PinoyDVD: The Pinoy Digital Video & Devices Community
Home Theater => General => HT Picture Gallery => Topic started by: dimfer on Jan 24, 2009 at 08:13 PM
-
My 2 channel HT
I have no dedicated room >:(
50" Sony LCD
Accentus A101
Arcam Diva AVR 300
Pioneer DVD V630
Misc cables
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/153.jpg)
I am mainly an audio guy
Von Schweikert VR5 Anniversary in Steinway Black
Lamm Reference 1.2 monoblocs
Lamm LL2 pre-amp
Critical Mass Isolation Platforms
Core Audio Furniture racks and diffuser
Virtual Dynamics Nite 3.0 cables (bi-wire spkr,IC, power)
Nova Physics Memory Player
Copland DRC 205 digital room correction
Garrard Lab 80 Mk2 with Dynavector DV 10x5
Allnic H1200 phono pre-amp
MBL 5011 DAC
MBL CD player
Monster HTPS 7000 Signature Series
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7961.jpg)
Doing alternate duty is Mang Rod Teope's 6c33c-b tube amps
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/157.jpg)
Not shown
Mang Rod's Musika pre-amp with separate power supply
Garrard 401
saving up for either a 120" screen projection system or an 80" or bigger LCD to be integrated with the second (audio) system
-
WHOA!!! :o :o :o
very nice set-up sir dimfer!
congrats! am sure you enjoy hours and hours of music on your audio set-up! ;D ;D ;D
-
that's one jaw-dropping audio setup you got there! :o
Welcome to PinoyDVD sir! ;D
-
welcome brader Dimfer ;D
One of a kind audio set-up indeed :o
...pwede ba sir mamasukan na taga-punas
audio gears? ;D ;D ;D
congrats ;)
-
Wow! another ASTIG setup! :o ;D
Welcome to PinoyDVD sir Dimfer! :D ;)
-
Ganda ng audio setup niyo sir. Sana magkaroon din ako ng ganyang setup. Hehe.
-
astig na astig set-up mo sir!
-
Wow, awesome set-up sir. :o
-
:o :o
Ganda! where did you get your wall decor sir?
Also what is the wood that used to make the sound absorbers?
-
wow galing ng audio set-up ! congrats! kakaingit mga gears! ;D
-
(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jakedavid_2004/confused0054.gif) (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jakedavid_2004/confused0054.gif) (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jakedavid_2004/confused0054.gif) (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jakedavid_2004/confused0054.gif) (http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/jakedavid_2004/confused0054.gif)
nice! very nice! welcome to the gallery sir dimfer!
this is a good way of starting the year! wooohooo!
cheers!
-
Ding, Thanks for posting your set-up here...
...and I'm drooling (as always)...what are your new updates?? Thanks!
Superman :D
-
Wow! I'm sure this sounds as good as it looks. Congrats and welcome dimfer. :)
-
thanks folks. I am not new to this site, I had posted a few questions a long time ago - a regular lurker here also. I didn't get around to post my systems, kasi hindi pwedeng ipagmalaki ang HT ko ::)
Disclosure - I am Pinoy, based in Canada
...pwede ba sir mamasukan na taga-punas audio gears?
papel ko yan Bro, walang tsiks, kaya audio toys na lang ang hinihimas.
superb system sir Dimfer !!!
salamat Doc
Ganda! where did you get your wall decor sir?
Also what is the wood that used to make the sound absorbers?
salamat. I got the decor from Mobler Furniture here in Canada. Designed by a Californian artist, but mass produced in China. The diffusors were from Core Audiophile Furniture, made of solid wood, beech. I DIY'ed the bottom/base part though.
nice! very nice! welcome to the gallery sir dimfer
salamat Jazzy Jake. I wish I could take pictures like you.
and I'm drooling (as always)...what are your new updates??
thanks Jen. walang bago, but I'm almost done with my Garrard project though. Still waiting for the availability of the 32 bit dac for my NPMP, hopefully they will start shipping in February.
-
Great Setup and Great Gear :o :o :o :o :o
Thanks for sharing!!!
Awesome!
-
I have no dedicated room because I was a hardcore aquahobbyist, hanggang ngayon pala. When we built our current house in 2005, wala pa sa isip ko ang dedicated HT or audio room - as I was not seriously into audio yet. I have an aquarium room though - which is integrated with our family room, audio room.
more pictures
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/IMG_0204.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/14.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/17.jpg)
-
I have no dedicated room because I was a hardcore aquahobbyist, hanggang ngayon pala. When we built our current house in 2005, wala pa sa isip ko ang dedicated HT or audio room - as I was not seriously into audio yet. I have an aquarium room though - which is integrated with our family room, audio room.
more pictures
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/IMG_0204.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/14.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/arowanas%202008/17.jpg)
Wow! sir ganda ng house nyo and the decorations. Pati yung integrated aquairum at the back, I always wanted one of those aquariums. Hanggang 20 gallon lang ako ngayon ;D
-
tindi talaga
'stig!
-
tindi talaga
'stig!
super tindi! penge pamfers tulo laway ko! awesome gears bro! welcome to pdvd! :D
-
Ding, what's the brand of your equipment rack?? Also are your sound diffusers DIY-ed?? Regards!
-
ganda! Congrats!
-
Ding, what's the brand of your equipment rack?? Also are your sound diffusers DIY-ed?? Regards!
Hi Jen,
The equipment racks are Mod3 from Core Audio Designs (http://coreaudiodesigns.com), the diffusers are also from the same company.
The top 2 levels are Model AD2 (http://coreaudiodesigns.com/products/acoustic-panels/ad-2), I just DIY'ed the base or bottom section that's why it looked a little bit different.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/157.jpg)
-
ganda! Congrats!
salamat
-
Thanks Ding! :D
-
Wow! sir ganda ng house nyo and the decorations. Pati yung integrated aquairum at the back, I always wanted one of those aquariums. Hanggang 20 gallon lang ako ngayon ;D
thanks.
ako nagsimula lang sa betta bowl, ngayon 1360 gallons na :o
-
Haaay, only in my dreams.... :-[
;)
-
Haaay, only in my dreams.... :-[
;)
+1 same here... :o :o :o :-X :-X :-X
-
thanks folks. I am not new to this site, I had posted a few questions a long time ago - a regular lurker here also. I didn't get around to post my systems, kasi hindi pwedeng ipagmalaki ang HT ko ::)
cmon dimfer, an HT having accentus speakers as fronts powered by arcam gears...hehe
galing ng 2-ch audio mo sir, pang CES demo. congrats!
-
Pag may ganitong system pwede na kahit ma-layoff ;D close up pics naman ng units :o
We salute you chief!
-
Astig! Dream set-up ito.....tanggal lahat ng stress pag ganito set-up mo....Congrats
-
Ganda ng gears! Sir nasa Canada ba set up mo?
-
Dream set-up 'to. Really, really, really nice! :D
Congrats bro!
-
salamat ulit sa mga nag-comment.
this is very close to my dream system. hopefully I am done with the audio merry go round. I consider most of them end of the road products and I am very happy with their performance. The last thing I want to upgrade in my audio system is the installation of the tubed 32 bit dac from Nova Physics - it will be a user installed kit. I am also getting close to finishing my 401.
As for my HT, one thing I want to improve is the stand. My current stand is not big enough and doesn't have enough shelves to accomodate more equipment. The Accentus is an awesome speaker, but being rear ported and quite big, I cannot crank the volume really loud as it could rattle the wall behind it. This speaker is rated at 26 hz, but outputting more bass than the VR5 which is rated 20 hz. I've heard how good this speakers can be when driven by Lamm, I now got the Arcam AVR 300 on bi-amp mode (channel 6&7 assigned to bi-amp the front channels) but even at total of 200 watts per channel, I feel it is now lacking the inner detail. I cannot move the speaker too far away from the wall because it won't look good, and the "boss" will disapprove. Well, I guess we cannot have it all. It is playing good enough sound, although the glare from the tv can be distracting sometimes. We are movie buffs and we use this system quite a bit.
We now have 6 working tv's inside our house already and I don't think we need another one, but after watching the scene where Matthew Mc Conaughey was playing Wii on a supersized screen in Tropic Thunder -I lusted for a 120" PJ more and more, and the Wii of course. No, I don't need a projection system. no. As previously mentioned, I was considering a bigger lcd too - but I am concerned the glare (sound) from the reflection on the TV screen can screw up the sound of my main audio system.. Costco offered $700 discount on BenQ W5000 last Xmas, I almost pulled the trigger, but let the promo go away.
So, I am just playing it cool for now, hopefully the itch will go away.
Pag may ganitong system pwede na kahit ma-layoff, close up pics naman ng units
huwag naman sana. my main system is drawing 10 amps - kailangan ko nang pambayad sa koryente :'(
nasa Canada ba set up mo?
yes.
more pics, I hope you don't mind.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7960.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7973.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7978.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_8014.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7991.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7999.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7968.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7984.jpg)
-
Great setup :) :o I can just imagine listening to this kind of setup on a quiet rainy night, or any day or night for that matter, congratulations and more power bro!
-
Thanks for sharing Great Pics of a great setup ;D
-
salamat blue & blackie.
-
Fantastic set up! :o
I love the new pics
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7984.jpg)
Sarap! Pa experience naman nyan! ;D
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/IMG_7984.jpg)
wow legs! hehehe great setup :) sa pilipinas ba to? i noticed that it looks like you have hvac and a fireplace kasi e
-
salamat ulit Juancho, Deo & ET414
I love the new pics
glad you liked it.
Sarap! Pa experience naman nyan!
kung magawi ka rito sa amin, pasyal ka sa bahay.
wow legs!
;D ;D ;D
sa pilipinas ba to? i noticed that it looks like you have hvac and a fireplace kasi e
sa Edmonton, Alberta, Canada bro.
-
salamat ulit Juancho, Deo & ET414
glad you liked it.
kung magawi ka rito sa amin, pasyal ka sa bahay.
;D ;D ;D
sa Edmonton, Alberta, Canada bro.
Ang layo pala..cge next time na lang :P
-
Sobrang ganda ng set up..pag ganyan set up ko siguro baka makalimutan ko may asawa ko ehehehe ;D
-
Sexy naman nung nagbabasa ng magazine.... pang hot or not! hehehehe
Ganda chief! Tulo laway ko.... :D
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep013.jpg)
updated look
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep023.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep028.jpg)
analog section
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep032.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep035.jpg)
digital
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep069.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep061.jpg)
secondary setup/tube ht ;D
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep058.jpg)
Lamm Ref 1.2 w/ Euro Audio Teamm ECC88
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep088.jpg)
Lamm LL2 deluxe with Mullard CV491 & Euro Audio Team ECC88
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep034.jpg)
Modwright Platinum Truth Transporter with EML Labs 5U4G rectifier and Mullard ECC33 drivers
-
WOW! :o
-
wow indeed! tube HT!!!
:o :o :o
-
Hi ding!
EXCELLENT set-up!
So the Garrard project is alive, and with 2 arms pa yata ah! :D CONGRATULATIONS!
Please reserve the LAMMs, hehehe! :D
-
Wow dimfer...your set-up is cool and cozy. I also see proudly filipino made gears.
I am sure with the tubes you are in for a non-ear fatiguing listening sessions for both HT and Audio.
Congrats.
-
WOW!! I wonder kung ano tunog ng mga speakers na yan :o :o pag ganyan gears ko.. wala na sigurong hapgreyd ;D ;D totally cured na ang sars ;D
-
wow indeed! tube HT!!!
:o :o :o
thanks. sinubukan ko lang and it worked 8)
-
Hi ding!
EXCELLENT set-up!
So the Garrard project is alive, and with 2 arms pa yata ah! :D CONGRATULATIONS!
Please reserve the LAMMs, hehehe! :D
yup Jen, it took forever, pero natapos naman. Yup, two arms - Fidelity Research FR64 and Audio Craft AC4000MC.
The Lamms are now reserved for you, pls pm me your shipping address ;D ;D
-
OK, I hope you'll accept my PDCs...all 1000pieces of them @ P20/month amortization :D :D :D :D :D :D
Seriously, enjoy sir! :D FR is a great arm!! As well as the AC...Thanks!
-
Wow dimfer...your set-up is cool and cozy. I also see proudly filipino made gears.
I am sure with the tubes you are in for a non-ear fatiguing listening sessions for both HT and Audio.
Congrats.
thanks Joey. Yup, I have Mang Rod's 6c33c-b amps, Musika pre-amp with separate power supply, TVC (Transformer Volume Control) and V-Capped Compactron with separate power supply. BTW, I've read MR & Puresound (LSA or Ambiance speakers) will share a room at the hi-fi show this Nov 7 & 8. Check them out.
I watch concert dvd's quite a bit, it sounds cool really. Although I must confess I could notice some glare when listening critically (forward sounding), probably from the 50" Sony screen. I intend to cover tv screen with an absorptive material for audio only sessions. But I am still keeping the Arcam AVR.
I am very happy with the performance of my two systems. They are both good in their own way.
-
WOW!! I wonder kung ano tunog ng mga speakers na yan :o :o pag ganyan gears ko.. wala na sigurong hapgreyd ;D ;D totally cured na ang sars ;D
I like them both very much. The Von Schweikert VR5 Anniversary will satisfy many discriminating audiophiles for a long time. My other speaker, similar to Aurum Cantus Supreme is very musical and can be very seductive when paired with amps that can drive it properly. I think I am set for a long time... but you know this hobby, mahirap magsalita ng tapos.
-
OK, I hope you'll accept my PDCs...all 1000pieces of them @ P20/month amortization :D :D :D :D :D :D
Seriously, enjoy sir! :D FR is a great arm!! As well as the AC...Thanks!
ilang kahon ba ang 1,000 na pdc....teka, mukhang kulang yata ang offer mo ah ;D...dagdagan pa ng isang zero 8)
-
ilang kahon ba ang 1,000 na pdc....teka, mukhang kulang yata ang offer mo ah ;D...dagdagan pa ng isang zero 8)
You mean P200/month instead of 20?? :D
-
Congrats on your superb set-up! Does the cold weather enhance your audio sessions? Hay sarap! ;)
-
(http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h134/donnel111/yeah.gif)
hanep! Congrats!
-
FANTASTIC!!
-
akala ko sa pag iingles lang pwede dumugo ang ilong, pati pala sa pag view ng gallery ng mga set up. ni hindi ko mabanggit ng tama yung mga brand. KAGANDA naman. sir dimfer baka kailagnan mo ng driver kahit libre basta payangan mo lang ako makinig jan hahahahaha. GALING
-
very nice set up!!!!!! love the aquarium.... 2 thumbs up sa set up mo sir....
-
Congrats on your superb set-up! Does the cold weather enhance your audio sessions? Hay sarap! ;)
yes. cold weather means I am busier at work and I go home more tired and appreciative of good music. The Lamm Ref 1.2 are class A and warms up the house ;D. The Trodt amps are good source of heat too
-
akala ko sa pag iingles lang pwede dumugo ang ilong, pati pala sa pag view ng gallery ng mga set up. ni hindi ko mabanggit ng tama yung mga brand. KAGANDA naman. sir dimfer baka kailagnan mo ng driver kahit libre basta payangan mo lang ako makinig jan hahahahaha. GALING
:D :D driver ??? - are you comfortable driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S with 521 hp and Bose sound system? You don't think Bose is hi-fi, you're fired ;D biro lang...
-
thanks also to the other fellas who posted a comment here
-
uy Doc kumusta na... taas ng trade count mo ah, mukhang panay ang buy or sell ah ;D
-
PinoyDVD is my new home sir Ding .. lots of generous and very kind friends here.. transparent and honest resellers.. fair rules and impartial staff too 8)
on topic: as always you are my idol .. grabe sa ganda ang mga gears mo .. hence, your taste is reference level 8)
-
ilang kahon ba ang 1,000 na pdc....teka, mukhang kulang yata ang offer mo ah ;D...dagdagan pa ng isang zero 8)
Ding, by the way, you know who to call pag sawa ka na sa Garrard mo...Hope you can also update your set-up in your other site...I am sure everybody's excited to see the new additions in your set-up...again, CONGRATULATIONS, my friend! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
-
PinoyDVD is my new home sir Ding .. lots of generous and very kind friends here.. transparent and honest resellers.. fair rules and impartial staff too 8)
on topic: as always you are my idol .. grabe sa ganda ang mga gears mo .. hence, your taste is reference level 8)
from what I could see, PDVD is a vibrant and cohesive community, glad to know you are happy in your new home. what I like in this community is while there are lot's of very knowledgeable members with advanced setups, there are also a lot of common tao and there seems to be no segregation. that cannot be said about the other forums as there always seems to be a core group (well heeled ones) and an outsider group.
I haven't been doing much forum lately that's why I am still a wanderer ;D >:( actually other than my posts on this thread, I have only one or two posts total in all the forums that I usually go to during the past two months or so
-
Ding, by the way, you know who to call pag sawa ka na sa Garrard mo...Hope you can also update your set-up in your other site...I am sure everybody's excited to see the new additions in your set-up...again, CONGRATULATIONS, my friend! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
ok Jen, I will keep that in mind, but this 401 is a keeper. I paid quite a bit for it because it is very very close to brand new and there is only one minor flaw. There were minimal traces of use/wear when I received it, with upgraded ceramic bearing. I paid more for it than what what I paid for my previous grey grease 301. but sure, I'll keep you in mind. Malamang, when I sell it, I will package it with the vintage arms that I have, bagay sila sa isa't isa.
My Audio Journey at WS had been updated and concluded. See the first post, but please keep the thread dormant. I was concerned that the mother of all audiophiles (you know who ;D) will scrutinize and criticize my audio decisions again, as if I am a ten year old boy. This is why nawalan ako ng gana to discuss anything audio related there, I don't want to engage him in a pissing contest. While you, Jack, Tito, Patrick, Val, Doc Fer and few others have been really nice , accomodating and contributor to my audio hobby experience, at over 1000 posts, I still feel that I am an outsider.
