The evolution of my stereo since the beginning

[SuperjazzyJa]

...well, it's later. After getting married, kids coming and other changes, I really didn't have much more than a boom box till '95. I wanted to at least get a receiver based system, but the money and the room weren't there. So, the best I could do was a Sony, LBT-D560 which broke under warranty. Long story short, Sony ended up replacing it with the LBT-D570 which was better in many ways. In '98, I added an Optimus subwoofer to the system. Bass again at last! The following year, a guy who owned a local bar was going to throw out a pair of Yamaha NS-A642s (3 way floor speaker, 12" woofer, sealed enclosure). While they revealed the limitations of the Sony, they made it sound better than the included speakers at the same time, if that makes sense. In '04, a friend gave me an optimus receiver, 50 wpc that he never used as planned. I bought a pair of Sony book shelf speakers and was going to make a secondary system in the bedroom. This never happened. The Sony system began to fail cd player 1st. So, the Opt receiver and sub Yamaha speakers and a Sony cd player became the system. In '08, the tuner in the receiver stopped working. I don't listen to radio much, but this indicated that the receiver might fail altogether real soon. So, I got the Denon which was a HUGE improvement. Then, there was a plumbing leak that went unnoticed until my Yamahas were ruined. After the repairs were done, I was using the little Sony Speakers and Opt sub. When we got the tax return in Feb, '09, The kids got a Wii, mom got a flat screen TV and Dad got Mirage Omnisats and a matching subwoofer, Been tweaking the system ever since.

 

[AnalogDigit]

Really nice setups. Love the Sony receiver.

 

[Allure]

I really like how you're willing to try different methods (vintage vs new / analog vs digital) and keep what works for *you* rather than being dogmatic about one philosophy over another.

I, too, enjoy all sorts of audio equipment - wether it's new or old, digital or analog. I just use what works best given the circumstances and my own preferences. There's nothing inherently wrong with sending a 24bit/96kHz .flac file over a USB-DAC to a very analog but not-so-old tube amplifier and then to some bigass vintage seventies speakers. I wish you many ear pleasening hours with your set-up.

 

[canuckaudiog]

...well, it's later. After getting married, kids coming and other changes, I really didn't have much more than a boom bow till '95. I wanted to at least get a receiver based system, but the money and the room weren't there. So, the best I could do was a Sony, LBT-D560 which broke under warranty. Long story short, Sony ended up replacing it with the LBT-D570 which was better in many ways. In '98, I added an Optimus subwoofer to the system. Bass again at last! The following year, a guy who owned a local bar was going to throw out a pair of Yamaha NS-A642s (3 way floor speaker, 12" woofer, sealed enclosure). While they revealed the limitations of the Sony, they made it sound better than the included speakers at the same time, if that makes sense. In '04, a friend gave me an optimus receiver, 50 wpc that he never used as planned. I bought a pair of Sony book shelf speakers and was going to make a secondary system in the bedroom. This never happened. The Sony system began to fail cd player 1st. So, the Opt receiver and sub Yamaha speakers and a Sony cd player became the system. In '08, the tuner in the receiver stopped working. So, I got the Denon which was a HUGE improvement. Then, there was a plumbing leak that went unnoticed until my Yamahas were ruined. After the repairs were done, I was using the little Sony Speakers and Opt sub. When we got the tax return in Feb, '09, The kids got a Wii, mom got a flat screen TV and Dad got Mirage Omnisats and a matching subwoofer, Been tweaking the system ever since.

Wow that's quite the journey! Took you a little while, but you definitely got there. That sounds like a pretty rockin' set-up to me.

It might be humbling to see mine but honestly, it's more or less about being in the right place at the right time and just being open-minded. Everything has sort of come together in a very interesting way and really I am shocked at how quickly it did so. But like I say, putting ads up, being open-minded, and just doing lots of research helped me put myself in the right places at the right time. I've really learned in this hobby if there's something you want, even very specifically, you can get it.

I really like how you're willing to try different methods (vintage vs new / analog vs digital) and keep what works for *you* rather than being dogmatic about one philosophy over another.

I, too, enjoy all sorts of audio equipment - wether it's new or old, digital or analog. I just use what works best given the circumstances and my own preferences. There's nothing inherently wrong with sending a 24bit/96kHz .flac file over a USB-DAC to a very analog but not-so-old tube amplifier and then to some bigass vintage seventies speakers. I wish you many ear pleasening hours with your set-up.

