My Ever-Changing System...
- Thread starter cube-tube
- Start date
cube-tube
Super Member
Nothing in my system is the same except for the Nak cassette deck and Technics TT since the last time I listened to these speakers. I listened to them almost all day yesterday. With the "new" preamp, amp, digital front end, power, speaker and interconnect cables, these X-Statik's sound absolutely amazing! So big, so wide, so dynamic, so natural, so effortless. Only until now, I never really realized what these speakers were capable of over the past 8 years. And I thought they sounded good before! This is exactly why I have finally decided to take the plunge and do the crossover upgrades that Danny Richie recommends. It can only get better from here!
cube-tube
Super Member
Another update to my system...
I purchased an immaculate McIntosh C15 preamp from a fellow member on one of the other forums I'm a member of. It certainly doesn't look 15, 16, 17 years old. It's in great shape inside and out. One thing is for sure, it's definitely a lot lighter than the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR it replaces, a little thinner also. The feet on it are nice and tall, but also hard as it doesn't take much at all for the C15 to slip and slide on the shelf. I'll have to figure out a way to remedy that.
As for the sound... So far so good! I won't say too much about it for now as it's been sitting unused for about 6 months. So after a few days of running (probably not even necessary) I'll post up some thoughts.
As always, on with some pics!
I opened up the box and found this instead of the preamp! Not really. LOL
I did find this though. In immaculate condition more or less.
Some pics of the guts, what little there is...
Complete with fresh new bulbs throughout...
My back has been killing me for the past couple of weeks, so I didn't bother taking the time to tidy up the wiring. I'll get to it soon enough though.
I purchased an immaculate McIntosh C15 preamp from a fellow member on one of the other forums I'm a member of. It certainly doesn't look 15, 16, 17 years old. It's in great shape inside and out. One thing is for sure, it's definitely a lot lighter than the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR it replaces, a little thinner also. The feet on it are nice and tall, but also hard as it doesn't take much at all for the C15 to slip and slide on the shelf. I'll have to figure out a way to remedy that.
As for the sound... So far so good! I won't say too much about it for now as it's been sitting unused for about 6 months. So after a few days of running (probably not even necessary) I'll post up some thoughts.
As always, on with some pics!
I opened up the box and found this instead of the preamp! Not really. LOL
I did find this though. In immaculate condition more or less.
Some pics of the guts, what little there is...
Complete with fresh new bulbs throughout...
My back has been killing me for the past couple of weeks, so I didn't bother taking the time to tidy up the wiring. I'll get to it soon enough though.
cube-tube
Super Member
Well since I've been running the X-Statik speakers again and really liking what I hear with better equipment in front of them, I decided to finally do some upgrades to them, upgrades that people have raved about for years. I'm glad I finally came around and did them. The original recommended crossover upgrades consisted of a total of (6) Sonicap capacitors and (4) Mills resistors. I performed those upgrades a month ago with excellent results. After hearing the results from said upgrades, I decided to go the rest of the way and upgrade the last two capacitors on the board, a tiny bypass cap and a rather large 56 uF cap. In order to upgrade that one, it takes (2) even larger 27.5 uF Sonicap caps to replace it. With the help of some duct seal and zip-ties, I got those two massive caps installed. It was a tight squeeze, but they're in there.
This time around, I also decided to yank out the old felt padding in the bass enclosures and replace it all with No-Rez. Boy was that a royal PITA. Cut fingertips, scraped knuckles, and 10 hours later, all of the old felt was gone and the No-Rez installed.
Now comes the waiting game, waiting for the caps to burn-in, which should take a couple weeks or so. I'll also be able to play the system a little louder today (vs whisper levels last night at 11mp) to hear the effects of the No-Rez.
This time around, I also decided to yank out the old felt padding in the bass enclosures and replace it all with No-Rez. Boy was that a royal PITA. Cut fingertips, scraped knuckles, and 10 hours later, all of the old felt was gone and the No-Rez installed.
Now comes the waiting game, waiting for the caps to burn-in, which should take a couple weeks or so. I'll also be able to play the system a little louder today (vs whisper levels last night at 11mp) to hear the effects of the No-Rez.
cube-tube
Super Member
I can't believe it's been a month since I posted on this thread. Some things have changed since then. I purchased a pair of Sonus Faber Venere 1.5's and am now using them. Yes, even after doing all of those crossover upgrades on the X-Statik's. I decided to also get some 1.5" thick slabs of quartz cut to size last week for under the speaker stands, and...
Went and picked up my custom quartz slabs today. These things are beautiful and I feel bad that they are mostly covered up by the stands. LOL
Naturally, some pics...
