The kit we bought, our current setups

[Thomas savage]

after a few of you expressed a intrest in just what each of us wasted our money on I though I would make a thread.

Post your current setups, stuff you used to have. Anything really but you must of owned it...( or made it)

 

[dallasjustice]

Since the room is part of the "system", would you guys kindly post your room dimensions and approximate locations of speakers and listening position?

 

[Dynamix]

Sorry, no pictures, but this is my system:

Speakers: JBL 4319
Amp: Primare A30.1
Turntable: Micro Seiki DD5e
Phonostage: Graham Slee Gramamp II SE
CD player: Rega Planet

Nothing special I guess, but it plays music and gets the job done.

 

[Thomas savage]

Sorry, no pictures, but this is my system:

Speakers: JBL 4319
Amp: Primare A30.1
Turntable: Micro Seiki DD5e
Phonostage: Graham Slee Gramamp II SE
CD player: Rega Planet

Nothing special I guess, but it plays music and gets the job done.

All lies, I bet you only have a albi all in one

That's a good amp imo, nice setup tore... Shame about the music you force it to play

 

[Dynamix]

All lies, I bet you only have a albi all in one

That's a good amp imo, nice setup tore... Shame about the music you force it to play

Yes, it does have to put up with a lot of crap. Poor little system...

 

[Thomas savage]

Yes, it does have to put up with a lot of crap. Poor little system...

It's ok, my system suffers a lot of 'anti audiophile' music too Secretly my vivids love to be abused they just don't want me telling anyone else...

 

[tomelex]

Yamaha PX-3 TT with Dynavector cartridge
Hafler electronics suite: my modified DH-330 Tuner (seldom used), DH-110 pre-amp, two DH-220 mono bridged 450W power amps (modified caps)
Processors: DIY SET amps (0.5W one is from Glass Audio 3/96; picture at left), DBX 3bx dynamic range expander, IR-2200 image expander all used sparingly except the SET amps which get quite a bit of use
JBL L150A speakers (seldom used anymore as headphones and modified Infinity book shelf speakers near field and other bookshelf speakers more often listened to)
Akai GX-635D RR seldom used as well but still going strong albeit with numerous transistor change outs over the years
Oppo CD player
Original Monster heavy duty cables and assorted DIY interconnects
Sennheiser HD-650 and HD380 Pro headphones (I much prefer headphones and occasionally near field listening, wife likes to listen to the Hafler/JBL system)

 

[Thomas savage]

Thanks for posting that!

Headphones are the simplest way to get great sound imo.

I listen near field, my rig is basically headphones but all the advantages of having speakers as well if that makes sense... Much cheaper to of just got headphones and spent rest on a new Nissan GTR.

Live and learn, sadly in my case too late! Though I have special needs so it's impressive I have made it this far...

 

[NorthSky]

Since the room is part of the "system", would you guys kindly post your room dimensions and approximate locations of speakers and listening position?

19' by 16' by 11'

• Listening position: Approximately 2/3 of 16'
• Location of speakers (7): Approximately 8' (front stage) and 6' (side/back stage)
• Subs (2): Approximately 11'

♫ Favorite music genre: Classical Chamber (Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Ravel, etc.)
♠ Favorite movie genre: World Time-Lapse Moving Photography (eg.; Samsara, Baraka, etc.)

 

[Werner]

Sadly I have no fresh pictures at hand ...

Dedicated 7.3 x 4.1 x 2.4 m room with mild GIK Acoustics treatment.

Lyngdorf TDAI-2170 amplifier with speaker/room correction.

Volumio running on Cubox-4 as streamer.

ProAc D40R speakers. Also totally re-built Quad ESL.

Michell Orbe turntable with SME IV, Lyra and Allaerts cartridges.

Paradise phonostage.

Hafler surround using digital delay in the Lyngdorf, down a 12 m coax to the back of the room, into an Apogee DAC and then to a secondary system of which the preamp generates the L-R and R-L signals.

Loads of secondary gear. I am also building a pair of sealed-box active/DSP speakers based around BMR drivers for most of the spectrum. Just for the heck of it. Ironically the BMR drivers cost me 1% of the entire package. I must be mad. Mmmm, "1%" might be a nice name for these speakers ...

 

[Sal1950]

Sadly I have no fresh pictures at hand ...

Great kit, thanks for posting!

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I may as well jump in and let you know what my current setup consists of.

I'm currently in an insulated (plastic covered fibreglass) unfinished basement. I sectioned off an area measuring approximately 16.5 x 11.5 ft. My audio rack is placed roughly 1 ft from the back wall, which I need for access to cables and such. Speakers are placed 4ft forward (measured from speaker fronts) , about 2 feet from side walls and roughly 7.5 ft between each speaker. I sit about 9 ft back. I have a huge, thick polyester Persian-type rug covering almost the entire space.

