what recent changes have you made to your system?

[Nick B]

An audiophool's work..... I mean an audiophile's work.... is never done. Within the last few months, I've added the terrific Holo Cyan2 dac, Hattor Big active preamp with New ClassD opamp and  TWL Pete's wonderful HP Digital American II power cord.
They replace a Border Patrol SEi dac, Supratek Chardonnay tube preamp and Audio Envy 3P power cord from the wall that was plugged into Dave's UberBUSS. The system now is quieter and resolves better without sounding lean. I am a big advocate of getting my system to be as quiet as possible. I enjoy the new information revealed from the original recording, the new layering and air in the soundstage.

I am on the Hapa Audio cable tour over at AC and will be receiving Jason's Aero cu and Aero ag polished interconnects soon. I previously auditioned Jason's Haiku version.....hand polished silver wire and connectors. They were very good...very revealing, airy, holographic. They were very pricey as Jason did all the polishing by hand. The latest version has polishing that is automated. To what extent, I don't know. So that will be quite interesting when I get those for review in a few weeks.

Have any of you changed or auditioned gear or cables? If so, pls give us the particulars.

[steve]

Nick, glad to hear of success of your endeavors. Nice job finding what you needed.
Closer to the music is such a great feeling. 

Continued success my friend.

steve

[Nick B]

Thanks, Steve

[Barry (NJ)]

I added a Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3 pre to my system. It replaced my trusty Audio Alchemy DLC/PS3. I listened to it stock for a couple of weeks and was very pleased. Nice soundstage, good detail. I don't think there was any improvement to the detail over my AA DLC, but it definitely add some of that magic tuby-ness to the soundstage, and more air and separation around/between the different sound sources in the recording. Swapped in a pair of NOS GE 12AU7 and it brought some more soundstage improvement. Enjoyed that for a few weeks and then swapped in some Mundorf Supreme EVO Oil coupling caps and again noted even more improvement to the soundstage. None of the changes were mind blowing, but they were definitely there. Very pleased with my new pre. Thinking of trying some 6SN7 tubes in place of the 12AU7s, have the adaptors, haven't picked up any 6SN7 tubes yet though...

[Nick B]

I added a Musical Paradise MP-701 MK3 pre to my system. It replaced my trusty Audio Alchemy DLC/PS3. I listened to it stock for a couple of weeks and was very pleased. Nice soundstage, good detail. I don't think there was any improvement to the detail over my AA DLC, but it definitely add some of that magic tuby-ness to the soundstage, and more air and separation around/between the different sound sources in the recording. Swapped in a pair of NOS GE 12AU7 and it brought some more soundstage improvement. Enjoyed that for a few weeks and then swapped in some Mundorf Supreme EVO Oil coupling caps and again noted even more improvement to the soundstage. None of the changes were mind blowing, but they were definitely there. Very pleased with my new pre. Thinking of trying some 6SN7 tubes in place of the 12AU7s, have the adaptors, haven't picked up any 6SN7 tubes yet though...

Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.

[malloy]

Hey Nick,

I bought an iFi lan iSilencer for the WiiM streamer.

https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/

A gift card was expiring this month, so I pulled the trigger. Cleans up the signal from ethernet. Beneficial for cheapo streamers they say. Well, that's my streamer.  Let's see what it does.

Paul

[Nick B]

Hey Nick,

I bought an iFi lan iSilencer for the WiiM streamer.

https://ifi-audio.com/products/lan-isilencer/

A gift card was expiring this month, so I pulled the trigger. Cleans up the signal from ethernet. Beneficial for cheapo streamers they say. Well, that's my streamer.  Let's see what it does.

Paul

Hey Paul,

That looks like quite a handy device. My first priority is that of reducing noise and that has continued to yield excellent results. The iFi streamer I had was better than the Auralic Mini and my current Holo Red streamer is better than the ifi. I've heard of the WiiM, but don't think I've read any comments or reviews on it.

