Audio Federation

August 24, 2006 by Michael

The Kharmas, the ML2.1 too, the Audio Aero Prestige, the HRS racks and their bases, the Elrod, Shunyata and Jorma Design and the rest, all here on …

Picture of entire system with Kharma Mini Exquisite speakers, Lamm ML2.1 amplifiers and Audio Aero Prestige CD/SACD player on HRS M3 isolation bases and MXR equipment rack. Cabled by Nordost Valhalla and either Elrod Statement power cords or Shunyata Anaconda Alpha Helix power cords.

Kharma Mini Exquisite from above.

Sonically, this isn’t a blow-us-away system compared to the same system with the Marten Design Coltrane speakers. It is very nice and enjoyable – but not surprisingly so. Maybe our expectations were too high. Is it wrong to be so spoiled? At what point does our addiction get so out of hand that we no longer represent the average guy or gal? Oh, you are saying we passed that point a long, long time ago? Oops.

We still have to work on the positioning – and we are planning on moving the EDGE solid-state amps over on this side of the room – they being so successful on the other side on these Mini Exquisites, and switching back and forth.

Speaking of switching back and forth….

The power cords powering the ML2.1.

The power cords are the Elrod Statement III (the big ones) and the Shunyata Anadonda Helix Alpha (the red ones). The speaker cables are the Nordost Valhalla. This could be abstract art if it wasn’t so functional.

The Shunyata lends the system detail. The Elrod body and bass. If we are being picky we switch them for each song, depending on what we think will sound best. Though waiting for the Lamm amps to restart after switching power cords – waiting through their 90 second power-on cycle – is long enough for husband and wife to get a chance to talk to each other……

TheHRS MXR equipment rack is looking a little empty. And missing the top shelf. That Audio Aero is doing source and premaplification duties – what used to take four shelves now just takes one.

The top isolation base was out on loan – and now that it is back it is being repurposed elsewhere we are going to move the Brinkmann Balance turntable over on to the MXR equipment rack…. leaving just the Walker Proscenium Gold Signature TT on the RixRax / SoundLab system.

Finally, we are anxiously awaiting the conclusion of our Jorma Prime interconnect burning in on the Nordost Vidar burner.

Tick tock tick tock….

August 16, 2006 by Michael

Playing Musical Chairs…

… but with components instead of people and equipment racks instead of chairs…. and the music starts instead of stops when it is all over…

In this case we swapped the Audio Note CDT-3 transport and DAC 4.1x Balanced DAC (with the Lamm L2 preamplifier) withn the Audio Aero Prestige CD / SACD / Premaplifier.

The Marten Design Coltrane system with the Audio Aero Prestige CD / SACD player as source. Lamm ML2.1 amplifiers on HRS Isolation Bases.

A lot of empty shelves on that HRS MXR rack…. THAT situation can’t last for long 🙂

I can’t help thinking of the Audio Aero as young and energetic and full of enthusiasm – at least in comparision with the Audio Note digital. HRS MXR equipment rack. Swapping back and forth between the El-rod and Shunyata power cords.

The Audio Note system with the Audio Note as source and Lamm L2 preamp as source. Lamm ML1.1 amplifier on Acoustic Dreams amplifier stands. Acoustic Dreams equipment rack.

The $20K (plus the $14K Lamm L2 preamp) Audio Note is more refined, and well-balanced in comparsion with the $13K Audio Aero…

Kind of the opposite of the speakers… Where the Coltrane is more refined and well-balanced in comparison with the very musical and very energetic Audio Note speakers.

We try to both strive for a balanced system as well as take advantage of each components strengths… which is a lot easier said than done…. 🙂

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Showroom 3 / Showroom 4 0 comments

August 2, 2006 by Michael

Listening with other people's ears

Sounds strange, I know.

But when we have people up hear[sic] for auditions – we learn about the kind of sound they are looking for.

This kind of lets us listen through the lens of their personal preferences.

We could go on and on about preferences – most audiophiles seem to have them.

And most non-audiophiles don’t.

Besides the ‘does it play loud and have a lot of bass’ that non-audiophile men seem to look for first – their overriding concern is ‘does it sound good’? The problem these folks have is they have to judge if it ‘sounds good’ in comparison to other things they have heard, usually in the screetch-and-thump stores they know of- and so their life soon sucks, sound-system-wise.

But at least they are looking for something that sounds good, something that lights that fire of musical involvement, as opposed to a set of audiophile criteria gathered through years of reading and debating that are labeled ‘personal preferences’ but are perhaps have more to do with personal history than what we are really going to like, in the end.

For example, most people look for a new sound that is either very similar to the one they are used to, just ‘better’ in some specific attribute that they have decided that they now ‘need’ .. [Maybe for good reasons]

…….or something that is completely opposite from what they are used to – because they are sick of it ….or now just plain hate it. [Also, maybe for good reasons]

We used to do this. Cost us a lot of money, …..and grief, too. [Sonus Faber Electa monitors -> Dunlavy SC4 6 foot tall monsters -> better Sonus Faber Extrema monitors -> Acapella Campaniles 8-foot tall hybrids.]

[Of course, people might just think we now cheat and get one of everything… :-]

We just needed to listen…. with our ears and not with our eyes (what people write and say, like …this… blog), nor with our brain (the technical specs and what some people SAY the technical specs should be and the technologies used and what people SAY the technologies should be ….)

But hey, it is not just us. French wines cost more because…. everybody… ‘knows’… that… French.. wines… are…. better…. Right? Who needs to taste the stuff anymore? It has already been decided, said and done, for wine connoisseurs .

But me? I want to taste the stuff – see for myself.

So, to help us out here, please send samples to:

Yeah Right,
One Dry Mouth Road,
Boulder, CO

in High-end Audio HiFi and Stereo / Philosophy 0 comments

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