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Unbelievable 3-D imaging sound

Unbelievable
I finally got my speakers position and sitting area position correctly for my system.
My system consist of
Macintosh 601 Mono-Block amps
Macintosh C47 pre-amp
bluesound node streamer, I’m using the DAC in my McIntosh C47
Martin Logan Renaissance 15A electrostatics
Tributaries reference cables all around, including power cables for the amps

Well, all I can say is I cannot believe the sound. I cannot pull away from listening to song after song.  Rap songs are absolutely clear and powerful.
Vocals are as if someone is singing in your room. especially the song, the Joke by Brandy Carlisle. I kid you not.
 The Sound  of Silence, by Two Cellos is astonishing. Plus, I never listened before, to that type of music. But is now in my play list. Go figure that out

Mainly, the setup produces clear 3D music. You can pin point where each instruments/song is intended to coming from in the original recording. Some time as many as 5 locations    Some really awesome imaging. Seriously, it’s like having audiophile level headphones on all the time

Maybe I should not be, but I’m surprised a System sounds this good. Its well worth the retail value put on it

Of course I can add this or change that to possibly get a better sound, but I am ok

However,  I did order and will receive a McIntosh C53 PreAmp  In a week to replace the C47. Mainly because of the equalizer’s and the ability to upgrade the DAC as the future dictates. The cost for the upgrade should be minimal compared to trying to purchase a new DAC all the time

Needed to post this because I am just so blown away with the sound
preslisa64
bikerneil's avatar
bikerneil
8 posts
 
I have a very similar setup - McIntosh C2600 Tube Preamp, McIntosh MC452 amp and Martin Logan Montis speakers.  I am in heaven when I am in my listening room listening to well recorded music.  I hear the same 3 dimensional sound stage that you describe.  I have been in many audiophile stores listening to their $200K setups and I have yet to find a better soundstage than mine (though I am sure many, many others make my sound like introductory system!).

Two very important points on the ML speakers:
1. They are extremely sensitive to tiny changes in setup.  I spent weeks and weeks optimizing the exact location of each speaker.  It's funny - I came home one day after the cleaning lady had been here and I noticed she moved one of the speakers to clean - I have now marked the exact location of each of the 4 spikes on both speakers.
2. These speakers must be moved away from the rear wall.  I have mine at 3' and this makes a huge difference.  The extra distance eliminates that smeared image that you get when the sound comes off the rear of the speaker and then bounces off the rear wall and comes at you slightly delayed behind the main wave coming off the front of the speaker.

I have spent time making acoustic improvements in the room and these changes also provided additional sound stage improvements.

I love your writeup - enjoy!  (For the record, I am 1000% happy and satisfied with my setup and have no idea what I would  do to make it better.)
preslisa64 OP
37 posts
 
Bikerneil
Been waiting for someone with a similar setup to comment on this point. So glad someone experiences the same sound and imaging that I do. It is unbelievable,  the sound is so
good to me that I am completely satisfied as I have said prior
 The point you make about these type of speaker positioning is critical.  I’ve have this system for more than a year.  It a disappointment me to say this, but I  just recently, within the last few weeks, I finally made the proper speaker adjustments and I now have the sound that you and I are describing as well. A full year, but now I’m here. 
I just traded In my C47 picked up a McIntosh C53. With the built in 8 band equalizer. One of the truly first, I think, Preamps with a equalizer that does not diminish the sound from what I hear.  The comments from many  popular high level audiophile reviewers also confirms this minimum loss, if any, due to the equalizer. I 
cant wait to play with the sound variations to my liking. Or to simply turn off the EQ to return to the originally intended recorded sound 
 
ferrox
86 posts
 
Totally agree with you, when a system totally dialed in, it would give you the most thrilling enjoyment. It's a real pleasure to experience every mm move we make on our speakers and observe how the sound stage changes. :)
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,460 posts
 
If you like sonic imagine tricks.... Amused to Death has sound coming from behind you...those studeo magicians
jdane
183 posts
 
Not sure why so many assume that the purpose of a system should be to "reproduce" the input, or "exactly what musicians/engineers wanted."  Most of us go to live music (well, I do anyway), and there is no such thing as a "standard" sound/signal or "correct" sound/signal or whatever you want to call this.  What you hear (or what is measurable as well) depends entirely on where you are sitting and of course on the hall itself.  A symphony in no way sounds the same when you are sitting to one side, way in the balcony, center row front, or even behind.  Even in chamber music, the amount of extraneous sound (keys clattering on a clarinet; fingers sliding on strings, players breathing) depends on how close you are. (is that part of the "music"? well, maybe or maybe not).  And what we hear is NOT what players hear (many of whom, of course, are hearing impaired ... even worse than we are).  So EQ away if you want (I don't, but only bec. it becomes an obsession that distracts me from hearing sound and doing whatever my ears and mind do to translate that into "music").
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