Nick

[BobM]

My wife decided I needed to clean out my listening room and dress it up a bit, getting rid of that frat-boy look and feel. So I called GIK and spoke to their knowledgeable staff to solidify the ideas that I had. I have Apogee Duetta Signature speakers. They are dipoles, if you are unfamiliar with them. And as such, my acoustic choices are going to be different than most of you that have cone based speakers. Mainly, I need diffusion on my front wall (behind the speakers) and absorption behind my sitting position. I also don't need first reflection point treatment, because these speakers don't project the way a traditional speaker does.

Anyway, I kept the diffusion panels I built some time ago using dowels of various sizes. Unconventional, but aesthetically pleasing and they work wonderfully, if mostly in a horizontal manner. I added the felt and wood panels across the front wall and purchased a central focus diffuser from GIK. I call him Q-Bert   I also have some small circular corner absorber tubes I placed in the corners of that front wall. They probably don't really act as bass absorbers but they do have a coated side facing out and can help diffuse any high frequencies hitting those corners while doing a bit of something for any standing bass notes. I really can't fit 2' round bass traps there and this seems to be working just fine, which probably has something to do with my subwoofer positioning pulled out of the corners and placed next to the speakers. This results in a quicker sound and much less "boom".

My fat GIK absorption panels I recovered to match my couch and hung them on the back wall behind my sitting position. I covered as much of the wall as I can there. The one open doorway is to a closet where I store my media and the other is to a bathroom. Not much I can do there and yes, it does sound better with those doors open rather than closed. Maybe those rooms act as bass traps, I don't know.

Anyway, here's the results, Enjoy.

[Nick B]

My wife decided I needed to clean out my listening room and dress it up a bit, getting rid of that frat-boy look and feel. So I called GIK and spoke to their knowledgeable staff to solidify the ideas that I had. I have Apogee Duetta Signature speakers. They are dipoles, if you are unfamiliar with them. And as such, my acoustic choices are going to be different than most of you that have cone based speakers. Mainly, I need diffusion on my front wall (behind the speakers) and absorption behind my sitting position. I also don't need first reflection point treatment, because these speakers don't project the way a traditional speaker does.

Anyway, I kept the diffusion panels I built some time ago using dowels of various sizes. Unconventional, but aesthetically pleasing and they work wonderfully, if mostly in a horizontal manner. I added the felt and wood panels across the front wall and purchased a central focus diffuser from GIK. I call him Q-Bert   I also have some small circular corner absorber tubes I placed in the corners of that front wall. They probably don't really act as bass absorbers but they do have a coated side facing out and can help diffuse any high frequencies hitting those corners while doing a bit of something for any standing bass notes. I really can't fit 2' round bass traps there and this seems to be working just fine, which probably has something to do with my subwoofer positioning pulled out of the corners and placed next to the speakers. This results in a quicker sound and much less "boom".

My fat GIK absorption panels I recovered to match my couch and hung them on the back wall behind my sitting position. I covered as much of the wall as I can there. The one open doorway is to a closet where I store my media and the other is to a bathroom. Not much I can do there and yes, it does sound better with those doors open rather than closed. Maybe those rooms act as bass traps, I don't know.

Anyway, here's the results, Enjoy.

Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.

[BobM]

Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.

Mine were original when I got them oh maybe 10 years ago, with little of the dreaded bass buzz, but I bought a subwoofer controller that now sits between my preamp and amp (Mccormack DNA500). The cutoff is 80Hz on that, so the panels and amp don't see anything below that. The dual subs take care of the bottom end and problem solved. I did update the crossover (what a beast!) with caps, resistors and wiring and put it in a separate box behind the speakers.

If you get a chance to hear Apogees, or most any pure ribbon speaker (there aren't many) you should do so and curse me after. One caveat ... they are true one person speakers. The sound outside the sweet spot is good, but, in true racecar fashion, they need perfect setup to bring that amazing presentation to the center seat. But if you are in that seat there's no going back.

