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MBL, dCS, Goldmund, Gryphon etc Ultra High End Equipment

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  #11  
Old 09-19-2010, 07:25 PM
two dot two dot is offline
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Any chance that you will tell us what speakers you use at your listening facility, factory or better yet, Home???
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  #12  
Old 09-20-2010, 01:48 PM
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You're asking as if it should be a big secret.

I am now using (and would not part with) a pair of my pre-Analog Domain near-field studio monitors. It's a 2-way system with one 8" LF driver and a soft dome tweeter. I've been using them for over 8 years and know their sound quite well. They do pack a punch, but truthfulness is their edge - probably one of the 'bluntest' speakers ever! For me they are invaluable for assessing performance at low to medium playback levels, especially at close listening distance.

Let me tell you what really got me hooked on high-power setups.

Last year I did a custom installation that featured dedicated amplification in each frequency band, using active 3-way crossovers with DSP. Room size was about 150 sq.m. by 4.5m high. The LF band comprised of eight 18" drivers, paired in 4 enclosures and driven by two of my pre-Analog Domain creations with a total power of 8kW. The remaining two bands, up from 120Hz were also split actively and driven by dedicated amps, respectively 2x1.2kW for the midrange and 2x500W for HF. Everything except the DSP was custom designed and built by yours truly.

That installation sounded just right, at any level, compression-free, effortlessly reproducing even the loudest thumps, bangs, drums, whatever you hit it with. At the same time, it gently brought out the fine details in the recording. It's a little frightening to watch eight 18" cones doing an inch or so of displacement, but when the distortion is low, it's actually quite enjoyable.

I'm sure you are aware that it takes a bit more than just piling up the gear in a room to get good results. Room acoustics account for at least 50% of the sound, and in that case I had the opportunity to 'do things right' all the way. One of the big challenges was to conceal most of it from sight.

I am looking forward to setting up a really good listening room for demonstration and personal enjoyment, hopefully soon.
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  #13  
Old 09-20-2010, 04:29 PM
two dot two dot is offline
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Sounds like an incredible system...

Are the speakers that you speak of your own design and build. They sound similar to Audio Note/Snell design, are they?

Thanks. Looking forward to hear more about your products!
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  #14  
Old 09-28-2010, 10:45 AM
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Amplifier power is like money, you can never have too much.
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  #15  
Old 09-30-2010, 07:05 AM
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It's all about dynamics and the extra headroom, not about smashing windows or damaging your hearing.

Few people realize that 10dB is 10x power, 20dB is 100x. If you are listening to a good recording with a 20dB peak-to-average ratio, at an average power of only 10W the peaks would demand 1,000W to come out clean. Jazz and classical pieces are with the highest dynamics, and that's where it makes a big difference.

@howiebrou: I'd be really interested to know your first impressions from the brief experience at the HK AV Show, or anyone else, who was there. Feel free to share what you did not like too, as it would help me make a beter product.

Last edited by angel; 09-30-2010 at 07:14 AM.
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  #16  
Old 09-30-2010, 08:44 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by angel View Post
It's all about dynamics and the extra headroom, not about smashing windows or damaging your hearing.

Few people realize that 10dB is 10x power, 20dB is 100x. If you are listening to a good recording with a 20dB peak-to-average ratio, at an average power of only 10W the peaks would demand 1,000W to come out clean. Jazz and classical pieces are with the highest dynamics, and that's where it makes a big difference.

@howiebrou: I'd be really interested to know your first impressions from the brief experience at the HK AV Show, or anyone else, who was there. Feel free to share what you did not like too, as it would help me make a beter product.
You could say based on my total power; I agree with you.
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MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES
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MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
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  #17  
Old 10-01-2010, 04:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by angel View Post
It's all about dynamics and the extra headroom, not about smashing windows or damaging your hearing.

Few people realize that 10dB is 10x power, 20dB is 100x. If you are listening to a good recording with a 20dB peak-to-average ratio, at an average power of only 10W the peaks would demand 1,000W to come out clean. Jazz and classical pieces are with the highest dynamics, and that's where it makes a big difference.

@howiebrou: I'd be really interested to know your first impressions from the brief experience at the HK AV Show, or anyone else, who was there. Feel free to share what you did not like too, as it would help me make a beter product.
Sorry for the belated reply it has been a busy week. I was pretty impressed with the sound at the AV show although i will admit the location in the main hall in one of those non-sound proof units was not ideal. they are great looking products. The sound, if I recall, did not remind me of any one particular brand, may be it was the German Physiks speakers which I am not entirely familiar with. I would be interested in hearing them in a more controlled environment again.

howie
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  #18  
Old 11-20-2010, 01:00 PM
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Dear Howiebrou, some good news for you: our Hong Kong Distributor, AudioExotics just received a pair of Calysto amps and has set up a demo system, I believe with Tidal speakers. You could check it out if you'd like to refresh your impressions of ADA amps.

There's also a follow-up on 6moons: HighEnd Suisse 2010 , submitted by a visitor to the recent High End Swiss event. Here's what he wrote:
Quote:
One of the best sounds I heard was at the room of a new German company called Analog Domain whose range of amplifiers use a proprietary circuitry called DXDrive™, which apparently overcomes the problem all solid-state amplifiers face – dynamic bias shift and thermal distortion.
While I can’t explain how they manage, I can vouch ...for the sound. Their Athene monos rated up to 2 kilowatts operating in pure class A in the first watts where most the music happens played John Lee Hooker’s Tupelo in a totally relaxed and non-fatiguing manner that made me want to stay
- not too bad for a first appearance in the homeland of FM Acoustics, Studer, Soulution, and a bunch of other established names in high-performance audio, who were also there.


Incidentally, a lot of people spontaneously came up to shake hands after listening to our setup, saying the same words, more or less. I'd be interested to read any comments if anyone comes across them in the net.
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  #19  
Old 12-04-2010, 05:53 PM
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Had an interesting auditioning session yesterday. SW Speakers 'Magic Flutes' in the foreground, Fischer+Fischer SL1000's at the side.

Both systems sound quite well, although they are radically different in their design. The Flutes are made of ultra-light high-tech carbon fiber, the SL 1000's are housed in stone and are heavy. Both systems use the same drivers. The SL1000's had a deeper low end extension due to the integral sub-woofers in the system. Calysto amps drving the setup.

Harry Belafonte's live performance of "Leaving Jamaica" featuers some gentle percussion in the second part of the piece, completely missing or reduced to an unintelligible background noise with other electronics. Worth noting is the harsh sibilance some amps produced, presenting the "s"-es more like a whistling sound. The Eagles' Hotel California from "Hell freezes over" produced some long faces in the audience - they heard the drums as they should be for the first time, I guess. The imaging on this recording is near perfect, hats off to the recording crew!

But hey, amps are 'just amps' and are all the same, right!? Never mind, carry on...
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  #20  
Old 12-04-2010, 05:56 PM
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Now I can see them!

Strad's in Nera too, Hhmm...
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FLORIDA
MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES
CAPE COD

MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
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