Hydrology Posted April 23, 2022 Author Posted April 23, 2022 So I cancelled the Trampolin and lid replacement order in favour of getting the Karousel bearing and inner subplatter, which will be here next week. The Kepler isolation feet are doing a truly wonderful job - the deck did sound a little wooly at times. Now raised up, results are faster and more agile, very tight deep bass. 4 1
dcathro Posted April 24, 2022 Posted April 24, 2022 On 12/04/2022 at 8:58 AM, Hydrology said: Decided to go down the rabbit hole... Linn LP12 (as old as me) with Grace 707 arm and Supex SD900IV MC cart. Sounds divine. Have replacement lid and Trampolin on order. Then Karousel. One of the most musical combinations of all time - a classic!! Looks to be in beautiful condition. 1
wen Posted April 24, 2022 Posted April 24, 2022 I bought the same combo in 1979 second hand, mine had a Grace F9 cartridge on the 707 arm, also a superb combination. 1
Hydrology Posted June 11, 2022 Author Posted June 11, 2022 (edited) Doing a shootout this weekend at home between two super integrateds... THE UNDISPUTED - Hegel H590 and THE CONTENDER - Devialet Expert 250 Pro Results coming in a few days! Edited June 11, 2022 by Hydrology 5
Tony B Posted June 12, 2022 Posted June 12, 2022 9 hours ago, Hydrology said: Doing a shootout this weekend at home between two super integrateds... THE UNDISPUTED - Hegel H590 and THE CONTENDER - Devialet Expert 250 Pro Results coming in a few days! I'm interested in your thoughts! 1
Hydrology Posted June 13, 2022 Author Posted June 13, 2022 Slam! Interesting weekend. I spent most of Saturday night doing the comparisons. Sunday I was just in enjoyment mode - listening to music for a full 13 hours straight! So, who won the battle? Devialet Expert 250 Pro was the winner, but was it a close contest? In some ways yes, it some ways no. I used identical cables for the comparison (Nordost Blue Heaven USB and Divine Acoustics Halley Speaker Cable) to keep consistency across the amps. Source was Innuos ZEN via USB (running Roon). The Hegel provides a very agile and speedy presentation - you definitely sit up and take notice. Some might say a "forward" presentation, but certainly not as relaxed as, say, Class A amplifiers or the smoothness of tubes. But the Hegel never quite grabs you by the scruff of the neck and drags you kicking and screaming INTO the music quite like the Dev does. Front to back and left/right stereo separation is so much better and bigger on the Dev. Vocal performance was similar and close, but on at least 50% of the music I played on both, the Dev just had a smoother top end. Bass! One huge advantage with the Expert Pro was the ability to get Devialet in Hong Kong to recently "SAM" my speakers, the Wharfedale Elysian 4. Boy oh boy does this make a HUGE difference! The Elysians are no slouch in the bottom end, having good deep and controlled bass, but with SAM enabled on the Dev, the dynamics goes up to 11, but with the same grip and control I'm used to. All this from an amplifier with a huge damping factor of 8,000 (twice the Hegel H590). Now, we aren't comparing apples and apples. The Dev is almost $13K more expensive than the Hegel, so there's that, but we do have onboard Roon Ready streaming, a very capable phono stage and a very flexible package, sowhen you start adding those components to the Hegel, you start to get close from a price perspective. Am I selling my Hegel right now? No, not yet (don't have the money to move up to the Dev just yet) and the performance of the Dev with SAM switched off was not as sublime, but I would seriously recommend anybody with speakers that have been SAM'd by Devialet, to give the Expert Pro amplifiers some serious consideration. These aren't just "lifestyle" amplifiers - they are the real deal. 13
Hydrology Posted June 28, 2022 Author Posted June 28, 2022 Another boombox to add to the collection. Tom Petty used to record the Heartbreakers with one of these. 7 3
Hydrology Posted July 4, 2022 Author Posted July 4, 2022 Lid from Groove Audio now in situ as well as Karousel bearing. 6 1
