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SYSTEM
ColtraneLamm-3
Heavy emphasis on: EMOTIONAL,
REAL, SOPHISTICATED
Primary System Goals: EMOTIONAL,
SOPHISTICATED, IMPRESSIVE
Audio Note players
emphasize: EMOTIONAL, ENJOYABLE
Accessories emphasize:
REAL, EMOTIONAL. SOPHISTICATED
INTRODUCTION
We believe that by taking a holistic
systems approach to assembling a high-end stereo system
more musical satisfaction can be achieved, in less time, with less
bother and with less money. To this end we offer our customers the
option of purchasing one of a number of turnkey systems. Most of
these systems are systems which you can hear in one of our listening
rooms.
We value musicality and
the ability for a system to communicate magic, sophistication, emotion,
to suspend disbelief, and to be impressive over all other
system attributes. Therefore our systems are designed to be truly musical,
to provide that special pleasure that almost all of us love:
Musical Enjoyment, and perhaps even a glimpse of the great Unknowable
and flashes of the Noble Human Spirit. These systems will
communicate the emotion, the artistic flair, the skill and story
that the musicians are telling. They will caress, tickle, swoon, and
exclaim, thrill and amaze. They will not distract your mind
with harsh distortions, exaggerated flash, disharmonies, or plodding
acyclical rhythms. But they just may grab your heart and soul and
send them flying into the ether.
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MARTEN COLTRANE SPEAKER SYSTEMS These are relatively expensive
systems, retailing for approximately $60,000 - $180,000 (depending on
the particular configuration and speaker selected). These systems offer a
realistic, sophisticated presentation
and sound like... music. They are very detailed, smooth, and engrossing.
No grit, no bloat, no muddled sounds, no smoke, no cotton balls, no
sugar-coating or artificial flavors, just good, honest music that
says: you can have both accurate reproduction and an extremely
enjoyable listening experience - at the same time!
MARTEN COLTRANE SPEAKERS
The Coltrane speakers excel at reproducing
music with accuracy, controlled dynamics, high resolution,
touch-realistic imaging and even-handed treatment of all
frequencies. They are not as good at presenting an overly
impressive sound, nor a big open relaxed sound, nor an
in-your-face front row type of sound.
A Note about the Coltrane Alto Speakers
The sonic signature of this speaker is very similar to its
big brother, the Coltrane. Same ceramic
midrange but with a smaller (down-firing) ceramic woofer and a
ceramic tweeter instead of the diamond tweeter. The
difference really lies in terms of scale - a smaller sound,
smaller dynamics, less bass, and designed for smaller rooms.
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LAMM INDUSTRIES ML2.1 18 WATT
SINGLE-ENDED TRIODE AMPLIFIERS
The LAMM ML2.1 amplifiers are natural,
harmonically rich, neutral sounding, imaging monsters. They have
one of the most stringent of engineering tolerances, especially
between matched pairs of these monoblock amplifiers.
What really seems to set them apart from the
rest of the pack is the purity and naturalness of their harmonics.
There isn't anything artificial-sounding here - no added sweetener
making all music sound as if seen threw rose-colored glasses.
On the right speakers they also generate a
very solid image. So solid that it is somewhat unnerving.
The bass is very present, but just a little
less detailed and accurate on harder to drive speakers.
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Optimally, the very deep bass
should probably be produced by a speaker in the 100dB or better
efficiency range - which in reality entails self-powered (active)
subwoofers or very large horns. |
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LAMM INDUSTRIES L2 REFERENCE
LINESTAGE
The LAMM L2 Reference linestage is a
wonderfully neutral sounding linestage (a preamplifier without a
phono stage). It doesn't wighten, or enhance, or smooth or explode
or do any of the things most preamps do to the signal they
amplify.
The power supply for the L2 comes in a separate
box, as shown.
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AUDIO NOTE U.K. CDT2 and CDT3 TRANSPORTS and 4.1x BALANCED DAC
(digital to Analog Converter)
Audio Note CD playback system: The Audio Note U.K.
digital is designed to be as simple as possible. No upsampling,
oversampling, supersampling, just get the music, as undisturbed as
possible, from the CD to the outputs.
