Let's call this room 'Mid-Fi Nirvana'...

RuSsMaN
RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
edited February 2006 in 2 Channel Audio
Ok, this time I'm REALLY nearing completion of the 'cave' rig. I'll do the megabuck system in the large room at the back of the house, so I deem this room 'Mid-Fi Nirvana.'

10x12 room, 10ft ceiling. Room treatments to follow (hardcore). Isolation also, ala Bright Star. I'm going to take this room to the nines, and leave nothing lacking - AT it's pricepoint. Synergy if you will, but going all the way. All said and done, and if I bag Luther's (Wardsweb) table (his tweaked P3 seen HERE. .) with a decent phono stage, I'll be Ronco'n this one.

Still undetermined on cables, British speakers, British source, I can't get Kimber out of my head. Hero and 8TC Shotgun Bi-wire maybe?

Rig (so far):

B&W CM4 Rosenut
Arcam CD73
Melos SHA-1
Anthem Amp 1
Lovan Rack
MIT Terminator 4 cables / interconn
Signal Cable power / strip
Golden Sound / Audio Technica Decoupling

All done, after I get the bass traps etc, and tweak the room - Mid-fi at it's finest, about 10K retail (but bought for substantially less).

Aint this fun?

Cheers,
Russ
Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
Post edited by RuSsMaN on
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  • Wardsweb
    Wardsweb Posts: 935
    edited January 2006
    Dang Russ your going to be using more gear than me. I guess I better start buying more. It is the journey and not the destination, so keep on, keepin on.
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited January 2006
    Nice looking gear Russ. You should do audio sessions for the interested.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited January 2006
    Wow. Those speakers look amazing. And I keep drooling about that pre...
    George Grand wrote: »
    Jstas wrote: »
    Simple question. If you had a cool million bucks, what would you do with it?
    Wonder WTF happened to the rest of my money.
    In Use
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    In Storage
    [Home Audio]
    Rotel RCD-02, Yamaha KX-W900U, Sony ST-S500ES, Denon DP-7F
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    Klipsch RF-35, RB-51ii
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    Pioneer Premier DEH-P860MP, Memphis 16-MCA3004, Boston Acoustic RC520
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
    Thanks for the comments (validation) as always.

    It's fun with 'new' stuff. The speakers have maybe 40 hours on them, the output tubes in the Anthem (E. German 6CA7) have maybe 6 hours on them, the Arcam has about 3 hours on it.... Things are changing right before my ears, literally. A note to all break in / burn in non believers, it's happening, RIGHT now.

    How good will it get? Stay tuned.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2006
    Russ,

    What made you chose those speaks ?

    Just outa curiosity....

    what kind of power are you running..?
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
    Why the speaks? They will cure my B&W craving, until I get 10 grand saved up.

    Power, push pull EL34's, 40wpc.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2006
    very cool..

    Maybe someday I`ll have to hop a plane out to the `ol Audio Ranch and have a listen..!!

    not sure I will ever be able to put 10 large down on some speaks, but if you ever do, I expect an invite to hear what that`ll get ya..!!
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
    You will Robert.

    You will grace my humble abode with your audioness one day, and I'll return the favor. Actually headed to San Diego again this summer for a Real Estate conference, so I need to find out if that is feasible driving distance to see you.

    You've spent 10K on grunt, like some of us. It's NOT out of reach. It's not a question of IF, it's WHEN.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,552
    edited January 2006
    Dang Russ... if $10K = your midfi, I wonder what constitutes your HiFi....
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited January 2006
    Very nice and clean. I'd love to get my ears on the Melos.

    You gotta love a man with a big bowl full of tubes on his coffee table.
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited January 2006
    Hardcore.

    Bag Luther's P3....tough to beat at that price.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    edited January 2006
    Very nice Russ. I just started experimenting with room treatments and bass traps myself. Definite difference.
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
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  • BobMcG
    BobMcG Posts: 1,585
    edited January 2006
    Looking good Russ. :)
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited January 2006
    you call this **** mid-fi?
    you're joking right?

    (if you don't know how to take that then see my gear list below)
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • tryrrthg
    tryrrthg Posts: 1,896
    edited January 2006
    Russ, did you end up preferring the Arcam CD73 over the Rotel 1072? I'm curious on how they compared. My Arcam CD 73 has been fantastic and it really surprised me on how good it sounds. It's hard to beat at a used price.

    System looks great.
    Sony KDL-40V2500 HDTV, Rotel RSX-1067 Receiver, Sony BDP-S550 Blu-ray, Slim Devices Squeezebox, Polk RTi6, CSi3 & R15, DIY sub with Atlas 15
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    Very nice!!! So how much did the sound change when you added the cable elevaters?
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • beardog03
    beardog03 Posts: 5,550
    edited January 2006
    I was also wondering he same thing..
    Cary SLP-98L F1 DC Pre Amp (Jag Blue)
    Parasound HCA-3500
    Cary Audio V12 amp (Jag Red)
    Polk Audio Xm Reciever (Autographed by THE MAN Himself) :cool:
    Magnum Dynalab MD-102 Analog Tuna
    Jolida JD-100 CDP
    Polk Audio LSi9 Speaks (ebony)
    SVS PC-Ultra Sub
    AQ Bedrock Speaker Cables (Bi-Wired)
    MIT Shotgun S1 I/C`s
    AQ Black Thunder Sub Cables
    PS Audio Plus Power Cords
    Magnum Dynalab ST-2 FM Antenna
    Sanus Cherry wood Speak Stands
    Adona AV45CS3 / 3 Tier Rack (Black /Gold)

    :cool:
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  • Schris22
    Schris22 Posts: 983
    edited January 2006
    nice setup as usual Russ.

