9 hours ago, Steever said:

 

I agree with respect to being fiddly. But use fosters familiarity with the shape and which is left and right. Once in, they're very comfortable for a "universal fit" IEM.

That's true I guess. After I finish building my new system, if i've got enough surplus funds I'd like to build a simple, high quality setup incl: a pair of Focal Stelia cans and iFi GO bar Keinsei for my desktop & travel. Though for air travel, yes a pair of good value iem's like yours would be more practical.

 

Edited September 13, 20241 yr by David A

The mail man is my best friend. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dita Navigator dongle-DAC. 

It’s a solid little thing. But it is milled from billet. While smallish, it’s about twice the size of my Dragonfly Red. 
I’m finally free of the CCK normally needed to get digital out of an IOS product. 
 

Sound compared to the DF Red?

Spectral balance is improved (the DFR could sound a little bassy and soft sometimes). 
Much more transparent and defined room acoustic (the DFR could sound a little thick). 
Better imaging. 
The bass!!! 🥹
 

The DFR is considered a benchmark by many, myself included. And it’s well earned. This more modern and more expensive DAC is better in so many ways though. 

 

Edited September 19, 20241 yr by Steever

Look Ma, no grills!

 

 

B&W P7 headphone mod #2 before refitting the pads. 

Edited November 15, 20241 yr by Steever

Was playing Talking Heads’ Speaking in Tongues on vinyl today and decided to play around with capacitance loading on the phono stage. 
I use an Audio Technica ART9XA (not the older ART9) and it’s run in now. 

 

I flicked back and forth between 1uF (default setting) and 220pF. The stage seemed to move further away from me each time I went to 220. It also gained a slightly more liquid or organic sound. I think I like this and will leave it here for a few sides to see how it goes longer term. 
 

Very interested in the phono stage Steve, do you run it with the power supply? I'd guess so. Have you compared it to others at around the price? It does look like it has the flexibility and adjustability I want, wonder how it sounds.

On 21/12/2024 at 4:03 PM, Grimmie said:

Very interested in the phono stage Steve, do you run it with the power supply? I'd guess so. Have you compared it to others at around the price? It does look like it has the flexibility and adjustability I want, wonder how it sounds.

Heya.

Yes, I use a PSX-R with it. It’s very good by itself but adding the power supply is a worthwhile investment. This tends to be the case with much of the Cyrus equipment. I’m looking for a couple more, one for my tuner and another for my cd transport. 
 

Anyway, I didn’t audition the phono stage against others in the traditional sense. I had the current model Dynavector before this and just bought the Cyrus on a whim because the rest of the system was Cyrus and a quartz one became available. I wasn’t disappointed in the gamble. There’s also many reviews online of the Phono Signature and it tends to be rated well, even by those who wouldn’t normally buy any of the other Cyrus products. 
 

It’s easy to use and very versatile. Apart from a recent play around with some settings though, I tend to set and forget. It’s back at 1uF now. 
 

I’m a nobody in the big world of hifi but I’d definitely rate it. 

Thanks for that @Steever, I've been on the hunt for the best part of two (more?) years. Trouble is, I haven't found one that betters my Vincent 701 by enough to lay out several thousand dollars.

 

I want;

one that has two inputs, one and both MM and one optional MC for future adventures.

plenty of adjustability loading and capacitance, preferably from the front controls rather than dip switches or load plugs.

one that will be a clear audible upgrade over my Vincent.

 

I reckon the Cyrus may be the phono but with the power supply is stretching the budget to breaking point.

 

Wonder if I can get a home demo anyhow. Recently done that with a Gold Note PH10 and that was very impressive but no capacitance adjustability which has me hesitating. Fab sound though.

Edited December 22, 20241 yr by Grimmie

On 22/12/2024 at 8:23 AM, Grimmie said:

Thanks for that @Steever, I've been on the hunt for the best part of two (more?) years. Trouble is, I haven't found one that betters my Vincent 701 by enough to lay out several thousand dollars.

 

I want;

one that has two inputs, one and both MM and one optional MC for future adventures.

plenty of adjustability loading and capacitance, preferably from the front controls rather than dip switches or load plugs.

one that will be a clear audible upgrade over my Vincent.

 

I reckon the Cyrus may be the phono but with the power supply is stretching the budget to breaking point.

 

Wonder if I can get a home demo anyhow. Recently done that with a Gold Note PH10 and that was very impressive but no capacitance adjustability which has me hesitating. Fab sound though.

Someone in Perth has one with the PSXr. Really nice combo. He lent it to me for a while at the same time I was using the one in my Supratec pre amp, which is suppose to be world class. Eventually the same person purchased a supratec after borrowing mine. I don’t think he hangs on here though. (He still kept the Cyrus) 

I am back for several weeks in March, if your no sorted by then I’ll see if I can catch up with you both.

Compared to what I have had and heard the Cyrus gives nothing away, and I could have easily lived with it. Plus it adds usability and flexibility that others don’t.