The result, using this level of components, is a very intense,
detailed yet very emotional and fluid sound that is engrossing and
uplifting. Like most transports and DACs these days, it is usually
best, sonically, to pair a transport and DAC together which are
built by the same manufacturer. In this case, Audio Note.
 
[This pictures are of the CDT Two, but the CDT Three looks exactly
the same except there is a 'Three' on the front instead of a 'Two'].
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ACCESSORIES
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Nordost Valhalla speaker cable and interconnect
(REAL, SOPHISTICATED):
All of these cables let through the raw music,
letting it flow directly to the speaker. In high quality systems
like this, there is no need to fear such revealing cables - they
will reveal nothing but how wonderful the music is.
Nordost Valhalla digital interconnect (REAL,
SOPHISTICATED): Almost exactly the same sound as the world-renowned
interconnect.
Nordost Valhalla power cord (REAL, IMPRESSIVE):
Very similar to the Valhalla sound, clean, fast, detailed,
but with a slight leaness to the sound.
Nordost Frey speaker cable and interconnect (real,
sophisticated): The Frey is slightly less sophisticated and detailed
compared to the Valhalla - but not by much.
Jorma Design No. 1 (REAL): The Jorma Design is very close to the Valhalla,
but with a little more body and less of a 'silvery sheen' that you
would never know Valhalla had until you heard it right before the
Jorma.
Shunyata Anaconda Helix Vx power cord (EMOTIONAL,
ENJOYABLE): Filters out the garbage while letting through the
massive amounts of current when and how the components need it. The system would be a pale shadow of itself
without these power cords. The new Helix version seems to, amazingly
enough for a power cord, be able to let through more of the
character and meaning of the music than any other power cord we have
tried, including the previous generations of Shunyata power cords.
Shunyata Python Helix Vx power cord (emotional,
enjoyable): We expect these cables to be similar in character to the
Anaconda - but a little less open and big sounding. We haven't yet
heard them, but the previous two generations of Anaconda and Python
were similar in this manner.
Shunyata Hydra M-8 power distributor
(ENJOYABLE): This does much the same thing as the
'filled' Shunyata Vx power cords - the Hydra itself being filled
with the same stuff.
Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) MXR equipment rack
(REAL, IMPRESSIVE): The MXR is the best
sounding rack for many reasons not the least of which is that
the shelves are HRS M3 Isolation Bases. The racks are also
not half bad looking either and the sides of the rack being
somewhat solid help obscure the mess of cables coming out of the
back of the components - and the often pedestrian looking sides of
the equipment.
Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) M3 Isolation Base
(REAL, IMPRESSIVE): The HRS Isolation Base
is wonderful, it has so far improved the sound of everything we have
put it under, some of them tremendously.
Harmonic Resolution Systems (HRS) Nimbus, Nimbus
Couplers, and Nimbus Spacers (REAL, IMPRESSIVE):
These typically are inserted between a component and its Isolation
Base further improving the sonics by channeling away vibrations to
the Isolation Base better than the component's feet do.
Rix Rax equipment rack: Very beautiful racks which
are 100% custom built. Any type of wood or size is yours for the
choosing. HRS M3 Isolation Bases can be put
under your favorite components on a Rix Rax shelf in order to provide much of the same sonic benefits of having a HRS
rack.
Acoustic Dreams equipment rack: This equipment rack
also has some vibration control capability and is very portable.
Most people find the 'art deco look' of these racks quite attractive
here in our showrooms.
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THE SYSTEM SOUND
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MARTEN COLTRANE SPEAKERS
WITH LAMM ML2.1 AMPLIFIERS |
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The Marten Coltrane / LAMM Industries system
is one of our most seductive systems.
It is so indicative of the nature of this
system that when we casually sit people down in front of it -
within a minute or less they are... gone. I mean, they are still
in the chair and everything, but they are no longer talking to us,
or interested in talking to us - for awhile anyway.
It is not that the sound is overly warm or
anything - Lamm amplifiers (and preamplifiers for that matter) are
just do not do the warm kind of sound thing. Perhaps it is the
shape of the notes that is so special. Are you nuts, you may ask,
how can the shape of the notes be very much more than just
something boring on graph paper?
