Schitt Yggi+ Less is More DAC | Holo Serene preamp | Sanders Magtech amp | Audience FrontRow speaker cables | Magnepan LRS+ speakers | Magnum Dynalab 108T tuner | Sansui TU9900 tuner | low-end Oppo SACD as transport | D.BOB interface for SACD DSD and CD PCM via the OPPO
My headphones system in the office:
Schitt Yggi+ Less is More DAC | Schitt Mjolnir preamp | Schitt Aegir amp | RAAL SR1a | RAAL CA-1a
My go to artists to see if I like gear is RUSH, specifically Moving Pictures and the Rolling Stones. Listening to the new Stones album as I write this. Sounds great on headphones.
My favorite aspect of the office gear is that I sold more expensive gear for almost each item (except the 2 RAAL phones) and found better sound for lower price.
Primaluna integrated running my own personal selection of tubes ,Harbeth super HL5’s , kimberkable interconnects and mapleshade speaker wires. That’s my streaming setup. Another Primaluna integrated using a different personal selection of tubes ,kimber kable interconnects and speaker wires. Rega p3 40th anniversary turntable ,Graham Slee phono amp ,Ortofon brown mm cartridge and Harbeth Compact 7’s .
gettin there.
got my
1. endgame automatic and manual tables, denon DP-65F and rega P3.
2. endgame preamp 1 of 2, van alstine fet valve RB
3. endgame DAC, musical paradise MP-D3 mK3 deluxe
4. endgame phono, tavish adagio
5. endgame speakers 1 of 2, JBL L150
i plan to have two endgame systems, den and office, and, in addition, a rotating cast of home made characters i build, partially assembly, modify to suit, etc
my go to album for testing soundstage and bass is a cliche--pink floyd DSOTM. i use beatles taxman for digital in my office system - at the least. when the lead vocal kicks in, it hangs in the air a foot above my head, dead center.
i use black sabbath debut album; that rain sound is almost too realistic on some systems. thats good?does the very beginning of side one have me wantin to look out the window? yeah thats good.
my brother sometimes brings over aja as a test record. thats quite a cliche. another one i use is ole coltraine. theres a lotta wacky noisemaking going on that title track.
I'm happy with what I have (finally loaded in my profile) and can't imagine that I'd stop upgrading. It's a lot of fun buying "the next thing" used or new at a deep discount. I think I have under 15K all-in at this point. About 1/3 of retail.
Active speakers with 6 modifications i made and i place them in their acoustic corner : M-Audio AV40..
Dac Nos Battery TDA 1543 by Christophe Mariac...
My main system :
AKG K340 modified and optimized , Hidizs AP 80 pro battery dac ...
Sansui Alpha 607i as amplifier for them ...
The last time i tried to upgrade appeared as an error...
One of the best dedicated headphone in the world never beat my Sansui headpone out ...
why ?
Because an electrical synergy is not an acoustical experienced synergy ...
You can have a measured well done electrical synergy and a bad acoustical synergy ...
A good acoustical synergy implicate an electrical synergy but an electrical synergy dont necessarily implicate an acoustical synergy ...
it is especially true with an hybrid headphone with inside an acoustic device and a dual acoustic chamber...
i will replace a defectuous component perhaps but i will not "upgrade"... the reason is simple , i am on the minimal threshold of acoustic satisfaction , to go on the optimal acoustic satisfaction threshold , i will go from 700 bucks system to over 10,000 bucks at least perhaps 15,000 replacing each part ... It is meaningless because the distance between these two acoustic tresholds is less than the distance from regular not well embedded system and really well synergetical and well embedded one generally ...
Those of you with costly system , dont think i am deaf .... i was able to mechanically tune my room... Try it ... 😁
@idcabinfeverI notice many of those who have declared their system "done" have relatively low end systems while those of us with less ability to control capital expenditures know that we will probably keep upgrading. 😎
A low cost system is not NECESSARILY an acoustically low end system...
