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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: Frequincy on June 16, 2013, 07:40:43 PM
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I was curious about other member's playback home systems. Any hi-fi folks here playing back your recordings?
I'm always buying and selling but currently I've been listening through a Marantz 5 disc CD changer>Sonic Frontiers SFL-1 Preamp>Pioneer Spec2 power amp> Snell Type E ll speakers. The speakers are bi-wired. Not a super high end setup, but sounds pretty good.
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Living room is:
Denon DP 37F turntable or Arcam CD62 CD player > Onkyo R1 preamp > Paradigm Active 40s and a Paradigm sub.
Basement / studio is:
HP Tower > Lynx Aurora 8 > Coleman Audio M3PH MkII > NHTPro A10s and NHTPro sub or Ashly SRA-120 > Avantone Mixcubes (passive).
Yamaha CDX450 > Pioneer SX205 Receiver > JBL 4406 monitors.
OZ Audio HR-4 headphone amp > AKG K-500, AT ATH-M50 and AT ATH-A700 cans.
Nothing new or spendy, but they sound good.
I especially like the A10s.
Then of course there is the little Logitech Purefi dock and the iPod which gets used a lot. Probably more than the house systems.
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I have a mess of different systems all hooked together, some nicer than others
Sony 2.1 speaker system about 8 years old
Sony souround speakers and sub
Logitech subwoofer
Then the nice part
Dennon avr 9 Channel amp
4 bic dv62si
Polk 10 inch sub
2 bic 4 inch speakers
Then the source Is my dell xps laptop
And a turntable
So in all I have 4 subs with 13 speakers, I usually use different parts for different genres for example my Sony stuff sounds great wiTh the dead and rock stuff and my dennon system sounds good with classical and acoustic guitar, etc.
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My current set up in the living room:
Receiver: Yamaha RX-V673
Sources: Oppo DV-980HD (sacd/dvd-a playback), Samsung Blu-ray (3-D)
Speakers:
Fronts: Rega RS5's
Rears: Rega R1's
Center: Rega RS-VOX
Subwoofer: Some Energy 8" subwoofer
I'm in the process of mounting the rears for a more effective surround sound experience.
I've been busily buying up sacd's, dvd-audio and dual discs for their MCH mixes. Some of this stuff sounds incredible. Anyone else buying any MCH material?
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McIntosh C28
Luxman T-110 FM Tuner
Apogee MiniDac - recently added
Adcom GFA-555II
Parasound HCA-100A (bridged for sub)
Dahlquist LP-1 active crossover - for sub
Dahlquist DQ-10's -bought new (recapped, rewired, reconed, mirror-imaged)
Dahlquist DQ-1W sub reconed
Adcom GCD-700 CD player (using digital out)
Oppo DV970HD - for SACD's (using digital out)
Yamaha YP-800 TT - bought new with Micro Acoustics 2002e cartridge (now used for only for vinyl transcriptions)
All digital outs go to the Apogee which also serves as my input switcher.
Mac, Dahlquist, Lux, Yamaha, I bought new.
(My brother, upon hearing mine, bought a similar system, but with 2-400 watt Macs and stereo subs. The sound is humbling)
Basement-Family Room:
Adcom GCD-600
Adcom GTP 450
Adcom GFA-545II
Michael Green "tunable cabinet" bookshelf speakers (Vifa drivers)
(to me, the tunable concept is more or less snake oil; I don't like the sound of resonant cabinets so mine are fully tightened)
Yes, I'm an Adcom fan; it's about bang for the buck. If I had the $, I'd probably be using all Mac power.
The Adcom power sounds good on the DQ-10's which are very power hungry.
Dave
PS: For working with recorded audio, I use ADAM-A7's.
Cubase, Presonus Firestudio Project, Steinberg CC121 control surface, Apogee MiniMe and MiniMP which are usually in my remote bag.
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macbook optical out >
usbpre2 >
audeze lcd-2 (rev 2) or denon ah-d7000 (markl modded, L2)
I live in an apartment and want my neighbors to stay quiet so I return the favor.
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I was curious about other member's playback home systems. Any hi-fi folks here playing back your recordings?
I have various options.....
I have a Myryad m-series system for the CDs played back through either Harbeth M30A monitors or Geithain RL906 monitors (both active).
I have a Linn Sondek turntable with Ortofon cartridge for playing back LPs.
I also have a Grace m902 plugged into this system for my Sennheiser HD 800 headphones.
I also have a MacBook Pro and sometimes use the optical or USB out into a Grace m903 and listen on Sennheiser HD 800 headphones or Geithain RL906 active monitors.
