Fidelity Research FR-64 vs. FR-54

Raul, your system has some interesting components. There are two glaring issues in my view -

1. It is simply not possible to accommodate a true full range system in your small, over damped room without the room itself inducing significant distortion. The location of your equipment between your speakers and the proximity of the speakers and subwoofers so close to the walls is a severe restriction on performance. If you believe that you have achieved flat response in this environment, then it must be at the expense of significant phase and time errors at the listening position resulting in severely distorted soundstage reproduction and distorted fundamentals and overtones.
Furthermore the multi driver approach to speaker building has its own distortions related to competing wavefronts emanating from the drivers in room that cause smearing and phase and time anomalies. Not even steep crossover designs and digital correction systems can fully address this issue.

2.You have stated recently that your analogue source cannot match your digital source. This indicates to me that your analogue system is seriously deficient, particularly in resolution. I have heard Meitner, Soulution, MSB, PS Audio Direct Stream, Zanden digital front ends in situ and they are still not up to the best analogue in resolution. I would suggest you look at purchasing a fully integrated analogue front end such as a complete Rega package ( P10 including Rega arm and cartridge ) that is plug and play. This would give you a benchmark analogue front end that will enable you to see where you have gone wrong. It is possible because you have so many turntables, arms and cartridges that you cannot see the wood for the trees and indeed are missing out on the analogue experience.

In summary it is great that you enjoy your system, but your system is a summation of distortions induced at every level in the chain including the room. That you would hold out that your system has lower distortions than any other on this forum would be a fantasy at best..
Regards

The location of your equipment between your speakers and the proximity of the speakers and subwoofers so close to the walls is a severe restriction on performance.

Hi Dover, I agree completely with you assessment on Raul’s room / treatment, especially the problem of putting all those turntables so close to the speakers. The airborne vibration, feedback to the turntable system when music is playing, is more than enough to wipe out all the so call low distortion measures of the equipment.

Yes, most audiophiles do put their turntables in the same room as the speakers for convenience purpose, but for someone like Raul, who claims to have pull all the stops on eliminating distortions?!!!!

I'm still laughing from Syntax's post.

Dear @dover / @thekong : As always you only looking for an " error " in what I posted here and elsewhere. I can’t remember you any single post in reference to mines where you really enriched/enhanced the ignorance level of audiophiles that reads the threads/posts. Always looking for an opportunity to " attack ". Fortunatelly with no success and this only increment your frustations.

Anyway, here my answer to your post:

as a very good student you repeat what the AHEE teached to all of us but that is not real rule because each " stage/enviroment " is diferent. Let me explain mine:

my subwoofers are not close to walls or in the corners, as a fact one of it is located in a " free " space and the other has the only wall damped, I still use, behind it. The main speakers that works 87 hz to over 25khz has no wall behind it but windows where in the center of the window ( floor to ceiling ) I have like 1m. wide damping. One of the main speakers is almost in a " freee " space. My in purpose room damping I’m using are ( mainly ) diffusors by RPG.

The furniture in the room are mainly wood/wool/cotton fabrics that are very good difussors and with some damping too. The rugs fabrics is all wool.

I have to say that I don’t live in my " island " of audio/music only environment/stage.
My system was and is enjoyed by several audiophiles and I listened " hundreds " of home audio systems here in México and USA. Lisneted systems from 25K-30K to over 350K prices. I did and still do that listening other system " lessons " to have true references against my system other than live MUSIC events.

So, it’s not only me who think my system distortions are really really low but other gentlemans including musicians that can attest it.

As you know and through the time I developed my own test/evaluation in deep proccess where through the years I received a deep training that permits me to identify several kind of distortions you just can’t imagine exist in your system. That bullet proof evaluation proccess is repeatable anywhere and I can identify advantages and disadvantages in any home system in no more than 1 hour.

Other that what I posted here about part of my system you can read too my latests posts in the subwoofer thread. I can’t give you all the information of my system here, it’s full of very fine details.

Due to your post I took some part of my evaluation proccess that normally I don’t use it very often becfause I know very well my system and the results/success of my up-grades/up-dates/tweacks but I did it these past two days because your post:

fist is to compare through my Stax headphoes the quality sound level against my near-field seat position. Nothing here confirm or even approach nothing of what you posted: there are no higher distortions, phase problems, colorations, time errors, distorted soundstage or fundamentals/harmonics: CERO CERO.

second, I use ( first ) a stetoscopyc not only at the TT/tonearm under evaluation/playing but at the other TTs that were in static way and through the racks too. I did it using Telarc 1812, Dafos and Firebird tracks not at 83db normal SPL but at 97dbs ( at seat position. ) with 109db on peaks and you know something: I can’t detect any vibration/resonance because that air borne.

Finally my water glasses test, with different glass sizes and different water quantities on each one. Where I put those glasses all over the system items that are inbetween speakers/subwoofers and you know something: NO SINGLE WATER MOVEMENTS at that very high SPLs.


On my posts here and in the Do you think you need a subwoofer? latest ones I posted: SYSTEM/ROOM NOISE FLOOR GOES LOWER AND LOWER WHERE THE ROOM ALMOST DISAPPEARED.
That is an experience where you can’t even dream with when you are living on and with those terrible 30’s.

When you listen my system you just can’t be aware of those subwoofers thank’s to system near " perfect " system/room integration that achieved a fenomenal system/room BASS MANAGEMENT as you can’t even dream with. You just can’t know what I’m talking about but my friends here can.
The level of resolution of my today system/room is second to none of all the systems I listened through my life.

No, it’s not a " fantasy " as you say trying to diminish my posts. The blend of whole circumstances/environment in my system/room made it that performs with that kind of quality level .

Btw, I did all my latest system/room evaluation with both alternatives: digital and analog one and I can say you and every one that digital is way superior to analog and I posted this not in the last month but for more than two years now.Btw, I’m not against the analog alternative, I like it too but can’t even the digital one.

Only whom his ignorance level is so high can today think that analog is superior to today digital

NO WAY MY FRIEND.

I can enjoy both alternatives and I will do in the future.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC not distortions,
R.

I did it using Telarc 1812, Dafos and Firebird tracks not at 83db normal SPL but at 97dbs ( at seat position. ) with 109db on peaks and you know something: I can’t detect any vibration/resonance because that air borne.

Really Raul? No vibration/resonance because that air borne? Why use a stethoscope when you have all those turntables setup, which is probably way more sensitive.

It was nice that you mentioned you were also using a Stax headphones, I hope you (and anyone who thinks he doesn't have feedback problem), wouldn't mind doing the following simple test and let us know what happens.

1. Play music (your Telarc 1812 would be great) using your CD/digital system through the speakers at normal listening level (yes, that 97dbs ( at seat position. ) with 109db on peaks)
2. Lower the cartridge on a stationary platter / LP (i.e. motor off, platter not turning)
3. Connect the cartridge to the phono / preamp as usual,
4. Listen to the phono system with a headphone, preferably in another room.

I doubt that you could have complete silence (or faint noise from the phono) at the headphone. I am pretty sure you could hear faint music through it (although it could sound funny as it has gone through the RIAA stage).

If that is true, that means your turntable system is suffering from continuous feedback when you are playing LP, and you can throw all those 0.00002% distortion figures out the window!