If you were more informed you will know that the AKG K340 was the best headphone of his days with the top Stax...
The Sansui alpha is a top amp. even for today...
Is there better ? Yes...
But going from the minimal acoustic satisfaction threshold to the optimal one cost a LOT of money and more than money : you need specific acoustic knowledge ...Money dont necessarily buy good sound , inform yourself ...
People having money and knowledge are not so numerous, even here ...
And changing the goal post by upgrades is not so easy as purchasing new electronic design as plug and play as many thought here ...
At least i know exactly why i dont need to upgrade even with a better component ...And i understand exactly why i am satisfied and it is not by frustration at all and not because i accepted my system status as low fi.... It is not that at all ...I dont judge with price tag as you seems to do...
I own one among the best low cost system of the world and i created it and optimize it by the way ...😊
Purchasing is not understanding ...
Marketting is not acoustic and psycho-acoustic knowledge , buying is not knowing etc ...
My post was necessary answering your post because beginners coming here and reading your common place fallacy that higher cost is always better and paying more is enough , will be informed that the owner manual of an upgrade costly component dont replace experiments and working embeddings controls especially in acoustic ...
😊😉😁
I notice many of those who have declared their system "done" have relatively low end systems while those of us with less ability to control capital expenditures know that we will probably keep upgrading. 😎
And changing the goal post by upgrades is not so easy as purchasing new electronic design as plug and play as many thought here ...
I think it’s a safe bet that most of us here understand that changing components often results in having to rebalance the system.
Purchasing is not understanding ...
No, but buying the wrong gear can lead to understanding. At least, this has been true in my case! "Learning the hard way" is not optimal but it is (if we are paying attention) effective!
I don't know if I am done or not. I am certainly satisfied, at the moment.
Front End:
VPI Titan Turntable, Van den Hul Frog gold cartridge
Lumin U-1 Streamer
Esoteric K-03XD SACD/DAC
Amplification:
Phono preamp; Parasound JC3+
Preamp: Evo Luna 400
Amps: Classe Delta Monoblocks
End:
Speakers: B&W 800 D3
Subs: SVS PB-16 ultras (2)
Other:
I have a dual hi-pass, low pass, up at pre-amp to divide between amps and amplified subs before amplification.
Dedicated 20 amp circuit, well-shielded
Furman commercial surge/filter
Cables are custom Mogami-based XLR/balanced cables for interconnects throughout system and bi-wired 12g OFC, tinned with silver and tipped with WBT silver plugs
Rack: Adonai.
Oh, and I'm a bomb shelter with curious acoustics. Working on that.
Yes. Tannoy Canterbury GR with VAC Master 300iQ monos and matching Master preamp. The Master amps effected a vast performance increase over other amps. Nothing I’ve ever heard has made so much difference as those amps. The system now matches or exceeds the best sound I ever imagined for that room. I can still play with various phono stages & cartridges for "flavor" changes, and each change is rendered in its best light possible by this downstream.
My "sandbox" for experimenting with more gear combinations has now moved to a smaller office system.
I don’t have a "go to" artist for testing system changes because it becomes boring very quickly! I just use mostly ordinary LPs that have been in recent rotation (no digital at all! lol). Certainly not "audiophile" releases (which I find horrendously boring)! I suppose I do end up using Blue Oyster Cult, Magnum, and Quarterflash more than average. Also like a lot of 80s / new wave / synth wave and some heavy metal (including hair metal). There is a vast difference between a "good" sounding LP and a bad one, and of course I avoid the latter. But the good are certainly not limited to slow, sleepy female singers (like the usual suspects at audio shows).
We all learn the hard way , i am not an exception to this rule ...
But my point is about those who are more fixed on price tag than on acoustic basic... And about the fact that we must learn and study basic and experiment a bit BEFORE any big upgrade...Upgrades dont replace understanding ...
A low cost system can be outstanding in his own way if there is electrical and acoustical synergy between the components and if all system is well embedded in the three working dimensions ... Mine is ... Thats my points...
