darthlaker Posted March 1, 2011 Author Posted March 1, 2011 Thanks Keith, she's looking and more importantly sounding goooooood!
valvelover Posted March 1, 2011 Posted March 1, 2011 Just completed another system upgrade so I thought I would post some pics.The addition of the dCS Puccini SACD/CD player coupled with the dCS Puccini U-Clock is a significant upgrade (RBCD in particular) and the best digital I have heard barring the US$67K dCS Scarlatti "stack". I also purchased some custom made Silent Running Audio "Ohio Class" Audio isoBASE amp stands for the Ayre MX-R Monoblock amps which work a treat. Anyone is welcome to pop by and have a listen! Please PM me to arrange a time. System: Stereo audio and home theater are separated and both are on separate power lines which are wired directly to mains power. Stereo: Equipment: dCS Puccini SACD/CD player dCS Puccini U-Clock Ayre KX-R Pre-amp Ayre MX-R Monoblock amps Vandersteen 5A speakers 2 X Ayre L-5xe power filters Cables: Audioquest Eagle Eye 72V DBS BNC 75 Ohm digital cable Audioquest Sky 72V DBS balanced interconnects Audioquest Everest 72V DBS speaker cable in bi-wire configuration Richard Gray Power Company High Tension Wire power cables Misc: Solid Tech Rack of Silence equipment rack with suspension shelves Solid Tech Feet of Silence isolators under SACD/CD player Ayre myrtle wood blocks used under other equipment and also under interconnect and power cables to ensure they are raised above floor Silent Running Audio "Ohio Class" Audio isoBASE custom made amp stands for the Ayre MX-R Monoblock amps Cardas XLR and RCA caps on unused inputs/outputs Furutech Rhodium power receptacles Sine and Furutech power cover plates Furutech sound diffusers Nylon Pile Carpet Ayre IBE sweep CD Home Theater (in addition to above): Equipment: Marantz AV8003 surround sound processor Rotel RB 1080 2 channel amp Richard Gray Power Company 1200 power conditioner Panasonic DMP-BD35 Bluray player Panasonic DVD recorder and HDD XBOX 360 Elite Thiel SCS3 surround speakers Pioneer PDP-LX509A Plasma monitor (ISF calibrated) Cables: Audioquest King Cobra balanced interconnects Audioquest HDMI cables, rear speaker cable Misc: Solid Tech Rack of Silence equipment rack Wall mounted speaker stand for rear surround speakers Nice looking system, I can only dream of things like that on my income You don't see many vandersteen's in people's homes. I've heard good things about them, how do they sound?
darthlaker Posted March 1, 2011 Author Posted March 1, 2011 Thanks valvelover! Vandersteens international marketing was average (for reasons I won't go into here) but things will be changing (from what I have heard) in the future. They sound incredibly neutral, imaging and soundstaging is fantastic. I would highly recommend a listening session with any of their models........and they have a model line up to suit any budget.....
darthlaker Posted June 17, 2011 Author Posted June 17, 2011 Just thought I would provide a link to a related thread (below). I'm getting there on updated (better) pictures! http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/33608-Thanks-to-Darth-Laker
pdot Posted July 18, 2011 Posted July 18, 2011 (edited) The variety of music I have listened to on this system all sounds so clear and open. Most excellent! Edited July 18, 2011 by pdot grammatical corrections
darthlaker Posted August 13, 2011 Author Posted August 13, 2011 The dCS Uclock DAC is going on a journey tomorrow to get the 192/24 upgrade........can't wait to get it back!
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 13, 2011 Posted August 13, 2011 Let us know your impressions when you get it back...good stuff Darth!
Guest glakey Posted August 14, 2011 Posted August 14, 2011 The SRA gear is good, very good, but then considering their heritage and the bottomless bucket of funding it came from, they should be. George.
darthlaker Posted August 14, 2011 Author Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) SRA.....yes, they have a lot of know how from military applications.... Before they built my custom made amp stands for my Ayre MX-R monoblocs they wanted to know room size, floor construction details and even what type of wood my floorboards were made out of! Edited August 14, 2011 by darthlaker
darthlaker Posted August 19, 2011 Author Posted August 19, 2011 Popped the updated dCS Puccini UClock into the system and listened to some 192/24 tracks, needless to say I was extremely impressed. Very, very close to SACD quality. The venerated mastering engineer Doug Sax has metioned in the past that 192/24 tracks can sound exactly the same as the master tapes he hears in his studio....! I just wish there was more content......just a matter of time!
