My humble 2CH room!

[Johnny Vinyl]

Looks great...time to spend some time in that couch and enjoy!!! I am sure as time goes on, you may tweak the placement a bit here and there, but sometimes once you get to 95%...it is hard to get much further without spending some time with the system. And sometimes you realize...actually i am at 100% already. (til the next upgrade anyway! )

Hi Lloyd! - Today will be the first day I'll have a chance to truly sit and listen as I have a few buddies coming over for a vinyl playback session. I'll do my best to post some impressions later tonight or in the coming days. So far, from the little informal listening I have done, I can already tell this larger space is a huge improvement....just on it's own. The tweaks, the treatments, the upgrades....well, they will happen as time passes, but right now I ain't gonna worry about it. Its time for my ears to succumb to the beauty that is great music! (and the company of good friends).

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Here's a few pictures of the setup in the larger room.



It's getting there....bit by bit!

 

[treitz3]

Lookin' good, John! Enjoy.

Tom

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Lookin' good, John! Enjoy.

Tom

Thanks Tom! It's getting there......

Next is the heavy-duty double-lined blackout curtains on the back wall, but I need a hammer-drill as I live in an apartment and everything is concrete behind the sheetrock. I'm borrowing one from a friend, so that'll be up this week. After that it's acoustic control.

 

[garylkoh]

Very nice, John. Concrete walls and floor ois a great advantage.

 

[flez007]

I really like your setup John, elegant and simple - I am sure you are enjoying it fully!

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Very nice, John. Concrete walls and floor ois a great advantage.

PM sent Gary!

I really like your setup John, elegant and simple - I am sure you are enjoying it fully!

Thank you Fernando! I am indeed enjoying it!

 

[puroagave]

Lookin' good John. what Fernando said, simple an elegant. im of the recent mindset if its not black and doesnt fit in a rack its out of the room. For me, part of the illusion is not having big shiny boxes scattered about with bright LEDs starring back at me.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Lookin' good John. what Fernando said, simple an elegant. im of the recent mindset if its not black and doesnt fit in a rack its out of the room. For me, part of the illusion is not having big shiny boxes scattered about with bright LEDs starring back at me.

Thanks Rob!

I've always been a minimalist in regards to my audio gear and general lifestyle as well. I prefer to accentuate with decorative pieces that add some colour for ambiance, yet doesn't take away from the simplicity I'm trying to maintain. I added a small little area rug for in front of the rack as I felt it looked a little too bare. It doesn't overpower anything, yet adds another dimension to the room.



I also took a shot to show the side firing woofer.



I need a few more weeks to finish it all off as I'm looking at some acoustical treatments, and they aren't cheap. With the amp, cartridge and speaker change, plus the room changover I've spend a lot more money than I ever would have imagined a year ago.......so I need to breathe a bit!

 

[DaveyF]

John, room's looking great. Do try some room acoustic treatments as soon as the budget allows. They do make a VERY big improvement, IMO. Real Traps make some great one's and with just a few, I suspect you would get a BIG bang for the buck. As I said in another thread, it still amazes me how many people spend thousands on gear and nothing on room acoustic treatments. I know they are NOT "sexy", BUT they should take priority #1, IMHO.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

John, room's looking great. Do try some room acoustic treatments as soon as the budget allows. They do make a VERY big improvement, IMO. Real Traps make some great one's and with just a few, I suspect you would get a BIG bang for the buck. As I said in another thread, it still amazes me how many people spend thousands on gear and nothing on room acoustic treatments. I know they are NOT "sexy", BUT they should take priority #1, IMHO.

Hi Davey!

Treatments are definitely THE priority at the moment. I've been looking at the various sites, plus there are 2 local guys that apparently do good work as well. I've talked to some people, but I'm getting conflicting opinions. Since Gary is the manufacturer I've PM'ed him as well. I probably won't be able to do everything in one fell swoop, but I think I can manage a really good beginning.

