Visit to Marc C.'s (SpiritOfMusic's) House in England

[spiritofmusic]

Tom, it's really refreshing to hear a system that can do the most critical stuff with aplomb ie the classical and Blue Note we played.
And a massive bonus if it can kick ass and keep all those tumbling musical lines in stuff like my John Abercrombie fusion, lock down the "in the pocket" groove of Little Feat, and display the studio wizardry and details of the mix of Kate Bush.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Also educational hearing the differences between your TT mats, and how small margins on cart setup going from one mat to the other can literally swing our opinions as to which the best one was.
We got there in the end, the HQ Audio Mat and Stabilizer nailed the best result.

 

[spiritofmusic]

After picking up (well, already strongly suspecting, and having fully confirmed) aspects of poorer soundstaging in my system when going back to listen after visiting Montesquieu, I've made a major change that was not possible before the install of my Airblades.

My Zus Radian 850 tweeters which cover 11k to 20-22k are very very directional, effectively obliging my spkrs have to be toed in, here at 30° so the tweeters cross just behind my head.

The Airblades at 1k-20k are 180° dispersion, effectively my treble is now non directional. This got me thinking that it's now possible to get the Zus into minimal/zero toe-in, along with the Airblades.

What I've also done after a few goes at this is to also bring the Zus closer together, from 8.5' spkr to spkr, to closer to 7', Airblades obviously also tucked closer too.

Zero toe-in NEVER worked in the past, so badly hobbled were the upper frequencies, that one song was enough to know I had to go back to toed in.

Now with the Airblades, zero toe-in ABSOLUTELY works, with a much more "filled in" central image, yet wider stage as well. Too early to comment on other checklist stuff, but it's a substantial uptick and another worthwhile benefit of the move to using Airblades here.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I know you guys wait on my every post, I'm so sorry to have left you hanging.
Just had one of those experiences that absolutely proves you're on the insane end of the hobby.
Part of my analog install is dead easy, but the rest can take forever.
So swapping a Straingauge stylus is a simple Allen key out and in operation, a couple of minutes.
But for a variety of reasons, some known some unknown, I've had to fettle the finer points of my air bearing linear tracking tonearm wire loom.
And six weeks later, I think I may be beating this beast.
I'm being rewarded with possibly my best sound ever off LPs, a very different story from my murkier, blander, more homogenised presentation a few years back.
Just played box set of Penderecki Plays Penderecki on EMI, Fonogrammi and Cello Concerto. The dynamics in these LPs are off the scale scary good, and the amount of air and presence is not something I've ever easily achieved in my system before. I really feel I've achieved a hugely positive outcome, because this sound is borne of succeeding at greater resolution, neutrality and transparency.
Now, I've heard some fantastic TT front ends in the last few years, especially Audiophile Bill's Dava based rig, and Montesquieu Tom's modded Thorens 124, and I know my setup lacks the finesse and sophistication of these.
But I've really enjoyed getting the most out of my specific approach to LP playback.
And on the basis of the Penderecki LPs, recent DG re-releases and various Tone Poets impressions, other than one final change to the TT, I'm gonna be happy to settle with this as my ongoing setup.

 

[spiritofmusic]

A bit of a big step today. Hopefully one step back to lead to two steps forwards.
After a visit here, I got serious feedback to consider disconnecting my balanced power transformer, comments effectively that it might be acting as a "choke" to limiting dynamics and jump factor.
Luckily disengaging the transformer is a simple case of a bypass button, less than 60s work.
Initial impressions are that, indeed, dynamics and jump factor are markedly up. Some deficit in image density, indeed a stronger low end heft was a big reason I went for this transformer. But I'll see where this goes, the improvement in immediacy and liveliness means I'm very much happy with this change.

 

[lordcloud]

I've heard and heard of, similar changes in other systems when they've unplugged from various power systems.

A bit of a big step today. Hopefully one step back to lead to two steps forwards.
After a visit here, I got serious feedback to consider disconnecting my balanced power transformer, comments effectively that it might be acting as a "choke" to limiting dynamics and jump factor.
Luckily disengaging the transformer is a simple case of a bypass button, less than 60s work.
Initial impressions are that, indeed, dynamics and jump factor are markedly up. Some deficit in image density, indeed a stronger low end heft was a big reason I went for this transformer. But I'll see where this goes, the improvement in immediacy and liveliness means I'm very much happy with this change.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I've heard and heard of, similar changes in other systems when they've unplugged from various power systems.

Well, I installed it ostensibly to solve or at least mitigate serious power issues in my previous room (up to +/- 15V mains voltage fluctuation, sometimes moment to moment).
And this the transformer did quite successfully, with a certain uptick in texture and bass heft.
I've lost a tad of that lower freqs benefit, but totally outweighed by the advantage my visitors predicted, immediacy, clarity, and interestingly, clearer backgrounds.

 

[cjfrbw]

What you need is a gremlin stabilizer, which power supply devices can't cure.
You need to stabilize your brain software, your hormones, your moods, the air quality, your biorhythms, the seasons, your ear wax, your posture, your intoxication level, the electromagnetic fluxes of nearby ley lines, neutrino blasts from the sun, other solar flare activities, various other plasma events from the galaxy and the positions of the moon and planets, then you can control and depend on audio nirvana.

