Beautiful Music..... updated system

by adam18 on Done For Now

Description

After many changes and upgrades over the years, I am extremely happy with my system. After spending fifteen years with my wonderful Vandersteen 1C's, I am experiencing a greatly improved sound of music with my new Revel F-12 speakers. The synergy between all my components is quite good, and the musical enjoyment is sublime. The hours spent in my listening chair are truly glorious, and I'm a very happy music lover !
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Components Toggle details

    • Rogue Audio Cronus
    Integrated amp with updated Genelex Gold Lion KT-77 output tubes and a Mark O'Brien customized set of 5 small tubes.
    • Revel Concerta F-12
    A very coherent, balanced, and musical full range speaker, with well defined deep bass, perfect mid-range, and sparkling smooth highs.
    • Rotel RCD-1072
    A very musical, analog sounding CD deck with HDCD chip.
    • Rega P3-24 with TT-PSU power supply
    Terrific table at a very good price point.
    • Rega RB-301
    Standard arm for my table .... a great match.
    • Rega Exact 2
    Wonderful symmetry between Rega table, Rega arm, and Rega cartridge.
    • Nagaoka MP-150
    A very musical cartridge .... perfect for my large collection of small ensemble acoustic jazz.
    • Audioquest King Cobra
    A perfect link between the Rotel CD deck and Rogue Cronus amp.
    • Paul Speltz Anti-cables
    Transparent, neutral, and perfect for my system.
    • Signal Cable MagicCord and DigitalReference
    Upgraded power cables ... nice improvements over the stock cords.
    • Panamax M5100-PM
    A very effective power conditioner surge protector.
    • Emotiva XDA-2 DAC
    • AudioQuest Jitterbug
    • Wireworld Ultraviolet 7 USB cable

Comments 43

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Owner

Beautiful tubes make beautiful music .....


I have been thoroughly enjoying my Rogue Audio Cronus integrated amp (original, non-Magnum)
since December 2007, first driving a beautiful pair of Vandersteen 1C’s and currently
matched to a wonderful pair of Revel F12’s. With a front end of a Rega P3-24 table
w/ a Nagaoka MP-150 cartridge and a Rotel RCD-1072 CD deck, the sound of music
is truly sublime. Most of my listening pleasure comes from small ensemble jazz, well
recorded vocals, and the “classic rock” of my youth ( Dead, Allman’s, CSNY, etc.)

I started with the  stock Svetlana EL-34’s and Sovtek & EH small tubes, and then, 
about seven years ago, with the thoughtful guidance of Nick at Rogue Audio,
I swapped out the small tubes as follows :
"RCA 5814 A“ in the center 12AU7 spot, a matched pair of “GE Five Star 5751 Goldpins”
in the 12AX7 spots, and a matched pair of “GE 12AU7 A” tubes in the outer 12AU7 spots.
The RCA and GE 12AU7A’s are “military NOS."

Then, in August 2010, following more advice from Nick and Mark at Rogue Audio, 
I replaced the original Svetlana EL-34’s with a matched quad of Genelex Gold Lion KT-77’s. 
 The combination of large and small tubes has been absolutely fantastic, and when it came 
time to replace the power tubes in July 2014, I again put in another quad of 
Gold Lion KT-77’s. I’ve been loving my music !!!

So, it's now time to replace the small tubes once again.  After more thoughtful conversations
with both Nick at Rogue Audio and Brent Jessee at audio tubes.com, I purchased the following set of five small tubes .....    
    * a matched pair of GE JG 5751 backplate triple mica premium military grade (12AX7 spots)
    * a matched pair RCA 12AU7 Cleartops (12AU7 spots)
    * a single Telefunken ECC82 smooth plate diamond mark (center 12AU7 spot)

Tubes were installed last Friday night and have been "burning in"   all week..... all I can say is "WOW  !!!! " ..... the sound of music is sublime.  

Boys and girls ..... our audiophile hobby is wonderful !  Lots of fun, tremendous improvement in the sound of music, and terrific satisfaction ..... I'm a very happy camper.

adam18

Owner
Recent "tipping my toes into the waters" of computer audio.  Streaming Spotify Premium from a MacBook Pro laptop through an AudioQuest Jitterbug, via a WireWorld Ultraviolet 7 USB cable, into an Emotiva XDA-2 DAC, and finally through AudioQuest Sidewinder IC's into my Rogue amp ..... Very, very nice sound of music.  I'm having a ball discovering new music and "re-discovering" favorite old albums with Spotify streaming.  A great way to add to my listening enjoyment.

adam18

Owner
Jon and Papermill..... Thanks so much for your kind words.
Paper mill ...... the Bearden print was a gift from my Mom and Dad many years ago.
My parents always supported my love of music and my quest for a great sounding system. When I started to "furnish" my current music room, they gave me the Bearden print as a way to foster a connection between music and art.
Jon ..... Yes indeed, "beautiful music is what it is." Always a sublime delight.

