We have around 1,000 direct customers now, with luck maybe about 1 in 25 post their thoughts online, we get lots of thanks over the phone or by email. So if your passing by AK or are a member here, please let us know what GF gear you have or have had.

Thanks,
Ian

Tube buffer. Cheap thrills, but the good kind. Mentioned in a complimentary manner.

B-283 Tube Buffer. Very, very nice with vintage solid state recievers in line from the CD player or PC.

I'm currently running out from the PC by USB to a Musiland LILO, through the B-283 into an old Kenwood receiver, then out to a pair of Altec Capris speakers, and it is beautiful. Not "hi-fi," but very, very, nice for a very, very nice price. Recommended for the regular folk with bad rock n' roll ears like me!

Keep up the good work!

Tube Buffer for as well. What an excellent device.
Makes me want for true tube amp/pre-amp/CD gear.
That will be next.
nascar03

I just bought one of Grant Fidelity's RITA-880 Integrated Tube Amps. I haven't received it yet (just purchased it late last night), but I will keep anyone who is interested, up to date on when the 120 lb beast shows up. I will probably start a different thread here in this forum for a review and such.

I am feeling just like a little kid waiting for Santa to show up!


:banana:




Retro

Proud new owner of a Tube Buffer. It is a great addition to my CD player.

I just bought one of Grant Fidelity's RITA-880 Integrated Tube Amps. I haven't received it yet (just purchased it late last night), but I will keep anyone who is interested, up to date on when the 120 lb beast shows up. I will probably start a different thread here in this forum for a review and such.

I am feeling just like a little kid waiting for Santa to show up!


:banana:




Retro

Please let us know the rest of your system one of the reasons is that if i go for a tube integrated amp it will probably be the RITA-880 TO DRIVE MY 82DB 1+1 Acoustat,s.

Please let us know the rest of your system one of the reasons is that if i go for a tube integrated amp it will probably be the RITA-880 TO DRIVE MY 82DB 1+1 Acoustat,s.

Keeping it real simple here to start, but my only source component will be a Marantz Reference Series SA-11S2 SACD Player:

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2008/642/x642SA11S2-f_MT.jpeg

And a pair of Tyler Acoustics Decade D4 Speakers:

http://pic5.audiogon.com/i/s/f/1241110397.jpg

I have some other speakers I might try as well.





Retro

Quite a few things from Ian and Rachel in my household right now, which include:


A-88 Integrated tube amplifier upgraded with :


4 x Shuguang Treasure KT-88 Power tubes

2 x TJ Full Music 12AX7 preamp tubes


B-283 Tube buffer


MRCA-1 Gold Coated Copper Reference Interconnects

Retro - looking forward to reading your impressions on the RITA. I'm using a McIntosh MVP861 universal player with my GF gear. Sounds very very nice :)

I have an A-348 integrated tube amplifier, RPF-120 power conditioner, and PC 1.5 power cables. I cannot compare the A-348 to other tube gear, but it is better than any SS gear I've been able to hear. The A-348 makes my Altec-100's sound far better than I had thought possible, though a speaker upgrade is on the horizon. The GF products I own have very good build quality and are a great value from my perspective.

What makes GF unique for me though is the customer service. Ian and Rachel are quick to respond and you get to talk to someone who cares about your total listening experience, not just their product. Ian went above and beyond helping me through some issues not related to his product and offering advice on my system.

CD-327A........waiting for review of CD-1000 Impression II

My Rita showed up last week, but I need to leave it crated up for a few more weeks while I finish up my home remodeling project. I'm in the middle of completely re-doing my dining room, living room, first/second floor stairwell, and the upstair hallway, all at once! It is a 1915 built house and has the old plaster walls that take a lot of prep work to re-do. The sheet-rockers will be here this week, then the taper/mudder guy, then we have to do all the painting, and then finally have the wood floors sanded down and refinished. I'm hoping to have everything done by the end of August and my review of Rita will follow shortly thereafter. I also ordered some very nice, heavy-duty new TV/Audio racks for Rita and all my other components. Don't worry, I'll be taking lots of pictures. :yes:






Retro

Can't wait to hear that setup Greg.

