beerdraft
Active Member
I bought some new racks on the advice of a dealer. He told me that they required break in and I didn't believe him but rather than go down the road of tweaks on vibration control I went with the racks. With these racks you need no other tweaks for any of your equipment. He told me it was the biggest difference in his system any one addition ever made. The racks are Critical Mass Systems Platinum series racks and I have 5 levels and $3300 a level. I've been keeping a log of what is going on and it's got me scratching my head:scratch2:
1/6/2010-12:35:41 PM (first 4 hours)
• First off lets catch up on our time line of the new Racks and there progress or regression during there break in.
• Racks were put togther and playing on 1/6/2010 at about 7pm.
• upon putting together me and my dealer listened to them for an hour or so. He was blown away at how nice the system sounded.
• After he left I listened extensively to Diana Krall and Norah Jones, (two of my favorites). I noticed a transeparency to the stage which before was already very good but this was another level of that. I also noticed a slight increase on bottom end. The other thing that really stood out was the S's, T's, and CH's. They had that natural ssssts, like a slight whistle to them that I'm not sure I've heard anywhere but in a good live performance with a very good mic and playback system. And of coarse I remember hearing that at Glen Poors Audio when I first heard the BAT gear and it was on these racks although at that time I wasn't interested in hearing a rack can make a difference even though Geoff was trying to convince me that part of the sound I was blown away by was indeed the rack. I remember leaving there thinking, YEAH RIGHT. I also remember leaving there and deciding to sell my entire system to hopefully get closer to what I heard there.
• So the first 4 hours or so of listening was outstanding and a real improvement over my previous custom made racks. Volume level in this session was 35 on the BAT REX which goes to 140 I think.
01/07/2010- 5:00 PM (after 22 hours)
• Went down to listen and there was the absence of bass. It was no bass IMO, only a touch of mid-bass. The hi-frequency also as I listened was not there much at all either. It was like a rich mid range with excellent mid-bass. I didn't listen much to Norah only a few songs on and off.
10:00 PM (27 hours)
• By now the Hi Frequency is starting to come back in some and the bass acts like it is also making a come back but still not much at all.
01/08/2010- 10:52:42 AM (39 hours)
• This morning I was treated to a transparency and detail that was life lifting. The piano is strong, dynamic, and very large and transparent. Norah is really sounding good right now. The bass seems to have made it about 75% back and the Hi Freq is much better than yesterday. Not as much emphasis on the S, T, and CH as noted upon installation but its getting there. At this point it is very listenable and very promising. The stage is wide and open and as transparent as I've heard. I think sometimes people throw around the phrase to loosely "the speaker has totally disappeared to often much like the phrase in sports of someone being a GREAT PLAYER". So I'm not going to say 100% I think the speakers have disappeared but man it’s so close to just not realizing there is even a sound system right now. It is better than I've ever heard in my audio system right now which has always been pretty darn good, IMO.
12:30 PM (41 hours)
• Ok, now its going in another direction. First the SSsssts and all is back very nice. Second the low end bass is back to nearly full strength it seems. The mid-bass how ever just disappeared over the coarse of two songs, I was thinking it was fading and then it was literally gone. The stage as that happened Narrowed somewhat and came slightly forward a bit so transparency is degrading a bit which a bit ago was incredible now is just marginal. I’m starting to wonder if like they make noise cancelling headphones and such like helicopters that have noise canceling devices on them. I’m wondering if that is what this shelf is doing to some extent somehow going through some sort of cycle and cancelling out the affects of noise some how by, oh well now I’m starting to confuse myself. Anxiously await the next session tonight as I have to get out of here for a bit to get some work done.
5:23 PM (46 hours)
• Stage has went super 3D and out of focus. Mid-bass still lacking. Not a very good listen right now.
1:00 AM (53 hours)
• Stage is getting back in focus still not as wide as it can be or was at one point. Still a tad on the brite side, just a touch.
1/9/2010- 10:20 AM (62 hours)
• It seems this system is a morning person unlike me. It is once again very nice. The center stage has that magical transparency and detail that I heard earlier. It has great and realistic depth with detail on every little sound that might often get covered up by some other louder sound from the stage when a system try to display depth. Everything has a weight to it and very nice. Now as I get to the right and left side of the stage the presentation gets closer to the speaker, although nice sounding and detailed the transparency I desire isn’t there except in center. Good thing now is all the music is there and all the detail so it seems as I heard yesterday the stage was going and coming and now that process is still working itself out. Today may be a good day for listening as it does sound great right now.
12:00 PM (65 hours)
• The bass just disappeared again. Only some upper mid-bass right now going on. The left and center stage are wonderful and depth is good and detail is fabulous. Right stage is still forward but with good detail. I give up on trying to figure this out and sessions of listening will just be unpredictable for sure.
5:45 Pm (71 hours)
• I wanted to clarify what I mean when I say no bass. I just went down stairs and was listening to Norah Jones Lone Star on the come away with me sacd. On that Lone star song I think it was, there is a nice little bass guitar that pretty steady strum notes. I don't and can't hear it at all, so not saying no bass like when I had 804N in this big room like that was just I didn't have enough bass if you know what I mean. This is none, I hear only on some of the guitar strums just the act of plucking the guitar on some of them I don't even hear that. If you had never heard this song you would think it was just her singing and a bit of guitar and piano, not a bass drum or guitar to be heard. Then on the next song the bass kick drum is much the same, I hear every now and then just the initial contact of the drum but nothing of the noise made from the impact, nothing.
