Many, many changes over the past 18 months or so. Photos reflect a few layout and aesthetic changes, though system consists of:
Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolutions in Walnut
Primaluna HP Integrated using 8 KT-150s for around 100 watts
Finite Elemente Pagode Amp Stand
Bryston BDP-1
Bryston BDA-1
VPI Classic One in black finish
Dynavector Karat 17D3 low output MC
Simaudio Moon 310LP Phono preamp
Nordost Heimdall 2 interconnect, speaker cable and Norse Jumper
Solidsteel S3 Modular Stand
Acoustic Geometry First Reflection Absorbers 2'X2' (2" thickness)
Echo Buster Corner Busters in all four corners
Dedicated 20 amp and 15 amp electrical lines

I'm really thrilled with the Guarneri EVOs. They feel like an heirloom that makes gorgeous sound. Tone is really impressive.
They take some serious work to set up properly and having identical rake angles and height for each was enormously important in my room, but it was well worth the trouble. :-)

Did the Siamese come with the Sonus Faber's???? ;)

I'm curious about the wall treatments. I assume you implemented them to cut down on reflection from the wall adjacent to the speakers. How did they turn out functionally? What measurements or process was followed to pick the location? I need to do something similar for mine.

Great looking upgrades!

Hi Yamaki,

He is in fact part of a new Sonus Faber promotion. Buy a pair and get a free 14 year old Apple head Seal Point Siamese.
Though he is considerably more costly than the Guarneri's. :-)
I wouldn't trade him for the world though.

The panels were very helpful in taming the first reflections and clarifying the image.
Without them, the sound in my room could become tiresome to the ear. I had to do a lot of experimenting to get this right.
If I used a 2'x4' panel on each wall, it would suck out the liveliness and put to much focus on the lower frequencies.
They are only 2" deep so they are only effective down to around 140 HZ. It's very easy to over do it - at least in my experience.

I may also order a couple of 1" deep panels to use behind my listening position. I'm not sensing a problem, but from talking to a few reps about room treatment, they all said my room would likely benefit from some absorption behind my listening chair.

Sorry, I forgot to answer your question on how I arrived at the placement location.
I used the typical mirror along the wall trick and found the first reflection point and then experimented with height a bit.
The Guarneri's are a little higher than most stand mounts, so I ended up centering the absorption panel between the mid/woofer and the tweeter on the Guarneri's.
I also experimented with a plush blanket on the ceiling and at first it sounded good, but over time I realized the highs were being a little over damped. Not using anything on ceiling at this time.

Let me know what you end up doing or what you have tried so far in your room.

Jason,
Looking good! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the new SF's.
Paul

Thanks for the input, Jason. I'm glad the time and experimentation with the room treatments produced the results you were looking for.

Hey Paul,

Thank you.
Nice to hear from you!

Added a new Heimdall 2 Power Cable and some 1962 and 1965 NOS 12AU7s today from La Radiotechnique and Cifte.

Jason....congrats once again on your system. Beautifully put together. Glad everything is coming together so nicely. Quick question on the 17D3...how do you like it and how would you describe its sonic character/attributes? Thanks.

That looks great!

Very nice B05, you appear to have spent a deal of time and effort on your well considered system Renaissance :smoking: Not missing the ARC gear then ?

I totally agree with your thoughts on the danger of over damping rooms, perhaps you might consider a couple of diffuser panels as a posed to absorption behind your listening position.

Hi Harelquin,

I've since decided against placing anything behind my listening position. Tried some absorption and it definitely has an effect, but not a positive one.
Generally seemed to suck the air out of the sound. I guess I should have expected that, as I set up my speakers (lots and lots of trial and error) without anything behind the listening position. Diffusion may have a more positive effect, but for the time being I am really enjoying my new set up. Bass with the Guarneri's is really a good fit for my room. Every time I have tried larger speakers, They end up over driving my room and making everything overbearing.

