Pics from the San Diego Polkie Meet
dpowell
Posts: 3,067
Erik, Eric, Norm and I had a blast swapping gear and listening to great tunes for nearly 10 hours last Saturday. Here are some pics from the meet.
We started the day with a CD player dual. My Denon 3910 vs Erik Tracy's Cambridge Audio CDP.
Setup:
Anthem Pre 2L
Anthem Amp 1
Polk SDA 1C's
MIT Terminator 2 speaker cables
Results:
Denon Cambridge
Duller sounding Fuller soundstage
Lower output Louder output
Cleaner high-end
Next, we added some IEGO power cables brought by Norm. The result was an improved sound on the Denon but not on the Cambridge. The Denon was previously using a stock power cable while the Cambridge had been using one of Erik's upgraded cables (can't remember the brand off hand).
After we all agreed that Erik's Cambridge CDP blew my Denon out of the water, we added in Norm's MIT Shotgun S3 IC's to replace Erik's Audioquest IC's.
Results:
MIT Shotgun S3's had much cleaner highs and sounded much more natural and musical than the Audioquest IC's. All four of us noticed the difference. i.e. no snake oil here.
Next, we played with the low/mid/high switch on the S3 IC's and noticed that setting the switches to LOW brought out a cleaner bottom end in the SDA 1C's.
Before taking a lunch break, we performed a bookshelf shootout between Erik Tracy's B&W CDM bookshelf speakers and Eric's (Huck344) Dynaudio bookshelf speakers.
We were all amazed at the deep, satisfying bass that the Dynaudios produced. They are an amazing speaker and it is hard to believe when listening to them that they aren't a full-sized tower speaker.
We then played the same tracks on Erik's B&W's. The B&W's also shined. While they did not play as deep as the Dynaudios, they made up for it in the tweeter section. The B&W's beat the Dynaudios in terms of high-end clarity.
Lastly, we had a CDP dual between Erik's Cambridge Audio and Norm's Bada tube CDP. The two players had remarkably similar sounds. The Cambridge player bested the Bada in soundstage width while the Bada was slightly more natural sounding, especially in the vocals. It would be a hard thing to choose between the two.
As for the SDA 1C's, I was amazed at how they continued to sound better and better as the higher end CDP's and cables were brought into the mix.
We ended the day with some SACD and concert DVD playback on the SRT's.
We started the day with a CD player dual. My Denon 3910 vs Erik Tracy's Cambridge Audio CDP.
Setup:
Anthem Pre 2L
Anthem Amp 1
Polk SDA 1C's
MIT Terminator 2 speaker cables
Results:
Denon Cambridge
Duller sounding Fuller soundstage
Lower output Louder output
Cleaner high-end
Next, we added some IEGO power cables brought by Norm. The result was an improved sound on the Denon but not on the Cambridge. The Denon was previously using a stock power cable while the Cambridge had been using one of Erik's upgraded cables (can't remember the brand off hand).
After we all agreed that Erik's Cambridge CDP blew my Denon out of the water, we added in Norm's MIT Shotgun S3 IC's to replace Erik's Audioquest IC's.
Results:
MIT Shotgun S3's had much cleaner highs and sounded much more natural and musical than the Audioquest IC's. All four of us noticed the difference. i.e. no snake oil here.
Next, we played with the low/mid/high switch on the S3 IC's and noticed that setting the switches to LOW brought out a cleaner bottom end in the SDA 1C's.
Before taking a lunch break, we performed a bookshelf shootout between Erik Tracy's B&W CDM bookshelf speakers and Eric's (Huck344) Dynaudio bookshelf speakers.
We were all amazed at the deep, satisfying bass that the Dynaudios produced. They are an amazing speaker and it is hard to believe when listening to them that they aren't a full-sized tower speaker.
We then played the same tracks on Erik's B&W's. The B&W's also shined. While they did not play as deep as the Dynaudios, they made up for it in the tweeter section. The B&W's beat the Dynaudios in terms of high-end clarity.
Lastly, we had a CDP dual between Erik's Cambridge Audio and Norm's Bada tube CDP. The two players had remarkably similar sounds. The Cambridge player bested the Bada in soundstage width while the Bada was slightly more natural sounding, especially in the vocals. It would be a hard thing to choose between the two.
As for the SDA 1C's, I was amazed at how they continued to sound better and better as the higher end CDP's and cables were brought into the mix.
We ended the day with some SACD and concert DVD playback on the SRT's.
____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
Post edited by dpowell on
Comments
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Pic's from the meet____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
...Here are some pics from the meet.
....
Me thinks you forgot something
Edit--nevermid ____________________
This post is a natural product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.
