Audio Asylum - Inmate Systems

doug s.'s Main System
IP Address: 71.176.128.105	Last Update: December 10, 2008 at 10:38:16
Amplifier:	almarro a205a mkll w/upgraded caps for full-range drivers. gainclone for woofers. a pair of electrocompaniet aw75dmb's, run in stereo, each channel driving one driver of my two-driver vmps larger subs.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	melos music-director line-stage preamp, w/latest m.a.r. all-tube circuit reference mods. deqx pdc 2.6 x-over/dsp eq
Speakers:	fostex fe206e drivers in a pair of oris 150 horns, 250hz-20khz fostex 15" drivers in a pair of modded klipsch lascala bass-bins, 80hz-250hz a pair of vmps larger subwoofers, w/latest upgrade drivers, & all factory upgrades; 95db/1w/1m, 4ohms nominal. (now run @ 8ohms, w/each of the subs' two drivers now being fed from a separate amp channel.) <80hz
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	audio alchemy acd-pro, as transport art di/o adc/dac, w/lotsa mods. kailin mu-1 tube buffer w/nos matsushita 12ax7's
Turntable/Phono Stage:	early oracle, updated to mk-v specs except for origin-live dc motor/power-supply kit & black-diamond racing record clamp. sitting on audio-technica feet. dc motor kit upgraded w/hewlett-packard mondo 0-20v, 0a-4a lab-grade power supply. origin-live silver taper. ortofon mc25-fl cartridge; w/lyra clavis rebuilt by symphonic line/vdh waiting in the wings... pentagon ps-3 fono-stage
Other Source(s):	~35 tunas, including: modded h/k citation 18 modded sansui tu-x1 moddeD sansui tu9900 onix bwd1 tuna w/soap-2 power-supply. modded sony st-a6b sony xdr f1-hd aiwa at-9700u roksan caspian nikko gamma 1 modded heathkit aj1600 mcintosh mr74 rotel rht10 creek cas4130 scott 312d paco st45 sansui fm8 w/matching mp1 mpx sherwood s2100-ll sherwood s3000-lll modded/refurb'd sherwood s3300 modded/refurb'd sherwood s3000v fisher 100-r modded/refurb'd dyna fm3 modded/refurb'd s-c sr443 stromberg-carlson sr445 leak troughline ll eico hft-90 a few mpx decoders and a few others... :>)
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	i/c's - mostly alpha-core tq-2 & micropurl-ag, w/tara labs quantum iv between the pre & x-over. zu ibis for fe206e/oris horns tara labs rsc prime 1000 between the amps & speakers
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	balanced power conditioners, one for the amps, the other for these sources: tuner, preamp, fono-stage, turntable. separate dedicated medical-grade isolation transformers for cd-player, dac & x-over
Tweaks:	dbx-3bx in preamps' tape-loop, used for compressed sources; otherwise not in the signal path. jvc xpa-1010 ambient surround-sound processor w/20 pre-programmed venues for audio-only surround. driven by an adcom gfa2535 4-channel, 60wpc amp, & 4 radio-shack lx-4 speakers in the 4 corners of the listening-room, mounted at the ceiling. the processor is fed from a 2nd main out of the melos preamp, so it's not in the signal path of the main speakers. it now gets minimal use since the purchase of the melos, which has rendered it largely un-necessary! :>) actually, the wife uses it more than i do, now... ;~)
Room Size (LxWxH):	~38' x ~18' x ~8'
Room Comments/Treatments:	carpeting on floor. not much else presently needed, as the speakers are a reasonable distance from reflective surfaces. some sort of unobtrusive ceiling treatment would be nice, tho..
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	'world' - african/latin/caribbean/celtic/irish folk, rock, jazz, classical
System Goals/Comments:	i want it all - resolution, full-range, dynamic, natural timbres, imaging, soundstage width/depth/height, ability to excel on small acoustic music or large electronic music or anyting in between.
System Strengths:	dynamics, full-range sound, natural timbres, resolution, the ability to do justice to all types of music.
System Weaknesses:	high treble is nice, but not up to electrostatic airiness. dynamics are very good, but seeing live music puts that into perspective! ;~) imaging/soundstaging is excellent. perhaps a pair of vmps rm40's speakers will get me there & not kill my budget? ;~) or, as an interim step, mebbe a pair of the vmps 626 neo's - same ribbon drivers as the rm40's... or, mebbe a pair of gr-research alpha-ls's... or mebbe a pair of selah audio incredarray's... or something from gr-research w/ribbons? or mebbe...??? ;~)
Video/HT System: None
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	other hobbies/interests: alfas, de tomasos, ducati's, buells, kids, food-n-beverages, cursing republicans, sitting on the back porch especially w/friends. occupation: a/e project mgr.