All work and no play...

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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited August 2006
    sweeet, glad to hear you are getting to the magic, we dont talk much about Revel but its always been on my "list" since getting a local demo.

    RT1
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    The Gems, Sub-15 and LE-1 are, at long last, in place!

    This is the nicest gear I've had my hands (and ears) on so far. Fit, finish and materials are what one would expect in this price point. While assembling the stands, bases, and side panels to the cabinets I was "back in the day" when street rod building was passion one. I've worked behind some true master machinists who one-offed parts I designed. This was the same experience.

    Setup of the Sub-15/LE-1 was a snap with Revel's excellently formatted manuals. The last nail biting came as I powered everything up, fingers crossed that the new gear would synergize with the new GCA-250, Dodd MLP, and EE Minimax CDP. Ahh, no worries.... audio magic was in the air instantly.

    The sound is simply natural and immediately engaging. After working through the first few cuts of John Tropea's "Short Trip to Space", I tweaked the front and rear tweeters to -1/+4 respectively and dialed the sub output into -25. Done! The sub, with right hand corner placement, puts the LF perfectly into the soundstage without a hint of its point source.

    On the subject of a sub with 2-channel music, I must admit I was rather solidly in the "there's no place for one" camp for years. My experiences with a Polk Audio PSW-650, Dynaco ST-70, and Polk Audio RTA-12Cs permanently changed all that. The PSW-650 is a very musical sub. The Sub-15 solidifies the backbone of the music. I now tell those who still hold my former views that if a sub doesn't belong in music reproduction, then a bass doesn't belong in a trio or quintet.

    Well, I'm a happy camper. Back to the music!
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,552
    edited August 2006
    Can't wait to get my ears on this set up.
    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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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited August 2006
    Mike,
    BEAUTIFUL:cool: :cool: :cool: . I bet it sounds amazing. I agree with the subwoofer comment. When everything is working in harmony, the sub completely dissappear. The 650 is indeed a very musical sub.
    My 650 had a life of it's own when I connected it directly to the pre. The PRaT between the sub and mains was completely off. Then one day I decided to run a second set of wires from the amp to the sub and use this hook-up. Much, much better. The sub took on the amplifier's sound signature and everything finally sounded right.

    Which sub are you using there in the corner?
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Hey Jesse, the door is always open.

    Thanks Maurice. The sub is the Revel Ultima Sub-15 (non-powered), driven by the pictured LE-1 amp/crossover. The signal connections go pre to LE-1, LE-1 to power amp. Output to sub from LE-1.

    I just sold the PSW-650 to a guy that works for me for his HT setup. I hated to see that piece go. I may have started a 2-channel addiction with him. He sat in the sweet spot for the SDA SRS rig before he left. He'd never heard SDAs and it was a ball watching him turn his head to images in the sound staging. ;)
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited August 2006
    LOL. Man, did you tell him the credit card will be his new best friend?;). If only he knows what he's getting himself into lol:D.

    You're really going hardcore with your rigs. Enjoy man:cool:!
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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited August 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    I may have started a 2-channel addiction with him. He sat in the sweet spot for the SDA SRS rig before he left. He'd never heard SDAs and it was a ball watching him turn his head to images in the sound staging. ;)


    You're cruel.

    He'll be "NEEDING" some SDAs, now. Surely in your neck of the woods, finding him a decent set of SDAs shouldn't be too hard to do.
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    Organ wrote:
    You're really going hardcore with your rigs. Enjoy man!
    Nah, just having some fun. ;) You'd really dig this new concept rig a lot I believe. This digital amp has brass balls and a voice smoother than silk. I'm listening to Al Di Meola's "Kiss My Axe" as I type (35 feet away and considerably off axis) and the presentation is stellar. The second cut on the album has HUGE percussive explosions with kettle drums, flute and metal percussion - un-effing-believable!
    ND13 wrote:
    He'll be "NEEDING" some SDAs, now. Surely in your neck of the woods, finding him a decent set of SDAs shouldn't be too hard to do.

    I have an essentially NIB pair of SDA 2As with upgraded tweeters that are his if the "buyer" on Audiogon doesn't get his butt over here this weekend to get them. Or, I may entice him into the fold with the crossover modded 2Bs eventually. He will be assimilated.
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  • DAGLJAM6
    DAGLJAM6 Posts: 635
    edited August 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    I'm listening to Al Di Meola's "Kiss My Axe" as I type (35 feet away and considerably off axis) and the presentation is stellar. The second cut on the album has HUGE percussive explosions with kettle drums, flute and metal percussion - un-effing-believable!

    YEp!!! a very sweet track/disc for displaying dynamics in a given system. Nice set up Mike, btw, have you tried the turntable in this rig yet?
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited August 2006
    DAGLJAM6 wrote:
    YEp!!! a very sweet track/disc for displaying dynamics in a given system. Nice set up Mike, btw, have you tried the turntable in this rig yet?

    Thanks Dave. We have front stage seating to see Al in a small club on Sept. 30--can't wait.

