This thread is a continuation of:
My minimonitor/subwoofer system
Already my last speakers, the Reference 3A MM DeCapo BE, were a little big to be called "minimonitors", and the current ones certainly are, given the substantial depth of the cabinet (see image below). Therefore I adjusted the title for this thread.
My system now features several major upgrades which I will discuss below.
System:
Digital front end:
Simaudio Moon 260 DT CD transport
MIT SL-Matrix Plus AES/EBU digital cable
Schiit Yggdrasil DAC
Transport and DAC are powered through a Tripp Lite HG1000 Isolation Transformer
Amplification:
Pass B1 passive buffered preamp (revised 2014 version)
Octave RE 320 stereo amp with Super Black Box
Speaker system:
Reference 3A Reflector monitors
(on heavy sand-filled steel stands)
dual JL Audio Fathom 112 v2 subwoofers, positioned on ASC SubTraps
Analog signal cables:
ZenWave Audio D4 interconnects
ZenWave Audio SMSG speaker cables (17 gauge) and jumpers
Power chords:
stock or thicker version of regular power chord (Tripp Lite 14 AWG chord, $ 16)
Acoustic treatment:
Six ASC Tube Traps (16 inch, 13 inch wide)
Seven ASC window plugs
ASC Tri-Panels
Two Acoustics First absorbing panels, custom made (8 x 3.5 feet)
Natural wool carpets
Accessoires:
Solidsteel HW-2L equipment rack
Solidsteel HF-A amp stand
Concrete tiles under speaker stands (Home Depot)
Herbie's Tenderfoot component feet
Cable Elevator
Shunyata Dark Field v2 cable elevator
T-splitters for interconnects
Bosch laser measure (for speaker distances and toe-in)
DeoxIT contact cleaner
The CD transport, digital cable, power amp, subwoofers, ASC TubeTraps, SubTrap and sound panels, as well as Shunyata Dark Field v2 cable elevators were purchased at Goodwin's High End, my trusted dealer for a number of years now.
The other gear was purchased through direct sales on the web; the ZenWave Audio D4 interconnects (see link for my review) and ZenWave Audio SMSG speaker cables were manufactured by WBF member DaveC.
Major upgrades:
1. Reference 3A Reflector monitors
These are the top-of-line monitors by Reference 3A. Since hearing Ian's (Madfloyd's) Magico M Project speakers, I always wanted to have speakers with a fully inert cabinet for high resolution and timbral as well as transient accuracy, sound features that can become compromised by blurring cabinet resonances. These Reference 3A speakers offer an inert cabinet, achieved by elaborate and sophisticated construction, at a great price in high end terms. They also come from a company and designer (Tash Goka) whom I already trusted, given how much I liked my previous monitors from Reference 3A, which also are a crossover-less design.
2. JL Audio Fathom 112 v2 subwoofers
With high-resolution monitors I wanted to have bass of high resolution as well. Ian recommended JL Audio subwoofers, and I went with this recommendation, which turned out to be an excellent one. It was also supported by a string of believably positive reviews. The model is Fathom 112 v2, and I bought two of them to energize the room more evenly (they replaced a single REL Storm III sub).
3. Octave RE 320 stereo amp (plus Super Black Box)
My old amps, Audio Innovations Second Audio parallel push-pull triode monoblocks (15 W/ch) had served me for 26 years, while they went through a number of modifications and supplementation with external BorderPatrol power supplies during that time. They played well on all kinds of music, but I wanted more effortlessness on orchestral music, so I was looking for alternatives that could deliver higher power. I ended up with an Octave RE 320 stereo amp (plus Super Black Box) that Paul from Goodwin's High End graciously lent me two times for several days each to audition at home, which is the best place to evaluate. To my ears, this amp offers an expanded, realistically colorful tonal palette as well as great high-frequency extension, and also excels in resolution of timbre, separation of instruments, and speed and accuracy of transients, thus competently driving the capabilities of my monitor/sub combo. It also wisely offers protective shut-down circuitry in the event of tube failure.
The greater effortlessness on orchestral music was also made possible in an unexpected but crucial manner by the upgrade of speaker cables, from Monster Sigma 2000 to ZenWave Audio SMSG. These new cables also increased resolution even further (I already had had a shorter pair for my old monoblocks, and now traded it in for a longer run for the stereo amp).
