ARJ Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 (edited) Now that my system is pretty much finished for now, I thought I'd post a bit about it. There's some stunning looking systems on Stereonet! My system is at the lower end of the scale but it's been coming together for the past 3 years or so and I'm pretty content with how it sounds. Starting pretty much from scratch, I had an idea of the sound I was looking for and found it in a pair of Vaf i91s MKII, it was a close call between these and a pair of B&W PM1s which I also would have been very happy with. As a bonus I love the look of the i91s in Tasmanian Blackwood veneer! As you can see, the i91s sit on Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers to isolate them from the entertainment unit. The i91s lost some fullness in the bottom end however the soundstage increased massively and the bass ultimately became clearer. The slabs of granite beneath the stabilizers act as a solid mass and help raise the tweeters to ear level. They were also cut over-sized so the speakers could be moved out of reach when nieces and nephews come for a visit! Amp duties are handled by a Roksan Kandy K2 integrated; together the Roksan and i91s have an engaging, balanced sound, nicely detailed but not overly analytical. We have a young child who loves to roll so the 12" sealed Emotiva Sub has been relegated to a corner and now only comes out occasionally. I do miss that extra dose of fullness at times! My next purchase was a Beresford Bushmaster DAC which was an improvement over outputs from the generic Blu-ray player and Topfield PVR, but as a DAC I prefer the sound of the Fostex CR200 CD recorder I posted about a few weeks ago (http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/79982-fostex-cr200-recorder-wow/). Other digital duties are taken care of by an Olive One with an internal HDD. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it at the moment - it looks great, sounds fine and my lovely other half can operate it with ease. However it's had quite a few software bugs and odd behaviour along the way, so quite a few emails to tech support, some of which are ongoing. As an early adopter I bought it for a fair price and it's great for convenience, however I'm not sure I'd purchase it if I had my time again, instead look at a NUC or similar. It's currently run via digital coax to an Audio-GD DI-V1, from which a line is sent to both the Fostex CD200 and the Bushmaster. The Olive and the Bushmaster sound similar but the Fostex is a noticeable step-up. I've been experimenting with a few different analog interconnects but primarily use digital coax cables from Blue Jeans Cable. I posted a while ago about the difference I found in power cables and a Isotek Polaris board (http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/72273-power-cables-curiosity-wins/) so I won't rave about them again, needless to say they aren't going anywhere in a hurry! I had 2 dedicated 20A power lines installed when I had some other electrical work done, for me they made a positive difference. What else? Room dimensions: 5.5m wide x 4m deep x 3.7m high - it's a tall room! The wall behind the speakers only goes halfway up and is then open plan to the next level. Unfortunately proper room treatments aren't an option, just a single 1200 x 900mm panel for absorption on one wall about halfway up. But the room is carpeted, we have 2 large fabric lounges and an ottoman so it's ok. Where to next? I'd love to hear a good headphone amplifier with my Sennheiser HD580s. I've also been extremely curious about Audio-GD DACs, especially of the PCM1704UK flavour. Lastly, I'd be keen to add a turntable that wasn't just on the TV - maybe one day! This post got much longer than I thought it would, if you made it to the end, that's about it, thanks for reading! Edited February 3, 2018 by ARJ Replace Photobucket images 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusion Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Nicely done ARJ. I have always liked VAF speakers, especially the sublime bass they are able to deliver regardless of the size of the enclosure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterpan Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 That's a very nice and tidy system, those Vaf's look and sound quite sensational! I run the Audio-GD master 7 which is pcm1704uk based and very happy with it, you are welcome to have a listen. not as good as the turntable!?? but very nice. cheers Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howze Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Very nice setup, where abouts in sa are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARJ Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Thanks for the kind words! I have always liked VAF speakers, especially the sublime bass they are able to deliver regardless of the size of the enclosure. And I find it's a nice bass too which is open and transparent, not boxy or overcompensated. Just natural. That's a very nice and tidy system, those Vaf's look and sound quite sensational! I run the Audio-GD master 7 which is pcm1704uk based and very happy with it, you are welcome to have a listen. not as good as the turntable!?? but very nice. cheers Peter That's very generous Peter, when time allows I'd love to take you up on your kind offer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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