Tekton Double Impacts

I did not.  I guess I am happy keeping them for now.  I am going to pass your mileage marker 😁

Corelli, 
During the winter do you resort to stationary cycling at home or a gym?
My outdoor track interval workouts are done until around mid March. 
Charles 

Out here in Northern California it seems that we can cycle all year round. Mountain biking tomorrow, road yesterday!

@corelli  As I mentioned way earlier, you should have moved to Kms.

If so, it's neck and neck. : )

Bill, keep posting.  I conceded (at least to myself) some time ago.  I've really appreciated all your posts and the great info you have placed on this thread.

Charles, to be honest, come the end of the season, I'm ready for a change.  I bought a pair of cross country skis 2 years ago and find this a great winter sport.  Easy on the joints, lots of fresh air and wildlife.  Love it.  And heck, Michigan winters and tubes were meant for each other!

Greg, sounds like biker heaven.  I enjoyed a trip to Yosemite and Northern California a number of years ago.  Very memorable trip indeed.  We drove into Yosemite one evening in April.  Snowed 13" that night and we were "trapped" in the park.  Next morning, in full sun and blue sky, the trees were heavy with snow.  Magnificent.  Just magnificent.

David, you overestimate my biking resolve!

@corelli - I am unable to see how to attach photos directly to the post, but I can post a link to Tom’s newly transferred amp.

https://www.facebook.com/AricAudioSystems/posts/1716034395113257

That would be great Aric. I've visited your site several times and will keep an eye out for Tom's build.

Thank you, and I edited to attach the link in my last post. 

LOL, the sedentary time this hobby generates has to balanced somehow. Good for you Corelli, for me it's the treadmill.

@mac Makes sense the footers would transfer less vibration when under less compression, hence the benefit for the larger Gaia I's. Thanks for pointing that out.

Could be that benefits of a DAC upgrade may be partially obscured if first reflection points/acoustics and speaker isolation are not addressed first.

@david_ten  Really enjoyed Bad Plus at San Fernando Perfoming Arts Center (CSU Northridge) with Brad Mehldau Trio. Seeing fingers on the strings while hearing is so cool, makes me wish I could play bass. Stanely Clark at the Catalina Jazz Club put on a great show as well.

Tom, looks like Aric is has done a major rebuild on your amp. You a going to be a very happy camper once you get all this new gear assembled and broken in.  Like the substantial look of the amp. 

I really enjoy the fact this thread has served as such a great resource on associated gear to drive our DI's.  More importantly, it's nice that  small businesses like Aric's have benefited.  People like this who actually care and have a "can do" attitiude are becoming a rare commodity in our world of "bigger is better."

+1 Corelli regarding the appearance of the Tom's 300b amplifier. Purposeful,  robust and neat.
Charles 

Thanks corelli, 

It will look even better when the brushed aluminum transformer covers are added. While aesthetics are secondary to sonics to me, I love the look of the new amp.

I too enjoy the discussion regarding associated hear driving the DI/SE's. There doesn't seem to be one good or bad way to drive them, just different flavors for different tastes. And yes, dealing directly with the owner/builder that is passionate about their craft is very rewarding. 

@corelli  I was clocking over 3K miles living in Upstate NY, but life changes and a move to steamy NOLA has limited me to around 1K mainly city bike errand runs. 

In some ways, the bike hobby is as crazy as the audio hobby. I'm getting ready to order a bike I have to drive 5 hours to pick up in Houston. If I can get someone to drive my pickup there, I might just make it a two-day ride.... : )

David, my last bike purchase was also a bit unconventional.  I ride a Bacchetta carbon fiber recumbent.  But no dealer in Michigan carries this model.  (I was able to test ride an aluminum model with the same frame geometry so I knew it to be a good fit)

So I spoke to the owner in Florida and he put together a model with all the equipment I specified. 
He then put this in a really BIG box and shipped it to Michigan.  The only issue was the rear derailleur--an issue with that model.  So they exchanged it for a sram xo affair.  A $100 upgrade.  Now that's service! (Does this sound a bit like Aric Audio?)  And 15,000 miles later, much like my DI's, it was money very well spent. 

