This has been a long evolutionary process. The goals are soundstaging and excitement over a wide range of musical genres with relatively nearfield listening.
System Edited: It's been a long time since I updated my virtual system, so it now reflects the system I've had mostly for the past few years (with the exception of the Pass amp, which I've had for just a couple months now).
Yes, they are the original Tempos. I got them used 8 years ago, and they have been great. I recently got a pair of Tyler D3m's that I've been trying. They are also very nice, and different than the Tempo's, but I am not convinced that they're better.
I find the Tempos to be remarkably neutral with extended and detailed highs. Some call them bright, but I find them natural. And certainly a steal on the used market today.
It's good to see someone else enjoys them, as well!
Thanks, Al. I feel that my weak spot right now is the Audio Horizons DAC, and I've been looking at upgrading it. I got an Electrocompaniet DAC and it seems to be roughly on par with the Audio Horizons, just different. I think I will sell them both and look to upgrading the DAC entirely.
Also, I'm trying out some Tyler Acoustics monitors. We'll see how those sound.
System edited: This is my first major upgrade in quite some time. I now essentially have two complete systems in one, with both solid state and tube preamps and amps, so I can freely mix and match between them. I'm presently listening to the all-tube system (Audio Research LS5 Mk 3 + Audio Research VT-100 Mk 2) with the most recent introduction to the system, the Audio Horizons TD 3.0 tube DAC. Early impressions are very positive for the Audio Horizons DAC, as it provides a level of transparency and layering and bass response beyond my old California Audio Labs DAC but with a little less warmth and richness in the midrange. Overall, this DAC represents a noticeable step up.
System edited: I sold the Cary SLP-88 preamp, and replaced it with an Audio Mirror T-61. I actually prefer the T-61, which leans slightly to the rich/warm side (but not as much as the Cary), and is much quieter than the Cary. Not bad, especially considering it retails for a third of the Cary. The system now works great with male and female vocalists, as well as chamber music. It does not have the last word in bass, although I'm sometime pleasantly surprised in that department, too.
System edited: I finally (after 2 months of occasional work) just about finished my listening room in the basement. I built a level platform that can accomodate a large television in the future, and incorporated rear speaker jacks to facilitate the transition to HT when it occurs. I wired several outlets connected to a dedicated 20A circuit, and added some wall sconces (different circuit). I'll probably end up putting a black velure curtain behind the racks for aesthetics.
System edited: Finally, updated pictures! (They have been outdated for years.) Also reflects the change in preamps (Musical Fidelity A3cr to Innersound preamp) this summer. This is a very neutral, yet sometimes uninvolving, system that makes excellent recordings sound superb, and makes bad recordings sound, well, really bad. At some point I'm considering trying a tube preamp.
System edited: I recently purchased an Innersound ESL 300 amp and now that I've completely rearranged the furniture in the living room (couldn't be done if I were married) it sounds great! The Innersound replaces some very good Audio Valve monoblocks that I may, reluctantly, need to sell. My system has now achieved a level of transparency and detail that I never imagined. I'll post a new picture soon; the existing one has almost none of the current components in it. The next change will most likely be the preamp, but I'm still in the air as to which direction to head: Go for richness and fullness or detail and transparency? Suggestions?
System edited: Well, here's an update to the system. I let the two preamps duke it out and, to my ears, the Musical Fidelity A3cr won! The Audio Valve Eklipse is an excellent preamp, but for my listening personality it took a back seat to the Musical Fidelity. I think I'm stuck on solid state preamps for the near future, anyway. So I sold the Audio Valve preamp. (The Audio Valve amps, however, are another story; I'm taking them to the grave.) Next on the agenda is to probably add a good subwoofer. The Audio Physic Tempo's have a good bass response, but for the ultimate in high-energy classical music I believe a sub would be a good addition. As always, comments are welcome. Michael
System edited: DUAL PREAMPS! Yeah, baby! I now have an Audio Valve Eklipse tube preamp and a Musical Fidelity A3cr solid state preamp. I like them both for different reasons, so I'm going to hold onto both of them and use whichever one tickles my fancy at the time. I think a new picture would be in order soon, so I'll post that when I manage to borrow the digital camera again.
System edited: I sold the Virtual Dynamics Audition speaker cables to make room for some silver speaker cables in the future. (Yes, I do prefer the sound of silver.) I also got a Music Hall MMF-5 which I will need to continue tweeking because it just doesn't sound right; there is WAYYYY too much noise when playing records (to the point where it's basically unlistenable). (See the thread entitled "Save a vinyl newbie, please" at http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1046028717&openfrom&1&4#1). The next step will be to replace the Virtual Dynamics interconnects with silver, too. (I'm thinking Homegrown.)
System edited: I've substituted the Acoustic Energy AE120 speakers for a pair of Audio Physic Tempo (the original, not Mk 2 or 3)speakers. I immediately noticed more air in the highs and a nice, tight bass. But they only sound good through the 4-ohm taps on my amps, even though the speakers are rated as 8-ohm nominal impedance. I still need to mess around with the speaker locations for optimal performance. (It looks like the room might as well be the next upgrade -- too bad I live in an apartment.)
I know that the tube lifespan thing favors the tube preamp/solid state amp, but I've been told that the tubes in my Audio Valve monoblocks should last a good "2-3 years". I'm really enjoying the sound of the solid state preamp with the tube amps.
The speakers are definitely next on my list. I'm looking for some speakers that will work well with my 50wpc amps, play classical music brilliantly (I prefer full, detailed, well-soundstaged music), and do all of this in a rather confined space. Any suggestions?
System edited: I switched from a tube preamp (VAC CLA-1 Mk II) to a solid state preamp (Musical Fidelity A3cr) and I'm getting considerably more detail and lifelike music from violins, drums, and horns. I've been discovering that I really like SS preamp / Tube amp combinations, even though the conventional wisdom is the opposite. Am I the only one who feels this way? Michael
Johnk, my current speakers are 89 db efficient. What would I be getting out of horns that's better? More clarity? Wouldn't I also be putting myself at risk for hearing more noise? I also have a touchy preamp that I have to run in passive mode just to keep it from being too loud when the volume control is only in the 9 o'clock position (and the attenuator is quantized); wouldn't having more efficient speakers make this volume issue even worse?
I was thinking of eventually upgrading to a nice used pair of Vienna Acoustics Beethovens when/if the time comes. Does anyone have any comments about these speakers compared to other possibilities?
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