Thread: Steve's Rig

By special request. Please stay tuned.

Cable Burning Wireworld Platinum G7

Originally Posted by sharkmouth

Come on Steve, get it together!!!

Ohhh no... What did I miss? Not as exciting as your monthly rotation!

Clearaudio DaVinci V2. Great cart! Traded up to Goldfinger Statement.

It's all settled down but still tweaking & I'm quite content. So now it's about the enjoyment factor. Being a hybrid system, it gets many hours, around 40-50 hours a week. Would I buy McIntosh again if I had to start over?...probably yes after factoring in depreciation ratios. However, there are many great solutions out there to easily wish for. Is there room to upgrade & could I do better? Certainly!

What's next? I've put together a quiet PC inspired from a CAPs Zuma baseline as a further enticement into the digital world. A Wireworld Platinum USB will string it to the MCD1100 DAC.

Where I would like to be...In a dedicated room rather than open plan (to get away from the busy zone of the household mainly). Maybe a loudspeaker upgrade will come first. No rush for either.

WOW......Steve, Thank you so much for share !!! What are beautiful gears and amazing pictures.

My jaw just dropped to floor. Absolutely beautiful....WOW

Holy Cow! What a system Steve. I must have looked at these pics 5 times before I could write.

I would love to know more about your R2R. I would love a Studer, but instead, recently bought a Technics 1500 mk2 and will have it heavily modified/upgraded/updated, etc.

Mike

Aye Chihuahua Steve! That's some system you've got there. I need to pick up a light for my table. What are the two you're using?

Originally Posted by Mike

Holy Cow! What a system Steve. I must have looked at these pics 5 times before I could write.

I would love to know more about your R2R. I would love a Studer, but instead, recently bought a Technics 1500 mk2 and will have it heavily modified/upgraded/updated, etc.

Mike

Thanks for the compliment Mike. I would consider it a "safe" system in its present configuration. It delivers the goods reliably. There is always room for further potential though.

Almost went down the Technics track & Jeff from J-Corder does great work. I weighed up the cost of a heavily customised & modded Technics against a refurbished Studer A810. In the end, a good Studer was still going outperform. And that is the problem. Finding a good specification Studer. Technics are easier to find & so are the parts. I was lucky to find an A810 MkIII, one of the last 10 ever made. It belonged to a CBS Executive from new & had low non production hours. Fully serviced by Studer tech, the last owner, a Studer enthusiast & avid collector kept it on maintenance as part of his collection. He had some amazing hi-end gear & two Studer A810s were the centrepiece of it all, whereby he would synchro dub from his source using Siltech Royal Signature DC wire throughout!

I bought it with the intent of picking up some Tape Project titles & also recording vinyl source for personal use. It is ready to go. A little slack in that regard because I've been focussing on enjoying other suspects of the system.

This little prod will motivate me to reacquaint myself, make a few calls to get a stock of blank media & also pick up a few more titles. Tape is expensive.

I have some software but not much. The R2R played so far sounds really incredible. I'm thinking the sound is better than most vinyl & on par with the best vinyl pressings. It's a close race. Tape captures something even more. Whatever that magic is, does not transfer entirely into digital remastering IMO.

There are still Studers around & they come up from time to time. Anything decent will fetch high prices. Anything under $5K will likely have issues. Canada is the best place to look for good examples.

A beautiful A820 example recently sold for around $25K. If only I had the room for one of those gems!

Originally Posted by dlb2

Aye Chihuahua Steve! That's some system you've got there. I need to pick up a light for my table. What are the two you're using?

Doug...I use Littlite L-LED lights. I run them straight out of the McIntosh trigger out ports. So when the MT10 triggers on via pre-amp source selection, the light turns on too!

Originally Posted by Steve

Doug...I use Littlite L-LED lights. I run them straight out of the McIntosh trigger out ports. So when the MT10 triggers on via pre-amp source selection, the light turns on too!

Thanks Steve. That's a convenient way to hook them up.