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 19, 2011 Posted August 19, 2011 Popped the updated dCS Puccini UClock into the system and listened to some 192/24 tracks, needless to say I was extremely impressed. Very, very close to SACD quality.The venerated mastering engineer Doug Sax has metioned in the past that 192/24 tracks can sound exactly the same as the master tapes he hears in his studio....! I just wish there was more content......just a matter of time! I agree Darth, 24/192 upsampling (done well) can sound awesome. My CD-5s has switchable 24/192 upsampling & I love it It sounds even better...stunning actually with XRCD & DXD cd's. Glad you're enjoying your upgrade Darth!
darthlaker Posted August 19, 2011 Author Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) Bodhi, no upsampling going on in my initial listening sessions, just pure 192/24 source tracks...... Have a 176.4 recording to listen to later on Saturday and can't wait as the CD is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC already!!! Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nama-Puente-Celeste/dp/B004UMAPNG Highly recommended!! Edited August 19, 2011 by darthlaker
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 20, 2011 Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) Bodhi, no upsampling going on in my initial listening sessions, just pure 192/24 source tracks......Have a 176.4 recording to listen to later on Saturday and can't wait as the CD is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC already!!! Link: http://www.amazon.com/Nama-Puente-Celeste/dp/B004UMAPNG Highly recommended!! Thanks for the tip Mark & i'll check that out! Yeah the Ayon is also set up to handle high res source material via it's various digital inputs. At this stage however, i'm more interested in buying well mastered cd's from Chesky etc & K2HD, XRCD & DXD disks. I'm a bit old school & like to see vinyl or cd's spinning.... Cheers, Bodhi Edited August 20, 2011 by Bodhisattva Human fallibility
darthlaker Posted August 20, 2011 Author Posted August 20, 2011 Bodhi, it's Mark, not David (!) If you think well mastered CD's sound good (and they do!), wait until you hear well mastered SACD's and high rez downloads! .....and when you close your eyes and listen to the music it doesn't matter how it's played!
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 20, 2011 Posted August 20, 2011 Bodhi, it's Mark, not David (!) If you think well mastered CD's sound good (and they do!), wait until you hear well mastered SACD's and high rez downloads! .....and when you close your eyes and listen to the music it doesn't matter how it's played! Hi Mark, my apology. Seems i'm human after all. I note in your reply you omitted to mention K2HD, XRCD & DXD cd's. Is that because you have no experience with these high rez formats? Or that you possibly haven't heard any of those formats on a reference RB player? I agree that many (not all) SACD's sound fantastic, but I tire of the almost religious devotion to them (though I suspect it has a lot to do with the requisite investment in SACD-compatible players). Don't get me wrong though, i'm happy that you're loving the sound of your DCS gear Bodhi.
