New photos of Randy's system ...

[Vintage_Tube]

Really nice Randy -- well laid out (and like the record racks). Is that one of Dan's inspired McIntosh light boxes?

Best to you Sir,

Bob

 

[Randy Myers]

Really nice Randy -- well laid out (and like the record racks). Is that one of Dan's inspired McIntosh light boxes?

Best to you Sir,

Bob

The record racks are from Divider Records. They are hand made by Jason and Brit Prather in Amish styling using solid wood. Some really great people!

The McIntosh light box is the R778; I believe it was the original light box offered by McIntosh. Originally intended to be used by their dealers. It had a very noisy florescent light inside. I ripped that out and rebuilt it with a LED light and added a power switch since the original had no switch. It was intended to be used off a switched outlet that all of their preamps had back in the day .

 

[Randy Myers]

Ok, new year, time for updated picts... not a lot has changed in the system. Reconfigured a bit. Added a Schiit headphone amp (pretty amazing amp, and insanely good price).

 

[jmusica]

Once again very nice.

Randy, when do you listen to the cans vs the speaker system? I just recently started getting into the headphones thing and enjoying it. In my case it suits some specific purposes including late-night listening or listening when the main system room is being used for movies. I thought it was going to be a sort of begrudging arrangement but have to admit, I’m really liking it.

 

[Randy Myers]

Once again very nice.

Randy, when do you listen to the cans vs the speaker system? I just recently started getting into the headphones thing and enjoying it. In my case it suits some specific purposes including late-night listening or listening when the main system room is being used for movies. I thought it was going to be a sort of begrudging arrangement but have to admit, I’m really liking it.

I would not say that there is any particular time or situation that makes me use the Abyss. Sometimes I am in the mood for the headphones and other times I am in the mood for speakers and the McIntosh amplifier. My listening room is situated at the end of a hallway, sort of off the back of the house. Therefore, my normal listening volume, which is modest levels does not disturb my wife in her room at the other end of the hallway, or the living room. It is a rather small room and definitely would not be appropriate for loud music.

When I feel like completely zoning out, or louder music, or sometimes in mood for some loud rock the headphones are more appropriate. For a long time, I did not have a separate headphone amp. I tried powering them off the headphone section built into the McIntosh. While it worked it never really did justice for the Abyss. I would have loved to get a higher headphone amplifier, but I am also very surprised at how good the Schiit Jot 2 is.

Too many other things going on now, one of which is our baby Bengal kitten has a rare virus that until recently was considered fatal. There is a treatment now that UC Davis developed, but it is not FDA approved, and it is expensive (through certain channels). All of my play money is going towards little Loki at this point.

 

[jmusica]

Loki is so worth it! Beautiful. I went through something similar a couple of years ago with Wallie, it’s something you’ll always be glad you pursued. Best wishes for a speedy Loki recovery, and Loki can chill with you while you listen to that really nice headphones system.

 

[Randy Myers]

Our older Bengal (well, 2.5 years old) loves to listen to music with me. She actually has her own chair in the music room .



No, we don't spoil our pets at all .

 

[jmusica]

Truth, there are few things nicer than having your pet with you while relaxing listening to music. Was one of my total zen things, with Wallie; she would sit up against me and I would rest my arm across her back, she was a big girl at 80 pounds, and she would fall asleep and dream while I listened. Best Thing Ever. The new one doesn’t really do this yet, but I’m working on it with him

 

[mxk116]

Our older Bengal (well, 2.5 years old) loves to listen to music with me. She actually has her own chair in the music room .

View attachment 33223

No, we don't spoil our pets at all .

I'm not a cat person but that is a beautiful cat!

 

[Randy Myers]

I'm not a cat person but that is a beautiful cat!

Thank you... she is my baby, and she loves sharing the recliner with me and listening to music. She also has her own chair in the music room . If you are not familiar with Bengals they are originally a hybrid; crossed with Asian Leopards. A pure breed Bengal is about 75% Leopard! They are the sweetest most friendly cats I have ever seen. They are also very fast, agile, and athletic. Pure muscle. Loki is still in the baby fuzzy stage. In a few months he will get his adult coat which is more like pelt than fur... Very soft and literally glows in the sunlight! They are also hypoallergenic and are much easier on people with cat allergies.