HT:Onkyo 805, Emotiva XPA-5, Mitsu 52" 1080p DLP / polkaudio RTi12, CSIa6, FXi3, uPro4K
2-chnl : Pio DV-46AV (SACD), Dodd ELP, Emotiva XPA-1s, XPA-2, Odyssey Khartago, LSi9, SDA-SRS 2 :cool:, SB Duet, MSB & Monarchy DACs, Yamaha PX3 TT, SAE Tuner...
Pool: Atrium 60's/45's -
Dang,
text got messed up on the Denon vs. Cambridge results section above. Here is what it was supposed to read:
Denon:
Duller sounding
Lower output
Cambridge:
Fuller soundstage
Louder output
Cleaner high-end____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Great write-up, Doug. Thanks for taking the time to put it together, as well as to post the pics. Love the caption under the first one in particular.
BTW, Erik can correct me if I am wrong but I believe his after-market power cable was a Pangea.2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
-
Sorry guys. Please fill in the blanks and add your own opinions if I missed anything. I couldn't remember all of the model numbers of everything we tried out.
I think the Cambridge was a 340?____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
the Denon was a 3910 and the Cambridge is a ?
I believe Cambridge Audio 640C V.2 (but again Erik can correct me if I am wrong)2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
Beat me to the punch!2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
Thanks for all the fast replys...........
thinking i made a bad choice in picking the Denon 2311ci. that Cambridge series looks NICE!!!!mole' -
Looks like a great time....but I am going to have to disagree about the B&Ws vs the Dynaudios.....I've heard TONS of B&W bookshelves in East Asia...they're QUITE popular here. But the Dynaudios I heard had SUPERB highs...much better than the metal Nautilus tweeter (IMO of course). I generally don't like the B&W sound that much--full disclosure.
You guys look great. And Norm...you've already got the young college prof look down....should be a shoe-in next time around if you have the 'voice' to match the look. lol
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
Norm Apter wrote: »Love the caption under the first one in particular.
.
I thought you might like that.:D:p
There are definitely 4 more people in this community that now know 100% it isn't snake oil and that better IC's do make an audible difference.____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Buncha geeks! Get a life!
Hmmmmm... a difference in CDP's. Whooda thunk?!! Looks like good times were had. I like Dynaudio bookies. -
Hi Guys,
Looks like a fun time. I used to live in San Diego, Pacific Beach to be exact. Would have loved to have joined you. Take care.
Best Wishes,
Pappy
AVR - Pioneer VSX 9040TXH
TV - Samsung HL-T6756W DLP
BD - Panasonic DMP-BD605
Cable - CableOne HD DVR
Fronts - Polk Audio Monitor 70s
Center - Polk Audio CS2
Rears - Polk Audio Monitor 60s
Subwoofer - Polk Audio PSW 505
Some Monoprice 12 AWG wires (and others)
2 Channel in Progress -
Hey Doug, sounds like you guys had a good time. It was too bad when I was down we didn't have time to do something like this.
was this done at your place?
I guess seeing as you posted pics, I can say it was nice to see you again!
I can't speak for the other guys but I can say that Doug is a really good guy, easy going and easy to get along with. Great guy! -
Again - thanks to Doug for being a gracious host.
Some of my own recollections:
Doug's SDA 1Cs: wow - the soundstaging and imaging are incredible!
My Columbia ICs: clear and open from bottom to top - but compared to the Shotguns maybe too open on the top end.
Norm's Shotgun S3 ICs: These seemed to 'tame' the livliness for bright/forward CDs, but not at the sacrifice of clarity. With the 3 impedance settings - I preferred the 'low' setting - seemed to me to provide the clearest bass. The other settings seemed to impart more bass extension, but at the sacrifice of clarity.
Norm's Iego Power Cords: nice construction, very flexible. Compared to the Pangea 14 pcs I brought - I'd say a bit more 'relaxed' on the bottom end.
Eric's Dynaudio Contour 1.3s (mkII?): incredible range for such a small bookshelf - the bass extension was amazing. Loved the warm soundstage - more focused/frontal than my B&Ws - so that is a matter of preference. Nice tonal balance from top to bottom. And the black cabinets are a perfect match for my setup at home!
Norm's Bada CDP: tubes baby! Never heard a tube CDP so that was a treat. Musically neutral in a good way. Compared to my Cambridge CDP, the sound stage was more centralized in front. An ever so slight smoothing of the highs compared to the Cambridge, which would be a good thing for 'busy' source CDs.
We did an A/B comparison of the two players with two copies of Bryan Ferry's CD "Boys and Girls" that I brought so we were able to manually sync them to the same track. The Cambridge's output gain was noticably higher, but Doug was able to switch and adjust the gain to be pretty darn close.
With that figured out as we A/B'd back and forth, the differences were noticable - we could pick out which CDP was playing. But I don't think we preferred one over the other. The Bada had a very realistic presentation for vocals as if the performer was right there in front of you, whereas the Cambridge painted a wider soundstage from left to right.
