Come Together.... Musicfirst's next system.

[Musicfirst]

Well guys, I finally received my speakers today!

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16847&stc=1

3 Pallets, 1850 lb shipping weight!

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16848&stc=1

Shipment consists of two Crates (Rockport Technologies Cygni) and 6 boxes (Rel Acoustics Gibralter G1s).

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16849&stc=1http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16851&stc=1

Even Andy's crates are beautiful. Bolted together with dozens of lag bolts each over 3" long and finished with a clear varnish! The crates weigh almost as much as the speakers. (525 lbs gross 275 lbs net per speaker)

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16852&stc=1


The burka is removed but not the veil. The RHS Cygnus in its crate. (The crate is NOT bent, it's just Barrel distortion from the lens.)



Next Update:

It looks like it will be Wednesday (6 whole days as of this writing!) before I can get a hand moving the speakers and subs into my listening space. :(

[kzhtoo]

Congrats! What are they?

[nile49]

Sneak pics of the listening space?


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[Musicfirst]

Hi

The main speakers are the Rockport Technologies Cygnus and the subs are the Rel Acoustics Gibralter G1s (six of 'em, - count 'em six 12" subs!!)

[joeinid]

Holy cow! Congratulations. Can't wait for more .....

[Ritmo]

Oh baby! Sweet! Congratulations!

Do do keep us posted with the setup and first listening experiences....:exciting:

[kzhtoo]

Woah!

[Musicfirst]

Here's the listening space 13.5W x 25'L (to half wall located behind the cameraman's position) x peaked ceiling: 8' at the walls and 9'-10" in the centre. Opens up to open concept kitchen and hallway to front of the house. Excuse the setup mess.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16865&stc=1



I have also attached a CAD drawing showing my initial layout to exact scale. The Cygni are the rectangles and the Rels are in the corners, three high. The initial position of the Cygni follow the rule of thirds (1/3 of 25' back wall to half wall = 8' 4") and are aimed directly at the ears of the primary listener.


http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16866&stc=1

[Mike]

Congrats Kerry! It was a long time coming together and many hours chatting on the phone, but you did good!


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[jdandy]

Musicfirst.......SWEEEET!


https://www.noir-et-blanc.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/960x/0b4f297439fc6fb80581f2ab6c2845b2/p/r/pro-cygnus-01.jpg

[Musicfirst]

Congrats Kerry! It was a long time coming together and many hours chatting on the phone, but you did good!


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Thanks Mike, Couldna done it without ya!

Kerry

[Musicfirst]

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16869&stc=1

"hey guys, I parked my new 911 in the Garage"

[thaudio]

Kerry I am glad it has all come together for you. Thurston

[joeinid]

Welcome to the forum Thurston, thank you for joining.

[Musicfirst]

Kerry I am glad it has all come together for you. Thurston

Thanks Thurston. I hope we can hear each others systems one day.

Kerry

[Big B]

looks very cool congtats

[thaudio]

Kerry it would be my pleasure, I hope all is well with you

[Musicfirst]

(Almost) Uncrated and making the trip to the listening room tomorrow.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16890&stc=1
The 6 "cygnets" (actually Rel Gibralter G1 subs) will be stacked 3 high per channel behind the Rockport Technologies Cygnus speakers which are still (mostly) crated on the right.

[audiophil]

Any updates?

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[Musicfirst]

Well here are the beasts settling in. Still waiting for my Memory player, but even using my trusty ol' $179 Oppo 970HD as a transport for my balanced Big 7 Lite, the sound is very very good. The Big Lite hadn't made it to the floor yet for this picture, but it's now up and running early today after some surgery to reduce the gain.
The six 12 inch Rels take the system down to 12 Hz flat and anything below 16 you don't really hear, rather you just feel the house breathe and stuff rattles off flat surfaces. Too funny.
As for sound, the Cygnus' sound on their own with less than 200 hours on them are already among the finest transducers I've heard. The Rels are truly transformative musically. The system does things I've never ever heard in a high end system, and I've been to dozens of shows and traveled across North America to personally hear virtually all the main contenders before making my choice.
I know people are laughing at my source at the moment, but I'm reminded of David Wilson's show demo where he used an Ipod to demonstrate the importance of the speaker in the chain. In any event my SOTA server should be here soon.
So far I've logged 144 hours on the Cygnus and 130 on the subs. I've been told the subs need about 400-500 hours and the Cygnus close to 1000! So stay tuned.

