What did you do to your stereo rig today?
Comments
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I decided to solder the crossover harness to the pcb.
Thanks Trey @VR3 for giving me the push to do this. I wanted to for awhile but just wasn't ready to commit, I have no plans to remove the crossover anytime soon but removing will be easier than this was.
It was a pita for sure, but once I had it setup, it went somewhat quick, the Panavise was definitely a huge help.
To answer a couple possible questions, the Erse in the background was/is for A/B testing, and the .5 ohm Path resistor is mounted under the pcb.
I figure with the labor involved in fabricating the Cardas Litz harness, it's worth the try to take 3 connection points of bronze and tin down to 1, including removing a friction fit, the speaker tabs were soldered as well when I installed the harness.
One down, one to go.
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Quick update, still only have the left speaker done but....wow.
Back when I changed the internal wiring, the difference was substantial, to the point you couldn't listen to both at the same time with only one upgraded, completely different synergy.
The level of clarity now on the left with the soldered connections is way more than I expected. Same as before, the synergy is off again. Best I can describe is the tweeter sounds like it plays lower and the stereo drivers reach higher to the point of being seamless. The highs have a faint level of low end grit while being smooth, like they are on tubes. Tweeters reach high and clean.
I left the passive out while I tested for proper function, and ended up listening to a few songs as I was in awe.
The right speaker with the grill off, sounds slightly more dull than the left with the grill on. I was searching DAC's and preamps prior to this but that may be on hold now. More to come.
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I like the idea of directly soldering to the crossover boards. Molex connectors are convenient but too much relies on the tension of the pins, etc.SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
On the right speaker, I realized I made the harnesses a little longer than stock and zip tied the extra to the cross braces. This allowed me to work outside the cabinet, I forgot about that on the left speaker....sigh...lol.
Getting close.
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After 11 years I have changed out my speakers.
My beloved Sonus Faber Cremonas have been pushed aside by a pair of KEF Reference 1's (non-META version). The Cremonas are very good speakers, but they've never really been happy in this smallish Craftsman bungalow type house we moved into 6 years ago. So I set my sights on some standmount speakers. I was looking for smaller form-factor, 8 Ohm, higher sensitivity.
These KEF's are none of that, lol. And you wouldn't want them any closer to the front wall than where I've had to place them. Also, they're being driven by an integrated with 30 Watts class A (60 into 4 Ohm), though it does go much higher in AB after that. So after I'd pulled the trigger I was really wondering if I was crazy and made a blunder. But, as some of you can relate to I'm sure, I just got locked in on wanting these speakers (after tons and tons of research).
The verdict? Just amazing. The imaging blows my mind... pinpoint, palpable, deeply layered. Textures just draw you in. It's a cliche by now to say so, but I'm hearing things in familiar music I'd never noticed before.
I've only had them running for two days, and I had determined before-hand to give them two weeks of audition, but I can't see going back at this point. I never expected such a huge difference.
SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette -
Congrats, they look great.
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Upgraded the Auralic Altair.
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Beautiful rig Luther! ❤️
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Luther, we miss you.
Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
Puritan PSM156 -
Here is another system. The is for "house music". Bluetooth to a Nelson Pass DIY B1 Korg preamp and a pair of Gilmore Raptor d-class amps driving some DIY speakers I built. The AR's I gave away as a door prize at my last get together.
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Here is the back room. I am running out of room to put stuff.
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Same situation here bro'...
Real estate is at a premium...wowzers...
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. ~ -
Luther, MY man!!
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Good mornin', folks.
This post isn't so much about what I did to my stereo rig today, it's more about what I am going to do with the rig today.
Gonna reconfigure some things and when I am done? Gonna check out Mark Knopfler's new album, "One deep river" on Qobuz. I looked yesterday and it is available in high resolution. Knowing the care that he puts into the mastering and recordings, along with his stellar performances?
I'm looking very forward to it!
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. ~ -
I went much deeper into the digital domain rabbit hole. Completely replaced my digital front end:
1. dCS Debussy DAC replaced with dCS Rossini Apex DAC.
2. Bryston BDP-3 digital player and Synology DS718+ NAS replaced with Aurender N30SA digital music server.
3. dCS Puccini U-Clock replaced with Mutec MC3+USB.
4. AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown 10 MHz reference clock replaced with Mutec REF10 SE120 10 MHz reference clock.
5. Windows 10 Dell tablet replaced by Samsung Android tablet to control Rossini DAC and Aurender server. dCS and Aurender don't do Windows. The Rossini DAC and N30SA server can also be controlled with apps on my Android phone.
