In praise of small systems, Part II

[Puma Cat]

Chris' recent post praising small systems really rang true for me, so with the arrival of my new Core Audio racks last week, thought I'd post a current pic.

Going with the Constellation Inspiration integrated and Lumin P1 really let me simplify my system considerably from it's previous configuration (was able to remove 15 pieces of gear from main rack alone), and now with the arrival of my Core Audio racks, it's even simpler as I no longer need the Butcher Block Acoustics maple and IKEA Aptitlig bamboo cutting boards, and all the frickin' footers including Stillpoints, EVPs, HRS Nimbus Couplers, Herbie's Tenderfeet & square fat dots, ay me!

Just place the component on the rack shelf, and "job done", as the Brits say.



Linn's philosophy all these years of "Simply Better" really is true.

[dkorbal]

Nice looking system Stephen. Much cleaner than before. New stands work well together. Do you have problems with the cars vibrating off the top of the speakers?

[clpetersen]

Very nice Stephen! Looks great!

Enjoying those Harbeths? I could see rotating those in some day.

As a Starship chief engineer famously said, "The fancier the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet". It was from one of the early original-cast movies, and I always keep that in mind.

[jimtranr]

Spiffy clean-lined look. Bet it sounds superb.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by dkorbal

Nice looking system Stephen. Much cleaner than before. New stands work well together. Do you have problems with the cars vibrating off the top of the speakers?

No, no problems with the race cars. The fact that the speakers are resting on A/V Roomservice EVPs between the cabinet and the stand really help, as well. Also, I measure the vibration of the speaker setup using Hamm Seismometer, an iPhone app. There is virtually no measurable vibration at the particle board bases that the speaker stands rest on to be transmitted to the floor, and then to the "dry wall" walls, to resonate at...70Hz.

Also, the REL sub is also on EVPs, as of the biggest improvements I made to my system was placing the REL on EVPs. As result, the room is now really...quiet (literally quiet, from a vibration standpoint).

I learned all about the importance of this from Norm Varney, of A/V Roomservice, who makes the EVPs.

Gotta love...science.

[dkorbal]

I knew when I wrote the question it was going to produce a similar response from you. It's all about the science and ears of course.

Enjoy the music my friend!

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by clpetersen

Very nice Stephen! Looks great!

Enjoying those Harbeths? I could see rotating those in some day.

As a Starship chief engineer famously said, "The fancier the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet". It was from one of the early original-cast movies, and I always keep that in mind.

Thanks, Chris. Yes, I've found my system to be both more reliable (not having to "fuss" with stuff) AND better-sounding now that I've simplified it considerably. The less "crap" in the system, the better, in my experience.

And yes, the Harbeths are great. They're also just the right size for my listening area. I sometimes rotate in the GR-Research X-LS Encores I built up from a kit, but I can't use them at the present moment, as they require an speaker cable ("SP") with a banana plug at the speaker end, and my Venom-X SPs are on-loan to a friend up in Bainbridge Island, WA. He's putting together his system in his new home up there, so I sent my pair up there for him to try out. The Venom-X line of cables is an amazing line of cables for their price point. In fact, I'm using a Venom-X XLR IC to connect from the Lumin P-1 to the Constellation integrated, even though I also have an Alpha V2 RCA IC. The Constellation prefers balanced ICs to single-ended.

Cheers.

[JoeN]

Beautiful! Love those racks. The black/white contrasts highlight the system!

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jimtranr

Spiffy clean-lined look. Bet it sounds superb.

Thanks, Jim. I am enjoying it very much.

Originally Posted by dkorbal

I knew when I wrote the question it was going to produce a similar response from you. It's all about the science and ears of course.

Enjoy the music my friend!

Yep, Doug...science, a clear understanding of physics, the impact of vibration and noise, measurement system analysis, and statistical analysis all help in achieving an effective set-up. As well as having well-mastered recordings, of course.

Cheers.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by JoeN

Beautiful! Love those racks. The black/white contrasts highlight the system!

Thanks, Joe. Cheers.