 

[DaveyF]

Hi John,
I'm not familiar with all of the various manufacturer's out there, BUT I can highly recommend the Real Traps products.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

My semi-annual bonus payout is just around the corner, so I'll be using some of those funds for some acoustic treatments. I won't be able to get everything right away as I also need 2 new pair of glasses (bifocals for everyday/readers for ...well reading) and some other things.

I'm going to start with 2 corner tri-traps and 4 (24x48) acoustic panels. I will likely order these from ATS Acoustics. I have a friend coming over to help with the "mirror-method" for determining side wall panel placement. I just picked up my freshly dry-cleaned drapery panels for the back wall. That wall has only one corner, but I think I'll try a tall plant as opposed to a tri-trap.

I should have everything in place by the end of the month. Very happy about that!

 

[JackD201]

Hi John,

You might want to check out the products of Primacoustics. They work out of Ontario. I've had very good results using their products at shows for two years running now. Thay are also quite reasonably priced.

 

[HedgeHog]

You might want to check out the products of Primacoustics. They work out of Ontario. I've had very good results using their products at shows for two years running now. Thay are also quite reasonably priced.

Check that, Jack...Prima is out of Port Coquitlam in the west coast of Canada...I've been there. For the record, I have their MaxTrap membrane absorbers...works ok, easy to assemble (like Ikea furniture), but not that cheap. ATS will be lots cheaper. Acoustimac is also a low-cost option: http://www.acoustimac.com/

Good luck with your sound treatment, John!

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Haven't done anything with regard to room treatments just yet, as I've had other priorities, but hopefully soon enough. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I really need and where I need it. Looking at the various sites they all tell me I need it everywhere......(I wonder why, eh?). I'll keep you posted once I figure it all out and actually order it.

Anyway, my primary reason for posting here again is to talk about my Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. I've had this cartridge (along with the Genesis G7.1f speakers) for almost 8 months now, and have come to the conclusion that I want a change. I find the combo of these two pieces to be too detailed at the expense of some warmth. It can sound really strident at times IMO and that annoys me. So I therefore need to move into another direction cartridge-wise. I'm thinking the Grado Reference Sonata might be one way to go. I love the Grado mid-range. Another cartridge that peaks my interest is the Clearaudio Virtuoso Ebony. I'd love some input on the Clearaudio for those who are familiar with their signature.

As always, your input is most appreciated!

 

[mep]

John-Are you sure your VTA is set correctly? I'm surprised to hear that the Ortofon 2M cartridge sounds "strident."

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

John-Are you sure your VTA is set correctly? I'm surprised to hear that the Ortofon 2M cartridge sounds "strident."

I don't have VTA ability on my TT, so I don't really know. I wanted the Pete Riggle VTAF, but he told me it wouldn't work on my RB250/NA Horizon. Also, maybe strident is not the right word. Maybe I'm not used to the super detail this cartridge exhibits at the higher frqs. I truly feel I am missing some warmth and want that back.

 

[audioarcher]

I don't have VTA ability on my TT, so I don't really know. I wanted the Pete Riggle VTAF, but he told me it wouldn't work on my RB250/NA Horizon. Also, maybe strident is not the right word. Maybe I'm not used to the super detail this cartridge exhibits at the higher frqs. I truly feel I am missing some warmth and want that back.

You can still adjust VTA up with shims. But from your description of the sound that will not help. If you already have some shims in there you could take some out to lower the back of the arm.

In the short term a warmer cart should work but in the long term I would look at upgrading your preamp/phono stage. From the one small review I could find of your PS Audio 4.6 they described the sound as having good tension but being a bit too forward and brash.

 

[garylkoh]

With your love for rock, I would not recommend the Grados. Best recommendation from me for your system is the Sound-Smith modified 103 Ruby OC nude. Since your arm does not have VTA adjustability don't buy line contour cartridges as those all require careful VTA set-up.