8:00 PM (73 hours)
• Ok, the bass has come back strong and gone again. I didn’t go down to discover this but was upstairs watching playoff’s and the floor started shaking then it went away again, ha.
1/6/2010-12:35:41 PM (first 4 hours)
• First off lets catch up on our time line of the new Racks and there progress or regression during there break in.
• Racks were put togther and playing on 1/6/2010 at about 7pm.
• upon putting together me and my dealer listened to them for an hour or so. He was blown away at how nice the system sounded.
• After he left I listened extensively to Diana Krall and Norah Jones, (two of my favorites). I noticed a transeparency to the stage which before was already very good but this was another level of that. I also noticed a slight increase on bottom end. The other thing that really stood out was the S's, T's, and CH's. They had that natural ssssts, like a slight whistle to them that I'm not sure I've heard anywhere but in a good live performance with a very good mic and playback system. And of coarse I remember hearing that at Glen Poors Audio when I first heard the BAT gear and it was on these racks although at that time I wasn't interested in hearing a rack can make a difference even though Geoff was trying to convince me that part of the sound I was blown away by was indeed the rack. I remember leaving there thinking, YEAH RIGHT. I also remember leaving there and deciding to sell my entire system to hopefully get closer to what I heard there.
• So the first 4 hours or so of listening was outstanding and a real improvement over my previous custom made racks. Volume level in this session was 35 on the BAT REX which goes to 140 I think.
01/07/2010- 5:00 PM (after 22 hours)
• Went down to listen and there was the absence of bass. It was no bass IMO, only a touch of mid-bass. The hi-frequency also as I listened was not there much at all either. It was like a rich mid range with excellent mid-bass. I didn't listen much to Norah only a few songs on and off.
10:00 PM (27 hours)
• By now the Hi Frequency is starting to come back in some and the bass acts like it is also making a come back but still not much at all.
01/08/2010- 10:52:42 AM (39 hours)
• This morning I was treated to a transparency and detail that was life lifting. The piano is strong, dynamic, and very large and transparent. Norah is really sounding good right now. The bass seems to have made it about 75% back and the Hi Freq is much better than yesterday. Not as much emphasis on the S, T, and CH as noted upon installation but its getting there. At this point it is very listenable and very promising. The stage is wide and open and as transparent as I've heard. I think sometimes people throw around the phrase to loosely "the speaker has totally disappeared to often much like the phrase in sports of someone being a GREAT PLAYER". So I'm not going to say 100% I think the speakers have disappeared but man it’s so close to just not realizing there is even a sound system right now. It is better than I've ever heard in my audio system right now which has always been pretty darn good, IMO.
12:30 PM (41 hours)
• Ok, now its going in another direction. First the SSsssts and all is back very nice. Second the low end bass is back to nearly full strength it seems. The mid-bass how ever just disappeared over the coarse of two songs, I was thinking it was fading and then it was literally gone. The stage as that happened Narrowed somewhat and came slightly forward a bit so transparency is degrading a bit which a bit ago was incredible now is just marginal. I’m starting to wonder if like they make noise cancelling headphones and such like helicopters that have noise canceling devices on them. I’m wondering if that is what this shelf is doing to some extent somehow going through some sort of cycle and cancelling out the affects of noise some how by, oh well now I’m starting to confuse myself. Anxiously await the next session tonight as I have to get out of here for a bit to get some work done.
5:23 PM (46 hours)
• Stage has went super 3D and out of focus. Mid-bass still lacking. Not a very good listen right now.
1:00 AM (53 hours)
• Stage is getting back in focus still not as wide as it can be or was at one point. Still a tad on the brite side, just a touch.
1/9/2010- 10:20 AM (62 hours)
• It seems this system is a morning person unlike me. It is once again very nice. The center stage has that magical transparency and detail that I heard earlier. It has great and realistic depth with detail on every little sound that might often get covered up by some other louder sound from the stage when a system try to display depth. Everything has a weight to it and very nice. Now as I get to the right and left side of the stage the presentation gets closer to the speaker, although nice sounding and detailed the transparency I desire isn’t there except in center. Good thing now is all the music is there and all the detail so it seems as I heard yesterday the stage was going and coming and now that process is still working itself out. Today may be a good day for listening as it does sound great right now.
12:00 PM (65 hours)
• The bass just disappeared again. Only some upper mid-bass right now going on. The left and center stage are wonderful and depth is good and detail is fabulous. Right stage is still forward but with good detail. I give up on trying to figure this out and sessions of listening will just be unpredictable for sure.
5:45 Pm (71 hours)
• I wanted to clarify what I mean when I say no bass. I just went down stairs and was listening to Norah Jones Lone Star on the come away with me sacd. On that Lone star song I think it was, there is a nice little bass guitar that pretty steady strum notes. I don't and can't hear it at all, so not saying no bass like when I had 804N in this big room like that was just I didn't have enough bass if you know what I mean. This is none, I hear only on some of the guitar strums just the act of plucking the guitar on some of them I don't even hear that. If you had never heard this song you would think it was just her singing and a bit of guitar and piano, not a bass drum or guitar to be heard. Then on the next song the bass kick drum is much the same, I hear every now and then just the initial contact of the drum but nothing of the noise made from the impact, nothing.
8:00 PM (73 hours)
• Ok, the bass has come back strong and gone again. I didn’t go down to discover this but was upstairs watching playoff’s and the floor started shaking then it went away again, ha.
