Inmate Systems - Audio Asylum

theaudiohiffle's Main 5.0 System System
IP Address: 50.169.188.4	Last Update: December 26, 2016 at 17:49:49
Amplifier:	Five Outlaw M200 monoblocks (200wpc 8 ohms; 300+ wpc 4 ohms)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	ARC 6a serving as phono preamp only. Feeding analog multichannel Marqules Daleth preamplifier. Daleth has two additional stereo of matrixed 5.1 channel inputs and two 5.1 sets of inputs for SACD and DVD. or alternatively, three identical Onkyo 301P stereo preamps, one (ganged) remote control.
Speakers:	Thiel 2 2's front L-R Thiel 3.5's w/equalizer rear L-R Thiel 3.5 w/equalizer Center Each speaker driven by a 200-300w Outlaw monoblock. All speakers in 86-88db sensitivity range
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	SONY XA2000ES SACD changer for SACD Pioneer 578a for DVD-V and DVD-Audio. XA2000ES also feeds DTI-Pro which in turn feeds Proceed PDP DAC for redbook. Marantz 580 CD Recorder/Player also in system, taking both digital output from the XA2000ES and analog from the front channel preamp.
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Dual 701 semi-automatic, Accuphase AC-2 MC cartridge, Marcof PPA-2 (modified)headamp. This system feeding into the SP-6B phono input.
Other Source(s):	Carver TX-11 tuner or Fisher FM 90B tuner. Teac 4070 reel-to-reel through Dolby Decoder. Onky MTR-12 and 5050B four channel tape machines in basement, feeding system upstairs. Panasonic 3200 DAT feeding through AA DTI Pro and Proceed PDP DA convertor. Four channel feed from professional Onkyo MTR-12 30ips machine in basement studio.
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	Front - Purist Audio water cables (original) Center, Rears - Radio Shack 12 gauge Mega-cable Interconnects - 80% Monster M1000II; 20% Radio Shack Gold
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	Several APC line conditioners.
Tweaks:	Sorbothane Audioquest feet under turntables, SACD, and DVD-A players (large difference)
Room Size (LxWxH):	18 x 14 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	Excellent acoustics (I've been blessed my last few moves) no room treatment needed other than careful placement to prevent obtrusive first relections. In general room is fairly well damped by carpets and furniture, and reflections broken up by bookcases/books and strategic placment of armchairs on the side.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Acoustic folk, folk-rock, singer-songwriters 60's-70's pop Modern (and traditional) Jazz Chamber Music of all eras, types Selected orchestral works
System Goals/Comments:	Natural sounding 'they are here' projection of small acoustic groups that might actuall fit decently into room.
System Strengths:	Achieves its goal; extremely neutral with excellent timbre, coherence, dynamics from very low to moderately high volume levels. No matter what the input. Excellent SACD surround (I'm about 7-10deg 'forward' of the ideal placement for surrounds). In SACD stereo mode sounds virtually identical to dcs Verdi-Purcel/Nagra monoblock/large Revel system heard recently; Previous Sony 222ES was not as transparent but current XA2000ES is a match in dynamics and transparency.
System Weaknesses:	ARC/Audionics preamps sound superb, but a PITA to manually adjust volumes. Onkyo preamp stack needs slight treble boost for natural treble; fortunately preamps have tone controls that can provide some of it. XA2000ES is a little rough in timbral accuracy in midrange.
Video/HT System: Integrated
TV/Projector:	37" Insignia 1080p flat screen, feeding into Marules Daleth matrixed audio input.
Processor/Receiver/Amplifiers:	none
Speakers (Center, Surrounds, Sub):	see above
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Pioneer 578a DVD/DVD-A feeds TV video via S-Video cable and feeds entire system 5.0 (for Dolby Digital 5.1 and DVD-A)
Other HT Gear:	S-Video to TV. Fed by Monster 3 4meter run of Svideo cable (lesser cables blur picture over this distance through massive electronic field behind audio cabinets.)
Comments on HT System:	Video not too important to me; pic on Insignia is excellent; do not need Blu-Ray.
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	Computers, photography, politics