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The kit we bought, our current setups

Ron Texas

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Right now I have Intel NUC (Pentium) USB connected to a Topping D30. A split cable connects to a Martin Logan Dynamo 1000W 12" down firing sub woofer and a Crown XLS 1502. Main Speakers are LS50's. There is a Samsung 65" LED TV which is used solely as a display. It's connected by HDMI to the NUC.

Sub is controlled using it's own low pass filter and the high pass filter in the XLS 1502. Crossover is around 80 hz.

Cables and wires are all cheap generic stuff. The LS50's sit on generic steel 24" stands. Each one is loaded with 12.5 pounds of reclaimed lead shot. Digital files are stored on a 2.5" 4TB external drive. There are no other sources. It's the ultimate for couch potatoes.

The room is a third floor finished attic so the ceiling is not flat. It's 14x19 plus a few small nooks and an open 4x15 hallway. Mains are on the long wall, Sub on the short wall. Except for the TV, everything would fit in the back of a small car.

[Edited to change 122" to 12". Some things are too good to be true.]
 
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Sal1950

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Nusse

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Today I received a small package including a Yamaha wxc-50 and a XTZ Edge A2-300. For people who don't want to spend more than $1000 (this was a bundle ~$830) and want a really small setup and don't care about "überperformance" or headphones (so probably of no interest for 90% of the readers here ;)).

It Would be interesting to have both examined by Amir, but shipping one way would be at least $100 and result would probably be disappointing.
Will connect them to a pair of KEF R3 tomorrow.

yamaha-wxc-50-xtz-edge-a2-300-paket.jpg
 

Killingbeans

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Amp: Denon PMA720
CD player: Denon DCD635
Speakers: DIY with Monacor SPH-XXXKE drivers
Other: Horrible cheap bluetooth receiver from eBay

Bought the amp second hand sometime in the mid 90's along with an NAD tape deck (don't remember the model number) and used those two with a pair of 2-way DIY speakers with off-the-shelf crossovers and 8" Monacor mid/woofers for a few years before I bought the CD player, which was my first ever audio purchase with a warranty. Also had an Onkyo(?) minidisc player for a few years (don't remember that model number either). Oh, and a Technics SL-1210!

Built the speakers sometime around the turn of the millennium. Monacor SPH-300KE 12" Woofer, SPH-174KE 6.5" mid and DT-99 dome tweeter. I was in my mid/late teens and had no idea what I was doing. The crossovers have no compensation for anything and the box design is mostly based on all other things than acoustic considerations. They probably measure absolutely outrageously bad, but I've never bothered to get some data on them. Also quite ugly looking and painted bright yellow to match the glass fiber membranes. I've been contemplating a replacement for nearly twenty years. Shouldn't be hard to find something vastly better (nearly anything will do), but for some reason I haven't been able to let the yellow monstrosities go.

Got the bluetooth receiver to let my colleagues at my former workplace have easy access to personal Muzak, but no one was using it, so I took it home and allowed it a place in my stereo.

Don't even get me started on the room. I'll spare you the details, but one wall is all glass, and acoustic treatment is nowhere to be seen.

My Hi-Fi situation at home has always been subpar, but at least I'm perfectly aware of it :D
 

M00ndancer

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Ok I'll bite:
AMP/DAC Swissonic HAD-1, Streamer: CCA

IMG_20190130_000502.jpg
 

M00ndancer

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Two rooms with audio in. Really low end stuff.

Current setup in Living room: (Adjusted for high WAF) WAF = Wife Acceptance Factor
AMP: Denon 1611EU with Audyssey MultEQ-XT
Streamer: ChromeCast Ultra
Speakers: Front DynaVoice Magic C-4 EX v.3
Front & Back : DynaVoice Magic S-3 EX v.3
Sub: Dynavoice Magic Sub 8 EX v.3
Room: Everything you can imagine as faults in a room. Windows everywhere, Three doors. The equipment is on the left in the room. 25 m2 Area
Two Sofas in 90 degrees, thick carpet.
LivingRoom.png


The Audyssey MultEQ-XT makes a big difference in this excuse for a listening room. Before I had the DynaVoice speakers I had a Harmann Kardon HKTS-7 as speakers with no place to put the sub really. The crossover was a joke, you could hear things in the sub that's not supposed to be there.

Room number two: Workspace/gaming room (VR)/Space for hobbies (RC planes)/Somewhere to but the synth (Yamaha MX49)/listening space
Sub optimal(crappy) room here as well.
Near field listening position
Sub / Amp: Videologic DigiTheathre DTS using the control unit (not the speaker) and sub.
Speakers: DynaVoice Magic S-3 EX v.3 on top of monitors
Headphone amp/dac: Swissonic HAD-1
Streamer: ChromeCast Audio
Headphone: Sony MDR-1A

Used the DTS in 2.1 configuration with the original front speakers until the rubber around the cones gave up. Then I got the DynaVoice Magic S-3 as replacements a year ago.
I got the DTS system originally 1999 as my first 5.1 DTS/Dolby Digital home cinema speakers. Lasted as my home cinema/stereo system until I got the Denon 1611EU(5.1) with the HK HKTS-7 system in 2010. Time to upgrade my computer audio! Moved the DTS system to the computer desk instead.