Thanks! I'm not really stuck to one side of the audio world. In fact I want to be just as knowledgable about vintage gear as I am new gear - which is a new world for me, but it's only a matter of time. Having the old with the new I think is the best situation to have - the speakers will cost you much less, and as long as you aren't overdriving them and they have been taken care of, as well as recapped, they will serve you for many years to come. The new gear is excellent because of the convenience it provides. Now with the click of a wireless mouse, I can adjust volume and change the song, plus have hundreds to thousands of albums at my fingertips. It really cannot get any better then that.

I mean sure, the main reason I went for a turntable + records was for sound quality reasons. Many think and believe that when it comes to the history of audio gear, from the standpoint of records, it was more or less a progressive downhill slope in sound fidelity in terms of where technology went to Cassettes, CD's and now iPods. However I think there is a way to have the best of both worlds - great sound fidelity yet have the convenience the new technology provides, and that's what my system is all about. Being an idealist, I try to find the best of both worlds and I think I've done just that!

 

[SuperjazzyJa]

Wow that's quite the journey! Took you a little while, but you definitely got there. That sounds like a pretty rockin' set-up to me.

"It might be humbling to see mine but honestly, it's more or less about being in the right place at the right time and just being open-minded. Everything has sort of come together in a very interesting way and really I am shocked at how quickly it did so. But like I say, putting ads up, being open-minded, and just doing lots of research helped me put myself in the right places at the right time. I've really learned in this hobby if there's something you want, even very specifically, you can get it."



I guess you're better at being in the right place at the right time than I am. :yes:

 

[canuckaudiog]

Wow that's quite the journey! Took you a little while, but you definitely got there. That sounds like a pretty rockin' set-up to me.

"It might be humbling to see mine but honestly, it's more or less about being in the right place at the right time and just being open-minded. Everything has sort of come together in a very interesting way and really I am shocked at how quickly it did so. But like I say, putting ads up, being open-minded, and just doing lots of research helped me put myself in the right places at the right time. I've really learned in this hobby if there's something you want, even very specifically, you can get it."



I guess you're better at being in the right place at the right time than I am. :yes:

Well, I've been very fortunate that's for sure!

I almost forgot, there's also a video of the set-up in the iteration before the current one with some Diana Krall playing. It's here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLHYnmm1FUQ

 

[keith*keef]

nice video Canukaudiog.... your stereo sounds beautifull dont change it again

 

[canuckaudiog]

nice video Canukaudiog.... your stereo sounds beautifull dont change it again

Thanks! I agree it's probably the most angelic, pure sounding system I've heard yet. Very transparent yet it still remains exciting. The IMF TLS 80's are nothing short of incredible, those paired with the tube amp make for the best stereo I've ever heard. Very low distortion and incredible airy highs, and not to mention the bass.. oh the bass is sweet.

You know it's funny, I actually might end up getting a higher model of IMF's here. But that's not exactly a dramatic change, just an upgrade.

We'll see

 

[captouch]

Really interesting and accelerated journey - in and out of vintage within six months.

Are you really powering your IMF's with that tube amp - specs say 6.5W - I'm surprised that's enough!

You into headphones as well - that tube amp has a nice HP output too. :yes:

 

[canuckaudiog]

Really interesting and accelerated journey - in and out of vintage within six months.

Are you really powering your IMF's with that tube amp - specs say 6.5W - I'm surprised that's enough!

You into headphones as well - that tube amp has a nice HP output too. :yes:

Yeah it's been pretty crazy. My wife wonders when I will stop upgrading lol. I just tell her that I don't think she quite understands my hobby and as long as it isn't costing anything, then there isn't anything major to worry about. Luckily she agrees.

As far as the tube amp goes yep, it's plenty. Actually it can go much louder than I need. My downstairs neighbour wasn't home one day and I cranked it. It was actually so loud I couldn't stand it! I'm in a small room keep in mind and there is zero acoustic paneling in here. But yes its plenty. As far as headphones go I actually would love to find a nice pair for cheap. I listen to my ipod at work all the time and would like something to listen with at late hours at home. It's on the list

 

[canuckaudiog]

Well guys it's been about 2 months since I last posted my system. Knowing me, well, things have changed.