Went and picked up my custom quartz slabs today. These things are beautiful and I feel bad that they are mostly covered up by the stands. LOL
Naturally, some pics...
cube-tube
Super Member
Another update...
For the past couple of months I've been trying to trace down a skewed stereo image that's been favoring the right channel. Automatically ruling out the McIntosh preamp for some reason, I went on a hunt to weed it out going through the entire system. I swapped out cables, I flip-flopped cables from channel to channel, both on the sending end and receiving end of the signal, checking and rechecking the DC offset and bias on my amp, swapping speaker cables, power cables, moving the speakers all over the place, even listening through headphones on the McIntosh. Under closer listening (first noticed through the headphones) I noticed that both bass and treble output on the left channel was considerably lower than that of the right. I already knew bass output was stronger on the right due to the room layout, but I never really noticed the treble difference that much until I strapped on the cans.
It wasn't until I started the process of elimination, removing the McIntosh from the system when the stereo image snapped back to normal! I ran my Oppo BDP-105D directly into the amp and configured its output to variable so it can be used as a preamp. So in short, it was the McIntosh that was at fault all along. I should have realize it from the beginning, but I guess I was in denial for a couple of reasons. One, the preamp had been sitting for 6+ months unused right after it was serviced by a certified McIntosh dealer, so I thought that maybe it has some "burning in" to do after sitting so long (wishful thinking, I know). Two, I really wanted the issue to NOT be the McIntosh because it is a really decent sounding preamp and had extra flexibility over the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR that it replaced.
To my surprise, over the past few days of using the Oppo as the preamp, it actually sounds better than either of the other two preamps! More open, more dynamic, cleaner, a little wider and deeper sound stage.
The downside of using the Oppo as a preamp is that it lacks analog inputs, not to mention a phono preamp. So the search was on for another preamp. After going through Audiogon for several days with the lack of anything worth a hoot in my price range, I said the heck with it and decided to go with NEW. I hopped on Audio Advisor and ordered a silver Parasound P5. It's the right price, is feature packed with the things I need, and performs way over its price point. In the sense of the over achiever status of the P5, it fits in perfectly with the Oppo 105D, Odyssey Kismet and Sonus Venere speakers, all of which fall under the same status. I figure I can't go wrong.
On that note, Audiogon wasn't a total loss through all of this. As I have been kind of looking for another streaming option over the Oppo, especially for streaming from Tidal, my NAS, and sometimes Pandora or vTuner, I had also been browsing around for a streamer as well to cover those needs, just for fun. The reason being the fact that the Oppo will not stream gapless material which is extremely annoying. Plus, as I leave it up and running 24/7, it has a tendency of locking up, almost on a daily basis which has become highly frustrating. So one of my findings was a Sony HAP-Z1ES. I had done a little research on it a few months back, but not much. I almost pulled the trigger on it until I did a little more research and found out that it does not doing streaming, especially from the likes of Tidal. Almost immediately after dismissing the Sony, I found a BNIB (Brand New In Box) AURALiC Aries along with the upgraded linear power supply. It does everything I want and then some, has excellent reviews and is another one of those over achievers, so I went ahead and purchased that as well.
Since the Parasound P5 has a built-in DAC, and I can also use the Oppo as a stand-alone DAC, I'll compare both side-by-side. I'm pretty sure the Oppo will be the better of the two since it has the superior DAC. If so, I'll just use it as the DAC. I don't think it will have issues standing idle. If it does, I'll just go on a search for a DAC, or just calm down on the spending and settle on the P5's DAC for a while and recoup some $$$. That little Teac UD-501 looks pretty enticing though.
Anyway, now comes the "hurry up and wait" part of all of this. I just ordered both pieces late last night... Actually, more like around 4am this morning! The results of having a nasty headache last night, taking some Advil and drinking two cups of coffee around midnight to get rid of it. LOL
It would be excellent if both pieces came in before the weekend, but very doubtful. Oh well. And sorry for the long-winded post. ;-)
For the past couple of months I've been trying to trace down a skewed stereo image that's been favoring the right channel. Automatically ruling out the McIntosh preamp for some reason, I went on a hunt to weed it out going through the entire system. I swapped out cables, I flip-flopped cables from channel to channel, both on the sending end and receiving end of the signal, checking and rechecking the DC offset and bias on my amp, swapping speaker cables, power cables, moving the speakers all over the place, even listening through headphones on the McIntosh. Under closer listening (first noticed through the headphones) I noticed that both bass and treble output on the left channel was considerably lower than that of the right. I already knew bass output was stronger on the right due to the room layout, but I never really noticed the treble difference that much until I strapped on the cans.