-
ok Jen, I will keep that in mind, but this 401 is a keeper. I paid quite a bit for it because it is very very close to brand new and there is only one minor flaw. There were minimal traces of use/wear when I received it, with upgraded ceramic bearing. I paid more for it than what what I paid for my previous grey grease 301. but sure, I'll keep you in mind. Malamang, when I sell it, I will package it with the vintage arms that I have, bagay sila sa isa't isa.
My Audio Journey at WS had been updated and concluded. See the first post, but please keep the thread dormant. I was concerned that the mother of all audiophiles (you know who ;D) will scrutinize and criticize my audio decisions again, as if I am a ten year old boy. This is why nawalan ako ng gana to discuss anything audio related there, I don't want to engage him in a pissing contest. While you, Jack, Tito, Patrick, Val, Doc Fer and few others have been really nice , accomodating and contributor to my audio hobby experience, at over 1000 posts, I still feel that I am an outsider.
Thanks Ding! No Problem...We understand...Maybe a case of misunderstanding?? Nevertheless, would still encourage you to do so...Looking forward (in my dreams!) w/ the Garrard!! :D
-
naku sir dimfer gardenero na lang aplayan ko hahahaha. congrats again ganda talaga.
-
Thanks Ding! No Problem...We understand...Maybe a case of misunderstanding?? Nevertheless, would still encourage you to do so...Looking forward (in my dreams!) w/ the Garrard!! :D
ok Jen...
-
naku sir dimfer gardenero na lang aplayan ko hahahaha. congrats again ganda talaga.
;D ;D
-
from what I could see, PDVD is a vibrant and cohesive community, glad to know you are happy in your new home. what I like in this community is while there are lot's of very knowledgeable members with advanced setups, there are also a lot of common tao and there seems to be no segregation. that cannot be said about the other forums as there always seems to be a core group (well heeled ones) and an outsider group.
I haven't been doing much forum lately that's why I am still a wanderer ;D >:( actually other than my posts on this thread, I have only one or two posts total in all the forums that I usually go to during the past two months or so
indeed, your observations are 102% spot on sir Ding .. PinoyDVD became my favorite home as i learned a lot here audio and non-audio topics... i am much honored to have been in touch with new found warm, caring and kind friends.. and our staff over here see to it that equality for all is the rule.. admirable !!!
btw, our friends (the good contributors over there) were able to communicate with me here at PinoyDVD ... hence, PinoyDVD truly a portal for connecting with our good buddies... i proudly say "I am PinoyDVD member!!!" ;)
-
indeed, your observations are 102% spot on sir Ding .. PinoyDVD became my favorite home as i learned a lot here audio and non-audio topics... i am much honored to have been in touch with new found warm, caring and kind friends.. and our staff over here see to it that equality for all is the rule.. admirable !!!
btw, our friends (the good contributors over there) were able to communicate with me here at PinoyDVD ... hence, PinoyDVD truly a portal for connecting with our good buddies... i proudly say "I am PinoyDVD member!!!" ;)
Well said, doc! ;)
-
thanks sir cjtjader 8)
on topic: i still droooool on sir Ding's ultra advance technology intensive digital player and other audio/HT gears ;)
-
on digital player - once you've been exposed to something like the Transporter, there is no going back to traditional cd player. I love it for it's convenience of use and functionality, a variety of inputs to it's amazing dac, and access to internet radio and services. I think Modwright did a wonderful job on their modification and tube rolling on this equipment is so much fun. Some owners who have compared to the likes of Zanden, Audio Research, EMMLabs, Burmester, Playback Design MPS5 etc have favored the modified Transporter. One guy in Europe said it beat the $22k Burmester 001 on his system. See this review by Srajan Ebaen (http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/modwright3/transporter.html). Somebody at Audio Circle said you will have to spend more than $50k in an analog system to beat it.
In my system, I hooked my Nova Physics Memory Player to the MWTP AES/EBU input. The sound is totally relaxed and very analog like with excellent bass resolution and quiet background without any hint of digital glare (jitter). Similar result when I play wav files on my laptop streamed wirelessly into the Transporter. I have started upsampling my music collection into 24bit/96khz format, I like it.
For ~ $5k investment, nothing is better in my opinion.
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep023.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Audio/sep028.jpg)
analog section
huwooow... Garrard na dalawang kamay ;D ;D ;D
sa picture pa lang parang naririnig ko na ang ganda ng tunog.
thanks for updating... at least, there's no need to buy hi-fi magazines
just to see superb audio set up... :o :o :o
keep on enjoying at your listening time as i keep on enjoying in staring.... ::)
cheers brader dimfer!!!!
-
thanks Nizmo. I will try to post better pictures later. The bevelling and joints of the DIY plinth in the picture turned out quite obvious and whitish, which is not not the actual appearance. Hirap kasing mag picture ng black object kung hindi ka magaling sa photography :(
-
ok Jen...
Thanks Ding! I believe it is really a case of misunderstanding. For me, I do not really believe sometimes in everything that is being posted online (be it here or in any other forum/fora)...sometimes people may post arrogantly but when you meet them in person they're very kind, mild-mannered - I have personally met some members from the other forum who's like this...maybe culture difference/s??...and, at times people may be friendly online but you'll only know their true color once you meet them personally or get to know them...I have learned this the hard way, some people even instigate but I never give them attention nor my previous time, even to the point of character assasination and accusation, even via blatant posts...yet, I do not give them time and attention...maybe you could do the same, especially since this hobby is really very subjective...
it's just that this hobby is crazy (it's the hobby that's crazy or making us crazy, not us)...How I wish you can attend the Hi-Fi show this year so you'll be able to have time with us, since there is a fellowship night...In any case, let's just discuss this offline...Kwentuhan na lang tayo, Ding...Makukuha naman yan sa ma-boteng usapan...when is your next Manila sojourn??
Thanks sir! Regards!
PS: I have a few questions regarding the FR arm...via PM na lang, thanks! :D
-
o.t. lang po.. :) sir jen kailan po ang hifi show dito this year? i would love to attend, see and hear some of the gears that they will display. Thank you :D
-
that issue is behind us now Jen. Things doesn't work out sometimes, the most important thing is we move forward and enjoy the hobby and our music or movies. I got into this hobby for the love of music, if along the way I meet good people that eventually become my friends outside the forum - that's gravy. Unfortunately there will be some disagreements too, that's life.
I wish I could be at the show but November is our busiest month at work because our company is in the heating industry, so it is almost a given that I can never attend the hi-fi show in the Phils. Kung January 'yan, walang duda. However, I will be there in spirit via Trodt/Puresound/Tweak room. Just think of me when you are listening to Tony O'Malley's Audiophile Selection or Michael Buble's Crazy Love in their room ;D
-
that issue is behind us now Jen. Things doesn't work out sometimes, the most important thing is we move forward and enjoy the hobby and our music or movies. I got into this hobby for the love of music, if along the way I meet good people that eventually become my friends outside the forum - that's gravy. Unfortunately there will be some disagreements too, that's life.
I wish I could be at the show but November is our busiest month at work because our company is in the heating industry, so it is almost a given that I can never attend the hi-fi show in the Phils. Kung January 'yan, walang duda. However, I will be there in spirit via Trodt/Puresound/Tweak room. Just think of me when you are listening to Tony O'Malley's Audiophile Selection or Michael Buble's Crazy Love in their room ;D
APRUB!! :D
-
APRUB!! :D
happy birthday kabayang jen ;D
sorry for the OT sir dimfer. 8)
-
thanks Nizmo. I will try to post better pictures later. The bevelling and joints of the DIY plinth in the picture turned out quite obvious and whitish, which is not not the actual appearance. Hirap kasing mag picture ng black object kung hindi ka magaling sa photography :(
kayang kaya nyo po yan... pindot lang ng pindot ;D
having those pics would be very helpful for us
for we can atleast get some ideas on what to do with our gears in the future... perhaps! 8)
-
Nova Physics Memory Player included on my "dream list" sir Ding...i estimate it will welcome new digital format when available a couple of years from now ;)
on photo shoot..
raw file >> wb>> exposure>> black>> extract to jpeg>> ... coffee-fi chat na lang tayo sir Ding :D ;D
-
happy birthday kabayang jen ;D
sorry for the OT sir dimfer. 8)
Fr. Jim, sagot na kita kay Ding...hehehe!! ;D Thanks po!
Ding, by the way, if you're in Manila in January, let me know in advance...so that if I am in Manila too for my usual/regular meetings, when can meet up...let's do a hi-fi pilgrimage...let's visit some friends and listen to their set-ups, OK??
Thanks sir! Regards! ;)
-
Doc - ingat ka sa Memory Player baka mapagaya ka sa akin. this product is hated by those who have not auditioned it and get their information solely from the internet - because it is a computer daw. On the other hand, us - the ones who have actually listened to it love it. The Modwright Transporter gave me a better idea what the Memory Player can do. After ripping and re-ripping my favorite cds using Nero, Microsoft Media Player, db Poweramp and Exact Audio Copy and comparing them to the wav files ripped via the Memory Player - I observed that the files ripped Memory Player sounds so much better. I am planning to upsample my favorite cds to 24bit/96 khz through the Memory Player too, because I observe improvement in playing it in higher resolution. The retail of $12k (transport only) for a computer based player turned off a lot of people but I think depende yan sa situation ng buyer, I won't criticize somebody for shelling out $19k for a Koetsu Coralstone with diamond cantiliver if he can afford it. I think the digital format has come a long way, especially now with the digital servers. Some people say bits are bits, they should all sound the same. I don't think so, I compared. Doc, one thing that piques my interest now in the digital world is Amarra (http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/index.html).
Jen - thanks for the offer, I'd love to do that. I was actually quite excited when I was told that I could be hanging out with the BB Boys in Magallanes after our session in Val's place in Sta Rosa, then biglang nawala nang parang bula yung offer. I think you were in Singapore during the time I was in the Phils.
When I visited Phils last April, I felt bad that I was not able to meet with Doc Fer and friends because I had to return to Batangas earlier than planned.
I would love to have coffee with you and Doc Fer ;D
-
Jen - thanks for the offer, I'd love to do that. I was actually quite excited when I was told that I could be hanging out with the BB Boys in Magallanes after our session in Val's place in Sta Rosa, then biglang nawala nang parang bula yung offer. I think you were in Singapore during the time I was in the Phils.
Yes, I believe I was in SG then, Ding...We'll organize a meet-up when you arrive here...We (BB) rarely see each other na rin due to hectic skeds...but we'll cook up something, OK?? Tutal January pa naman, we have lots of time to prepare something for you...We'll all welcome you with open arms...Thanks!
-
wow !!! another new discovery sir Ding... AMARRA Computer Music Player !!! integrates well with my fav iTunes.. hhmm.. it will compel me to grab an Apple laptop ;D
i understand and feel what you endured many months ago sir Ding... i recall a thread (definitely not here at PinoyDVD) where comments came from actual owners and non-owners.. the non owners were much much resolute and volatile (meron pang all caps and big letters yung isa, buti na lang na-"sanitized" yung post niya ;D)... how could some of them posted negative comments on a topic about an inexpensive gadget (portable digital source) they professed not to have listen to (with lossless source material and revealing transducers at least) nor owned ?...audacity to debate with ones who actually own and use these digital source/playback units ?... simply ridiculous, absurd, preposterous, nonsensical, taunting
i/we also understood your predicament with regards your recent short vacation.. priorities must come first
we have portable headphones, smallish amps (tubes, s/s) and audio/video playback system to share with you on your next visit to P.I. ... in less than an hour you can enjoy several amps and transducers practically in any chosen place we meet.. even Starbucks have ample space for these portable audio/video gears as these are quite convenient to transport and set up so as to maximize time utilization..
our buddies (me included) will surely learn tons of infos from your interest on our hobby and from your vast amount of actual experience with ultra high end audio/HT gears ;)
looking forward to having coffee-fi chat with you and our PinoyDVD buddies 8)
cheers !!!
-
sample semi-portable gears of buddies here in P.I. sir Ding :D ;D
shot taken during our recent "Grado Night"
(http://i36.tinypic.com/160d8id.jpg)
-
:o Grado pa lang 'yan, paano na kung kasama pa yung ibang brand ;D
-
indeed sir Ding :D ;D
here is a sample.. boss Ken's Stax Omega 2 MKI SR007 (original Japan version)... paired with Stax SRM-007T/4 tubes amp.. both are relatively hard to find 8)
(http://i33.tinypic.com/n6f1ia.jpg)
edit: added more pictures ;D
Stax Omega II MKI SR007 + SRM007T:
(http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4909/dscf1276g.jpg) (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/dscf1276g.jpg/)
(http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3536/dscf1279re.jpg) (http://img8.imageshack.us/i/dscf1279re.jpg/)
[/quote]
-
(http://i46.tinypic.com/axbtko.jpg)
-
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
-
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc250/banksescrima/merry-christmas-with-tree.gif)
-
Nova Physics Memory Player still enters my dreams ...its novel features simply one of the best 8)
http://www.novaphysicsgroup.com/
(http://i47.tinypic.com/14sefl1.jpg)
-
tagal ko na pala hindi nadalaw ang thread na ito... belated merry christmas din dun sa mga bumati ;D ;D ;D
Doc Fer, Nova Physics did a total redesign of this product, they are patenting the technology and I believe will be selling this technology to other high end audio manufacturers. Mark also did a new dac design, to his term - purest analog signal from a dac ever. The new NPMP is supposed to reduce jitter down to femtosecond level and claimed to have 16x less jitter that the nuclear clock DCS system. Clement Perry told me they sound great, a review is supposed to be on the way.
-
nice to see you here again sir Dimfer... and i really wish someday i can grab me one of Mark's super high-end products.
kindest regards
-
update time...
Audio took the backseat most of year 2010. I started the year focusing on suv hunting and finally pulled the trigger last June. We spent most of our weekends driving around and visiting places. I was able to put in 9,000 kms from July to December on a vehicle that I only drive after work and on weekends. When winter came, lifestyle changed and back to indoor stuff again. Finally, I pulled the trigger on a projector and a motorized screen just before Christmas.
After considering numerous candidates and options, I went ahead with Epson 2100UB and a 120" Grandview Cyber Series Motorized screen. Me and my wife are movie buffs, and I never imagined that a 120" projection setup will be so much more immersive than the 50" tv that we already have. Not even in the same league, and I must say that the combination that I got did not disappoint..
Here's the screen setup
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201021.jpg)
the projector
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201018.jpg)
Since my basement was fully finished already, I had no option but to run the cables into a raceway. I was initially concerned with interference since the power cable and the hdmi cable will be running side by side, but fortunately for me, the Rocelco HDMI are shielded and did not have any problem at all.
My source is a 320gb PS3, whose audio output I initially routed to my Transporter. Soon, I realized that the rest of the family will be using this system as well, and my daughters complained that operating is too complicated. I was also concerned that my 2 channel rig is at risk. So, on boxing day, I picked up an LG HT in a box and set it up in the same rack, but can be operated independent of my two channel setup.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201016.jpg)
My basement was prewired for surround speakers (ceiling mounted), so I just hooked up the wires.. I have an Energy center speaker from a previous HT setup, I used this to replace the center channel speaker that came with the HTIB, and imrpoved the sound quite a bit. I also resurrected the Yamaha 8" powered sub from the same previous setup to augment the passive bass module of the LG, also with vast improvement in sound.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201017.jpg)
We use the HT much more than my 2 channel these days. I have added a few blu ray concert dvds and blu ray movies to my collection.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201019.jpg)
Gaming in 120" and surround sound can also be quite an expererience. The PS3 Move is a cool thing, so with the shooting and driving stuff
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201020.jpg)
In one of PS3's ad, Sony said it only does everything - and they're right. One cool feature we like is being able to use it as a receiver for Netflix. Not the best selection, but definitely a good thing to have.
There you have it folks, from two channel to HT... pampamilya
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2010/201022.jpg)
-
sir dimfer awesome update to compliment the already awesome two channel rig, remeber me? the guy who is applying to be your gardener just to get the chance to listen to your rig ;D ;D ;D
nice to see your into the MOVE thing too, i became addicted as well with Sports Champion table tennis and The Fight, both of which give me the chance to excercise regularly
congrats and good to see you back ;)
-
whoa! awesome... TL ako sa audio system nyo sir... :D
-
wow! :o
-
moved the Modwright Platinum Transporter to my second rig.
it is now
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_5886.jpg)
Transporter ---> Trodt 6c33c-b amps ---> Accentus A 101 speakers.
I have a Trodt Musika transformer coupled pre-amp (10Y) on hand, buy decided to keep this system minimalistic for now. This is a very musical setup and will challenge many main rigs. The speaker placement is not optimized because putting them too far from the wall will draw the ire of the one who must be obeyed ;D
The tubes used for the Transporter are EML 5U4G and Tungsol Round Plates 6SN7's. I have two more pairs of the round plates, which might get used on the Trodt amps.. we'll see.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_5880.jpg)
my 7 year old 50" Sony LCD started to have problems (screen turning green), we decided to ditch it in favor of a 50" LG Plasma 1080P. Why plasma, because they're dirt cheap at Costco, $647.99 plus taxes. The price of tv's has gone down considerably, cost me over $4k for a 50" Sony back in 2003. A little bit glary on bright sunny days, but very happy with it for the most part. One thing I noticed is since the new tv's screen is slimmer and closer to the wall, the glare on the sound of the two channel system has gone down. The system is setup in such a way that the sound can be played through the 2 channel rig, but can watch movies without it.
I use this system for non critical listening, when I just want to listen and not think about soundstaging and all that audiophile stuff. Since this is in the main floor and closer to our master bedroom, I usually play music at softer level, mostly jazzy vocals like Dianna Krall, Richard Clayderman, Kenny G & the like, as requested by the wife... don't get me wrong, if can also rock when called upon. The sound can fill up the 14' ceiling 30+ x 40+ ft room where it is located.