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Early 70's Sansui Quadrophonic QR-6500 & JBL Century L100 speakers
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HP Desktop>Sony Active Speakers!!! Not even close to high end but it does the job ;)
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^Absolutely!
I have an assortment of Sony home stereo stuff I've kept over the years that I use a lot.
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Early 70's Sansui Quadrophonic QR-6500 & JBL Century L100 speakers
Epic
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Main System: Cambridge Audio BD751 > Cambridge Audio Azur 840A > B&W CDM1SE (Morrow Audio SP3 speaker cables and Moon Audio Silver Dragon interconnects)
Bedroom System: Pure Audio i20 > Qinpu A-6000 MKII > Silverline Minuet (Morrow Audio SP1 speaker cables and Morrow Audio MA1 interconnects, Western Electric tubes)
Computer System: Lenovo T400 > J River Media Player > Audioquest Dragonfly > Audioengine 2 (Moon Audio Silver Dragon interconnect)
I want to replace the speakers in the main system with something a little larger because I find myself living in larger houses lately. I have my eye on the Sonus Faber Venere 3.0, but time will tell as to whether I pull the trigger on those.
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HP Desktop>Sony Active Speakers!!! Not even close to high end but it does the job ;)
I'm using Sony SRS-68 10w active speakers I bought over 20 years ago for the majority of my listening. Works for me.
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For my own listening, apart from the computer where I do sound editing, I've used Allison loudspeakers ever since they were introduced in the 1970s. They're getting hard to maintain now that the company has been out of business for so long, but well worth it because I can trust what I hear through them.
For my computer system, I use the small RA Labs model One monitors, but they're deceptively bass-heavy, at least in the place where I have to put them. Am not happy with this since I often have to make low-frequency EQ decisions on that system, and if something sounds right over those speakers, it's probably too bass-shy in reality. So that's an unsolved problem at present.
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Main system:
Turntable: Thorens TD160
DAC: Mytek Stereo96DAC
DVD-A: Mcintosh MVP851
CD: Jolida JD100 (modified)
Integrated amp: Mcintosh MA6500
Headphones: Sennheiser HD600
Speakers: Legacy Audio Focus HD
Power conditioner: Richard Gray S400 and Richard Gray Power Company
Mostly homebrew ICs
Mothballed/Need to sell: Cary SLM100 monoblocks and Conrad Johnson PV11 pre
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Main system:
Turntable: Thorens TD160
DAC: Mytek Stereo96DAC
DVD-A: Mcintosh MVP851
CD: Jolida JD100 (modified)
Integrated amp: Mcintosh MA6500
Headphones: Sennheiser HD600
Speakers: Legacy Audio Focus HD
Power conditioner: Richard Gray S400 and Richard Gray Power Company
Mostly homebrew ICs
Mothballed/Need to sell: Cary SLM100 monoblocks and Conrad Johnson PV11 pre
Damn, that's one HELLUVA setup Stu ;) I'm sooo jealous ;)
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DAC: Mytek Stereo96DAC
Damn, that's one HELLUVA setup Stu ;) I'm sooo jealous ;)
i want that mytek, at-least to audition....
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DAC: Mytek Stereo96DAC
Damn, that's one HELLUVA setup Stu ;) I'm sooo jealous ;)
i want that mytek, at-least to audition....
I'm just not a Mytek guy. I'd LOVE a Grace DAC tho ;) diff strokes for diff folks I guess. But I'm still jealous stu ;)
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DAC: Mytek Stereo96DAC
Damn, that's one HELLUVA setup Stu ;) I'm sooo jealous ;)
i want that mytek, at-least to audition....
Good Choice Page ;D
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System 1 (for general listening by anyone at home)
Sony CDPX55ES (CD player)
Sony DTC77ES (DAT recorder)
Sony ST-S505ES (FM/AM Tuner)
NAD 1000S Monitor Series (Pre-amp)
Quad 606 (Power amp)
Dynaudio BM15 (Speakers.)
Meier Audio Corda Cantate (Headphone amp)
AKG K701/702 (Headphones)
System 2 (is a bit more selective and the kids don't get to play with it!)
Sony SCD-XA5400ES (SACD/CD Player)
Audiolab 8000T (Tuner)
Grace m904 DAC/Preamp
or
dCS950 (DAC)
ATC SCA2 (Pre-amp)
(depending upon what's needed on recording duties)
Chord SPA 1032 (Power amp)
ATC SCM20ASL- Pro or Quad 989 (again depending upon what's out on recordings)
Sometimes with ATC SCM 0.1-15 Sub (partly dependent on use elsewhere and partly on whether I can be bothered to carry it in and set it up!)
