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The Moment When It All Comes Together - What's your ingredients???

onwardjames

Hoardimus Maximus
Subscriber
Last night, after a particularly difficult week, I sat down with my smaller system, and decided to spin a Leon Russell Greatest Hits cd.

The player, a JVC XL-Z1050 with the "paradox" mod, has been flaking out on me of late. dr*audio has been trying to help, but periodically, the damned thing just leaps ahead during track 2 or 3, and proceeds to skip all the way to the end of the disc.

I popped the old, burned copy in, fully expecting it to take a ****. Wait.....what???

Not only did it play, but everything came into focus, and all the accolades of this older player became apparent.

During "A Song For You" I could clearly hear Leon's lips part, hell, I even heard the reverb of the room when he licked his lips. CRAZY detail, soundstage, everything. I said to nobody in particular, "Hell, this is like going to church." It was sublime, it was soul-enriching, it was sort of scary.

I had a full HOUR of it all coming together. Gave me an idea - when we have this moment, perhaps we should catalog the equipment (and other environmental variables) to see what has synergy.

So, here's the idea - List, at minimum, the amp, the source, the speakers, and preferably the room.

Speakers - LSA 1's. Small, 2 way from a group out of Nashville. Great speakers sitting about 3 feet off the ground on stands I made.

Amplifier - Sansui AU-G99X. Fully restored amp I've owned since the age of 19.

Source - JVC XL-Z1050 with heavy mods (paradox mod). Sounds phenomenal when it wants to work.

Cables - Trust me when I say, nothing special. AR video cables repurposed.

Room - 10 x 11, with one side opening into a kitchen. I sat 4 feet from speakers.

Also, 50 ounces of domestic swill, and just a tiny amount of platinum kush.


There, that's my moment when it all came together. One of my favorite nights of listening that I can recall.

EDIT - Here's the speakers I used. Small little company, and an interesting writeup.

http://stereomojo.com/LSA ONE MONITOR SPEAKER REVIEW/LSAONEMONITORSPEAKERREVIEW.htm
 
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everything came into focus...It was sublime, it was soul-enriching, it was sort of scary.

Also, 50 ounces of domestic swill, and just a tiny amount of platinum kush.

There, that's my moment when it all came together.

I'm gonna say it was the "tiny amount of platinum kush" as opposed to the equipment. That being said and not to go off topic but that is how I finally GOT Frank Zappa's music and I too would say "It was sublime..it was sort of scary"

Amplifier - Sansui AU-G99X. Fully restored amp I've owned since the age of 19.

Awesome!!!
 
u3yzebe2.jpg



Windows Laptop >
Audioquest Cinnamon USB >
Musical Fidelity V-Link 192 >
Cardas SPDIF >
Musical Fidelity M1 DAC >
AudioQuest Ruby >
Tube Audio Designs TAD-150 tube preamp > >>
AudioQuest Ruby >
Tube Audio Designs TAD-60 tube amplifier (biased for single ended triode with Gold Lion KT-77's) >
Blue Jeans Belden 5000UE>
Altec 19's (recapped)

>> distributed bass (crossed over at 70Hz)
Rane AC23 active crossover >
Phase Linear 700B >
(2)"Bucket Sub" (stereo, front wall)

(2) Dayton SA-240 plate amp
(2) DIY sealed sub, 1.5 cuft, 12" Dayton Titanic Mk III
(mono, rear wall)

Furman PL Plus conditioner/power strip
Grant Fidelity PC 1.5 on DAC
Pangea AC14SE on preamp and amp


- Michael[/QUOTE]

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...edge-tomlinmgt-system-and-hospitality.571184/
 
The Moment.
The components were in no way remarkable. A bass trap made the moment. Can't live without it now. But since you asked, here it is.

Speakers- Old Knight (EV) 12 inch full range in a large box.
Amp-Old Sherwood S-8900a.
Source-Old laptop.
Cable-Old wires.
Room-14x16x8, one door, one window. A very responsive and easy to handle room.
Bass traps-Three inch memory foam mattress topper, mounted behind a quilt on the back wall. Three stuffed recliners. Tile floor. It works.
Selection. Take Five. Ding Ding Ding. Then on to everything else.
Duration-About three hours.

Simple is as simple does.
 
Tonight it was ELO's ElDorado, and Greg Brown's Freak Flag, both LPs, with some Colorado "Wedding Cake".

Cartridge - London Decca Super Gold
Turntable - Marantz TT-15
Phono Preamp - Fosgate Signature (tube)
Line Preamp - Promitheus TVC (passive Transformer Volume Control)
Amp - Marantz MM9000 (?!)
Speakers - the incomparable Quad Electrostatic Loudspeakers

I felt like a mixer listening to ElDorado, with all the canned tracks laid out before me like a giant collage that I was assembling.

Freak Flag is a modern recording, and the speakers totally disappear, especially with my eyes closed. ;)
 

Haha, avionic, I figured you'd say that, hahahaha.