Changes also came into my main rig. Wanting to get a little bit more punch on the VR5's, I sold my Lamm Ref 1.2 and replaced it with Lamm M2.2. I am very happy the result, the itch of adding a pair of powered sub has been cured, permanently I hope. Going deeper into the digital world, I shipped my Nova Physics Memory Player back to Mark Porzilli last Nov. to get the software updated, hardware upgraded ( 2TB internal memory) and a 32 bit dac installed. The system is now programmed to automatically re-rip all files to 32/44.1, also fully potentiated to handle high res downloads. Most of the downloads are available in flac, I rerip it to 32/44 wav as well. The Modwright Transporter is better than most cd players I've heard, and this new NPMP is leaps and bounds above the Transporter, the digital harshness is totally gone and sounds very much like a well setup analog rig.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/IMG_8387.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/IMG_8377.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/IMG_8374.jpg)
I also added a high definition digital cable receiver with a 1TB memory. Watching high def tv programs, renting movies and watching high def Pacquaio fight is totally a blast, and very convenient too. This and Netflix are keeping us entertained, without driving out in frigid winter weather... last movie we watched in theater was Pirates of Carribean, only because we wanted to have a night out with our daughters..
also added a Ferrari Scuderia wireless racing console
-
Congratulations, Ding!
-
thanks Jen. Musta na
-
Very nice! Congrats again sir dimfer! 8)
Lamm + Von's - haaay! ;D
-
awesome HT system sir. Just wondering, which is more expensive, your arowanas or your HT setup? :D
-
Awesome setup, I wish I can go back as an audiophile, basically listening to just music instead of my blurays. more power to you and happy upgrading!
-
This is a dream setup, we are proud of you Chief!
Pwede bang dumalaw dyan sa inyo dala na lang kami ng Sisig ;D
-
awesome HT system sir. Just wondering, which is more expensive, your arowanas or your HT setup? :D
thanks
actually, my aquarium was more expensive than my audio system and my car for a while 8)
until I upgraded to the Lamm/Von Schweikert/NPMP in audio and a Porsche in auto ;D
but then, kung arowana na magkamaling mag-breed, arowanas will be back on top ;)
-
Very nice! Congrats again sir dimfer! 8)
Lamm + Von's - haaay! ;D
thanks!
-
Awesome setup, I wish I can go back as an audiophile, basically listening to just music instead of my blurays. more power to you and happy upgrading!
waiting for another pair of amps... and then maybe a pair of powered subs.. and then maybe tapos na ang upgrading
-
This is a dream setup, we are proud of you Chief!
Pwede bang dumalaw dyan sa inyo dala na lang kami ng Sisig ;D
dumalaw ka lang, sagot ko na rin ang sisig 8)
-
I would also like to report that the original bulb on my Epson projector went kaput at ~500 hours. Popped in the spare (free) bulb that came in with the purchase. I was pissed off, because these bulbs are supposed to last 4,000 hours, right? So, I fired a semi angry email to Richard Desjardins at Quebec Acoustics - who advised me to contact Epson Canada and complain that my bulb died before 500 hours. I did, after taking a few information - the customer service rep promised me that he will send a brand new bulb right away. To my pleasant surprise - a brand spanking new Epson bulb arrived in my office the following day...
Epson knows how to make their customers happy!
-
I would also like to report that the original bulb on my Epson projector went kaput at ~500 hours. Popped in the spare (free) bulb that came in with the purchase. I was pissed off, because these bulbs are supposed to last 4,000 hours, right? So, I fired a semi angry email to Richard Desjardins at Quebec Acoustics - who advised me to contact Epson Canada and complain that my bulb died before 500 hours. I did, after taking a few information - the customer service rep promised me that he will send a brand new bulb right away. To my pleasant surprise - a brand spanking new Epson bulb arrived in my office the following day...
Epson knows how to make their customers happy!
sana ganyan sa pinas ;D
-
waiting for another pair of amps... and then maybe a pair of powered subs.. and then maybe tapos na ang upgrading
Mang Rod's GM70's I presume :)?
Happy Holidays Ding! Hope I get a chance to visit Alberta again and have enough spare time to visit Edmonton. - John (desmo from wiredstate).
-
Happy new year!
-
(http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa316/ram_on/other/2012-newyear.jpg)
-
Mang Rod's GM70's I presume :)?
Happy Holidays Ding! Hope I get a chance to visit Alberta again and have enough spare time to visit Edmonton. - John (desmo from wiredstate).
Hi John,
will be my pleasure to host a kababayan fellow enthusiast.
yes, The Trodt Sikatuna GM70s have landed.
-
Belated Holiday Greetings & Happy Chinese New Year to all.
I had been a bit busy lately kaya pasilip silip lang sa favorite forum sites, but will post updates soon.
-
just sharing a few videos
http://youtu.be/AOPfG8PvTDg
http://youtu.be/E3yAopZd5P8
http://youtu.be/lK-uj2cypAo
-
Nice. Indoor fun while the roads are snowed over? Ding, what is that racing wheel you are using? Looks like it doesn't need a carseat to work like the Logitech G27. Am a racing sim fan as well and like you I dream of driving the Nordschleife one of these days, hehe.
-
Thanks John.
It's a Thrustmaster 430 Scuderia (http://www.thrustmaster.com/en_UK/products/ferrari-wireless-gt-cockpit-430-scuderia-edition)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51iu0OlLxLL.jpg)
I used to have a Logitec wheel, but my wife does not appreciate the wires running across the room. This one is wireless... not perfect as it does not have vibration feedback, but works well for me.
-
Posted At WS Dec 31, 2012
here we go again.. I am typing this year end update for posting at a website whose local time zone is 2013 already 8)
we attended the 5:00 pm mass, had dinner at my in-laws' place and then I volunteered to drive my Mom back home to have time to type this up. My wife was having a grand time with her parents and the rest of the family.. I promised my wife I'll be back right away..
Just me and my mom at home right now, so I am playing Madeleine Peyroux's Half The Perfect World rather loud. Perfect...
I decided to let go of my beloved Accentus A101 last spring to make room for another pair of Von Schweikert speaker. The buyer was from Toronto area, he said he heard the Accentus A101 on his first trip to Salon Son Image Montreal Hi Fi show when he was 14 years old and he was so smitten by it. He said he went to all the shows in the following years, and never heard any other speaker that he liked better, and now that he is professionally employed and building his first audiophile system, he made sure the A101 is his first purchase. I held the transaction for a month so that he can save up for my asking price. I am very glad that the speaker went to somebody who genuinely like the Accentus sound.
I ordered a pair of VR35 and a Shockwave V15 from Albert. The VR35 went to my main level system, partnered with the Trodt 6c33c-b amps, Trodt battery powered pre and fronted by Modwright Platinum Transporter. This is a very capable budget combination. As good as the VR35's can be, I still missed the A101, the VR35 sounded dry compared to the A101.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012-10-25204402.jpg)
I had a long discussion with Albert how the addition of a powered subwoofer and a pair of ribbon tweeter module can elevate the VR5 to a level very close to VR9 (all VR5's components can be found in VR9), but I somehow cannot convince myself to fork out the money AVS is asking for the tweeter module ($10k retail). He said the cabinet alone cost $3k because they are made in small batch. Well, I was curious to make my own box, and readi up about high pass filter. With the help of a few WS friends, I marched on. I bought a pair of Aurum Cantus G1 tweeter from ebay, a pair of capacitors, Obbligato and other necessary parts from partsconnexxion and some more abubuts from partsexpress..why cheap obbligatto you ask? I have a friend here who is a capacitor nut, and he has almost all the popular capacitor brands you can name in the values he need for is Sonus Faber speakers (highly modified), and he very much favored Obliggatto for use with tweeters. I heard the difference between Obb & V Caps and thought I could live with the cheaper brand. I spent a Saturday making the box, sanding, painting etc. I made the box out of 3/4 plywood, and made it as small as possible diameter wise, but made it 12" deep. I first crossed it at 2khz as Aurum Cantus suggested, but it changed the sound too much. Jack said AVS crossed the VR9's ribbon tweeter at over 10khz - so that's what I aimed for. Instead of totally eliminating 2khz, I added a toggle switch, so now I can choose 2k or 10k. Vr5 like the 10k setting better, Vr35 seem to sound better at 2k.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012Dec15002_zps22fbf126.jpg)
I also communicated with Sam Laufer & Mark Porzilli regarding my Memory Player. These guys work very hard to continiously improve their product. This is the beauty of software based system - you get you updates/upgrades online :geek: MP is still not a popular choice among traditional audiophiles, but it does an excellent job for me. There are so many much more expensive servers out there right now, so a $20k server does not make people jump anymore. But there is still resistance to fully embrace computer based hardware, no matter how good it can be.
With the addition of the powered sub (Albert said one should be more than enough for my room) and tweeter, something became more and more obvious to me.. I have to rearrange my system. Since my 2 channel rig is in the middle of our basement family room (not a dedicated room), it required me to do a lot of negotiating with the one who must be obeyed. One day, I placed the foam seats of our backyard swing in the wall behind my speakers. The effect was convincing enough, she finally budged. woohoo. These is also an obvious bass null (suckout) in the spot just behind the VR5 where I originally parked the V15, so I decided to place it center, and forward. My wife said I have to make sure it looks good, otherwise she will rearrange it herself. I thought I will also take the opportunity to move the 2 channel electronics away from the middle. My second daughter entertain her friends in our HT/PS3 setup a lot, and I was worried about my carts when they play rough.
One of the challenges of the GM70 amp based system is it's sensitivity to electrical noise. I had a few amps that passed through my living room, MR's GM70 is the most challenging of all, all the while I thought there was a design error. MR rigged me an isolation transformer, which helped by did not totally cure the problems (low pitch tube noise much like an aquarium pump sound and EMI/RFI noise as well). This contributed to my desire to move the 2 channel stuff away from HT stuff. This also forced me to change most of my cables (DIY) and stick to shielded design/parts. Happy to report - my system now is very quiet.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/006_zpscbd4c430.jpg)
Funny, one day I was calibrating the powered sub with the sound meter. When I played the low frequency test tones, the basement wall literally started to vibrate, my daughter who was in her bedroom ran out really spooked, thinking there was an earthquake :D I was worried too that my aquarium would burst, so | had to stop and do it another day. The black rack in the middle is also a DIY project :devil: , strong enough to carry a pair of Lamms (or Trodt GM70) on the top shelf :emo:
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/011_zps34da952e.jpg)
the 2 channel electronics were moved closer to the aquarium, I moved the wall decor and replaced it with 4 pcs of wooden diffusers. I also decided to be more serious in analog department - picked up a Dynavector DRT XV-1S and now both my Dynavector carts have upgraded Soundsmith stylus/ruby cantiliver. I also picked up over a hundred lps and same amount of digital music this year (2012 pa).
How's the sound - full range. I worked hard so that the additions do not call for attention, but when you take them out you can tell the difference right away.
-
Update March 2013
fertile mind (or pregnant na ba?) won't rest just yet :D
I think I was hanging out at audio fora too much, kung ano ano tuloy ang pumapasok sa kukote. I thought just for the heck of it, I will build myself a cheapo DIY cable lift and hope that it will elevate my system's performance. While we were preparing for our daughter's debut, I went with my wife to Michaels', a mega craft store. I looked at different materials, and ended with two packages of this rubber thingies, some paint and a bottle of glue.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar004.jpg)
I don't see myself selling turntables, so adding a turntable line to my product offering is out of the question. It is no secret in this forum that I had been curious about the Lenco L75. Remember my first attempt to buy a Lenco at fleabay (http://www.wiredstate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=26396)? Unfortunately the bidding war ended with somebody taking home probably the most expensive Lenco sold at ebay :D at that time. Hell no, as much as I like the table, I am not spending megabuck on it on it's original form. At about the same time, a guy was selling an Artisan Fidelity (http://www.artisanfidelity.com/Lenco-L75-.html) restored unit with ruby bearing upgrade ($800) at agon for $3,800 including an Ortofon tonearm, I came very close to buying that unit because it was a good deal considering Chris Thornton sells it for $6.5k. I decided to let things cool off a bit and wait around. I looked at other candidates like the SP10, TD 124 or maybe a 301 again. I am now focusing on vintage tables thinking that if I take good care of it, it's value will only go up in time (the $350/pair 6SN7's I bought a few ago are now regularly offered at $650/pair). And while it may not have the best sound of the megabuck systems like the Techdas Air Force One or Wave KInetics NVS, a properly sorted direct drive is good enough to make me happy. I exchanged emails with Chris a few more times and came really close to ordering one, then a couple opportunities showed up a Canuck Audio Mart. A restored L75 with a nice plinth from a guy in Quebec for $575 and a restored Bogen-Presto (L70 equiv) with a nicer plinth from a guy in British Columbia for $480, as per the recommendation of Mr TAS Lenco - I pursued the L70.
The unit itself is in relatively good shape, the previous owner buy, recondition and re-sell Lencos, and he has already done all the necessary rebuild jobs including the installation of damping materials in the back of the chasis. He sent me pictures of the plinth build process and looking at his wood clamps alone, I was convinced he know what he was doing, built in alternate layers of MDF and baltic birch plywood using the same philosophies popularized by J Nantais. It is cheap enough that I could employ some more of the tweaks I have in mind without too much financial exposure.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar021.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar020.jpg)
I coated as much as I could
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar014.jpg)
including the plinth. I did two thick coats and sanded lightly just to make it look nicer.
Around the same time I was working on the Bogen-Presto, an opportunity to buy a classical record collection came. I was told by the seller that it originally belonged to his wife piano teacher - an 80 year old former music professor at the University of Alberta Conservatory of Music, who regularly ordered records from Europe when she cannot buy them in North America (pre e-commerce era). I asked the classical music afficionados at WBF what to look for and went to the seller's house with a list of composers (Britten, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven etc) and only intended to buy maybe a couple of hundred lps. When I saw the lot, I was impressed with the condition of the records/covers because most of them looked like they have only been played once or twice. Most of the composers in my list are still there, the seller has a collection of more than 2,000 classic rock/popular music lps and has no interest in classical music. His wife picked 400 records that she personally liked and they decided to sell. Well, I got brave and offered a price which the guy hesitantly took, and with the agreement he will deliver to my house. Man, transporting 1200 lps from the guy's basement, to the main floor, to the front door, into his truck, from his truck to the entrance of our house proved to be a good workout. Once we brought all the boxes inside our house, I led the guy to my basement and we played a few tracks in my system while enjoying some refreshments. The guy was awestruck with my aquarium and we ended talking about the aquarium for the next hour or so (nothing new here, almost all audiophiles who come to my house forget about audio once they come to my basement). Suddenly the guy realized he has to pickup his wife from work, so I was left alone to haul the 12 heavy boxes to my basement. Boy, my arms were sore for days after that weekend.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09036.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09038.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09039.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09040.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09041.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Feb09040.jpg)
Of course, my wife is not happy, she said "saan mo na naman ilalagay yang mga junk na 'yan?" But of course, as understanding as she is, she agreed to let me use one of the spare rooms, and helped me buy and put together a couple of bookcases from Ikea. As you can see, may lugar pa :D I originally told her that I will only pick the ones that I like and sell the rest, but I think she has now realized that they are here to stay for a while :emo:
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar086.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar088.jpg)
will it harm/warp the records if I leave the box sets stacked flat like this?
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar078.jpg)
classic rock underneath the aquarium, jazz etc on the shelf to the right
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar058.jpg)
dvd collection remained small, there's Netflix. I also have a few stored in 2 tb external drive. Btw, the room where I have the records is quite away from the TT, at the end of this hallway, door to the right.
So with the spring fast approaching, I finally finished my audio related projects. My wife helped me wrap the Bogen in carbon fiber look vinyl one evening. Isn't it handsome?
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar070.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar070.jpg)
I DIY'ed cork platter mats for the two tables - I was surprised by the improvement in the sound. The Acos Lustre arm, with Dynavector 10X5 with Soundsmith ruby cantiliver and stylus upgrade.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar072.jpg)
The Cocobolo arm pod looks ugly in this picture, but is very beautiful in person. Arm is still the Audiocraft AC4000MC, with Dynavector XV-1S also with Soundsmith ruby cantiliver and stylus upgrade.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar073.jpg)
mounted in the back is the FR64FS with Ortofon MC20Mk2
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar018.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar084.jpg)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar049.jpg)
also finished the G1 tweeter module, hard to take nice picture
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar069.jpg)
my DIY stand turned alright, I think. Also showing is the 2500 watt Trodt copper shielded Iso Trans, damped with layers of high temp silicone and dampening paint
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar028.jpg)
screen down. sources are HTIB, PS3, Shaw digital cable box with 1tb pvr, and karaoke system (for the wifey)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/aMar066.jpg)
Trodt GM70 in vacation mode muna :D baka naman magalit na si Vladimir kung si MR pirmi ang kakanta
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar056.jpg)
rest of two channel electronics. I will put the Trodt battery powered pre (on top of Lamm LL2 deluxe) on commission when I put back the GM70 into action.
The 4tb external drive beside the Memory Player has my backup files and will eventually contain a folder of my favourite cds upsampled to 32/192
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar052.jpg)
listening position
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar048.jpg)
view from behind right channel
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Mar061.jpg)
screen up. notice the front port of VR5?
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/AMar080.jpg)
and lastly, the multi colored foam became black cable lift.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy_Ua94Smqk&feature=share&list=UUgjQVskDahkJWYel57pHSxg
music pls 8)
-
I love your diy cable lift! If that's my system, I'll hang up my gloves for sure! very Nice!:)
-
Wow nice setup sir :)
-
Dimfer
Congratulations on your KILLER set up. I'm sure that the enjoyment that you get from it is only second compared to the that monster that is parked in your garage. How's the über Cayenne going? I remember recommending you to our Canada branch for maintenance parts a couple of years back.
-
Hi Dimfer,
Did you disable the original tweeter of the VR or you just added the G1 tweeter ?
-
I love your diy cable lift! If that's my system, I'll hang up my gloves for sure! very Nice!:)
Thanks Doc.. I am done for the most part, just tweaking to keep things interesting.
