Jeff's New Music Room, the Return of Jeffrey_t

Hello All!
Due to some welcome and overdue forum changes, I'm happy to return and share my new music room and system. I'll be using my Audiogon user name going forward. Over the last year I built a dedicated room on my property, my last room was a converted garage. This room has the following features:

-Dedicated lines with 10 awg copper wire and separate ground
-Shear walls all around
-Quite Rock II drywall
-Blue Jeans insulation
-Wood roof with slightly uneven rafters to break up the reflections
-Custom built record rack behind the listening position that acts as a giant diffuser
-Bathroom/utility room for record cleaning

The system has also been updated, as I've sold all of the Lamm gear. The major focus of the system is to capitalize on the new quite dedicated lines and have a zero hum system. You can put your ear up to the midrange horn and hear nothing. I listen to 90% analog so the heart of the system is the PBN Garrard 401 which continues to be a stellar performer, I really can't think of another turntable I would want. My new phono stage is the phenomenal Aurorasound Vida Supreme. It is extremely musical, flexible, dynamic, and silent. With some help from two WBF members (thanks @Al M. and @KeithR) digital streaming has been added to the system, really great for rock and finding new music. Blue Node streamer and Schitt Yiggy DAC are a lot of fun to mess with. I've also added a TVC to the system (thanks @213Cobra), the very musical Luxman AT-3000. It also helps with the theme of silent and black backgrounds. Two SET amps give different flavors, 2 watt 45 for clarity and 8 watt 300B for added warmth. Full system list:

-PBN Garrard 401
-LDA Turntable Power Supply
-SME 3012R x 2
-VDH Colibri Stradivarius
-Ortofon SPU A95
-Aurorasound Vida Supreme Phono
-Blue Node Streamer
-Schitt Yiggdrasil LIM
-Yamamoto 45
-Xaio Nan 300B hand made mono blocks
-JBL Hartsfield

Here are some pictures of the project:

 

Experimenting with the Ion horn tweeters this weekend. Too early to tell but I might be writing my friend Jim a check.

View attachment 110946

I don't see these tweeters in your latest system picture that you recently posted. Did they not work out the way you had anticipated?

 

Clearly the new sculpture art seals the deal!

 

I don't see these tweeters in your latest system picture that you recently posted. Did they not work out the way you had anticipated?

The speakers have the 16ohm JBL bullet tweeters already in them. The Ion tweeters didn’t add anything. Maybe because they are 8ohms and less efficient?

 

Clearly the new sculpture art seals the deal!

The mask on the left is an African Goli mask, it’s there in homage to my favorite Herbie Hancock album.

 

Hello All!
Due to some welcome and overdue forum changes, I'm happy to return and share my new music room and system. I'll be using my Audiogon user name going forward. Over the last year I built a dedicated room on my property, my last room was a converted garage. This room has the following features:

-Dedicated lines with 10 awg copper wire and separate ground
-Shear walls all around
-Quite Rock II drywall
-Blue Jeans insulation
-Wood roof with slightly uneven rafters to break up the reflections
-Custom built record rack behind the listening position that acts as a giant diffuser
-Bathroom/utility room for record cleaning

The system has also been updated, as I've sold all of the Lamm gear. The major focus of the system is to capitalize on the new quite dedicated lines and have a zero hum system. You can put your ear up to the midrange horn and hear nothing. I listen to 90% analog so the heart of the system is the PBN Garrard 401 which continues to be a stellar performer, I really can't think of another turntable I would want. My new phono stage is the phenomenal Aurorasound Vida Supreme. It is extremely musical, flexible, dynamic, and silent. With some help from two WBF members (thanks @Al M. and @KeithR) digital streaming has been added to the system, really great for rock and finding new music. Blue Node streamer and Schitt Yiggy DAC are a lot of fun to mess with. I've also added a TVC to the system (thanks @213Cobra), the very musical Luxman AT-3000. It also helps with the theme of silent and black backgrounds. Two SET amps give different flavors, 2 watt 45 for clarity and 8 watt 300B for added warmth. Full system list:

-PBN Garrard 401
-LDA Turntable Power Supply
-SME 3012R x 2
-VDH Colibri Stradivarius
-Ortofon SPU A95
-Aurorasound Vida Supreme Phono
-Blue Node Streamer
-Schitt Yiggdrasil LIM
-Yamamoto 45
-Xaio Nan 300B hand made mono blocks
-JBL Hartsfield

Here are some pictures of the project:

View attachment 103451 View attachment 103452 View attachment 103453 View attachment 103454 View attachment 103455

Not sure why I got this post tonight. Hartsfield's my passion since I first saw a JBL Catalog about 1968, and heard my first pair within a couple of years. Something to try, really opens the system. No crossover circuit on the Woofer, 18-20Uf cap on the Mids, and 2.2Uf on the 075 or preferably a 077 T-Pad Attenuation on both. I think you will enjoy the improvement. I had a Top Loader Pr in my last show at Rocky Mountain in 18. I was shocked since I had not listened to them before packing to go to the show.
jw5115

 

Not sure why I got this post tonight. Hartsfield's my passion since I first saw a JBL Catalog about 1968, and heard my first pair within a couple of years. Something to try, really opens the system. No crossover circuit on the Woofer, 18-20Uf cap on the Mids, and 2.2Uf on the 075 or preferably a 077 T-Pad Attenuation on both. I think you will enjoy the improvement. I had a Top Loader Pr in my last show at Rocky Mountain in 18. I was shocked since I had not listened to them before packing to go to the show.
jw5115

Thank you for the suggestion, many people do indeed run the 150 woofer full range. My crossover has a way to bypass the woofer cap so I can indeed try this. The midrange cap is at 21uF and the 075 is at 2.2uF.