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Well, it is when the notes just erupt into
being with the solidity of a friendly hug, the pure liquidity of
ancient spring water and the life force of a child's smile. While
they are alive, the notes undulate and pulse like Jell-O in outer
space, free from gravity, shimmering and filled with colors and
patterns reminiscent of the greatest works of art. Yeah. Something
like that.
The sound is disturbingly solid, wonderfully
soundstaged, beautifully imaged, amazingly dynamic, and just
incredibly rich. Rich in terms of detail and harmonic color, yes,
there is an amazing amount of detail revealed by... it is not so
much massive amount of micro-dynamics, but something more like
micro-flows and micro-tones.
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But it is also incredibly rich in terms of body
and life, there is a reason people like to look at beautiful art
and landscapes and flowers and people. There is a feeling evoked
by those activities. It is a good feeling. That maybe there is
something right in this universe of ours. That, whatever
the trials and tribulations of daily life, there is also something
wonderful and amazing going on out there.
I guess a word about the bass is in order,
because that is often the first thing people will wonder about in
a small amp, big speaker combo like this. The bass is definitely
present and accounted for, albeit with a less texture than the
rest of the frequency range (well, duh, the rest is
state-of-the-art). The amount of bass is
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somewhat dependent on the power cord used
on the amp, but even with the old Shunyata Anaconda Alpha,
which was one of the cleaner sounding, more detailed, less
bass, power cords we have tried, the bass was enough to rattle
things upstairs. This system, as one might
expect with the relatively low wattage of the amplifier (18
watts) and the relatively difficult to drive speaker (89 dB),
is probably best in rooms with medium to small volumes. We
have it in our 15 foot by 30 foot room with 8 foot ceilings.
It definitely does not 'pressurize' this large of a room -
however the sound does frequently call attention to itself,
not requiring the listener to focus intellectually to
appreciate the sound. We do not actually have to shout to talk
over it - but we do have to yell with the volume at a little
over 1/3 (a little after 10 o'clock) on the Lamm L2
preamplifier. |
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MARTEN COLTRANE SPEAKERS
WITH LAMM ML2.1 AMPLIFIERS
WITH AUDIO NOTE
U.K. CDT2 or CDT3
transport and 4.1x Balanced
DAC through a
LAMM L2 Reference preamplifier. |
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The design of this particular system has as its
goal the maximizing of engagement on the part of the listener.
Drama, dynamics, romance, texture, size, har-f*cking-monics...
everything one can think of to make the music wrench the
listener's mind out of the picture and let their heart and soul
take over.
The Coltrane speakers just render whatever
music is given them in massive amounts of detail and resolution.
In this case we are giving them output from the Lamm ML2.1
amplifiers... "Wahoo!" as Neli would say.
And all of these sources produce music that is
a wonder to behold.
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The front end we are using is the Audio Note
U.K. transport and DAC. These particular models are the what we
feel to be the best redbook (ordinary, average CDs) playback
available when it comes to natural sounding yet romantic, richly
harmonic digital with lots of detail - certainly in the under $40K
price range anyway.
You are probably seeing where we are going with
this. A richly harmonic, textured, dramatic player; a wonderfully
natural sounding, naturally dynamic preamp; the amazing ML2.1 with
its ability to communicate the difference between 1000 shades of
F#, in glorious color; and on of the most accurate speakers on the
planet to hear all this with?
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Exactly. This system is M-u-s-i-c. This system is dan-ger-ous.
It generates a very solid image. So solid that it is
somewhat unnerving. During a casual listening session, perhaps
chatting with a friend, one's autonomous self-defense system will
all of a sudden kick into gear because somebody you did not invite
just appeared in the room singing about how you can't get
everything you want.
This is not an in-your-face presentation, and if you are looking
for that, keep looking - this is an in-your-soul presentation.