Sent from my mobile.

Originally Posted by sharkmouth

As in reference to the pics not showing, I see you've loaded them locally now. Great looking system. Yes a dedicated room is priceless in our hobby & an added bonus. You have the same quagmire of cables as I, absolutely hate that about my system.

I suppose the only way to have less cables is to have less gear, embrace digital more or buy a Bose system. A multi-ch analog/digital (hybrid) system with separates is a $snake pit$. Behind the rig is where one must step carefully with caution. Every step counts but it is easy to be bitten. I have butted heads with snake charmers who have tried to entice me onto their upgrade train.

When it comes to the snake pit, pragmatism wins out. Material quality, metallurgy, geometry. I use 3 brands of cables. The best of each is on the 2ch side. A synergistic loom counts but it doesn't have to be a single vendor loom. I don't use unshielded cables & an EM meter is my friend. Even the best component makes noise but it can be scrubbed with passive inline power filtering. We are listening to amplified electricity, a bit like a tamed Tesla coil. What hangs off the amp matters most. Beware of the man in the white coat speaking the creative pseudonym buzz in the name of research & development. There's a lot of clap trapping pseudo science out there targeting your wallet.

Audioshark mascot on a spring, makes for good isolation platform sensor!

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1408798594.973241.jpg

Steve...just happened to come across your system thread today for the first time. Absolutely first class. Your organization and comprehensiveness in seeing through every little detail is impressive. I enjoyed going through all the pics. Great stuff

May I ask what your speakers are? I confess going through your signature a bunch of times but didn't see any mention of the speakers and I could not identify them from the pics. Just curious. Thx.

Mike... Ala Moana Oahu

Cyril...cheers.

Loudspeaker spec, link attached.

Dali Grand. Dali reference 3 generations vintage. Y2K era. Still going strong. Difficult to let go. Still outperform many of today's loudspeakers. Scan-speak drivers, silk dome tweeter. Great match with McIntosh MC2301s & Wireworld Platinum Eclipse G7 loudspeaker/IC cables. Had a few amps attached to these speakers over the years including ML 33H. Today, they sound better than they ever have.

Centre speaker Dali Grand Vocal, also driven by MC2301 & Wireworld Platinum Eclipse G7 loudspeaker/IC cables.

Surrounds & Suround Back Dali Grand Coupe (2 pairs). Driven by Denon POA-A1HD bi-amp & Dali BOA silver core bi-wire, braided with TechFlex Flexo Conductive & terminated with Furutech Flux bananas.

Also, 2 x JL Audio Fathom F113.

Dali Grand specs here

Miss my dog as I look back at some of these pics. Jack passed away a couple of weeks ago at 15yrs.

Steve...thanks for the info. Dali make great speakers. I am sure your Dali Grands are superb. I think their current Rubicon new designs are getting a lot of press. Sorry about Jack once again. My condolences once again.

[QUOTE=rszk;90102]There is so much going on here with the hybrid, theater music system. That is definitely a lot of wiring loom too! It is a grand system. I would have not thought to put such an expensive cartridge to your TT. I never know what the ratio of cartridge to TT in terms of expense, or just go with what moves your budget. I will definitely aim higher when it comes time to change out my cartridge.
Also your workstation for cleaning LP's and cable cooking is awesome.
Thanks for sharing this amazing system.[/QUOTE]

+1! Like Kev, I didn't see the original pics, lost track of the thread, but now I can see them! Beautiful system, Steve! Well done!

Cheers... Rod.

Given the applications, there a several groups of cable looms. I've done my best to maintain group synergy by taking an additive approach. Being pragmatic by not falling into a bottomless snake pit or trapped into some express upgrade train. Everything is shielded & off the floor.

Digital: WireWorld Platinum Starlight G7 HDMI & USB throughout.

