Chops' Current System Pics ....

chops said:
Thanks Mike.

The Parasound Halo P5 has a built-in analog, fully adjustable crossover. I have the mains crossed over at 60 Hz and the subs crossed over at 70 Hz. Makes for a seamless blend. Plus you can adjust the sub(s) output via a front panel level control on the P5. The subs output is mono, but you could never tell. It works perfectly!
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Given the vagaries of bass integration, I wish more amp manufacturers adopted this design approach. Getting crossover done in the analog domain all in one unit seems very smart. Then you can disconnect the low end from the mains to optimize placement within the room's constraints. Locating the bass in the same box with the rest of the frequency spectrum has always seemed definitionally imperfect to me. Can you adjust the slope of the filters in the P5?
 
FlexibleAudio said:
Given the vagaries of bass integration, I wish more amp manufacturers adopted this design approach. Getting crossover done in the analog domain all in one unit seems very smart. Then you can disconnect the low end from the mains to optimize placement within the room's constraints. Locating the bass in the same box with the rest of the frequency spectrum has always seemed definitionally imperfect to me. Can you adjust the slope of the filters in the P5?
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Paul, I agree. All preamps should provide analog crossover options of some sort. The one in the P5 ranges between 20-140 Hz for high and low pass, at a -12dB slope, and can also be completely bypassed. One thing I wish Parasound did with the P5's subwoofer output was keep it stereo instead of having two mono outputs. But really, even at 70 Hz where I have them set, you can't tell that they are playing in mono. In fact, it just seems as though the bass is coming straight from the mains. It is nice that they put the subwoofer gain up front too. Though I almost never touch it. Kind of a set and forget type thing really.

Several years back I bought my very first preamp, an old Accuphase C-200 in mint shape. After I went through it and replaced/updated/upgraded the caps, a few resistors and diodes, it was an excellent sounding unit with a very good phono stage. I eventually sold it. A little over a year ago, I purchased a Musical Fidelity A3.2cr. Another great sounding preamp, but it had way too much gain as I barely had to touch the volume and the system would be blasting. That and it had blinding blue LED's on it. After that, I got a McIntosh C15. It was alright sounding but had channel balance and noise issues, so I got rid of that.

Long story short, ever since I started shopping around for preamps (right before I got the Musical Fidelity), I was looking at the P5, but decided against it twice because I "wanted something better". Well, I never knew it at the time, but the P5 was and IS the better sounding preamp out of all of them. I should have gone with it right from the beginning. I would have saved a lot of time and money if I had. Oh well, you live and learn.
 
chops said:
Kev, the way this room is laid out, I'm not too sure that would make any difference. The right wall where the sliding glass door is, the wall just past that jets out into the room by 3 feet, right along side my listening seat. That puts that wall about 2 feet away from my right ear, yet the left wall is roughly 8 feet away and then opens up into the kitchen/dining area, about another 8 feet away. Not to mention, the vaulted ceiling is 8 feet high on the right and 15 feet high on the left.

I'm amazed I get the sound I get in this room, but I doubt covering up the TV will do any good. Plus, my girlfriend already thinks I'm loony with my stereo habits. If she sees me draping a blanket over the TV, she'll think I lost it! LOL
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Only do it when she's watching something on the telly ;)
 
A couple more updates... Mounted and aligned the 2M Bronze, which I might add sounds pretty darn good! I had to adjust the azimuth as well. I didn't quite notice it being off with the Red cart, but with the lighter colored Bronze cart, I could more easily see the azimuth off in the reflection on LP's. Also finally got around to getting some shelving for my quickly growing vinyl collection. Quickly growing because I just purchased 61 albums in the past 5 days! :disbelief:

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Nice looking there with the new cartridge! Very nice layout there Charles, love the look of your SF....
 
Thank you, Randy! It's all coming along nicely, and that Bronze cartridge is breaking in wonderfully. It's a huge step up over the Red. I put the Red on the Technics in the bedroom system for Teresa to use. She loves it!
 
Nice... I am looking at some amps... might end up getting some Nord amps.... some really great reviews and reports on them here on AS....
 
Randy Myers said:
Nice... I am looking at some amps... might end up getting some Nord amps.... some really great reviews and reports on them here on AS....
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Sending you a PM shortly... ;)



Steve said:
Great photos Charles!
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Thanks, Steve! Can you believe the first three photos were taken with my Sony DSLR, and the last three taken with my Samsung Note 5 phone?! Other than depth of field, you can't really tell the two apart.
 
MDP said:
Since adding a Ortofon Cadenza Bronze to my analog setup I have a renewed respect for Ortofon!
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Mark, my lowly 2M Bronze is a far cry from your Cadenza Bronze, but I know what you mean. Mine is leaps and bounds above the standard Red, which wasn't too shabby on its own.
 
Nice! Still breaking in the ST-500 mkII... So many things I like about it, but the Goldmund is very sweet :)...

So how do you like the Martin Logans?
 
Randy Myers said:
Nice! Still breaking in the ST-500 mkII... So many things I like about it, but the Goldmund is very sweet :)...

So how do you like the Martin Logans?
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So far so good I think. I really haven't been able to sit and listen to them yet. Dinner was ready shortly after install them, so that means the TV came on. We watched a little TV, then put on that old movie "Blink" with Madeleine Stowe which doesn't have much in the way of slam or anything. After that, a documentary about Twisted Sister. I just woke up a little while ago on the couch alone with Netflix asking me if I was still watching. LOL

I put Tidal on and have the latest album from the Yellowjackets playing at whisper levels. Sounds pretty good actually. One thing I noticed right away, they are considerably more efficient than the Sonus. Anyway, I'm headed to the sack.
 
So did you trade with your brother for a bit or do you still have the Sonus there to do direct comparisons?
 
Nah, the Sonus are tucked away safely in our daughter's room, and my brother has a pair of ML ElectroMotion ESL's that he's using in his main system. He's tried selling the SL3's but no one wants to pay his asking price around here, and he's not going to give them away. So instead, he's keeping them and asked me if I wanted to try them out since he has my NHT 2.9's for the past year or more in his HT system.

That's why I still have the NHT's as well. I was asking $700 for them which is a steal, and all I got was a couple offers for $250 and $300 around here locally. I told those clowns to go jump in a lake. I'll just keep them, or rather my brother will. Haha

So in a sense, it is a long term trade, but not with the Sonus.
 
So I got a little something in the mail today, a pair of Blue Circle Audio PLC Pucks. I have one plugged in on each side of the system. The right one has one Martin Logan and the Wyred 4 Sound amp plugged into, the left the other Martin Logan and APC H15 power conditioner that the rest of the system is connected to.

These little things are amazing! A little wider, deeper sound stage, complete blackness in the silence of the music, absolute dead silence with me ears right up against the ML's panels, even with the volume turn up the 12 o'clock position. And there's something I'm either hearing or not hearing that I just can't describe. Whatever it is that I'm witnessing, I know I like it a lot! These little ugly Pucks (which I actually like the looks of in a strange sort of way) have made a huge improvement in the overall sound of my system. And this is only with them installed for the past two hours!

Naturally, some pics...

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