What did you do to your stereo rig today?

VR3 wrote: »

I used the high end hifi tuning fuses that uses a solid silver filament. It was the only fuse on the market that was built from the ground up versus a cheap fuse that was modified

Ah, now I remember you talking about these. These still made no discernible change, eh? They may not be as outrageously expensive as the QSR but when you factor in 8 of them, that adds up quickly. Quick question...Were they the silver or gold and silver ones, Trey?

I have recently been eyeing the Masterpiece Series M1 fuse https://jaguaraudio.com/product/audio-magic-beeswax-fuses/ but I haven't pulled the trigger, as other expenses have come up. Your observations now put me in a little doubt on how much of a difference they will make, especially given the amount needed and cost.

The QSR, you will have to hear it in and out of the system. This one, it is clear (at least the Red and Black one) is unmistakable that it is in the system. The palpability of each musician/singer is put way more into focus.

My issue with it (at least until it's done settling in) is that the lower registers overexcite the room very quickly and that some notes are reverbing/resonating within the room to a degree that they become annoying. That and the lead singers are closer (with regards to a couple of selections) to you and that becomes something that is a characteristic that I do not like at all. If there is one thing I do not like, that's "in your face" music. BACK OFF!

That's the one reason I got rid of the Rega Apollo way back in the day. Some people prefer a more forward sound stage, I do not.

But, then there are the attributes as well. When listening to James Taylor's, "Gaia" and the real low passage came in, it felt like the house was going to fall down. You actually felt it more than you heard it. That was a killer aspect and it held through with complete authority and crystal clear note/frequency delineation. Please note, I have not changed any of the settings on the subs, so this all came from the Woodmere's themself.

There are more changes but with my ears still buggered up at the moment, I will decline writing down/sharing anything until I "truly" hear what this thing does.

TEAforONE wrote: »

Beautiful system Tom. What subs are you running? Also, I find the “bells” very intriguing. How would you say they affect the sound? I’ve seen folks use the smaller “bowls”, do the larger ones do something different?

Thanks for the kind words, Ray. The subs I have are Stereo set of Rythmik F-25 800w Direct Servo sub's sitting on spiked Target MR Maximum Rigidity Speaker stands. They are set to where they blend in to the mains and from the mains to the room. They are there pretty much for reinforcement, as the Woodmere's are (for the most part) a full range speaker (22-25K)

The "bells" are something that I really enjoy. They are 100% passive and what they do is add a sense of air, enhance singers and instruments to where the presentation, as a whole, is enhanced in a way that is definitely not SS or tube. It makes things more "organic" and natural sounding. Ron brought this "bell" over to the house the day I got my Woodmere's and I instantly fell in love with it.

It is, IMO, definitely not a waste of money but the "bang for the buck"? Well, you don't get as much as you could with that money spent elsewhere within the system. This is just for that final enhancement that makes everything more palpable and frankly, "real sounding", instead of just a playback system reproducing music. It is wonderful when you hear what it is that they actually do.

It was worth everything I spent on it and it was worth the 8 months or so that I had to scour the web everyday to find one actually come up on the used market. I would never buy one new at the retail asking price. They are asking waaaay too much for one (IMO). But, in audio, there are a lot of things that cost too much. I guess this is just one of them.

After yesterday's experimenting with two of them in the room, both Ron and I are in the hunt for another one. Two are most definitely better than one in a room and we had a blast yesterday playing around with the placement and evaluating what they did. 2 of them in the front didn't do much than one but when we moved his "bell" toward the back L corner and pointed it back toward the system and cocked a little bit more toward the L speaker? That was an eye opener, or shall I say, "ear" opener. It gave you the sense that you were really "there, at the performance with the musicians".

As far as the smaller "bells" go? I cannot comment, as the two HighEnd Novum PMR Premium Mk.II's ("bells") that I had in the room yesterday are the only two "bells" I have ever heard. Prior to hearing and eventually obtaining one, I had always wondered what they did.

Tom

I think I was doing the very same thing on the first post of this thread. I have advanced a bit since then. Down to within less than a 16th of an inch on all parameters.

It makes a BIG difference and can not be overstated. I'll make a seperate thread about how I go about things now. I must have spent over 6 hours today just adjusting the speakers to as close to perfection as I can get them.

Been listening ever since and I am really liking the end result as to what hits my ears.

Tom

Alright, Todd. Spill the beans.....what are you up too?

Tom