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Old 03-10-2014, 04:14 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Default LIVESTRONG's Music Room - A Journey

Preview: LIVESTRONG's Music Room - A Journey

Welcome! I'll keep this intro short and sweet: My name is JD - I am music lover and budding audiophile with so much to learn.
Since a lot of people ask me, I've been using the name LIVESTRONG for nearly 10 years now - it started when my late grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and I've hung on to it ever since - I like the reminder of how to live and the memories I have of my grandfather.

I'm new here to AA, but I've been keeping a journal of sorts and I wanted to start a thread here to share my audio journey. I will begin by posting the first 14 pre-written chapters and continue to add to them as time goes on. I will always keep a picture of my current setup in this first post - please read on to find out where I've been and I hope you continue to come back

My current setup:


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Old 03-10-2014, 04:14 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Chapter 1: Getting Started

Like so many others on this forum, I first became obsessed with turntables and vinyl. Despite the lack of Pro-Ject love here, I picked up the Pro-Ject Debut III as my first table. I live in Minnesota so the Needle Doctor store is almost as close as their website :thmbsp: I loved the Pro-Ject and had plans of eventually upgrading with the Speed Box & Acrylic platter...

Here is my first setup back in 2011...


And a shot of the Pro-Ject Debut III turntable


…then a different kind of “project” table landed at my house. It was a Dual 1009 F (circa 1968) that I got from the original owner – complete with original boxes, manuals, and set up instructions.

Dual 1009F turntable




I tried my hand at getting it fully functional and failed so then I bought a couple Yamaha's...

Yamaha YP-B4 turntable and Yamaha YP-D4 turntable


Unfortunately the B4 had a bad channel and the D4 broke in transit to me. I had a guy from The Needle Doctor install new IC's on the B4 and gave it a new home. Then I finally ended up with a Pioneer PL-570 that I fell in love with.

Pioneer PL-570 turntable


Then I got into cassettes for a bit because they were fun and cheap I picked up a Harman/Kardon TD292 Deck from a local thrift for $12.99. Brought it home, hooked it up, and I was actually kind of surprised how nice it sounded. I would later play around with a few other decks and amass a large cassette collection, but I've since "cooled off" a bit and trimmed my collection down to my favorites.


The resulting system looked like this:
Harman/Kardon HK 3370 receiver | Rotel RCD-950 CDP | Pioneer PL-570 turntable | Denon DRS-810 cassette deck | Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 450 speakers
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:15 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Chapter 2: Dipping My Toe in the Deep End

Introducing my first real piece of modern HiFi...

Cambridge Audio Azur 840A V2.0 integrated[B]


I was interested in replacing my H/K 3370 Stereo Receiver with my first separates setup for a long time, but it has always intimidated me. After reading many of the threads here (thank you all), I started looking at an integrated amp as an alternative option. The Rega Brio-R, NAD C 356BEE, and Cambridge Audio Azur 651A were all on my short list, but were more than I really wanted to spend. The Cambridge Audio Azur 851A was the "ultimate" dream amp for me, but more than double my already stretched budget so it was clearly out of the question. Then the 840A popped up out of nowhere for a song so I jumped on it.

It is the nicest piece of gear that I have and I hope it is the center of my system for many, many years to come. It is simply beautiful and my eyes and an absolute beast - I had no idea I'd ever be this excited about something like this!

I'm sure it is going to spark some additional "upgrades" down the road. Next will likely be a new turntable or cart upgrade for my current table. Fun, isn't it :thmbsp:

Chapter 3: Diving In

Well…the fun continues with my journey into more "modern" gear.

Digital
This week the match to my integrated amp arrived. Introducing the new to me Cambridge Audio Azur 840C (forgive the crappy picture). Not only is it a stunning piece of hardware and an absolute beast, I'm loving the sound. This is what I call fun



Analog
As some of you may know, I picked up a Rega P25 turntable with loads of upgrades, a Clearaudio Nano Phono preamp, and an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge for my vintage Pioneer PL-570 turntable. Well, I fell in love with the Pioneer all over again with the addition of the new cart and phono preamp so I decided to give the Rega P25 a new home.

Rega P25 Anniversary Edition table with lots of upgrades…
  • Grado Reference Platinum1 cartridge
  • Groovetracer Reference Subplatter
  • Groovetracer Delrin Platter
  • Upgraded 24v motor
  • Upgraded belt

Ortofon 2M Blue on my Pioneer PL-570

Note: I'm not saying that the Pioneer was "better" than the Rega…I just decided that money would be better spent for other things in my system since I love the Pioneer so much.