 

Demoing the LTA Ultralinear this weekend, color me impressed. This is @KeithR ’s amp that he was either nice enough to let me borrow, or too cheap to have it shipped to Texas .

I have to say that I’m totally amazed by the sound. Without a doubt it’s the best bass I’ve heard on the Hartsfields. Deep, powerful, and articulate. The highs are also quite beautiful and delicate. The midrange is slightly lean for my tastes, but I’m living with 300B and PX25 SET monos that really excellent in this area.

Thanks again Keith!

 

View attachment 119144

Demoing the LTA Ultralinear this weekend, color me impressed. This is @KeithR ’s amp that he was either nice enough to let me borrow, or too cheap to have it shipped to Texas .

I have to say that I’m totally amazed by the sound. Without a doubt it’s the best bass I’ve heard on the Hartsfields. Deep, powerful, and articulate. The highs are also quite beautiful and delicate. The midrange is slightly lean for my tastes, but I’m living with 300B and PX25 SET monos that really excellent in this area.

Thanks again Keith!

I demo'd the LTA Ultralinear on my Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE loudspeakers, and it performed extremely well. Wide and tall image (naturally so...recording dependent), very quiet. I agree the midrange was a bit lean compared to my 300B monos.

You might be interested to try LTA's ZOTL40 Reference amplifier (EL34). It has most of the traits of the Ultralinear with some added flesh on the bone.

 

I demo'd the LTA Ultralinear on my Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE loudspeakers, and it performed extremely well. Wide and tall image (naturally so...recording dependent), very quiet. I agree the midrange was a bit lean compared to my 300B monos.

You might be interested to try LTA's ZOTL40 Reference amplifier (EL34). It has most of the traits of the Ultralinear with some added flesh on the bone.

Our friend Phil believes the same.

 

I demo'd the LTA Ultralinear on my Audio Note AN-E/SPe HE loudspeakers, and it performed extremely well. Wide and tall image (naturally so...recording dependent), very quiet. I agree the midrange was a bit lean compared to my 300B monos.

You might be interested to try LTA's ZOTL40 Reference amplifier (EL34). It has most of the traits of the Ultralinear with some added flesh on the bone.

It's never good when you feel the need to add about your product:

"Switching immediately from other tube amplifiers (and solid-state amplifiers designed to be warmer) to a ZOTL amplifier can often feel like something has been lost."

Clearly you and Jeff are not alone in the feeling of leanness, such that they felt the need to clarify on their website. FWIW, a well designed SET does not necessarily sound very warm...full and realistic, yes and they certainly don't obscure resolution or have loss of detail...poorer examples of all types of amps suffer from a lack of resolution.

 

FWIW, a well designed SET does not necessarily sound very warm...full and realistic, yes and they certainly don't obscure resolution or have loss of detail...poorer examples of all types of amps suffer from a lack of resolution.

I agree. Ultimately, I preferred the parallel SET 300B monos I owned at the time over the LTA amplifiers, but others might have preferred the LTA amplifiers. This is all so subjective.

The LTA amplifiers are quite good, receive many positive reviews, and are worth auditioning. Even if it's only to experience how they affect a system. Jeff had a great opportunity to do so thanks to Keith.

 

It's never good when you feel the need to add about your product:

"Switching immediately from other tube amplifiers (and solid-state amplifiers designed to be warmer) to a ZOTL amplifier can often feel like something has been lost."

Clearly you and Jeff are not alone in the feeling of leanness, such that they felt the need to clarify on their website. FWIW, a well designed SET does not necessarily sound very warm...full and realistic, yes and they certainly don't obscure resolution or have loss of detail...poorer examples of all types of amps suffer from a lack of resolution.

The amp is really fantastic. What I said that there was a "slight leanness" in the midrange compared to my SET amps. I think the bass might be better than my SET's, not quite sure.

 

Jeff, you have a good system to make these evaluations. I enjoy reading of your impressions.

 

Beautiful room.

 

Brahms tonight, with a nice Cabaret. These people look as series as the wine. VDH Colibri and the PX25’s SETS.

 

It's never good when you feel the need to add about your product:

"Switching immediately from other tube amplifiers (and solid-state amplifiers designed to be warmer) to a ZOTL amplifier can often feel like something has been lost."

Clearly you and Jeff are not alone in the feeling of leanness, such that they felt the need to clarify on their website. FWIW, a well designed SET does not necessarily sound very warm...full and realistic, yes and they certainly don't obscure resolution or have loss of detail...poorer examples of all types of amps suffer from a lack of resolution.

The LTA is tonally very rich but not warm. It’s kind of it’s own thing.

 

The LTA is tonally very rich but not warm. It’s kind of it’s own thing.

Well said. I’d love to try the EL34 version as well.

 

Great Thanksgiving feast with three separate listening sessions. This was #1 with my dad and cousin listening to jazz. #2 was an all Led Zeppelin tour de force and #3 was 1980’s Cure and Depesch Mode until 1am!

Fun times but absolutely murder on my wine cellar!

 

View attachment 120708 Great Thanksgiving feast with three separate listening sessions. This was #1 with my dad and cousin listening to jazz. #2 was an all Led Zeppelin tour de force and #3 was 1980’s Cure and Depesch Mode until 1am!

Fun times but absolutely murder on my wine cellar!

I like the vibe, Jeff.

 

I like the vibe, Jeff.

Great stuff! Isn’t it nice when we can share our hobby with music lovers who may or may not be audiophiles? You can imagine how pleased I was on Sunday when my son’s girlfriend’s brother wanted to listen to tunes. Fortunately our musical tastes overlapped and I had some records he was interested in!