2. amps-preamps
  3. 175396-143318

No more "High End" for me...Back to Reality Audio

After a 3 year roller coaster ride with so called "Audiophile High End" Tube Amps,/Tube Preamps, multi thousand dollar DAC's, Speakers of all shapes and sizes, and several DIY mods. I've settled on what will be my "forever system" and stop chasing a Dragon that I'll never catch. There's more important things in life to worry about. Plus HIgh End crap can be very fickle at times. It has taught me though what sounds good and how to get there and of course how much it will cost new or slightly used.

For the first time, I'm building a system around the Speakers. I'm an electronics Geek so that has ALWAYS come first. I've always done DIY Speakers as well form High School to College to married life (my Wife puts up with A LOT).

My Bose 901 "passion" will be with me forever. I will defend those Sealed Box odd shaped boxes till I do. Any old Geezer will be told off wherever they knock that Brand down. I did it last last week.

Anyways, the list :

  • Klipsch Cornwall IV's driven by a pair of resto modded McIntosh MC50's
  • Sony UBP-X1000ES (gotta get some more before they and the 1100ES become as rare as the overpriced Oppo crap) with my mods to the Analog Output boards
  • Orchard Audio Ultra Amplifers x6 (I'm getting near the end of hand buiding/soldering the 6 pcb's)
  • Stax SRM-007tA with Koss 95/X Electrostatics
  • Surround Speakers will be 4x Series I/II Speakers with two on Tulip Stands and two more hung from the ceiling (what the Wife can see sitting down but can hear is always a good thing)
  • Center Channel with be two Heresy's resting horizontally angled up towards the screen slightly
  • two double stacked 12" H-Frame Subwoofers on the back wall 
  • All the Electronics will be mounted in the wall giving lots of space for the Cornwall to do their "thang"

To those still chasing the Dragon. Enjoy !

 

 

rajugsw
arro222
142 posts
 

I sold audio stuff for 30 yrs ending in 2001. When i retired, I brought home mostly Audio Research stuff because that was our lead sales component.

In the last 10 years, I’ve tried to do an experiment with the cheapest components i could find and still deliver more than appreciable SQ.

I have a VPI That listed for $3800 back then, AR amp and pre, Sonus Faber speakers and an AR CD 3 disc player that I traded in for a CD 8. I picked up an old English made Onix int. amp at 30 watts, Primare cd player , Proac Studio 100’s on Target stands and a Rega II tt and a record scrubber.

It is more than passible and quite good.

Sound is clear and immediate and w presence. Players are "in the room" w good recordings and timbres are spot on with good transients and decay.

Now granted, older components may not have given the bang for the buck as well as they do now but I tried to match my acquisitions to the years of the AR equipment w the exception of the AR CD 8 player.

 

I think with a good dac, the Primare would play as well as the CD 8.

johnah5
235 posts
 

@oddiofyl 

I love my Forte IV's!  I was running Schiit Freya + with NOS tubes into First Watt F7 and denafrips Venus 2 fed by Node 2i.  Sound was really good then I tried the Esoteric N-05dx and sound stage grew two feet wide per side and contained more depth. The Esoteric is a Preamp/DAC/Streamer combo for $9K which is less than high end DAC and Streamer.  When I bypassed the preamp in the Esoteric the sound stage lost some width and definately some depth and resolution. I love playing with this stuff and consider the Esoteric a high end piece (not uber high end).  Best JH

elliottbnewcombjr
5,483 posts
 

Breathe In/Breathe Out. Money In/Money Out

Done is GOOD!!!!!

sns
3,265 posts
 

All depends on what peak you're trying to climb, funny thing is one creates the peaks in one's own mind.

rajugsw OP
217 posts
 

Yeah. I just can’t believe how good my system sounds with such cheap "not Audiophile" stuff. I’m listening to MoFo’s SACD of Tapestry at the moment just enjoying the music and not giving a Rat’s Ass how it’s getting to the KEF R3’s.

Did I just let the proverbial Cat out of the Bag ?

Imaging, Soundstage, Depth, Phantom Center. It’s all there ! Can’t wait for the big boxes at the end of the month. Go big or go home. I always say...LOL !

Cheers Everyone !

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