And changing the goal post by upgrades is not so easy as purchasing new electronic design as plug and play as many thought here ...
I think it’s a safe bet that most of us here understand that changing components often results in having to rebalance the system.
Purchasing is not understanding ...
No, but buying the wrong gear can lead to understanding. At least, this has been true in my case! "Learning the hard way" is not optimal but it is (if we are paying attention) effective!
there is always something to work on be it Spey rods, gun dogs, or a tweak to an already fine Cioppino recipe …. changing the weights on a fantastically swinging double….. why languish in repose ?
“ … I notice many of those who have declared their system "done" have relatively low end systems “…while those of us with less ability to control capital expenditures know that we will probably keep upgrading. 😎…”
+1 ….big time
for those playing in the high end systems sandbox, there is NO END GAME SYSTEM …..there exists only your CURRENT system ….
Acoustical satisfaction exist at ANY PRICE ... Minimal acoustic satisfaction and also optimal and very high acoustic satisfaction ...
And end game SOUND system , independantly of price, is a system able to translate MUSIC in a way we forgot sound qualities or their lacks...
People with money to throw out of the windows, or people with no clue in acoustics , or people who listen the sounds of the changing gear on 10 audiophile albums, or people obsessive compulsive with a perfectionism bent which is abnormal, or people fragile and susceptible to be influenced a lot by marketing publicity and reviewers , all those people out of desesperation often or often by their expanse habits buy upgrades on a monthly schedule like dogs pursuing their tails...
Other like me , once the search for synergy between components is done , when they have it, their hobby is not expanse of money in upgrade because the higher cost is supposed to be better , no, their hobby is learnings and experiments at low cost if possible and learnings how to listen music with acoustic and learning how to listen acoustic with music...
I am happy thanks to what i learned not only and mainly from what i bought ...I am done because music fill my life and in spite of his limitations (speakers) i dont felt any defects on my system now ...
My hobby is music now and i begin to think that many their hobby is expanse and upgrades with no clue about the way to embed anything rightfully so that the system could be transformed as any system MUST BE ...
Many audiophiles pay, plug and play then pay for an upgrade..I study, debug and dont pay, my upgrade is learning how to create better control over the system at low cost... 😁 It was a success ...
I have nothing against people able to afford very costly system , i am not OK with the necessary claim that the higher the price tag the better it is... It is false and not only that, a frequent error is upgrading BEFORE learning how to embed a system in his 3 working dimensions... My post is for the benefit of beginners or low budget audiophiles ...
for those playing in the high end systems sandbox, there is NO END GAME SYSTEM …..there exists only your CURRENT system ….
I never said anything against those who spend big money and know how to do it...
And there is many of them here...
For example ghdprentice or mike lavigne and others ...
Read my posts in their context thread and answering some specific other posts...
If you think that what i said is directed to you personally then there is nothing i can do ...
Many knows that price tag had no direct relation to good sound ... There is many other factors...
If my description fit you too much i am sorry but it was not adressed to you but to beginners because they must learn that all audiophiles dont have costly gear and they must know the truth about what to do BEFORE giving too much way too soon in their journey ... And they must learn that this hobby is about music and acoustics and learnings and experiments more than about the higher possible expanse and so called upgrades ...
By the way you are wrong.... There is not two path: one expansive and the other low cost... There is ONE PATH: acoustics science and embeddings controls of mechanical and electrical and acoustical for ANY SYSTEM AT ANY PRICE ....
It is you because you felt to be wrongly my target that confuse thing... Not me ...
Pass over my posts if you dont like them...Beginners need to hear another voice that dont enumerate branded name of always costlier piece of gear to buy ...I am not against enumerating the possible pieces of costly gear and their qualities... it is useful ... But my insistance on acoustics for example instead of gear upgrade is useful too ...
By the way i am one of the rare to claim that audiophile level experience is possible at ANY COST in a minimal way for sure if we learn what to do ... I never pretended that my lost cost speakers beat the best there is over them ...I pretend that they are transformed by the way i used them as any speakers at any price can be ...