Love the Tylers at Ron's shindig.

Heck, at this point Gary, I'd love to hear that setup too.
:D

It's damn hard looking at that crate every time I walk by it, but with all the dust I'm kicking up around here, that's the best place for it.
:yes:

Maybe I'll have to have a little fall get together a couple of weeks after Jay's KC "Twango-Fest?"

Of course, you're welcome down here anytime, just give me a shout, and if it's before the end of August, I'll grab an extra paint roller & brush for you.

:D




Retro

Of course, you're welcome down here anytime, just give me a shout, and if it's before the end of August, I'll grab an extra paint roller & brush for you.

:D

Retro

Heck maybe you need to have a get-together and just have all the AK nuts do the painting for you.:lmao:

Heck maybe you need to have a get-together and just have all the AK nuts do the painting for you.:lmao:

Or at least run some dedicated power to your listening room :)

Tube buffer. Cheap thrills, but the good kind. Mentioned in a complimentary manner.

Same here...great little rig. Won't listen to cee-dee without it...:thmbsp:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=518&pictureid=2956
Grant Fidelity B283 Tube Processor

Gohan

1} First the A-348 tube int amp. Can run el 34 and kt-88.
So far I've put in TJ 12ax7, The TREASURE cv-181-z x2 and am running the reg el34 at the moment. Have already purchaced the QUAD OF TREASURE KT-88-Z that I haven't put in Yet.
2} The next is the A-534-B 300B integrated power amp with 2 Telefuncan
12AX7 and 2 treasure 6ca7 to drive the 300-B. On their way early next
week are my pair of TREASURE 300-B-Z to complete the sound.
As you can tell I love the TREASURE series tubes.
3} One pair of GRANT FIDELITY RSB1 1st order crossover speakers using
Morel 6 1/2 mid bass driver and 1 inch tweeter. I run the speakers with the 300-b int amp although the speakers are between 85 and 87 DB sensitivity they do the job very well with all the volume i need..
4{ I use one of the orig GRANT FIDELITY power conditioners. I also use 3 of their pc 1.5 power cables.
5} I have also one of their less expensive interconnect cables I run to a tuner.
6} I have paid for and expecting with my 300b order early next week along with my new pair of GF supertweeters.

I've never written down all the GF gear I own ,I got a little jittery.
Thing is I've really liked the sound of every piece of gear so far. Never had that before.

Well, here it is:

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7388/rita24.jpg

Instead of the Tyler Acoustics D4's (they are going into a different system), I went with Grant Fidelity's Shengya V-518 speakers loaded with the wood horn tweeters for better "whole system" synergy. Careful what you wish for. :D

So, as far as Grant Fidelity epuipment and components, I now own the RITA-880 Integrated Tube Amp, the Shengya V-518 Speakers, 4 of the PC 1.5 Performance Power Cables, an RPF-120 MKII Reference Power Conditioner, a pair of SPC 5n Copper Speaker Cables, a pair RCA-1 Performance Interconnect Cables, and I just got the Tube DAC-09 in the mail yesterday.

I think I'm done for a while. :D





Retro

Great Pic !!!, thanx, makes my day :)

Great Pic !!!, thanx, makes my day :)

Thanks Ian!

I have more pictures of the system in this thread here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=234219




Retro

Thanks Ian!

I have more pictures of the system in this thread here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=234219




Retro

Great pics, Rita is so hard to get a decent picture of with her faceplate, which btw, will only be an option after this current stock is sold out.

More good news today, Rita-340 has won an award from ToneAudio, my avatar is the award for 'Best Product Debut' from Soundstage for Rita-880.

We need to get the 'Big Hornies' (ShengYa V-518's) out for review soon, Rachel keeps selling my demos on me.