    The vinyl rig works so well I'm afraid to touch anything on it. So, no, I haven't done any vinyl with the new setup. This upstairs listening room has a bit too much bounce in the floor with rugrats afoot to make me very comfortable spinning vinyl. :o
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  • Boonaroo
    Boonaroo Posts: 56
    edited August 2006
    It looks great!!!

    Hellen H would be proud.

    Boonaroo
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    My LE-1/FM2 received a cracked trace on the PCB (gee, thanks UPS) which didn't surface until a couple of weeks in operation. Although it took better than 5 weeks turn around time, I can't praise Harman International enough for the excellent after purchase support and service (they even paid shipping both ways on this 104 pound beast of an amp.) So, this week I was able to get the entire Revel/PS Audio rig back in operation. The Ultima Gems are spectacular sans sub, but with the active crossover and Sub-15 they are stellar.

    The down time allowed me to secure some items I'd been wanting to add to this setup: Statement balanced IC's and Statement speaker cables. I had Statement single-ended IC's, so I was able to A/B the setup and the balanced IC's won hands down (primarily, IMO, due to the extensive wiring this particular setup requires.) I've also added a TT to the system and vinyl is to die for with this mix.

    As mentioned earlier in the thread, this was a complete experiment. And, it's panned-out better than I could have hoped for. Great synergy and a liquid, seductive sound that just takes you away.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,987
    edited November 2006
    What a rig. That's s$%t your flathat kind of gear.

    Nice!!!
    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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  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited November 2006
    Holy BeJesus!!!!

    SCHAAAWIIING!!
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited November 2006
    Congrats

    I had a chance to recently hear the Revel Ultima Salons run by Mark Levinson No. 436 Mono blocks at a friends house and they are stunning speakers. Revel's are on my dream list. Actually my friend said he was thinking of selling his Revels and he'd sell them to me for $6500. Not bad for a $22,000 pair of speakers. Except I don't have the $6500.

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showpost.php?p=530730&postcount=1

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,552
    edited November 2006
    Havent heard the Revels... those are on my audition list.
    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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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    heiney9 wrote:
    Actually my friend said he was thinking of selling his Revels and he'd sell them to me for $6500. Not bad for a $22,000 pair of speakers. Except I don't have the $6500.
    Those are beautiful looking and sounding speakers. That's $1500 below blue book. My recommendation: buy them and turn them--even if you have to borrow the money short term.

    The Ultima 2 series was released about six weeks ago, but the original Ultima Salons have a great reputation and I don't think you'll see much of a price slide.

    If you're friend is serious about moving them, keep me in mind. ;)
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited November 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    Those are beautiful looking and sounding speakers. That's $1500 below blue book. My recommendation: buy them and turn them--even if you have to borrow the money short term.

    The Ultima 2 series was released about six weeks ago, but the original Ultima Salons have a great reputation and I don't think you'll see much of a price slide.

    If you're friend is serious about moving them, keep me in mind. ;)

    If you read my link you know his company reps Revel. And the only reason he is thinking about moving them is to upgrade to the Ultima 2 series. What's even sicker is because the finish on his Revel's were discontinued he bought them (mind you the company he owns reps Revel) for $9000 a pair brand new. I think he was just pontificating about selling them but, with him you never know. If I hear of him wanting to sell them I'll keep you in mind. See for me I'd have to come up with the $6500 plus another 4-5 grand to get equipment that could do them justice :p .

    The auditon however short just blew me away though. Very nice sounding speakers is an understatement.
    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited November 2006
    Beautiful setup Mike!
    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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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    Thanks Russ, Noel, Joey, H9 and Cathy. It sounds better than it looks. Wire management with this pit of pythons IC/PC setup leaves much to be desired. I can pull it off viewed from the front of the rack. But, as you can see in the extreme right-hand view, there's no way to consolidate it any better.

    BTW - wire does make a difference. :p
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    DAGLJAM6 wrote:
    Nice set up Mike, btw, have you tried the turntable in this rig yet?
    The stand-by table sounded so good that I picked up this Bluenote Bellavista with B-5 signature arm and Dynavector 20H cartridge for this rig. So much for separate analog and digital source rigs. ;)
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  • DAGLJAM6
    DAGLJAM6 Posts: 635
    edited November 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    The stand-by table sounded so good that I picked up this Bluenote Bellavista with B-5 signature arm and Dynavector 20H cartridge for this rig. So much for separate analog and digital source rigs. ;)

    Excellent...that's the set up i'd like to hear....
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    I don't think it will all fit in my carry-on next week. Guess you'll have to come North. ;)
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  • DAGLJAM6
    DAGLJAM6 Posts: 635
    edited November 2006
    BlueMDPicker wrote:
    Guess you'll have to come North. ;)

    That's in the works ,after the first of the year!
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  • BlueMDPicker
    BlueMDPicker Posts: 7,569
    edited November 2006
    Now that's excellent! See ya' next week (finally.)
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