-
thanks guys for the nice comments
Dimfer
Congratulations on your KILLER set up. I'm sure that the enjoyment that you get from it is only second compared to the that monster that is parked in your garage. How's the über Cayenne going? I remember recommending you to our Canada branch for maintenance parts a couple of years back.
The Cayenne offers a different kind of high, I am lucky to enjoy both. It has been very solid and reliable, I am just out of the warranty - might take you up on your offer one of these days. I have done most of my mods on it too, the only thing I have left on my to do list is the ECU tune. For $1k, 25 hp and 30 tq gain - but supposed to make the vehicle a lot more exciting to drive. I waited until my warranty runs out, so I will probably do that this year. That and the Sprintbooster, which I have already.
here's the sound of the 4.8L naturally aspirated V8, I recorded this last spring
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiPAKbhkbrg&feature=share&list=UUgjQVskDahkJWYel57pHSxg
-
Hi Dimfer,
Did you disable the original tweeter of the VR or you just added the G1 tweeter ?
I did not. Same as the VR-9, mine has both now. I have the option (via toggle switch) to cross the high pass filter of the G1 tweeter at 2khz or 10 khz. Per recommendation of Albert Von Schweikert, I plugged the port in the bass module to bump it to around 80hz, and crossed the powered sub around there. As Albert said it, I basically have a baby VR-9 now.
-
After I took home my haul of 1200 classical lp's a couple of months ago, I went to our storage room to find my Nitty Gritty record cleaning machine, only to discover that my wife decided to store a gallon of record cleaning fluid on top of it - sideways. All the contents of the bottle had leaked into the Nitty Gritty and had totally destroyed it. I was a little ticked off.. but also half glad because now I have an excuse to DIY one 8)
The idea of record ultrasonic cleaning machines seems to be cool, and according to what has been described in various forums - they work with great result. I know a lot of guys use the $3.5k Audio Desk Systeme, which I think is a well engineered system. I don't consider myself analog hardcore enough to spend that kind of money on a record cleaning machine, so I gathered info and started with my build. BTW, my DIY projects sometimes take a long time to complete (on my 3rd year in building a simple tonearm), and this one is not an exception. I begged an ebay to sell me a 1.5 gal Crest Ultrasonic machine much cheaper than his asking, but made the mistake to have it shipped to Canada and clear customs via UPS, so all my initial savings magically disappeared.
My design goal - simple to build, easy to use. I had seen many DIY ultrasonic rcm projects at diyaudio.com and it helped me a lot, it helped me eliminate a lot of wrong ideas as well. I want to be able to work on batches of 3 - 4 lps at a time, with minimal interruption in between batches. The ultrasonic unit sat in my office for a while, but I finally got started working on it a couple of weeks ago, doing stuff on my lunch break. I would sometimes draw something and let our shop supervisor do the actual fab work.
One of the joys of DIY'ing is hunting for parts at unlikely sources, and converting it into something that could work for your specific need. I want the record clamp/holder to be easy to tighten/loosen. I picked up a few of this aluminum spacers (1/4" bore) and 1/4" thumb screws and made them rod stoppers.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/1-3.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/1-3.jpg.html)
rod stoppers will keep the records in place during the cleaning process
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/7-2.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/7-2.jpg.html)
we had a rush job last week, while some of my staff were working overtime, I stayed a little late to circle cut some .032" type 430BA stainless steel, to be used to cover the record labels (4"). I haven't worked much in the shop in the last 20 years, needless to say I had a few cuts in my fingers and palm by the time I was able to do 6 discs (stainless steel is very hard to work with).. And man, do they look ugly. My shop foreman was laughing at me when he saw it the next morning, he hurriedly made me better ones :o
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/5-1.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/5-1.jpg.html)
I picked up some 1/4" dia. steel rod from our waste bin and cut them up to lengths required. I inserted this to the shaft coupling that will mate to another coupling in the motor shaft.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/3-3.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/3-3.jpg.html)
ok, I won't make this thread very long - because it is not that complicated. motor is 1 rpm, sourced from ebay
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2-3.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2-3.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/4-2.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/4-2.jpg.html)
the crooked disc was made by me :o the nicer one was made by Joey :) don't worry, I will make sure it look nice when I'm done.
I guess by now you get the drift. I will have three holders. The idea is to load 3 or 4 lps, let it clean for 6 minutes. While it is cleaning, load another batch on holder two. When batch one is done, move batch #1 to the Dimf's Record Dryer (another project), load batch #2, and then start loading on holder # 3. Simple as that.
Most of the work is done, I just have to cut more rubber spacers, fix the wires and brush/polish the aluminum to make it nicer.
As a true audiophile product, this machine works best when used with your audiophile power cord :D
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/6-2.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/6-2.jpg.html)
-
WooW! Great Idea and Work...! :o
wish I could find parts to do the same.... :)
-
Very nice work, might be time to play around with a tig welding machine... Perfect for aluminum. Hehehe
-
Very nice work, might be time to play around with a tig welding machine... Perfect for aluminum. Hehehe
thanks! I am not that daring (yet) Bro 8) hanggang rivet muna tayo. Having said that, we have a Can Man welding machine in our shop that welds just about anything , it's just a matter of getting the right wire.
-
swavehhhhhhhhhh ang set up! kaka inggit! Sarap siguro mag audio marathon sa set up nyo sir dimfer!
-
thanks! I am not that daring (yet) Bro 8) hanggang rivet muna tayo. Having said that, we have a Can Man welding machine in our shop that welds just about anything , it's just a matter of getting the right wire.
I have a tig machine but no tank for argon yet, can't seem to have the place for it since wood and welding don't go well together.... But you, since you have it and have someone who knows how to use it is something... Give it a try, metal working is fun too especially aluminum since you wouldn't smell as bad as working with steel. O0
-
(http://www.geocities.ws/industrialmarketplace/images/Small-Metal-Lathes.jpg)
ang ambisyon ko is to have a small bench type metal lathe machine in my garage or basement one day, so that I can turn my own audio related parts, like footers and tonearm parts. I actual almost bought one last year kaya lang marami pang mas priority na projects.
-
(http://www.geocities.ws/industrialmarketplace/images/Small-Metal-Lathes.jpg)
ang ambisyon ko is to have a small bench type metal lathe machine in my garage or basement one day, so that I can turn my own audio related parts, like footers and tonearm parts. I actual almost bought one last year kaya lang marami pang mas priority na projects.
Nice! I've always dreamt of having one since I was a kid... It was one of those things that I was fascinated on trying. Grew up and found one, a little beyond my budget so I didn't pursue. I now want a lathe but it just might be fore wood applications since it is where my passion now belongs. But who knows, no one knows what happens in the future...
Good luck on your projects, they have always been above par...
Cheers
-
DIY stuff percentage on my setup is on the rise... and I think will keep on rising. It keeps me more involved and interested. The reward of hearing and seeing your creations is simply priceless. I think I am slowly finding my spot in audio, and DIY'ing is the best way of individualizing your system. If I were in the Phils. and close to gifted (and affordable) builders like Mang Rod, Rene, Andrew, Jojo & the likes, I know my system will be more tailor made to suit me. As much as I would like to, but spending P50k just to ship a pair of amps can affect my decision making sometimes. Kung pwede nga lang ampunin ko muna si MR for 6 months >:D
I am happy to report that I (think) I have successfully integrated my DIY stuff with the respected names in audio
-
Nothing compares to the feeling of accomplishment, its just like giving birth (I guess, never given one). Certainly the knowledge acquired out of the build is a worthwhile thing to learn, it brings us closer (or further, depending on the patience and skill given to the build) to what we want/need or think we want or need... Hehehe.
Looking forward to more of your builds...
Cheers
-
nadokleng ako sa ganda at bagsik ng setup! :o
-
my latest project was these: Neotech (cables and connectors) based power cords, complete with voodoo rituals and snake oil >:D It took me a while to complete because I can only work on it during full-moon O0
These Neotech stuff are supposed to be very dynamic and among the best sounding DIY components, but I'd say they are poorly engineered. The clamping system on the AC plugs are really bad, I actually had to send one back to partsconnexion because it was won't hold the wire. The shiny looking foil finish of the cover is too fancy for my taste, actually making it look cheap (they're not - at $70 each).
For the record, I have no ambition to get into cable business, but decided to label them just for the heck of it... para hindi halatang nagtitipid. I even used the term Reference, parang mag mukhang mamahalin >:D
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/459933_10200684158579349_1936125944_o.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/459933_10200684158579349_1936125944_o.jpg.html).
the DIY RCM & Drying Unit is almost complete. I want to finish all my audio related projects before we start spending all our free time outside (summer).
-
2013 was the year of tweaking for me.. most of the main parts remained but IMHO my system's performance improved considerably this year because of the tweaks and small changes that I did.
One thing that I wanted to do the past couple of years was to replace all the Virtual Dynamics Nite 3.0 cables. I don't have much to complaint about it sonicaly, but they are stiff and a pain to work with and the back of my systems always looked like a snake pit. When the Trodt GM 70 came, it introduced some problems in my system. Yes, the GM70's sounded really good but it's design nature (matched with rather sensitive VR5 Annis) picked up even the smallest noise in the environment. A number of amps had gone through my system and it remained very quiet, but not with the GM70.
I once had a long chat with David Beetles and he told me that's an issue DHT lovers will have to live with. He said even with all the innovations Kang Su Park introduced in the design of the $32k Allnic H5000, he could still sometimes hear himself in his system when he is on the phone :D In the previous update, I moved the 2 channel electronics and replaced all my interconnects already, now I took it further. Mang Rod rigged me a much bigger copper shielded isolation transformer (2,000 watts capacity I think) and I replaced all the power cords.
I read and read about the options available in the DIY power cord world. I considered the various VH Audio recipes, and Acrolink but ultimately decided with the Neotech stuff, which was partially mentioned in my May 2013 update. I've had some issues but it turned out great.
Started with a shipment from partsconnexion
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May001.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May001.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May008.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May008.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May006.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May006.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May005.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May005.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May007.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May007.jpg.html)
I also replaced my first DIY speaker cable (twisted UPOCC terminated with Furutec rhodium) with matching Neotech cables and connectors
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May004.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May004.jpg.html)
Op kors I did not just slap them together. My brain had been preconditioned by Ban Hoang of Anti Vibration Magic and Rick Schultz of Virtual Dynamics (or now High Fidelity Cables).. that vibration is an enemy. AVM has become too rich for my blood, and with the total footage of cables I want to do I could spend $1k on AVM before I'm done, sa poor man's version tayo :geek: Silent Running. My design goals - start with good quality parts, dampen as much as I could and shield it with all the way with aluminum foil tapes. I only used AVM on the connections points. This endeavor proved to be very labor intensive, I did at least 4 coats of dampening paint then wrapped it really tight with electrical tape. David Schulte of The Upgrade Company (https://www.upgradecompany.com/about-us/about-upgrade-company) became controversial in some audio fora for using AVM (or dampening products) and aluminum foil tape in some of his upgrade works, but hey a lot of people swear that his upgrades bring a lot of improvements. And yeah, para hindi halatang nagtitipid, I labelled my stuff and used the term "Reference" para mukhang high end :D
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/459933_10200684158579349_1936125944_o.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/459933_10200684158579349_1936125944_o.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May012.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May012.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May011.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May011.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May009.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May009.jpg.html)
here they are, finished and inserted to my system
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/CableLift-1.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/CableLift-1.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct008.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct008.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct007.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct007.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct006.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct006.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct005.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct005.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct004.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct004.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct003.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct003.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct002.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct002.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct001.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct001.jpg.html)
My original cable lifters were not as good as I hoped for in the beginning because the material is too light and they flip to their side too easily. I added footers made of bent .32" aluminum strips. Now they work perfectly and has taken my cables to new heights :geek: .
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct010.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct010.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2012May003.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2012May003.jpg.html)
While I was shopping at pcx, I also grabbed some audiophile fuses.. for the Lamms and the GM70, damped them too before inserting to my system. I was tempted to try Audio Magic Nano Liquid Fuses (http://www.audio-magic.com/Prod-NanoFuse.html) but since this is my first venture into this tweak and not sure about it's merits, I held back and wen for the (a little) cheaper alternative. I think they work, YMMV :hai:
-
so dimfer, you busted your ass doing all sort of stuff - how's the sound? I say GREAT. It was a little harsh and grainy in the beginning but as they bedded in, the sound balanced and the harshness went away. From the beginning, I noticed that the noise was mostly gone, I say 95% or more. I can hear no noise at all from the listening position, and the only noise I can hear is the the slight vibration from the iso transformer, but this becomes totally negligible when the music start playing. Compared to the VD Nite 3.0 days, my system reveals a lot more information but the image became more focused at the same time. The human voice is more palpable and alive.
I have a local customer whom I did not realize in the beginning to be a cable junkie. While waiting for his VR35 & Masterbuilt cables, he asked to borrow some of my cables. I told him most of my cables are now in use, but I have a spare pair of DIY bi-wire speaker cables. Upon realization that he is a cable junkie, I was hesitant to lend him any of the cable that I made, but then I thought heck it is about time I let somebody else hear my DIY stuff in a different environment. Thinking that if he says it sucks, I could say "yeah, that's my first gig and I have replaced that one already". I told him, ok I will lend you my first DIY cables and my only condition is for you to give me your honest evaluation, if it sucks I want to to know how it sucked. If it lacks something, I want to know what it is. He picked them up from my office. The next day I came to work, I was told that this customer called already, so I phoned him in his office. The moment he got on the phone he told me right away how great they sounded... fast and very holographic, full of body yet quite balanced. He was complaining that the bass is a little bit muddied in some recordings, but does not mean it has bad bass, just not at par with the rest of the spectrum. He continued on to say it is much better than his expensive Cardas, Kimber and Audience stuff. Now he is questioning his decision in ordering the Masterbuilt Standard bi-wires (langhya, pera na magiging bato pa) - so I had to assure the Masterbuilt will sound better, and if it doesn't, I will help him re-sell those. Now he want to hear my other cables, but then I don't want to disturb my system, wala naman akong balak mag negosyo ng cables. So I lent him my first DIY powercords (2 sets of Belden wires with Marinco termination, also damped with Silent Running & AVM) and my Mogami 2534 terminated with Switchcraft stuff. I told him the IC is the one that I don't like the most among the 4 that I built (the one terminated with WBT sounded best to these ears) so I won't be surprised if he won't like them at all. The next day, I received a very enthusiastic email from the guy detailing the attributes of my cables. He said he directly compared the Beldens with the new Shunyata model he has on demo from a local dealer and my cables blew them (shunyata and another brand I forgot) out of the water. He said "Fernando, seriously, you should start selling your cables". Since I already told him my formula, he dug his old DIY cables (DH Labs stuff etc) from his closet and almost begged me to treat them for him. I told him I will do one, if he hears an improvement, I will do more. So I did, and now I have done a few pairs of interconnects and power cables for him and his other expensive cables are now for sale. I delivered his Masterbuilt cables last December 3rd, but has not returned my DIY.. haven't spoken with him lately, but the last time I spoke with him, tumatabla daw yung MB but he is not yet sure if he want to keep it. I once mentioned to him that my current sets of treated Neotechs are better than the set he borrowed and want to borrow it, pero hindi ko ipinahihiram for fear of having to sell the Masterbuilt :angel:
Recabling my system improved my system's performance (to my ears) and my wife is happy because it looks a lot neater now. Re-reading my above, parang nagyayabang na yata si dimfer ah.. heck wala namang bayad magyabang lubus lubusin na :devil: .. but seriously, I try to be as honest as I could when updating this journey.
Another highlight of my audio related journey was our trip to Newport Beach Show as reported here (http://www.wiredstate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=27216). I was smitten by Magico this time around at nagtangkang maging Magician pero 'di na ako pinapasok kasi meron nang dealer sa Calgary. Inaakit ko na nga si Irv ng order ng demo unit ng S5 ayaw pa rin. Magico sound very different from VSA, both are excellent speaker manufacturers.
It took me a while to get my Memory Player running again as I had to gut everything out of the box to replace the motherboard, hard drives etc.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Jul7008.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Jul7008.jpg.html)
Happy to report that the upgrade was completed and as Mark Porzilli said, I now have the best Memory Player 64 in existance. The old hardware cannot keep up with the software upgrades and at one point the player would stall when doing the 64 bit playback. I am now playing all my files at 64/48 wav (2822 PCM) as per Mark's recommendation. Even high res downloads, I convert to this format.
(http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Nov01/RachmaninovSymphonicDancesRR.jpg)
When I started typing this update, I was comparing the Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances 24/192 I purchased from HDTracks to the re ripped 64/48 version and I prefer the latter. So, I have no reason to question why Mark prefer it that way. Besides, he is the smart guy (one of the few recorded with IQ of over 200 in America) and while he is still being ridiculed at various fora I just bite my tongue when people make snide remarks about a product without listening to it. When something is above their head, they call it marketing gimmick (ignorance is a bliss). I don't expect a true genius like him to build stuff like everybody else would. Mark believed that digital audios problem is software related and the best way to address it is through a software, not with more complicated dac with lot's of parts (he actually went the exact opposite way with D2D).. Mark believes that even the highest resolution DSD or 2xDSD can still benefit from the technologies he implemented with the MP64. Common assumption is hi-res downloads are not jittered, but as Mark explains downloading splits data and reassembles it, that too result in jitter. Jitter free bits cannot be accomplished by playing data directly after downloading from the internet. We spent a good amount of time talking about this while we were together in California, and I believe that the guy truly believe in what he is doing, and everything is not just a marketing ploy. I think he gave up in convincing the audiophile crowd and became deeply insulted by this. He once told me that he want to be remembered with what he did/accomplished with MP64 because it is his pet project (not Scaena, not Melos, not Pipe Dreams). I am more than convinced that my front end is one of the best available and my systems performance will only get better with the improvements in associated equipment. I have heard the highly regarded Playback Design MPS-5, Light Harmonics, 4 stack DCS, EmmLabs & a few others (hoping to hear the $37k Trinity Dac and the similarly priced TotalDac in Munich 2014) but can live happily with what I have. The YFS server was priced similarly but IMHO, the MP64 sound better, way better. The MP user interface may look backward compared to JRiver or Amarra etc but Mark is doing it this way for a reason - he believes having too many plugins and sharing too much power degrade the sound performance, but having said that Mark heeded to the request of some MP users, JRiver is now available in MP64.