With this clocking setup, all my digital gear, including the EtherREGEN switch, is now tied to a single clock reference. The result with the former gear and the Mutec clocks was like sending the Debussy DAC and Bryston player to military boot camp. The result with the Rossini DAC and Aurender server was not as dramatic, but still a substantial improvement over running with no external clock reference. With the former gear, I compare it to sending recruits of above average physical fitness to military boot camp. With the new gear, I compare it to sending recruits of excellent physical fitness to military boot camp.
The Mutec REF10 SE120 clock has an excellent internal linear power supply. The Mutec MC3+USB had an internal switch mode power supply. Since my main stereo rig is a "SMPS Free" zone, I had to replace the MC3+USB's SMPS with a linear power supply kit from AfterDark. The AfterDark kit included a 6V Farad Super3 linear power supply. With the LPS mod, the Mutec combo took my stereo system to Seal Team training.
The N30SA server has an internal 8 TB solid state drive. With the replacement of the Synology NAS and its 6 TB hard disk drive, I am now completely "disc free"!
With regard to detail, clarity, bass response, and dynamics, the digital upgrades put sound on my vintage (seriously hotrodded) 35 year old Polk Audio Signature Reference System Stereo Dimensional Array speakers that I hadn't thought possible.
In the future, when I am more dedicated to audio than I am now, I will replace my SDAs.
Post edited by DarqueKnight onProud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
What are those weighted slabs/stones on top of the components?
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Granite slabs to add weight to more rigidly couple the components to the isolation platforms below them.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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Alex had eluded to me that someone "a prominent member of AS" had purchased an SE 120 and the first person to come to mind was you..... but I hadn't heard anything. Congratulations!
Being able to clock the entire digital chain to one master clock is one of the reasons I wanted it. Clarify something for me though, please. If the DCS and Aurender both have BNC 75ohm digital cables, what is the purpose of the Mutec MC-3 plus USB? Couldn't you have just hooked them straight up to the SE120, or does the word clock serve another purpose? If so, what does it do or what is it utilized for in your system?
I will soon be losing my Marantz Reference SA-7S1 shortly (can't hook it up to the SE120) and replacing it with an Esoteric P-01 transport. I planned on hooking that directly up to the SE120 via a BNC/BNC 75 ohm digital cable.
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. ~ -
Alex had eluded to me that someone "a prominent member of AS" had purchased an SE 120 and the first person to come to mind was you..... but I hadn't heard anything. Congratulations!
Yes, Alex was speaking of me.Being able to clock the entire digital chain to one master clock is one of the reasons I wanted it. Clarify something for me though, please. If the DCS and Aurender both have BNC 75ohm digital cables, what is the purpose of the Mutec MC-3 plus USB? Couldn't you have just hooked them straight up to the SE120, or does the word clock serve another purpose? If so, what does it do or what is it utilized for in your system?
10 MHz reference clocks and word clocks are both master clocks, but they serve different purposes. A reference clock synchronizes (or replaces) the clocks of other devices. A word clock synchronizes the timing of individual data samples flowing between devices.
A reference clock, such as the REF10 SE120, serves as a clock reference for the clocks in other devices, or, in some cases, the reference clock replaces the clock in other devices. When connected to a reference clock, the device's internal clock synchronizes with the external reference. This reduces jitter because all devices are synchronized to the same clock reference.
A reference clock serves the same purpose as a conductor in an orchestra. He/she sets the pace timing and rhythm of the music. The supervision of the conductor results in a more coherent sound. The more complex the music, the greater the need for a conductor.
Another example is, I have four watches that periodically synchronize with the clock reference radio signal generated by radio station WWVB. WWVB's reference clock is a cesium atomic clock. All four watches always show the exact same time down to the second.
A word clock, such as the dCS Puccini and the Mutec MC3+USB, synchronizes each sample (word) coming from a source component to a receiving component. This reduces jitter since the timing relationships between samples will theoretically be the same at the transmitting and receiving end. The word clock frequency must be identical to, or some exact multiple of, the data stream sample rate. In my case, the word clock frequency is 44,100 kHz. All my music is DSD64 with a sample rate of 352,800 samples per second, or 8 times 44,100.
