What did you do to your stereo rig today?

Options
1…131132134136137…208

Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,406
    Options
    This quote from their site kind of cracked me up.
    Coloring maple is surprisingly tricky; standard wood stains give very mixed results. So we hired a finishing specialist to work with the Amish to develop for us special toned finish blends with a multi-step finish tailored to the unique problems of staining Ambrosia maple.
    While it is true that coloring maple with pigmented wiping stains yields unsatisfactory results the "special toned finish" comment is well...not so special. It's done all the time by furniture manufacturers and restoration/refinishing businesses. A dye is added to the clear coat and the mix is sprayed on. This results in a very even color tone over the entire piece because the color is in the finish not in the wood. It also results in greater transparency and depth.

    · Share on Facebook
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,406
    edited March 2022
    Options
    I'm going to comment on this also.
    Besides their striking looks, they actually slightly enhance the maple's sonic performance.
    I do not believe maple has any sonic performance advantage over any other wood species. If anything, MDF would be a better choice than any wood species due to density and in particular, uniformity.

    A side note and personal observation. At every CAF I've been to the Mapleshade room sounded worse than any other.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    They have a lot to say about the subject:

    "Maple's sonic superiority over all other woods is old news to every violin and piano maker since Stradivarius and Steinway. Instrument makers taught us to NEVER use commercial, kiln-dried maple. The kiln's high heat weakens the wood's fibers, thereby deadening sound. Air-dried maple is less colored and closer to the sound of our master tapes than any other platform material—audibly better than harder or softer or denser woods, and notably better than kiln-dried maple or, worse yet, maple butcher blocks (excessively damped by their multitude of glue joints and their kiln-drying)."


    • MDF is the worst sounding wood product; it kills treble, smears detail and produces thuddy bass. Plywood is a slightly better but still way behind solid maple.

    • Glass, granite, or slate are even worse sounding than MDF and make treble sound harsh while weakening and dulling the bass.

    • Hi-tech damped composites strongly deaden overtones and dynamics.

    • Myrtle or exotic tropical hardwoods sound better than plywood but are tonally colored and suppress detail.
    · Share on Facebook
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,406
    Options
    They aren't making musical instruments.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    I believe they consider the equipment rack and/or speaker stands to be an instrument of sorts.
    · Share on Facebook
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,748
    Options
    Musical instruments need resonance and tone. Pretty much the exact opposite of what you would want in an equipment rack.

    But I also have my gear sitting on ventilated closet shelving, so there's that
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    You heard it here first, putting your gear on wire racks make for the best sound.
    · Share on Facebook
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,748
    Options
    I agree! 😜
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on Facebook
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,742
    Options
    From what I recall from the Mapleshade catalog, the late Pierre Sprey was so over-the-top enthusiastic about the sonic qualities of his maple products that I could not believe what I was reading. It likely prevented me from trying some of his other offerings.
    · Share on Facebook
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,359
    Options
    Anyone else smell that? It......it smells a bit like snake oil and the smell just got pungently strong on this particular page of the thread.

    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. ~
    · Share on Facebook
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    The only thing I can smell is @Hermitism's Wireworld cables, that damn stench is permanently etched into my brain.
    · Share on Facebook
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,250
    Options
    I love my Mapleshade rack, and it is a 1000 times better than my old rack. However, when I bought it in 2013 I had different gear than now. If I was buying new I would get a 5 shelf single wide rack, and two one shelf platforms for the amps, but I can live with the current rack.

    Old rack.
    heue0elvqqwc.jpeg

    New rack
    b7s0bgf2mldz.jpeg
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited March 2022
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • jbreezy5
    jbreezy5 Posts: 1,141
    Options
    Bummer! I know you like the sound, But I’d run after 2 failures.
    CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC

    DACs: Jolida Glass FX Tube DAC III (x2); Denafrips Ares II (x2)

    Streamers: ROKU (x3); Bluesound Node 2i and Node N130 w/LHY LPS // Receivers: Yamaha RX-V775BT; Yamaha RX-V777

    Preamps: B&K Ref 50; B&K Ref 5 S2; Classe CP-800 MkII; Audio Research SP16L (soon)

