What did you do to your stereo rig today?
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Just jumped on an incredible deal for a dealer demo, with approximately 20 hours of use, Clearaudio virtuoso ebony cartridge. It may exceed the capabilities of my Technics SL1200 turntable, but the deal was too good to pass up.Enjoying the journey while never attaining the destination.
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I think it will elevate the capabilities of your Technics.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.
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I think it will elevate the capabilities of your Technics.
I hope so. I have done significant upgrades to this turntable. KAB bearing, SME arm with Cardas hyperlitz tonearm wire, external transformer, Dynamat dampened plinth, upgraded isolation feet and a sound dampened steel (actually aluminum) platter mat, so it's no slouch. Oh, and I recently replaced the old tonearm cable wires out of necessity, but I'm not sure if that was an improvement. More like a parallel move. The blue LED's don't improve the sound, but they look cool
Enjoying the journey while never attaining the destination. -
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Nice setup.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.
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What have I done to my stereo system today? Well today I will have delivered a new pair of KEF R3 bookshelves! This is the 3rd pair of speakers I've bought in the last 2 1/2 months. I will be comparing them to my new BMR Philharmonic monitors, which I've already chosen over the Focal 906's I recently acquired.
Starting 8 months ago I started revising my entire system and have replaced my amp, tube pre, DAC and power conditioner and most cabling. I did a lot of buying and selling in order to demo various components and drove my wife crazy but I think this will be the last face-off as I am satisfied as is.
I'll be pretty surprised if the KEF's oust the BMR's but I if I hadn't demoed the KEF's I'd always be wondering. I got them from Crutchfield so I can return if needed and the BMR's will sell fast I'm sure if that's the way I go. That's what I tell the wife anyway :^ )
Here's a pic of the current setup. The main new stuff is the Hegel integrated, Holo Spring 3 KTE DAC, the BMR's and the PS Audio power conditioner.
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 -
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. -
The BMR's sound like a floor stander. Very full and 3 dimensional with nice depth of soundstage whereas the Focals sounded as good but lacked the depth and fullness. I think it's just the limitations of a 2 way vs a 3 way. The R3's should be more similar to the BMR's. One reason I wanted to demo the R3's, besides them being a 3 way like the BMR's, is that they are a narrow directivity speaker and I wanted to see if that was better suited to my room. The Focal's and BMR's are both wide directivity.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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My new Kimber 12-TC bi-wire speaker cables arrived today. They are replacing some old Monoprice 14ga speakers wire. I'm a believer! Cables definitely make a difference! HOLY COW! THESE SOUND AMAZING!! More clarity, more bass, more detailed vocals, more defined and wider stereo image. Why didn't I do this years ago? 😫 From what I understand, what I'm experiencing will only improve as the cables burn in? Wow...
Enjoying the journey while never attaining the destination. -
Monoprice 14 gauge to Kimber 9 gauge....yep that's quite a jump! Congrats! And yes, you should have done this years ago ;^ )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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But it's only wire!!!
Congrats!- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit. -
dragon1952 wrote: »The BMR's sound like a floor stander. Very full and 3 dimensional with nice depth of soundstage whereas the Focals sounded as good but lacked the depth and fullness. I think it's just the limitations of a 2 way vs a 3 way. The R3's should be more similar to the BMR's. One reason I wanted to demo the R3's, besides them being a 3 way like the BMR's, is that they are a narrow directivity speaker and I wanted to see if that was better suited to my room. The Focal's and BMR's are both wide directivity.
I think you’ll find the R3s have a ginormous soundstage.
Either way, you have great options to choose from.
I’m enjoying your journey.
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. -
My new Kimber 12-TC bi-wire speaker cables arrived today. They are replacing some old Monoprice 14ga speakers wire. I'm a believer! Cables definitely make a difference! HOLY COW! THESE SOUND AMAZING!! More clarity, more bass, more detailed vocals, more defined and wider stereo image. Why didn't I do this years ago? 😫 From what I understand, what I'm experiencing will only improve as the cables burn in? Wow...
Well they sure are pretty!Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre Upgraded with Mundorf Supremes
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
I didn't really do anything to my system today, but I did just score a new in the box Oppo BDP-103 for $300 😁. I will post pictures once it's hooked up. I will be using it strictly for music.Enjoying the journey while never attaining the destination.
