Sonance'84's stereo evolution (lots of photos)

[Sonance'84]

More info please! Who/what/where/when/how ?

Sorry I missed your question...the end table is Heywood Wakefield and I think it's an M308G model. Not sure the time period.

So how does the 222C sound compared to the 299D?

I love it, although I do have to turn the volume knob up louder sometimes. Other than that, I can't really tell too much of a difference. They're subtle and hard to describe. I just got some really nice phase-splitter tubes this week, NOS 6U8 Tung-Sol mil-spec from 1958...I think they added some magic as well. :yes:

There's a couple caps in the front end that need to be swapped out with better specimen, which I'll probably do the work myself here soon. I'm really diggin' the combo as is though.

 

[Rex Everything]

Sorry I missed your question...the end table is Heywood Wakefield and I think it's an M308G model. Not sure the time period.

You sure he didn't mean the Emud?

 

[gunpoet]

This setup served as a great reference point for me and made me realize that sound quality really does get better, the higher up the chain you go. literally thought this would be my 'final' stereo to use for years to come (and pass down)...that is until tubes entered the picture. ara:

I found the amp / pre locally on CL and was beside myself, after lusting over Mac gear. My local hi-fi shop had some more influence on this system as well and got me fitted with a new CDP and some fancy cables. This was my first real taste at what hi-fi was capable of and I loved it. :yes:

Also, the addition of the Denon headphones was out of curiosity. But, as I'm single and don't live in an apartment/condo, they didn't get much use at all and I have since sold them. Though, when I did use them, it was amazing they sound they could produce. No detectable difference when going from the Fortes to the cans.

System 3 (June '09 - June '10 ):

- Mcintosh MC2105 amp
- McIntosh C29 preamp
- Technics SL-1200MK2 w/ Shure M97xE
- Marantz SA8003 (SACDP)
- Klipsch Fortes W/ Bob Crites crossovers and Ti tweeter diaphragms
- Denon AH-D5000 headphones
- Lovan isolation rack
- Kimber Kable 8VS speaker cable w/ WBT locking bananas
- Kimber Kable PBJ interconnects (source to pre)
- Kimber Kable Hero interconnects (pre to amp)
- Furman PST-8 line conditioner

Wow this is a really beautiful system! How is the sound on the turntable? Must be heaven. Would love to hear Dark Side of the Moon from that rig! :thmbsp::thmbsp:

 

[jleon92f]

Thanks, that was a great trip. Great pictures too.:thmbsp:

John.

 

[Sonance'84]

Wow this is a really beautiful system! How is the sound on the turntable? Must be heaven. Would love to hear Dark Side of the Moon from that rig! :thmbsp::thmbsp:

Thanks! I had fun with that rig...funny you mention DSOTM, as I used track 1 & 2 to demo the system to my friends. The SL1200 was my favorite turntable so far and I'd like to find another one now that I'm back on my feet. The sound it made was nothing short of CD quality and I barely had a decent cartridge. Makes me wonder what it can sound like with an upgraded arm and nice cart?

Thanks, that was a great trip. Great pictures too.:thmbsp:

John.

I appreciate the feedback! :yes:

 

[superdog]

Thanks, that was a great trip. Great pictures too.:thmbsp:

John.

I'll second that.:thmbsp: It making me think about where I am headed.Thanks.
Interesting how it came down to the old Scott.

 

[Wes_in_VA]

With all that great looking gear I feel funny asking this....but what are the isolation discs you're using with the equipment?
They look great and I'm hoping maybe they're more affordable than some that I've seen!

 

[Sonance'84]

what are the isolation discs you're using with the equipment?

They're Audio-Technica AT-605 isolation feet...they some in a pack of 4 with a bubble level. I found 8 from a local guy, but no bubble levels or original packaging. They work great for the price, especially when I had them under my Technics SL-1200mk2.

 

[Wes_in_VA]

They're Audio-Technica AT-605 isolation feet...they some in a pack of 4 with a bubble level. I found 8 from a local guy, but no bubble levels or original packaging. They work great for the price, especially when I had them under my Technics SL-1200mk2.

Thanks!
After I posted my reply I did some looking and found the A-T's and thought that those must be it. Finding the actual feet, now that's a different matter! I posted a WTB in Bartertown but I don't hold out much hope!
That's a really great looking setup you have. Very cool to read about the progression.

 

[Sonance'84]

That's a really great looking setup you have. Very cool to read about the progression.