 

[matakana]

A bit of a big step today. Hopefully one step back to lead to two steps forwards.
After a visit here, I got serious feedback to consider disconnecting my balanced power transformer, comments effectively that it might be acting as a "choke" to limiting dynamics and jump factor.
Luckily disengaging the transformer is a simple case of a bypass button, less than 60s work.
Initial impressions are that, indeed, dynamics and jump factor are markedly up. Some deficit in image density, indeed a stronger low end heft was a big reason I went for this transformer. But I'll see where this goes, the improvement in immediacy and liveliness means I'm very much happy with this change.

If you have anything digital plugged in and even on standby this will suck some life out of your BPT And cause colourations. So for example if your Zu definitions have digital amps ( not sure about this ) or even a switch mode power device and are plugged in to the BPT , and your other analogue ancillaries ( preamp, power amps) are also powered by the same BPT.

 

[Lagonda]

What you need is a gremlin stabilizer, which power supply devices can't cure.
You need to stabilize your brain software, your hormones, your moods, the air quality, your biorhythms, the seasons, your ear wax, your posture, your intoxication level, the electromagnetic fluxes of nearby ley lines, neutrino blasts from the sun, other solar flare activities, various other plasma events from the galaxy and the positions of the moon and planets, then you can control and depend on audio nirvana.

What would be left of Marc without his gremlins ?

 

[cjfrbw]

What would be left of Marc without his gremlins ?

He can do it, I know, I have full confidence in him if he just keeps his eye on the target.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Well, I installed it ostensibly to solve or at least mitigate serious power issues in my previous room (up to +/- 15V mains voltage fluctuation, sometimes moment to moment).

I'm a little confused. Why did you assume the church has the same power situation as your old apartment?

(My view on power conditioners, balanced power devices, power re-generators and battery systems is that unless one has an actual voltage fluctuation problem or an actual grounding problem or an actual hum problem there is no problem to solve. I think OCD audiophiles often feel they have to "do something for power" just because it makes them feel better that they spent some money to feel like they are delivering high quality AC power to their beautiful components. But I don't think this makes any sense if there's no actual electrical problem in need of solving.)

 

[Kingrex]

I'm a little confused. Why did you assume the church has the same power situation as your old apartment?

(My view on power conditioners, balanced power devices, power re-generators and battery systems is that unless one has an actual voltage fluctuation problem or an actual grounding problem or an actual hum problem there is no problem to solve. I think OCD audiophiles often feel they have to "do something for power" just because it makes them feel better that they spent some money to feel like they are delivering high quality AC power to their beautiful components. But I don't think this makes any sense if there's no actual electrical problem in need of solving.)

You have your view. I believe it is very inaccurate.

 

[adyc]

Well, I installed it ostensibly to solve or at least mitigate serious power issues in my previous room (up to +/- 15V mains voltage fluctuation, sometimes moment to moment).
And this the transformer did quite successfully, with a certain uptick in texture and bass heft.
I've lost a tad of that lower freqs benefit, but totally outweighed by the advantage my visitors predicted, immediacy, clarity, and interestingly, clearer backgrounds.

Why would a balanced transformer can help on voltage fluctuations?

 

[cjfrbw]

LOL! Time for a power conditioner flame war. Gird your loins and raise your lances.

 

[Ron Resnick]

You have your view. I believe it is very inaccurate.

Fair enough!

 

[Ron Resnick]

LOL! Time for a power conditioner flame war. Gird your loins and raise your lances.

No, no, no. It seems like Marc assumed he had a power issue in the church, but maybe he now is realizing that he never did have a problem?

 

[Kingrex]

Why would a balanced transformer can help on voltage fluctuations?

It won't unless the transformer has voltage regulation that is achieved by auto sensing taps that move the primary.

UPS or other battey type devices also manage voltage stability quite well.

 

[Kingrex]

Fair enough!

I don't mean to be so flat. I just find there is way more noise out there than people realize. The challenge is finding the right condition for the job. Do you need one. No. Will your system benefit from one applied properly. Yes. Will you get as much gain from the investment as opposed to putting the $$$ somewhere else. ????. Not sure. Depends on many factors.

In my mind, a power conditioner is not just an isolation transformer or rack unit. It also encompasses after market power supplies for digital equipment like moderns, router and switch. Even a Shunyata NR power cord is a conditioner. So are parallel plug in devices like a Defender or Add Power. Ground boxes might fall under power conditioners too.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I'm a little confused. Why did you assume the church has the same power situation as your old apartment?

(My view on power conditioners, balanced power devices, power re-generators and battery systems is that unless one has an actual voltage fluctuation problem or an actual grounding problem or an actual hum problem there is no problem to solve. I think OCD audiophiles often feel they have to "do something for power" just because it makes them feel better that they spent some money to feel like they are delivering high quality AC power to their beautiful components. But I don't think this makes any sense if there's no actual electrical problem in need of solving.)

Indeed Ron, I can fairly be called guilty of assumptions. I can't tell you how appaling the power was in my old apartment, borne of being in a semi-industrial area. The chapel here very much the opposite.
Then again, looking at Mike Lavigne in an even quieter and more isolated rural area than me, he swears by balanced power in cow (or is that moose? bison? Bigfoot?) country.