Stax SR 007 Omega-II with SRM-007t (Electrostatic headphones with valve energiser)
(and/or AKG K701/702 via Grace m904)
System 3 (Mono radio only, currently packed away as I have nowhere to set it up that a child won't trash it)
Quad FM1 (mono valve FM tuner)
Quad AM1 (mono valve AM tuner)
Quad QC1 (mono valve preamp)
Quad II (mono valve power amp)
Quad ESL (electrostatic speaker)
Other bits kicking around that get used all over the place for listening in other rooms, or on small location recording setups, or for transferring old recordings include:
CD/other sources Linn Classik Music, Marantz PMD 331 CD player
DAT machines: Sony PCM 7010, 7030, 7040, 2000, 2500, Studer D780
Sony F1 format PCM processors: PCM601/701
Cassette: Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1, Dragon
Open Reel: Revox PR99-II, Studer A80, Studer A807, B67, Telefunken M15, M21
amps: NAD 3020i, Omniphonics S300B, Chord SPA 608, Bryston 4B
speakers: Acoustic Energy AE1 Mk1 (currently awaiting re-coned drivers), Rogers LS3/5A, ATC SCM100ASL (usually reserved for larger scale location recordings and never set up at home as they're a bit ..er... "imposing" in domestic spaces and last time I tried them my wife came close to the 'it's them or me' discussion)
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See Sig.
I've posted pics in the past but much of the system is in storage till we move into a bigger place. Wife was willing to try and fit the 2ch system, but there was just no way we could fit it in our little downtown condo.
For comp audio & writing music (which I've been getting back into): more DAWs than I can count > Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 > hybrid tube headphone amp > HD-600s
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IMO - Playback is more important then the recording rig. If you can't hear your recording correctly then how could you master it properly.
I record to listen to the music. Probably listen to my recording more then anyone else. Since I am home all day I have a spent many many hours/money investing in a quality playback system. From upgrading the AC to many 20 amp dedicated lines, using SPL meters and frequencies files (20, 30, 40... HZ) to build custom bass traps and treatments for the walls, spent time using Many Power conditions - Richard Gray, Furman, PS Audio . Have a AC/DC regenerator. That takes your AC power turns it to DC then back to CLEAN AC with 2000 watts of clean power. Tested and spent a lot of time investigating different types of wire (copper, silver, gold, platinium) for my interconnects, speakers cables, recording cables and power cables. Have many different sound cards with HQ AD on them. Have read 1000's of hours online about different products and it took me over 5 years to get the system that I finally am happy with.
Have 3 DAW's. 2 dedicated DAWS only. Full back up systems for HD. 2 full systems in living room and dining room. Dining room is my mastering system. Then I take it to the big system in the living room to listen to the final product. My main system has speaker capable of being able to reproduce the full freq of 20 - 20000. Then have another video/audio system that is medium quality. Then have the car system with the only system I have with a sub-woofer. I take my masters and listen with a CD on all 4 systems when I really am working on that recording to get it sound good.
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Dining room is my mastering system.
are you married?
they must be a saint.
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Dining room is my mastering system.
are you married?
they must be a saint.
Lets put it this way. I told my wife I get the living room for audio only - no TV and I would build my wife her own TV/audio room which I did. She have a full room decicated to TV with one of my audio systems and 2 large screen tv's. Luckily she loves music and the same music I do.
Many of you know what I run as my rig...I have spent a lot more on my home systems. When I die I told my wife you will get a lot of money for all I have invested in. Bought many products that do not lose much value over a period of time - such as McIntosh.
Music is my life...think I was a musically note in some other life...LOL
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:clapping:
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IMO - Playback is more important then the recording rig. If you can't hear your recording correctly then how could you master it properly.
Yes and no. Don't get me wrong, I agree with pretty much everything you said and I have taken a similar journey. I was into audio, live shows, recording and playback since my dad brought me to my first Dead show at 13 and my cousins brought me to my first Phish show (both in 1990). I've done stints doing FoH in smallish rooms, multi track recording from choirs to rock, and selling both mid to (very) high end home theater and high(er) end 2ch (both digital and analog systems). My point isn't to toot my horn... rather, just to say that I know where you are coming from in terms of investing a lifetime chasing "that sound".
