What did you do to your stereo rig today?

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  • jonicont
    jonicont Posts: 281
    butterbean wrote: »
    Today I moved my system to a new area in the basement. It’s about 15 ft wide, and has an insulated wood panel ceiling. The old space was like 40 ft wide with hung panel ceiling. Eventually it will be a home theater room but I just wanted to see how it sounds. So far it sounds great, gonna play tomorrow and tweak a few things lol! The wife says it’s still loud but not annoying. Hmmmm she says that about me also. It has a great sound stage, good depth and I don’t have to crank it as much! I have a lot to change, fix some drywall and paint and clear a lot of clutter but it’s a start. bpa3eej8s68h.jpeg

    You got those Tl’d
    DynaudIo Evoke 30, VPI Prime, Soundsmith Zephyr MKIII, PS audio Stellar phono pre, McCormack DNA 0.5 Gold, ARC LS-17se, Eversolo dmp A8, MIT AVT MA ic’s and speaker cables, ps audio stellar power plant 3
  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,160
    edited August 2021
    Not necessarily all today, but here is the result of some recent upgrades.
    a0bdb3bavtv3.jpg
    Top to bottom:
    Lehmann Silver Cube Phonostage
    Innuos Zen Mk3 Streamer
    Benchmark DAC3/HGC Preamp
    PS Audio Stellar PowerPlant 3
    Benchmark AHB2

    The power supply brick in the bottom left is for the Lehmann Silver Cube Phonostage. The orphan RCA cables in the front are for testing various vintage components.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    I read somewhere that it's not advisable to leave a pair of interconnects connected on one end only like that as it can essentially act as an antenna, picking up stray RF interference and putting it into your system.

    Not sure if there's any truth to that, or how anal you are about things like this, but just figured it was worth a mention.
  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,160
    Thanks for the info, Drew. I am anal, but not quite THAT anal. This system is a constant work-in-progress.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    Fair enough! I on the other hand am that anal.

    I also wouldn't be able to use that rack unless I measured the distance between each shelf with a digital calipers and ensured all were spaced exactly the same. And used a level to make sure that each shelf is completely level, maybe even counting the number of turns of each bolt or counting the threads to make sure everything is completely symmetrical and even.

    I've been told I have issues.
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,159
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Fair enough! I on the other hand am that anal.

    I also wouldn't be able to use that rack unless I measured the distance between each shelf with a digital calipers and ensured all were spaced exactly the same. And used a level to make sure that each shelf is completely level, maybe even counting the number of turns of each bolt or counting the threads to make sure everything is completely symmetrical and even.

    I've been told I have issues.

    Keep being a perfectionist as long as you can. There's a lot of worse issues we all could have. :)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,581
    …and perhaps using a torque wrench on each nut as well? I hear you, Drew.
  • gp4jesus
    gp4jesus Posts: 1,988
    Clipdat wrote: »
    I read somewhere that it's not advisable to leave a pair of interconnects connected on one end only like that as it can essentially act as an antenna, picking up stray RF interference and putting it into your system.

    There is an element of truth in the above and the first place I’d look for EMI.

    Power wires, telephone cable and your house wiring of both kinds, under the right circumstances, can PU a lightning strike from miles away. I lost an SSP, small 2ch bedroom system, and my then desktop’s NIC THROUGH the modem. Modern still worked but from that day forward I’ve advocated to many UNPLUGGING anything like the above plus those containing microprocessors when ever a storm is imminent, pending, or you’re away from the house more than 48 hours.

    Samsung 60" UN60ES6100 LED, Outlaw Audio 976 Pre/Pro Samsung BDP, Amazon Firestick, Phillips CD Changer Canare 14 ga - LCR tweeters inside*; Ctr Ch outside BJC 10 ga: LCR mids “Foamed & Plugged**”, inside* & out
    8 ga Powerline: LR woofers, inside* & out
    *soldered **Rob the Man (Xschop) LR: Tri-amped RTi A7 w/Rotels. Woofers - 980BX; Tweets & Mids - 981, connected w/Monoprice Premiere ICs
    Ctr Ch: Rotel RB981 -> Bi-amped CSi A6 Surrounds: Premiere ICs ->Rotel 981 -> AR 12 ga -> RTi A3. 5 Subs: Sunfire True SW Signature -> LFE & Ctr Ch; 4 Audio Pro Evidence @ the “Corners”. Power Conditioning & Distribution: 4 dedicated 20A feeds; APC H15; 5 Furman Miniport 20s
  • Gardenstater
    Gardenstater Posts: 4,502
    You can get end caps which essentially put both +/- at the same voltage by connecting them.
    George / NJ

    Polk 7B main speakers, std. mods+ (1979, orig owner)
    Martin Logan Dynamo sub w/6ft 14awg Power Cord
    Onkyo A-8017 integrated
    Logitech Squeezebox Touch Streamer w/EDO applet
    iFi nano iDSD DAC
    iPurifier3
    iDefender w/ iPower PS
    Custom Steve Wilson 1m UPOCC Interconnect
    iFi Mercury 0.5m OFHC continuous cast copper USB cable
    Custom Ribbon Speaker Cables, 5ft long, 4N Copper, 14awg, ultra low inductance
    Custom Vibration Isolation Speaker Stands and Sub Platform
  • jdjohn
    jdjohn Posts: 3,160
    edited August 2021
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Fair enough! I on the other hand am that anal.

    I also wouldn't be able to use that rack unless I measured the distance between each shelf with a digital calipers and ensured all were spaced exactly the same. And used a level to make sure that each shelf is completely level, maybe even counting the number of turns of each bolt or counting the threads to make sure everything is completely symmetrical and even.

