Photos of my system

Thank you for the nice words!

I lived for years with records, hauled them all over the place, maintained a turntable, blah blah blah. I’m done with vinyl.

Cool set up Hilde. But you need to play vinyl....I know it can eat up a good chunk of the budget, but you can't match the sound (I know a lot of posters here try....).

@larry I tried towers -- Focal 936, Martin Logan ML 60 XTi and Dynaudio Evoke 30s. In my room the ceilings are so low that all these towers were impossibly harsh in the midrange. These Salks plus my REL....perfection!

Thank you from way way back for mentioning Salks in a thread about speakers (Jan or last December 2019, I believe).

Can't beat SALK audio.  Wonder why you didn't end up with Tower's?  What kind of subwoofer is that?  Would you benefit from adding another sub?

@barkeyzee1 It sounds delightful, luscious! And I do have some (a lot) of envy for many of the really beautiful systems and setups. Platforms for the amps, a gorgeous rack, lovely room, etc. At some point, I'll get there, but to start out I needed to spend only on the equipment. And because I only have one sub that I'm running high-level inputs on, I need to scrunch the tube amps close together.

Luckily, there are few benefits to my setup space. There's a bookshelf running all along the back wall, the floor is concrete with a carpet for some absorption, there are no first reflection points on the sides, and (most important), this is just my space. No one else ever needs to use it. 

Wow, great looking system! And I would bet it sounds even better than it looks! Also, thanks for sharing the playlist. Happy Listening! 

Thanks @rego Good suggestions. I'm very happy with the Orchid. LTA's return policy is here: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/inhome-trial
They're easy and friendly to deal with.
Looking forward to playing with the space. It's basement, too, so I can be a bit man-cave-ish about things.

@hilde45, you may want to restart the Amazon HD app from time to time which could help with dropouts.
A simple restart (phone, Node etc.) could help narrow down errors in the streaming line.
Amazon HD is at least 44 / 16 files (HD) with 96 / 24 being more common than 192 / 24 files.
My phone (Android) app (Amazon Music) allows me to check the stream rate, file quality and device capability (PC app and Android).

The reduced soundstage depth with the IN 200 is a big difference.

It seems (to me) that the QS System (as described) brings the cohesion that you would prefer even over the 'Hybrid' combo.

The Orchid performance is still of some interest as I am looking for a DAC that delivers at a high level.

A broadband panel would help with higher frequencies (a range) to help with perceived brightness issues.
You have an opportunity play with treatment and placement in such an open space.

 

@decooney You get extra special thanks for an enormous amount of help and patience with my constant questions.

You are well on your way now. Congratulations. Enjoy the music!  :) 

That's good to hear. There's so much advice out there about proportions, but my goal was to spend enough on well researched products but keep in mind I didn't want to wind up with, say, 10% left for speakers. 

Money well spent. I think you did a very good job with your allocation of funds and made good fundamental choices. 

How about a word or two on your impressions ... per component perhaps or a quality (combined components) that the system conveys.
I know that you have done some reviews ... maybe a comment on expectations vs realization.
For one I would like to hear about impressions of the Orchid DAC, on how well all the file info is rendered.

@rego -- thanks for your comments. And your suggestions. I don't know what a broadband panel is but will look it up.

Here are a few impressions of components/system.
The amplifier/preamp combo of Quicksilver have excellent imaging, tonal balance, and soundstage. These amps drove a number of different speakers (Focal 936, Martin Logan ML60s, Fritz Carbons and Carreras) without effort until I finally decided on the Salks.

Initially, in my room, there was a lot of brightness in the high end (which I've discussed, ad nauseam, on this forum) and the partial "fix" for that was a combination of cables and, especially, better tubes for all tubed components -- in the amps and also in the Orchid DAC. In addition, Jim Salk sent me a couple of resistors which he said could be swapped into the speaker if I wished.