Read this thread and others and you will read people bragging without end about gear piece they just purchase ...
I prefer to say other things which are forgotten if you gave me the permission for sure......😊
my best to you ...
While I have enjoyed several of your posts, this constant put down of those who choose to follow a different path than the one you walk down, is getting very long in the tooth, and frankly, a bit insulting. So throw me a bone and in the future, begin and end your posts with IMHO, as that is all it is, and your are entitled to it.
@ozzyplease stay off my thread this isn’t about infigo. I’m trying to find out about systems as well as music. I will not post on your threads moving forward. I was an audiophile before infigo and will be one after.
@bigtwini started with a 1500 system. Def tech. I moved up the ladder of my last 20 years. Sometimes swapping out things month to month. Over the years I learned more. I heard better systems. I went from def tech, to b&w, Sonus Faber, Vienna Acoustics, revel, to Gato. I went from classe, mark levinson, EAR, Esoteric, Veloce, Kr Audio, Soulution now the to the company I work for which is INFIGO AUDIO. Learning more each time I moved up in price. Sometimes it wasn’t just about money. I realized what I listened to and what equipment performed best. Now my system is 50 times retail of what I started with but I’m in a good spot now and will probably keep what I have for a long time. I learned more about soundstage, depth, detail, transparency, low noise floors etc. It’s not always about money. We grow in this hobby. As we get older we know more and sometimes have more money to spend. My Gato speaker for instance retails at 14k. I have not found anything better to my ear unless it was 2 to 3 times the price for my room, system and listening habits. Synergy is also important. We all learn and spend in this hobby based mostly on our ears. Just enjoy as much as you can. If you ann afford it try it and enjoy. If not get the best you can afford and use what you know to maximize what you have. I do get tired of those thinking that the guys who spend a lot on audio are a bunch of inexperienced delusional audiophiles. Most of us got the resources because we were smart enough to create the income to do this. If you don’t spend a lot enjoy your system. But don’t judge this of us who do spend a lot. Cheers everyone.
@akg_cai definitely understand how u feel I thought I would never spend this much but as I heard better I wanted better. Audio has really made great advancements
Right now I have Audio Research Ref 750s. Audio Research Ref 6SE. Rega Isis CDP. Krell B&W Bass alignment filters. ( 2 ) balanced. B&W Matrix 800 speakers Quad wired with Straight Wire Crescendos. Straight Wire Crescendo XLR interconnects. Timbernation custom audio rack and amp platforms. Back up amp is a Krell FPB 600. Maybe upgrade to the Audio Research Ref 9 se CDP.
After 47 years, I am finally done. Audio Note Cobra integrated amplifier with Audio Note speaker cables, Audio Note Audio Note CD 3.1x/II CD player, Quad ESL-57 speakers. There. Done. Happy.
@calvinj My first "system" was a crystal radio with an ear plug at age 8. 60 years later I've learned a couple things. I've owned a few pieces of equipment. I went 20 years without changing a thing. In the past few years I've put together the system I'll take to the end. But I stand by my words above. Far to many people on these sites need to preface thier remarks with IMHO.
IMHO.
To answer the OP's second question, I can't get enough of Joe Henderson.
@carlsbad2i had the same system for 8 years straight until my latest change in dac and amplifier and cabling. I think this is going to stay away. It plays well with my Ahmad Jamal, Kendrick Scott Oracle,Duke Pearson, Buika and Cecile Salvant. Just gonna let it play
@tattooedtrackmanim a big fan of audio research as well they make some really great gear. I had a preamp of theirs for a dem for about 3 months a few years ago.
@everyone your system is truly a journey. Our audiophile journey starts when we are young as for a lot of us. We get older, make more money and buy more expensive gear along the way. Learning more about the quality of the gear we purchase along the way. For some of us our ability to afford more expensive gear coincides with the additional knowledge we have gained to allow us to have systems better than the ones we had before it.
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