I ran Rita and the V-518 a couple of weeks ago in the Ballroom at the Carriage House in Calgary and was in heaven, in a really big room just stunning sound.

Cheers,
Ian

I ran Rita and the V-518 a couple of weeks ago in the Ballroom at the Carriage House in Calgary and was in heaven, in a really big room just stunning sound.


Yeah, and they ain't too bad in a smaller room either.

:D




Retro

I just to update I'm now the proud owner of a RITA 880 int amp. recieved delivery today. Also have aquired 4 more of IAN'S PC 1.5 power cords and a discontinued P307 phono pre amp that also acts as a tube buffer at the same time believe it or not.
Well just wanted to update.


All the best Les

I just to update I'm a proud owner of a RITA 880 int amp. recieved delivery today. Also have aquired 4 more of IAN'S PC 1.5 power cords and a discontinued P307 phono pre amp that also acts as a tube buffer at the same time believe it or not.
Well just wanted to update.


All the best Les

Congrats Les on your score,

I believe you hold the record for most GF amps in a collection, A-348, A-534B and a Rita-880. If someone is looking for a basically new A-348, I'd be talking to Les pronto :)

It is cool that you will end up with my two favourite amps and your RBS-1 speakers were voiced using both amps. You will kind of be in my head or ears.

Oh, but if you do unload the A-348 you will move into a tie with quite a few.

Cheers,
Ian

As I now have all three of the amps now I think I'll Probably have to move 1 .
Ah well the Rita and the 534 I guess I'll be ok.

As I now have all three of the amps now I think I'll Probably have to move 1 .
Ah well the Rita and the 534 I guess I'll be ok.

So Les, are you having some fun moving that RITA 880 around?

:D



Retro

Ya I must say RETRO that she's hard and difficult to move. Can't do it by myself. Just like your's she's ended up in the bottom of the rack but on top of about 140 lbs of cut stone.

I've owned much heavier amps before but all had handles front and back.
So I pick up the transformer end and my wife picks up the front end and when we set it down to put back in the rack it's always on pillows.

Have you tried any of the upgrade tubes yet? They have some great sounding TJ 6sl7 and the cv-181{6SN7} treasures. I've changed All of them in the rita and the 534 but to save cash and get an "excellent" increase in sound
Quality just change the front end tubes first. Sorry for blurting as I am so pleased with the products.
She throws a huge soundstage and I mean huge and It just keeps getting better as she breaks in.

Thanks for the note enjoy your new toys.

All the best Les

Hi Ian,
I've got your B283 Tube Processor. It's hooked up to an old Marantz 2270 receiver and some JBL L80t. So far it's a definite :thmbsp::music: New to tubes but looking forward to doing business in the future.
Thanks, Bob

I have the DAC-09, which is doing an extraordinary job with Sennheiser 540's, also as the DAC for CD playback from a JVC DVD player, and as tube buffer and amp for vinyl playback.

On the way is the last of the Opera-Consonance ST-100 tonearms, Ian's Dynavector platform, which I will be mounting on my pristine Thorens TD-124 for which I paid 50 cents. The cartridge will be a V15 Type III with Shure OEM 2.6 mil "Stubby" elliptical for 78s, and a choice of LP stylii.

Next thing I need are budget stand-mounted speakers for medium to close field audio/video work, and just plain ole' listenin'. They should have uncoloured bass and decently-extended but not exceptional highs

. Steve ..

I have the DAC-09, which is doing an extraordinary job with Sennheiser 540's, also as the DAC for CD playback from a JVC DVD player, and as tube buffer and amp for vinyl playback.

On the way is the last of the Opera-Consonance ST-100 tonearms, Ian's Dynavector platform, which I will be mounting on my pristine Thorens TD-124 for which I paid 50 cents. The cartridge will be a V15 Type III with Shure OEM 2.6 mil "Stubby" elliptical for 78s, and a choice of LP stylii.