I've since picked up a PS Audio GCPH phono preamp. Why? I have no idea, but I'm excited to put it up against the Clearaudio Nano Phono…it's like David v. Goliath The GCPH is an absolute MONSTER…I had no idea how big it was until it arrived.

Check out the size of that grounding post!


Needless to day, I'm enjoying this

Turns out the Nano is awesome, but after playing with GCPH for a day it is in another class! I'm not sure that I could justify the 2.5x price point, but since I picked it up for just a little more than the price of a new Nano I'm beyond thrilled.

Chapter 4: Meet Vincent

This next update came much sooner than I expected! I just happened to stumble on a piece that I couldn't pass up - what I believe may be the last integrated amp I buy in the next 10+ years...maybe ever! Introducing...

Vincent Audio TubeLine SV-236MKII Hybrid Stereo Integrated Amplifier




(also pictured was the PS Audio GCPH I mentioned earlier in this thread)

It didn't take me long to realize that this is the one for me...I absolutely love it. The warmth compared to my Cambridge 840A is exactly what I was looking for. Any while the power specs don't look all that different than my Cambridge 840A, the Vincent really does seem like it is in a completely different league. I can't imagine pushing this thing past the half way point.

Did I mention before that I'm having fun?

Low volume listening/detail is like nothing I've ever heard before with the Vincent's Class A goodness! The gentlemen I bought the Vincent from was an awesome guy and invited me in to see/listen to his setup. It was SO much fun (his system was amazing and inspired my next speaker purchase) - I'm trying to expand my musical tastes and get more into Jazz so he introduced me to some awesome stuff. He also gave me a 3 disc CD set of Patricia Barber - I've been playing it all day long at low levels most of the time and it sounds amazing.
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:16 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Chapter 5: Speaker Time!

As I mentioned earlier, the guy I bought my Vincent from invited me in to listen to his setup - it was the first time I think I've ever been really blown away by a 2 channel setup. He had a pair of Tannoy DC10's that absolutely blew my mind. That visit inspired me to look for some new speakers.

Introducing my new Tannoy Precision 6.4's - they are the first set of speakers that I've purchased new in nearly 10 years.

Hmmm…wonder if they'll look better out of the box…


Um, yeah...

Forgive the cell phone pics - I promise I'll take better pics later[/QUOTE]

After the Tannoy's arrived, I did some serious experimenting and moved quite a bit of equipment in and out of my system.

Here is a quick (and dirty) pic of what it currently looks like from my listening couch.


As you can see, I have an extra set of speakers that will be needing to find a new home because my new Canton Vento 830.2's are here to stay! These babies are absolutely amazing for a monitor - I can't say enough good things about them. They're incredibly detailed like you'd expect from a monitor - there's something about the ceramic tweeter that really sparkles. And I really love how much depth they have and how full they sound for a monitor. I could go on...




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Old 03-10-2014, 04:16 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Chapter 6: Playing with Digital

I then replaced my CD player with a Vincent Audio CD-S6 from their TubeLine. I had been patiently waiting for one to show up at a reasonable price and finally found one. While I'm going to miss the multi-functionality of my Cambridge Audio Azur 840C playing the role of a CDP and DAC, I'm loving the warmth that it has brought to my CD listening. I don't have a current need for a DAC right now anyway so this really is the perfect CDP for my system. I feel really lucky to have this one - I haven't seen one referenced here before...



The last of the additions is my Logitech Squeezebox Touch. I was really hesitant to get into this side of the digital world, but I'm really happy that I did. I've only begun to scratch the surface of that it can do - I (like many others) can't believe they stopped making this little guy. What a great way to explore some new music via MOG (and other applications) on my main system rather than through my laptop speakers - and what makes it even cooler is that I can control it all via my iPhone or iPad!


OK - so Weezer isn't exactly "new music" I just wanted to compare how it sounded compared to other formats I had.

One last shot of the equipment - forgive the mess...I should have cleaned up a bit before snapping my pics


Chapter 7: Taking An Equipment Break

This winter I decided to embark on a little built-in media shelving project. I still have the finishing trim work to wrap up, but I thought I'd share how it has progressed...

Before: these were built-ins for my equipment when the room was a dedicated home theater.


I think this is where my wife started freaking out a little...






Almost done...just need to do the final trim work.
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:17 PM
livestrong livestrong is offline
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Chapter 8: Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

The "bug" bit me again and I ended up trying out some more equipment…

Rega P5 with Exact II...