I'll try and tear myself away for more/better pics tomorrow.

Thanks for looking

Kerry
http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16961&stc=1

[Ritmo]

Very impressive!

[Musicfirst]

Thanks Mike!

[MDP]

Hell of a system Kerry!

:congrats:

[Musicfirst]

Thanks Mark.

[cmalak]

Kerry...phenomenal system. Big fan of Rockports here. Andy sure has a way of designing and voicing his speakers to sound so natural and life-like. Dynamics are also off the charts as long as they are powered appropriately. Can't even imagine how good the SQ is that you are getting :thumbsup:

I am curious as to why two sets of 3 REL subs. I get the concept of doing a pair vs. one Sub because imaging tends to improve drastically with stereo subwoofer config but just curious why you felt the need for 3 RELs on each side? Also, any issues with that many subs overloading the room?

Thx

[Musicfirst]

Cyril

Thx for the thumbs up! THE SQ is really something special. Three Rels per side starts to approach a line array subwoofer configuration like that used by statement speaker systems from Infinity, Marten Designs, Wisdom Audio, MBL and many others. I believe the reason for the improvement has to do with how well the multiple subs more intimately couple with the acoustic space.

Maybe one day I'll go for five Rels per side.

Kerry

[cmalak]

Very cool. Enjoy the system in good health :thumbsup:

[Afveep]

Hi Kerry,
Absolutely awesome!
Your post mentions what appears to have been an immense journey to audition other contenders. I'd be real interested in hearing what else you considered, what you comparatively thought of them, and why you chose the Cygnus. I've always had an immense respect for Rockport as a brand, but feared they'd be a bit too bass heavy (obviously you don't feel that way! LOL) and not as balanced and resolving at the mid and top. But I haven't been able to listen to them in a few years, and thus obviously haven't heard the Cygnus or Avior, so I'd love to be set straight.
Congratulations. Not only on the new gear but on taking the risk to go above and beyond with the 6 subs!
Tom

[Musicfirst]

Hi Kerry,
Absolutely awesome!
Your post mentions what appears to have been an immense journey to audition other contenders. I'd be real interested in hearing what else you considered, what you comparatively thought of them, and why you chose the Cygnus. I've always had an immense respect for Rockport as a brand, but feared they'd be a bit too bass heavy (obviously you don't feel that way! LOL) and not as balanced and resolving at the mid and top. But I haven't been able to listen to them in a few years, and thus obviously haven't heard the Cygnus or Avior, so I'd love to be set straight.
Congratulations. Not only on the new gear but on taking the risk to go above and beyond with the 6 subs!
Tom
PM sent

[Musicfirst]

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17066&stc=1

Room is quite bare at the moment, but judging from the incredible sonics already, minimal room treatment will be required, probably an area rug and a couple more tube traps. Rels are almost completely hidden behind the Cygnus, corner loaded in the room.



http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17072&stc=1http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17073&stc=1

Left Channel Cygnus and Rel subs followed by the right channel. The system, once properly integrated has response to 10 Hz with no audible decrease in energy. Below 20 hz, the system response gradually changes from an audible to a visceral one.



http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17067&stc=1

Current electronics: yup that's a $179 Oppo 970HD buried under a pile of discs and serving as transport for my Lampi Big 7 Lite (thanks Mike!) while I wait for my 32 core Laufer Teknik Memory player.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17071&stc=1
The Dynamic Duo


The heart of the new machine is the incredible Rockport Technologies Cygnus ( tweeter & waveguide with midrange shown. Sorry for the packing gunk still on the baffle). The Cygnus, together with the Rel 6 pack, combine to anchor a system that is ahead of everything* else I've ever heard over dozens of shows and numerous road trips, and to a degree I had not thought possible.
* Some systems sound bigger, but to my ears, not better, MBL X-treme, Wisdom Audio Adreneline, Coltrane Supremes etc.