But most of my time I'm using headphones... (That WAF again)
My first "good" gaming headphone (don't laugh) was the Steel Series 5H V2 I got in a computer store. At the time I was using the onboard sound from a Nvidia Nforce 2 and got my first headphone amp (The Creative DDTS-30) to get surround sound from the Dolby Digital 5.1 optical out from the mother board. Years later it was time for the next headset upgrade with the Sennheiser PC350. I found out the hard way what a high impedance headset required in power. The Dual AA powered DDTS-30 didn't really cut it anymore. And the onboard amp on the motherboard didn't cope either. So I got a PCIe Asus DGX soundcard. Now I had the power to run the PC350. They also got a sound upgrade with the bass mod and sounded really good after that.

Fast forward and the beloved PC350 died (crappy quality on the volume control), so I had to replace it with something else. Enter the Sennheiser G4me Zero. Should sound similar but with less bass? No not even close, but with some inventive EQ I got it to sound decent. But I was never satisfied with the sound of the Zero. So about two years ago I got the Sony MDR-1a. Wow what a difference, but now I realized that the DGX wasn't that good at all, I had interference from the computer and the sound was dull. Guess what I found in a drawer in my desk? The old DDTS-30 that didn't have the power for the 150 Ohm Sennheisers. But for the efficient MDR-1a I had plenty of power, never had to go above 40 %. The sound was a lot better, no hum, no dull narrow sound stage. The added benefit of having the volume control out side was one good feature as well. The Sony's was the first headphone that I owned that didn't have any volume control. I really don't like the volume control in windows. So I was happy for a while.

Then I got my first Chrome Cast Audio. At first I stupidly just used them as digital transport to the DDTS-30 for the convenience to have a easy to reach volume knob. But then one summer I wanted to listen to my CCA outside. One power bank, one MDR-1a, one CCA and the phone on the table. Portable audio! Wow! This CCA is really good. The Amp is so much better than the DDTS-30.

So I started to listen to music at my desk using the CCA and listen to my computer thru the DDTS-30

Present day: 500 thousand battery changes later and having to unplug the headset time and time. I was fed up with the situation. Time to think about what I needed. Cheap, good sounding and convenient.

So the Swissonic HAD-1 happened. So know I have convenience, power and the best sound ever.

You know what I dream about know? The Sony Z7..... Down the rabbit hole we go.

Will I need to change DAC and AMP? No! Unless I get some really hard to drive headphones.

Some really bad phone pictures of the "Den", sorry about the mess. It's my all in one space.




IMG_20180216_084730.jpgIMG_20190130_000502.jpgIMG_20180216_084808.jpg
 

Sal1950

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Here are my two setups. As you can see, I am Genelec guy..
Be wary of that desk chair! I fear a malfunction might cause it to snap closed injuring the family jewels. o_O
 

DKT88

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Cayin MA-80 integrated amp and an SMLS M8A (thanks to the review here). Not pictured are Spendor S3/5R2 speakers, a pair of B&W 10" subs, Clearaudio Concept turntable, Graham Slee Revelation M phono stage, and a PC.
cayin.jpg
The big rig is back home in Vegas.
 
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k3nb5t

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This thread is fun :) you guys have some pretty awesome setups.

Here's my current desk setup
office-desk.jpg


A pair of JBL 708Ps driven by my little Focusrite Clarett 2Pre USB. My Sennheiser HD800s headphones are poking around to the left of the monitor.

And my living room
home-theater.jpg


Emotiva XMC-1 feeding an Emotiva XPA-5 driving a pair of Polk Audio LSi15 speakers and some matched center who's model number I don't remember. The Oppo UDP-203 on the right is my preferred player. The room acoustics are pretty terrible, but I'd like to think the system does pretty well. Don't worry, the dust is audiophile-grade.
 
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Sal1950

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Don't worry, the dust is audiophile-grade.
It's magic dust right? That's the way AudioSearch turns $3 of copper and insulators into $500 a 1/2 meter cable by judicious sprinking of the dust. ;)
Thanks for the photos, I really enjoy seeing the members share their rigs here. That makes things much more fun.
I imagine that desktop system can really rock when your sitting at the desk right up on the 708's.
Thanks again!
 

dkinric

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My music only 2.1 system
  • Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 Speakers
  • Martin Logan Dynamo 800x Sub
  • Cambridge Audio CXA-60 Integrated Amp
I put this system together a few months ago. I’ve been exposed to and appreciated nicer equipment my entire life, but only recently was in a position to invest some $$ into it. I read the reviews, the blogs, and the websites for a few years before I was able to pull the trigger.