I was searching for a more full range experience and since I can't afford the Canton Vento 890.2 DC's, I decided to give something else a shot.

Anthony Gallo Reference 3.1 speakers with the Mapleshade upgrade stands. I'll start with the Mapleshade upgrade stands - these are a real thing of beauty...they are absolute monsters that weigh in at over 50lbs for the pair. For some reason FedEx delivered them on a different day than the Gallo's so it gave me a chance to test the stock stands out before mounting the Mapleshade's. Here is a quick visual comparison between them:




I'll be honest, I had a really tough time deciding whether or not to get the stands because the original owner was willing to sell me the Gallo's on their own, but boy am I glad I went for the whole package. It isn't that the stock stands are bad - they have pretty solid feet, but the Gallo's really benefit from the incredibly solid foundation that the Mapleshade's add. With the side mounted subs of the Gallo's, adding the Mapleshade's plant them firmly to the ground. The massive front feet and solid 4" thick maple platforms provide the perfect platform to elevate the sound stage and tighten up the bass considerably. Like I said, I'm very glad that I got them. My only "beef" with them is that I didn't know that you're not able to mount the grills with these stands. Probably not a big deal as most people think these should remain grill-less anyway.

Aesthetically, the Anthony Gallo Reference 3.1's most likely fall into the "love 'em or hate 'em" bucket - personally I think they can be an acquired taste. And once you hear them, acquiring the taste becomes a whole lot easier They really are a wonderful sounding speaker. The beauty of mine is that they're already broken in so I really just need to play around with finding the right placement. Mapleshade does a nice job in their stand manual with placement suggestions - I have them sitting 7' apart and about 6' away from my ears (they recommend 5', but I'm having a had time feeling comfortable pulling them out any further). The sound stage doesn't seem as wide as my Canton's, but I haven't got them dialed in yet. They sound wonderful - I've been listening to some Patricia Barber, Dave Brubeck, and various other artists and have been very impressed thus far. I'd like to eventually get that 2 x 4 Expedit out from the middle of the speakers and replace it with a simple equipment rack, but that might take a little while. I wasn't sure what to expect with the 10" woofers - they could have been boomy and over powering, but I'm very impressed so far. They are nice and tight...if anything, I'd like to get a little more from them. I thin I might be able to accomplish that with some room treatments, though. The build quality is fantastic - they seem very solidly built and are quite heavy for their size. Speaking of size...they look larger in pictures but I had read that before they arrived so I knew what to expect. Honestly, with the Mapleshade stands, they are a very nice size in my opinion. My last comment for now is that they seem to take a little more "juice" from my Vincent than my Canton's do...but I think that is to be expected and the Vincent seems more than happy to oblige



Here's a quick shot of my new listening view...
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:17 PM
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I really dig the elegance of your current rig. Clean, done with a great deal of thought.
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Main: McIntosh XRT1K MDA1000 MC402 | JL F113 | Bryston BUC-1 | WireWorld Cabling | RGPC1200C | PPP
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:17 PM
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Chapter 9: Changing My Layout

I've been pretty unhappy with my listening space for awhile now so I put a lot of thought into changing it up - so today I started the process. What do you think of my new layout?

Entering the room (a basement) there is actually about 5 feet of open space behind the couch...


The view from where I listen...


And a few more random shots (I'll try to take some better pics at some point)...



I like having the speakers a little more forward, I've actually switched the left and right around since taking this pic and am liking the sound a little better (woofers facing outward)...


And as you can see, I'm using the stock Gallo stands in my equipment rack for my PS Audio GCPH phono stage and Squeezebox Touch (thanks for the idea, Byron)


I'm not super happy about where the Vincent integrated is on top, but I wanted it to be able to breath and it didn't work to have where the turntable was because I don't have long enough IC's to reach anything.

Chapter 10: Superfly

Playing with some other speakers…

Zu Audio Soul Superfly's





These Zu's are a beautifully built speaker - they look better in person than in photo's that I've seen (and my pictures aren't good either) - I'm very impressed. I need some more time with them to experiment with different types of music and maybe even trying out some bases for them to sit on since I have such thick carpet. I think I've also come to the realization that my room would benefit a great deal from some room treatments.

After spending more time with the Zu's I enjoyed them quite a bit. A guy came over to demo them and they sounded as good as I've heard them sound since I got them - some very good quality recordings do wonders! It was really fun to demo them for someone else and see the huge smile on his face.