 

On 22/12/2024 at 11:23 PM, Grimmie said:

Thanks for that @Steever, I've been on the hunt for the best part of two (more?) years. Trouble is, I haven't found one that betters my Vincent 701 by enough to lay out several thousand dollars.

 

I want;

one that has two inputs, one and both MM and one optional MC for future adventures.

plenty of adjustability loading and capacitance, preferably from the front controls rather than dip switches or load plugs.

one that will be a clear audible upgrade over my Vincent.

 

I reckon the Cyrus may be the phono but with the power supply is stretching the budget to breaking point.

 

Wonder if I can get a home demo anyhow. Recently done that with a Gold Note PH10 and that was very impressive but no capacitance adjustability which has me hesitating. Fab sound though.

 

I've heard some good things about Gold Note recently.

If Cyrus wasn't a thing for me currently, it's likely I'd be trying out and living with their super integrated and phono stage. 

No changes to the system for a while now. I’m pretty happy with it as is although, a new equipment stand is in the works and should arrive in a few weeks. 
 

Tonight I switched everything else in the house off and put on some lazy jazz by The Bill Charlap Trio on Blue Note.
 

 

 

 

This weekend saw me down in Bendigo visiting my father. Apart from the social aspect of my stay, I was really hoping to help out with getting his music system sounding more listenable. My father loves music but the sound in his room was almost painful which discouraged listening. Plus, with multiple amplifiers, it was far from ergonomic for him and his lovely wife. 
 

His system consisted of a two box valve pre, a couple of Redgum monoblocks, Marantz home theatre receiver, a Cyrus tuner, Cambridge Audio CD/DVD player, restored Mission 770 Freedom speakers and an assortment of Jaycar cables and unused rear and centre speakers. 
 

He’d also recently removed all the carpet from his living room in favour of hard flooring and a new rug. 
 

Sound wise, it was terrible. The room is incredibly live with strong reverb. His amps are also old and had seen use in PA systems over the years. And his Jaycar cables were little better than anything available at Bunnings. 
 

I stripped everything away from the equipment end of the room. He had about 11 pieces of equipment in total. 
 

He’d also recently had a lovely old Sansui AU-777 amplifier restored and it was sitting not being used. 

Instead of the 3-bay stand with excess equipment, he’s now down to a single bay with three pieces. 
 

 

 

At the heart of the system is his AU-777 amplifier. We kept the CA CD player and Cyrus tuner. 
 

 

All his old cables are gone. I ran a new Wireworld Nova optical cable through the wall to a little DAC hidden away by the tuner. I also installed a hand made Nordost Flatline RCA cable for his CD player and Super Flatline speaker cables to his restored Mission Freedoms. 
 

 

 

 

 

Not connected is my father’s AU-222 amp. I moved it inside from the shed. 
 

 

The system now sounds wonderful when compared to the old one with tired old amps and questionable quality cabling. It’s now much more listenable and “organic” sounding giving me a new appreciation for the older Sansui amp. 
 

The room was still very live so we installed a couple of layers of underlay under the rug to address at least some of the first reflections. The left wall also has double roller blinds which, when both layers are down (with 10cm gap between), tames things nicely. 
 

It’s much better now but more treatment is unlikely given mandates from his MoWaF. 
 

As the hours mount on the newly restored amp, it sounds better and better. Goal accomplished. 

 

 

 

Edited February 15, 20251 yr by Steever

Payment for services rendered;

 

 

They should play nicely with my Cyrus One if I ever get a second system up and running. 

the Mission  770 freedom look superb, and well matched to the Sansui 777. Can't believe you only have one system running🤔

@Steever I thought of you for some reason 🙂

1 hour ago, cafe67 said:

@Steever I thought of you for some reason 🙂

 

Cambridge are a bunch of jokers on this fine first day of April.

I'm sure Helen Keller would approve though. 

 

On that note (boom-tish), Cambridge did actually release a very limited number of the Edge S speakers (https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/hkg/en/product/hi-fi/edge/edge-s) based on the Performance 6 from Mordaunt Short. They were about the same money as the P6 from what I understand (c$10k/pr). Not sure if they are an improvement on mine or not although Cambridge predictably claim their work improved them. Not sure a pair ever made it to Australia.

1 hour ago, Steever said:

 

Cambridge are a bunch of jokers on this fine first day of April.

I'm sure Helen Keller would approve though. 

 

On that note (boom-tish), Cambridge did actually release a very limited number of the Edge S speakers (https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/hkg/en/product/hi-fi/edge/edge-s) based on the Performance 6 from Mordaunt Short. They were about the same money as the P6 from what I understand (c$10k/pr). Not sure if they are an improvement on mine or not although Cambridge predictably claim their work improved them. Not sure a pair ever made it to Australia.

Wow didn’t know about the Edge S speakers , 😎

Recently I swapped out my steel and glass equipment stand for something in plywood with high pressure laminate outer surfaces. 

