Whats in your second system?
My second system is in a spare bedroom that is converted into my office. There is also a 42" Plasma TV sitting on top of the double-wide audio rack and a cable box/DVR on one of the shelves, but I don't currently have it connected to the audio system. Here's the audio system: - Audio Refinement Complete Integrated Amp (I always wanted one and jumped on one when the price was right) - Oppo DV-970HD CD/DVD Player (full mods by EVS) - Raspberry Pi / HiFi Berry DAC Pro+ Music Server (Running Moode OS) - Magnepan MMG - (on loan from a friend) or Infinity Qb (on original Infinity factory stands) |
My second system has evolved over time and has largely consisted of equipment that at one time was in my main system. Some items that were previously in my 2nd system I have either sold on A'gon, or given to friends to try to get them interested in the possibilities of a better listening experience. Anyhow, presently my 2nd system consists of : Ayon Audio Spirit 2 integrated Blue Circle 509 DAC JM Reynaud Offrande Supreme V2s Cambridge Transport (new purchase) Silnote Audio ICs and digital cable Audio Art Cable power cables My 3rd system is headphones based: Ray Samuels Raptor Tube Headphone Amp Moon Audio Headphone Cables Silnote Audio IC Beyerdynamic T1 headphone AKG 701 Headphones HRT istreamer DAC (use with ipod classic0 |
My second system has now become my third system...lol New second system... Hegel H300 integrated B&W 805D speakers Bluesound node 2 Only sources so far are the node but as this can access all of my cd collection from my main system vault 2 and Tidal and Amazon Prime and internet radio stations I think it should do just fine! |
My second and third system are made up of former first system components that I was too fond of to sell. Second: Martin Logan (original) CLS Classe DR3-VHC Bryston BP17 pre Conrad Johnson Premier 15 phono Lyra Clavis SME V Sota Cosmos Great system for acoustic music Third Vandersteen 4A twin Classe DR3 VHC bridged (mids and highs) + twin PSE Studio IV monos (bass) Classe DR-7 pre Source is digital from files on my server. Very satisfying system using components you hardly ever see but sound very good - only by listening there and then going to my main system are any shortcomings revealed. |
Second system is a pair of GoldenEar Triton ones, driven by an Emotiva XMC-1 through an Emotiva XPA-5 (gen 2) with GoldenEar centre channel, surround and subwoofer. Tertiary system :-) is a pair of Focal Electra Be1027s, driven by an Emotiva XMC-1 through an Emotiva Basx-500 amp, with Emotiva C1 center and E1 surrounds, and an Emotiva BasX-12 sub. I'm pretty happy with all of them (including the primary system not listed here). |
toddverrone, Just recently another high end audio store opened literally around the corner from my house, selling Harbeth speakers. Sitting down in front of one of the cheaper models (7s) I couldn't help but think "man it would be nice to own a pair of these, just to listen to sometimes." I had to stop those thoughts. It's a sickness ;-) |
@toddverrone, Believe me, it was killing me. They were a beautifully maintained pair of ESL 57s from an old audio writer. He just didn't have a place for them anymore. But neither do I. The only space I have for speakers shares room with my home theater system, and they have to be somewhat narrow to fit either side of the projected screen image. So all manner of box speakers work there. But the Quads are so wide they would just be in the way of the image all the time. And I thought about placing them somewhere to move in for occasional listening sessions, but I've already pushed my wifely luck with the speakers I have littering the house. The Quads would be a lot harder to put anywhere discrete for the WAF factor. |
I similarly have a spare pair of Quad ELS57s, after I upgraded to the modern 2805. The 2805 is not only better, but of course has a far better remaining life expectancy. My ELS57s are still in good condition, but you can be sure you will need to have them refurbished quite soon, and that is neither easy nor cheap. Which is also why I decicided to upgrade to the 2805. I offered them to my son, but he said no: they are bound to need expensive maintenance, and they are too bulky in a student room. So once I get round to it, I will sell them, but since everybody knows that they need an expensive refurbishment second hand price is actually quite low. My son is now working part time in a supermarket for a pair of Harbeth M30.1s, the largest speaker that he thinks will work in a student room or small apartment. In the meantime he uses my old LS3/5a’s that he is very happy with. Once he is done with those I will sell them as well. There is a crazy market demand for them. |
I doubt these count as "second systems" because I'd be using the same amps/source. But though my main speakers are Thiels (3.7 and 2.7) I have a variety of speakers I also switch into the system: MBL 121 monitors, Waveform Mach MC monitors, Hales T1 monitors, Spendor 3/5s, Thiel 02s. Yeah, I got the sickness. My DREAM second system would use Quad ESL 57s. And in fact I was actually offered a pair free. But try as I might, I couldn't come up with a place to set them up that would work. |