And, they certainly have. Although I wouldn't necessarily say things have really changed, but more or less just gotten better. Here's where my stereo was 2 months ago:

You see pictured above the following.

Speakers: IMF TLS 80 II
Amplifier: Musical Paradise MP301 MK3
DAC: Musical Paradise MP-D1
PC: Netbook running Windows XP and J River
CD Player: Philips CD-160
Cassette: Harman Kardon CD491
Turntable: Luxman PD-264 w/ AT13EA Cartridge

And here it is today:

The gear now is.

Speakers: IMF RSPM Mk IV
Amplifier: Musical Paradise MP501
DAC: Musical Paradise MP-D1
PC: Macbook
CD Player: Philips CD-160

So what exactly has changed? Well, a couple things you can see right off the hop. Number one is things have gotten much simpler. No more cassette player or turntable. As much as I love my vinyl, I just hardly ever play it. So, I sold my other Luxman TT and put this one in my second system which is where it resides now. I'm very happy with my digital set-up, and I much prefer the convenience and it just fits better with how I enjoy my stereo, so that is why I went that way. Will I ever get back into vinyl? Who knows. I'm definitely keeping my records. :yes:

Secondly, I sourced out a pair of the big daddy IMF's, the IMF RSPM Mk IV's. Ever since I found the TLS 50's I had been told these are the best, most musical IMF's you can find. I set my hopes high and now, I have a pair.

Finally, I went from the little tube amplifier to something much bigger with more power. The little one actually worked fine, but, these are transmission line speakers and the small output transformers on that amplifier did not allow it to push the full frequency spectrum down to 20hz. These speakers are not capable of going flat down until 20hz, but will most certainly produce it so I wanted an amplifier to allow these speakers to really shine. It is a single-ended parallel amplifier running KT120 tubes, and it sounds absolutely beautiful.

That's about it! Although the changes resulted in very significant sonic improvements, the change isn't significant in the fact that I've gone a completely different direction or anything like that. I'm pretty precise about what I want, and now that I have it, I am very happy. I actually have a really hard time walking away from the stereo, that is how good it is.

Stay tuned for the next change to my system.. whenever, and whatever that may be.

 

[fishcane]

I like the rug. really tied the room together

 

[canuckaudiog]

...

Boy who knows.. now that I look over the pictures again it's amazing how much I've changed stuff out in just 6 months. A year, oh my. Well, I'll definitely keep this thread tabbed and next year I'll post another one just to see.

Well, not exactly a year, but here we are now 9 months after this post. I don't expect much to change in the next 3 months, of course who knows, but I've really found something I'm very happy with. I'm actually in the process of selling gear, which is nice, I've got too much!

Anyway, so here's a shot of the system. Today I swapped out the audio stand, and what an improvement! I have a feeling it will improve the sound, because now there is less for the sound to reflect on. You may recognize the stand from previous pictures.

The gear is:

Speakers: Kef Reference 107 (you can see IMF RSPM Mk IV's "hiding" in the corners)
Amplifier: Carver M1.5 (non-t, fully restored with new op-amps and capacitors as well as the problematic triac changed)
Pre-amplifier: Carver C-1 with Bill D mod and recapped
Turntable: Luxman PD-264 w/ Audio Technica AT13ea
Source: Musical Paradise MP-D1 with a PC running windows + foobar2000

This iteration of my set-up is definitely the best in terms of sound. When you listen to it, you get that "wow" feeling quite often. After all that switching around of gear, I think I've found something I can be happy with for a while until another sweet deal comes along or I get the upgrade itch.

I must say, it's been a really interesting journey so far. I've learned a lot. I think the most important thing I've learned is about actually listening to your set-up. Yes, I've been pretty happy with it before but what would happen is eventually something was too emphasized or not prominent enough and it would cause me to start disliking the way the stereo sounded. I guess I can be a little tough to please. However, I've had these Kefs now for a few weeks and I still feel the same way as when I got them, and that goes for the Carver gear as well which I have had now for almost 3 months. It looks like there is some stability in my set-up finally, which is nice. I've actually grown a bit tired of constantly switching gear around and changing my set-up, it really does take away from the listening experience because you're listening to the gear more than you are the music.

About time, I'd say!

 

[Wolverine]

Great thread! :thmbsp::thmbsp:
The journey can be as rewarding as the destination.....

Enjoy your gear.