ack's system - end of round 1

[ack]

My main goal for a high end system is speed and articulation - ultra fast circuits (rise, decay, nuance, detail, vividness) driving ultra fast speakers. To this end, this system is as far as it will go, before new speakers set in. I call this an end to a 20 year run, full of fun, frustrations and discovery, and as incredible as the Odysseys are - producing astounding results - technology has moved by leaps and bounds the last 10 years.


MartinLogan Odyssey - heavily modified, all-Mundorf crossover (CFC-14 coils & Supreme caps) & M6 binding posts, Caddock woofer attenuators, structural modifications; see this and this
REL Stadium III
Spectral DMA-360 Series 2 monoblocs
Spectral DMC-30SS Series 2
Spectral SDR-3000 xport
Berkeley Alpha DAC
VPI Aries 3 table/10.5i arm/SDS speed controller - granite, Sorbothane, & Isodamp C-1002 isolation
Ortofon A90 cartridge
Ayre P-5xe phono
Revox B77 MkII R2R
Magnum Dynalab Etude FM
MIT Matrix 50ic & Matrix HD90 Rev1, Kimber Orchid, Hero & Select KS-1030, Nordost Tyr phono wiring
MIT Z Strips; Shunyata Black Mamba CX/HC power cords
Zoethecus stand





Amplifier detail - protection, driver stage, output stage with individually regulated power supplies per output device


Preamp detail

Mods/Tweaks: Bass attenuation with Caddock 50W 2.0 Ohm resistor network; subwoofer in reverse phase to tame moderate 50Hz bump and extend lower frequencies down to 16Hz. Sorbothane & aircraft-grade EAR Isodamp C-1002 isolation under turntable. The speakers' + sub frequency response (RadioShack SPL meter, corrected as per Rives) at the listening position is as follows (ref at 1kHz):




Some great recordings I use for evaluation:

Classical:

1. Holst: The Planets/Mehta Los Angeles Phil/LP and XRCD24
2. Dvorak: CTO for Cello & Orchestra/Janos Starker/Dorati-LSO/Mercury LP
3. Rimsky Korsakov: Scheherazade/Reiner-CSO/RCA LP
4. Mahler: Symphony #2/BSO, Ozawa/Philips 420824-2
5. Mahler: Symphony #2/LSO-Solti/Decca LP
6. Brahms: Violin CTO/Heifetz-Reiner-CSO/RCA LP
7. Beethoven: Violin CTO/Heifetz-Munch-BSO/RCA LP
8. Beethoven: Symphony #9/Solti-SCO/Decca LP
9. Mozart: Symphonia Concertante/Oistrakh/Decca LP
10. Charpentier: Te Deum/Harmonia Mundi 901298
11. Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man/Oue, Minnesota/Reference Recordings 93
12. Guilmant: Symphony #1 for Organ and Orchestra/Tracey, BBC Phil/Chandos 9271
13. Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/Oue, Minnesota/RR 96
14. Rutter: Requiem/RR 57
15. Saints/Saens: Symphony #3: Telarc 80274 LP. Also BSO/Munch/XRCD24
16. Shostakovich: Violin Concertos No1 op.99, No2 op.99/Scottish National Orch,Jarvi,Lydia Mordkovich/Chandos 8820
17. Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition/CSO, Reiner/XRCD2
18. Ramirez: Misa Criolla/Jose Carreras/Philips 420955-2
19. Stravinsky: Rite of Spring/Oue, Minnesota/RR 70
20. Mozart: Requiem/Dorian 90310
21. Various: Joel Fan: World Keys (piano)/RR 106
22. Britten: Britten's Orchestra/RR 120
23. Liszt: Nojima Plays Liszt/RR 25
24. Pipe Organ: Felix Hell; Mary Preston/RR 101 and 113
25. Orff: Carmina Burana/Telarc 10056 LP (BTW, this is back in print)

Other:

1. Jarrett, Peacock, DeJohnette: Inside Out/ECM 1780
2. Dick Hyman: From the age of Swing/RR 59
3. Miles Daivs: Kind of Blue/Columbia LP
4. Brubeck: Take Five/Columbia LP
5. Paquito D'Rivera: Portraits of Cuba/Chesky JD145
6. Mongo Santamaria: Mambo Mongo/Chesky JD100
7. Bill Evans Trio: Sunday at the Village Vanguard/XRCD
8. Keith Jarrett: La Scala/ECM 1640
9. Proteus 7: For Your Ears Only/Dorian xCD 90258
10. Krall: Live In Paris/ORG LP

More pics at http://www.whatsbestforum.com/album.php?albumid=8

Peter

[audioguy]

Very nice. What brand is the equipment stand/rack?

[ack]

Thanks. Missed that - a good old Zoethecus

[flez007]

Spectral + ML = ultrafast!

Very nice system ack!

[kach22i]

Are you speaker shopping then?

I've heard some of the latest from Martin Logan, still that familiar house sound if you will - which ain't bad.

There may be some new wave speakers (ripple membrane non-NXT) expected to hit the market in the next few years. Maybe something to think about, if you are curious here is a link to a discussion:

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/plana...they-work.html

[Gregadd]

Genesis 2.2jr. maybe Gary will make you a deal .

[ack]

Yes I am speaker shopping - I have the Summit X on my radar, as well as a new forthcoming speaker from Rockport, the Q3 and Sasha on my short list.

[flez007]

Yes I am speaker shopping - I have the Summit X on my radar, as well as a new forthcoming speaker from Rockport, the Q3 and Sasha on my short list.

No Avalon in your options ack?, I understand that Neil himself used to drive his personal system with Spectral amps nevertheless the great appreciation he had with JRDG some time ago...

[ack]

You know, I've heard from so many sources that they are 'tuned by ear' that I don't bother with Avalons - I really want science too behind what I buy.

[ack]

These pics are for Myles He loves this grid thing I do with my analog, for azimuth and SRA adjustments; they are of the new Ortofon A90 installed recently