I've put the Quads up on 10.5" solid wood stands to get the soundstage up off the floor. Tried alot of amplifiers (EAR, Quicksilver, ARC) - thus far the Cary's take the day as far as the combination of liquidity and resolution. The Odysee Stratos is also a very fine sounding SS amplifier I sometimes listen to.
As for cabling, I haven't gone very far with experimentation yet. I'm running Harmonic Technology Truthlink interconnects (12 ft b/t preamp and amps) and Canare star quad speaker cables. I tried a few interconnects, and thought the HT was very neutral and a good bang for buck. Not sure where to go on speaker cable. One need be only 6 feet long, the other 12!
As you can see from the system pictures, the sources and preamp are in built-in cabinets, the amps are in a rack in the corner of the room. This is a dedicated listening room. I first contructed and installed way too many absorptive panels and bass traps. I've since taken many out, leaving 7 panels and two bass traps.
Hi Peter, Love the system. Mine is in serious transition right now, and that will change soon enough, but I'm truly enjoying it. Digging the Aiwa & Sony pieces I picked up from you the other day, Best, Lou
Very nice system and pics. You got a very nice room. I a curious - what are those speakers lurking behind the chairs in the "chairs" pic (the ones in the corner)?
Hey Jeff - I finally got to hear the Ayre in his system this past weekend over at Peter's place. It is not the only thing he's fallen behind on updating! Actually, he's in a stage of purging, and the Ayre is staying for sure. It sounds great! We did some interesting comparisons between preamps and digital front ends while I was there that may alter the course of his restructuring. We'll see. Love to come by for a listen some time with Peter. Your system certainly sounded good last time I was over. Meanwhile, nice job Peter!
Peter, Don't forget the amp I sold you (and still miss - Ayre V5xe) in your tale! Of course without the speakers I sold Jax2 the amp is meaningless to the synergy I had in my old system. But of course that amp would create synergy in many a system!
I'd like you and Marco to come over to listen some time. Jeff
Albert - would you consent to sharing that song with us overall the digital conduits - or do we have to listen to it in vinyl. I'm sure it is THAT good.
Marco - beware - I think this guy wants to serenade you! You're right - we will need to change the pictures and I'll need to tell the tale - from Quads to Maggies to Avalon. You've gotta bring your camera out here :)
Peter - we're going to have to update your photographs!! It's going to take one long-ass tome of a post to describe the metamorphosis. Peter's system has undergone some rather dramatic changes since posting these pictures. The system bears little resemblance to what you see here, though the room looks similar. I have to say, his current system is the very best I've heard in that room and one of the best I've heard, period. The only difficulty I have with his system at this point is the effect it has on me when I have to come home to my own modest system!
Great choice of gear and very impressive how you have treated the room as well as placing the Quad's optimally. Well Done! What made you decide to remove some panels and traps? Did you make RT measurements? What music do you enjoy most on this system?
System looks good and i'm sure sounds even better but I sure would appreciate it if you would correct the name of the subs. It is TBI not TCI. Thanks TBI
you probably can get information about the A Capella LS cable form the Audiofederation people. They sell A Capella stuff (www.audiofederation.com). Have also a look at their reference system (Mike & Neli's Reference System). Of course, you can always try and make your own LS cable, but if you ever will get the same results???
Thanks guys for your compliments about the room. I am definitely still trying to bring it into "tune".
Kuzibri - where should I inquire about this speaker cable? Do you think it would be worthwhile to just buy some bulk silver wire and make my own speaker cables?
Yoel - I own 2 TBI subs, and I think they are very impressive as to their linearity and their fastness. First time I head them (at CES) I thought that these would work for the Quads. But I haven't spent the time required to optimize them yet, and so I've been playing the Quads straight out.
Transmissionfluid - yes I made all of the bass traps and wall panels myself. The wall panels are very easy to make - just buy yourself some Owen's Corning 703 rigid sheets with foil or paper backing, build some wood frames that fit around them (2x4 feet), stretch some porous fabric over the framed sheets, and hang them on the walls or ceilings. They are most effective as you move them slightly out from the walls. The sound was definitely hushed - didn't have the live and resonant qualities of a room. Without any insulation, echo was unbearable. Making tube traps is more complicated, and I was lucky to have a friend help me who knew how. Feel free to contact me and I can tell you more. See Marco's comments on the acoustics of the room.
Ummm - Marco, now there is little chance I will change the spelling of your name! No - I'll see what I can do, Mr. Prozzo. Maybe some scotch shorted out my keyboard while I was typing!
Well, I am still trying to upgrade my preamp (yes, I'm interested in suggestions, and just posted a request for feedback on ideas) and still interested in cable suggestions. Thanks All.
If you can afford Marco for photo's you can afford to pay for me to come visit and listen :^).
Shoot Albert, either I'm selling myself cheap, or you're Peter's next door neighbor, and I know that latter ain't so! Actually I just snapped some pics of Peter's room while I was enjoying the hospitality of a weekend visit at his house with my wife while he was away. I highly recommend doing that, over visiting while Peter is actually at home :-P If I'd made that comment early-on I'd understand why he spelled my name wrong. Since that isn't the case, perhaps he has a prejudice for the letter "o". In which case you might become Albert Parter. I don't know about you, but I like "Porter" better, and I do prefer "Prozzo" to "Prazzo". Must have been a late-night post for our friend Peter, or perhaps eating some greasy food at the keyboard and his fingers slipped...clear across to the other end of the keyboard. Peter posted the pics without letting me tweak'em for perspective (not knowing that was even possible perhaps), so I done went and done that now so they look less like his house survived a major earthquake. He's done a very nice job on his listening room. The side storage rooms that allow access to the back of the components is a great idea, and well implemented here. As far as acoustics, I think it was a bit overdamped when I was last there, but otherwise very comfortable and cozy and a great space to listen in. It is a work in progress, and I know he's been changing things around, tuning both the room and the system. I was in there pretty much just after the room was done. There were still tags from the store on the chairs! I look forward to more listening there. I've gotta say that vinyl rig he's got there was a strong reminder of how good vinyl can sound. Having given it up a few years back, I'd forgotten. Nice job Peter.
Hi. Great system. Can you tell me more about your experience with the bass traps and wall panels? Did you construct these yourself? Why did you 'have too many' of them - what was the sound like? What are the wall panels made of? Thanks!
Hello Sounds impressive. I do own 988 and I would like to suggest, first - with capital F - to look for good power cords (I have Cardas top of the line for that mission). The improvement is something you have to experience for yourself. As for interconnects I can recommend Silversmith, AudioQuest Cheetah, Transparent UltraLink & XLO top of the line, As for LS cable, try AudioQuest Montblanc & Analysis Plus Oval 9. Looking for subwoofer for myself, and reading rave reviews about the Tbi; I would like to ask you about integration, placement, number (one? Two?) and associated components. What are the results that you've achieved (bass, dynamics?) Thanks Yoel Pelerman
with regard to the speaker cable issue: the best match for the Quad speakers is the A Capella silver loudspeaker cable (www.acapella.de). I've played with that combination, after having tried a lot of combinations, for many, many years. Especially the speed of this cable matches very well with the Quads.
