Inmate Systems - Audio Asylum

Jim Stoneburner 's Living room System
IP Address: 50.168.54.203	Last Update: March 28, 2014 at 23:42:29
Amplifier:	Moore Frankland Associates MFA-M120C monoblocks with the revered pre-war Ei KT90s, and Mullard CV4004s. Plenty of spares.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Mod Squad Deluxe Line Drive
Speakers:	Vandersteen 3A Signature in Cherry/Black
Sources:
CD Player/DAC:	Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player
Turntable/Phono Stage:	Merrill Heirloom Turntable with modified peripheral weight (damped and fixed the clamp ring onto the lead/acrylic platter). MusicClamp spindle-collet clamp which presses record grooves against lead platter. ET2 tonearm with Wisa (>5psi) pump and surge tank, and high-pressure manifold. Audioquest AQ7000nsx low output moving coil. Vendetta Research SCP-2A phono stage.
Other Source(s):	Mac-based server using Pure Audio software drawing on iTunes library, output via USB to Meridian Prime DAC-headphone amp or to Squeezebox Touch. Yamaha DVD-S1800 universal player (primarly DVD, some DVD-Audio).
Other Accessories/Room/Misc.:
Speaker Cables/Interconnects:	Cardas Hex speaker cables, internal bi-wired. Cardas Cross, Clear, and Neutral Reference interconnects.
Other (Power Conditioner, Racks etc.):	Balanced Power Technologies BPT-3.5 signature power conditioner (highly recommended!). Sennheiser HD-650 headphones (Cardas cable). Audeze LCD-X headphones with Meridian Prime DAC/amp.
Tweaks:	Cones, sorbothane, various brands. VPI bricks on power transformers.
Room Comments/Treatments:	Removable acoustic foam panels when doing critical listening, including on ceiling, works well to tame first reflections.
Music Preferences and Comments:
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical (symphonic, chamber; Steve Hackett acoustic), Jazz (all kinds), select Rock (including progressive, 1971-75 Genesis through modern Porcupine Tree and Peter Gabriel), select Pop.
System Goals/Comments:	Long standing reference, well-balanced and preferred over some systems costing many times. Other equipment comes through the house during consulting. Great for the money.
System Strengths:	Natural timbre, image dimensionality, soundstage, neutrality, and lack of electronic or artificial character/cues.
System Weaknesses:	Last bit of detail; corners of soundstage are lacking. Only fair dynamics. Bass should be tighter and flatter (a room issue).
Video/HT System: Integrated
Sources (DVD/VCR):	Yamaha DVD-S1800 for video and backup SACD player. Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/SACD
URL Link: http://sonolithics.com/pics/stereo
Other Interests/Hobbies/Occupation:	Project manager in human-computer interfaces. Audio and acoustics consultant. Hobbies: Sports car road racing (Le Mans series... go Audi!), wristwatches, skin diving.