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I didn't really do anything to my system today, but I did just score a new in the box Oppo BDP-103 for $300 😁. I will post pictures once it's hooked up. I will be using it strictly for music.
Nice score……
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A couple of weeks ago I picked up a Bob Latino ST-120 that I really liked. I had a pair of Snell J/IIIs that I thought would suit this amp until I got the speakers I was trying to get but fell through due to distance and logistics. Today I received a 2nd SVS SB-2000 and decided to try the pair of subs as stands. Yep. It sounds great. I'm running the Snells full range and the subs on another output with a 50Hz crossover.Make it Funky!
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So, yesterday I tried something that I had a feeling would not make any difference at all.....but I tried it anyway. Back when I originally got the Auralic Vega G2 network Audio Player, I went ahead and ordered 2 or 3 different Ethernet cables. My thought process was that it wouldn't change the sound at all but that it might help with the transferring of information at faster/better speeds.....but as mentioned, I wasn't expecting any change at all.
Man, was I wrong. Completely wrong.
I hooked up one of the extra Cat 8 cables I had ordered last year. (I know, they don't even have a standard for that yet but the data transfer rates/speeds they were showing looked promising) After hooking up the new cable, I turned the Vega G2 back on and hit play.
I played the same exact song I had just sat down to listen too 5 minutes before. While expecting absolutely NO difference at all (since it's not part of the audio signal or incoming power). I was very pleasantly surprised at what I was now hearing through the Vega G2.
I hadn't even sat down in the sweet spot yet and I could tell that there was a vast difference between what I had heard before and what I was hearing now. Not quite believing what my own ears were telling me off axis, I immediately sat down in the sweet spot.
I don't think I left the sweet spot for an hour or two after that. Yosi Horikawa's, "Bubbles" easily took on another 10 feet in width to each side of the sound stage. Height perception as well as a drastic increase in depth perception was immediately noticeable. It made it from listening to/following a sound to being able to "see" the image as it moved up and down, back or forth to the point to where you knew exactly where what you were listening to was at. Laser sharp focus now.
While listening to London Grammar's, "Hey Now"? I made the comment in a text to Trey that.....and I quote, "I'll be damned if it doesn't sound like physical music! No way....". This was followed by a text that read, "I am not believing what I am hearing.....I am simply not. The floor beneath me is shaking and the visceral presence is unreal".
All of these aspects were a far cry from what I had been listening to since I got the Auralic Vega G2 up and running. I could always and easily tell when I was listening to the NAP. Now, not so much anymore.
All this over a simple Ethernet cable I thought wouldn't amount to a hill of beans regarding the end result as to what hit my ears.
Who knew?
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. ~ -
All that and you're not going to tell us the brand name of the cable? ARE YOU NEW TO THE HOBBY?
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What cat 8 cable?
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My bad. I bought them over a year ago and they are just some cheap, no name cables that had better spec's than the normal cables I had laying around. I never installed them because of the issues I kept having getting the Vega G2 to play music (ended up being a wi-fi issue that a mesh network solved).
I had to search through my old Amazon orders to find it. At the time I bought it, if memory serves me correctly, it was around $14 for a 6 foot cable. They are 50% off right now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QLXC6QR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
Best $14 I ever spent!
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. ~ -
Just ordered one and paid a extra 2.99 for between 5 and 7 pm today delivery. Total was like 12 .99. .
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Just installed these spikes from Meniscus Audio. Excellent product. https://meniscusaudio.com/product/large-spikes/
SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
Nice!SDA SRS 2.3TL's
Silk Audio MS-90-BT integrated tube amp
Yaqin MS-20L integrated tube amp
SDA 2B TL's -
Cat 8 arrived 6 hours after order Amazon same day $2.99 extra , still under $13 dollars . Hope I have same experience tom did.
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Listening to it now and I like what I hear . I was using one of those yellow ones that Xfinity gives you . It was my only cable that wasn't upgraded in my chain.
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So, yesterday I tried something that I had a feeling would not make any difference at all.....but I tried it anyway. Back when I originally got the Auralic Vega G2 network Audio Player, I went ahead and ordered 2 or 3 different Ethernet cables. My thought process was that it wouldn't change the sound at all but that it might help with the transferring of information at faster/better speeds.....but as mentioned, I wasn't expecting any change at all.