[Nick B]

Thanks, Bob. What a nice setup and diy panels as well. I have never heard Apogees at a friend's or at a show. How long have you had them? Are they completely original or has any restoration work been done? What amplification are you using and what is the accompanying equipment? I have no acoustic treatments in my new home yet, but am looking into it. I am also so fortunate to have my JM Reynaud Voce Grande.... what amazing two way speakers.

Mine were original when I got them oh maybe 10 years ago, with little of the dreaded bass buzz, but I bought a subwoofer controller that now sits between my preamp and amp (Mccormack DNA500). The cutoff is 80Hz on that, so the panels and amp don't see anything below that. The dual subs take care of the bottom end and problem solved. I did update the crossover (what a beast!) with caps, resistors and wiring and put it in a separate box behind the speakers.

If you get a chance to hear Apogees, or most any pure ribbon speaker (there aren't many) you should do so and curse me after. One caveat ... they are true one person speakers. The sound outside the sweet spot is good, but, in true racecar fashion, they need perfect setup to bring that amazing presentation to the center seat. But if you are in that seat there's no going back.

Thanks for the background on those Apogees. About 10 years, ago I owned a McCormack DNA 500 and that is quite an excellent amp to drive those speakers. It's good that you solved that buzzing problem by restricting the low frequency and using dual subs. I would consider myself fortunate to someday be able to listen to Apogees, even if it meant being in an extremely limited sweet spot.

[Barry (NJ)]

Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.

Hey Nick, still passing through every so often

The Musical Paradise 701 is designed to handle all kinds of tubes and also allow for easy swapping of capacitors...

https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=103

Technical highlights

1. Onboard filament voltage switches allow support both 6.3V and 5V rectifier, 6.3V and 12.6V signal tubes.

2. Onboard DIP switches allow user to select 4 different levels of output gain to support different input sensitivity of amplifiers. 

3. Zero negative feedback circuit provides the most natural sounding.

4. Oversized 150W toroidal transformer provides sufficient power redundancy. It is magnet shielded in the compartment underneath the motherboard.

5. Output coupling capacitors and power filtering bypassing capacitors are user changeable to further improve or customize the overall sound characteristics. No soldering is required.

6. Built with genuine HiFi grade components, such as Vishay military grade resistors, Genuine Rubycon and Nichicon LOW ESR power filtering capacitors, OHVL coupling caps, Bennic XPP bypassing capacitors, ALPS volume control and power switch, heavy gold-plated terminals.

7. Solid aluminum alloy case, suspension feet and knobs.

8. Remote volume control feature.

[Nick B]

Hey Barry,
Good to hear from you. It's been a while. The AA goes back a ways. Was Dusty one of the guys at AA? I wasn't aware those tubes had similar enough characteristics to be able to be swapped out. I really like my 6ns7 Supratek pre, but the Hattor (aka Khozmo) with NewClassD opamp is very good and resolves a bit better. I'm fortunate to have those choices.

Hey Nick, still passing through every so often

The Musical Paradise 701 is designed to handle all kinds of tubes and also allow for easy swapping of capacitors...

https://www.musicalparadise.ca/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=103

Technical highlights

1. Onboard filament voltage switches allow support both 6.3V and 5V rectifier, 6.3V and 12.6V signal tubes.

2. Onboard DIP switches allow user to select 4 different levels of output gain to support different input sensitivity of amplifiers. 

3. Zero negative feedback circuit provides the most natural sounding.

4. Oversized 150W toroidal transformer provides sufficient power redundancy. It is magnet shielded in the compartment underneath the motherboard.

5. Output coupling capacitors and power filtering bypassing capacitors are user changeable to further improve or customize the overall sound characteristics. No soldering is required.

6. Built with genuine HiFi grade components, such as Vishay military grade resistors, Genuine Rubycon and Nichicon LOW ESR power filtering capacitors, OHVL coupling caps, Bennic XPP bypassing capacitors, ALPS volume control and power switch, heavy gold-plated terminals.

7. Solid aluminum alloy case, suspension feet and knobs.

8. Remote volume control feature.

Hey Barry,

Keep passing through...we'll be here 😊 That is really a flexible device. I appreciate a manufacturer that provides so many options and great value for it's customers. I've read many positive comments about Musical Paradise. I see they offer other devices including an amp and external clock and a nice looking learning remote for the various devices.