Thanks! It's about to change again...going back to a Scott 299-D. I've modified my speakers since then too (different crossovers), so I'll have to continue this evolution thread soon.

 

[Wes_in_VA]

"Continuing the evolution"...yep, that about says it all.
That Scott looks like a lot of fun. I'm certainly in love with that vintage tube sound!

 

[RanchoMirage]

Sonance,

Nice progression. McIntosh and Klipsh is a combo that always works! Enjoy!

 

[Sonance'84]

always changing...

Wow, has it really been 3.5 years since I've updated this thread?! So long that I almost forgot some details of the evolution. I'll try and continue where I left off and revive this thread.

Back in August 2012, I ended up having to sell the Scott 222-C and then my friend sold the Denon TT that I was borrowing, so I ended up using a Yamaha M-60 that was my stepfather's and pairing it with a C-60 that I found on CL. In August, I ordered and built the ALK Engineering crossover kits for my Fortes which I really liked compared to the Crites crossovers. I also did a few little mods to the Fortes while I was in the DIY tweak mood. You can read my build and review threads of them here. Not much else to say about this system...it did sound great and held me over until I could find some tubes again. Nothing bad about the Yamaha pieces, they just weren't my flavor.

I didn't take any pics of this system, but it was setup the same as the last one minus the TT and the amps are different.

System 8 (Aug '12 - Nov '12):

- Yamaha M-60
- Yamaha C-60
- Marantz SA8003
- Klipsch Fortes w/ ALK Engineering crossovers & Crites Ti tweeter diaphragms
- Kimber Kable 8VS & Hero
- Furman PST-8 line conditioner
- Audio-Technica AT-605 isolation feet
- Lovan isolation rack

 

[Sonance'84]

peaks and valleys...

Sometimes you find good stuff on CL and this was one of those times. A nice stack of Cayin gear popped up on there in November and I was immediately drawn to it like a moth to light. I quickly sold the Yamaha stack to help fund the purchase. I was really only interested in the integrated tube amp, a Cayin A-50T, which is 35W (Ultralinear), 16W (Triode) and comes with EL-34 power tubes. I sold the rest of the Cayin gear and Polk speakers to help offset some more of the purchase and help fund some parts for modding. I upgraded all the tubes, coupling caps (Mundorf Supreme) and added a few other tweaks, bringing this amp to a whole other level. You can see my thread on it here with plenty of photos. It was the first tube amp that I got to play through my new ALK crossovers and it sounded awesome! I really dug this system.

I thought this was the system that would stick around for a while, but... I ended up blowing the engine in my truck at the end of March. This was very bad timing and forced me to sell basically my entire system in order to fund the repairs of my truck! I was devastated to say the least. With zero backup components in the closet to use or anything, my 2-channel setup was gone. Thankfully, most of it went to AK members. I fixed my truck over the next few weeks and got by with my slim-line Marantz HT receiver and tiny Canton 5.1 satellite speakers, which is great for movies but it's not my preference for listening to music.

I knew my search for a new system, from the ground up, would follow in the next few months. So, at least I had something to look forward to after all the hurt.

System 9 (Nov '12 - Feb '13):

- Cayin A-50T (modified) w/ Gold Lion KT-77, Telefunken 12AX7, RCA clear top 12AU7
- Marantz SA8003
- Klipsch Fortes w/ ALK Engineering crossovers & Crites Ti tweeter diaphragms
- Kimber Kable 8VS & Hero
- Furman PST-8 line conditioner
- Audio-Technica AT-605 isolation feet
- Lovan isolation rack

 

[Sonance'84]

So, we left off with the above system, which was liquidated so I could fix my truck. Only the Furman PST-8 and one set of AT-605 feet made it through the sale. From February 2013 through April 2014 I used a bunch of random gear that I found on Craigslist or borrowed from Rex Everything (again), but nothing that really stuck, so I won't call them an actual system.

One of the things I found was a small Rotel RA-960BX integrated that I paired with some recapped ADS L470's that I had upstairs sitting unused. Soon sold both of them. Some rare M&K speakers were the next find, but they needed work, so they went upstairs under a sheet until I could get to them. Then I found some Leach kit speakers (Georgia Tech Audio Laboratory) and paired it with my iPod and some borrowed Allen Organ 20 mono-blocks. There was a huge impedance mismatch with that system to say the least. I also tried a Heathkit SA-2 integrated and a B&K ST-202, the latter being the best with the Leach speakers, actually getting them to sing. Had a pair of DQ-10's here at that time as well, but not enough power to give them a fair judgement. Nothing really had synergy or the sound I was looking for either. I didn't even have a proper source, just the iPod.