    I've been told I have issues.
    Don't put those ideas in my head! :D I did use a level on each shelf, but had to compensate for the length of the interconnects and power cords as well, so unfortunately the shelves can't all be equidistant.

    Earlier last night, before the pic, I had a CD player attached to those cables. Next will probably be a tape deck of some sort for testing.
    "This may not matter to you, but it does to me for various reasons, many of them illogical or irrational, but the vinyl hobby is not really logical or rational..." - member on Vinyl Engine
    "Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to." - Cicero, in Gladiator
    Regarding collectibles: "It's not who gets it. It's who gets stuck with it." - Jimmy Fallon
  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,563
    edited August 2021
    Clipdat wrote: »
    Fair enough! I on the other hand am that anal.

    I also wouldn't be able to use that rack unless I measured the distance between each shelf with a digital calipers and ensured all were spaced exactly the same. And used a level to make sure that each shelf is completely level, maybe even counting the number of turns of each bolt or counting the threads to make sure everything is completely symmetrical and even.

    I've been told I have issues.

    I couldn't imagine your shoe tying instructions..... 30 minutes later your ready :smiley::D
  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,159
    edited August 2021
    Did y'all see the Torque wrench in that music room / house where we all can only dream about?

    It has to be there somewhere as much obsessing as that man put into it. Remember the chairs? ;)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • gidrah
    gidrah Posts: 3,049
    I took the SDA-1s out of the system and put the ADS L-1530s back in. Changed the little Audiosource amps from mono to stereo and am bi-amping the ADS.
    Make it Funky! :)
  • rebelsoul
    rebelsoul Posts: 756
    Put some bugle boy d getter gold pins in the carver c-19.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    Living the dream!
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Ray, please rethink those springs on the tubed pre. You are reintroducing vibrations that were never there, not isolating. FWIW, YMMV.

    Tom
    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,703
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Ray, please rethink those springs on the tubed pre. You are reintroducing vibrations that were never there, not isolating. FWIW, YMMV.

    Tom

    Waz up Tom! Good to see you posting!
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Hi, Todd! Thanks. I am still somewhat reluctant to come back but we shall see how it goes.

    On a different note?

    I posted this thread thinking that it would be just one of those threads that died like all of the other great topics. Holy crap Batman! For some reason, this one stuck to the wall and won't come off. This is like the Black Paint thread or the famed Energizer bunny. It just keeps going and going and going....

    ....and going, and going.....

    Tom

    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 1,026
    edited August 2021
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Ray, please rethink those springs on the tubed pre. You are reintroducing vibrations that were never there, not isolating. FWIW, YMMV.

    Tom

    Hi Tom,
    Thanks for the comment. Would you suggest sorbothane pads,or something else,or nothing? When I say nothing,I mean the stock rubber feet.
    Ray
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • BlueBirdMusic
    BlueBirdMusic Posts: 2,310
    treitz3 wrote: »
    Hi, Todd! Thanks. I am still somewhat reluctant to come back but we shall see how it goes.

    On a different note?

    I posted this thread thinking that it would be just one of those threads that died like all of the other great topics. Holy crap Batman! For some reason, this one stuck to the wall and won't come off. This is like the Black Paint thread or the famed Energizer bunny. It just keeps going and going and going....

    ....and going, and going.....

    Tom

    Tom, I believe you are back!! Good to see!!

    I always look at this thread every day.

    Most interesting. Lots of "artists" with their equipment.
    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"

    Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
    You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice.
    Jim Butcher




    Harry / Marietta GA
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 19,139
    Hello, Harry. Hope all is well with you. We need to have another GTG before the world gets locked down again. Trey and a few others have monthly/bi-monthly GTG's often up here in the Charlotte area. Every one of them is a blast and it's fun to see the improvements/changes in the systems.

    Ray, there are a multitude of isolators out there. Sorbothane is definitely one of them and from experience, it works. I use them on my LP player (albeit with a granite plinth that sits on spikes as well). My fear with what you are using is that the springs act like absorbers for vibrations and could possibly be ringing as the vibrations happen, introducing unwanted noise into the tubes.

    If memory serves, Mapleshade had a couple of reasonably priced ones, as well as Amazon or Isoacoustics.

    It has been a while since I have been in the market (so I'm not up to speed on the latest and greatest) and you have to be careful of two things. Sorbothane can damage wood if placed directly on it, as it has oils or something that will seep into the wood. There needs to be something between the Sorbothane and wood. The second thing is that you can "overdampen" a system. There have been many a testament on this forum to that.

    My advice would be to play around with whatever you can get your hands on and choose what sounds the best for your particular application, as what works well on my rig may not necessarily work well on yours and vice versa.

    Tom

    ~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
  • BlueBirdMusic
    BlueBirdMusic Posts: 2,310
    I wonder how those springs would work during an earthquake.
    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"

    Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
    You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice.
    Jim Butcher




    Harry / Marietta GA
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 1,026
    I wonder how those springs would work during an earthquake.

    If this pre’s a rockin’ don’t bother knockin
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • TEAforONE
    TEAforONE Posts: 1,026
    Tom,
    Thanks for the recommendation. I pulled the springs out. I have some sorbothane dots,but I'm going to use the stock feet for now.
    See my profile for list of gear.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 12,949
    I've always wanted to hear that integrated.
  • Dr_Wu
    Dr_Wu Posts: 338
    edited August 2021
    Hooked the Mini streamer to the ProJect DAC via AQ Carbon USB. Soundstage got noticeably wider and deeper, with nice separation between musicians. Better detail, too.
  • Dr_Wu
    Dr_Wu Posts: 338
    Clipdat wrote: »
    *Carbon

    I just can't keep the AQ lineup straight. :)