Like I said, I pretty much agree with everything in your post but I'm not sure the first sentence *always* plays out. I have always seen my recording rig and playback rig as an extension of the same system. Up until last week, when I chose to downsize (down cost?) the back end of my recording rig, I would say that I had built each part of my system to work with one another. The c34>V2 tended to be brighter and very "present" which, in the best of circumstances, resulted in a clear top end and tight super defined bass. When I messed up, it was just bright.
Needless to say, my playback rig was built to compliment that. It has a warm tube presence that doesn't get sloppy in the bottom end. The sub has helped but it wasn't something I bought or would have ever thought to spend my money on (it was a sales reward/point thing with Martin Logan). I guess what I am trying to say is that it is all about building a system to your specific likes, but everything you put between the original vibration and your ears in reproduced music makes a difference. Some have fairly minimal effects (cables... though it certainly isn't zero as some like to claim) and some have more. But I think taken as a whole, your recording rig and playback system, so long as both meet what would normally be thought of as the necessary requirements for "hi-fi", aren't something that I can place in a hierarchical order.
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Computer: HP> E-mu1212 Balanced out soundcard> KRK RP6's
HP> E-mu1212 Optical out> ZeroDac OPA627> JVC IEM's
Bedroom: Dennon 710's 3head decks, Tascam 130 3head deck, Tascam 301mkII Minidisc, TASCAM CDRW700> Carver CT6 preamp> Carver TFM-15cb amp> Paradigm SE3MkII monitors
(at the moment I looking to upgrade to either an OPPO>Burson Soloist> a pair Music Fidelity M1's> into the Paradigms)
or
(OPPO> Audio GD Master10 Integrated amp> into the Paradigms )
Living room: Sony Blu-ray + Sony CDP-275> Sony STRDN1030 7.1 Receiver> Polk Audio R300's main, R150 surrounds, CSR center channel, PSW10 sub.
(looking to upgrade to an oppo player here are well)
Looking at it all I feel blessed to have what I have.... I am firmly based in the midfi world but very happy.
I have way to much invested between recording and playback.... way to much >:D
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Dining room is my mastering system.
are you married?
they must be a saint.
LOL
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Dining room is my mastering system.
are you married?
they must be a saint.
LOL
He is not the only one.... Thank god for the ZeroDAC
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Two systems:
Main:
VPI HW-19 Mk. 4 (26# platter) with Graham 2.2 tonearm, stand-alone motor
Conrad Johnson pre- and power amps
Onix CD-1
Nakamichi cassette decks
Onix Reference One Mk. 2 loudspeakers
Sennheiser HD600 and AKG 702 cans.
VPI HW-17F record cleaning machine.
power conditioner
Man cave:
Tweaked Technics SL-1200 with custom arm board, feet replaced with cones, Rega RB-300, modded to include 78 rpm.
Marantz 1060 integrated (with phono stage)
Tascam CD-RW 901
Nak cassette decks
B&O Beovox S45-2 loudspeakers (owned since new in 1979) (one of the few good speakers they ever produced; respectable, but not high-end)
power conditioner
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Onyx Reference 1A loudspeakers
Onyx as in Warfedale Onyx? or Onix ref speakers? Not familiar with a brand using the Onyx spelling (save for MB Quart's car ref series)... Just curious.
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My brain fart; Onix (as in the former AV123), which was a great company until Mark Schifter got greedy, committed fraud, was jailed, and killed a really good company. AV123 bought Onix around 15 years ago from the esteemed UK company Rogers.
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More than you all want to know I’m sure, but who else in the world would even care that I used to series-parallel wire four speakers off one amp channel to drive 8 speaker surround playback from a 5 channel input home theater amp? Only you all, maybe.
Not counting-
Currently unused stuff packed away (2 and 4 track recorders, old amps, disc players/burner DSPs, EQs, bunch of speakers, other odds and ends, the sweet rebuilt turntable I bought from Moke a several years back still sits packed in it’s armored cardboard box!.. my foot dragging, long story, thanks Mike!).
Stuff in current use which counts-
Sources-
Laptop S/P-DIF output via one of several USB boxes.
Recorder direct output from R-44 or DR-680 via S/P-DIF (2ch) or analog RCA (multichannel).
Silver discs via S/P-DIF from laptop drive or a couple component players (Sony, Panny).
Radio (analog terrestrial) via internal tuner in Panasonic receiver.
Which go through-
Mytek Stereo 96 DAC/headphone amp (thanks Audball)
-or-
Panasonic SA-XR55 receiver (S/P-DIF or 6ch RCA analog input, 7 amp channels, 100Wpc nominal)
and a Sony receiver for one additional amp channel.
