and tetrahedral treatments that open up the room and improve even surround high rez imaging.

    * the piece de resistance, a large ceiling cloud, hanging from
    acoustical clips, made up of wood diffusors and 4 inches of bass
    trapping foam insulation. (There is light roping installed but it shows
    up very slightly....no big deal, the roping set me back $12.). The
    energy held up in that ceiling area was quite high, caused mostly by my
    sloped ceiling design when we built the house. it was a good idea at
    the time!



    All of the Realtrap products and GIK art panels continue
    to do their jobs (in many cases re-positioned), and work in tandem with
    the Hedback Design custom built foundation.



    (Pictures have darkening window treatments recessed/rolled up to show natural
    light for the photos, but I never listen/watch that way.  :)  Left wall area is also
    cleared of RFZ trap for same reason, to let light in).

    image

    imageimage

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  • Wow Ted....just wow!
  • And Ill second that - stunning Ted, hows it going with the Young BTW?

    Lee
  • I don't think I'll bother with that second photo of my nva micro system...
    :O
  • Maybe I'll just give up now :-)

    Fantastic system and room, Ted.
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