I soon sold the SA-2, Leach speakers and DQ-10's and also gave the B&K ST-202 back to it's owner. The funds would go towards my next Craigslist find, which also steered me back towards the M&K speaker project. Both would become the foundation of my next system.

 

[Sonance'84]

a new beginning...

After a year of wandering through the audio wastelands, I was finally able to find some key pieces of gear which became the foundation of this new system. I started piecing this one together in April of 2014 and it's slowly been growing to this day. I have a vision for this system though...something I never really had in the past. My budget is still limited, but I've been lucky in finding some great deals. A couple of these pieces are just placeholders until I can afford their replacements. This is one of my favorite systems so far!

This one all started when I found the Musical Fidelity A300 integrated, which at the time I didn't know much about it or that it would quickly become one of favorite amps ever. I think I still had the Leach speakers and used them with the A300 at first, until they sold. Then I decided to give the M&K SV-200B's a chance, even though they were only partially working. Only the passive 2-way monitor upper section worked, the lower active subwoofer sections did not. Even without the lower octaves, these things sounded amazing! I couldn't wait to fix the lower sections and hear them as they were designed. I soon had the woofers re-foamed and I rebuilt the plate amps myself with much better parts than original. I was blown away the first time I plugged in the woofers and listened to some music. I went from 65-22KHz to 24-22KHz (+/- 3db) with the 200 watt Volkswoofers activated, which many of you know have flat frequency response and are fast. I knew right away that these M&K's were keepers. I then decided to rebuild the 2-way monitor crossovers, so I could get the full impact of these speakers. It's coming up on a year now after the restoration and I can firmly say that I'll never willingly let these speakers go.

Next was the tweaks...new Kimber Kable speaker wires and Pangea AC cables. I also found a RGPC 400 Pro, which made an incredible improvement to the Volkswoofer performance. The Lovan rack is different than my last one and was in bad condition when I found it, left outside in the summer heat. I brought it back to life and it works great. The sound panels are the most current tweak, which really made a difference as well, taming the room from all the tile flooring.

Now I'm focusing on my sources, which had been the weak link. At first, my trusty old 5th gen. iPod with the Wolfson chip was my only source. Then, a friend gave me a Toshiba HD-XA1 which has very nice Burr-Brown PCM1755 chips and is compared to high-end cd players for redbook playback. It was a definite improvement, but is now a placeholder until I can find what I want. I just recently came across a Benchmark DAC1 USB modified by Parts ConneXion in Canada, which is now my main source and I couldn't be happier. This is also my first stand alone DAC. My computer runs USB into the DAC1 and the HD-XA1 is optical for now.

That brings us to analog...this is something that was a higher priority in past systems, but I found myself focusing on digital first with this one. I'm kicking myself for selling my Technics SL-1800MK2 a while back. Now I'm using a Sanyo TP-1010, which is also a placeholder and will become my girlfriend's TT once I find something else. I'd love a Clearaudio table or the one they make for Marantz.

The last system that I could compare to this one is #5, which had the Alon IV's and an OCM 500 amp, both of which are amazing. That's how much I think of my current rig. So as I said above, I have a few more things on my list to fill out this system. I'm in no rush though, as it already sounds great and a lot of the fun is in the search for the missing pieces.

System 10 (Apr '14 - Oct '17):

< Dedicated 2-channel >
- Musical Fidelity A300 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier
- Musical Fidelity X-10V3
- Benchmark DAC1 USB w/ Parts Connexion Level 1 mods
- Sanyo TP-1010
- Miller & Kreisel SV-200B
- Kimber Kable 4VS & 8VS
- Richard Gray's Power Company 400 Pro
- Furman PST-8 line conditioner
- Pangea AC-9 (amp)
- Pangea AC-14SE (dac)
- Lovan Pyramid AVR isolation rack

< A/V 5.1 >
- Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000
- Marantz NR-1403
- Canton Movie 150 QX speakers
- Sony Playstation 4
- Windows 7 HTPC
- Furman PST-8 line conditioner
- Custom Audio LLC. power cord (HTPC)
- Logitech Harmony One remote

 

[Sonance'84]

 

[osubuc45]

Very cool thread. You have some really nice equipmenmt there.

 

[Drugolf]

 

[Nightwisher]

Looking better and better all the time mate!