BAASnotes.com – Bay Area Audiophile Society

Alón’s Analogue Array

This system has been a work in progress Since 1980. I bought my first audiophile gear at Hi Fi Haven, which was a high-end audio dealer in my college neighborhood in NJ. This was not a part of town you’d expect an audio store, on its left was a strip club and on its right was Greasy Tony’s Cheesesteaks, which was open all night and staffed with the shadiest motley crew imaginable. Ah, you gotta love college in NJ when the drinking age was 18. Most of my friends frequented the two latter businesses, I think I was the only one who added HiFi Haven as a point of interest.

At HiFi Haven, a guy named Peter Cuddy took the time to teach me how to listen, not just hear. For that I’m not sure if I am eternally grateful or really pissed off for letting a college kid buy a cassette deck in the 4 figures. I wonder if he’s still around? Can’t blame him, since way before we met, I had (as an adolescent) been putting what my wife calls audio-porn up on my bedroom walls. The one I remember distinctly was a cool Sansui receiver with a lit up FM dial I was drooling over at 14 years old. I also remember enhancing the sound of my crappy plastic all-in-one’s speakers by reinstalling them in, wait for it… empty one gallon cardboard milk containers. They sure sounded way better… By 15, I was totally hooked.

As an adult, I tend to choose very good elements that sound great together and hold on to them for a long time while I enjoy my system thoroughly. Only recently did I sell that first piece of high-end gear, which I admit was a strange way to start my Audiophilia – a Nakamichi 680ZX. All those cool phosphorescent lights and knobs to play with… who knew a source component would have been a better choice?

I love gear, but what I really care about is music. As I write this, I’ve got my AKGs on (wife’s asleep), listening to Dexter Gordon’s One Flight Up on a pristine Blue Note test pressing. The combination of my analog front end (both the Alphason/Madrigal set-up and the Townshend/Ortofon rig), fed through the VAC and driven by the Raptor is producing such gorgeous, live sound that it’s hard to imagine it getting any better.

Stop laughing, I know we’ve all felt this way many times… until we reach the next level, where we are once again slack-jawed and astonished that “we never heard that before!”

Adding the REL subs to the Von Schweikert Unifield 3s made my system able to reproduce a believable and frankly astonishing concert-level experience.

Thanks for reading. Your thoughtful comments are most welcome. Except about the photos, I know they suck. I’ll get to them one day. Cheers!

Alón

Components list and more pictures on next page…

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Kevin’s System = Music Server + Open Baffles

I have the Linkwitz Orions and I recently added a music server. I am running a Logitech Transporter with the Modwright Platinum  analog stage. I run the software on a Netgear NAS. No need to have a PC running to make it work and the NAS has mirrored drives, so my music is backed up.

I have also found some excellent software for ripping CDs that collects all the CD tracks, composers, music catagories etc., with little or no input from me. I use FLAC and the sound is tremendous. Add to that the ease of accessing my music library.

This is all controlled with a remote or from a PC which displays album art. There are so many ways to stream music and it is all confusing. I listened to a Berkeley DAC but it was difficult to evaluate due to all the other system and room differences. I really chose the Transporter due to the ease of use and some positive press.

I am very happy with my choices.

Building a Music Server By Lee Mincy

Early last year I began listening to a number of dac/music server combinations with the hopes of discovering a better alternative to my 16 bt/44k cd player. I’d already been considering a used turntable and phono pre as one possible option. But I had sold all my records years ago and the thought of buying back into vinyl all over again was a tough swallow. Fact is, my modified Shanling cdt-100 tube player sounded pretty good and was silky smooth, even did upsampling to 24/96k and native HDCD. Well, that player is now for sale on Audiogon. In the end, my listening and research paid off and now I have a pretty solid music server storing all of my 500+ cd’s and much downloaded music on a 4TB NAS drive (along with reams of photography).