I will say this, if you are in the market for speakers in this price range, you will regret not seeking the Cygnus out to audition before your purchase. Seriously.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17069&stc=1

The soul of the new machine. Lampizator Big 7 Lite with PsVane 101Ds.


http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17070&stc=1

The rhythm section includes the Ayre Ax-5 Twenty which punches way way above its weight class. Nonetheless, I am going to try to improve upon it in the future.
The Entreq Poseidon is bringing up the rear.

Mini-review to come in October

[kzhtoo]

The very definition of overkill (low freq reproduction). LOVE it!

[Musicfirst]

Overkill? Six subs isn't overkill.... Now 10 subs, THAT would be overkill. :D

[Musicfirst]

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17132&stc=1

The Dynamic Duo.

The baffle cleaned up pretty nicely, once again showing the teeter and midrange driver. An interesting fact is that the midrange driver has excursions more in keeping with what one sees in midbass drivers. Something I've never seen before, so it must dig down very deeply. The top end of this speaker has much in common dynamically (both micro and macro) with horn speakers, yet with resolution and openness of the best ribbon drivers.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17133&stc=1

OK, now that I've had my fun tuning the system to produce the best bottom end I could, I found that I couldn't (and ultimately didn't want) to have my cake and eat it too. In order to seamlessly integrate the Rels with the Cygnus in my listening space, I had to bring the Rel bottom response up, resulting in a system response that now reaches into the 16 Hz region, otherwise the transition between the mains and the subs was just too obvious and the detail in the bottom octave and a half was compromised. Furthermore, recordings with any sub harmonics, like The Cowboy Junkies' Trinity Session for example were rendered unlistenable (this recording is still a tough listen with this setup. Your eardrums feel like their going to pop.)

The speakers have just over 300 hours on them, and people whose ears I trust say 500 to 1000 hours total on the Cygnus. Miles to go before I sleep.

[Spock]

Another fantastic system!
But i swear, with six subs, i would be afraid to get into that room :panic:

[Kuoppis]

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17066&stc=1

Room is quite bare at the moment, but judging from the incredible sonics already, minimal room treatment will be required, probably an area rug and a couple more tube traps. Rels are almost completely hidden behind the Cygnus, corner loaded in the room.



http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17072&stc=1http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17073&stc=1

Left Channel Cygnus and Rel subs followed by the right channel. The system, once properly integrated has response to 10 Hz with no audible decrease in energy. Below 20 hz, the system response gradually changes from an audible to a visceral one.



http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17067&stc=1

Current electronics: yup that's a $179 Oppo 970HD buried under a pile of discs and serving as transport for my Lampi Big 7 Lite (thanks Mike!) while I wait for my 32 core Laufer Teknik Memory player.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17071&stc=1
The Dynamic Duo


The heart of the new machine is the incredible Rockport Technologies Cygnus ( tweeter & waveguide with midrange shown. Sorry for the packing gunk still on the baffle). The Cygnus, together with the Rel 6 pack, combine to anchor a system that is ahead of everything* else I've ever heard over dozens of shows and numerous road trips, and to a degree I had not thought possible.
* Some systems sound bigger, but to my ears, not better, MBL X-treme, Wisdom Audio Adreneline, Coltrane Supremes etc.

I will say this, if you are in the market for speakers in this price range, you will regret not seeking the Cygnus out to audition before your purchase. Seriously.

http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17069&stc=1

The soul of the new machine. Lampizator Big 7 Lite with PsVane 101Ds.


http://www.audioshark.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17070&stc=1

The rhythm section includes the Ayre Ax-5 Twenty which punches way way above its weight class. Nonetheless, I am going to try to improve upon it in the future.
The Entreq Poseidon is bringing up the rear.

Mini-review to come in October

Do you think bass reproduction is important for the overall sound?


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[Alpinist]

Do you think bass reproduction is important for the overall sound?


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Kerry’s currently got me by two 12 inch subwoofers. My Vandersteen 7 Mk2’s have two 12 inch powered subwoofers per speaker. Of course if I get the Vandersteen Sub Nine Subwoofers (13 inch) that I’m going to hear later today at a Vandersteen event, I’ll get him by a nose!:D

Ken