So you're right David, interesting parallels between these hobbies.

@corelli One last post before the derailleur really gets off track...for this thread. : ) 

I've been figuring out the best bike for my son (behind me on the rack)...as well as being future proof and something that doesn't feel like the bike equivalent of a 'daddy van' and adding something different to the stable.  I'm close to finalizing on a mid-tail old school style mt bike (but stretched geometry). It's a Salsa Blackborow fat bike. I'll need to tweak it so he can ride safely on the back (stoker bar, foot pegs, skirt, pad, seatbelt, etc.)....it will be interesting and fun to do. The rack is long enough that I can have panniers behind him.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s-works-epic-29-world-cup/p/106396 
My beloved fast MTB!

Gorgeous!

The one I'm considering is an ugly duckling : )

http://salsacycles.com/bikes/blackborow/2018_blackborow_gx_eagle

Very cool bikes guys.  As long as we're sharing pics, here you go:

https://www.bacchettabikes.com/bike/carbon-aero-3-0-700c/

The Bacchetta is sharp! What color frame did you go with (the one in the pic)?

Three very different missiles to get one from a to b. : )

Strap a pair of DI's to one of those bikes and you'll get my attention :)

James, this will be my first (fat bike). I did a last hour pivot to another Salsa model...could not resist carbon, upgraded components and a more conventional frame/bike. Full circle back to the 80's rigid mt bikes I grew up with; albeit carbon over steel. I'll be dropping the 5" floaters for Fours. And moving up from 26 to 27.5 wheels once my son is on his own bike. I need a low stand-over height when he's behind me (likely another year).

They have become wider in their focus, so it depends on your planned usage. 

My 2014 Trek Fuel 29er is somewhere between @david_ten racer and @greg22lz  bike packer. Greg, love Annadel Park for mtbing. That orange clay can be tough to scrub off the tires. Hopefully it didn't all go up in smoke.

https://www.bicyclebluebook.com/searchlistingdetail.aspx?id=3049964

Whoops, Greg you got the fast one :)

Tom, the link I posted is for a bike that allows 110lbs on it's rack. So not a pair, but one DI, at a time. : )

Or two full kegs, with room for ice...for the Tekton meet.

@brotw they back burned Annadel and about 2/3rd's of the park is closed indefinitely. All of Shultz, lawndale, pig flat, marsh, south Burma, ridge and two quarry. Hopefully in a year it will return but there is damage from the big CATs that ran up and plowed it. It is so dry now, no mud at all.

@brotw   Much, much closer to Greg's! Both of you will be down the mountain before I'm halfway up, in that long wheelbase, 40lb clunker.

@david_ten that lead sled is still really cool. Bikepacking is really catching on and I totally get it. 

david,
Bacchetta gives you a choice of three colors-blue, then there's blue, and the last choice is blue.  I went with blue.  Good thing it is a really cool blue!

Interesting you mention the Tekton meet.  I was thinking the very same thing earlier today!  What about Chicago this summer?  I'll nominate brother teajay.  After all, we all want to hear the Ulfs, right?

Jon,

Wonderful plan. Count me in, pending Terry's acceptance.

Orem, UT sounds like a good spot also. We can get some riding in! : )

The Blue is sharp! You should see what my 4 yr old picked out for the bike option:

https://www.madsencycles.com/collections/2017-madsen-bikes/products/copy-of-madsen-2017-candy-apple-...

He loved how he could be dry while I got wet (he's quite familiar with all the rain we get here).

@brotw  I might miss that 'lead sled,' especially on longer, easier terrain rides...  I ordered a close cousin today, the Carbon X1 version, shown here:

http://dirtragmag.com/salsa-debuts-all-new-mukluk-fat-bike/

Saved a bit by going with a 2017 vs a 2018...the florescent green is actually functional for me, since I do a lot of urban riding...a safety thing from my motorcycling days.

I drive a car now, because other people in cars on their cellphones run over people who don't and I wanted to live.