Next thing I need are budget stand-mounted speakers for medium to close field audio/video work, and just plain ole' listenin'. They should have uncoloured bass and decently-extended but not exceptional highs

. Steve ..

Well Steve, being a studio guy who's ears are trained to the HD 540's, you might be interested in my LS3/5A speakers. Based on the legendary BBC studio monitor that never took hold here in NA, you may want to try my version. Got rid of the mid bass hump and extended the bass with a more natural sound. Rogers just released them again at $3600, mine are under $1K. Again, just talk to Rachel, my demos now have about 20 hours on them :)

http://grantfidelity.com/site/LS3-5A_Speakers

Next would be my RBS-1's which are for the studio or for home use which are bass flat down to about 38hz in a typical nearfied. Combined with Rita you have a tube studio reference system. I still want to shoot those that taught me only solid state for studio monitoring. Bit pricier but well worth it.

They are Rachel's product of the week at 20% off.

http://grantfidelity.com/site/Grant_Fidelity_RBS-1+_Morel_Bookshelf

Cheers,
Ian

Hi Ian,
I've got your B283 Tube Processor. It's hooked up to an old Marantz 2270 receiver and some JBL L80t. So far it's a definite :thmbsp::music: New to tubes but looking forward to doing business in the future.
Thanks, Bob

Thats the way to go, enjoy your vintage Marantz and JBL's with a taste of tubes while you explore all that is out there in tube land. The B-283 will always find a use, I really doubt it would ever be just sitting somewhere collecting dust.

Cheers,
Ian

Well Steve, being a studio guy who's ears are trained to the HD 540's, you might be interested in my LS3/5A speakers. Based on the legendary BBC studio monitor that never took hold here in NA, you may want to try my version. Got rid of the mid bass hump and extended the bass with a more natural sound. Rogers just released them again at $3600, mine are under $1K. Again, just talk to Rachel, my demos now have about 20 hours on them :)

http://grantfidelity.com/site/LS3-5A_Speakers

Oh I love the BBC monitors! My friend, who IS a professional audio editor, uses 11 ohm Spendors and swears by them. They sound perfect to my ears.

Next would be my RBS-1's which are for the studio or for home use which are bass flat down to about 38hz in a typical nearfied. Combined with Rita you have a tube studio reference system. I still want to shoot those that taught me only solid state for studio monitoring. Bit pricier but well worth it.

Yes I saw those, they're very pretty, that's what reminded me of my next priority. :scratch2: There are several reviews of your booth online that praise these speakers.

I'll be driving the monitors with the Yaqin VK-2100, however I'm getting the itch to build a valve power amp, as I used to when I was a teenager. - Maybe triode-connected push-pull 6L6's or 807's.

They are Rachel's product of the week at 20% off.

http://grantfidelity.com/site/Grant_Fidelity_RBS-1+_Morel_Bookshelf

Cheers,
Ian

Too soon for me, but I recommend people reading this thread look them up, they seem to be very good speakers with capabilities greater than their cost or physical size.

Thanks Ian for everything, see you at a show one of these years..:beerchug:

MM, If you don't have any of the LS3/5A versions do think hard about it. They come up used often enough to grab a pair. I of course I like ours but look around first. Seeing that you in the business and also an audiophile or musicphile, these things are kind of a must to have, even if only as a reference to compare other speakers against. I do it all the time when doing crossovers for our other speakers, the LS3/5A brings me back to ground zero on the midrange and other things.

The RBS-1's are a nice step up, giving you the bass that the LS3/5A without the trade-offs bass normally introduces for studio work.

The Yaqin VK-2100 has a bass hump that the designer of Yaqin loves in some of his gear, basically a loudness button (his words to me). I think you mentioned that you tamed it with a tube roll, but when I used the A-534B (design/build by Yaqin) to remaster some work, it was like I was in heaven and that is hen I decided I wanted to shoot the guys that taught us we could only use SS in the studio. The remaster traveled exactly like I had heard it.

