All work and no play...

BlueMDPicker
BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
edited November 2006 in 2 Channel Audio
...well, you know the rest of that old axiom.

So, to reward myself for working far too much lately I decided to put together a completely different 2-CH listening experiment. I picked these (Revel Ultima Gems) up today, together with the matching passive sub and external amp/crossover network (Sub-15/LE-1.) They'll be driven by a PS Audio GCA-250 which should deliver around 375 wpc into their 6 ohm nominal load. Dodd MLP ahead of that, and most likely my venerable EE tube output CDP for a source. Should be fun!
Post edited by BlueMDPicker on
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,552
    edited August 2006
    Holy geez.... how did I miss those when I was searching for ultimate bookshelves a few months ago?

    Wow... you have me impressed.... now I want naked pics! This isnt a kid's site you know!

    How much were those and how do they sound?
    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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  • dragon1952
    dragon1952 Posts: 4,899
    edited August 2006
    Yikes! Happy Birthday to YOU. ;)
    2 channel - Willsenton R8 tube integrated, Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE DAC, audio optimized NUC7i5, Windows 10 Pro/JRiver MC29/Fidelizer Plus 8.7 w/LPS and external SSD drive, PS Audio PerfectWave P3 regenerator, KEF R3 speakers, Rythmik F12SE subwoofer, Audioquest Diamond USB cable, Gabriel Gold IC's, Morrow Audio SP5 speaker cables. Computer - Windows 10/JRiver, Schiit Magni 3+/Modi 3+, Fostex PMO.4n monitors, Sennheiser HD600 headphones
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  • Schris22
    Schris22 Posts: 983
    edited August 2006
    jeez, I've always wanted to hear those but been to a few shops and no one carries it around here. Haven't really gone out of my way because those are way out of my budget! =P

    Enjoy


    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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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,962
    edited August 2006
    Very nice!! Have heard they had problems with that LE-1 though.
    Congrats!:)
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited August 2006
    Cool Beans Mike, I agree with the passive sub idea as a great way to get natural sounding bass.

    I heard Revel at my local shop hooked to some anthem gear with a Denon player, only got a few minutes on them but they were not slouches by any means, enjoy and HBD again.

    RT1
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  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    edited August 2006
    dragon1952 wrote:
    Yikes! Happy Birthday to YOU. ;)
    At least you got what you wanted ;):D:D:D
    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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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2006
    I expect a full report on my desk... :)

    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Well, the full report won't be completed until sometime in late August. A friend is delivering the Revel gear from MA on the 22nd and the amp is on its way from a dealer in TX. I, meanwhile, am flying all over the country between now and then.

    The LE-1 has been factory modded with internal power conditioning (an $1100 option), to correct the only issue with them I've seen documented--very low level hum. It, the Sub-15 and the Gems are authorized dealer floor demos with factory warranty remaining.

    The 1998 Stereophile review, by John Atkinson, of the Revel Ultima Gem and Sub-15/LE1 (http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerreviews/89/) is very thorough and interesting.

    At that time, the Gems with high-gloss paint and aluminum panels: $8000/pair. Gem pedestals: $2200/pair with aluminum bases. Ultima Sub-15, high-gloss with aluminum panels: $4500. Ultima LE-1: $6000 (without the power conditioning upgrade.) :eek: I got into this gear very "right", so if my listening experiment is a bust I can move it all with no worries.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2006
    All that just to try and equal the SDA's? :D

    Sounds like a cool system! What made you want to try those particular speakers?
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    madmax wrote:
    All that just to try and equal the SDA's? :D

    Sounds like a cool system! What made you want to try those particular speakers?
    madmax
    The SDA SRS are pretty secure at the moment in the analog sources rig.

    I've had such a good experience with the Teac amp I got from you driving the Cain & Cain Abbeys (with rear-firing super tweeter), sans preamp, with the Shanling CDT-100. I expressed an interest to my friend in MA in taking that amp technology "up a notch" with the GCA line from PS Audio and mating with something as open, rich in mids, and detailed as the Abbeys, but capable of handling more power. During our brainstorming sessions, I mentioned how much I liked my RTA-12C setup with a sub (PSW-650). One thing led to another, he got a line on the Revel gear, and it was a deal I couldn't walk away from.

