Audio Asylum - Inmate Systems

herb's go karts's herb's go karts System
IP Address: 99.231.222.159	Last Update: June 09, 2010 at 11:17:45
Amplifier:	Rogue 88 Magnum (no fancy tubes - just Sovtek KT88s and Chinese 12AX7s and 12AU7s); Counterpoint NP100 Basic with IEC and Hexfred options, right now with EH 6SN7s which are okay but pretty sterile compared to something like KenRads
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audible Illusions L1 with 6H23N-EBs
Speakers:	Osborn Eclipses. Tannoy Cheviots (HPD-315). Double pair (i.e. four speakers) stacked KLH Model 5 (bottom pair has tweeters disabled) running off Sherwood S-8900 in second system
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Transports: Yamaha CDX-2020 (almost 40lbs of crazy Japanese engineering) as transports to DIP Classic via Jon Risch recipe Belden 1506A digital interconnect and then onto an Ack! dAck 1.2e DAC via Stereovox digital cable
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Sony PS-2250 (Sony's DD competitor for the SP-10). Kenwood L-07C used for MM phonostage. Stanton 681EEE mkIII
Other Source(s):	Akai AT-V04 tuner. Also have a Grado SR125, Sony-CDP990, Sony STR-6055 for headphone listening. No tweaks, no mods. Like it a lot!
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	Van den Hul First Ultimate (DAC to pre), Van den Hul Integration Hybrid (pre to power), Volex 17604 power cords on pre and power amp, Wireworld Oasis bi-wire for speaker cable (QED Silver Anniversary when the Tannoys are in the system). Van den Hul D102 mkIII from tape out of Kenwood to external phono in of Audible Illusions. Van den Hul D102 mkIII from tuner to pre
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	PS Audio High Current UO (power amp), Standard UO (source and pre), homemade Ikea Lack rack
Tweaks:	Found point down Vibracones emphasize midrange while point-up Vibracones emphasize treble (Vibracones are a neat tone control). Soundcoat damping applied to cover of preamp and power amp, and inside cover of preamp power supply, point down Vibracones under Audible Illusions, point down Vibracones under DAC, TT sits on Soundcoat damping sheets
Room Size (LxWxH):	25 x 25 x part 8 feet, part 17 feet
Room Comments/Treatments:	open concept kitchen + lounge area, floating laminate floor on top of concrete, one wall equals 17 feet high complete glass from floor to ceiling, about 18 feet of room has 8 foot ceiling, other 7 feet has 17 foot ceiling, open-kitchen occupies half of room, but there are no walls dividing up the 25 foot length, system has to go in lounge area
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	jazz, punk, new wave, rock, chamber music, vocal recitals, orchestral, etc. Listen to almost everything
System Goals/Comments:	texture and slam. love hearing the 'wood' of a cello, decay of piano notes, tone of different guitars for example. And I think enveloping sound is a lot more important than soundstaging.
System Strengths:	Soundstage height, width, and depth are good. Imaging is okay, but is capable of being significantly better if the room is treated properly. Bass is extremely good in an audiophile sense (deep and very clean), but it doesn't slam like Cerwin Vega bass - which it could use more of even at the expense of 'audiophileness'. System has good midrange - nice and textured but tube choice makes a big difference... when something like KenRad 6SN7GT VT-231s are in the Counterpoint the system is really rich with very good tone and harmonics. When somthing like Tung-Sol 6SN7GTs are in the Counterpoint, the system is still good but relatively dry (but not as dry as modern SS) and much closer to modern SS in sound character (pretty neutral). With the TT especially, the system sounds very organic and has beautiful midrange. If I didn't have a stash of KenRads and had to live with EHs only I'd be unhappy.
System Weaknesses:	Not as much slam as the big vintage speakers can do (you can't really move air unless you've got 15in cones!). I've got a lot of room problems. System could be more forward to give more of a sense of enveloping sound. Imaging could be way better but that's a room issue. Actually the room is the biggest weakness of the whole set-up.
Video/HT System: None