Also note that the same magic does not happen with the less
expensive, more powerful Lamm ML1.1 amplifier, for some reason. |
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Accessory
Assignments |
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Marten Coltrane Speaker: Nordost
Valhalla or Nordost Frey or Jorma
Design No. 1 speaker cables
Running the Valhalla between the Audio Note
CDT2 or CDT3 transport and Audio Note 4.1x Balanced
DAC, between the DAC and the Lamm L2 Reference preamplifier
and the L2 and the Lamm ML2.1
amplifier lets the music through while adding little if anything of
its own. Similarly with running the Valhalla speaker cable between
the Lamm and Coltrane speakers. But the special attribute to note
here is that the Valhalla is one of the fastest cables made (both
interconnect and speaker), if not the fastest and very clean and
somewhat lean - so it does not add its own color to the wonderful
harmonics of the ML2.1 and the Audio Note front end. This combination lets through every nuance, each tiny aspect
of every rhythm, each and every part of every note envelope, and
lets it through NOW - when it is supposed to and how, as the music
itself dictates. The result is clean, detailed, full of PRaT (foot
tapping plus plus), and oh so smooth, by which is meant that the
flow, the continuousness, the raison d'être of the music is
preserved and offered up to the speakers. And, in this case, these
speakers can handle it.
LAMM Amplifier: The older Shunyata Anaconda
Alpha or new Shunyata Anaconda Helix Vx or Python Helix
Vx power cords, HRS M3 Isolation Base.
The big Shunyata power cords help eek out a
little more dynamics from the system. We have used the Valhalla
power cord as well, it has the same sonic signature as the other
Valhalla cables, and it sounds more detailed and slightly more
transparent, but is a little lean, and somewhat less macro
dynamic. The 'Vx' power cords contribute to a little more open and
luscious sounding system, the Alpha to a more powerful and quicker
sounding system.
LAMM L2 Preamplifier: The older Shunyata Anaconda
Alpha or new Shunyata Anaconda Helix Vx or Python Helix
Vx or Nordost Valhalla power cords, HRS M3 Isolation Base.
Audio Note Transport: Shunyata Anaconda Helix Vx or
Python Helix Vx or Nordost Valhalla power cords.
Audio Note DAC: Shunyata Anaconda Helix Vx or
Python Helix Vx.
The Audio Note, like most digital, sounds
smoother and less digital when using a 'filled' Shunyata power
cord. Filled, that is, with substances that filter out power line
anomalies that just seem to aggravate digital source equipment.
System: Stealth INDRA, Nordost Valhalla or Nordost Frey interconnects
The INDRA rocks. Very, very pure. As close to
perfect as we have heard to date. Also very expensive. The
Valhalla and Frey are excellent interconnects and let through the
music just fine, thank you very much.
Equipment Rack: This setup needs a
4-shelf equipment rack. The transport is a top-loader, so it
should go on the top shelf. The other components can go on any of
the shelves - but it is usually good to put the two-box preamp's
box with the controls up high enough so you don't have to bend
over too much to change the volume.
A turntable
setup is going to require an even larger equipment rack. The turntable itself
sits on the top shelf of the rack. Then there is typically a need for another
shelf to hold the phono preamplifier (unless your preamplifier has
a built-in phono stage). Then there is often a power supply for
the turntable that needs to go on a shelf as well, somewhere close
to the turntable.
So all this adds up to two 4-shelf equipment racks
or a double-wide 4-shelf. One can also get away with a 3-shelf
double wide if one is OK with putting some of the power supplies
on the floor or squeezing them in next to other components -
especially on the Rix Rax double-wide where there is a little
available space in the middle between the components.
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The MXR is the best
sounding rack and has custom M3 Isolation Bases for many
turntables, available to use as the top shelf.
The Rix Rax equipment rack is a very
nice looking rack which can also handle the weight of the 225 lb
Walker just fine; here at the Audio Federation both the Brinkmann
and Walker have sat together on top of a Rix Rax Grand Hoodoo rack
- the Brinkmann on top of a custom HRS M3 Isolation Base.
The Acoustic Dreams equipment rack also
has a custom top shelf that can
be ordered to suit extra large turntables like the Walker (we use
one of these larger shelves here at the Audio Federation when we
put the Walker on top of one of our Acoustic Dreams racks).
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Optional Accessories |
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Shunyata Hydra M-8 power distributor:
This does much the same thing as the 'filled' Shunyata Vx power
cords - the Hydra itself is filled with the same stuff - so for
those who wish to use a different power cord on their equipment,
they could plug those power cords into the Hydra and get most of the
same benefits.
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