Doug's Anthem pre and power provided a perfect 'core' for our experiments....and those SDA 1Cs....playing PF's "Money"....had to have been there...:p
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Buncha geeks! Get a life! Hmmmmm... a difference in CDP's. Whooda thunk?!! Looks like good times were had. I like Dynaudio bookies.
Like you should talk! :eek:
So why weren't you there, anyway? What, did the car break down or did some hooker in Topeka rob you blind again so she could get her meth fix? Expert Moron Extraordinaire
You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you! -
Doug, its scary, but you look like you could be the twin of my old roommate.
Looking at the pix, I guess your system takes the cake for a 'garage rig'!!!
< jk > Gotta use your space the best you can. I wish I had a place like that for my 2-ch gear right now but my garage is needed for too much other stuff.For rig details, see my profile. Nothing here anymore... -
hmmm,, always helps to have an Amp 1 around--nice gear,appears thet you guys had a good time.:)JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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Pic's from the meet
Great pics and it was great that you put a name to the faces however, how about putting their CP screen names to the faces? -
looks like fun times guys..
so on the Bada did you also try the solid state output or only the tube outputs?PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
Nice looks like all enjoyed the get together. Thanks for posting the pictures, but.....
Anytime we Polkies are meeting up in the garage the door is............
OPEN.
Speakers
Carver Amazing Fronts
CS400i Center
RT800i's Rears
Sub Paradigm Servo 15
Electronics
Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
Parasound Halo A23
Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
Pioneer 79Avi DVD
Sony CX400 CD changer
Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR -
danger boy wrote: »so on the Bada did you also try the solid state output or only the tube outputs?
Just the tube output. Wish I would have thought of it. When I first got the player, I did an informal A/B and thought I heard a difference. But the guys at the Rockford Audio Society (Heiney9 and others) last year ran an A/B between solid state and tube and they concluded both had virtually the same sound. I would have liked to get others' opinions on the matter, especially while linked up to the SDA 1Cs where differences become obvious. Next time...
After I got home I also realized that I failed to play an HDCD for the guys. I blame it on being overwhelmed by hearing the SDA 1Cs for the first time
2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
hearingimpared wrote: »Great pics and it was great that you put a name to the faces however, how about putting their CP screen names to the faces?
Since I think its past the point Doug can edit his post with the pics(?), here is a quick key:
Doug = dpowell
Eric = Huck344
Erik = Erik Tracy
Norm = Norm Apter2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
Looks & sounds like a great time was had by all!Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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disneyjoe7 wrote: »Nice looks like all enjoyed the get together. Thanks for posting the pictures, but.....
Anytime we Polkies are meeting up in the garage the door is............
OPEN.
AC was running FULL BLAST!
Erik, Thanks for adding your thoughts into the mix. I really enjoyed being introduced to a lot of great music I'd never heard before. Got to get the name of that other CD you used for the bookshelf shootout.
Next time we'll get around to rolling in some different tubes to the Anthem Amp1 to see how that changes the sound. Also, I threw on some Pat Metheny live the next day and forgot how incredibly wide the soundstage is on the 1C's with live recordings. We'll have to try some of those out next time as well.____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
Norm Apter wrote: »
After I got home I also realized that I failed to play an HDCD for the guys. I blame it on being overwhelmed by hearing the SDA 1Cs for the first time
Norm, I'm glad you really enjoyed the 1C's! I was worried the other bookshelves weren't getting their fair share of the action but there is just something about SDA.......____________________________________________________________
polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050 -
AC was running FULL BLAST!
Erik, Thanks for adding your thoughts into the mix. I really enjoyed being introduced to a lot of great music I'd never heard before. Got to get the name of that other CD you used for the bookshelf shootout.
Next time we'll get around to rolling in some different tubes to the Anthem Amp1 to see how that changes the sound. Also, I threw on some Pat Metheny live the next day and forgot how incredibly wide the soundstage is on the 1C's with live recordings. We'll have to try some of those out next time as well.
CD's I brought and tracks we played:
Bryan Ferry's - "Boys & Girls": Track - Stone Woman
Jeff Golub - "Out of the Blue": Track - Wanna Funk
Stevie Ray Vaughn - "In Step": Track - Riviera Paradise <-- Used for the bookshelf comparison
SACDs I brought:
Pink Floyd - "Dark Side of the Moon: Tracks - various but we played Money quite a bit
Doobie Brothers - "Captain & Me": Track - Southcity Midnight Lady
H9: If you don't trust what you are hearing, then maybe you need to be less invested in a hobby which all the pleasure comes from listening to music. -
Looks like a great time guys!! I really look forward to our meets. My wife doesn't because she wonders what I'll bring home or want to buy.;)
When I had the Bada we did not hear a difference between the tube and SS outs. I emailed Pacific Valve about it and didn't really get an answer that would explain it IIRC. It's a great player though.