    Amps: Niles SI-275; B&K ST125.7; B&K ST125.2; Classe CA-2300; Butler Audio TDB-5150

    Speakers: Boston Acoustics CR55; Focal Chorus 705v; Wharfedale Diamond 10.2; Monitor Audio Silver-1; Def Tech Mythos One (x4)/Mythos Three Center (x2)/Mythos Two pr.; Martin Logan Electromotion ESL; Legacy Audio Victoria/Silverscreen Center; Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1; SVS SB-1000 Pro; REL HT-1003; B&W ASW610; HifiMan HE400i

    Turntable: Dual 721 Direct-Drive w/Audio Technica AT-VM95e cart

    Cables: Tripp-lite 14ga. PCs, Blue Jeans Cable ICs, Philips PXT1000 ICs; Kimber Kable DV30 coaxial ICs; Canare L-4E6S XLR ICs; Kimber Kable 8PR & 8TC speaker cables.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 52,406
    Options
    Arcam whilst known for their sound quality is unfortunately more well known for their gear failures, particularly their AVR's. You might consider looking elsewhere.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,359
    Options
    Don't get the Yamaha. Your ears will thank you and you would just be wasting your time/money. I know they market, "Natural Sound" but they are nowhere close to it.....and IME? Completely underwhelming.

    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. ~
    · Share on Facebook
  • displayname
    displayname Posts: 1,248
    Options
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    That was my initial reaction to. Arcam has a new lineup coming so I was able to get 1500 off the AVR20, in a sealed new box. If it fails I am back to square one, as the new line is a thousand dollars more across the range.

    Will this new line likely be the first full line to be produced since the Samsung acquisition? I believe they released one line since that happened, but I think it was pretty much done and set to launch before that acquisition was finalized.
    Analog: Hana ML > VPI Prime Signature 21 > Bob's Devices Sky 20-S > Sutherland 20/20 w/LPS
    Digital: Cambridge CXC / Streaming > Cambridge CXN v2
    Norma IPA-140 > Rosso Fiorentino Volterra
    Hifiman EF600 > Hifiman Arya Stealth
    Discogs
    · Share on Facebook
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,748
    Options
    I have a Yamaha 3070 for HT, it does a great job for theater. For 2 channel though, definitely no where close
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on Facebook
  • treitz3
    treitz3 Posts: 20,359
    Options
    Agreed. Perhaps I should have clarified more. His use would be for both. While he may like it on the HT side of things, I don't think he would be impressed at all for his current speakers on 2-channel listening.

    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. ~
    · Share on Facebook
  • BlueBirdMusic
    BlueBirdMusic Posts: 3,131
    Options
    From history regarding lots of things:

    ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY!
    "Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"
    Harry / Marietta GA
    m9iutt1ly1yd.png
    · Share on Facebook
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 35,562
    Options
    BlueBirdMusic wrote: »
    From history regarding lots of things:

    ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY!
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    BlueBirdMusic wrote: »
    From history regarding lots of things:

    ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY!
    I prefer third times the charm...

    how do you feel about:
    The early bird gets the worm,
    but the second mouse gets the cheese

    B)

    PS and now I've got that Ian Hunter/Mott the Hoople song (also covered by Great White) stuck in my head, too... :#
    · Share on Facebook
  • xsmi
    xsmi Posts: 1,812
    Options
    kaw8t7fsorge.jpeg
    Added the black anodized aluminum trim to my XPA-2. The original owner preferred the silver, removed the black and lost them before he sold it to me. The black seems to classy it up a bit.
    2-channel Yaqin B2-T Pre, Emotiva XPA-2 Gen 2, Marantz SA8005, Pro-Ject RPM-10 Turntable, Denon DP-59L Pro-Ject Phono Box DS3B, Polk Audio Legend L800's, AudioQuest Cable throughout.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    This content has been removed.
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    JBL Synthesis?
    · Share on Facebook
  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 29,748
    Options
    After not having sound for 6 weeks... About to plug this bad boy in

    edvyzyi1kstj.jpg
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
    · Share on Facebook
  • Clipdat
    Clipdat Posts: 13,104
    Options
    Time to break it in with some baby shark!
    · Share on Facebook