It wasn't until I started the process of elimination, removing the McIntosh from the system when the stereo image snapped back to normal! I ran my Oppo BDP-105D directly into the amp and configured its output to variable so it can be used as a preamp. So in short, it was the McIntosh that was at fault all along. I should have realize it from the beginning, but I guess I was in denial for a couple of reasons. One, the preamp had been sitting for 6+ months unused right after it was serviced by a certified McIntosh dealer, so I thought that maybe it has some "burning in" to do after sitting so long (wishful thinking, I know). Two, I really wanted the issue to NOT be the McIntosh because it is a really decent sounding preamp and had extra flexibility over the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR that it replaced.
To my surprise, over the past few days of using the Oppo as the preamp, it actually sounds better than either of the other two preamps! More open, more dynamic, cleaner, a little wider and deeper sound stage.
The downside of using the Oppo as a preamp is that it lacks analog inputs, not to mention a phono preamp. So the search was on for another preamp. After going through Audiogon for several days with the lack of anything worth a hoot in my price range, I said the heck with it and decided to go with NEW. I hopped on Audio Advisor and ordered a silver Parasound P5. It's the right price, is feature packed with the things I need, and performs way over its price point. In the sense of the over achiever status of the P5, it fits in perfectly with the Oppo 105D, Odyssey Kismet and Sonus Venere speakers, all of which fall under the same status. I figure I can't go wrong.
On that note, Audiogon wasn't a total loss through all of this. As I have been kind of looking for another streaming option over the Oppo, especially for streaming from Tidal, my NAS, and sometimes Pandora or vTuner, I had also been browsing around for a streamer as well to cover those needs, just for fun. The reason being the fact that the Oppo will not stream gapless material which is extremely annoying. Plus, as I leave it up and running 24/7, it has a tendency of locking up, almost on a daily basis which has become highly frustrating. So one of my findings was a Sony HAP-Z1ES. I had done a little research on it a few months back, but not much. I almost pulled the trigger on it until I did a little more research and found out that it does not doing streaming, especially from the likes of Tidal. Almost immediately after dismissing the Sony, I found a BNIB (Brand New In Box) AURALiC Aries along with the upgraded linear power supply. It does everything I want and then some, has excellent reviews and is another one of those over achievers, so I went ahead and purchased that as well.
Since the Parasound P5 has a built-in DAC, and I can also use the Oppo as a stand-alone DAC, I'll compare both side-by-side. I'm pretty sure the Oppo will be the better of the two since it has the superior DAC. If so, I'll just use it as the DAC. I don't think it will have issues standing idle. If it does, I'll just go on a search for a DAC, or just calm down on the spending and settle on the P5's DAC for a while and recoup some $$$. That little Teac UD-501 looks pretty enticing though.
Anyway, now comes the "hurry up and wait" part of all of this. I just ordered both pieces late last night... Actually, more like around 4am this morning! The results of having a nasty headache last night, taking some Advil and drinking two cups of coffee around midnight to get rid of it. LOL
It would be excellent if both pieces came in before the weekend, but very doubtful. Oh well. And sorry for the long-winded post. ;-)
cube-tube
Super Member
You got a really great setup! I am going to follow this thread
What du you think of your ww cable compared to other brands? im in the market myself for new cables
Thanks!
I've tried signal cables from companies such as Cardas, Straightwire, Audioquest, Kimber, Bluejeans, and a few others. The WW cables seem to have the best of all of them when it comes to overall sound. I probably won't go with any other brands out there now since I own these cables and know what they can do for the system. If anything, I'll just upgrade through WW if I plan to eventually.
As for power cables, I've had them from Mojo Audio, PS Audio and another I can't think of now. With these, the WW cables blew them all out of the water. Seriously consider upgrading your wall outlets as well. It really does help.
Thats nice, been looking at some audioquest cables, got some van den hul the air speakercable atm and some cheaper kimber rca cables atm. Will check out ww if i have a dealer close by!
cube-tube
Super Member
Well I gotta say... I should have gone with the Parasound P5 from the very beginning.
Straight out of the box, it sounds better than either the Musical Fidelity or McIntosh. It even sounds better than having the Oppo straight into the amp. And all of this with less than an hour on the clock.
Just got done calibrating the subs. I have them running at 70 Hz into their LFE inputs, and have the mains running at 40 Hz. That way, the Venere's are still playing pretty much full range without getting overboard with bass down to and/or below 20 Hz.
Sound stage is much wider and deeper. Something all the reviews mention, but I wasn't really expecting it the degree that it is. It's certainly welcome. The top end is very open and detailed all while still remaining controlled and silky smooth.
So far, I'm very happy! And it arrived two days early!
Straight out of the box, it sounds better than either the Musical Fidelity or McIntosh. It even sounds better than having the Oppo straight into the amp. And all of this with less than an hour on the clock.