Another project I completed was the DIY finger lift for my AC4000MC tonearm.. the original lift had to be taken out when I switched to the XV-1, and as you know it, a pain (and risky) to operate without. Also made of aluminum
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct013.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct013.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Oct012.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2013Oct012.jpg.html)
My only remaining DIY project is the isolation base/footers. Here's some pictures, more details later
I spent a few hours machining rubber hockey pucks
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20131102_133317_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20131102_133317_resized.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20131102_133339_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20131102_133339_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg.html)
to this
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20131024_170538_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20131024_170538_resized.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20131024_170603_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20131024_170603_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg.html)
dampened (ugly) to this
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140104_233902_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140104_233902_RichtoneHDR_resized.jpg.html)
I added a lot of titles to my collection in 2013, both in analog & digital. now that download sources like HDTracks and Music Direct are open to Canadian buyers, hires materials became very accessible to me.. :rock:
till the next report.
-
dream set-up :o :o :o kaka inggit :'( congrats sir!
-
Nice one Ding! Happy New Year! :D
-
Ganda ganda... :D...ang pogi.. ^-^
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Mar061.jpg)
Type ko yung speakers, parang Salk Speakers
(http://www.salksound.com/home_htm_files/3749.png)
-
daming gears...
ganda ng amp...
NAMAMASKO POH...!!! 8) ;)
-
dream set-up :o :o :o kaka inggit :'( congrats sir!
thanks!
-
Nice one Ding! Happy New Year! :D
Thanks Jen, Happy New Year din!
-
Ganda ganda... :D...ang pogi.. ^-^
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2013Mar061.jpg)
Type ko yung speakers, parang Salk Speakers
(http://www.salksound.com/home_htm_files/3749.png)
funny you mentioned Salk, I am also a fan of Salk and regularly visit their circle at Audio Circle.. their finish is to die for, I wouldn't mind having SoundScape 12 in my system
(http://dagogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/SalkSoundScape10-3.jpg)
-
daming gears...
ganda ng amp...
NAMAMASKO POH...!!! 8) ;)
Merry Christmas din... the amp is Trodt GM70, imported all the way from Conchu O0
-
funny you mentioned Salk, I am also a fan of Salk and regularly visit their circle at Audio Circle.. their finish is to die for, I wouldn't mind having SoundScape 12 in my system
Ganda talaga na SALK, pati outrigger nila ang gandang tignan..
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/11144946655_ec20d59d9d_b.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/11145137003_939d9fdbaa_b.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7356/11909326585_ed9b4c21ea_z.jpg)
-
Hi Dimfer, just read your thread or should I say story. Very impressed, as a retired former electronics engineer (& engineering manager) I'm wondering if I will get the itch to start building/modifying my own gear. By the time my house is completed my gears will have been in storage for around 13 months so I think initially I will be enjoying missed pleasures. I do miss working with my hands but will get back into the groove when the HT room is ready for me to do the internal build.
Your gears are........what can I say, grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat ;D ;D ;D
-
Dimfer, enjoyed reading your (audio) adventure! great setup...!
-
thanks guys, dagdagan natin
2014
I played around with better/tweaked SATA cable for my MP64 but it did not make any discernible improvement. Mark Porzilli said he also experimented but did not find any merit. Having said that, I remain very pleased and still impressed with MP64's performance. I still think it is one of the better (if not the best) players out there. I understand why a lot of people did not like it - because it lacks the colouration/distortion that most audiophiles (especially analog lovers) are used to. A local audiophile with a full top of the line Esoteric stack heard it and was very impressed by it, but he said it's lacked some of the qualities he is used to. When he described it, it became clear to me that he is describing colouration. I have also owned the very well reviewed PS Audio Direct Stream DAC since July and has compared the two very closely, and while the PS Audio is a very very good DAC, it is not as neutral and as dynamic as the MP64.
I had been experimenting the merits of eliminating vibration for a long time, that's why it is one of my favourite tweaks. Now I have a better understanding why speaker and audio builders are putting a lot of effort and expense in eliminating it. I own a pair of Mordaunt Short monitor speakers that we have been using in our karaoke setup. When I merged our karaoke system with our HT, the MS became idle. Since the vinyl finish was showing some signs of overuse and abuse already, I decided to strip it and experiment with it. Just to get a better sense of the change/improvement, I did one speaker first, then listened to it vs the untreated one for a while. Boy, even at this pedestrian level, the improvement was significant. I had the speakers setup in one of the vacant bedrooms in the basement, driven by the usual old JVC a/v receiver. The treated speaker seemed to disappear from the room better, I switched their positions just to confirm my observation and my finding was consistent. After both speakers were fully treated with damping material, they seem to have better clarity and focus.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014May061.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014May061.jpg.html)
I know the finish is not the greatest, but here is the box after 3 coats of damping material inside and outside, lot's of manual sanding and two coats of black paint on the outer wall. For some reason it looks really ugly in the picture, but it's actually not that bad
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014May062.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014May062.jpg.html)
inside the box
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014May063.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014May063.jpg.html)
crossover parts and all internal wires were also damped
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014May064.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014May064.jpg.html)
back of the drivers
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20059.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20059.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20058.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20058.jpg.html)
finished and sounding better
it was a fun and cheap experiment for me.
As part of this journey, me and my wife travelled to Europe to attend the Munich Highend Show. We deliberated for a while because we cannot decide if we should leave my 86 year old mother under the care of our two young(ish) adult daughters for a long time. Also, my wife's current job only allow her to be away on certain dates of the month, when we decided to go ahead with the trip, we squeezed everything in the 12 day window that she can travel. This is going to be a trip to the audio show and a mini vacation at the same time. Sabi ng karamihan, if you go to Europe, kailangan isali ang Paris and of course, dahil Katoliko tayo :angel: ang Vatican. So after online research - I booked mostly through Expedia.ca.
The Highend Show was held at the MOC Center, unlike the CES & Newport Beach show I attended which were held a hotels. The MOC is designed to hold tradeshows and conventions, the rooms are generally bigger than most hotel rooms used in other shows. Since we have a trade pass, we were allowed to go on the very first day of the show. I was not expecting much people, but traffic was heavier than the busiest day at Newport, not as busy as CES though. What impressed me the most about this show is the fact that manufacturers go all out, they bring the best product in their lineup.. they don't just want to be there, most of them are there to make a statement. Of course, I targeted 2 rooms right away, para kung ano man ang mangyari, nairaos na :D . The first room was the Magico Ultimate 3/Q sub room. One word to describe it - awesome. This is one of, no it is the most realistic stereo reproduction I have ever heard so far. Reading through the various comments about this room, a lot of people were underwhelmed. Probably because of expectation bias, and very much like the MP64, due of absence of any form of colouration. But if you will really digest what the system brings - it has scale, dynamics, presence etc etc. It is a horn system without the traditional horn baggage. I was lucky to occupy the best spot in the room for the entire presentation session - approximately 45 minutes. Man, those Ale drivers Alon used are huge. I've heard most of the Magico products and liked all of them, and while the Q7 driven by topline VAC at Newport Beach show was awesome, the U3 is a different league.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014EuropeOly870.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014EuropeOly870.jpg.html)
another target room is the Vox Olympian room. This one is very easy to live with, romantic & seductive
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014EuropeOly664.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014EuropeOly664.jpg.html)
now, if you will twist my arm and make me choose between the two awesome systems - I'd take the Vox Olympian system. I can live with whatever colouration it brings. But this system can be dynamic as well. When the room next door went a little too loud, the room host played a dynamic track and cranked the volume a little bit. Not long after that, their volume level adjusted accordingly. There were other awesome rooms, Rockport, Wilson, TAD. Germany is a horn country, so there were horn systems that I have never even heard about. Here's a link to more pictures (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203290886225911.1073741839.1622591487&type=1&l=0fd6304613).
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014EuropeCel222.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014EuropeCel222.jpg.html)
you know this guy?
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014EuropeOly881.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014EuropeOly881.jpg.html)
We also walked to the other audio show, but there was not too many people there when we got there
with the higher resolution digital audio now, I experimented removing the Copland DRC 205 which works by shaving some offending bits to smoothen the audio response of a given room. After living with it for so long, I almost cannot listen to my system without it. There is an obvious bump 300 - 3500 hz range. I tried to remedy this by implementing some DIY room treatment.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140713_212435_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140713_212435_resized.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140713_212451_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140713_212451_resized.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140713_212500_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140713_212500_resized.jpg.html)
finished
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140713_212435_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140713_212435_resized.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140713_212753_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140713_212753_resized.jpg.html)
there is no denying that this helped.
-
Our older daughter decided she need a space bigger than her 840 sq. condo, listed it and bought a townhouse not too far from our house. Her place sold in 4 days, she ended moving back to our basement until the time she took possession of her new place. Well, may pagka diva at ayaw ng maingay ang isang ito, so I ended up not firing my main rig (in the basement) for over two months. Buti na lang may Audeze na. When she finally moved early last month, I took the opportunity to rearrange my system again and re-inserted the digital room correction. I think the combination of physical room treatments and digital room correction brings better sound.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014Dec30024-1.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014Dec30024-1.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014Dec30028.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014Dec30028.jpg.html)
the Monster Power HTPC 7000 supplies power to the amps and the rest of my HT stuff
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014Dec30049.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014Dec30049.jpg.html)
PS Audio P10 Power Regenerator, PS Audio Nuwave Phono Converter and PS Audio Direct Stream DAC added. The P10 supplies power to the pre-amp and smaller electronics. The old MBL cd player does a good job of being a transport to the Direct Stream, augmented by the Wyred 4 Sound Femto Clock.
I was debating between the Lampizator Big 7 vs the PS Audio Direct Stream DAC for a while, but decided to go with the DSDac eventually, even though some who have heard/owned both attest that the Lampi is better (it should at twice the money). Because of the PS Audio's design architecture, based on a field programmable gate array, like the MP64, it is almost future proof. I think Ted Smith did an excellent job in filling the blanks. When JA initially noticed the bass distortion when he bench tested it during his review, Ken Smith fixed the problem by a simple firmware upgrade. The firmware update took the already awesome product (we did not notice much of the distorted bass) to a higher level. I am curious to know how Allnic will respond to JA's not too good frequency response measurements during his review of the D5000, other than saying that they found faulty tubes on the review sample and saying they sold the review unit immediately thereafter. I would still love to compare the DSDac to the L7 one day.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014Nov894.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014Nov894.jpg.html)
second system Modwright Platinum Transporter - Trodt Battery powered pre - Trodt GM70
I moved MR's GM70 to my second system for a while, the VR35 love more power. unfortunately, kahit ano'ng gawin ko, di ko talaga mapatahimik totally yung tube noise. Not as much with the less sensitive Vr35 compared sa Vr5, but it is still there. It is negligible when the music is playing because it sounds so good, sayang, perfect na sana.
I now have some Wyred 4 Sound stuff. Man, these lightweight and little stuff are heavy hitters and fun to listen to.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20017.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20017.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20021.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20021.jpg.html)
Vr35 W4S and Memory Player is a lethal combination - all balanced connection
more pics of the main system
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20040.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20040.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20042.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20042.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20046.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20046.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20047.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20047.jpg.html)
pahinga muna ang Trodt GM70
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20053.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20053.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20Jan%2025%20055.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20Jan%2025%20055.jpg.html)
I turned 50 last September and gifted myself with a better portable audio stuff. I started with the Audeze LCD-XC, then got Audio Engine D3 USB Dac (chose the D3 because it does not require any firmware to work with any computer, making it very convenient to move to different systems) and eventually Fiio X5. I was offered Calyx M dealership, but their required minimum stocking level and Calyx dealership in Edmonton by a fellow audiophile and close friend of mine got in the way. We may pursue this together in the future.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20141109_185623_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20141109_185623_resized.jpg.html)
anong kabuluhan ng lahat kung walang DIY.. I was too cheap to shell out $50 for a decent headphone stand, so I converted a $15 papertowel holder from Costco to one.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2014Dec30044.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2014Dec30044.jpg.html)
outside audio
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140617_195402_resized.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140617_195402_resized.jpg.html)
I got a lightly used Specialized S Works Enduro Carbon last spring. The original owner was a sponsored pro-athlete who own 7 bikes. I tried many other bikes before finally getting this one, but this felt most comfortable for me. A guy at a local bike shop took my measurements and said I was bordering M/L, but this large frame suited me well. I haven't done any serious off roading with it but proud to report that I biked more (regularly) this year :angel:
nilambing ako ng dalawang kapatid ko na ipasyal ko daw naman sila sa Butchart Garden sa Victoria, BC. it was a fun trip kasi first time namin na lumakad na walang kasamang "asawa", so walang katapusang bonding moments.. until the time I got pulled over by a cop in Valemount, BC nung pauwi na kami sa Edmonton. I think all my speeding karma with the Cayenne caught up with me, buti na lang si Escape ang dala. I was accused of doing 59 over the posted speed limit, impounded ang sasakyan right on the spot. I was actually behaving, ang nakasama lang kadadaldal hindi ko napansin na bumaba na pala ang speed limit from 100 to 70.. in short I was out by $1,600 in speeding ticket, towing, taxi fare, car rental, etc etc. oh well. it was also my first long trip with my wife's 2014 Ford Escape SE.. not quite as exciting as the Cayenne GTS but a nice little SUV (ok car talk na tayo). We now have over 31,000 kms on it and will still highly recommend it. The only similarity between this and the old Escape is the name.. everything else is improved. My only gripe with it - small fuel tank. 50L is just too small for an SUV.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/20140722_115923.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/20140722_115923.jpg.html)
still on cars, I was getting occasional CEL with my Cayenne last summer, good thing I have a Durametric tool to diagnose the issue and reset the annoying check engine light. The pig was running fine, kaya lang nakakainis talaga 'pag lumalabas yung warning. Research at various Porsche enthusiast forums did not give me any definite answer, so I decided to remove the aftermarket cold air intake and reinstalled the original airbox (took me 30 minutes to remove but 3 hours to re-install) then upgraded the standard air filter to K&N's.. ayus, hanggang ngayon di pa ulit nag CEL. I think the CAI was bringing in way too much oxygen causing the imbalance in combustion. It was also time to replace all breakpads and rotors this year, done with the help of a friend - ang suhol "fake viagra" :devil: :devil: We also installed a Sprint Booster (https://www.sprintboosterusa.com/t-faq.aspx), a $300 tweak that's very much worth it's price. Most modern cars does not have does not have drive-by-wire anymore and use electronic control module. Unfortunately ECM's are not as good as the good old wires.. Sprint Booster is your answer. Do it and thank me later :geek: The only tweak I have left to do on the Cayenne is the ECU tune, but am still having trouble to convince myself to fork out $900 to gain 20 hp/30 tq.
-
Thanks for the adventure! Parang napagod din ako pero I enjoyed your reviews a lot. Please keep it coming!!!!!
-
An enjoyable read Dimfer, I thought I'd had a busy year but you've out done me ;D
-
Thanks for the adventure! Parang napagod din ako pero I enjoyed your reviews a lot. Please keep it coming!!!!!
Thanks Nelson. Damn Facebook sometimes get in the way of hobby related activities and posts, but I always try my best to share the experience. Glad you enjoyed reading it.
-
Thanks Nelson. Damn Facebook sometimes get in the way of hobby related activities and posts, but I always try my best to share the experience. Glad you enjoyed reading it.
An enjoyable read Dimfer, I thought I'd had a busy year but you've out done me ;D
My wife sometimes complain that our house is littered with my unfinished projects. One advantage of doing this semi annual or annual update is it forces me to finish my projects so that I can include it in my report.
I find DIYing adds another dimension to the hobby. I used to be into aquariums and had lot's of projects related to that hobby as well. It keeps me interested. I wish my back is in better shape, to do car related stuff as well, but squatting or working underneath a car or leaning over on the engine bay for extended time really gives me a lot of pain now, that's why I limit my car related projects and hire somebody to do it for me, except for detailing and minor works like changing tires etc..
I enjoy building stuff but realize my electrical and electronics knowhow is very limited, so most of the time I focus on the applied phyics aspect of the hobby. At one point I had this ambition that I will buy a small lathe machine for use with my audio projects, but realized I don't have enough time for it because I still work full time, a very demanding job to boot... maybe when I retire
-
Ding, ibang level ka talga bro. From PALHS hanggang dito iba. Musta na boss yung aro com mo?
-
Ding, ibang level ka talga bro. From PALHS hanggang dito iba. Musta na boss yung aro com mo?
Uy Jerry ikaw ba yan? Musta na bro! ok pa naman ang mga aro ko, kaso wala pang nag breed kahit almost 10 yrs old na sila.
-
Uy Jerry ikaw ba yan? Musta na bro! ok pa naman ang mga aro ko, kaso wala pang nag breed kahit almost 10 yrs old na sila.
Si Jett ito same name in PALHS hehehe. Grabe one of the pioneers yang Aro com mo. Same level as your audio set up.
Always enjoyed reading your posts there and now enjoying your posts here. Same feeling. Nangli liit ako sa set up ko pag nakikita ko sayo.
-
Si Jett ito same name in PALHS hehehe. Grabe one of the pioneers yang Aro com mo. Same level as your audio set up.
Always enjoyed reading your posts there and now enjoying your posts here. Same feeling. Nangli liit ako sa set up ko pag nakikita ko sayo.
sorry, I got you mixed up with Blacksnow hehehe..
like in aquarium, I stay focused .. unlike the others who have up to 5 setups, I stayed one or two na pinaka gusto ko. I think I reached my personal finish line sa aqua hobby - mas maganda sana kung maka breed, pero bonus na lang yun.
