My humble 2CH room!

[LL21]

Thanks Lloyd! - And yes, I see I'm going to have to update my signature.

I'm always in awe of the gear I see on here and I tend to look at mine as really not there, but that's the wrong approach. I have quality components that were carefully selected and it brings me tremendous joy and satisfaction. The next change will be pretty big for me and I can't wait to finalize it. I'll keep you guys posted for sure!

You bet...too much money and poor execution does not a good system make. Whereas excellent execution with money wisely spent can be simply superb. I have heard mid-priced tubes and SF Guarneris sound absolutely sublime...time for the whisky and the candles.

I have heard 1000 pounds (probably $200/lb) of amps, cables, boxes, speakers...time for the ear plugs!

You seem to have been very very careful about your choices, and sometimes having a budget is the best way to ensure careful choices. I know for me, it has forced me to be disciplined, search almost exclusively for second hand/demo and hunt for as long as 8 years to assemble the right components, one at a time. Fortunately, no regrets in 20 years.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Marantz PM-KI-Pearl - Some quick observations after having had the unit in my system for about one month now.

It's been a month since I acquired the PM-KI-Pearl and I've had a wonderful time with it so far. The build quality is first-rate and as good as any top end boutique brand. All of the controls have a solid and hefty feel to them. And I love the WBT speaker terminals/inputs. I used the built-in MM phono section for a week and then the external Jolida JD9 II. My ears couldn't really detect a difference, so I sold the Jolida. I may add a better phono-stage down the road, but it's not a priority at the moment.

In terms of sound character I'd say it's quite neutral with a slight touch of warmth. It exhibits no stridency whatsoever regardless of the music played and volume level used. One of the things that has impressed me most is the consistency of clarity and detail at any volume. Low-level listening is extremely satisfying and this IA never loses the intensity and intimacy of the music. It just gets out of the way and lets the music through. Crank it up and it exhibits these same characteristics. It just does not add anything to the music itself. Although I've not really raised the roof to check on how loud this IA can play (maximum was -10dB), I am convinced there is power in reserve as it didn't even break a sweat. In both situations I don't feel the amp is even there...it just lets the music shine.

For the average audiophile the Marantz Reference Line and the 30th Anniversary KI Pearl IA and SACD are somewhat expensive, but bargains at the same time. These products easily match the performance of higher end boutique brand components at double the price.

I am absolutely thrilled to have the PM-KI-Pearl in my setup and I look forward to the beginning of a very longstanding relationship.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I was having a look at the first post in this thread, which I made on 7/31/2010, so roughly 4.5 yrs ago. I made it a few months after I joined the WBF. Since that time I have made several gradual changes and the quality of my playback experience improved with every one of them. I have many people to thank for that, including a lot of our members here. What started as a mid-fi system has now morphed into a nice little audiophile setup. The starter system I posted back then is gone now, but I still hold fond memories of it. Especially the wonderfully pleasing Totem Sttaf speakers and Nottingham Analogue Horizon SE turntable. I have nothing but the highest praise for those two pieces of kit.

If you look at my first post in this thread and compare it to what I have listed below, you can see the rather dramatic changes I have made.

Current setup:
Genesis G7.1f speakers
Marantz Reference PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier
Harman/Kardon DVD47 CD/SACD player
Geek Pulse DAC
Oracle Paris Mk V turntable
Grado Reference Sonata 1 Moving Iron cartridge
Valab/King cabling throughout.
Pioneer RT-909 Reel-to-Reel

Some of the changes are recent and I'm having them shipped directly to Calgary (I'm leaving on the 21st of this month). I should have some pictures to share early in March.

Thanks so much for joining me on my journey and for all of the advise you have provided.

 

[Dimfer]

Advance warm welcome to Alberta

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Advance warm welcome to Alberta

Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Jacques Riendeau from Oracle Audio emailed me to say my Oracle Paris will be shipped to my dealer on Tuesday of next week. My dealer, Mark Elias from Soundstage Fine Audio, will inspect it before shipping it out to my new Calgary address. Since I'm going to be quite busy with the unpacking of my move, and getting organized, I suspect it'll be mid-March before I even address system setup.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Calgary is now home as I arrived last Saturday. Movers are dropping off my belongings on Friday. My Geek Pulse DAC was waiting form me and my Oracle Paris should arrive by Wednesday at the latest. Target date for system installation is still mid-March as there is just too much to deal with beforehand.

 

[Dimfer]

Welcome to Alberta and thanks for bringing the warm weather, it is balmy 8 degree c in Edmonton today (and probably warmer in Calgary)

 

[DSkip]

I was having a look at the first post in this thread, which I made on 7/31/2010, so roughly 4.5 yrs ago. I made it a few months after I joined the WBF. Since that time I have made several gradual changes and the quality of my playback experience improved with every one of them. I have many people to thank for that, including a lot of our members here. What started as a mid-fi system has now morphed into a nice little audiophile setup. The starter system I posted back then is gone now, but I still hold fond memories of it. Especially the wonderfully pleasing Totem Sttaf speakers and Nottingham Analogue Horizon SE turntable. I have nothing but the highest praise for those two pieces of kit.

If you look at my first post in this thread and compare it to what I have listed below, you can see the rather dramatic changes I have made.

Current setup:
Genesis G7.1f speakers
Marantz Reference PM-KI-Pearl Integrated Amplifier
Harman/Kardon DVD47 CD/SACD player
Geek Pulse DAC
Oracle Paris Mk V turntable
Grado Reference Sonata 1 Moving Iron cartridge
Valab/King cabling throughout.
Pioneer RT-909 Reel-to-Reel

Some of the changes are recent and I'm having them shipped directly to Calgary (I'm leaving on the 21st of this month). I should have some pictures to share early in March.

Thanks so much for joining me on my journey and for all of the advise you have provided.

Johnny, this is a great thread. Seeing where you were vs. where you are now in just a handful of years is quite spectacular. I've tried to do the same, but my budget is limited. I haven't had a big purchase for my rig since I bought the SET monos about 2 years ago, and I don't see anything else changing over the next several years.

Please let us know how that Geek DAC is. Their gear has piqued my curiosity recently.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Welcome to Alberta and thanks for bringing the warm weather, it is balmy 8 degree c in Edmonton today (and probably warmer in Calgary)

Although I never checked the temps yesterday, we went out to do a little shopping and all I wore was a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a light windbreaker. I hope it stays like this for a few more days.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Johnny, this is a great thread. Seeing where you were vs. where you are now in just a handful of years is quite spectacular. I've tried to do the same, but my budget is limited. I haven't had a big purchase for my rig since I bought the SET monos about 2 years ago, and I don't see anything else changing over the next several years.

Please let us know how that Geek DAC is. Their gear has piqued my curiosity recently.

Thank you very much for those kind words DSkip! I consider myself very lucky to be where I am in my audio journey and I think I'm just about there. I would like to replace the aging H/K DVD47 for something new or newer and hopefully I can do that later this year.

I'm anxious to hook up the Geek Pulse DAC as well since this is really my first venture into a better digital front-end. I'm still completely in the dark when it comes to digital technology, so it'll be fun messing with it. I hope to have the system up and running mid-March.