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System Rebuild

Fellow Agoners!

  Need some input assembling “the last” system. (Famous last words!) Cannibalized system to pay for doctoral studies and now I’m suffering audio DT’s and need to get my music back! However, funds are very limited @15K and I need speakers, Tube preamplifier, and digital source. I listen to 95% jazz, all idioms. (60/40 vinyl preference) Imaging and tonality are most important. Last speakers I owned were Scansonic MB2.5’s….and no, I never got rid of the bass boom despite owning for over a year and putting many hours through them. My dedicated listening room is 16 x 30 with 7.5 ceilings! I have Ethernet connection and power direct to panel just for this room.

Former components were PS Audio Direct Stream with Bridge, AR LS17, Primaluna Dialogue Pre, Aesthetix Calypso. Cables are all Analysis Plus Silver Oval or Solo Crystal Oval.

 

What’s left is my analog setup – anchored by ZYX 4D and AVID Pellere phono stage, and Quicksilver V4 mono tube amplifiers – KT150 version. What I’m considering:

Speakers in order of interest (used/demo):

1.     Nola KO I

2.     Acoustic Zen Crescendo I

3.     Harbeth 40.1

4.     Focal 1038Be

5.     ScanSonic MB-6

 

Digital in order of interest (used/demo):

1.     AYON CD-3sx

2.     Lumin D2

3.     Mytek Manhattan II

 

Tube Pre in order of interest (used/demo):

1.     BAT 33SE

2.     Primaluna Dialogue Premium

3.     Audio Research Ref 5

 

I’m also remotely considering all-in-one such as Lyngdorf 2170/3400 or Micromega 150.

I don’t listen loud. Emmerson into the musical experience is my goal and passion.

 

Thanks in advance for any comments.


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communique1 OP
64 posts
 
Thanks tomic601. The AYON is a dac/pre/CD player with tube pre and regulation. It's at the top of my list for that reason. I forgot to mention that I've never heard these speakers and there's no where to audition. I've owned Alon's so I have a good idea as to what to expect and I owned the Scansonic which I found to be awesome...above 125Hz! There is the option for Sopra 2's also....
bondmanp
1,789 posts
 
I am not familiar with the electronics you listed (as in, I haven't heard them), so I can only comment on your speaker choices, some of which I have heard.

I have always enjoyed the Acoustic Zens, especially their ribbon tweets.  Hard to see how you could wrong there.  

Harbeths and Jazz are a good combo.

Personally, I am not big Nola fan.  I have never "gotten" them.

My suggestion, though, a bit outside the box, so to speak, would be to try a home demo of Ohm Walsh 3000s.  I have had the 2000s for nine years, and love them.  Even though my front end has been upgraded numerous times, the 2000s have improved with every upgrade.  The 3000s are the correct model for your room volume, and will only set you back $4000 (but less if you wait for a sale, like they usually have on Labor Day).  I am not all-Jazz like you are, but I listen to a lot of it.  These are great sounding (and just okay looking) speakers, that sound great at lower volumes and higher volumes.  They do like a bit of power, so a decent amp will get more out of them.  That will leave you around $11K for your electronics, which should help.  I know it sounds silly to put $4K speakers in front of a $11K+ front end, but I have learned from experience that, like most things in audio, it just depends.  In the case of the Ohms, which punch way above their class, it is not a silly concept at all, IMHO.
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
bond, how’s the soundstaging and imaging with the Ohms? I’ve only heard them at shows and always felt they had more of an “enveloping” and diffused sound and a blur soundstage. Of course the hotel rooms in shows are never ideal.
austinbob
235 posts
 
Everyone will finally mention how much your room affects the sound. The Lyngdorfs with Room Correction will have a major effect. I would team the Lyngdorfs with the speaker of your choice. 
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
12,839 posts
 
The Aesthetix Romulus is a CD player DAC preamp also just get the volume control option, they are reasonable used
It has tubes Analog section with fpga filters, excellent DAC, upgrade path, Faraday cage, etc
i have heard the Ayon it’s good, quite good
i chose the Pandora Sig with a REF5se 


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