ARC is spectacular gear. The Ref 10 is stunning sonically, though it takes up a ton of space, puts out a lot of heat and was a little too revealing for my taste. I ended up only listening to reference quality recordings and getting lost in the system rather than the music. This is just my opinion, but I was not a fan of the touch screen and the spring loaded volume knob that would not spin got on my nerves. Sonically the ARC method may be a finer method, but for general feel and pleasure of use, give me a regular volume knob any day. Just something satisfying to me about turning a knob.

The Primaluna HP is a huge step forward for the brand. I am anxiously awaiting reviews to see if reviewers find it as impressive as I do.
There is a large improvement in overall transparency (which in my opinion was always a weak spot on previous models - I owned a Prologue Two and a Dialogue Two previously). I am not sure why, maybe the change from two 12AX7s to three 12AU7s, but the volume knob has more useable range too. It is dead quiet, which is really important to me, especially coming from the Ref 10 which is spookily quiet. I also enjoy being able to tweak the sound a bit using NOS preamp tubes and EL34s, KT-120s and KT-150s.

The Guarneri's took a while to really bed in. I would say new owners should give them a good 200-250 hours to really hear what they are capable of.
I enjoyed my Olympica IIs but the Guarneri's are in a whole different league. Never say never, but I can't imagine myself ever spending more on a set of speakers or wanting to change them unless we move and I end up with a much larger listening space of course.

Looking great!! Fun to watch just how much your system has changed in the past year or so!

Thanks. It's been fun and at times frustrating trying to find the right fit for my space.
The one key thing for me that seems to indicate I am on the right path now is that I can sit for fairly long periods and not have any listener fatigue.
I can relax and focus on music rather than tweaks or the system in general.

Updated higher quality pics...

I'll bet that big tube amp looks awesome in the dark. Nice system and thanks for the new pics.

Jason,
Looking good!
Does the Prima Luna HP have plenty of power for your needs? Which tubes do you like best and/or use the most?
Paul

Really like your system. Minimalist and clean.
Cheers,
Sid

Thank you!

Hi Paul,

It kind of depends on my mood and which music I am listening to.
The KT-120 sounds a little crisper and a little closer to solid state while the KT-150 is a bit richer and produces a bit larger "sound picture".
I tend to love the KT-150 on stuff like Miles Kind of Blue, etc. Both have a great sound, but a little different viewpoint.
You can also sense more power overall from the KT-150s. This is a super general statements of course.
I also enjoy the EL34 for questionable recordings like a lot of stuff from the 80s.

Hi mate, love the new setup as well as the KT-120 v KT-150 v EL-34 description and how everything is dictated by your mood and the record being played. Did you have any experience with KT-88 too and, if so, how did those feel/sound in your system?

Hi EfeTe,
Thank you.
I have had KT88s in the past in both a Primaluna Prologue Two and also a Dialogue Two. Haven't yet tried a set of them in this new set up. Overall I always liked the KT88 sound, though from memory, I think the KT-120 is just a little better version of the KT88. Similar money too. If you have an amp that will accept both, the next time you re-tube I would try the KT-120 and see what you think. The KT-120 will offer a bit more power and cleaner more linear sound too. Bass will offer more clarity and cleaner bottom edges. Not that KT88s are "squishy" just that KT-120s are that much clearer and a little less "tubey".

Interesting stuff Bavarian, let's see if I can get my hands on KT-120's where I live. Cheers

Added a Krell S300i to drive the Guarneri's today.
300 watts into 4 ohm load. Lots of current.

My what beautiful speakers you have. Sweet system enjoyed reading of your journey.

Lovely system. Congratulations.

So you got rid of the PL HP?

No, not yet.
Strongly considering selling it though.
I really like the presentation of this amp with the Guarneri's.

Updated photos.

Sold PrimaLuna HP and stuck with Krell S300i for now. Running everything balanced. Also moved Guarneri's much closer together and closer to listening seat. Almost a triangular setup. Finally took the owners manual suggested setup to heart and am still surprised how much wall bounce I had been getting previously. Always learning and trying new stuff...