hi folks,
just chiming in with my experiences over the last couple of weeks. in many ways i feel that it has been to much, to soon. undisciplined...definitely introducing to many variables at one time.
purchases:
1 taipan alpha helix
1 au24e pc
1 pair au24e ic's
1 pair 2.5m au24 speaker cables
the following, edited slightly, is excerpted from an email i shared with nasaman. i hope it sounds somewhat coherent (pun intended)...
...as for the shunyata. after purchasing the taipan helix, i then bought an audience au24 "e" pc. now faced with the dilemma of proper placement, i experimented with where to place each cord. bottom line, i found that while the au24e's transparency very admirable, and i like and get the idea of not introducing any color to the music, i ultimately decided to go with the shunyata from the quintet into the krell.
a slight detour; the krell was bright to begin with (i come from a history of tube equipment, audio research, with a linn lp12 as my primary source). in a bid to reclaim space in my small nyc apartment, i am trying a solid state integrated, ripping all music to hard drives (apple lossless), with cd's as my backup (now, all in binders). a major goal in this project is to push the krell in a more analog direction, while retaining the strengths inherent in solid state designs...end of detour.
the au24e seemed to bring out more brightness, and while everything was tight, i lost a good deal of the bass slam that krell seems to excel at. i now have the shunyata attached to the krell and into the quintet. i am very content not to change that combination. the taipan restores the bottom end, is fast and natural, and it has also taken most of the bite out of the top end harshness. that's not to say that i am losing anything, i don't think. actually, i find the taipan a better match for my electronics. the note decay of cymbals is accurate and natural, and you get that sense that you are hearing brass, without any harshness. the taipan also allows for a more expansive soundstage. it seems an appropriate match for the krell, and i am happy to leave it that way (unless i move up the shunyata ladder...not likely anytime soon, given prices). the au24e is now from con ed power and into the quintet. i may have to try another cord there, given it's affect on the krell.
i also bought an au24e ic for the cdp into the krell, and au24's for the speakers. again with the speaker cables, the overly bright sound was back. my 10 year old set of mit terminator4's allow for a much more robust natural sound, and so are once again connected (i gave the au24's about60 hours). it seems i have to rethink the whole audience thing. i was expecting great stuff from the au24e's, and i believe great stuff is there, but with my system at least, that synergy is not. i still want to try other speaker cables, with purist aqueous anniversaries, and kubala sosna facinations on the top of my list. i don't quite know what i think about the au24e interconnect betwwen the cdp and integrated. i am still using the stock pc from the cdp. i will no doubt look to get another shunyata. most likely the taipan vx, or python vx, (if i feel like eating macaroni and cheese for awhile). i also plan on replacing the current wall outlet.
the shunyata, krell, cambridge, sonus faber, combo, to me, is a real winner, and would strongly recommend trying it out. i get wide and deep soundstage, naturalness in note decay, fast tight response all up and down the frequency range, and i'm enjoying the bass that has been lacking for quite some time.
hope this helps, and that the rambling wasn't to exhausting.
thank you again, one and all. your input is very much appreciated, and i hope that it continues.
-gary
