Home Office and Listening Room

by morris on Done For Now

Description

The system is in a small room (10 x 12 x 8), which isn't ideal. Nevertheless, the room is sealed, unlike the rest of the house, which is open plan, and it is easy to control the USB Dac directly from the computer. The sound is very detailed and there is a nice soundstage, and it is a dream home office, with nearfield listening.

MUSICAL TASTES:

50% Jazz; 25% Classical; 25% Classic Rock

SOURCE LISTENING:

Mainly listen to vinyl, but more recently, with the Scott Nixon DAC, I listen to internet radio and my CD collection ripped to iTunes.

Currently, I'm working on a silent fan exhaust system for the VAC amp, with a Nexus silent intake and exhaust fan running at less than 20db.

-Mark
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Components Toggle details

    • Valve Amplification Company Avatar Super
    KT88 80W/ch integrated amp. 4 KT88 tubes replaced with Electro Harmonix's; 4AX7's replaced with NOS RCA 1960's; 4AU7's replaced with NOS Mullard's.
    • Bent Audio TX-103 Mu Step-up Transformer
    Very nice step up from John Chapman at Bent Audio. I have the copper version. I use it at the 100 ohm setting, using the resistors that came with the transformer.
    • Scott Nixon Tube DAC USBTD/4XAC
    Scott Nixon USB Tube DAC, with separate power supply (4XAC). Tube was replaced with a NOS Bugle Boy.
    • Apple Computer Powerbook G4
    Use iTunes, with an external G-Technologies 500 gigabyte hard drive, as a transport. Connected via USB to the Scott Nixon DAC. All music recorded in Apple Lossless format, including music recorded from vinyl using the Alesis Masterlink ML-9600.
    • G-Drive Q 500 Gigabyte External Hard Drive
    Use this external hard drive to store my digital music collection. Even though it has fanless cooling, the hard disk itself is a bit noiser than I'd like.
    • Alesis Masterlink ML-9600
    CD Player/Hard Disk Recorder/CD-R Burner. This machine is my modern day tape deck to record vinyl.
    • VPI Industries Scoutmaster
    Delrin Clamp, Ring Clamp, 2 arm wands (one mono and one stereo).
    • VPI Industries SDS Sychronous Drive System
    SDS turntable motor controller and line isolator.
    • Lyra Dorian Mono
    My first mono cartridge. I'm still breaking it in.
    • ZYX Airy 3 X-SB
    Like the name, this is a delicate, airy sounding cartridge. I'm still breaking it in, but I already love it.
    • Denon DL-103R
    Excellent cartridge for the money.
    • Thiel Audio CS-2.2
    Second owner. Original 2 2 speakers.
    • Nordost 1m Blue Heaven (RCA)
    I use these on the input for the Alesis Masterlink.
    • Nordost 1m Red Dawn (RCA)
    I use this on the DAC.
    • Verastarr 1m Silver Reference (RCA)
    Nice and detailed. I tried the Red Dawn for the phono interconnect, but I had to go with the Verastarr, since it had shielding
    • Chang Lightspeed CLS 305
    Works pretty well, but there is no detachable power cord
    • Brick Wall PW2RAUD MOV Surge Protector
    The power conditioner is hooked up to this MOV surge protector, which is hooked up to the Porter Port. This is important in my lightning prone neighborhood.
    • Custom Stand Wood
    Custom wood stand built by carpenter and designed by my interior designer. It is very heavy with lacquered paint finish that can withstand the high heat from the VAC amp. Nevertheless, it has a back and it doesn't have audiophile grade isolation.
    • VH Audio Flavor 4
    Used with good results for the DAC.
    • Soundstring Phantom (3)
    This is the low-end white digital power cord manufactured by Soundstring. I use it on the VPI and Alesis.
    • Tice Audio
    Connected to power amp.
    • Soundstring 12ft Tricomaxial (spades)
    Nice copper cables from Soundstring.
    • Stillpoints and Risers (3)
    Use 3 of these as isolation for the VPI Scoutmaster.
    • Sound Anchor Conecoasters (6)
    Used underneath spikes on Thiel Speakers.
    • Porterhouse Audio Porter Port Outlet
    Replaced outlet with this cyro plug from Audiogon's Albert Porter.
    • Vibrapod pods (3)
    Used underneath DAC.
    • Nexus Silent Exhaust Fan
    I have two of these fans in the amp portion of the cabinet. They are virtually silent and help keep the amp cool. I've raised the power conditioner a couple inches higher than shown in the photo.
    • Aurios MIB 1.0 (2 Sets)
    One set underneath VAC and one set underneath SDS

Comments 5

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Owner
Thanks for the compliments. I've found that this system is great for my needs, since I like to surf the web or do work while listening to music and the usb dac is easy to connect to my computer. Here are some comments:

1) Soundstage. There is plenty of soundstage for nearfield listening, but it is a different kind of soundstage than in a big room. The speakers do their job well, but the room itself doesn't get any bigger than it is. So, it sounds more like a musician's recording studio than a big jazz club or symphony hall. I used to live in a condo with the audio system in a large living room with 11ft ceilings. The soundstage felt much different because the room was so big. I like both setups. I listen to lots of mono LP's with the Dorian mono and the soundstage is always huge (again, with the priviso that I'm in a small room).

2) I'm solo. My wife doesn't listen, so it is just me 99.9% of the time, except when there is an occasional guest who likes music. Sorry, but there isn't room for the local audio club to listen. It works out fine from both listening positions (the office chair and the listening chair). I've found through trial and error that the position against the wall is the best. The chair position is fine, but I'm usually facing the opposite direction from the speakers, which isn't the best, but it still sounds great.

3) The fan is very easy to set up. Here is what you need:

- 110v AC to 12v DC Power Supply with 4 Pin Molex Adapter

- Nexus 92mm Silent Fan

- Get a 4 pin y-connector if you want to hook up two fans to the same power supply.

- I tidied up the wires with some black electrical tape.

- You can also use a smaller or larger Nexus silent fan. I have the 92mm and 120mm and they are both very quiet. You can barely hear them, even a few inches away. I got some velcro dots from Home Depot to attach one on the side of the amp to blow on the tubes and one in the back of the cabinet as an exhaust fan. There is no on/off switch, but I mounted the power supply to the back of the cabinet with velcro and I just gently pull the connector out to turn it off. I ordered all the stuff from www.coolerguys.com. They take paypal and have quick delivery.

4) I don't have too many tips for a two channel office system, other than I highly recommend setting one up. Also, don't be afraid to use some decent sized speakers in a small room. I started with Spendor mini-monitors and I like the full-size Theil speakers much better.

morris

Great office system. I'm rebuilding my two channel system for the office. Any lessons learned you can share?

lapierre

Morris,
That is certainly what I would call a 'diamond in the rough', nice selection of equipment, quite the extensive list of components and tweaks. Do you have any listening partners or is it a solo affair? Seems by the single chair the answer is solo? How do you rate the soundstage being as close as you are with the rather close proximity of the speakers? More info on the fan please, a link or web site or any direction? Thanks and again bravo on the system.

nissancrazy

Owner
System edited: Added Aurios underneath amplifier and SDS. They tightened up everything and added some detail. I also applied Walker Audio Extreme SST to all the tube pins and connections, which further cleaned things up.

morris

Owner
System edited: Added G-Drive Q 500 gigabyte external hard drive and Nexus fans. Now the system is ventilated with some awesome silent fans. I highly recommend the Nexus fans to anyone who needs to add ventilation to a stand or cabinet. They are very easy to work with. I attached them with velcro.

morris

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