Now, is that really such a big deal you might think? So, my cd collection is now ready for eBay. Yeah, I’ve got my Redbook collection, along with a handful of HDCD albums and HRx DVD’s, accessible from a networked hard drive. Big deal. So what’s it sound like? Well, my answer to that is pretty darned good, significantly more analog than my previous digital rig (to get the attention of some of you vinyl hard-liners) but more importantly, the collection is unified, like a jukebox, so that I find myself playing all of my music, discovering stuff I didn’t know I had, and actually feeling so in touch with my collection that I actually want to commence lessons in guitar (yet again). And piano. And maybe after that, sax… It’s amazing! Read on. You might too…

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GerryG’s System

Vinyl Focused System

Digital Source:

* Denon DVD 3910
* Spectral 330 interconnect

Analog Source:

* Basis 2500 Signature
* Graham Phantom / Two Wands
* Koetsu Onyx Platinmum Signature
* Lyra Titan Mono
* Hovland phono interconnect
* VPI SDS
* VH Audio Airsine PC

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FrankC’s System

FrankC’s system:

MAIN SYSTEM

Digital Source:

• Mark Levinson #37
• Sonic Frontier SFD2 Mk II (Amperex 6DJ8s)
• I2Digital DX-60 digital cable
• Synergistic Research Absolute Reference X2 XLR interconnect

Analog Source:

• Michell Orbe SE
• SME V
• Shelter 901
• Graham IC-70 phono cable
• Kimber KCAG interconnect

Amplification:

• ARC PH3 SE (Amperex white label 6DJ8s)
• ARC LS25 Mk I w/ GNSC Reference mod (Amperex white label 6DJ8s)
• Pass X350.5/Aleph Os
• Synergistic Designer’s Reference X2 XLR interconnect

Speakers:

• Verity Parsifal Encores
• Synergistic Resolution Reference X2 speaker cable

Power:

• Dedicated lines
• PS300
• Ultimate Outlets
• Audio Prism
• Various powercords from BMI, Electraglide, and VH Audio

Stands:

• SolidTech Rack of Silence Reference

HEADPHONES
Digital Source:

• Sonic Frontier SFT-1
• Genesis Digital Lens
• Mark Levinson #36
• Illuminatti X-60 digital cables
• Cardas Neutral Reference interconnects

Headphone amps:

• Consonance Cyber 20 (EL84 based SET)
• Consonance Cyber 30 (2A3 based SET)
• Rudistor RP5.1cav

• Sennheiser HD600 (Cardas cable)
• Sennheiser HD650 (Zu Mobius cable)

Next upgrade: building a dedicated listening room from the ground up with the house remodel. Scheduled to be completed in late Fall, 2009.

Yes, members can visit. My current house is fairly small, and I have a young boy that likes to run around crazy mad. I work from home, so afternoons work best.

Sunnyvale, near 280 and 85 intersection.

New Interconnect Design

Here’s what a single I/C looks like before termination:

And here’s the back of my rack (L chan only):

Two days late, but “April Fools”!

RobertD’s System

General location:

• San Ramon

Digital Sources:

• Parasound DVP1000
• Marantz DV8400
• Marantz CC4000

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DerrickY’s System

I am in the Oakland area and welcome interested visitors.

Main listening system

Amplification:

• Air Tight ATM-3 tube monoblocks modified by Tom Tutay for main speakers, 1960s Mullard El34s
• Onkyo Grand Integra M-508 -to run Subwoofers

Preamp:

• Aloia Pst11.01 with Separate inductive power supply

Analog:

• Well Tempered Classic, Sumiko SHO med output MC
• PS Audio Phonolink

Digital:

• Audio Matiere Dialogue transport
• Sony CPD-x779es transport modified by APL
• VAC DAC 2 Mk 2 D/A converter
• Genesis Digital Lens

Speakers:

• Celestion Sl700 Special Editions
• Celestion System 6000 Subwoofers
• Celestion DLp6000 crossover

Power Conditioning:

• PS Audio p1000

Cabling:

• Straightwire,Virtual Dynamics,Kimber, Yamamoto,

Room Treatments:

• Shakti Holographs
• Argent RoomLens
• Michael Green Room Tunes

Living Room System 2

Amplification:

• Klimo Linnet Tube Monoblocks-70s Siemens El34s

Preamplification:

• Jeff Rowland Consanance w/ Phono Module

Analog:

• Michell GyroDec, Linn Akito 2 tonearm, Sumiko SHO Med-output MC
• Lazarus MC tube Step up

Digital:

• Sony Cpd-x707Es transport
• AudioLogic 34 D/a converter
• Genesis Digital Lens

Speakers:

• Michael Green Chameleon IIIs modified by Jason Serinus

Power Conditioning:

• Dedicated lines analog/digital/amplification/
• PS Audio P600

Cabling:

• Straight Wire Crescendo speaker, Virtuoso, Yamamoto

All Systems have Versasound Copper Damping Sheets, Connections CAIG
de-oxified, and Mapleshade Audio Silver contact enhanced.