    You and the other golden ear with the "mahageny" pipe will have to give me an assessment once it's all together. ;)
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2006
    I only wish I had a mahagoney pipe... :D
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited August 2006
    Mike, ummm...
    Where do you work, and are they hiring?
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Steve,

    LOL! I do okay. But, I've sold $4,000+ in gear in the last month, so this was nearly a wash.
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited August 2006
    Wow! Congrats Mike. That's a very unique pair of speakers. Please let us know how they sound after you spend some time with them. I'm very interested in your opinion especially after going through so many sets of speakers.
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  • Boonaroo
    Boonaroo Posts: 56
    edited August 2006
    Those Gems are truly that.

    The only negative thing that comes to mind about these speakers . . . Mel Gibson had a pair in his crib in "What Woman Want." Hey . . .he did get Helen Hunt in the end :p . . .think that would work for me?
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited August 2006
    Nothing like a $30k rig for alot less. Congrats and I'm sure it'll rock.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • univera
    univera Posts: 848
    edited August 2006
    Boonaroo wrote:
    Those Gems are truly that.

    The only negative thing that comes to mind about these speakers . . . Mel Gibson had a pair in his crib in "What Woman Want." Hey . . .he did get Helen Hunt in the end :p . . .think that would work for me?

    HELEN HUNT?? ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TOO MUCH FOREHEAD......Seems I heard something about Mel in the news lately...
    UNIVERA
    Historic Charleston SC

    2 Channel:
    SDA-SRS's RDO tweets
    Biamped Anthem 2 SE's w/1970's NOS Siemens CCA's
    Anthem Pre 2L w/E.harmonix platinum matched 6H23's
    CDP- NAD C 542


    HT setup:
    AVR: NAD T 773
    Rears: Polk LC80i
    DVD: Toshiba 3109 dual tray
    Subs: Velodyne and M&K
    T.V.: Sony KDL-52XBR4 w/Vans Evers Clean Line Jr.
    Conditioner: Panamax M5100EX

    Master Bedroom Sony 40KDL-XBR3

    "I love it when a plan comes together." Hannibal Smith, The A-Team
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Boonaroo wrote:
    Those Gems are truly that.

    The only negative thing that comes to mind about these speakers . . . Mel Gibson had a pair in his crib in "What Woman Want." Hey . . .he did get Helen Hunt in the end :p . . .think that would work for me?

    OH NO! Do mean that I could become a closet bigot with alcohol induced Tourette's from this experience?? :eek:

    Damn, I could have just moved to Southern Maryland and saved some cash. :p

    BTW - I think Helen Hunt is hot. I enjoy women with brains, or who can at least act as if they have brains. Perhaps that's what the extra forehead is all about? :)
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  • univera
    univera Posts: 848
    edited August 2006
    Man, you ain't even come close to the deep South (Carolina.) Ya'll are still Yankees up der. Heck, we got the NAACP compelling the NCAA to boycott any sports championships from occuring in our state over that damn flag and more money than you can throw a stick at to restore the Hunley submarine here in Charleston. Mel says he's not a bigot.....I believe aliens from outer space came down and placed those thoughts in his head!
    UNIVERA
    Historic Charleston SC

    2 Channel:
    SDA-SRS's RDO tweets
    Biamped Anthem 2 SE's w/1970's NOS Siemens CCA's
    Anthem Pre 2L w/E.harmonix platinum matched 6H23's
    CDP- NAD C 542


    HT setup:
    AVR: NAD T 773
    Rears: Polk LC80i
    DVD: Toshiba 3109 dual tray
    Subs: Velodyne and M&K
    T.V.: Sony KDL-52XBR4 w/Vans Evers Clean Line Jr.
    Conditioner: Panamax M5100EX

    Master Bedroom Sony 40KDL-XBR3

    "I love it when a plan comes together." Hannibal Smith, The A-Team
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,552
    edited August 2006
    Mike, I look forward to hearing the new set up. I'll bring an extra mahageny pipe for Chuck. ;)


    Helen Hunt......yummy!!!