Oracle Audio Paris MkV turntable
Oracle modified Pro-ject 9cc tonearm
Dynavector DV-20x2L moving coil cartridge
Harman-Kardon DVD47 CD/SACD player
Pioneer RT-909 Reel-to-Reel (10"/3.75/7.5ips)
Marantz Reference PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier
Genesis G7.1f full-range Loudspeakers
Morrow Audio PH5 phono cable & Silver Litz ground
Mogami interconnects
Valab/King speaker cables

I also use a manual Spin-Clean and Nitty Gritty 2.5Fi RCM for vinyl cleaning.

 

[Sal1950]

I may as well jump in and let you know what my current setup consists of.

Nice rig, I've always admired Oracle's design approach to TT's. Classic tech that's proven over and over to deliver superior reproduction since the 1950s.
Enjoy and thanks for posting.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Nice rig, I've always admired Oracle's design approach to TT's. Classic tech that's proven over and over to deliver superior reproduction since the 1950s.
Enjoy and thanks for posting.

Thanks Sal! - I've been an Oracle fan for decades after first hearing my buddy's Delphi II, Meitner(Musealex?), Vandersteen setup.

 

[Sal1950]

Thanks Sal! - I've been an Oracle fan for decades after first hearing my buddy's Delphi II, Meitner(Musealex?), Vandersteen setup.

OHH, back in the day how I lusted after a Delphi, just way out of my price grasp.

 

[blackmetalboon]

While my main love is 2 channel, I do enjoy my movie nights, so it has to be equally adept at this. Just running a 4.0 set-up at the moment as that's all I need in my current room.

So my current kit is;

Chord Electronics Blu CD Transport
Chord Electronics QBD76 DAC
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player
"Some crappy" Toshiba Blu-ray Player
Chord Electronics CPA 4000E Pre-Amp
Chord Electronics DSP 8000 AV Processor
Chord Electronics SPM 1200E Power-amp
Chord Electronics SPM 1200C Power-amp
Chord Electronics Mezzo 140 Power-amp
B&W Nautilus 802
B&W Nautilus 805
Full Nordost loom on my 2 channel set-up, excluding mains cables (can't wait for comments in this)

The eagle eyed member may notice that I've more power-amps than required, this is purely for future additions/back-ups.

I've not listed the "foo" for obvious reasons!!!

 

[RayDunzl]

Full Nordost loom on my 2 channel set-up, excluding mains cables (can't wait for comments in this)

Just so you don't have to wait too long, what's your opinion of them?

Do they have characteristics that belong in the "foo" category, or is that reserved for things that you aren't sure even work?

I'm still making cables from the scrap heap. They're oil-resistant, that's a plus.

Some foo not in the picture - a HomeDepot wooden paint stir stick (free) jammed vertically between the terminals.

 

[blackmetalboon]

I'm not sure if they're oil resistant, generally that's not a characteristic I'd look for in a domestic environment!
They work, music eminates from my speakers! I have to add that I've not paid anywhere near their retail price for them. They are well made and do the job. I have also discovered that as they are purple, my partners favourite colour, she does not question why I have spent £XXX on "just" a cable!!!

 

[Thomas savage]

While my main love is 2 channel, I do enjoy my movie nights, so it has to be equally adept at this. Just running a 4.0 set-up at the moment as that's all I need in my current room.

So my current kit is;

Chord Electronics Blu CD Transport
Chord Electronics QBD76 DAC
Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista 3D CD player
"Some crappy" Toshiba Blu-ray Player
Chord Electronics CPA 4000E Pre-Amp
Chord Electronics DSP 8000 AV Processor
Chord Electronics SPM 1200E Power-amp
Chord Electronics SPM 1200C Power-amp
Chord Electronics Mezzo 140 Power-amp
B&W Nautilus 802
B&W Nautilus 805
Full Nordost loom on my 2 channel set-up, excluding mains cables (can't wait for comments in this)

The eagle eyed member may notice that I've more power-amps than required, this is purely for future additions/back-ups.

I've not listed the "foo" for obvious reasons!!!

Thanks for that, cables and foo are welcome you just have to pretend they make no difference or the natives here go a little nutty

If you ever venture inside any of those boxes please share the pictures. Nothing like a naked transformer and lovely shinny diodes to get the members pulses racing .

 

[blackmetalboon]

Thanks for that, cables and foo are welcome you just have to pretend they make no difference or the natives here go a little nutty

If you ever venture inside any of those boxes please share the pictures. Nothing like a naked transformer and lovely shinny diodes to get the members pulses racing .

As far as the "foo" goes, it only goes as far as mains products (the cables do their job and look pretty). Only one is in use at the moment and is purely used an expensive mains block (cheaper than buying longer mains leads) the other will be up on eBay in the new year. Since using Chord Electronics gear the whole mains treatment theory has been void.
One thing I've never understood is the audiophile hatered of SMPS as the majority of my gear uses it and yet the soundstage is deathly silent.