~Former Motorcyclist

@david_ten not many suspensionless bikes grab my attention but who needs suspension with tires like that. Could be the ultimate comfort trail bike as long as your not facing big drops. Here in the Santa Clarita area we have plenty of big rocks and drops so 4-5" suspension is a must. I still need to try one of those. Happy trails.

David,
Gotta love your 4 yr. old son.  Thinkin ahead.  What a hoot.  Reminds me of a trip to Wisconsin about 12 yrs ago with my daughter.  A week long trip in Dorr County.  Riding into Green Bay it had to be 110 degrees on the asphalt.  Only time I've had heat exhaustion.  Took 6 liters of fluid to get me right.  The next day a rain of Biblical proportion came down down and frankly we really didn't care.  Rain was better than heat.  Our tandem recumbent had to gain an extra 8# from fluid retention. Your son would of thought that soooo cooool in his rainproof fortress!

Alright , time to get on track.  The system is toasty warm. Time for the DI's to recreate a performance of The Nutcracker, Semyon Bychkov and the Berliner Philharmoniker.  OBTW,  Bychkov conducted the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra early in his career--my hometown.

@brotw  It can take a dropper post and front suspension. The 'faster,' 'racier' version is the Beargrease. : )

Jon, he just turned four. And yes, he's something. :)  Lovely story!

Andy Bey Trio easing me into the start of the night. 

I've had the pleasure of hearing The Nutcracker performed many times over the years.  Didn't work out this year.  That is, right up until tonight.  The DI's brought the performance home big time.  I don't know about you guys, but there are times when listening at home I feel like I'm not missing out on much (at least sonically).

That’s great! I’ll definitely give it a listen especially since it isn’t something I would normally spin and have been exposed to, other than live. Wrapping up the evening in a similar vein to how I started, though with a 50 year gap...the classic, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.

Just added the Tidal album.

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, the epitome of a timeless classic. I’ve had that recording for over twenty years and still listen to it on a regular basis.
Charles

Good morning, Charles. It is an amazing record. You are absolutely correct, timeless!

(the album I added was the Bychkov Nutcracker)

Thanks for the suggestion gents. I not only ordered the Coltrane/Hartman cd but a bunch of jazz classics from Miles, Cannonball, Mingus, Lee Morgan and both Coltrane and Hartman. Once I finally get all of my new components having new material to listen to will be fun. Picked up a few Bad Plus cd's also. I'm not familiar with them but look forward to doing so. 

A totally off topic question here. Has anyone experimented with getting their system off the grid? I ask because I noticed dramatic sound improvements from two components of mine that are.....my CF DAC is battery powered and my Vinnie Rossie power supply to my MZ2 is supposedly off the grid using ultra capacitors to provide current. The noise floor was lowered dramatically allowing the music to shine. Just wondering if the rest of my system would benefit from being off the grid and was wondering if others here had tried doing so. 

Tom, I’ve been listening to Steve Coleman’s ’Invisible Paths: First Scattering’ (2007) a lot. As well as Tony Allen ’The Source’ (2017). Give them a listen if you haven’t already.

The Bad Plus is quite a departure from Coltrane/Hartman : ) They have a number of albums, so you’ll have to sort that out (they vary in apporach)...’Made Possible’ leans more mainstream. Or try ’Never Stop.’  @brotw may have some up to date recommendations since he recently heard them live.

Tom,
I posted, on a separate thread, the exact thing you're asking.  We had a power outage this past summer.  I could see my 120 gallon aquarium was not going to do well (stocked with fancy goldfish from Dandy Orandas--right in your neck of the woods Tom). So off I went to Menards very early Saturday.  While I could have gotten by with a very small generator, all they had left was a nearly 2000 watt Generac. Later that evening, via a single 12g extension cord direct to my second system, I was floored by how good that system sounded.  I listened all that evening for hours amazed by what I was hearing.  I can only surmise it was the effect of clean power.  It amazed me. 

Tom, the list of CDs you have ordered is comprised of magnificent jazz musicians. Your system when I heard it was already very good. Given the evolution of this system since then I believe that you have moved upward to a higher tier. You will be swept away by the sheer artistry, emotion and talent these great musicians possess. There will be no looking back from this point onward IMO.
Charles

Thanks David, I ordered Steve Coleman Live in Paris and Tony Allens The Source. 