My minimonitor/subwoofer system
Already my last speakers, the Reference 3A MM DeCapo BE, were a little big to be called "minimonitors", and the current ones certainly are, given the substantial depth of the cabinet (see image below). Therefore I adjusted the title for this thread.
My system now features several major upgrades which I will discuss below.
System:
Digital front end:
Simaudio Moon 260 DT CD transport
MIT SL-Matrix Plus AES/EBU digital cable
Schiit Yggdrasil DAC
Transport and DAC are powered through a Tripp Lite HG1000 Isolation Transformer
Amplification:
Pass B1 passive buffered preamp (revised 2014 version)
Octave RE 320 stereo amp with Super Black Box
Speaker system:
Reference 3A Reflector monitors
(on heavy sand-filled steel stands)
dual JL Audio Fathom 112 v2 subwoofers, positioned on ASC SubTraps
Analog signal cables:
ZenWave Audio D4 interconnects
ZenWave Audio SMSG speaker cables (17 gauge) and jumpers
Power chords:
stock or thicker version of regular power chord (Tripp Lite 14 AWG chord, $ 16)
Acoustic treatment:
Six ASC Tube Traps (16 inch, 13 inch wide)
Seven ASC window plugs
ASC Tri-Panels
Two Acoustics First absorbing panels, custom made (8 x 3.5 feet)
Natural wool carpets
Accessoires:
Solidsteel HW-2L equipment rack
Solidsteel HF-A amp stand
Concrete tiles under speaker stands (Home Depot)
Herbie's Tenderfoot component feet
Cable Elevator
Shunyata Dark Field v2 cable elevator
T-splitters for interconnects
Bosch laser measure (for speaker distances and toe-in)
DeoxIT contact cleaner
The CD transport, digital cable, power amp, subwoofers, ASC TubeTraps, SubTrap and sound panels, as well as Shunyata Dark Field v2 cable elevators were purchased at Goodwin's High End, my trusted dealer for a number of years now.
The other gear was purchased through direct sales on the web; the ZenWave Audio D4 interconnects (see link for my review) and ZenWave Audio SMSG speaker cables were manufactured by WBF member DaveC.
Major upgrades:
1. Reference 3A Reflector monitors
These are the top-of-line monitors by Reference 3A. Since hearing Ian's (Madfloyd's) Magico M Project speakers, I always wanted to have speakers with a fully inert cabinet for high resolution and timbral as well as transient accuracy, sound features that can become compromised by blurring cabinet resonances. These Reference 3A speakers offer an inert cabinet, achieved by elaborate and sophisticated construction, at a great price in high end terms. They also come from a company and designer (Tash Goka) whom I already trusted, given how much I liked my previous monitors from Reference 3A, which also are a crossover-less design.
2. JL Audio Fathom 112 v2 subwoofers
With high-resolution monitors I wanted to have bass of high resolution as well. Ian recommended JL Audio subwoofers, and I went with this recommendation, which turned out to be an excellent one. It was also supported by a string of believably positive reviews. The model is Fathom 112 v2, and I bought two of them to energize the room more evenly (they replaced a single REL Storm III sub).
3. Octave RE 320 stereo amp (plus Super Black Box)
My old amps, Audio Innovations Second Audio parallel push-pull triode monoblocks (15 W/ch) had served me for 26 years, while they went through a number of modifications and supplementation with external BorderPatrol power supplies during that time. They played well on all kinds of music, but I wanted more effortlessness on orchestral music, so I was looking for alternatives that could deliver higher power. I ended up with an Octave RE 320 stereo amp (plus Super Black Box) that Paul from Goodwin's High End graciously lent me two times for several days each to audition at home, which is the best place to evaluate. To my ears, this amp offers an expanded, realistically colorful tonal palette as well as great high-frequency extension, and also excels in resolution of timbre, separation of instruments, and speed and accuracy of transients, thus competently driving the capabilities of my monitor/sub combo. It also wisely offers protective shut-down circuitry in the event of tube failure.
The greater effortlessness on orchestral music was also made possible in an unexpected but crucial manner by the upgrade of speaker cables, from Monster Sigma 2000 to ZenWave Audio SMSG. These new cables also increased resolution even further (I already had had a shorter pair for my old monoblocks, and now traded it in for a longer run for the stereo amp).
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