darthlaker Posted August 20, 2011 Author Posted August 20, 2011 Bodhi, No worries with getting my name mixed up! I know K2HD, XRCD and DXD CD's and have quite a few (as well as a Blu Spec Audio CD and some others I can't remember)....... Although most of them sound great they are still only 16 bit/44 kHz and that's not high rez by any stretch. If you want to easily hear the difference between 16/24 (low rez) 24/96 (high rez) and 24/192 (high rez) - the differences are not slight - head to the link below: http://www.soundkeeperrecordings.com/format.htm
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 20, 2011 Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) Bodhi,No worries with getting my name mixed up! I know K2HD, XRCD and DXD CD's and have quite a few (as well as a Blu Spec Audio CD and some others I can't remember)....... Although most of them sound great they are still only 16 bit/44 kHz and that's not high rez by any stretch. If you want to easily hear the difference between 16/24 (low rez) 24/96 (high rez) and 24/192 (high rez) - the differences are not slight - head to the link below: http://www.soundkeeperrecordings.com/format.htm Hi Mark, thanks for explaining that to me & for the link. I do feel on balance that what im hearing out of my class a valve front end with 24/192kHz upsampling switched on is as good (or bloody close) to the level of sound I've heard on other sacd front ends playing some of the high rez discs I mentioned above. Even if upsampling doesn't get me all the way there, I'd trade that off to get the benefits of a valve output stage & tube-rectified power supplies which are seductive warmth, dimensionality & musicality to my ears Cheers, Bodhi. Edited August 20, 2011 by Bodhisattva
darthlaker Posted August 20, 2011 Author Posted August 20, 2011 (edited) Bodhi, "Upsampling" a low rez source can not make it sound anywhere near as good as a high rez source (of equivalent recording quality). You mention your Ayon can receive high rez material? When you start feeding it true high rez, you will know what I am talking about.... Edited August 21, 2011 by darthlaker
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 21, 2011 Posted August 21, 2011 Bodhi,"Upsampling" a low rez source can not make it sound anywhere near as good as a high rez source (of equivalent recording quality). You mention you Ayon can receive high rez material? When you start feeding it true high rez, you will know what I am talking about.... Mark, Now you've got me confused . Are you saying a DXD cd recorded in 24 bit, 352.8kHz resolution is not a high rez source? Granted you're not going to get the same resolution as say, streaming that kind of resolution through a compatible player like the latest PBD, but goodness I would think you would get a very satisfactory result with upsampling (and that is completely discounting the player & it's circuit design)... Bodhi
darthlaker Posted August 21, 2011 Author Posted August 21, 2011 Bodhi, If the playback is only 16/44 it's still low rez irregardless how it was originally recorded. No matter the equipment, upsampling low rez does not sound anywhere near as good as a high rez source (of equivalent recording quality).
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 27, 2011 Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) Bodhi,If the playback is only 16/44 it's still low rez irregardless how it was originally recorded. No matter the equipment, upsampling low rez does not sound anywhere near as good as a high rez source (of equivalent recording quality). Having read up a bit more on the different formats, I admit i've still got a lot to learn on this subject. I think my modded Ayon deck will produce as good a sound on RB as any other deck out there. I'm installing some special rectifier tubes to my Ayon in the near future & will have to wait until it's played in before I can assess what the CD-5s can really do playing xrcd's, dxd's etc. I would accept SACD's and high rez downloads played through a reference deck would likely trump the best mastered rb standard cd's, however I take the view that for the majority of music I want to listen to...that majority of cd's are not available on SACD. SACD still makes up a small percentage of album releases, and high rez downloads even less. There are pros and con's either way, a valve player like the Ayon would give a warmer, sweeter sound which is very musical and dynamic (like real music), whilst i'd expect solid state players to be less warm and obviously lack some of the dimensionality which a good valve output stage offers. I don't accept all high rez downloads or SACD's are superior; there are still bad sounding SACD's and high rez downloads. The mastering still plays a big part. I may one day make the move to an SACD deck, but for now I am thrilled with the magic of the Ayon If you're ever in Melbourne Darth, drop me a pm. You're welcome to drop in for lunch & a listening session :eek: Bodhi. Edited August 27, 2011 by Bodhisattva
darthlaker Posted August 27, 2011 Author Posted August 27, 2011 Hi Bodhi, Great to hear you are enjoying your player! SACD's and high rez dowloads through any decent player (doesn't need to be a "reference deck") will obliterate a RBCD equivalent. Thanks for the kind offer....next time I visit MEL I will definitely pop you a PM....likewise if you ever get down my neck of the woods! :eek:
Guest Bodhisattva Posted August 27, 2011 Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) Hi Bodhi,Great to hear you are enjoying your player! SACD's and high rez dowloads through any decent player (doesn't need to be a "reference deck") will obliterate a RBCD equivalent. Thanks for the kind offer....next time I visit MEL I will definitely pop you a PM....likewise if you ever get down my neck of the woods! :eek: Hey Darth, The Ayon is still playing in, so it's early days but I am already VERY impressed. The NOS mil-spec tubes kill the factory tubes for sure & other changes have all made good improvements. I understand where you're coming from re: SACD's, however I think "obliterate" is a strong word. Perhaps you should reserve judgment until you've heard my deck and what it can do, but then again, it may not be possible to be objective if you're a one-eyed SACD guy. I just think you should keep an open mind as you may well be pleasantly surprised.. Cheers, Bodhi Edited August 27, 2011 by Bodhisattva
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