Sal's System

[salmtpa]

I had originally drafted up a really long narrative of the evolution of my system but then realized no one is going to really be interested in all that. I’ve now downsized from separates, out go the McIntosh MC402 power amp, ARC LS-26 pre and Magnepan 3.7s. A completely different system approach has been adopted now. Simplification being the operative word. The downsizing means I’ve been able to consolidate everything into a nice, antique looking console table.

In the photos from left to right are the PS DS DAC with the P5 Powerplant on top of it, the Pass XP-20 preamp with Aurender N100H on top, Comcast cable box on top of an Oppo BDP-103.

We have a very contemporary post and beam house with lots of glass. In fact, the windows to the right are part of a wall of glass that is 24 feet long and floor to ceiling height. Normally that would be problematic for sound but the GIK art panels have really damped down slap echo and reflections in the room. And the right speaker is more than 4 feet away from the glass wall. Kudos to GIK, the panels are very well made. I recall seeing some earlier postings here on AA that raised questions about GIK quality but these are very nice. And they’ve done a terrific job quieting down the room. Much better focused imaging and stage depth, not to mention the abstract art nicely dresses up what was a big plain white wall. The TV is a 55 inch LG OLED.

The Pass XP-20 is driving the ATC Active 19’s via Transparent Super balanced interconnects. Power is being provided by the PS Audio P5 Powerplant. Most power and signal cabling is Transparent but the speakers will soon be using Wireworld Electra power cables. The Aurender (using Wireworld Silver Starlight USB) and Oppo feed a PS Audio DS DAC. Right now the DAC is connected to the Pass with Wireworld balanced Silver Eclipse 5, but from time to time I swap in Transparent Musiclink Super balanced. Some habits die hard!

For the longest time I was convinced I was a card-carrying Audiophile. But then I got the Aurender server and realized that what I really am is a music lover. The Aurender got me back into my music collection like it was all new to me, and made me want to expand it, completely setting aside all fixations on amplifier topologies, ribbons vs soft domes vs metallic domes; all the usual audio nervosa went out the window. And the interesting thing is that even though it’s a piece of kit, it’s really just a device allowing access to my software. Really fun, flexible access! The fact that I can simply hit "play random" on all my ripped discs always provides a rewarding and fun listening experience, the unknown of what plays next contributing deeply to that experience. My only quibble is the 2000 song limit for the queue. But what the Aurender has really done is made me realize the equipment is only a means to an end, the objective being to just relax and enjoy my music. And so now I do!

My intent was to get off the merry go round, hopefully for a long, long time and just get into the music. But if I hit the lottery I’ll be jumping on the larger ATC Active 50’s or 100’s for Magico/Wilson kind of money!

Sal