It’s very enjoyable reading all these descriptions.. It’s interesting to hear of people with more than one dedicated listening room! I suppose I could say I have secondary and tertiary systems.. The secondary system resides in the kids’ playroom. It consists of a sansui 5900 integrated amp mated to a pair of ads L470/2 speakers. Source is simply a Bluetooth receiver so the kids can play what they want without ripping cords off components. The speaker cabs are in rough shape (can’t expect perfection for $20) but they function perfectly. Both speakers and amp were Craigslist acquisitions that I had to buy because we have almost no decent audio gear show up around here.. I do love the sound of the ads/sansui combo. My tertiary system is the one I listen to the most and would make overly serious audiophiles cringe. We have an open plan living/dining/kitchen. Being the stay at home dad, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so I did the following to get good sound: -installed 4 BIC speakers in the ceiling/wall corners. These are very small bookshelf speakers, maybe twice the size of Bose cubes, but they are heavy and sound great down to 100hz -ran cabling through the attic to the speakers and then down the inside of a wall, ending up under my kitchen sink. -installed an in wall sub on the back of my kitchen island, and built a wooden box behind it since the cabinet space behind it was too big and the bass was junk -bought a 150w Dayton Audio stereo amp to drive the small speakers and a 250w sub plate amp to drive the sub, both cheaply at parts express -monoprice Bluetooth receiver with optical out into an inexpensive fiio DAC -tripplite surge protector lets me turn the whole thing off or on with one switch. All the electronics are under the kitchen sink, the only things visible are the subwoofer installed flush on the back of the island and the small, white speakers in the corners. It sounds pretty damned great. The room has hardwood floors and many large windows, so there’s no way I’m getting audiophile sound no matter what I install, but the sound is clearer, more evenly dispersed and has better bass than any sonos or Bluetooth speaker system that I’ve heard. But man, crawling around the attic to run those cables, ugh. |
Great thread! It's good to know I'm not the only insane audiophile out there. All of my systems are 'second systems' since I never had the wherewithal at any one time to go whole-hog on a main system. But I don't feel like I've missed out on anything, because it's just plain fun to experiment with different pieces until you come up with that right combo that just seems to click. Props to Audiogon, because that's where the majority of my equipment has come from.....it's great to belong to a community where the level of trust in dealing with others gives you the opportunity to get nice gear at a fraction of the 'new' cost. Pieces from Adcom, Parasound, ATI, McCormack, PS Audio, Sansui, Musical Fidelity, Denon, Harman-Kardon, Thorens, Sony, Dynaudio, PSB, Paradigm, Polk, Monitor Audio, Sunfire, Definitive Technology, and M&K comprise several different systems throughout my house that keep me boppin' right along. |
@sevs 80+% sounds high. https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/ad_173236258.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&strip=all |
@1extreme Polygamy is The Rule: 80+% of human societies are polygamous ( ref from Jared Diamond, not my uneducated thoughts) But: it all comes down (as with happy wives) to You being able to Provide.., being unable to setup my second Dream system with Maggies I surrender to headphone listening and Walkmans/Discmans, I have dozens of the little Babies... the very idea of having more than one Boss makes me suicidal!!! Maybe the original reference is actually Universal?!! |
Resides in my dining/den combo room: Thiel 2 2 speakers Adcom 5300 amplifier Counterpoint SA1000 preamp Carver TX-11 FM tuner Sony SCD-CE775 SACD/CD changer Dual CS-704 turntable w/Accuphase AC-2 mc cartridge I use this system largely for FM listening, as we have a superb classical/jazz station nearby. Can’t tell it is FM. Main and beroom systems as well. |
Family room: EVS modified Oppo Sonica DAC into Ars-Sonum Filarmonia SE integrated amp into Merlin TSM Black Magic Speakers on custom Skylan stands. Roughly $5500 (purchased the Ars-Sonum and Merlins used) for some of the best digital sound I've ever heard (saying a lot since I'm a vinyl guy; my main system is vinyl/tube only). The only thing missing is the lower octave. |
It’s not how many different systems you have it is what you DO with the different systems you have. While I have more than one audio setup, I have just one system where the PRIMARY purpose is to sit and focus on listening to music. It is located in a room dedicated to listening. I have a sweet spot in my primary system. My primary system brings me immense pleasure. My secondary system is located in a large living room with an adjoining kitchen. It’s purpose is to provide good sounding music while I am mainly doing something else like cooking, reading and generally moving around. I do not have a sweet spot in my living room. My attitude with my secondary system is it only needs to be "good enough" while my primary system needs to be the best I can achieve given what I currently have or am willing to add to it. I think I would go nuts if I had more than one primary listening system as my main system takes all my audiophile attention as it is. For me, having two primary audio system would be like having two wives. |