    Univera, you've never been to Southern Maryland, have you!?!
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • univera
    univera Posts: 848
    edited August 2006
    Negative. Helen Hunt must visit often as she has a fan club. I hear they have fightin' turtles down there...Give me Catherine Zeta Jones....
    UNIVERA
    Historic Charleston SC

    2 Channel:
    SDA-SRS's RDO tweets
    Biamped Anthem 2 SE's w/1970's NOS Siemens CCA's
    Anthem Pre 2L w/E.harmonix platinum matched 6H23's
    CDP- NAD C 542


    HT setup:
    AVR: NAD T 773
    Rears: Polk LC80i
    DVD: Toshiba 3109 dual tray
    Subs: Velodyne and M&K
    T.V.: Sony KDL-52XBR4 w/Vans Evers Clean Line Jr.
    Conditioner: Panamax M5100EX

    Master Bedroom Sony 40KDL-XBR3

    "I love it when a plan comes together." Hannibal Smith, The A-Team
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    We drug in tired, but relaxed, from vacation early yesterday evening and found the new amp had beaten us home! I wasn't expecting it until Monday, the day before I leave on a marathon business trip, so I was all smiles (and very glad our dog sitter got it inside!) So, while the rest of the family reconnected to their world, I was happily connecting it to the upstairs, 2 CH rig (EE tube CDP and Dodd MLP doing front end honors.) It's a beauty, cosmetically and sonically.

    After reading several reviews and PS Audio's own literature, I expected to be unimpressed with it before a couple hundred hours of burn-in. Another pleasant surprise--right out of the box this baby came to play.

    The first thing that grabs you is its ability to control the transducers effortlessly with an authoritative, live presence. From very modest volume through insane levels it anchors the imaging in a realistic soundstage with no hint of LF bloom, mid to HF smear, or harshness at the highest registers. I'm running it speaker level through a PSW-650 and on to the RTA-12Cs for now and it's steller, top to bottom.

    I only had a chance to run through a couple of very well produced albums I consider my references last night: John Tropea "A Short Trip to Space", John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers "70th Birthday Concert", and Albert Collins "Ice Pickin'". In each case, I was THERE. On tap for today are the David Manley single mic sessions produced on the VTL label--and, I can't wait. For me, not unlike a great live performance, a great listening session grabs me, draws me in, stimulates me in a relaxing manner, and leaves me wanting it to never end. This amp holds the promise of many such sessions.

    More later, when the Gems and Sub-15/LE-1 enter the mix.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited August 2006
    I'll bet there is more to come as she breaks in.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    I just drove it to clipping with Tinsley Ellis' "Devil For a Dime" :o
    I'm confident the neighbors must be as big a fan as I. Had to go to 3 o'clock on the Dodd to do it. It never broke-up or got pushed out of shape in the sound stage, just tripped the protection circuit. Came right back up with a power off/on cycle. These RTA-12Cs can handle some clean power nicely.
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  • speakergeek
    speakergeek Posts: 555
    edited August 2006
    Bet they sound great! You have some nice stuff there.
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  • Loud & Clear
    Loud & Clear Posts: 1,538
    edited August 2006
    3:00????

    Two Channel Setup:

    Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
    Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
    DAC: Arcam irDac
    Source: iMac
    Remote Control: iPad Mini

    3.2 Home Theater Setup:

    Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
    Center: Klipsch RP-160M
    Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
    AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
    Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
    TV Source: DirecTV Genie
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,335
    edited August 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    I just drove it to clipping with Tinsley Ellis' "Devil For a Dime" :o
    I'm confident the neighbors must be as big a fan as I. Had to go to 3 o'clock on the Dodd to do it. It never broke-up or got pushed out of shape in the sound stage, just tripped the protection circuit. Came right back up with a power off/on cycle. These RTA-12Cs can handle some clean power nicely.

    Turn it down Mike! I can hear it in Pittsburgh!:D
    Carl

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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Loud & Clear wrote:
    3:00????
    Yeah, you know, like 11 on a guitar amp. Right before you disappear in a poof of green smoke.
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  • marker
    marker Posts: 1,084
    edited August 2006
    Congrats! I have a pair of Concerta M12s that are my favorite pair of bookshelves that I have right now.

    Edit - make that favorite passive bookshelf.
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    madmax wrote:
    I'll bet there is more to come as she breaks in.
    madmax
    The GCA-250 now has 350+ hours of burn-in (I left it running with Sirius radio as a source for the duration of my marathon business trip). It continues to impress me across the board. The mid range seems to have benefited from the burn-in time with an improvement in natural tonal quality.

    The Gems and Sub-15 enter the fray tomorrow.
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