The bass response in the speakers is quite good. Two things make it better -- a REL sub and an Atoll IN200 integrated amp. I would not say the Quicksilvers cannot do very good bass -- they can. But with the punch of more power from the Atoll, there is a brisk, crisp, snappy bass with the solid state gear. There is more than a little loss in the fluid, intimate midrange presence when the tubes are gone; the depth of the soundstage is much flattened without the tubes. So, it's a tradeoff.

Having the "best of both worlds" (snappy bass and liquid midrange with deep soundstage) has been best achieved by using the tube preamp with only the amp portion of the Atoll solid state. The "hybrid" combination of these units works very nicely together.

The Orchid DAC was compared only to a couple others and it shines for natural, organic sounding instruments -- especially voice and piano. It was chosen over an older Peachtree DAC IT, an Audioengine D1 DAC, and the DAC built into the Node 2i streamer. A change of tubes in it to a Tesla 6CC42 softened some highs, but it just sounds great.

Regarding file info rendering, I use a Node 2i streamer, sending files either from a thumb drive (FLACs) or from Spotify, Amazon HD, and -- earlier during a trial, from Qobuz and Tidal. These work pretty well, though occasionally there is a hiccup, which usually happens because I try to do something else on my iPad (the controller) while the music is playing. Not sure why that happens.

Hey hilde45, the system looks good in the listening environment ...
SS 6ms light veneer shine when well lit.
In situ you must have a more refined feel for the system playback.
How about a word or two on your impressions ... per component perhaps or a quality (combined components) that the system conveys.
I know that you have done some reviews ... maybe a comment on expectations vs realization.
For one I would like to hear about impressions of the Orchid DAC, on how well all the file info is rendered.
Some input for you as well; consider using a broadband panel on the ceiling ... a tube trap centered on the mains at wall top point, possibly position the sub outside the left main rather than between L/R.
With so much space left and right, wall first reflections are not a big concern. 
Be safe on the road ... 

Regards

JD the CXC does what it should and I've not driven it too hard. Good value if you don't pay highest MSRP

Looking great hilde45!

I’m thinking of updating my Oppo BDP-93 with a Cambridge CXC transport.  Any advice you care to share?

All the best.

JD

Very nice clean setup. Your listening area looks intimate and inviting, and I'm sure those Quicksilvers reinforce that intimacy with their pure tone.
Enjoy!
Bruce

I'm actually driving across the country watching videos about REW software and hoe to build those panels. Appreciate the suggestion, Doug!

Very nice! I just left you a comment re: speaker positioning. 

I was wondering about the front wall as well. Perhaps some DIY sound panels (compressed fiberglass panels covered with material of your choice). You can set them down wherever you wish for demo prior to affixing. I keep two of them in my room loose to change if I wish. 

Looks nice. I know you put a lot of thought and hard work into it. Enjoy!

The wood is burly maple. No turntable because I've been there, done that, and don't need another rabbit hole. 

Wot no turntable?

My pleasure to share.  I have been thinking about the front wall and have hung a carpet on the wall but without much effect. In this room, the ceiling is very low, 6.5 feet. I aim to continue doing measurements and treat that, first. 

Terrific system. Thanks for sharing.

Great job, looks like you’re off to a great start. Now it’s time to play with tweaks :-) 

Enjoy! 

I have stand mounts also. Are you going to put any treatment on the front wall? I used a woolen rug and that really helped tame some reflections and helped with the imaging.

What wood is that on your speakers? I like.

Thanks! I really could not have done it without the sage advice here. 

Near field is totally the way to go. Bet it sounds great. Good job posting pics. Wish more would go to the trouble. Well done! Thanks!

Good work Sir !!

Enjoy in good health, 
Jose.

Thank you, Mesch! You were a great help!

Great system. Like the looks for the Sauks! You did a great job putting this system together. Hope Thanksgiving went well.

Many thanks! Most of it was one and done kind of purchase, but I was definitely on a carousel of research! Forbearance here was an authentic blessing. 

@ hilde45
Outstanding! It looks like you finally got off the carousel!!