Hello OP
@MattHooper and ASR friends,
I thank you so much for launching this nice and enjoyable thread; I fully agree with your point of
"the ultimate reason we are all audiophiles is because we care about sound quality, and the experience of listening to music specifically."
I like to say for me this thread was launched at the right time since I believe that recently I could finally reach to the summit of my exploration after about 5-year-long my step-by-step mountain climbing journey/exploration in
DSP-based multichannel multi-SP-driver multi-amplifier time-aligned fully active stereo audio project.
You would Please find
here (on my project thread) and
here (remote independent thread post) the
Hyperlink Index of my project thread and some of my related posts in remote threads.
>Does Your System "Wow" or "Amaze" You?
Yes, indeed! Everyday, my system "Wow" and "Amaze" me very much in positive manner, of course.
>Looking to upgrade?
No, not at all at present, even though my SPs are rather old, almost vintage ones. Why?? You will see below in this post.
>how you like your system
Even though I have done (and you may easily find those on my thread) so many intensive objective measurements and tuning, I really would like emphasizing and suggesting that we definitely and always need careful subjective listening to
our own consistent "sampler/reference music playlist" throughout our audio exploration. In this perspective, you would please find many of my subjective descriptions/impressions in
the post series on "audio sampler/reference playlist" consists of my/our favorite/beloved music tracks, as summarized
here and
here on my thread.
Let me also refer to only two of my posts here;
- Perfect (0.1 msec precision) time alignment of all the SP drivers greatly contributes to amazing disappearance of SPs, tightness and cleanliness of the sound, and superior 3D sound stage: #520
- Not only the precision (0.1 msec level) time alignment over all the SP drivers but also SP facing directions and sound-deadening space behind the SPs plus behind our listening position would be critically important for effective (perfect?) disappearance of speakers: #687
BTW, my step-by-step exploration has been always based on, as Keith of
@Purité Audio kindly wrote
here,
"You must hear equipment in your own room in your own system, compare unsighted (close your eyes) if there isn’t an immediately apparent difference/improvement. To go further, if there isn’t a significant improvement then don’t change anything; the largest gains are speakers and room."
>and why
At least in my project, let me share here just nine (9) pros points out of the so many major positive factors;
1. Still really wonderful vapor-deposited Yamaha Beryllium midrange driver JA-0801,
2. Still excellent transient characteristics (fully measured and proved) Yamaha woofer JA-3058 driven directly by dedicated amp,
3. Rigid heavy thick "sealed" cabinet of Yamaha NS-1000, still excellent YST-SW1000 L&R sub-woofers, wonderful T925A super-tweeters,
4. Direct (no LCR-network no attenuator) and dedicated drive of each SP driver by "
Right-Person-In-Right-Place"-selected HiFi amplifier,
5. Precision (0.1 msec level accuracy) time-alignment for all the SP drivers established by fully validated methods of air sound recording,
6. Intensively tuned decided XO Fq, selection of filters, and their slopes, and implementation of safe and flexible relative gain controls,
7. Excellent performance and sound quality of the multichannel (8-CH) DAC, OKTO DAC8PRO,
8. Preferable room acoustic environments, especially enough sound-deadening spaces behind the SPs and behind the listening position,
9. Keeping the single-DAC single-amp "reference audio setup" all the way throughout the exploration project.
I believe that one photo or one schematic diagram would worth 1,000 or more words. Let me share with you here on this thread, therefore, several of the photos and diagrams selected from my project thread for your quick understandings on my latest system setup; I dare not attach any further text captions or explanations to them here.
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Your visit to
my project thread, and to the
Hyperlink Index here or
here, will be highly welcome and appreciated.