Hydrology Posted July 8, 2022 Author Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) One of my other passions aside from audio, is books, but this is something my wife takes to another level, so thought I would share a library space we designed about 9 months ago (built by others) that occupies the old dining room area. Featured is a rare second press edition of The Great Gatsby. Edited July 8, 2022 by Hydrology 15 7
metal beat Posted July 8, 2022 Posted July 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Hydrology said: One of my other passions aside from audio, is books, but this is something my wife takes to another level, so thought I would share a library space we designed about 9 months ago (built by others) that occupies the old dining room area. Featured is a rare second press edition of The Great Gatsby. All I see is a whole bunch of space that could be better utilised for vinyl 2 8
Hydrology Posted July 8, 2022 Author Posted July 8, 2022 1 minute ago, metal beat said: All I see is a whole bunch of space that could be better utilised for vinyl v2.0... 2
Analogueage Posted July 8, 2022 Posted July 8, 2022 Stunning mate. Please PM me the cabinet maker. Rob 1
Hydrology Posted January 29, 2023 Author Posted January 29, 2023 Received another donar unit to add to my (eventual) Andy Warhol-inspired vintage hifi wall. This time, the Sonab C500. 3 1 1
Hydrology Posted February 22, 2023 Author Posted February 22, 2023 (edited) I have a dark secret to confess....I am not a subwoofer user in my stereo systems, but I do keep one at home JUST IN CASE the need arises. I plug it in every few weeks just to check all is well with the little guy. Sadly no longer made, but these Sunfire sealed subs with their Class AB amps have incredible potency for a cabinet only 23cm (15kg). Edited February 22, 2023 by Hydrology 6
Hydrology Posted April 8, 2023 Author Posted April 8, 2023 Keeping meself busy this weekend with some model making... 4
Assisi Posted April 9, 2023 Posted April 9, 2023 On 08/07/2022 at 11:56 AM, Hydrology said: One of my other passions aside from audio, is books, Same for me. My entire professional working life was in libraries. I spent my early career sliding and climbing ladders like you have. There were times when I almost fell off. Brings back memories. One of my problems is I cannot stop buying more books. Two in the post now. I have run out of shelves for them. I have an extensive and now very valuable collection of books on gardening and cool climate plants. A concern for me is what happens when I fall off my perch. I do not want the collection dispersed. Tricky. John 2
Hydrology Posted April 23, 2023 Author Posted April 23, 2023 Having a good extended play with the 432 EVO Aeon MK3 Music Server...(you know, the one that has the 432 Hz tuning...) Definately DIFFERENT. 2
Hydrology Posted May 1, 2023 Author Posted May 1, 2023 Getting the ol' kit out for a spring clean and a listen today... 4 3
Hydrology Posted September 25, 2023 Author Posted September 25, 2023 Bit of a system change incoming... 5 1 1
Hydrology Posted October 30, 2023 Author Posted October 30, 2023 Removed the Wharfedale spike and Bassocontinuo DSD footer from the Elysian 4 and replaced with Divine Acoustics Kepler. Still waiting for new T+A gear to arrive so not done comparisons yet. 5
Hydrology Posted November 5, 2023 Author Posted November 5, 2023 So while I anxiously wait for my new T+A 200 Series system to arrive, I have my isolation footers ready and waiting to go under each component... 4 1
Hydrology Posted November 12, 2023 Author Posted November 12, 2023 Putting the new remote through its paces - part of a Kickstarter that goes back at least 18 months. Instructions are virtually non-existant, spent far too much time working out the basics but definitely showing potential, especially the Roon integration and control. 4
Tony B Posted November 12, 2023 Posted November 12, 2023 12 hours ago, Hydrology said: Putting the new remote through its paces - part of a Kickstarter that goes back at least 18 months. Instructions are virtually non-existant, spent far too much time working out the basics but definitely showing potential, especially the Roon integration and control. Roon integration? The remote connects to your WiFi? 1
Hydrology Posted November 13, 2023 Author Posted November 13, 2023 16 minutes ago, Tony B said: Roon integration? The remote connects to your WiFi? Yep www.unfoldedcircle.com 1
Recommended Posts