Next up for me is auditioning some copper and silver cables from Jason at Hapa Audio on AC. I have his polished silver coax and it bettered my WyWires Platinum.

[dflee]

This has been about as close to trial by fire as I've ever been.
It all started when I wanted to try a new pair of speaker cable. I had a four channel amp that could be made
into two channel (monoing two channels) and wanted to hear how they sound. Had two sets of SC originally and only had one set of trial. It was awesome sound while it lasted. Fried the amp cause the speakers were 4 ohm. Went through a slew of amps trying to come up with one I liked and during that process my wife who lost her vision inadvertently turned the volume all the way up through the remote didn't realize she was on the wrong channel. When she pushed the right one it blew out the mid range on a speaker. Of course you can't get a new driver on a twenty plus year old speaker so now gotta find a good combination.
With having a job it became quite the challenge. To get to 500 hrs on a piece in thirty day requires the unit to be on over 16 hrs a day and the manufactures kept telling me to give it time to break in. That ended up with purchasing and having to sell as used six different amps and two pair of speakers. I estimate I've lost over five digits money wise and yet I pursued on. I got a little crazy with it cause during that time I was dealing with my wife's situation (which got worse), not thinking properly and taking someone's advice other than my own ears.
In the end I've found that class D just isn't for me and while I set a limit on my purchases should have gone beyond it in the first place cause I ended up putting out the money through my endeavors.
I now have Dali Rubicon 6 speakers, Coda Continuum 8 amp, Sonnet Morpheus mkII dac with Happa Audio connecting everything. I hope to never replace my Accuphase C11 pre or MF MCD cd spinner. Hoping this is it for me. I had original stuff for over twenty years and was happy. I am at happy plus with what the system is now.
And to top it all off I find myself not listening to anything since the loss of my wife. Go figure.

Don

[Nick B]

This has been about as close to trial by fire as I've ever been.
It all started when I wanted to try a new pair of speaker cable. I had a four channel amp that could be made
into two channel (monoing two channels) and wanted to hear how they sound. Had two sets of SC originally and only had one set of trial. It was awesome sound while it lasted. Fried the amp cause the speakers were 4 ohm. Went through a slew of amps trying to come up with one I liked and during that process my wife who lost her vision inadvertently turned the volume all the way up through the remote didn't realize she was on the wrong channel. When she pushed the right one it blew out the mid range on a speaker. Of course you can't get a new driver on a twenty plus year old speaker so now gotta find a good combination.
With having a job it became quite the challenge. To get to 500 hrs on a piece in thirty day requires the unit to be on over 16 hrs a day and the manufactures kept telling me to give it time to break in. That ended up with purchasing and having to sell as used six different amps and two pair of speakers. I estimate I've lost over five digits money wise and yet I pursued on. I got a little crazy with it cause during that time I was dealing with my wife's situation (which got worse), not thinking properly and taking someone's advice other than my own ears.
In the end I've found that class D just isn't for me and while I set a limit on my purchases should have gone beyond it in the first place cause I ended up putting out the money through my endeavors.
I now have Dali Rubicon 6 speakers, Coda Continuum 8 amp, Sonnet Morpheus mkII dac with Happa Audio connecting everything. I hope to never replace my Accuphase C11 pre or MF MCD cd spinner. Hoping this is it for me. I had original stuff for over twenty years and was happy. I am at happy plus with what the system is now.
And to top it all off I find myself not listening to anything since the loss of my wife. Go figure.

Don

Don,

That is a long, difficult and expensive journey to get you back to this point. What is the original amp that was fried? I've heard very good things about Coda amps and preamps.

As to not listening after your wife passed, it happened to me as well. I stopped listening for a long time. One day I thought...this is nuts. I love music, have listened and enjoyed for decades and my wife appreciated my love of music as well. So I forced myself to start listening again. And it didn't take long for me to enjoy it again.

Nick