Audio Asylum - Inmate Systems

Stuart S's Office System
IP Address: 72.177.194.122	Last Update: November 15, 2008 at 08:32:40
Amplifier:	Bottlehead Paramours (parafeed 2A3 monoblocks) with upgraded output transformers and power-supply filtration. IEC sockets added, circuit tweaked for specific 12AT7s. (C4S constant-current plate load installed.) Reverse-recovery spike filter in PS along with tweak to shift ground potential between audio stage and true ground (quieter)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Bottlehead Foreplay (original model but with 12v transformer). Upgraded with Sweet Whispers stepped attenuators and Anticipation active load. Currently running Electroharmonix 12AU7s because my RCA cleartops got noisy.
Speakers:	Hedlund Horns (all-birch cabinets, with silicate-loaded paint damping inner surface) with Lowther DX-3 drivers Augmented with Definitive Technology sub
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Chinese DVD/CD/MP3 player that isn't even labelled on the front panel
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Pink Triangle Tarantella / Bottlehead Seduction phono stage. (Grado Platinum Reference cartridge)
Other Source(s):	Dynaco FM-3 tuner
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	Some brand-name that I've forgotten speaker cables, Simple Twist, MIT330, and Entwined wannabe interconnects
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	Sound Organization five-shelf rack.
Tweaks:	Other than DIY amps, preamp, speakers, and interconnects? Um, I put one of those squeezeable stress relievers (in the shape of a pumpkin) on top of the speakers. It may help with imaging. Or not, but I left it there.
Room Size (LxWxH):	10' x 11' x 9'
Room Comments/Treatments:	Speakers are too close to side walls for best imaging, but corner placement helps with the horn bass. Really too small a room for these speakers.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Some rock, whatever that means these days (is Bjork rock? Is Radiohead? Is Nick Cave?). Most orchestral music; some opera (the more bombastic the better). Solo and chamber strings. (Is Patricia Barber jazz?)
System Goals/Comments:	As noted, too much speaker for the room. But they were a labor of love, they're wonderfully efficient, and they do voices very very well.
System Strengths:	High efficiency, dynamics.
System Weaknesses:	Room nodes limit this space for `serious' listening. Not enough space, really.
Video/HT System: Separate
TV/Projector:	Westinghouse 42" 1080p LCD
Processor/Receiver/Amplifiers:	Outlaw Audio 1050
Speakers (Center, Surrounds, Sub):	Only fronts these days; Klipsch SF-1
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Sony DVD/CD/SACD DVP-NC875
Comments on HT System:	On-demand HD movies blunt my enthusiasm for DVD