The A-534B may not be enough to impress clients that need the floor shaking, that is where Rita comes in. Say goodbye to every 20 minutes breaks to avoid ear fatigue from the typical studio culprits. Not just GF amps, try any tube amp for monitoring, your ears will adjust in minutes.

Cheers,
Ian

Over the past two years I've purchased the following from Ian and Rachel, A34 integrated tube amp (discontinued), A348 integrated tube amp with upgraded KT88 and TJ tubes, a surge/power bar, and a Dac-09. Next move, probably a power cord. After thirty five years of using solid state equipment, I made the switch and couldn't be happier, Over the years I've had mid priced Japanese amps Pioneer, Yamaha Sansui, Sony, Luxman, to higher end American and British designs. PS Audio, Creek, Meridian, Meitner, Musical Fidelity. My A 348 has replaced a Consonanse Ref 150 hybrid amp (bought used) the Consonanse was a great amp, which replaced a Musical Fidelity A 300. Here's the deal, the A 348 replaced the Ref 150, which had replaced the A300. In the late 90's I spent about $500. or $600. more for the Musical Fidelity than I did for the A 348 all tricked out. I couldn't agree more with the Grant Fidelity slogan high end sound without high end prices. I would recommend anyone in the market for some new audio equipment would first check out Grant Fidelity you could end up spending a lot more and getting less in the bargain. Now, having great audio system at bargain a price is fine and dandy, but what happens if you experince a problem and you find out that all the money you saved was because their after sales service and customer care don't exist! Rest assured, this is Grant Fidelity's forte, they stand behind every product, promptly answer emails or phone calls. So let's see, superb products, bargain prices, excellent afer sales/customer care. I don't think anyone could ask for more, and by the way, they are really friendly people who are passionate about what they do.

Well, here it is:

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/7388/rita24.jpg

Instead of the Tyler Acoustics D4's (they are going into a different system), I went with Grant Fidelity's Shengya V-518 speakers loaded with the wood horn tweeters for better "whole system" synergy. Careful what you wish for. :D

So, as far as Grant Fidelity epuipment and components, I now own the RITA-880 Integrated Tube Amp, the Shengya V-518 Speakers, 4 of the PC 1.5 Performance Power Cables, an RPF-120 MKII Reference Power Conditioner, a pair of SPC 5n Copper Speaker Cables, a pair RCA-1 Performance Interconnect Cables, and I just got the Tube DAC-09 in the mail yesterday.

I think I'm done for a while. :D





Retro

I did the Men's Expo show in Calgary over the weekend and ran the ShengYa V-518s with the 80w Class A Jungson (who makes Rita) SS amp. We were able to drown out the main PA, received many thanks from other vendors and filled the venue with awesome sound. The show organizers decided not to use the PA for canned music and our system became the music for the show, they only wanted loud rock played :)

Oh, size of the room, at least 30,000 SQ. FT with a 25 FT ceiling. I love these speakers, I have mentioned they need some breathing room ;)

Cost of system - about $6K

Cheers,
Ian

What a coincidence! A couple of weekends ago, after the remodel was done and the new furniture arrived, something seemed wrong with "both" my newer systems, so I swapped the speakers out of both of them. The results were spectacular. Here's a picture of the new "larger room" system:

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6392/pb090016.jpg




Retro

The V-518 Speakers now have at least twice as much square footage to work with, which has tamed them down considerably. The other equipment in the audi rack is as follows:

Lamm LL2 Deluxe Tube Preamp
Pioneer Elite PD-65 CDP (being used as a transport)
Music Hall 25.2 Tube DAC
Forte' Model 4 - Pure Class A Solid State Amplifier

The complete system sounds pretty good to my ears, and the room itself was a huge improvement for those speakers.





Retro

Here is the smaller room now housing the Tyler Acoustics D4 Speakers:

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5509/pb090035.jpg

The other equipment in the audio rack would be the RITA-880 Integrated Tube Amp with the Marantz SA-11S2 SACD Player.

