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Quest's Quest's own little bedroom treat System |
| Last Update: October 03, 2002 at 16:46:36 | IP Address: 24.83.60.172 |
| Amplifier: | (1)highly modified Nobu Shishido's Loftin-White 2A3 SE amp. Under-optimized @ 1.7Watts per channel for the moment.(12/05/99) FInally completed my "Buddhafied" L-W 2A3 SE transferral to a new chassis and with a new, long-awaited Tango MX-175 (custom wounded)power trannie. Now I can push out approx. 2.5 Watts per channel with lots of "oomph".(1/21/00) I have managed to squeeze out 3.0Watts at the onset of clipping @ 8 ohms using Sino/Shuguang 2A3s. (2)my self-wound opt trannie 5Watt per channel EL-34 triode amp, as main backup.(12/4/99) [Quest]: Officially retired starting today.
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| Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Counterpoint SA7.1, except structural strengthening everything is pretty much original [Quest](10/20/99) Currently my Counterpoint is out of commission waiting for a better solution. Apparently my "Buddhafied" L-W 2A3 doesn't mate well with Counterpoint...really sqwarky sounding at times..... I'm now running my CeeDee "straight-out" into my power amp, using that cheap build-in volume control as the main control...sounds better than having a crappy preamp with slightly richer mids, less "air" on highs and a bit "bloaty", "indifferent" bass..(1/21/00): I have been using ET Foreplay (bone-stock) with Black Beauty pots + Solen caps with Ei 12AU7. Very intimate sounds and the high freq. part is somewhat "mystical" to me: initial audtion reveals that the "high" is "missing" but as times go by it seems that the "highs" are there but in an "appropriate" quantity.. if the music contains highs it gives high, if not it won't "give". The sonic texture from this combo is simply marvelous ;^)[Jan, 2002]: after the acquisition of a handful of matched RCA cleartops I have switched back to CT on FP (still stock). Also the installation of Auricaps (thanks t Kevin @ DIYCable) which brings the sound to an elevated level! Sweeeeet!!! |
| Speakers: | Epos ES-11.(8/21/01)[Quest]: Just bought a pair of KEF Q35.2 dual-concentrics bass-refplex floor stander. Out of the box it's good, but lack smoothness. Immediately I revised the crossover network and tossed away all electrolytics and replaced them with Solen PPE. Sonic outcome: improved by 300%!!![Jan, 2002]: It's been discovered that Kef Q35.2 is not an 8-ohmer!!! Even the factory spec. is wrong big time. No wonder my L-W 2A3 have such difficulties driving them (for I have to connect them to my 8ohm tap). They are 4 ohms instead! buyers beware! |
| Sources: | |
| CD Player/DAC: | Sony CDP 790 (structurally modded only) [Feb2002]Bought a 220V ver. of TeacPD-H500i, structural modifications and minor mods done to eliminate the mute transistors, PSU section, etc. Sony CDP-790 is officially retired. |
| Turntable/Phono Stage: | Linn LP-12 w/ Grace 727 arm with Grado GTE MM cart.[Jan, 2002]: a goood friend of mine sold his Grado Red to me and I need time to work out my RIAA phono preamp...[Aug, 2002]: packed up my Grace 727 and bought a AT-12P medium mass tonearm from a friend, now running on Ortofon OM-10. |
| Other Source(s): | Akai glass head tape deck GX-F31,Nakamichi LX-3, Olson (Trio) FM tube tuner(backup), Dynaco FM-3(modified with correct de-emphasis module and more), Kenwood(Trio) sand FM tuner (circa. 70s. Very good sound). |
| Other Accessories/Room/Misc.: | |
| Speaker Cables/Interconnects: | Kimber PBJ/PSB interconnect with WBT clone plugs; Kimber KC1 interconnects; Taihei Denko PCOCC interconnects, AudioQuest Topaz (brown jacket) interconnects, PCOCC multistrand cheap speaker wires. (8/21/01)[Quest]: Added a pair of custom-made 6-N Osonic speaker wires w/ non-magnetic bananna plugs + spades. Midrange is a hoot!!! Sweet and suave sound and it didn't broke my piggy bank.[June, 2002] ditched the Orsonics, replaced it with Furukawa "Mu" speaker wires and also RS-1 interconnects. |
| Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.): | home-made single stage power conditioner. lead-shot filled speaker stands used as turntable stands, 26" custom made "flower pot stand" wooden speaker stand. |
| Tweaks: | Except DAC and such I've pretty much done a lot of tweaking... |
| Room Size (LxWxH): | 8' x 10' x 7.5' |
| Room Comments/Treatments: | I use my bedroom as audio room so my mattress and my bookshelf behind my head act as a "dead" zone (supposedly). Lots of internal low frequency resonance and mid-bass "peaks". I'll do more after I get my married and move to another house/apartment. |
| Music Preferences and Comments: | |
| Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Classical (Arias, works, chamber music, duet/trio/quatet and so on. Particularly like Arias and Operas...) I focused primarily in the mid region especially human voice. Fusion/New-age jazz, accoustical guitar music, small modern jazz works, contemporary adult vocals, etc. Except an occasional dose of Yo-yo Ma's cello or Jazz's double-bass
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| System Goals/Comments: | Totally dedicated to (but not totally restricted to) low-powered DHTs. Currently following all other tube guru's teaching (Thorsten, Paul Joppa, "Buddha", Matsunami-San, Nobu Shishido, Herb Riechert, JCMorrison, Doc Bottlehead, "Smoothplate", Susumu-San,etc.###not in any particular order###) learning to make the most revealing SET amps ever capable by human. I'm constantly in search of a simple, elegant tube circuitry with neutral midrange tonalities and human voice. Both bass and super-highs may be desirable but not needed for the moment (they usually come as a bonus on my part). |
| System Strengths: | midrange glory.... Creamy-smooth mids that bring out the very best of a human voice.... I based my "tweaking" primarily on mid freq. part and take the bass/highs to a lesser degree... |
| System Weaknesses: | heavy reveberation and low-bass "echo" in my room... all other stuff requires upgrades and attention (need better preamp, cartridge, tone arm, rack, speaker rack, high-efficiency speakers, small output DHT SE amps, etc... |
| Video/HT System: None | |
| TV/Projector: | Sony 27" TV, Sharp Linytron 20" Dolby stereo TV |
| Processor/Receiver/Amplifiers: | none |
| Speakers (Center, Surrounds, Sub): | none |
| Sources (DVD/VCR): | Sanyo 2head mono VCR. (12/5/99) Bought a Pioneer DV-515 DVD with all-code capability. With 24 bit audio DAC all I need now is a better preamp to test it out.[1/7/2001](Quest): After 1 full year of listening to DV-515 it came to my conclusion that the switching power supply inside suck big time...too much switch-mode noise generated... [Jan, 2002]: my fiance brought along her Pioneer DV-525 and the sound was ok... picture quality is still so-so compared to my DV-515 (Japan). |
| Other HT Gear: | none |
| Comments on HT System: | [Jan, 2002]: I now put my Kef Q35.2 into good use by setting them in my living room for HT purposes (2-channel only). Driven by a Pioneer SA-3000, it's pretty ok I much say (although it lacks the kind of midrange fluidity and sweetness compared to my L-W 2A3 SE).[June, 2002]: Finally figured out that KEF has a tendency to drop it's impedance to something like 4.6ohms at times. Waiting for extra cash to proceed on with a 300B SE amp. |
| URL Link: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Station/2371/foreplay1.html | |
| Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation: | Computer programming, fly fishing, wine, Autocrossing,Network administration and security, etc. (basically a geek by default) Also love testing firewalls and a Linux geek by nature. |