JackD201's Room
Our trip to the airport was far more fun than coming from the airport when we took a taxi. This time we took a taxi to the train station checked in our luggage which was transported separately to the airport and we enjoyed another great lunch. I LOVE Asian food and even this simple restaraunt in the train station was no exception. We caught the Airport Express and before we knew it we were at the airport. Only down side was that our flight was delayed an hour and because of traffic on the ground we circled Manila for another hour before being allowed to land. As a result we didn't arrive at Jack's house until somewhere between 9:30-10:00. After meeting Jack's wonderful kids and his wife Margie, Jack and I descended down a flight of stairs where at the foot of these was Jack's elevator used for transporting gear and speakers down to his listening room. At the bottom of the stairs a gentle ramp descended down to some very large double doors which upon opening brought us into Jack's lair. All I can say is what a gorgeous room which was conceived by Jack and with the help of an acoustician was implemented and brought to fruition. Jack's room is like a cave and hence the bottom end sound was simply superb as a result. I have seen photos's of Jack's system both during his initial build and a subsequent one which became necessary after a torrential rain resulted in some flooding. Jack literally had to rebuild his room. This time he sprayed in concrete in such a way under his walls that flooding should never be a problem again. Jack as we know has studied acoustic sciences and played a big part in his room development. All dimensions are prime numbers with 3 meter (H) x 7 meter (W) x 11 meter (L).
Jack's room build (both of them) can be read here
http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?1740-JackD201-Almost-Done&p=20486&viewfull=1#post20486
I was amazed at how gorgeous. The pictures as great as they are still do not do this room justice. You have to see it and hear the sound to fully appreciate it's true scope and ability. IMO there was nothing lacking. The room treatments blended with the decor and added to the overall beauty of the room. IIRC Jack (and his brother Jim) used the same acoustician for their room designs and he is the head of the local AES in that part of the world (Mike Pedero of Tracks Acoustics). Suffice it to say for my ears it was one of the best rooms I have ever heard. It had been several years since I had a detailed listen to Von Schweikert speakers. In fact the only time I heard the VR11's was years ago at CES when THE Show was still at the Alexis hotel. It was there that I met Albert when he launched the speaker which at the time he was playing it with VAC amps. Albert brought me back that evening and gave me a private demo of the speaker. I really liked it then however I was not prepared for what I was about to hear as Jack's VR 11's were the Mk ll version which had all new drivers as well as crossover.
Jack not only knows how his room should sound but also his acoustic training has taught him how to massage the very best out of his speakers. I was stunned at not only how great the sound was from when I heard the Mk l but how far superior the Mk ll version of this speaker is. The bass was breath taking. Just enough there that it had great authority but never so much that it brought attention to the speakers. They were totally invisible and completely out of the way of the music. Jack's room measures great with nothing that I could hear that would bring my attention to. The music flowed. As tired as I was Jack and I listened to almost 0200 that morning. I just couldn't leave. Jack showed me how his speakers could be changed by toggle switches in the back to produce virtually any type of sound that he desired. I felt I was in that Jazz Club as he played the music. There was clearly suspension of disbelief ad I was transported to the venue of the music
Digital was the first night as Jack's AF1 was going back to Japan for some repairs and in its place he had an AF3 with a Graham Phantom Elite with a new and very, very limited Kooetsu cartridge of which there are only 6 in existence. It is called the Koetsu Jasper. The AF3 however was not played until the next evening after some issues with the speed were resolved.
Jack uses a Lamm M2.2 amplifier
Front End at the time was CH Precision Transport, Ch Precision Dac and Ch Precision power supply.
A Lamm L2 was his line stage along with an EMT Phonostage which had its own power supply as well. The EMT phono stage was a work of art. I had never seen or heard one before and it was terrific.
All cables were Master Built. Jack also uses a Shunyata mini Cyclops in his system.
I think Speaker cables were also Master Built but hopefully Jack will correct me if I made any mistakes
Jack played some great music the first night on digital. This included a terrific album by London Grammar and a demo disk that was given to him by Keith which I really enjoyed. I am hoping to get a copy of that demo disk as it really highlighted Jack's system
In the rear of his room away from the listening area is a table and chairs for others to sit. Boy do I miss the luxury of having a big room and everything it can do.
There was nothing lacking. Jack sat in the back and played music while I was in the sweet spot and not going anywhere
I know that Ron has also heard Jack's room and came away with the same impression as I did. It was probably one of the best sounding rooms I have ever heard. His speakers in his underground lair left nothing go wanting. The sound was simply that good.
The next night when we listened to analog the sound was even better. The Koetsu Jasper produced some of the finest sound that I have heard anywhere. As I stated there are only 6 in existence with Jack and Jim each having one. The sound had a forward presence without being recessed one bit. The bass was to die for. Each speaker has 2 subs, one top and bottom powered each by 1000 watt class D amps and each subwoofer able to be tuned for desired effects. Jack's was perfect.
Not only is Jack knowledgeable in acoustics but his library of music is so eclectic that I could have listened all night. It is simply that good.
For my ears I must admit that the Mk ll VR11 was vastly superior to the initial VR 11 which I heard years ago. The new drivers are larger and use copper voice chills rather than magnesium
Overall Jack hit a walk off home run with this room.
The room is one of the best sonically I have ever heard. Visually it is stunning and so well planned. Jack's large painting on plywood at the front of the room is tilted from the bottom ever so slightly to the top so that reflections are passed off to the ceiling and not into the room.
For those not familiar with Jack's room build it is worth reading in the link I provided at the top.
I had never heard Ch Precision components before. These are superb and rock solid as they are built like a tank. The TechDasAF3 filling in for its big brother totally floored me with the Koetsu Jasper cartridge.
Anyone planning a trip to that part of the world needs to hear Jack's system to get a feel for how great it is and how great his room is
Thank you Jack