I also am using the GF Power Conditioner, RCA Cables, and Power Cord for the RITA.





Retro

Looks great Retro and sure makes a lot more sense looking at the room, swapping out the speakers. Are you going to try Rita with the V-518's in the big room?

I did mention they needed a decent sized room :)

Cheers,
Ian

Couple of pics showing the smaller room to the larger, and vice/versa:

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2487/pb090038.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/3280/pb090030.jpg




Retro

Looks great Retro and sure makes a lot more sense looking at the room, swapping out the speakers. Are you going to try Rita with the V-518's in the big room?

I did mention they needed a decent sized room :)

Cheers,
Ian

Yes Ian, you did mention they needed a decent-sized room a couple of times, and I think I got it now. :D

The smaller room was the first one remodeled and I couldn't wait any longer to get that RITA and those V-518s set up. :D

As far as moving the RITA into the larger room with the V-518s, I do believe I will give that a shot sometime in the future, but right now I'm just enjoying the way it is right now. With the Tyler D4s being 87 dB efficient and the V-518s being 92 dB, the extra RITA power is working pretty good on the D4s right now.



Retro

Yes Ian, you did mention they needed a decent-sized room a couple of times, and I think I got it now. :D

The smaller room was the first one remodeled and I couldn't wait any longer to get that RITA and those V-518s set up. :D

As far as moving the RITA into the larger room with the V-518s, I do believe I will give that a shot sometime in the future, but right now I'm just enjoying the way it is right now. With the Tyler D4s being 87 dB efficient and the V-518s being 92 dB, the extra RITA power is working pretty good on the D4s right now.



Retro

Congrats on the beautiful reno job, the flooring is awesome. How did you ever talk the wife into 2 systems? I'm sure others would like to know. I used the 'I can make money from it' line, she bought it, but then quit her job to become my boss. Oops :) and now she gets all the money, I do get lots of toys thought to play with.

Will the wife let you move speakers around a bit?

Cheers,
Ian

Couple of pics showing the smaller room to the larger, and vice/versa:

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2487/pb090038.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/3280/pb090030.jpg




Retro

Way off topic. but that is obviously an old, well-built house. Are the internal pillars a cosmetic element, or the back balance for cantilevered gables balancing against the house's roof or upper floor? I've seen that in American houses built in the early 1800's and it's an advancement of the flying arches used in medieval cathedrals.

MM, If you don't have any of the LS3/5A versions do think hard about it. They come up used often enough to grab a pair. I of course I like ours but look around first. Seeing that you in the business and also an audiophile or musicphile, these things are kind of a must to have, even if only as a reference to compare other speakers against. I do it all the time when doing crossovers for our other speakers, the LS3/5A brings me back to ground zero on the midrange and other things.

The RBS-1's are a nice step up, giving you the bass that the LS3/5A without the trade-offs bass normally introduces for studio work.

The Yaqin VK-2100 has a bass hump that the designer of Yaqin loves in some of his gear, basically a loudness button (his words to me). I think you mentioned that you tamed it with a tube roll, but when I used the A-534B (design/build by Yaqin) to remaster some work, it was like I was in heaven and that is hen I decided I wanted to shoot the guys that taught us we could only use SS in the studio. The remaster traveled exactly like I had heard it.

The A-534B may not be enough to impress clients that need the floor shaking, that is where Rita comes in. Say goodbye to every 20 minutes breaks to avoid ear fatigue from the typical studio culprits. Not just GF amps, try any tube amp for monitoring, your ears will adjust in minutes.

Cheers,
Ian

Somehow I missed the updates to this thread until today.. My apologies.