Sa audio medyo ganun din - I try to limit to 2 setups at a time. I took some brands that I personally like and try to sell them as a home based dealer, pero pinipili ko lang yung mga brands na gusto ko talaga. I will never get rich on this business, but it gives me access to the products at dealer cost and make a few pennies that somehow helps to feel the illness :). It also help me meet new like minded people who becomes more of a friend than a customer. To top it off, I can go to audio shows in different places - so business with pleasure.
Like everybody else, I also have to live on a budget. We lead a rather simple lifestyle, I don't smoke, walang kabit at hindi nagka casino, so maliit ang overhead. I could personally survive on a $50 a month budget.. I pack my lunch everyday. Me and my wife both love food (obvious ba) and eat out on a normal basis, but we cheap out on a lot of stuff as well. It gives us a giggle when we go pickup our favorite food from Swiss Chalet drive thru, drive to a park and eat in the car para hindi na mag tip. Little things add up you know.
On the HT side, I would call my setup very pedestrian. I have an Edson UB8700 and a 120" screen, but it is hooked to a cheap LG HTIB and PS3. There was a time that I was tempted to get an Anthem receiver, Oppo player, a pair of good bookshelf for front and a good center speaker for a better HT experience - but then, I also realize that I am using the HT with my wife 95% of the time. She hate loud sound and we normally watch movies in rather lower volume - so what's the point? magsasayang lang ako ng pera. We go to the movie houses to watch the bigger budget films (at least twice a month).. Talking about cheaping out again, we buy movie passes at Costco para makatipid - $25 for a pass for 2 adults, 2 regular size drink and a popcorn.
-
sorry, I got you mixed up with Blacksnow hehehe..
like in aquarium, I stay focused .. unlike the others who have up to 5 setups, I stayed one or two na pinaka gusto ko. I think I reached my personal finish line sa aqua hobby - mas maganda sana kung maka breed, pero bonus na lang yun.
Sa audio medyo ganun din - I try to limit to 2 setups at a time. I took some brands that I personally like and try to sell them as a home based dealer, pero pinipili ko lang yung mga brands na gusto ko talaga. I will never get rich on this business, but it gives me access to the products at dealer cost and make a few pennies that somehow helps to feel the illness :). It also help me meet new like minded people who becomes more of a friend than a customer. To top it off, I can go to audio shows in different places - so business with pleasure.
Like everybody else, I also have to live on a budget. We lead a rather simple lifestyle, I don't smoke, walang kabit at hindi nagka casino, so maliit ang overhead. I could personally survive on a $50 a month budget.. I pack my lunch everyday. Me and my wife both love food (obvious ba) and eat out on a normal basis, but we cheap out on a lot of stuff as well. It gives us a giggle when we go pickup our favorite food from Swiss Chalet drive thru, drive to a park and eat in the car para hindi na mag tip. Little things add up you know.
On the HT side, I would call my setup very pedestrian. I have an Edson UB8700 and a 120" screen, but it is hooked to a cheap LG HTIB and PS3. There was a time that I was tempted to get an Anthem receiver, Oppo player, a pair of good bookshelf for front and a good center speaker for a better HT experience - but then, I also realize that I am using the HT with my wife 95% of the time. She hate loud sound and we normally watch movies in rather lower volume - so what's the point? magsasayang lang ako ng pera. We go to the movie houses to watch the bigger budget films (at least twice a month).. Talking about cheaping out again, we buy movie passes at Costco para makatipid - $25 for a pass for 2 adults, 2 regular size drink and a popcorn.
I would do all of the above if it would allow me to afford your gear. ;D ;D
But honestly, what I admire about your set up is not so much of the gears but more so by the amount of thought, study and passion you put in them. Yah your gears essentially cost a decent house here in the Philippines but maybe because I have been reading your thread way back in the other site for more than a decade or so ( 2004 mo yata inopen yung thread O0 hahaha), that is why I know how many hours you have spent going all over the place, auditioning equipment's etc etc until you came to your current set up. That to me deserves much much RESPECT
I love the foot note you have because it is the truth. I can read your posts a million times but as an earthling, I have not experienced the sound you have heard. To me, our sense of hearing is similar to our sense of taste that if you have not tasted an 18 year old single malt, then it would foolish to say it is the same with a 12 year blended scotch.
So I know that the amount of $$$ you spent was an off shoot of something that you actually experienced and not necessarily something you read or something someone told you. Parang yung bisyo rin natin sa arohehehe
-
personal taste and preference plays a big role in audio, even in how we perceive things. Case in point - I worked hard to dial in the powered subs in my main system, when I thought I finally got it dialled in, a couple of guys came and thought it has too much bass, so I scaled it down to the point that they actually said it sounded excellent. I thought it sounded terrible, but kept the same settings for a few days while trying to convince myself that if actually sound better now pero di ko talaga magustuhan. I changed the settings back to where I had it before they came, and liked the sound again.
auditioning is irreplaceable if you want to put a system that will satisfy yourself sonically.. kung bumibili ka lang ng gears for pogi points, not so much - just buy the most expensive one, pogi ka na ;D. The first time I heard Magico, I was not so impressed and was wondering kung saan nanggaling yung mga rave reviews. Then I heard Q7 at Newport beach in 2013, wow I was impressed. I heard the U3 and the S5 in Munich, impressed pa rin talaga ako. Same with the Wilson Alexia. I heard it the first time at Newport Beach, I was actually sitting just behind Fremer - kahit ano'ng gawin ko, di ko talaga ma-get. I read comments by other people who heard the same setup, mixed ang feedback, some are in-line with me, some are the exact opposite. Then I heard the Alexias again in Munich driven by Constellation, I thought it sounded really really good. Kaya mahirap mamintas kaagad. Synergy also plays a big role, kaya kailangan talaga marinig mo ang actual combination. I was lucky that Jack D has tried the Lamm - VSA combination already before I took the two brands, me and Jack met at CES in Vegas and listened to their respective rooms together and I was able to personally verify Jack's feedback.
I read reviews as well, a lot of times you can benefit from it, but has learned not to believe that it is the absolute truth.
-
Talking about cheaping out again, we buy movie passes at Costco para makatipid - $25 for a pass for 2 adults, 2 regular size drink and a popcorn.
My wife and I do the same thing Ding. :)
Lagi rin kami naghahanap ng Groupon deals and when we dine out we try the "specials" - bang for the buck kasi
-
ang problema lang, sobrang laki ng gastos ko sa speeding and parking tickets sa year 2014.. >:D
-
personal taste and preference plays a big role in audio, even in how we perceive things. Case in point - I worked hard to dial in the powered subs in my main system, when I thought I finally got it dialled in, a couple of guys came and thought it has too much bass, so I scaled it down to the point that they actually said it sounded excellent. I thought it sounded terrible, but kept the same settings for a few days while trying to convince myself that if actually sound better now pero di ko talaga magustuhan. I changed the settings back to where I had it before they came, and liked the sound again.
auditioning is irreplaceable if you want to put a system that will satisfy yourself sonically.. kung bumibili ka lang ng gears for pogi points, not so much - just buy the most expensive one, pogi ka na ;D. The first time I heard Magico, I was not so impressed and was wondering kung saan nanggaling yung mga rave reviews. Then I heard Q7 at Newport beach in 2013, wow I was impressed. I heard the U3 and the S5 in Munich, impressed pa rin talaga ako. Same with the Wilson Alexia. I heard it the first time at Newport Beach, I was actually sitting just behind Fremer - kahit ano'ng gawin ko, di ko talaga ma-get. I read comments by other people who heard the same setup, mixed ang feedback, some are in-line with me, some are the exact opposite. Then I heard the Alexias again in Munich driven by Constellation, I thought it sounded really really good. Kaya mahirap mamintas kaagad. Synergy also plays a big role, kaya kailangan talaga marinig mo ang actual combination. I was lucky that Jack D has tried the Lamm - VSA combination already before I took the two brands, me and Jack met at CES in Vegas and listened to their respective rooms together and I was able to personally verify Jack's feedback.
I read reviews as well, a lot of times you can benefit from it, but has learned not to believe that it is the absolute truth.
Words of wisdom from a true audiophile. Even the most "neutral" or expensive gears would not satisfy you if it doesn't suit your preference. Though hindi ko pa naman nasubukan, even if you go to the studio where the track was mastered and played on a system where the recording engineers used which is how the engineers wanted you to "feel" or "listen", if it doesn't sound right for you, in the words of qguy, fail pa din. ;)
-
Words of wisdom from a true audiophile.
I learned my lesson early. My first Audiogon purchase was a New Audio Frontiers Integrated 845 SE, supposed to be 90% as good as Kondo Ongaku at a fraction of the cost. I had it shipped to my office, when it arrived I brought it to the store to try it with the speakers I was buying. Well, it was heavenly when playing vocals and simple classical stuff, but it cannot rock O0 . So, it didn't even reach our house - brought it back to my office and listed it at Audiogon right away. I was lucky I got a good deal on it and didn't incur much loss ;D
-
wow! eargasmic setup(s)! :o :D ;D 8)
-
ang problema lang, sobrang laki ng gastos ko sa speeding and parking tickets sa year 2014.. >:D
Magastos nga yan brother :)
-
I spent $2k in tickets and related expenses in 2014, isang magandang music server na >:D
sana naman this year wala na..
-
I spent $2k in tickets and related expenses in 2014, isang magandang music server na >:D
sana naman this year wala na..
Yikes! Bigat nga ng fines. 2 years ago I got a ticket for inadvertently parking in a handicapped slot. About $140. Since then I've been extra careful :)
-
Yikes! Bigat nga ng fines. 2 years ago I got a ticket for inadvertently parking in a handicapped slot. About $140. Since then I've been extra careful :)
I got one handicap parking ticket last year too.. They made the sign small and mixed it with 4 other signs in the same post. I got ticketed for $250, I did not pay it right away because I was planning to fight it in court, city sent the court notice stapled to the back of a 4 page letter and we did not notice it, so I was convicted in absence, another $50 added to the bill. I begrudgingly paid the $300 ticket online right after I received the notice by mail. That's why when the local police call my office asking for donations or support for their fundraising campaigns - I tell them "get lost, I spent all my money on tickets already."
-
just when I thought I got my system dialled in, my Vr 5 Anniversary got sold.. so, my main system had been speakerless for 3 weeks now, and my basement is being used for HT only.
just days before I sold the Vr5, a group of hardcore Chinese audiophiles were in my place and helped me tweak the speaker toe in and powered sub integration.. when we were done, one of the guys commented that it is one of the best systems he heard. Made me so proud, because these guys have been playing the audio game for 20 plus years and have very good systems themselves.. Everybody agreed that the combination of room treatments, digital room correction, diligent speaker placement and sub integration contributed to the overall performance of this system. Audio is still a game of inches after all.
I hope my next speaker will be even better..
I have a few speakers in mind - the new Von Schweikert Vr 55 or the highly praised new kid on the block Endeavor E5 are top candidates, but I am working with another brand that I really really like...sana matuloy at 'pag natuloy - malamang pula >:D
-
goodluck brader, am sure its gonna be another hit...
-
Im sure the buyer is smiling right now but i think Ding will be having a bigger smile when the replacement comes in hehehe
-
Im sure the buyer is smiling right now but i think Ding will be having a bigger smile when the replacement comes in hehehe
the buyer is a longtime user of VR4 SR, so is familiar with VSA sound.. but yeah, very happy with the upgrade as the VR 5 is a much better speaker.
searching for the next speaker an be agonizing, as most popular brands have waiting times. Let's say I decided to go with Vr 55, the lead time is 6 to 9 weeks. Other brands actually quote as much as 6 months. Some products are expensive because it takes a lot of work to put them together. The front baffle alone of Vr 55 has numerous parts that need to be CNC cut and bonded together using numerous custom jigs.
-
goodluck brader, am sure its gonna be another hit...
thanks.. I am taking my sweet time, hopefully I won't get too distracted and wander away from the plan.
-
the buyer is a longtime user of VR4 SR, so is familiar with VSA sound.. but yeah, very happy with the upgrade as the VR 5 is a much better speaker.
searching for the next speaker an be agonizing, as most popular brands have waiting times. Let's say I decided to go with Vr 55, the lead time is 6 to 9 weeks. Other brands actually quote as much as 6 months. Some products are expensive because it takes a lot of work to put them together. The front baffle alone of Vr 55 has numerous parts that need to be CNC cut and bonded together using numerous custom jigs.
Presyo na ng isang executive sedan na brand new yang VR 55 hehehe
-
oo nga eh.. nung Oct last year, $49k pa lang, ngayon biglang naging $60k, mali daw pagka presyo nila dati. sabay biglang bagsak pa ng conversion ng Cdn vs US $$
-
Magico would be a good candidate too....or the Reference 3A
-
working on it ;D
but the process is painfully slow because the contact person for my #1 choice is very slow in responding to all forms of communication.
-
Enjoy the hunt! and good luck ..... will patiently wait for the result ^-^
-
The deal is basically done but I am not allowed to disclose until the papers are signed.. then the painful wait for the build begins
-
Congratulations Ding!
-
a true reference set up. hands down. :)
-
a true reference set up. hands down. :)
thanks, still speakerless 8) ang main system
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg.html)
Magico S1 finally setup and burning in. Currently being driven by Lamm M2.2. Also new in the system is the Yale firmware update for the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac . I should compare USB w/ Uptone Regen Amber vs the I2S connection. The PSA DSD still keep on improving, amazing DAC.
I also intend to try the Aurender X100/X725 Integrated amp combo with the S1 soon, and maybe with the 1000 watts W4S Stereo amps.. Exciting times indeed, kaya lang medyo busy because I am helping my wife setup her new store.
-
faint..
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg.html)
Magico S1 finally setup and burning in. Currently being driven by Lamm M2.2. Also new in the system is the Yale firmware update for the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac . I should compare USB w/ Uptone Regen Amber vs the I2S connection. The PSA DSD still keep on improving, amazing DAC.
I also intend to try the Aurender X100/X725 Integrated amp combo with the S1 soon, and maybe with the 1000 watts W4S Stereo amps.. Exciting times indeed, kaya lang medyo busy because I am helping my wife setup her new store.
-
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg.html)
Magico S1 finally setup and burning in. Currently being driven by Lamm M2.2. Also new in the system is the Yale firmware update for the PS Audio Direct Stream Dac . I should compare USB w/ Uptone Regen Amber vs the I2S connection. The PSA DSD still keep on improving, amazing DAC.
I also intend to try the Aurender X100/X725 Integrated amp combo with the S1 soon, and maybe with the 1000 watts W4S Stereo amps.. Exciting times indeed, kaya lang medyo busy because I am helping my wife setup her new store.
gasp!
-
Congratulations Ding! The long wait is over...time to burn in those new toys!
-
this is shocking. eto na siguro ang pinakamagandang setup sa buong pinas... :)
congrats sir!
-
Ding is based in Canada
-
Grabe sa kabilang Thread very High End na HT, Dito naman very High End na Stereo setup...
WOW!!!!
-
wow!!! side by side na ultra hi end, galing!!! :) :) ;)
-
Thanks guys. Nice to play music on this system again. I think it was last March pa huling nagamit ang most of the equipments on this system, before I sold my Von Schweikert Vr5 Anni. That combination sounded so good, I hope Magico synergize as well with the rest of the system.
Coincidentally, I took a hiatus from audio (I mean playing around with equipments). I slipped on the ice and had a bad concussion last April and one of the side effects is my energy level nosedives in the afternoon, as in diretso tulog pagdating sa bahay. I am slowly recovering, but our yard and vehicles still don't get the work & attention they usually get from me (or maybe too much pesbuk ^-^ ). But I was never really away from music - my second system in our living room is playing music almost all day everyday, hindi nga lang ako ang operator. My wife plays music for her auntie who is staying with us. She loves to listen to music, a good therapy for her dementia.
this is shocking. eto na siguro ang pinakamagandang setup sa buong pinas... :)
congrats sir!
salamat. as Jen said, I am based in Canada (pero pusong Pinoy pa rin kaya dito sa PDVD & WS nakikisali). Most of my audio buddies and gurus are Pinoys.
Maraming Phil. based systems na much more advanced than mine, karamihan lang sa owners ay hindi na nagsi share sa forum - maybe for security purposes or they're just too busy with their lives. JackD has really good stuff like CH Precision, VSA, Techdas, Lamm and so on, in a room that's to die for. To my knowledge, a pair of $500K speakers are landing on Philippine shores soon.
The S1 is showing a lot of potential early on, a little undersized for my room that's why I augmented it with my VSA Shockwave V15. I still have to tweak the speaker placement a little bit and recalibrate the digital room correction.
-
Boss, ang ganda!
Mukhang kayo ang nakulam. A very powerful BLACK MAGICo! Hehe
-
Congratulations Ding! :)
-
Congratulations Ding!! Ganda!
-
Boss, ang ganda!
Mukhang kayo ang nakulam. A very powerful BLACK MAGICo! Hehe
>:D black magic man..
salamat din Jerry and Dennis, pasyal kayo sa Edmonton
-
Congrats Ding :)
-
Congrats sir. I'm drooling!
-
Ka-ganda ng Magico eh........ Congrats Ding!
-
Congrats! Ganda nyan!
-
Sus ginoo! Kahit sa pangarap, di na kayang abutin...ha ha...congrats sir..
-
Enjoy pa rin ba yung mga SR at xback mo habang nakikinig? ;D
-
Finally we can see what you decided to get for a digital system. If my memory serves me right, the firmer designer for PS audio is now the one that makes W4S (EJ Sarmiento). Congratulations, on a very nice system. I am due to receive my regen soon but it would be nice to hear how it performs on your system.
I haven't heard the 1000 watt amps from w4s but I kept hearing good things about their preamp... Maybe someday I will have that chance.
Cheers
-
I didn't know that EJ Sarmento used to design for PS Audio, thanks for that bit of info. The Direct Stream is designed by Ted Smith, based on a FPGA.
The W4S amps are alright, and yes, the pre-amps are great. Excellent value on this product line.