2nd system in my home office Micro Seiki BL-90 TT w/Benz Micro LP cartridge George Wright Wpp 100c Phono with WPM 100 STEP UP Shiit Freya pre w/vintage 6sn7 tubes Mcintosh Mc275 vi amp B&W 805S Monitors Shunyata Power conditioner and power cords (entry level) heats my office by day lights up beautifuly at night lot of fun rolling tubes |
My second system is in my BR and consists of: Luxman L505ux intergrated Harbeth P3 ESR Audioengine b1 (for steaming, DON'T Judge) ;) Audeze LCD X + Nordost Heimdall 2 headphone cable Admittedly, i have on occasion questioned how much i've invested in my main system because of how good my second system sounds, but then i'm snapped back into reality when all things are considered (room size, media type, aesthetics, etc.) |
My main system resides in a dedicated room in the basement and is used for serious listening. The secondary system is in a common living/entertaining area on the main floor. I like it to be unobtrusive. It features original Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage speakers driven by a Sonos Connect amp and a small Rel sub. Source is Tidal streaming and files on a NAS drive. It sounds surprisingly good and looks pretty cool too. |
A pair of YG Carmel speakers, First Watt M2 amp, BAT VK51se preamp, Esoteric S50 cd/sacd player with external word clock, and a Sony HAP streamer. I also have a First Watt J2 amp, Pass Labs preamp, and Magnepan 1.7 speakers on reserve. Largely a collection of great gear that was replaced by better gear in my main system. Cardas wire everywhere. |
@bubba12....................... I have the Triton References which are truly wonderful, but I do not get to listen to that system very often (maybe once a week), as now that wife and I are both retired, she is always in the living room either watching TV or on her tablet. Hence, enjoying my secondary system on the second floor of the house more. |
I have a 15' X 13' library or whatever it's called as a part of my bedroom. Like lak, it gets whatever's not currently in the main system: Jadis Orchestra Reference integrated Jadis Defy DA30 integrated Quicksilver 8417 monoblock power amplifiers Dynaco ST70 X 2 stereoblock power amplifiers VTV Ultrasonic preamplifier AES AE3 DJH preamplifier Dynaco CD player Consonance SACD player Sony SCD333ES SACD player Technics SL7 turntable Fried Valhalla (C satellites with O subwoofers) system Fried Studio V Fried A/6 Fried Beta Coincident Digital Master satellites w/Troubass subwoofers |
My bedroom system: Speakers: Kef LS50s Amplification: Creek Evolution 100a Integrated Amp w/ Ruby DAC module Sources: Chromecast Audio (digital in to DAC) Old Pioneer CD/DVD player for CDs TV / DirecTV FM Tuner built into Ruby Module Occasionally move a VPI Nomad turntable to this system but it doesn’t live there normally due to space limitations. Wanted to try the LS50s after reading all the amazing reviews and loved the small footprint and great flexibility/connectivity of the Creek w/ DAC module considering the limited space. Considered adding a subwoofer but the wife won that coin toss so instead the bedroom got an upholstered chair...it doesn’t add much to the sound quality but does make for a nice spot to enjoy the music. |
My current second system is a ridiculous hodge-podge of leftover components that makes no sense (the digital front is is 10x the speaker price, so taking the full Linn approach here), but hey, if you've been an audiophile long enough ... Accuphase E-406V integrated amp Emm Labs DCC2 DAC / Preamp MacIntosh MVP-881 Blu Ray Usher BE-718 Speakers Purist Aqeuous, Silversmith cables Its an AV system, but sounds pretty decent for where its set up (not an audiophile approved location) |
I also have a very simple but nonetheless pleasant tertiary system in the bedroom: Wharfedale Diamond 9.0 speakers Ava Maestro 50 amplifier (with optical input) Chromecast Audio as an optical digital source. The amplifier is a very small and completely digital affair with an auto on/off function as its main virtue. It sits out of sight, tucked away in a wardrobe. It is turned on by a signal from the Chromecast, and is usually turned off by the TuneIn sleeptimer on the Chromecast. Unfortunately Chromecast does not have a native sleeptimer - that functionality has to come from the app for the streaming service. TuneIn has one, but Spotify e.g. does not. The amplifier is about 2x25 watt, and that is enough, but only just. I also tried it with my (insensitive) Harbeth P3ESR speakers, but it was not really powerful enough to drive those well. But I am quite happy with the more efficient Wharfedales - they are mostly used to listen to late night talk radio. But even for some casual music they are by no means offensive. |