More and more I wish I'd spent money on a tube power amp rather than the VK2100 - which is doing a great job, I've no complaints - and a couple of non audio items. I'm still driving Mach II's, speaker purchasing will have to wait until next year. Meanwhile what might I find NOW for a tube amp with at least 50 watts, less than 2% distortion (some of the Yaqins have 2.5%) and maxing at $600. Again I'm always ready for demos. :D

The TD-124 is all restored and working well, (the speed issue is resolved,) and it's running with a V15 type III with Ed Saunders and OEM ellipticals, as well as the OEM VN78, and the system sounds absolutely fantastic, remarkably better than I was expecting; 78s sound exceptionally good, being transparent and quiet. Some of the 78s are showing things on them that I've never heard before... A lot of that solidity and drive to the audio is no doubt due to the TD-124, its reputation is quite deserved. However a vacuum tube power amp will probably add a bit of sweetness to the sound, which currently has some artificiality and, as you mention, does produce fatigue, which is not the fault of the RS speakers.

Way off topic. but that is obviously an old, well-built house. Are the internal pillars a cosmetic element, or the back balance for cantilevered gables balancing against the house's roof or upper floor? I've seen that in American houses built in the early 1800's and it's an advancement of the flying arches used in medieval cathedrals.

The internal pillars in this particular house are purely cosmetic. The house itself will be 100 years old in about 5 years. Well-built is an understatement, as a 90 mph straight-line wind blew through town here a few years back and I didn't even wake up, and I'm a light sleeper.



Retro

Congrats on the beautiful reno job, the flooring is awesome. How did you ever talk the wife into 2 systems? I'm sure others would like to know. I used the 'I can make money from it' line, she bought it, but then quit her job to become my boss. Oops :) and now she gets all the money, I do get lots of toys thought to play with.

Will the wife let you move speakers around a bit?

Cheers,
Ian

Ian, thanks for the kind words on the reno, it was a lot of work and I'm glad it is finally nearing completion.

I actually have 3 very nce systems currently set up. The third is down in the family room and it consists of an EchoWars rebuilt Pioneer SPEC 1 & 2, another Pioneer Elite PD-65 CDP (also being used as a transport), another Music Hall 25.2 Tube DAC, and a pair of Thiel CS3.6 Speakers. Speaking of which, I see you came out with a new pair of speakers that look a bit like my Thiels:

http://grantfidelity.com/site/files/imagecache/product_list/files/wz5ses_y_01.jpg

How do I get away with it as far as my wife goes? She knows it is a passion of mine and she enjoys the music as well. I also bribed her by doing the reno and getting rid of my huge surround sound system that took up half the living room. I also promised her I would be selling off all my other equipment, which is a lot.

I also have an office system consisting of the only receiver I use, a Pioneer SX-D5000 (excellent tuner section), another Pioneer Elite PD-65 CDP, my newer Gateway laptop being "analogized" by a "Grant Fidelity" Tube DAC-09. Excellent combination and sounds really good to me. I swap a few different pairs of speakers in and out of that system, but because of the promise I made to my wife, I'll have to settle on one pair in the near future. I think I'll start a thread in the speaker forum to help me decide which pair to keep, Design Acoustics PS-10s, Polk Monitor 7s, or Infinity RS-3001s? I already have a favorite pair out of the 3 pairs, I'm just curious as to what everyone else's choice would be.





Retro

The internal pillars in this particular house are purely cosmetic. The house itself will be 100 years old in about 5 years. Well-built is an understatement, as a 90 mph straight-line wind blew through town here a few years back and I didn't even wake up, and I'm a light sleeper.



Retro

I'll bet that solidity means less sympathetic vibration from the walls and less colouration to the sound, helping the already good system sound even better.

A small hotel in Macedon NY, on the old Erie Canal, built in the late 1770s of interlocking wood beams held in place by cork pegs, was tilted by 6 degrees, some 2 degrees out of true, seeming to be collapsing, thus it was listed for demolition. A powered ditch digger tried to knock down a corner of the building in preparation for a general controlled collapse, and it wouldn't budge! After further inspection of the house they realized how well it was constructed, did a cosmetic repair to that wall, cranked up the drooping end of the house, and it is now still standing as a very sturdy private home belonging to friends of mine. I love old houses.. but that's a digression.