Corelli, please share that thread and anything else you might find out regarding going off the grid with our systems. I'm thinking that might have more sonic impact than any component might provide.

Thanks Charles, seems like I've been waiting forever for the SE's but hopefully I'll have them real soon. Once Aric recieves the parts needed for my builds I'll have the upgraded 300B and linestage soon also. Can't wait and I'm looking forward to having you back over for a listen once things break in a bit. I should be getting closer to the gorgeous sound of your system!

@mac48025,

Tesla has a suitcase sized battery (powerwall) that can run our homes for 7 days. I’m waiting for a version to come out for audiophiles just to power our Audio systems. I figure it’s just a matter of time.

If I could insert a bit here about clean power. Generally the cleanest power you’ll get is by using batteries. I’ve installed a couple of small standalone systems for a friend of mine who lives off the grid, and it’s a basic solar panel battery charging system. Where he can, he uses 12 or 24 volt devices so that the system runs directly from the batteries. However when 110-120 VAC is required he uses a very high end power inverter. The power inverter’s output is not super clean however, and an isolation transformer and then line conditioner is used to flatten out the peaks and obtain a true AC RMS voltage. I would not recommend a generator for your sensitive electronics unless a good line conditioner is protecting them from it. Generators provide very poorly regulated dirty AC power by nature which has lots of spikes and dips directly related to the load being put on the generator (and the motor will surge and race with a varying load). These spikes are very damaging for SMPS units such as those in flat screen TV’s and many DAC’s, or digital audio equipment. For tube gear, it can cause issues as well. If you use a generator, make sure you use some really good AC line filtering between it and your electronics. I have a Generac 5,000 watt continuous generator and when there’s a power loss I disconnect my PC and TV’s from it as well as my audio gear. I’ve repaired many TV’s for people who’ve lost them due to using a generator either in an RV, or during a power outage. Those power supplies receive a spike and usually don’t make it. Some devices can survive several such spikes, but just a caution that it does have the potential to damage electronics if/when run directly from a generator. Best, Aric

Tom, I think you'll really like "Do it again" and "Gold Prisms" off Inevitable Western and "Beauty has it hard" and "Dirty Blonde" from the Joshua Redman album. I also enjoy the Made Possible and Never Stop albums. In the same vein, I really like Brad Mehldau Trio's "Ode" album.

On the subject of kids, currently I've got the DI's in a dedicated listening room and will make it even more so dedicated with GIK panels and traps. As I think back to my childhood, dad always had the music playing in the main kitchen/family room area, constantly exposing us to the gift of music. I would like to do the same but acoustically it is a disaster area, many windows that really shouldn't be covered up for asthetic and sun lighting reasons.My 7 year old will have to take a trip up stairs if he wants to listen. Quality wins out over quantity this time. I still hike my 4 month old upstairs for some low level classical or jazz.

On a separate topic, has anyone integrate a sub(s) succesfully with the DI's? Looking for that 20-40hz room pressurization and punch that only a sub does right. My Live Dirac room correction should make this easier. Dual subs L/R seem necessary to integrate more seemless with the seperate L/R DI's. I've heard a single sub works well for below 40hz service as a budget entry point.

Aric, thanks for the heads up on generator use!  I will say when I used this it was the only thing powered by the generator and it was heavily filtered by a very effective spike suppressor (SurgeX unit).  In any event, based on your expert advice, I wouldn't dare to use it again even if it did sound good!  Maybe we are headed towards batteries!

brotw,  I suspect after the New Year I will bring in a pair of Hsu ULS subs.  These are sealed systems that use a 15" driver.  The finish looks to match the basic satin black on my DI's.  They appear to very effectively cover the lowest octave of music.  As I've said, I just don't get that "pressure lock" in my room with my speaker placement (DI's are out 1/3rd into the room from front wall.  When music contains deep fundamentals, I'll be the first to admit I find that kind of power captivating.  Just looking to reproduce what I've heard live.  Anyone been to St. Paul's Cathedral in London?  Awesome place!