    You must make some dealers very happy. =)

    Chris
    Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR502-S
    DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578A-S
    Left and Right: R50
    Center: CS1
    Rear Center: R15
    Surrounds: R30
    Subwoofer: 10'' Dayton 100 Watt
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
    I've got the Rotel also (on loan), still just breaking them both in - but I do like the upgrade path the Arcam offers.

    Cable lifts, no idea if they make a differece yet. Once everything is settled in, and has 100 hours or so, I'll do some listening with and without. They were $4 each at an Antique store, wtf right.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    RuSsMaN wrote:
    They were $4 each at an Antique store, wtf right.

    Cheers,
    Russ

    I would have certainaly picked them up for that price!
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • 2+2
    2+2 Posts: 546
    edited January 2006
    funny how things are so relative...."mid-fi" huhh....
    System 1: Martin Logan Vantage, Rotel RC 1070, B&K Reference 200.2, Music Hall DAC 15.2, Yamaha 2300

    System 2: LSi15 w/db840, Marantz SR8400, Rotel 1080, RM6800 (C&S), Sony X2020ES

    System 3: LSi7, Yamaha SW215, Music Hall Maven, Music Hall MMF CD25 w/627opamps

    System 4: RTi100, Harman Kardon AVR 230, Panasonic DVD
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  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited January 2006
    2+2 wrote:
    funny how things are so relative...."mid-fi" huhh....


    Add up your 4 systems........... you too can have mid-fi just not as many. ;)
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2006
    2+2 wrote:
    funny how things are so relative...."mid-fi" huhh....

    I have often wondered how many catagories there are. Every time I upgrade I feel as if I've reached a lower level of a higher top end. My stuff is entry level for sure, thats all I know.

    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited January 2006
    Russ - outstanding system! I have never been a B&W speaker fan, they just all sounded too laid back for my tastes. The B&W's in your picture are the only ones I have heard that I liked! They were in the room at Spearit Sound when I compared the Jolida 100 CDP to the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C, and I was really impressed with them.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited January 2006
    They are a real value, in my opinion, even at the full retail asking. B&W has actually pulled them from production, to redesign a more profitable version. The CM series turned out to be too expensive to make, at the pricepoint. The machined front baffles alone were a big part of that.

    They don't need a sub, but I went ahead and hooked up a PSW550 and now I get radio Saigon in the volume pot on the Melos. I think the MIT interconns are giving me a fit being on an Audioquest Y cable at the Melos outputs.

    Kind of funny actually, even though I'm not going to keep the sub in there, I have to figure out the issue first!

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • 2+2
    2+2 Posts: 546
    edited January 2006
    Dennis Gardner wrote:
    Add up your 4 systems........... you too can have mid-fi just not as many. ;)


    Yeah, I know...but then I would have to have everything mounted on a wheelable cart so that I can move it from room to room...not to mention put in an elevator in the house to pump music to the upstairs!! ;);):D
    System 1: Martin Logan Vantage, Rotel RC 1070, B&K Reference 200.2, Music Hall DAC 15.2, Yamaha 2300

    System 2: LSi15 w/db840, Marantz SR8400, Rotel 1080, RM6800 (C&S), Sony X2020ES

    System 3: LSi7, Yamaha SW215, Music Hall Maven, Music Hall MMF CD25 w/627opamps

    System 4: RTi100, Harman Kardon AVR 230, Panasonic DVD
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited February 2006
    This was a very sweet little room. Only spent an hour or so in it due to my love affair with the FredArrays in the "big room", but the B&W's threw a soundstage that was the best in the house. I think I called them "articulate".

    And while no sub was in play, the room gain was more than adequate for the mostly acoustical recordings Russ lined up.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited February 2006
    Cool looking rig Russ. Amazing how many iterations this setup has gone through for you in the past couple of years. One constant I see has been the Melos and the Anthem now for a while.

    Man I bet you are glad you get to burn in those tubes, speakers, and cd player at the same time.

    I'd be interested in the Arcam / Rotel shootout you do too. Never did try out one of those Arcams.

    Ah, cable lifters. That is something I haven't tried out yet. Was reading some interesting stuff over at this attached link. If I do it, it'll be some DIY sort of design.

    http://www.cabletower.com/pages/3/index.htm
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,726
    edited February 2006
    Tour2ma wrote:
    Only spent an hour or so in it due to my love affair with the FredArrays in the "big room",
    Those things are kick **** aren't they!!
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited February 2006
    They are fun, until you hear some Alpha or Epiphany. I spent Sunday afternoon before the superbowl at Gary's listening, I don't have sh#t for speakers. Still have a long way to go.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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