Digital/Analog Surrounds/subwoofers & EXT.IN: Furutech XLR FA-220/TechFlex Flexo Conductive/Furutech Flux terminations, Dali BOA Silver bi-wire/TechFlex Flexo Conductive/Furutech Flux bananas. EXT.IN is RCA Flux termination.


Analog: WireWorld Platinum Eclipse G7 XLR & Loudspeaker bi-wire as well as centre channel

Analog Table: Furutech Flux Silver Arrows

Power amps: Siltech Ruby Mountain II G7, Furutech FI-50 inline power filters, Shunyata Hydra Cyclops x 2
All other power: Furutech PowerFlux & Furutech 3TS20/TechFlex Flexo Conductive/Furutech Flux terminations, Furutech FI-50 inline power filters, Shunyata Hydra Talos x 2

Ethernet: Molex Cat 6a STP

Triggers: shielded microphone cable/TechFlex Flexo Conductive

I don't know how I missed this beautiful system. Steve, what a statement room, WOW !!

Thanks Mark... Happy you guys like the pics. The Aussies don't mind a bit of American muscle.

So many other great systems here too.

I agree Mark. Steve 's system is one of the best Mc system I've seen ! Me like very very much.

Steve. How are you these days ? Feeling better ?

Thank you Paul... There's been some minor tweeking, the Dali Grands are placed more forward than the pics. The Studer has been getting more use.

I would like a nicely balanced ADC to hang off the C1000T pre-amp to rip some vinyl to DSD. I'm not sure what to get yet...

Audioshark is a good place to be.

Thanks Paul... Regarding your question on the Furutech Flux 50s, I wrote about these on the other thread.

I use use these in conjunction with the Hydra Talos and Cyclops. They are inline, hanging off every component which then feed into the Hydras. They are a massive improvement especially in the upper frequencies.

The effects are cumulative in a closed PDU network, whether the component is running or on standby.

Soundstage opens up deeper, blacker background, more punch and oomph, sparkle at the top end.

One of the best system upgrades. I will add them to the F113s next for even more overall system noise reduction.

A firm believer in passive inline filtering. Not only do they scrub more than the Shunyata's will ever do, they clean up the EM/RF grunge spued back into the network by the component itself.

A most impressive audio system. You have everything in the world hanging off those components except a fox tail.

WOW Steve.. your setup looks very very nice I realy like your eye for details...

Sense..

Also Sprach Zarathustra...Who is this Space Oddity, Ground Control?

The second Hydra Cyclops is up and running today. No complaints. Two Cyclops are better than one. They have Siltech Ruby Mountain II G7s hanging off them with Furutech Flux-50 inline power filters on the amp side. The Cyclops drive the MC2301s.

Space is tight, so Herbie's Grunge Busters under 10mm granite tile is doing the trick. On timber floors, it works.



So, as some of the cables re-settle ( up to 1 day according to Myles ), I'm actually surprised by an increased airiness to the soundstage.

There are also two Hydra Talos in the mix, driving the rest of the gear which all have Furutech Flux-50 inline power filters running off them.

Both Cyclops are running on the same circuit.

Next upgrade will be to power the new FOXTEL IQ3 satellite/IP set top box with a HDPLEX Linear Power Supply into the Hydra Talos.

JL Audio F113 on custom Sound Anchor stand, spiked and decoupled with Quadraspire QX7 isolator. Powered by Furutech Flux-50.

Originally Posted by Steve

The second Hydra Cyclops is up and running today. No complaints. Two Cyclops are better than one.

Very nice. I am very happy with my Cyclops, and they are also under the bottom rack shelf. Before I got them the amps were plugged into the wall, and while it sounded great, they seemed to open up with the Cyclops. Now I am waiting for the Triton v2 upgrade program to trickle down to the Cyclops.

David....Cheers, thanks for the compliment. Perhaps I'm crazier than you, but you're the one with six magical MC2301s! I'm looking forward to seeing your double stack on the custom SA stands.

Gorgeous Steve! You guys are driving me crazy with all your 2301's! I must get another pair...must...must...must!