Just got done calibrating the subs. I have them running at 70 Hz into their LFE inputs, and have the mains running at 40 Hz. That way, the Venere's are still playing pretty much full range without getting overboard with bass down to and/or below 20 Hz.
Sound stage is much wider and deeper. Something all the reviews mention, but I wasn't really expecting it the degree that it is. It's certainly welcome. The top end is very open and detailed all while still remaining controlled and silky smooth.
So far, I'm very happy! And it arrived two days early!
cube-tube
Super Member
As I'm listening to a ton of different music, both old and familiar as well as new and never heard before music, this preamp impresses.
These Polk subs sound better than ever, integrating near perfectly with the mains. As I said earlier, I have the preamp going into the "LFE" inputs, bypassing their internal crossovers and using the one built into the preamp, crossed at 70 Hz and the mains crossed at 40 Hz.
I'm still playing around with speaker placement. Tweaking it a little here and there.
Of course, I have a few more pics to share.
The remote is the one from Parasound's big Halo integrated amp. I don't see the remote with any of the preamps. It must be something new they're doing and just haven't updated photos and such yet or I somehow got a mis-packaged unit from the factory. Fine with me. It looks much better than the old silver remote. And it's back-lit as well!
These Polk subs sound better than ever, integrating near perfectly with the mains. As I said earlier, I have the preamp going into the "LFE" inputs, bypassing their internal crossovers and using the one built into the preamp, crossed at 70 Hz and the mains crossed at 40 Hz.
I'm still playing around with speaker placement. Tweaking it a little here and there.
Of course, I have a few more pics to share.
The remote is the one from Parasound's big Halo integrated amp. I don't see the remote with any of the preamps. It must be something new they're doing and just haven't updated photos and such yet or I somehow got a mis-packaged unit from the factory. Fine with me. It looks much better than the old silver remote. And it's back-lit as well!
cube-tube
Super Member
Another update...
The Sonus spikes for my speakers finally came. Not only that, my AURALiC Aries came in today, a day early!
I installed the Aries under the turntable as I didn't want it sitting on top of the hot and potentially noisy cable box. I'm running a WW Nova Toslink from it to the P5. Sounds pretty darn good so far!
The Sonus spikes for my speakers finally came. Not only that, my AURALiC Aries came in today, a day early!
I installed the Aries under the turntable as I didn't want it sitting on top of the hot and potentially noisy cable box. I'm running a WW Nova Toslink from it to the P5. Sounds pretty darn good so far!
lightcapture
Super Member
I love the thin stature of the c15 with just the right amount of controls.Another update to my system...
I purchased an immaculate McIntosh C15 preamp from a fellow member on one of the other forums I'm a member of. It certainly doesn't look 15, 16, 17 years old. It's in great shape inside and out. One thing is for sure, it's definitely a lot lighter than the Musical Fidelity A3.2CR it replaces, a little thinner also. The feet on it are nice and tall, but also hard as it doesn't take much at all for the C15 to slip and slide on the shelf. I'll have to figure out a way to remedy that.
As for the sound... So far so good! I won't say too much about it for now as it's been sitting unused for about 6 months. So after a few days of running (probably not even necessary) I'll post up some thoughts.
And like the tall hard rubber feet mac uses. You could add thin self adhesive rubber pads to the feet bottom available at home improvement stores.
I had the c37 which likewise used many chips and was amazed at the good sound it produce even so.
cube-tube
Super Member
Wow, you completely overlooked a bunch of updates... The C15 is long gone.
Love your setup cube-tube!
I've just placed an order with Klaus for my Odyssey Kismet in Khartago Monos with a BDP-105D on the short list for the new year!
I've been taking a look at the Parasound P5 for some time now and was wondering how it may fit into this setup! By the sounds of it, nicely! haha
In the mean time, I'm waiting to pull the trigger on the P5 until I can upgrade the speakers to something that'll really allow the Kismets and the rest of the front-end to shine. Thinking along the lines of the Triton Ones or Twos!
Thank you for posting your setup with beautiful pictures! It has certainly got my mind flooded with ideas!
I've just placed an order with Klaus for my Odyssey Kismet in Khartago Monos with a BDP-105D on the short list for the new year!
I've been taking a look at the Parasound P5 for some time now and was wondering how it may fit into this setup! By the sounds of it, nicely! haha
In the mean time, I'm waiting to pull the trigger on the P5 until I can upgrade the speakers to something that'll really allow the Kismets and the rest of the front-end to shine. Thinking along the lines of the Triton Ones or Twos!
Thank you for posting your setup with beautiful pictures! It has certainly got my mind flooded with ideas!