Converted into sound again by-
Headphones-
Senn HD650 or Etymotic ER4S/P
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Speakers (8 total around the room, no subs)-
4 x B&W 802 matrix v3 (Left/Center/Right/RearCenter*), 2 x B&W surrounds and 2 x Klipsh book shelves (model numbers of both escape me at the moment) as parallel wired Left/Right surrounds; Klipsh at ~90-110 degrees from center, B&Ws surrounds in dipole mode farther around the back at ~140 degrees approximately.
I re-patch input interconnects and speaker cables depending on the desired speaker configuration:
1) Direct 2ch stereo (the Panasonic self-configures with internal relays, bridging unused amp modules internally and biamping, providing 200Wpc to the woofers, 100Wpc to the tops nominal, probably not really)
2) 5 - 7ch matrix surround (un-bridged 7x100Wpc nominal, but not really)
3) Discrete 4, 5 or 6 channel surround (6 channel discrete uses the additional Sony receiver amp channel*).
Almost all of my 4 channel surround recordings are LRCB. Discrete 3 front channels to the Left/Right/Center speakers, with the single recorded Back channel mult’d and routed to all 5 surround speakers (the Klipsh’s at the sides, the B&W surrounds in dipole-mode farther back and the extra 802 which is the mate to the one used up front in the center, at the rear center).
My 5 channel surround recordings and movies or other commercial surround material looses the CenterBack 802, and splits the remaining 4 surround speakers into two parallel wired L/R pairs. If I had an easy way of matrixing a center rear from the discrete L/R surrounds I probably would, but the Panasonic can’t do that.
I’ve made a handful of 6 channel surround recordings which can be played by routing the (6th) CenterBack channel through the subwoofer input/output RCAs on the Panasonic so I achieve level and tone control over all six channels, which feeds one channel of the Sony receiver amp, which is used as a single amp channel only, its level knob set appropriately and then left untouched.
*The CenterBack B&W802 is the extra speaker of the second 802 pair, the other used as the Center speaker up front. It is amplified by the Sony receiver, which is all that receiver does. Believe it or not, I used to playback my discrete 4 channel surround recordings through all 8 speaker powered by the Panasonic alone. Using individual amp channels for each of the 802s (left, right, center, rear-center) and running the 4 remaining surround speakers off a single amp channel using series parallel wiring. It worked fine, but there is less patching required for 5 and 6 channel, more headroom, and although the series parallel load was not a problem, I still rest easier with the side surrounds simply paralleled and the Sony powering the Center Back 802.
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I have this weird "room" in my house. Took me a little bit to figure out it was perfect for the listening room. It's too small for anything "normal" but large enough for my modest sound system...which is 90% used for vinyl playback. The other 10% is Google Music >tablet > bluetooth > amp. It has my soundsystem, media and a single chair in it.
Turntable: Sumiko RM 1.3 (w/Sumiko Pearl)
Amp: Music Hall a15.2
Speakers: Epos ELS 8
Bluetooth playback: Google/Asus Nexus 7 > Logitech Bluetooth Receiver
Thinking about upgrading the amp and possibly the phono cart at some point in the near future. Probably will go with some tubes for the amp...but stick with a MM cart.
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Sounds like a cool sound closet fort capsule.
To add a twist to my sound fortification command module, it's setup on a diagonal in the room. The 3 mains out on the floor and the surrounds along the diagonal walls and rear corner with a 'V' shaped sofa.
When friends stop by for a listen we sit like this-
(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EmoiAK60xmk/0.jpg)
But determined in blind testing that the helmets veiled the midrange transparency unacceptably so now we dress more casually-
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Apollo_8_Crewmembers_-_GPN-2000-001125.jpg/200px-Apollo_8_Crewmembers_-_GPN-2000-001125.jpg)
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Nice Gutbucket ;D
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Believe me, the yellow Crocs are a critical tweak for getting giant soundstage, dude!
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Believe me, the yellow Crocs are a critical tweak for getting giant soundstage, dude!
Definitely. You GOTTA have the yellow Crocs 8)
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Receiver:
Yamaha RX-A3000
CD Player:
Yamaha CDC-905
Speakers:
Boston Acoustics VR40 (FL, FR) Bi-Amped
Boston Acoustics VR12 (C)
Boston Acoustics VRS Micro (RL, RR)
SVS Subwoofer 25-31PCi (Sub)x2
HDtracks and other 48K/96K/192KHz @ 16bit/24bit playback:
Home built Win7 PC > Foobar v1.2 WASAPI out > ASUS XonarDX S/PDIF Digital Output > TOSLINK > RX-A3000
Controlled by my iPhone :)