Man, was I wrong. Completely wrong.
I hooked up one of the extra Cat 8 cables I had ordered last year. (I know, they don't even have a standard for that yet but the data transfer rates/speeds they were showing looked promising) After hooking up the new cable, I turned the Vega G2 back on and hit play.
I played the same exact song I had just sat down to listen too 5 minutes before. While expecting absolutely NO difference at all (since it's not part of the audio signal or incoming power). I was very pleasantly surprised at what I was now hearing through the Vega G2.
I hadn't even sat down in the sweet spot yet and I could tell that there was a vast difference between what I had heard before and what I was hearing now. Not quite believing what my own ears were telling me off axis, I immediately sat down in the sweet spot.
I don't think I left the sweet spot for an hour or two after that. Yosi Horikawa's, "Bubbles" easily took on another 10 feet in width to each side of the sound stage. Height perception as well as a drastic increase in depth perception was immediately noticeable. It made it from listening to/following a sound to being able to "see" the image as it moved up and down, back or forth to the point to where you knew exactly where what you were listening to was at. Laser sharp focus now.
While listening to London Grammar's, "Hey Now"? I made the comment in a text to Trey that.....and I quote, "I'll be damned if it doesn't sound like physical music! No way....". This was followed by a text that read, "I am not believing what I am hearing.....I am simply not. The floor beneath me is shaking and the visceral presence is unreal".
All of these aspects were a far cry from what I had been listening to since I got the Auralic Vega G2 up and running. I could always and easily tell when I was listening to the NAP. Now, not so much anymore.
All this over a simple Ethernet cable I thought wouldn't amount to a hill of beans regarding the end result as to what hit my ears.
Who knew?
Tom
Stuck in listening spot also Tom , I swear it added about five feet to the sound stage. Nice crisp
drums and highs to die for. noticeable difference from Xfinity cat yellow cable. It was 8.99 plus 2.99 for same day shipping. 2 thumbs up, i spent hundreds and not a noticeable difference.THANKS TOM -
So, yesterday I tried something that I had a feeling would not make any difference at all.....but I tried it anyway. Back when I originally got the Auralic Vega G2 network Audio Player, I went ahead and ordered 2 or 3 different Ethernet cables. My thought process was that it wouldn't change the sound at all but that it might help with the transferring of information at faster/better speeds.....but as mentioned, I wasn't expecting any change at all.
Man, was I wrong. Completely wrong.
I hooked up one of the extra Cat 8 cables I had ordered last year. (I know, they don't even have a standard for that yet but the data transfer rates/speeds they were showing looked promising) After hooking up the new cable, I turned the Vega G2 back on and hit play.
I played the same exact song I had just sat down to listen too 5 minutes before. While expecting absolutely NO difference at all (since it's not part of the audio signal or incoming power). I was very pleasantly surprised at what I was now hearing through the Vega G2.
I hadn't even sat down in the sweet spot yet and I could tell that there was a vast difference between what I had heard before and what I was hearing now. Not quite believing what my own ears were telling me off axis, I immediately sat down in the sweet spot.
I don't think I left the sweet spot for an hour or two after that. Yosi Horikawa's, "Bubbles" easily took on another 10 feet in width to each side of the sound stage. Height perception as well as a drastic increase in depth perception was immediately noticeable. It made it from listening to/following a sound to being able to "see" the image as it moved up and down, back or forth to the point to where you knew exactly where what you were listening to was at. Laser sharp focus now.
While listening to London Grammar's, "Hey Now"? I made the comment in a text to Trey that.....and I quote, "I'll be damned if it doesn't sound like physical music! No way....". This was followed by a text that read, "I am not believing what I am hearing.....I am simply not. The floor beneath me is shaking and the visceral presence is unreal".
All of these aspects were a far cry from what I had been listening to since I got the Auralic Vega G2 up and running. I could always and easily tell when I was listening to the NAP. Now, not so much anymore.
All this over a simple Ethernet cable I thought wouldn't amount to a hill of beans regarding the end result as to what hit my ears.
Who knew?
Tom
Very noticeable difference, 5 feet added to the sound stage. Crisp drums and highs to die for . Listening to rush. Best 12.99 I spent !!! If spent hundreds and didn't get results like this. Two thumbs up Tom. THANKS TOM -
Stuck in listening position also tom