Referring to the last chart in my previous post, the REF10 SE120 feeds a 10 MHz reference clock signal to the MC3+USB, which then generates 44,100 kHz word clock signals based on the 10 MHz reference signal. It then sends the word clock signals to the Rossini DAC and Aurender server. The Rossini DAC and Aurender server DO NOT accept 10 Mhz reference clock signals. The EtherREGEN switch can use either its internal 10 MHz clock or and external 10 MHz reference clock that will replace the internal clock.I will soon be losing my Marantz Reference SA-7S1 shortly (can't hook it up to the SE120) and replacing it with an Esoteric P-01 transport. I planned on hooking that directly up to the SE120 via a BNC/BNC 75 ohm digital cable.
Looking at page 25 of the Esoteric P-01 manual, it appears that it accepts word clock signals and not 10 MHz reference signals. I did not find any mention of the P-01 being compatible with 10 MHz reference clocks. Check with Esoteric to make sure.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I said:DarqueKnight wrote: »The Rossini DAC and Aurender server DO NOT accept 10 Mhz reference clock signals.
I stand CORRECTED. After further digging in the Aurender's widely scattered online documentation (they do not supply a written manual with the N30SA server), I found this tidbit:
"Sync with External Clock
Enable this option when utilizing an external clock like Aurender MC10, MC20, or similar models. For optimal audio quality, 10 MHz Master Clock connections are recommended. Word Clocks that emit clock sync signals at multiples of 44.1 or 48 kHz are also compatible. However, the Word Clock output signal frequency must match the sample rate of the file being played."
The clock input on the rear of the N30SA server says "WCLOCK", so naturally I assumed this was for a word clock only. I connected the N30SA to the REF10 SE120 and it does indeed accept 10 MHz master clock signal from the REF10 as well as word clock signals from the MC3+USB.
However, the Rossini DAC only accepts word clock signals. Furthermore, for playback via the AES or SPDIF inputs, the Rossini DAC and the source component must be locked to the same clock. From the Rossini DAC manual:
"Please note if you lock one of the DAC’s AES or SPDIF inputs to a Master Clock, the
source equipment (e.g. a CD player) MUST be locked to the same Master Clock,
otherwise you will experience periodic clicks, dropouts, noises or distortion on the output."
The above limitation does not apply to the Rossini's USB output. I found the Rossini's AES input to be better sounding than the SPDIF or USB inputs.
Again, check with Esoteric to verify if the P-01 transport can accept either 10 MHz or word clock input.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I have been told it does [Edit:] accept a master clock input [End edit] and IIRC, the back panel even states this....but based upon your comments here? I damned sure will verify before an extremely expensive purchase!
Much appreciated, as this kind of thing gets very complicated quickly.
If I do need a MC3+USB, so be it but I want to know beforehand. The Mutec SE 120 website on compatibility stated that this one was one of the compatible components, so I never did question it....until now.
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. ~ -
I was able to find that list where I originally verified that it is compatible. The two lists above are the gear that is directly compatible with the Mutec Ref10 SE 120.
From my understanding, I shouldn't need a Mutec MC3+USB - as the CDP and the streaming system will not be used at the same time and they will both be connected via the SPDIF. If I am understanding this correctly, I would only need one if I were to hook up the DAC via the USB (which I do not plan on doing at this time).
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. ~ -
Picked up some Audio Consonance M12 Barque speakers.
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Wow, never heard of them but would love to hear them….
Very nice. -
Remind me of a couple of JBL wood infused speakers.
And pioneer’s exclusive speaker? -
Removed the ball-bearing isolation feet from the converted 8TL-SDA's. Mineral spirits doesn't harm the vinyl veneer and helps release the glue...
Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists. -
Someone is off their meds if that is off topic lol.Post edited by xschop onDon't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
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Mea Culpa, this should be in "What did I do to my stereo rig today?"
Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists. -
Off Topic?
I didn't even know that was a tag option.
If it matters (when used correctly), to tag truly off topic posts, I'll go spend a few hours flagging and tagging actual offenders
On topic:
Mineral spirits for gummy goo on vinyl = good to know.
And those crazy modded RTA/SDA look neat The Thrifty Setups in Mah House Big thrifty stereo in the basement w/ my custom SDA-1C (built with help from kind forum members) * Beautiful 1966 MCM GE console upgraded w/ Bluetooth, Dual turntable, and Paradigm speakers in family room * Swanky 1980 Realistic system and great TEAC eq with dancing colored lights in the living room * custom 5B on a system for my Dad * Ye Olde college stereo in the garage -
Acetone would wrinkle the vinyl I'm sure and didn't want to chance it.
I did add some acetone to the riding mower and it fired right up. Now that's off topic lol.Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