Loki we recently got from a breeder in the Kansas City area. Unfortunately, he came down with a bad virus that is rare and almost always in kittens. Adults are immune to it. He is fighting it like a champ, but it is a very hard treatment.

 

[Randy Myers]

Once again very nice.

Randy, when do you listen to the cans vs the speaker system? I just recently started getting into the headphones thing and enjoying it. In my case it suits some specific purposes including late-night listening or listening when the main system room is being used for movies. I thought it was going to be a sort of begrudging arrangement but have to admit, I’m really liking it.

Do you power the Abyss AB1266 with the Schiit Lyr+ amplifier? That is awesome that the Schiit amps can power such amazing high-end headphones! In my view they are the finest headphone on the market!

 

[jmusica]

I have been, but I’m just at the start of this headphone journey so have little to compare to.

Sounds great to me, but I suspect using the Lyr+ with the Abyss is leaving something on the table than one of the more typical - and more expensive - amp choices for the Abyss. It’s all an evolution and learning experience at this point, but so far an enjoyable one.

 

[Randy Myers]

Your Abyss are highly regarded and, in many publications, considered the finest headphone that money can buy. They would be my dream; however, my Diana's are their close baby sister . They can also be used portable which the AB1266 probably could not be.

Yes, a higher end headphone amplifier would probably make your cans sing even better, however, the Schiit are pretty amazing. They really surprise me. I have had some much higher headphone amp and the Schiit hold their own. I know the guys at Abyss are real fans of Woo, Eleven Audio and HeadAmp. I have owned the Woo WA22 and the HeadAmp GS-X mini. Both were excellent... I probably miss the Woo the most, but I have made the decision that I prefer to not have tubes in my life at this time.

If I went back to tubes, it might possibly be the McIntosh . I have also been seriously thinking about the Schiit Mjolnir.

But seriously, one thing that is really missing with the Lyr+ is that it is single ended in (RCA plugs) and single ended out (1/4 plug). Balanced in from your source (which honest, all BS aside, is an issue with your Chord Hugo 2 in that it is only single ended RCA outputs) and balanced out to your headphones (I use a 4-pin Black Dragon cable) makes a pretty substantial difference. I will no longer consider an amplifier that is not fully balanced.

My setup, which of course is not the end all setups to say the least, I have all sources coming into the pre-amp. The McIntosh pre-amp has multiple outputs that are selectable. I have Output 1 going to the McIntosh amplifier (balanced cables) and Output 1 line outputs going to the subs. Output 2 (balanced cables) goes to the headphone amplifier. Therefore, I can select whatever I want to listen to whether it be the speaker setup (Output 1) or the headphone setup (Output 2).

 

[Randy Myers]

I have not posted an upgrade for a bit. Not much has changed....

 

[Dizzie]

Not sure where to put system photos. I for one love looking at photos of other members setups. If we don't have one yet (and I might be blind and missed it) I suggest a thread for people to post photos of their systems...

Anyway, some updated photos of my loft library sound system....

I see attachements listed but no open photos.

 

[Randy Myers]

I see attachements listed but no open photos.

Hmmm... the post you quoted was the first one in this thread. It appears that much of the old photos are no longer there. I believe Mike did an update on the forum software. Maybe the older photos did not get copied over...

On the latest post here, I do see the photos.

 

[Dizzie]

Hmmm... the post you quoted was the first one in this thread. It appears that much of the old photos are no longer there. I believe Mike did an update on the forum software. Maybe the older photos did not get copied over...

On the latest post here, I do see the photos.

Thanks Randy. I see my error now. I had just left our community Face Book page and it is opposite in some ways. FB is a tragically flawed format but it is free and used by my retirement community. I am also not used to the look of the new Shark website. I find it harder to navigate.

 

[Randy Myers]

Thanks Randy. I see my error now. I had just left our community Face Book page and it is opposite in some ways. FB is a tragically flawed format but it is free and used by my retirement community. I am also not used to the look of the new Shark website. I find it harder to navigate.

I am getting used to it. Definitely some differences. The more I do things the more I feel comfortable with it.