Sierra 2:
For those not familiar, Ascend Acoustics is a smaller internet-direct brand out of California. The company has a great reputation for making audiophile quality speakers at reasonable prices. The owner, David Fabrikant, is an avid enthusiast who regularly participates on forums to answer questions, and appears to make these due to his passion for audio and with little markup. The Sierra 2s are a bookshelf speaker that feature the RAAL ribbon tweeter made in Serbia and a custom mid driver from SEAS from Norway. These exceptional components are put into a beautiful, solid bamboo cabinet with his custom designed crossover. The results are superb. Highs are gorgeous - open, airy, natural – without a hint of sibilance or harshness. No fatigue at all after hours of auditioning. Mids are smooth, warm and very realistic. Female voices feel like they are in the room with you. Imaging is greatly improved from anything I’ve had before, going a few feet outside the speakers. These are truly exceptional speakers. If you are in the market and live in the US, I would highly recommend you take a look.

Dynamo 800x
This is part of Martin Logan’s new line, this model is a 10” sealed. The game changer here is the built in Anthem DSP. It is very well executed and very effective. You install the apps onto your smartphone, run the setup, which is the system putting out a few test tones while you hold the phone in a few different positions, and you’re done. It measures the peaks and nulls of your room and corrects for it, as well as setting the overall bass level. Could not be easier. The resulting low end is deep, low, tight, fast, controlled, and not at all boomy. It is very satisfying when the mix calls for it, and doesn’t get in the way when it isn’t needed. It has impressive output for such a compact unit – it can shake my walls and rattle my windows. It also looks great and is very unobtrusive with the down firing woofer and it only measures about a foot squared. The app also allows you to make level adjustments from the listening position in real time.

CXA-60
Great sounding amp. I was a little concerned about only 60 watts/ch but it’s not a factor whatsoever. My room is not huge, but I rarely turn it up past halfway and get very satisfying levels - and I like it loud. Cambridge takes care with their designs to be electrically sound and produce plenty of clean current, and it shows. Build quality is excellent, very very happy with this amp. Designed exclusively around 2 channel output, it sounds amazing and has plenty of guts, resolution, and finesse.
I should also mention the headphone output on this is excellent. I have the hard to drive Sennheiser HD6XX, and this amp really makes them sing, a notable improvement over even my Topping DX3PRO.

The net listening experience is stunning. Like a good system does, it gets out of the way and lets you really experience the music, both as a whole and as separate elements. Some interesting things happen when you have a revealing system like this. You can distinguish the way the sound engineer mixed it – if it has a lot of bass, or a distorted guitar, or a forward horn mix it’s because they put it there, on purpose. If a vocal has an effect on it, you hear that. Each instrument can be picked out of the mix and followed distinctly. Also, I don’t even listen as loud as I used to, because with the sub, the full bass impact is there, even at moderate levels. If anyone is considering a sub for their music based system, I would highly recommend it. I used to think I didn’t need a sub, then I got a sub. Outside of some high end full range speakers driven by beastly amps, most all setups would benefit. This system connects me with the music like nothing else has. I’m more impressed every time I listen to it.

All components highly recommended.

Pictures at:
post header.jpg


Cheers!
 

bobhol

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Stand up to her, put your foot down. Play/sing her a few cuts of B B King', Payin The Cost To Be The Boss.! :D

"Paying The Cost To Be The Boss"


You act like you don't want to listen
When I'm talking to you
You think you outta do baby
Anything you wanna do
You must be crazy baby
You just gotta be outta your mind
As long as I'm payin' the bills woman
I'm payin' the cost to be the boss

I'll drink if I want to
And play a little poker too
Don't you say nothing to me
As long as I'm taking care of you
As long as I'm workin baby
And payin' all the bills

Per Steve Goodman:

My baby came to me this morning

She said. “I’m kind of confused”

If me and B.B. King were both drowning

Which one would you choose”.

I said whoo babe, I said Whooo babe, I said WHOOOO BABE

I AIN’T NEVER HEARD YOU PLAY NO BLUES.
 

Sal1950

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My music only 2.1 system
  • Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 Speakers
  • Martin Logan Dynamo 800x Sub
  • Cambridge Audio CXA-60 Integrated Amp
Nice! Thanks so much for sharing. ;)
 

gvl

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Vintage Fortes in action. Too bad you won't be able to hear the 4xPCM1704 multi-bit magic through your delta-sigma converters ;)

 

Sal1950

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Vintage Fortes in action.
Older Klipsch designs with the big oil cap'd crossovers can sound amazing when properly set up.
Looks like you hit it just right. ;)
 

gvl

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Older Klipsch designs with the big oil cap'd crossovers can sound amazing when properly set up.
Looks like you hit it just right. ;)

I'm likely missing something by not switching to modern speakers, but I'm struggling to find a reason to justify an effort to find out what that is. Well, maybe it the aesthetics :) I also have newer Klipsch bookshelfs now in garage duty, those are different animals altogether, I don't care much for their sound.
 
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