My Audio Journey

Weellllllll....it has been a long time since I posted in this thread. I have sold off most of my audio equipment but have recently been bitten by the audio bug again. Instead of trying to find old pics of what I had between the last post and now, I am going to post my current setups.

Listening room: Parasound Zonemaster z12 power amp, Sansui 8080 pulling preamp duty, Ariston RD-80 with Denon cart, Acoustic Research AR-2As, MIT interconnects, Choseal speaker cables, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, WAudio OFC power cable, and Sonos Connect for streaming.
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Office: SMSL AD18 integrated, Music Hall dac25.2, Tekton 8.1t speakers, OCC OFC 3.5in to RCA cable, MIT interconnects, HannLinte OFC speaker cables, WAudio OFC power cable, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, Pro Audio Ace Bass B2-50 subwoofer, MacBook Pro 15in.
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Study: Fosi TB20A integrated, Mordaunt Short Carnival 2 speakers, Infinity BU-120 subwoofer, Calabrine Quadio Ultra Standard speaker cable, OCC OFC 3.5in to RCA cable, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, iMac 27in.
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Weellllllll....it has been a long time since I posted in this thread. I have sold off most of my audio equipment but have recently been bitten by the audio bug again. Instead of trying to find old pics of what I had between the last post and now, I am going to post my current setups.

Listening room: Parasound Zonemaster z12 power amp, Sansui 8080 pulling preamp duty, Ariston RD-80 with Denon cart, Acoustic Research AR-2As, MIT interconnects, Choseal speaker cables, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, WAudio OFC power cable, and Sonos Connect for streaming.
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Office: SMSL AD18 integrated, Music Hall dac25.2, Tekton 8.1t speakers, OCC OFC 3.5in to RCA cable, MIT interconnects, HannLinte OFC speaker cables, WAudio OFC power cable, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, Pro Audio Ace Bass B2-50 subwoofer, MacBook Pro 15in.
View attachment 1174059

Study: Fosi TB20A integrated, Mordaunt Short Carnival 2 speakers, Infinity BU-120 subwoofer, Calabrine Quadio Ultra Standard speaker cable, OCC OFC 3.5in to RCA cable, Belkin PF60 power conditioner, iMac 27in.
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Very nice setups!
 
Change to the main system. Pulled the Sansui until a cleanup and possibly a recap. Had my NAD 1155 preamp show up in the mail yesterday so that is now in the rotation. This will be my current rotation until the Marantz 1060 and Pioneer PL-55DX table show up in the mail. Both are veneered in birdseye.

Cheers,
Jared

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Got the new gear in the mail yesterday! Current setup now:

Preamp: Marantz 1060
Amp: Parasound Z12
TT: Pioneer PL-55DX
DAC: Music Hall 25.2
Streamer: Sonos Connect
Speakers: Polk LS70's in Rosewood
Subwoofer: Definitive Technology Powerfield 15
Power Conditioner: Belkin PF60
Speakers are biamped using Choseal LA-5101 speaker cables. Amp and DAC using WAudio OFC power cables. Interconnects used throughout are MIT AVt 3's. Coax used for DAC/Sonos is Choseal TA-5201 cable.

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Got a little system for my office at work up and running.

Source: 2015 MacBook Pro 15in
Integrated/DAC: SMSL AD18
Speakers: Acutex MTS-1W
Speaker Cable: Monster XP

This is an interesting system that really has surprised me with how well it sounds. I read a lot of good things on this little SMSL integrated so I bought one for the home office. I was impressed enough to use one in my work office setup as well. The options and customizability of this little guy is great! I have it connected to my MacBook through the USB input on the SMSL. I was also very impressed with how well rounded these little Acutex speakers are. No, they don't hit the lows (will be bringing in a small subwoofer to take of this), but the soundstage in unbelievably large for their small size and the mids/highs are clear and accurate. Lastly, I wanted to get a pair of monitor isolation pads to keep the vibration nonexistent and raise the level of the speaker height. I found a pair of foam risers for pretty cheap on Amazon and cut down the fronts of them to match the depth of the Acutex speakers. They work perfect and look like they were designed for this exact speaker. Besides missing the low end stuff, I am very pleased with this minimal, small footprint system!

Cheers,
Jared

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Another rendition of the music area. I liked the sound of the NAD 1155 preamp better than the Marantz 1060. Since I am running the Parasound Z12, I've got a few extra channels so I biamped the Polks and set up the Tekton 8.1t on there own bridged channels. When I feel like listening to the Tektons, just have to swap the input cables to channel input they are on. Also added a granite slab under the turntable to isolate any vibrations.

Cheers,
Jared

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Edit: Ended up flipping the Tekton's and placing them on top of the Polk's. The NAD preamp I am running has two outputs so I am running both at the same time. It sounds great!

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Going with the "less is more" theme until I find a pair of floor standers. With the shorter stands and isolation feet under the Tektons, it puts the tweeter exactly at ear level both on the couch and my chair. I don't think I have really appreciated how clear and full sounding these Tektons play. With the DefTech subwoofer covering the lower freq's, this is a heavenly combo!

Cheers,
Jared

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Changed things up in the office. Swapped out the Acutex speakers for a pair of GoldenEar Aon3's.

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Love the evolution! I am sure those Tektons will be as good as what you feed it and surprise you along the way...until you feel you simply want more that only a larger tower could provide. Good thing is that will fit right in as those Polks did previously. Maybe look to the larger Tektons or maybe Zu's.

It would be tough for me not to at least have that gorgeous Marantz out on display at least.
 
Going with the "less is more" theme until I find a pair of floor standers. With the shorter stands and isolation feet under the Tektons, it puts the tweeter exactly at ear level both on the couch and my chair. I don't think I have really appreciated how clear and full sounding these Tektons play. With the DefTech subwoofer covering the lower freq's, this is a heavenly combo!

Cheers,
Jared

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Very Nice system you got there! Is that a power conditioner below the furniture?
 
Love the evolution! I am sure those Tektons will be as good as what you feed it and surprise you along the way...until you feel you simply want more that only a larger tower could provide. Good thing is that will fit right in as those Polks did previously. Maybe look to the larger Tektons or maybe Zu's.

It would be tough for me not to at least have that gorgeous Marantz out on display at least.

Thanks for the positive feedback! I am looking at the Tekton Double Impact in my future. Seeing as they are in Provo, a good 3 hour drive north, I may see if I can go check out their place and inquire about being able to get the DI in a real wood veneer instead of their satin and gloss color finishes. From what I read, they seem to be the best bang for your buck and compete with speakers double their price.
As for the Marantz, I think that is going to go up for sale to put into the speaker funds.
 
Jared, I see you have a Music Hall 25.2. How do you like it? What input are you using it? Thanks

It has been a great DAC and really adds a little tube warmth to the music. I am currently using a Choseal TA-5201 digital coax cable from the Sonos to the Music Hall. When I set this up recently, the digital coax was readily available so that's what I used instead of fiber.
 
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