This

 

 

for this

 

 

 

I also made the switch from Sorbothane isolation under every component to alloy cones, even under the turntable. The stand itself also had threaded cones installed at each corner. The stand now feels incredibly rigid and planted. 
 

And, I like the change to the sound of the system. In fact, I like it a lot.
 

Some minor glare and hardness is now gone. Music is more listenable and micro-dynamics seem to stand out more. Plus, there’s less wasted physical space. 
 

 

Edited April 16, 2025Apr 16 by Steever

Love it. - Especially the way it matches the TT plinth so perfectly, not to mention all the other wood in the room.

Been meaning to give my FM-X some love for a while now. 
So, today I gave it a Magnum Dynalab ST-2 aerial. 
 

 

 

It’s installed on our apartment roof, three floors up. Aspect is 360° so reception is now crystal and listening verifies. 
FM is now a viable alternative to my other sources so quite happy indeed. 

Edited May 6, 2025May 6 by Steever

In making sure both home and work get some love, my Element III amp scored alloy cone footers. 
The P7 phones also had their cloth grills removed (I’m no wingnut so it’s all good). 
 

While the effect of the cones could be argued, improvements associated with the removal of the cloth driver covers is very noticeable. Small details especially, stand out more now. 

The laptop now also sits on sobothane footers. 

New carbon fibre and brass Terminator arm wand counterweight. 
 

 

 

It sits closer to the wand pivots than the previous stainless weight. 
Mass is better distributed over the left and right pivot points as there are three smaller masses spread over a greater area. 
I can raise the cartridge higher now without brushing the record. 
 

Improvements in sound are significant. With exactly the same stylus force (1.95g), there’s no more upper mid glare. It’s sweet and detailed and so musical. Image rendering is even more stark and goose bump inducing.
 

I feel I’m finally “there” with my ART 9XA cartridge now. 

I feel a record shopping session might be on the cards. 

Edited May 20, 2025May 20 by Steever

A couple of things being played with tonight,

Foam damping (low mass speaker gasket foam) on my tonearm carriage

 

 

and, a power supply for my CD transport. 
 

 

Out came my 180g pressing of John Martin’s Solid Air and my gold CD of the same album. 
 

I learnt two things:

Overdoing damping is possible, and I should have added a PSX-R to my transport ages ago. 
 

Most of the foam tape was removed. It’s now only on the carriage between the two square sections and on the inside surface of the sections themselves. 
 

The PSX-R makes for a very big improvement. There’s more resolution, naturalness, deep bass, and richness to everything. 

 

There will be some tweaks coming over the next little while. They will be speaker-centric. So come back for updates. 
 

Today I started getting serious about speaker alignment within the room. Not quite spectral measurement serious but, laser alignment serious. 
 

Courtesy of eBay and $120 later, I had two multifunction laser alignment tools and mini tripods (the tops of my speakers are convex). 
 

 

Once centered on the speaker tops, I took a shot of the alignment. 
 

 

Efforts to date were by eye and using a tape measure. It’s not too bad but at the seat, alignment in various planes was out by about 10cm. 
 

 

The left speaker was out of plumb by almost 3cm at the tweeter. 
 

After some adjustment, the vertical alignment was nailed. 
 

 

 

The Performance 6 use gentle driver physical alignment as part of their design, curving up and back from bottom to top of the baffle. 
 

I actually like what happens when I bring them about halfway back to vertical. It sounds like it raises or levels the upper spectral response and I like the insight this brings to music. Both speakers were measured and adjusted to be the same as each other. 

 

As mentioned, alignment was improved drastically. 
 

 

 

And the results are also drastic. It’s quite amazing the improvement gained from this and it shows how only 10cm of misalignment can handicap a system. 
 

Imaging is now very hard right across the stage. I’m talking imaging better than ESL speakers (I’ve had a few pairs of ESLs to know this). And this is only with minor alignments for symmetry rather than a gross adjustment. 
 

And left vs centre vs right stage is so much more evenly spread acoustically. My mind is relaxing more as it’s not having to process as much to picture a performance in front of me. 
 

Along the way, I learned how out of square walls and floors are. And I also had reinforced that attention to details really does matter. 
 

More to come soon, including tweeter baffle treatments, a new internal cable loom, and a recap with some rather tasty Jentzen or Mundorf products. 

Edited June 27, 2025Jun 27 by Steever

17 minutes ago, Steever said:

Courtesy of eBay and $120 later, I had two multifunction laser alignment tools and mini tripods

Wow! Amazing work and very enlightening, any chance you could provide links to the eBay items for the two multifunction laser alignment tools and mini tripods, much appreciated.

 

3 hours ago, awayward said:

Wow! Amazing work and very enlightening, any chance you could provide links to the eBay items for the two multifunction laser alignment tools and mini tripods, much appreciated.

 

Certainly. 
Laser alignment tool: https://ebay.us/m/bDNrxW
Tripod: https://ebay.us/m/raSMt3