-
I had been driving the Magico S1 with the Aurender X725 integrated, 250 wpc @ 4 ohms and had been really impressed with the combination. This X725 can be an undiscovered gem, I have not done an extensive shootout with the much more powerful W4S stereo amps - but when I briefly replaced the W4S amps with it to drive my VSA VR 35, I thought the system was more lit up without being rough or hard on the edges. I am getting similar result with the S1.
I was told my S7 will ship in a couple of weeks, I hope it arrive before snow flies in Edmonton. It will be much more difficult to bring a pair of 300 lb speakers to my basement if I cannot bring it through my backdoor because of the snow on my backyard.
-
Lots of good news on the Aurender ..... also with the devialet!
It seems the era of integrands are getting a scene and a lot have been patronizing due to convenience and built-in wireless features.
-
Binabate kita sir!
Ang lupeettt!
-
My Way (http://youtu.be/eoDfKUL-HHk) >:D
-
My Way (http://youtu.be/eoDfKUL-HHk) >:D
Parang audio shop sa dami ng high end gears...!!
Ang lupet!!
-
Ding, your system defines High End. Only an elite few in the world has the S7. Congratulations!! The sound in your room is world class.
-
Thanks Dennis. I think this is my retirement speaker kaya pikit mata na lang sa presyo ng paint upgrade. Me and my wife really like it's pagka pula, terno kay Cayenne. I am just cleaning up the room and will take better pictures soon.
I am very thankful to be able to reach this level. Still burning in but showing a lot of potential already. I thought the Vr 5 setup would be very hard to improve upon, but this pair had surpassed it in many ways already.
-
Congrats Ding! Wow stratospheric audio level na yang Magico S7 ;D
Also heard the Aurender N100 streamer sa Pinas last month-ganda ng tunog.
-
wow!! SUPER HIGH END! Congrats sir! :)
-
thanks Nolax, Audie, Stevensonk, & jh@meeh
-
Ang galling galing ni ding ding. Pati aruwana sa aqua find their own way ;) :)
-
20Fifteen
2015 was a roller coaster year for me. I was able to sell my Vr5 Anni to try something else, I was able to secure Magico and of course the fall on Apr 2. I wish I have more than nine lives because at 51, I have used up 2 already >:D . I feel very lucky to be still alive and with no permanent damage, it took months before I regained my energy level. I did not do much audio related stuff for around six months because my energy level felt so drained when I get home from work, to the point that I had to take a nap right when I get home before I eat dinner. I think I am back to normal now, and actually a little healthier ( I am now down to 201, after staying steady at 215 for more than 5 years)..oops, balik 205 pala, dahil sa walang humpay na kailan nitong mga nagdaang araw. I am looking forward for spring, I hope I could ride my bike more in 2016.
I promised a friend that I will go with him to Vegas for the Pacquiao - Mayweather fight if it ever goes through, we booked our flights right after the fight was confirmed. My wife was totally against the idea of proceeding with the trip because I was still not feeling well and was insistent that we cancel the trip,but I didn't really want to disappoint my friend Joey, who has never been to Vegas. When we arrived in Vegas, my wife phoned me to tell me that one of my arowanas died (it was sick for a while, I think it ate my pleco).. I told her to fish it out of the aquarium and throw it away. It was a very stressful situation for both of us.. Other than that, me and Joey enjoyed our time in Vegas. We were disappointed that MP's camp lied about the shoulder injury (by claiming that he's in best shape ever up until the weigh-in). The crowd was obviously pro Manny during the fight, but me and Joey were looking at each other and knew he would lose by the mid rounds.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201241_1.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201241_1.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201258.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201258.jpg.html)(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Mobile%20Uploads/20150430_231301.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150430_231301.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/Mobile%20Uploads/20150430_231644.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20150430_231644.jpg.html)
Vegas was buzzing that weekend, a lot of people were wearing FMJ stuff. We walked a good portion of the strip the night before the fight, from 11 pm till past 2 am, Joey said he got high on the second hand marijuana smoke 8) people were partying, having drinks and doing pot out in the open.
We took the opportunity to visit my sister in Phonenix as well. Joey and I left my mom in Phoenix and drove to Vegas 3 days before the fight then drove back to Phoenix the day after.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201335.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2015%20May%20Samsung%20S5%201335.jpg.html)
My brother-in-law is also into cars. pictured above with my mom is his restored 1942 Packard, he also has a 1939 Cadillac parked in the driveway, and a 45' Prevost mobile home (my wife gets a chuckle looking at the picture of my 5'4 brother-in-law driving a big bus :lol: ), he used to own a very nice Chevelle SS, previously owned and rebuilt by a pro racer. This guy can go talking for hours about little things like signal light or door locks. but yeah, those classic cars were very well built, the headlight use crystal glass instead of plastic, the shiny trims are actually polished steel instead of chromed. not my cup of tea, but I like listening to his stories anyway. He did crazy things too, like driving a classic car he bought in Chicago all the way to Arizona instead of having it transported.
On the audio side, the S1 arrived in July. It did not see action right away because it arrived just days before we left for a family vacation in Cancun.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/SANY0020.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/SANY0020.jpg.html)
shown here is da dimfer, fighting a 20' crocodile in Mexico ;D
When the Magico S1 finally got setup, I was pleasantly surprised how capable this little speaker is. Even better when I augmented it with the Von Schweikert Shockwave V15.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/11825724_10206433498709259_869626594660264525_n.jpg.html)
The new top of S line, the S7 arrived in October.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_0563.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/_MG_0563.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_0565.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/_MG_0565.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_0560.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/_MG_0560.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_0559.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/_MG_0559.jpg.html)
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/_MG_0557.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/_MG_0557.jpg.html)
This thing is a chameleon and reveals changes in the signal path much more than the VR5 did. I originally had it driven with the Lamm M2.2 and I could easily tell the difference in the sound when I switch between my Memory Player 64 and PS Audio Direct Stream DAC (either fed by PS Audio Perfect Wave Transport via I2S or Aurender N100 via Uptone Regen Amber/W4S USB cable). With the MP64, the sound was super neutral but still very dynamic. With the PS Audio stuff, it is a little more colored and warmer. Lot's of bass, even in my big and open room. The sound was a little bit strident in the beginning, the edginess started to smoothened quite a bit past 100 hours.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2016%20Jan%20029.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2016%20Jan%20029.jpg.html)
Switching over to Mang Rod's GM 70 lately revealed the musical side of these speakers. Wow, these new tweeters reveals a lot more information now without drawing attention to itself. The sound is now full of body, with lot's of sparkle and air on top. The presentation is more holographic and the speakers can totally disappear from the room. The tube amps gave the S7 more purity. I ordered it in red (pikit mata na lang sa paint upcharge) with the intention to keep it for a long time. We really like the rich shade of red, very similar to the of Porsche GTS red... and I think I could live with my current setup for a long time.
I have not abandoned my Von Schweikert family, and still intend to bring in their new models once my bank account recover a little bit. I have not heard the reportedly very capable Vr55 yet, and hope to hear them either in the show in Chicago (Axpona) or Maryland (Capital Audio Fest).
let me end this report with a beautiful picture taken by our daughter, who is getting deeper and deeper into photography. She did a lot of boudoir but now getting tired of it and branching into something else. This picture was published at Jute fashion magazine's December 2015 issue (http://www.jutefashionmagazine.com/magazine/december-2015-2) (more pictures can be seen page 130 & up at Jute site). I think she has come a long way, while Dad remained in grade 1 O0
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/12291100_10153281438759677_865872302293495063_o.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/12291100_10153281438759677_865872302293495063_o.jpg.html)
-
I am currently looking at Onkyo TX-NR737 receiver... not the latest model but fits the bill.. Supposed to go on sale (more than 50% off) this coming Friday.
info here (http://www.onkyo.ca/Products/model.php?m=TX-NR737&class=Receiver)
-
I am currently looking at Onkyo TX-NR737 receiver... not the latest model but fits the bill.. Supposed to go on sale (more than 50% off) this coming Friday.
info here (http://www.onkyo.ca/Products/model.php?m=TX-NR737&class=Receiver)
get the new RZ series na! :D
-
WoW! The stuff, dreams are made of...
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2016%20Jan%20029.jpg)
-
ultimate stereo setup ^-^ drool...
-
get the new RZ series na! :D
Nangunguripot pa ;D
I think Ok na ako na 737 for the intended use ^-^
-
Thanks CoolTOYZ and majoe O0
-
Replaced the LG HTIB with the Onkyo TX NR737, happy with the result using Energy Center channel speaker, Mordaunt Short monitors as front and VSA Shockwave V15 powered sub. I am also using the built in ceiling speakers and LD surrounds as surround speakers. Will do calibration once I have finalized speaker placement
Also got an Nvidia Shield which will be used as Kodi streamer
Will take pictures and do a progress report later this week
-
Replaced the LG HTIB with the Onkyo TX NR737, happy with the result using Energy Center channel speaker, Mordaunt Short monitors as front and VSA Shockwave V15 powered sub. I am also using the built in ceiling speakers and LD surrounds as surround speakers. Will do calibration once I have finalized speaker placement
Also got an Nvidia Shield which will be used as Kodi streamer
Will take pictures and do a progress report later this week
Congrats on getting the 737! :)
-
Congrats on getting the 737! :)
Thanks. I got it for Cdn $ 499, down from Cdn $ 1,099 ;D :D at London Drugs, Bestbuy also has it sale for $649, the discount swayed me to this direction from the Yamaha 1079 or HK 1710S I was originally looking at. It is Atmos and 4K ready, ako lang ang hindi :-[
The HTIB was handed down to my older daughter, she picked it up and set it up right away at her place and was very happy to have it.
I might upgrade the surround speakers and the cables later, but I'm not gonna rush it. The viewing experience is vastly improved already from what I have 2 days ago
-
Very happy to read that among the top of the line gears is Mang Rod's DIY Tube AMP.
Mang Rod must be very proud to have his AMP in the company of highly rated gears.
I am truly impressed with Sir Dimfer's appreciation of Filipino Made gears. KUDOS Sir!
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/2016%20Jan%20029.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/2016%20Jan%20029.jpg.html)
Switching over to Mang Rod's GM 70 lately revealed the musical side of these speakers. Wow, these new tweeters reveals a lot more information now without drawing attention to itself. The sound is now full of body, with lot's of sparkle and air on top. The presentation is more holographic and the speakers can totally disappear from the room. The tube amps gave the S7 more purity. I ordered it in red (pikit mata na lang sa paint upcharge) with the intention to keep it for a long time. We really like the rich shade of red, very similar to the of Porsche GTS red... and I think I could live with my current setup for a long time...
-
Thanks. MR is a very talented designer/builder. He makes very good sounding products.
-
MR is suffering from Arthritis and can barely wind his trafos. I hope he can continue to practice his trade and provide many hours of listening pleasure to music lovers. O0
Thanks. MR is a very talented designer/builder. He makes very good sounding products.
-
I hope he could stay productive for a while. I was talking with him on the phone just before Xmas regarding our tube pre amp project based on his new design, balita ko maganda daw tumunog. Maganda din daw ang performance nung kanyang kt150. I am planning to commission him to build a preamp using Deulund caps and other premium parts. I still have his v capped compactron.
-
Congrats sir. Very beautiful speaker and sound for sure. Haayy dreaming of Magico. :-)
-
nice audio setup, dimfer! man, i would have loved to go tubes and vinyl but this hobby can get so expensive that my wife probably will throw me out of the house with all my gear if i forced it! :P
buti na lang mahilig sya sa movies kaya basement HT room na lang ako. i was surprised she was ok with me putting my older audio gear on the main floor family room (which is her room) kaya i'm not complaining.. ;)
-
thanks muscleboy..
tube gears are addicting, I think this is my fourth or fifth pair. I was listening to Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs album last night - one of my favorites and this is what I use to gauge my system vs the best I've heard. I was actually really happy with the pairing, the sound is very detailed yet it has a natural texture - something very difficult to get from solid state. I think the Magico S7 is finally opening up and smoothing around the edges too.
I used to go to the gym, go fishing, golf and other things that men do and my wife very rarely see me at home, especially in the summer. I used to golf more than 100 rounds a year and hit over 50,000 balls in the driving range in the summer, go to the gym 5 days a week with my friends in the winter, may fishing pa.. she was happy to see me get into aquariums and now into audio and HT, puro man gastos, kita naman nya kung saan napupunta ang pera. When she ask me where my money goes - I just tell her to go to the basement and look around ^-^
-
thanks muscleboy..
tube gears are addicting, I think this is my fourth or fifth pair. I was listening to Leonard Cohen's Ten New Songs album last night - one of my favorites and this is what I use to gauge my system vs the best I've heard. I was actually really happy with the pairing, the sound is very detailed yet it has a natural texture - something very difficult to get from solid state. I think the Magico S7 is finally opening up and smoothing around the edges too.
I used to go to the gym, go fishing, golf and other things that men do and my wife very rarely see me at home, especially in the summer. I used to golf more than 100 rounds a year and hit over 50,000 balls in the driving range in the summer, go to the gym 5 days a week with my friends in the winter, may fishing pa.. she was happy to see me get into aquariums and now into audio and HT, puro man gastos, kita naman nya kung saan napupunta ang pera. When she ask me where my money goes - I just tell her to go to the basement and look around ^-^
Ang sarap, dream life! ;D
-
Congrats sir. Very beautiful speaker and sound for sure. Haayy dreaming of Magico. :-)
thanks Nolax
-
Ang sarap, dream life! ;D
I hope I could say that without sounding na nagyayabang, but yes and I feel very blessed. Me and a good friend at work had a good conversation about how some people try to complicate their lives by having "tsiks" or by "gambling their savings away" once they reach a point in life na medyo nakakaluwag na. that's one advantage of having hobbies, always busy and always ubos ang pera kaya wala nang time and budget sa mga makasalanang bagay
we work hard, we play hard
-
I hope I could say that without sounding na nagyayabang, but yes and I feel very blessed. Me and a good friend at work had a good conversation about how some people try to complicate their lives by having "tsiks" or by "gambling their savings away" once they reach a point in life na medyo nakakaluwag na. that's one advantage of having hobbies, always busy and always ubos ang pera kaya wala nang time and budget sa mga makasalanang bagay
we work hard, we play hard
thumbs up sir!
-
thumbs up sir!
thanks
-
Two thumbs up ako,tinamaan ako dun s tsiks at gambling.
-
Two thumbs up ako,tinamaan ako dun s tsiks at gambling.
>:D >:D
lahat naman yata dumadaan sa stage na yan, most guys wil have the urge. nagkakatalo lang sa kung gaano kalakas ang control sa sarili. not exposing yourself to the environment also helps.
I hear some people with grown up kids say "nakakabato" or boring sa bahay.. with (Facebook and audio fora) audio and aquarium at home, I couldn't say that.. I am always short of time, to tinker about setup, tweaks and enjoy my systems and movies. Then I also have to find time to clean my aquarium and feed my fish.. and maybe excercise O0
-
Rock Crusher is gone... damn!
-
I hope I could say that without sounding na nagyayabang, but yes and I feel very blessed. Me and a good friend at work had a good conversation about how some people try to complicate their lives by having "tsiks" or by "gambling their savings away" once they reach a point in life na medyo nakakaluwag na. that's one advantage of having hobbies, always busy and always ubos ang pera kaya wala nang time and budget sa mga makasalanang bagay
we work hard, we play hard
I absolutely agree! i'm still below 50 but with an executive level position. my motto in work is to help my co-workers and to help the company. on the personal aspect, i am earning for my children and not for myself anymore. i am even contemplating to ask my wife to stop working and to focus on the children instead.
i am a simple fellow with simple needs. ;D
-
I absolutely agree! i'm still below 50 but with an executive level position. my motto in work is to help my co-workers and to help the company. on the personal aspect, i am earning for my children and not for myself anymore. i am even contemplating to ask my wife to stop working and to focus on the children instead.
i am a simple fellow with simple needs. ;D
Bulls eye!
-
on the personal aspect, i am earning for my children and not for myself anymore. i am even contemplating to ask my wife to stop working and to focus on the children instead.
good policy when your kids are still young and still dependent on you on everything. give them the best education and all the tools they need to survive in their adult life, but you should also know when to take off the training wheels. they will grow into better human beings if you let them be themselves and be responsible for themselves once they become adults.
our older daughter is now 28 and still single (baka may irereto kayo dyan ^-^) and now very independent. she worked while still in university and paid for the downpayment of her car. she moved out to her own condo (ok, we paid for the downpayment) when she was 23 and had lived independently since. we are hoping to do the same for the younger daughter. we believe that making them responsible for themselves makes them stronger.. they should not expect that you would leave them something behind, if that happens, that's a bonus.
you should also treat yourself to the good things in life, you deserve that. you worked hard to be where you are and contributed positively to the society and mankind.. you deserve to get and or experience things that make you happy, this will make you live longer. basta piliin mo lang ang magapapaligaya sa'yo ^-^
best bang policy ang "you can look, but cannot touch" pagdating sa mga "ibang" bagay? >:D
-
you should also treat yourself to the good things in life, you deserve that. you worked hard to be where you are and contributed positively to the society and mankind.. you deserve to get and or experience things that make you happy, this will make you live longer.
This is really right, after a hard days work you need something new & hook it up to lift our spirits up ;D
-
This is really right, after a hard days work you need something new & hook it up to lift our spirits up ;D
movies and music are good diversions from the realities of our daily lives. I had a very busy day at work yesterday and was a bit tired when I got home, for some reason I started watching Avatar at Kodi while killing time and waiting for our daughter's message to pick her up from school.. needless to say that I had seen that movies a few times before, but still enjoyed being transported by the movie to another space... truly enjoyable..
-
anybody in the forum with experience with Revel Performa C 50 center channel speaker? Is this 6 year old model worth investigating at $500? A local guy is selling a unit in good condition, price seems fair because it retails for $3k new and I had seen them listed between $500 to $1k at different sites, but still more expensive than new designs from Polk, Def Tech etc..
My HT experience had improved quite a bit since I replaced my HTIB with Onkyo, etc but I feel that my $200 little Energy center channel speaker can use an upgrade.