What's the Paradox mod?
In the early 90's, there was a company who did specific mods to this player. I spoke with the guy on the phone who did it just recently, super nice guy, he's out there on the web with his own stuff. Wish I could remember his company name. Anyway, they took the weak links (op-amps, I think) and some of the more important caps and things and replaced with high grade stuff. There......that's the technical answer, lol. All I know is when this dude works, it is amazing.

EDIT - His name is Terrence Robinson, but still cannot find his new website. Great guy.

Is domestic swill similar to pig swill?
Just wondering out loud.

That would be Bud LIght in a 25 oz can. My daily driver beer, tho I don't even really like it that much. Tends to go down easy enough.

I'm gonna say it was the "tiny amount of platinum kush" as opposed to the equipment. That being said and not to go off topic but that is how I finally GOT Frank Zappa's music and I too would say "It was sublime..it was sort of scary"



Awesome!!!

When I was a teen, I spotted that amp laying on its side at my friend's house. Left channel blown, and I still had to have it. 3 repairs, the last a full mattsd restoration, and she'll never leave. Weird to think I've had it longer in my life than any other piece.

I think this is half the magic in the listening loft, I’m about 5.5’ away. Glad you got to have a moment. Did you change afterward ;)

My linen, or the setup?? Lol, I sat there in a blissful state, slowly undulating, and enjoying the music. One of those rare listening sessions where the wife is quiet, the phone didn't ring, the dog didn't need a piss, and I was completely immersed in the sound.
 
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u3yzebe2.jpg



Windows Laptop >
Audioquest Cinnamon USB >
Musical Fidelity V-Link 192 >
Cardas SPDIF >
Musical Fidelity M1 DAC >
AudioQuest Ruby >
Tube Audio Designs TAD-150 tube preamp > >>
AudioQuest Ruby >
Tube Audio Designs TAD-60 tube amplifier (biased for single ended triode with Gold Lion KT-77's) >
Blue Jeans Belden 5000UE>
Altec 19's (recapped)

>> distributed bass (crossed over at 70Hz)
Rane AC23 active crossover >
Phase Linear 700B >
(2)"Bucket Sub" (stereo, front wall)

(2) Dayton SA-240 plate amp
(2) DIY sealed sub, 1.5 cuft, 12" Dayton Titanic Mk III
(mono, rear wall)

Furman PL Plus conditioner/power strip
Grant Fidelity PC 1.5 on DAC
Pangea AC14SE on preamp and amp


- Michael

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...edge-tomlinmgt-system-and-hospitality.571184/[/QUOTE]

Should I ever get back to Tx, I wanna hear that setup. I'd like to surmise how much further up the mountain I have to climb. Thanks for the writeup.
 
My linen, or the setup?? Lol, I sat there in a blissful state, slowly undulating, and enjoying the music. One of those rare listening sessions where the wife is quiet, the phone didn't ring, the dog didn't need a piss, and I was completely immersed in the sound.

Your whitey tighteys :D

:beerchug:
 
Tonight it was ELO's ElDorado, and Greg Brown's Freak Flag, both LPs, with some Colorado "Wedding Cake".

Cartridge - London Decca Super Gold
Turntable - Marantz TT-15
Phono Preamp - Fosgate Signature (tube)
Line Preamp - Promitheus TVC (passive Transformer Volume Control)
Amp - Marantz MM9000 (?!)
Speakers - the incomparable Quad Electrostatic Loudspeakers

I felt like a mixer listening to ElDorado, with all the canned tracks laid out before me like a giant collage that I was assembling.

Freak Flag is a modern recording, and the speakers totally disappear, especially with my eyes closed. ;)
Just got my grower to plant some Wedding Cake. Awesome.
 
Last night, I tried to replicate the magic. The player hiccuped right in the middle of track 5 of Monster Magnet's "Monolithic, Baby!" Sure kills the mood. Grrrr.
 
You know you’ve really gotten somewhere with your hifi rig when the act of experiencing its sonic bath of awesome is a mind altering, euphoria neurotransmitter triggering experience in and of itself...which can be diluted or even compromised when under the influence of some other mind altering side action. A system that can take you to that place is liberating AF. All prior effort is validated and a sense of contentment and peace, closure perhaps, rules the moment. You readily accept the notion that it could get better, but question whether it really even matters any more.
 
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You know you’ve really gotten somewhere with your hifi rig when the act of experiencing its sonic bath of awesome is a mind altering, euphoria neurotransmitter triggering experience in and of itself...which can be diluted or even compromised when under the influence of some other mind altering side action. A system that can take you to that place is liberating AF. All prior effort is validated and a sense of contentment and peace, closure perhaps, rules the moment. You readily accept the notion that it could get better, but question whether it really even matters any more.

Eloquently put, my man. Yeah, for at least 3 of those Leon Russell tunes, I was swimming in that Muscle Shoals bog of goodness. Just....otherworldly.

And to think, this was on my 3rd or 4th down the list setup!!! I have far better gear, but that night, it all came together wonderfully. The LSA1 speaker is a real dandy.
 
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