Been a while
- Thread starter insomniac
- Start date
Congrats, man.Oh yeah, might as well do the caps while I'm at it. I have pretty limited skills working on gear but caps are easy enough.
Regarding the price, does 50 bucks count as next to nothing?
You don't get scores like that much these days. Yeah, that's next to nothing in my book. Do them right, I'm sure glad I cut no corners on mine. Awesome.
May I suggest "Bomber" if you have it?? 
Highly recommend picking up some "War".
Wow, I knew nothing about that B2101....impressive!
You can definitely see the lineage there with the Sansui AU-G99X, which I own and love.
You can definitely see the lineage there with the Sansui AU-G99X, which I own and love.
insomniac
Active Member
Right on! If I could snag one of those for a decent price it would be driving the Epicures for sure. The AU-G99X is basically the B-2101 amp and C-2101 preamp combined, with slightly less output. The B-2101 is a 200wpc beast- totally overkill for the Energy speakers at 91db sensitivity, with the Dayton monoblocks putting 150wpc to the tweeters as well. That being said, plenty of headroom is always a good thing in my book.
I can tell you, insomniac, that the AU-G99X on Epi 20's is a match made in heaven. But those speakers and that amp pair well with most anything.
I had mine completely recapped (except for filter caps, which were still comfortably in spec and unobtainium) by MattsD and it was well worth it.
I had mine completely recapped (except for filter caps, which were still comfortably in spec and unobtainium) by MattsD and it was well worth it.
insomniac
Active Member
So it just occurred to me that I moved the main rig downstairs months ago and never updated this thread. Now I have a semi-dedicated room (have to share it with the fiancee's vanity) with some very amateur room treatment.
Also swapped out the Integra CD player for a Marantz and added a cheap laptop. I'm running my digital collection from an external hard drive through the (now probably antiquated) zune software, out of the HDMI port into the toslink in on the preamp. Maybe not as high-brow as a dedicated DAC, but my tin ears can't tell the difference. I know it's better than using the headphone jack at any rate.
Also swapped out the Integra CD player for a Marantz and added a cheap laptop. I'm running my digital collection from an external hard drive through the (now probably antiquated) zune software, out of the HDMI port into the toslink in on the preamp. Maybe not as high-brow as a dedicated DAC, but my tin ears can't tell the difference. I know it's better than using the headphone jack at any rate.
insomniac
Active Member
Big update- I sold off my amplifiers, preamp, and speakers to a buddy of mine and set up basically a whole new system. Now running a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 preamp, rebuilt/modified Magnavox AMP-128 monoblocks, Schiit Mani/Modi combo, and Martin Logan LX16 speakers. I'm really enjoying it... I think I may be a tube guy from here on out.
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highend64
Super Member
Nice system. How do you like the Schiit Mani/Modi combo?
insomniac
Active Member
Pretty pleased with the Mani so far. Haven't had much chance to play with the Modi so far... It sounds good, but I don't think I'm getting quite the soundstage that my CD player throws. However, I may have just been listening to poorly recorded songs so far, I've only used it for an hour or so. Need to do an a/b comparison.
That is one thing about this new setup... It's a bit more revealing than I'm used to. Not to a fault, but there are some albums I'm just now realizing weren't mastered very well!
That is one thing about this new setup... It's a bit more revealing than I'm used to. Not to a fault, but there are some albums I'm just now realizing weren't mastered very well!
highend64
Super Member
Thanks. I was wanting to get a Modi 3 for my system but wanted to see what was your thoughts.
insomniac
Active Member
I ended up with a Modi 2 they had on clearance, I imagine the 3 is even better. I will have to report back here when I have a bit more time to listen.
insomniac
Active Member
It's homebrew, made out of 3/4" edge glued boards and I think 1" black pipe and associated hardware, it's been a while since I made it lol. Was pretty simple to make, but if I did it again I would use conduit pipe with set screw type fittings, or threaded rod.
Chubba
Well-Known Member
Nice to see someone else with a Sonic Frontiers SFL-1.How do you like it?I bought the 23rd one they made and I really liked it.I sold it last year after buying another one that had been very heavily modded by a former Sonic Frontiers tech who now works at Parts Connextion.Cheers
insomniac
Active Member
So far I'm really enjoying it. Sounds great, it looks nice, and the build quality is very good. I may swap out the tube at some point, what were were you running in yours?
