Inmate Systems - Audio Asylum

watercourse's ((( mellow gold ))) System
IP Address: 75.164.53.186	Last Update: February 13, 2022 at 10:02:40
Amplifier:	Pass Labs INT-30A
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	None
Speakers:	DeVore Fidelity Nines (91dB, 8 ohm), REL Strata III
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Bel Canto PL1 > iFi Micro iDSD BL or Ace Tomato Reference modded Bel Canto DAC3
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Table: Well-Tempered Amadeus Carts: Benz Micro ACE SL, Shelter 501 mkII, and DV 20xl Stage: Pass Labs XOno
Other Source(s):	NAS to Mac Mini running Audirvana+ 3 > Uptone USB Regen > iFi Micro iDSD BL or Bel Canto uLink > BNC > DAC3
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	DIY stranded and solid core copper IC, Nordost Heimdall 2, RS Audio Duet, Kimber Hero RCA, DIY speaker cables.
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	PS Audio Juice Bar, Lessloss DFPC/Signature, Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler, Audio Horizons Transparency 1&2, vdh Mainstream, isolation transformer.
Tweaks:	Herbies everything. SR Quantum and Hi Fi Tuning Supreme fuses. Mass loading and damping with recycled rubber crumb sheet and weights. Lots of love and attention.
Room Size (LxWxH):	16 x 13 x 8.4
Room Comments/Treatments:	Curtains, rug, two crazy cats. Jim Smith's Get Better Sound.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Eclectic, but mostly American blues-based music: Jazz, R&B, funk, Hip-Hop. Global rhythm-centric musics: Latin, Reggae/dub, world traditional folk and dance. K-pop, J-pop, electronic, dance, disco. Punk, experimental, metal, rock, indie, some folk/bluegrass. Romantic, Baroque, and Classical eras, with some modern and contemporary. German lieder and a tiny bit of Italian opera once in a while. Basically everything except young country, and most US pop.
System Goals/Comments:	My goal is a system that can play all types of music, since my tastes are very eclectic, and that can bump a party up but can also create a moving experience when played soft. Mechanical, optical, and hard-drive based digital playback through a refined and flexible setup. The sound is as important as the philosophy - old and new school, supporting local craftsmen for sustaining a domestic industry, truth and soul. No audio gear flavor of the month. Keeping it real with simplicity, getting the best sound I've heard in my Carhartts, boots, and hoodie. Tuned for musicality to offset the urban environment.
System Strengths:	Very involving, dynamic and refined. Deep and large soundstage. Excellent tonality. Excels at musical flow and connecting with the music. The DeVores and Pass are the bomb together, but these speakers go with just about any amp, including SETs. The Pass gear are not solid state sounding, not tubelike, but are just warm, musical, resolving, and engaging. Amazing synergy together.
System Weaknesses:	Midbass ever-so-slightly thick due to speaker and room interactions, lowest frequencies truncated.
Video/HT System: Integrated
TV/Projector:	Sony Bravia KDL-40W600B
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Mac Mini, Sony smart TV
Comments on HT System:	All I need is HT 2.1. Screw TV, I like real life instead.
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	Biking, hiking, birding, cooking