Audio Asylum - Inmate Systems

thetintdoctor's Living Room w/ Digital Sources; Man-Cave Analog System
IP Address: 75.130.135.124	Last Update: February 25, 2011 at 13:22:23
Amplifier:	Room1: 2- Crown XLS 1000 Drivecore Series with built-in power conditioning and 24db/octave active x-over 350 watts x 2 into 4 ohms each. Room2: 1-Emotiva XPA-2, 1- ARC D400II(rotated according to taste)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Room1: Emotiva XDA-1 24/192 DAC/Digital Preamp; Room2: Emotiva USP-1; Audible Illusions Modulus IIIa (rotated according to taste)
Speakers:	Room1: Magnepan MG 1.5QR in Mitered Rock Maple hardwood frames. Passive x-overs removed. Actively, vertically bi-amped with 24db/octave x-over @ 630hz; This works best for all-around. I sometimes change it for different genres of music. 2- Rythmik 15" Direct Servo subs. Room2: MMG,s w/stock passive; 2-Rythmik F-12Direct Servo subs
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Room1: Emotiva ERC-1: See below 'other sources' into Emotiva XDA-1; Panasonic Blu-Ray; Motorola HD DVR coax digital out. Room2: Emotiva ERC-1(also use in room1); Hot Audio DAC-WOW(Wolfson s/pdif dac)
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Thorens TD-160 Super w/various arms and mm/mc cartridges; no time to spin much vinyl these days.
Other Source(s):	Room1: Custom home-made fanless music server w/32GB SSD playback drive, card reader and 1TB USB removable storage. JRiver MC15 or c/play, Media Monkey, Foobar2000 software. Gateway laptop for more casual listening. Hope to implement cmp2 at some point, but I love the pretty pictures... :-))
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	Home made solid core RCA IC's & speaker cables; Paul Speltz' Anti-cables and Anti-IC's (RCA). Kimber Hero XLR balanced from XDA-1 to Crown XLS 1000's; Monster Digital silver-plated AES/EBU (soon to be replaced, hopefully with Cardas)
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	Room1: PS Audio AV-5000 Room2: Monster HTS-3600MKII
Tweaks:	"Get Better Sound" by Jim Smith. Best $30.00 I ever spent.
Room Size (LxWxH):	34.75 x 14.75 x 8.0
Room Comments/Treatments:	Room1: opens into a very large fireplace room at the rear right w/11' cathedral ceiling. Opening at rear right of room is appx. 14'wide x 8'tall. "Front" section of room is therefore appx. 20.75'L x 14.75"W. Room 2 size: 14x19.5x8.0:Home studio-2/ch room; drum set, guitars, diffusors, 12" diameter by 8' tall home made corner traps x 2.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Large Classical, Technically challenging rock, Live Jazz, Anything that's interesting and well-played.
System Goals/Comments:	High dynamic range from a moderately sized system. Good imaging.
System Strengths:	Room1: Very dynamic and involving; plays nearly as loud as my drum set live and does so cleanly. Decent image specificity; pretty large soundstage. Ultra deep, clean, tuneful bass. Room2: sounds 'live' but still engaging and very pleasant and clean. Very deep, clean, tuneful bass. MMG's + Emotiva amp & AI III pre is really sweet!
System Weaknesses:	Room1: Sounds a bit analytical (perhaps more audiophile than 'real') at times; need a bit more room treatments to iron out a couple nagging room modes & reflections. Semi-low WAF, lol! Room2: Not a dedicated listening room; less imaging specificity and a little less detailed than Room1.
Video/HT System: None
TV/Projector:	Samsung PNA550 50" Plasma, ISF calibrated.
Processor/Receiver/Amplifiers:	See above.
Speakers (Center, Surrounds, Sub):	See above.
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Panasonic Blu-Ray
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	Playing Drums, Bass and Guitar; making my own recordings of such. Mountain Biking; hiking- (cause the wife doesn't cycle). Photographing waterfalls, landscapes, sunrises and sunsets. Listening to as much live music as possible!