Kalali said,
"
Looks like some real lucky person snapped up grannyring’s Orchid. The
quality of the upgrade, both parts and workmanship absolutely top notch.
Lucky guy indeed."
I'm the guy. And the original poster of this thread. I received grannyring's modified Orchid yesterday. Here are my thoughts.
Firstly, my system is described in the first post on this thread. Grannyrings extensive modifications are detailed further down so I won't repeat them on this post.
First a little background about me; I'm a serious lover of music. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of begging my parents for records. Or a dollar to buy a record. Listening to the radio everyday and into the night. It was a natural thing and I didn't have to develop a love for music. I just had it.
I started playing percussion in the 5th grade, and have continued throughout my adult life. I've played hundreds of gigs, taught and have listened to live gigs as often as possible since I was about 16 or so.
Jazz is clearly my first love, followed by R&B, World Music, (especially Latin and West African) classical , (mostly modern) and the random opera.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know what a trombone sounds like. Or a trumpet, or a string bass. Not amplified. Or a piano. Good pianos sound sweet, round and beautiful; the cheaper ones not so much.
So I get the Orchid yesterday. (Shout out to grannyring for superb packaging, communication and from our phone conversation I felt he was an all around good guy. Maybe one day I'll meet him.
The Orchid arrived about 1 pm yesterday and having listened to music most of the morning plugged it in. I let it warm up and get used to its new home until today when I gave it a serious listen.
Here are my impressions;
1. At 67 years of age I was seriously wondering if I could even distinguish a difference between the PS Audio NuWave and the Orchid. I live in a small town, hundreds of miles away from any hi fi stores. I only know of two other people that even have a 2 channel rig.
The answer is yes. The difference was instant and apparent.
2. Did I like the new sound?
Again the answer is yes. And it took me awhile to figure out why I liked it.
I don't have your typical reviewer's command of language to describe the nuances heard. What I will describe is how I "feel" about the what I hear.
Think about what it's like to listen to music on a cold winter day. It's like zero degrees outside. The heat is cranked up and you're sitting on the couch listening to music. You're warm but there is still a chill in the air.
Now, think about the first time you ever experienced wood stove heat. It heats everything; the floor, the table, the furniture and the drapes.
The Orchid sound like a wood fired stove. Everything is warm, cozy and wraps around you in a way that makes you want to want more.
Most of the music I listen to is made by real, not electronic instruments. In a way, they are organic sounding and I got much more of that with the Orchid than I did with the NuWave.
The soundstage is better. Not a little bit better, but a lot better. And for some reason the relation between my left and right speaker is more harmonious than it's ever been.
To summarize all the above; music is now even more enjoyable. And to be honest I didn't think it was possible.
- Bob