-
anybody in the forum with experience with Revel Performa C 50 center channel speaker? Is this 6 year old model worth investigating at $500? A local guy is selling a unit in good condition, price seems fair because it retails for $3k new and I had seen them listed between $500 to $1k at different sites, but still more expensive than new designs from Polk, Def Tech etc..
My HT experience had improved quite a bit since I replaced my HTIB with Onkyo, etc but I feel that my $200 little Energy center channel speaker can use an upgrade.
Revel is like the Lexus of the Harman Group (while JBL is Toyota). I say go for it!
-
I will setup an audition to take a closer look and hear it's attributes.
thanks DTNS
-
I absolutely agree! i'm still below 50 but with an executive level position. my motto in work is to help my co-workers and to help the company. on the personal aspect, i am earning for my children and not for myself anymore. i am even contemplating to ask my wife to stop working and to focus on the children instead.
i am a simple fellow with simple needs. ;D
been there, done that......but now i am free of all child rearing duties,
i have all time and money for myself,
i will spend the rest of my days helping out young tuberos in their own journeys...
i have just begun to have fun......;)
-
good for you Tony..
we will all leave this place the same way we came - with nothing.
but I think the most important thing is to touch the lives of the people we love and care about positively while we are here, you are a passionate tubero and will leave behind a legacy that will survive long after you are gone... and the best part - you are having fun while doing it.. so you can have your cake and eat it too after all 8)
-
I feel great reading not only about expensive gears but also of the higher values that make life meaningful and enjoyable. These set this forum apart. Thanks and more power :)
-
good for you Tony..
we will all leave this place the same way we came - with nothing.
but I think the most important thing is to touch the lives of the people we love and care about positively while we are here, you are a passionate tubero and will leave behind a legacy that will survive long after you are gone... and the best part - you are having fun while doing it.. so you can have your cake and eat it too after all 8)
thanks, we all look for meaning of our existence, i have found mine and i am happy for it...
-
anybody in the forum with experience with Revel Performa C 50 center channel speaker? Is this 6 year old model worth investigating at $500? A local guy is selling a unit in good condition, price seems fair because it retails for $3k new and I had seen them listed between $500 to $1k at different sites, but still more expensive than new designs from Polk, Def Tech etc..
My HT experience had improved quite a bit since I replaced my HTIB with Onkyo, etc but I feel that my $200 little Energy center channel speaker can use an upgrade.
Go for it, Ding! :D Got your PM, will reply soon. Thanks!
-
Go for it, Ding! :D Got your PM, will reply soon. Thanks!
hintayin ko Jen >:D
the owner is currently out of town, but I have it on hold for me na, I have a good feeling I can wiggle it down to $400. owner said less than 100 hours of use.
-
hintayin ko Jen >:D
the owner is currently out of town, but I have it on hold for me na, I have a good feeling I can wiggle it down to $400. owner said less than 100 hours of use.
ALRIGHT! :D Another JACKPOT! :D
-
update muna, bago makalimutan
I always felt that my HT needed improvement from the beginning. I got an LG HTIB because our daughters were also using the home theater for Playstation gaming and to watch movies and we wanted a system that was simpler to use. I think using the LG for 4 years is long enough, time to take the home theater experience to the next level. I want something better, but didn't want to spend too much. I started looking for an HT receiver around Christmas time because everything goes on sale on Boxing Day (happens on Dec. 26, similar to Black Friday sale in the US).. traffic at Best Buy and other electronic store was just crazy on Boxing Day, so I ended not buying anything. I was really tempted to pickup a Yamaha RXV 1050 at Visions because it was $500 off, but $800 was still too rich for me. There was also a Harman Kardon model that Wwas on slae at Bestbuy but there were some features I want that it didn't have. NAD was a good proposition too, but just like Yamaha, the model that I want was a little beyond my budget. A guy at London Drugs whispered to me that they will put the Onkyo TX-NR737 on sale on January 8.. I did some reading about the product, it has 6 hdmi input, Dolby Atmos ready, 4k pass through, powerful enough, good enough for me.. so I waited. Early in the morning of Jan 8, I went to LD to buy my Onkyo, at more than 50% off.. it's a brand new, sealed 2014 model.. the salesman was trying to convince me to get the newer 747 which was also on sale, but it's $300 more. The only feature that separate the two is the DTS-X, the 737 is good enough for me..
I took the old LG HTIB out, our daughter was really glad to take it for her living room. I used my old Mordaunt Short MS40 monitor speakers as the fronts, kept the Energy Take 1 center channel speaker I was using, assigned the built in ceiling speakers as Atmos height speakers and re-used the surround speakers from the LG as rear surround and used one of the inputs of the Von Schweikert Shockwave V15 powered sub.. wallah - improved system on a budget. HT experience improved a lot.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P3070047.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P3070047.jpg.html)
I was itching to upgrade the center channel speaker as well, but I like the way the smaller Energy Take 1 fits in my rack. I still have a pending offer on a Revel Performa C50.. but really, the Energy performs so well I could live with it
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280030.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280030.jpg.html)
I used up all HDMI inputs - Sony DVD Blu Ray player & streamer, my wife's karaoke, Sony PS3, NVidia Shield, Optic tv receiver
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280033.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280033.jpg.html)
I shoehorned the MS40 behind the Magico S7
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/FullSizeRender.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/FullSizeRender.jpg.html)
below is a screen shot of Pan, I am using an iPad and was not able to capture the actual picture quality, which is much better than what you can see here. The Shield can Stream up to 4k quality.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/image_1.jpeg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/image_1.jpeg.html)
we were invited to a friend's house during the holiday break and I was re-introduced to kodi android tv. I tried xbmc using an Ouya game console before and the experience was not good at all. It was buffering all the time and the picture quality in most of the streams were bad. In our friend's house, we watched the Revenant before it started to show in the movie houses here, no buffering and the picture quality was outstanding. I researched the best possible android tv platform as soon as I got home and bought an Nvidia Shield within a week. I paid more for the Shield vs other android tv options, but we have recovered our investment already because we've been streaming movies like crazy. I upgraded our internet plan to 50mbps with 400 gb cap. The Shield can receive signal via wifi but I chose wired connection to our gigabit router to make sure that I always have a fast and stable connection.. so far so good. Too bad Skull Crusher stopped streaming last February it was my favourite add on. ahem I promised not to spend a dime on Manny Pacquiao ppv anymore after the FMJ brouhaha, but I think I'll be watching him live after all :angel:
on the audio side, I sold my W4S Mpre and in the process of selling my ST1000. The pre amp is good, but the amp is badly beaten by the less powerful Aurender X725 integrated. I find the W4S veiled on top, and a lot of times uninvolving. I demoed it with the Magico S1, the sound was cold. Since the X725's DAC can only take USB input, I was forced to pullout the Aurender N100H from the main rig and move the X725 & N100H combo upstairs to work with the Von Schweikert VR 35.. and so far, this the best I've heard the Vr 35 sing, much better sounding than W4S and I prefer it over MR's 6c33-c and GM70. I hope Aurender make more powerful amps in the future. The system now has excellent clarity from top to bottom, very detailed without any glare or edge. Hi res files have good texture and has more weight and body.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280013.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280013.jpg.html)
I was surprised that Aurender built a music server with no wi-fi connectivity. I was forced to get a wireless wi fi extender with an ethernet output port to supply internet connectivity to the N100H in our living room.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280001.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280001.jpg.html)
I got a small fanless NUC to replace the Aurender in my main rig. I was very close to forking out $4k to build a fanless music server with linear power supply etc etc last year. The DIY factor was very appealing and was very curious if I could build one solely based on what I learn from computeraudiophile.com and other fora. I abandoned that idea and got the Aurender, now the itch is back.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280021.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280021.jpg.html)
Somebody suggested that using a small computer fed by a server will yield better sonic result for much less investment than hooking a music server straight to the DAC. The idea is to have the server do all the processing and heavy lifting, and just use the NUC/NAA as a streamer/renderer. I have a Lenovo T430 that's not getting a lot of use since I got an iPad (a must have if you want to use Aurender the way it is designed to work), it has a decent I5 processor, good battery, two hard drives and could be used as a server. I ordered the NUC, RAM and an ethernet switcher online, while waiting for the hardware, I paid a guy for the specially designed renderer operating system (surprisingly big @ more than 15gb for something specifically designed to play music files and nothing else), bought HQ Player from an Italian reseller, setup my Roon account and installed the same on the Lenovo, Tidal HiFi followed soon after. Roon is quite expensive, but it is the only platform available right now that can integrate HQ Player and Tidal. The idea here is to use Roon to manage and play your music files, use Tidal as additional source to your music library and have everything played by Roon upsampled by HQ Player before it is fed to the streamer. I configured the streamer to just hand over the information to the DAC, nothing else. The idea is very similar to what Mark Porzilli did with the MP, although the implementation is a little different. The HQ Player upsamples on the fly, and can upsample everything that passes through it (including the Tidal stream) to DSD 256 aka quad DSD if your DAC can latch DSD 256. In my case, I have the HQP upsample to DSD128 because that's all the PS Audio Direct Stream can do. I also have an Uptone Regen Amber between the streamer and the DAC.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a256/dimfer/P2280029.jpg) (http://s13.photobucket.com/user/dimfer/media/P2280029.jpg.html)
Roon is quite cool because it's metadata include some background information about the artist and the recording, like what you get in LP's, nice to read stuff (good diversion from Facebook) while listening to the music. How's the sound? Quite good actually and better than many cd players, but in my experience, Aurender playing high res still sound better. I was told that upgrading the wall wart power supply for the NUC with a good quality linear power supply and replacing the ethernet cable between the router and the Streamer with a fiber optic isolation setup will enable the Streamer to surpass Aurender, but I am not willing to sink another $700 to this experiment at this point. Roon without HQP sounds mediocre, one client compared it to Jriver and Foobar2000 and found the two better sounding. But with HQP, it takes the ballgame to a different level.
Digital audio has changed a lot during past past 5 years. Mark Porzilli told me while we were having dinner in Newport Beach in 2013 that he expect other designers and engineers to surpass MP64 within the next few years, but to my ringing ears, high res pcm played on MP64 still sounded better than anything played on PS Audio Direct Stream (DSD). The guy may have disappeared from the audio scene (although Clement Perry told me sometime last year that the new 32 core MP is beyond anything he's heard in the market), but I still think he's a real genius. His ideas were so far outside the box that he was ridiculed and dismissed by a lot of audiophiles, something that he took very personally to the point he despised the audio industry altogether. But, he's been doing a lot of stuff in 2006 that are now being implemented by other designers. To my knowledge, he was the first to report that playing music files on SSD sounded better than on moving drives, now Aurender and everybody else is doing the same. He believed that upsamping music files and playing high resolution at source and doing no upsamping at the DAC sounded better.. this was hotly debated at various fora, bits are bits and you cannot improve 16/44 because you cannot add info by upsampling.. now, a lot of people like what Jussi Laako is doing with HQP. I could go, but I had been called a Mark Porzilli fanboy already, so I'll stop here >:D
There's another mid/low priced brand in the market that keeps me awake at night 8) , I hope to get it soon and include it in my next report. Hint - an esteemed reviewer paired this brand's less than $2k dac/preamp and less than $4k per pair monos with the Magico Q7 and was very very impressed with the result.. para daw si connor McGregor, punching way above his weight class
-
:o :o :o
I'm still wiping my drool off the floor. hahaha! ;D
-
The best i have seen! abroad ito bro?
-
The best i have seen! abroad ito bro?
yes, Canada
-
Congrats! Really to die for gears!!
Btw, at last i heard a Magico the other day at the local distributor (Architectural Audio) here in Manila.
Magico S3 powered by Hegel Monoblocks and Naim network streamer as source. Very revealing speakers while maintaining the natural sound. Huge soundstage as well. Vocals sounded smooth and refined too. Great speakers!
(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y437/Nolax_Montemar/12476802_10205860623651064_1404985816_o_zpsa5gau2kw.jpg)
(http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/y437/Nolax_Montemar/12528720_10205860623171052_1233118897_o_zps8ljtasol.jpg)
-
wow. ganda nolax, kay dimfer ba yan ? :)
-
wow. ganda nolax, kay dimfer ba yan ? :)
yan yung bagong bili ni Nolax 8)
-
wow. ganda nolax, kay dimfer ba yan ? :)
nope. top of the line yung kay sir dimfer. ;)
-
the S3 i the first Magico speaker that impressed me. First time I heard Magico (Mini I think) was in 2008 and I was not overly impressed. Then I heard the S3, and the rest is history ;D
There was and S3 and and S5 displayed side by side, impressed na ako kaagad, akala ko yung S3 ang ginagamit, yun pala yung S3
-
the S3 i the first Magico speaker that impressed me. First time I heard Magico (Mini I think) was in 2008 and I was not overly impressed. Then I heard the S3, and the rest is history ;D
There was and S3 and and S5 displayed side by side, impressed na ako kaagad, akala ko yung S3 ang ginagamit, yun pala yung S3
oh good. yung akala mo yung tama :).
-
I got my S's all mixed up.. akala ko S5 yun pala S3 8)
-
nice.. :).
-
what's the story with the ht ?
-
Wow! This magico set-up gives me motivation to bet on the lottery everyday. If i'll show up in Edmonton one time ibig sabihin nanalo na ako nuon. :)
-
Bro, yakang yaka mo yan. Welcome ka rito anytime
-
I think I will eventually get rid of the Onkyo 737 receiver unless I fixed the problem already.
my system would occasionally lose picture. I originally thought the bulb on my projector is failing so I replaced it at just 1000 hrs. but the problem would still happen sometimes. I googled it up and found out this is a common Onkyo problem - to lose HDMI signal.
-
dimfer, nice dac. i got the directstream junior :). btw, what you doing with a 737 you can easily afford the totl onkyo :).
-
nag sale kasi, I got it at 50% off ;D
-
wow. nice sir. congrats!
-
umatake na naman ang video signal loss issue.. I just found out na under warranty pa pala, so will try to have it fixed by local Onkyo authorized service center, otherwise hanap na naman
I think I will go with Yamaha RX A860 na lang
-
I got a response from Onkyo technical department, they are blaming it on the long HMDI cable between the receiver and the projector, suggested to get a balun or hdmi booster. I have ordered a booster/splitter from Parts Express, I hope this will fix the issue. I might also rearrange my electronics and try to remove the HMDI extension (6').. I'd hate to replace the receiver at this point..
maybe isabay ko na ang paghalo sa lahat when the two incoming SVS SB-16 Ultras arrive
-
I got a response from Onkyo technical department, they are blaming it on the long HMDI cable between the receiver and the projector, suggested to get a balun or hdmi booster. I have ordered a booster/splitter from Parts Express, I hope this will fix the issue. I might also rearrange my electronics and try to remove the HMDI extension (6').. I'd hate to replace the receiver at this point..
maybe isabay ko na ang paghalo sa lahat when the two incoming SVS SB-16 Ultras arrive
Congrats sa bagong subs! :D
-
thank you. my customs broker sent me the invoice already, meaning it has crossed the US/Canada border already.
I'll post an update once everything has been installed. Currently working on the RCA input switcher to add inputs to my digital room correction
-
(https://i.imgur.com/OwkzwF8.jpg)
aba gumana
-
^anyan bro time machine? ^_^
-
DIY rca switcher
-
(http://i.imgur.com/184IFY8.jpg)
Totoo na yata 'to
-
bro dimfer, ano yun parang white na paint na parang masilya?
-
bro dimfer, ano yun parang white na paint na parang masilya?
damping paint I applied on the cable
-
(http://i.imgur.com/184IFY8.jpg)
Totoo na yata 'to
The Return of the Comeback! Ganda talaga kapag may pics ;D
-
(http://i.imgur.com/184IFY8.jpg)
Totoo na yata 'to
bro. it's really really nice :).
-
damping paint I applied on the cable
cool! may ganito pala :)
-
Nanding Dimailig is my idol. 😀
-
ElCo is Boss
-
wow!
If I may ask sir, what's powering the BHK Sig. 250 or pang alternate lang sa set amp?
-
right now, I am using the BHK 250's as I am trying to put more burn in hours on it, and it is getting better and better. I could happily live with this amp forever. I will eventually switch over to the SET as I think Magico sounds best with it.
The amps are powered by Monster Power HTPS 7000 Signature Series, rest of my system are powered by PS Audio P5. I originally planned to let go of this (HTPS 7000) when I got the PS Audio P10, but the P10 cannot handle my tube amps. The HTPS is a beast, it can handle my entire system by itself without a problem. I don't think it restrict the dynamics by any means.
I also have Mang Rod designed 2000 watts copper shielded isolation transformer (seen in the picture posted). Good too, but I now prefer the convinience of the Monster.
-
Ah that's the newest addition around 250 to 300 hours siguro burn in nyan sir ano? Sandali lang yan pwede kaya 24/7 naka on? may surge protection naman si htps 7000.
-
the latest addition is the Lumin streamer O0
akala ko graduate na ako sa problema ko sa Epson projector ko, di pa pala.
I am now dealing with 2 blinking red light warning, internal problem daw..
makakabili yata talaga ng 4k PJ ah
-
Go go go! You have plenty of choices now for the 4K pj.
Congrats and keep it coming ^-^ Lahat panalo.
-
hintay hintay muna..
I've read some people whose Epsons are having the same symptoms as mine were able to fix the problem by dropping their PJs from 3' high to a thick (or padded) carpet.. a lot who have given up on the broken units have attested that this procedure work.. they said dropping it will put the board connectors that tend to get loose back to original position, thereby fixing the problem associated with the fan..
parang medyo nakakatakot ibagsak, batukan ko muna O0
-
(https://i.imgur.com/184IFY8.jpg)
testing ang using imgur >:D
-
(https://i.imgur.com/184IFY8.jpg)
testing ang using imgur >:D
Is that a Scansonic MB Center channel speaker I see in the middle? ::)
-
yes Sir ^-^
-
incoming Trodt pre amp and 6c33c-b OTL.. sana naman hindi ngongo at red plate yung OTL ni MR 😜