I also listened to some vinyl I haven't listened to for awhile and was quite impressed with the sound. The tweeters seemed to have settled down or I found some better recordings. These speakers are going to be a great match for his tube amp, I'm glad that they're going to a good home and enjoyed them for the brief period I had them.
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Old 03-10-2014, 04:17 PM
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Chapter 11: AntiCables

I had been dabbling with an assortment of cables in my system and decided to jump into something new. I ended up with a whole new set of cables from AntiCable. I'm sure most have at least heard of AntiCable, but maybe never "heard" them first hand. Well, I'm absolutely thrilled with them. Here's what I landed on:

Power Cables
Level 3 Reference - CD Player
Level 2 Performance - Integrated Amp & Phono Preamp

Interconnects
Level 3 Reference - CD Player
Level 2 Performance - Phono preamp & Turntable

Speaker Cables
Level 3 Reference w/ copper spades

I absolutely love the power cables - I had a $1,000+ Transparent power cable that came with one of my components when I bought it and I'm MORE than happy with both the Performance and Reference series as a replacement - WOW! The build quality on them is fantastic and I really love the plugs. While I won't say that I was ever really on the power cable merry-go-round, I'm excited to say that I have no reason to ever buy another power cable. And at $230 for the Level 2 Performance Series, I think they're an incredible value.

As for the interconnects, the Level 2 Performance Series is were the magic is at for me - at least on the vinyl side of my setup. I'm running double shielded Level 2's from my turntable to my phono pre and from the phono pre to my integrated amp. They helped clean up the feedback I was getting with the cables that came with my Music Hall MMF-11. They're absolutely perfect - and at $150 they're an absolute bargain. I did, however, decide to "splurge" on the Level 3 Reference Series for my CD Player and they're an improvement over the XLO's I had previously!

Now for the speaker cables - it took me a little bit (maybe 5 minutes) for me to get used to the stiffness of the speaker cables, but once I got them hooked up, it was all over for the custom set of cables I was using before.

I've been enjoying them more and more over the past month or so as they've "burned in" a little. Honestly, I don't know if it is my ears or the cables, but the more in listen to them, the more I like them. Could there be "better" cables out there? I'm sure there could be, but for my system and my ears, the AntiCables are absolutely perfect! The fact that they're relatively easy on the pocket book and are made right here in the USA is a huge bonus to me - in fact, they're made right here in my home state of Minnesota and the owner is a top notch guy!




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Old 03-10-2014, 04:18 PM
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Chapter 12: Music Hall and music hall

Well, as I said goodbye to my Zu Audio speakers, I said hello to a Music Hall MMF-7.1 turntable by way of a local trade. It sure is fun meeting other audio nuts and even more fun exchanging some gear

I only snapped one shot of the Music Hall MMF-7.1 before…


...I decided to rearrange my music hall (room) layout. The first thing to go was the TV - so long! Then I took the 5 x 5 Ikea Expedit that I had and used it to partition the room room a little. It may take a little getting used to aesthetically, but it is a HUGE improvement in my sound - it has also inspired what I hope will be another chapter in the near future dedicated to room treatments. It took me FAR too long to realize just how big of a difference they can make.


Next up...more Music Hall! Let me start this by saying that jumping into this next turntable was pretty crazy - it was just a timing thing and a trade + cash deal I couldn't pass up. The funny thing is that I actually ordered it before I even took the MMF-7.1 in on trade

So, without further ado, I introduce you to the Music Hall MMF-11


The MMF-11 is an absolute BEAST of a turntable - it was delivered in its own custom made wooden pallet/crate thingy. The quadruple plinth design is as sturdy of a base for a turntable that I've ever seen - it is a real thing of beauty. The massive acrylic platter and dual motor system with built-in electronic speed control are very well integrated into the table. The full carbon fiber Pro-Ject 9cc Evolution tonearm is simply stunning and one of the coolest features I've seen in a turntable is the magnetic arm rest - it was something I didn't know about until it arrived and I think it is so cool! Last, but not least, the fully adjustable opposing magnetic feet make for a solid and functional stance.

I started by mounting the Ortofon 2M Bronze cart I had used briefly on my vintage Pioneer deck - the combo put a pretty monster grin on my face at the first drop of the needle, but I knew that I wanted to try something new (more on that later).




Let there be light...
I was at IKEA picking up some organizational bins and looking at all the new Expedit colors and options when I found this cool light that I thought would be perfect for a turntable light. I think it works great and the $29 price was sure right. The only thing I need to be careful about is adding noise to my vinyl playback. I think it have it isolated enough for now…and it looks pretty cool with a colored slap of vinyl slapped on the platter

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