Sorry for the long list, this is what 20 years of audio gear obesssion gets you.

You Know You’re a Crazy A’phile When….

You start buying capacitors for your speaker crossovers that are as large as a baseball and weigh a half-pound each!

These ClarityCap SA’s are for the midrange circuit of my Usher Dancer’s.

It’s the type of thing Alon might put in his Magico’s. (Actually, this part is a bit low-end for the Magico!)

WillC’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• Sony JA333ES Mini Disc Recorder
• Sony C555ES 5-disc SACD/CD player
• Pioneer PDR-w839 CD Recorder

ANALOGUE SOURCES

• None

PREAMP

• NAD C162 Stereo Preamp

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WilliamT’s System

Digital Source:

• Abbingdon Music Research: CD-77 (pic)

Analog Source:

• Raven One Turntable (pic)

Tonearm:

• Dynavector: 507 MKII (pic)

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DanF’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• Sony CX90es
• Monarchy Audio DIP
• Sony DVPCX995V

ANALOG SOURCES

• None

PREAMP

• Sony TAE-9000es

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ChrisK’s System

Digital Sources:

• Arcam DV137
• HTPC (FLAC) – ditching this, tired of dealing with it
• Squeezebox
• Lavry DA10 DAC

Analog Sources:

• Denon TU-660 AM/FM Tuner
• Yamaha turntable w/Grado cartridge & Rolls Bellari VP129 phono amp (turntable recently stored for a while)

Preamp:

• Rotel RSP-1068 Pre/Processor

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DavidH’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• Oppo DV-970HD Universal Player
• Cambridge Audio Azur 840C Upsampling CD Player
• Sony SCD222ES SACD player – Modified by SACDMods.com
• Oritech DAC
• Teac R-WD 250 CD Recorder
• Tivo Series 3 HD DVR Dual Recorder w THX 5.1 Sound
• iPod Gen 5

ANALOG SOURCES

• Oracle Delhi MKV Turntable – Turbo Power Supply – SME Series lV Arm – Shelter 90X cartridge
• Jolida 402 Tubed Tuner

PREAMP

• Audio Research LS25 MKll
• Audio Research PH3 Phono Stage (modified)
• Jolida JD9 Tubed Phono Stage
• Dynaco Pass 3

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Craig & Christina E’s System

Digital:

• Denon DVM 4800 DVD

Analog:

• SME Model 10A turntable with model 20/30 arm mounting plate
• Shelter 901 cartridge
• EAR 834P phono-preamp modified by Scott Frankland Tube Amps and Services
• EAR MC-4 step-up transformer

Preamp:

• Quicksilver remote preamp w/Amperex A-frame 6DJ8s

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BlaineH’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• Sony 9100es

ANALOG SOURCES

• None

PREAMP

• Placette passive RVC

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MiguelDF’s System

Sources:

• Linn Pekin Tuner
• Rotel DVD/CD RDV1040
• C. E. C. CD Player TL51XR

Integrated Amp

• Audiomat Opera

Speakers

• Silverline Audio’s SR 17.5s

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ChrisG’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• Sony 777ES Modified by Vacuum State to Level 6

ANALOG SOURCES

• None

PREAMP

• BAT VK 5i

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CraigS’s System

DIGITAL SOURCES

• @tunes SB+ Streaming Device (coming)

ANALOG SOURCES

• Garrard 301 Turntable; Denon 103R; OL Silver Tonearm
• Marantz SLT 12U Turntable; Denon 103R

PHONOSTAGE

• Decware ZP2

PREAMP

• Eastern Electric MiniMax (upgraded by Tom Tutay)

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Recommended Format for “Your System”

I just got a good suggestion from Aaron re including general location info in the listing (e.g., “Santa Clara” or “Peninsula”).

So that gives us the following recommended outline:

• Digital Sources
• Analog Sources
• Preamp
• Amp
• Speakers
• Cables
• Other (incl. power conditioning)
• Can members visit?
• Location
• Pictures

Please follow this format, as it makes it easier for me to post the info!