adam18

Owner
Hi Matt .....
Thanks for your 7/11 compliment. I agree with what you're saying about the Nagaoka. Since the majority of my LP collection is indeed jazz, it's a great cartridge for me.

adam18

Owner
Hi Jet ..... To my ears, with my system, and in my room ..... the Nagaoka sounds very similar to the Exact for less than half the cost. Bottom end is tight, well defined and nicely resonant, the midrange (a highlight of the Exact) is fully fleshed out and natural, and the top end is smooth and sweet with no harshness or fatigue. Overall, like the Exact, the Nagaoka is just slightly to the warm side of neutral. Soundstage depth and width are expansive and accurate, and the cartridge "just seems right." The sound of music is sublime.

adam18

Owner
A change of cartridge ..... Swapped out my Rega Exact 2 for a Nagaoka MP-150. Broken cantilever on the Exact, so good time to try something different. The Nagaoka is really, really good ! Beautiful musical sound from my LP's for a significantly lower cost than a new Exact. It gets along quite well with the Rogue's phono stage, and my vinyl listening sessions are sweet .....

adam18

Owner
And just for the record ..... My wife is 100 % in support of our audio hobby and love of music ! Her "telling me to go down to the basement" has been a long running joke in our home, as she knows how much I enjoy my time down there. And from the way you guys have complimented my room and my system (thank you very much) I know you would enjoy it "down there" too. Happy Listening !

adam18

Owner
Hello Tjkurita, Jetrexpro, Isochronism, Mapman, and Zavato ..... Thank you all for your good feelings and kind words about my system and room. YES .... it is certainly a "cozy room" and a very beautiful space to enjoy my music. When my wife wants me out of her hair and she tells me to go down to the basement, I eagerly say "Yes, Dear !" And Iso, my guitar amp is a Fender Frontman 25R, and serves me quite well when I need to fulfill my Duane Allman -- Eric Clapton -- Jimmy Page fantasies.

adam18

Owner
Hello Schubert and Tjkurita ......
Thanks for your nice comments about my system and "my upstate New York." I live in a beautiful area west of Albany along the Helderberg Escarpment. Mighty pretty country around here, and less than an hour east of Cooperstown. Yes, Lake George is splendid, as are the Adirondacks, Schoharie Valley, and Finger Lakes regions.

adam18

Owner
Hey Dave ..... Yes... it sounds good. I'm a happy camper !

Hey Glenfihi ..... Thanks for your comments. I started covering the TV with the blanket when I had my Vandersteens, since the side reflections from those speakers were "tamed" by the blanket over the TV. With the Revels and their solid MDF cabinets, these side reflections are not an issue, so I no longer use the blanket. I took these photos before I decided to keep the TV uncovered.

adam18

Owner
Hi Actu.... Thanks for your kind words about my room and system. It is a perfect retreat for listening to beautiful music. The Rotel RCD-1072 really is a tremendous value, and it is one of the most "analog sounding" CD players I have heard within the price range. I enjoy both vinyl and CD listening, and I think it's important to have both analog and digital front ends performing at a level where I can enjoy all my music.

As far as my Rogue, ... it is not the Magnum, so I cannot answer your question. I have rolled out all the original tubes, and I think I have successfully modified the amp to give me a better overall sound of music (of course, to my ears and in my room.) With the thoughtful guidance and advice of Mark O'Brien and Nick at Rogue Audio, I swapped out the five small tubes as follows : an RCA NOS 5814 to replace the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 gain stage tube, a pair of GE NOS Five Star 5751 "goldpins" to replace the Sovtek 12AX7 input tubes, and a pair of GE NOS 12AU7A's to replace the Electro-Harmonix 12AU7 driver tubes. I then replaced the original Svetlana EL-34's with a wonderfully matched quad of Genelex Gold Lion KT-77's. All these upgraded tubes get along quite nicely, and the sound of music is sublime.

adam18

Owner
Hi Dave 72 and Dpac996 ..... Thanks so very much for your comments. Dpac, the Revels match beautifully with my Rogue Audio tube amp, and the synergy really is quite sublime. Dave, you're right .... the "bang for the buck" is awesome, and the $$$ saved on audio gear allows me to spend more on music, fine wine, and great food. Life is good !

adam18

Owner
Hi Jax....... I've been incredibly happy with my Vandersteens for the past 15 years, but I wanted a different presentation, with a deeper more well defined bottom end and greater dynamic range. I auditioned many speakers (Magnepan 1.7, KEF Q900, PSB Imagine T, DeVore Super 8, Martin Logan Vista, Totem Arro/Forest, Revel F-32) and was the most impressed with the Revel F-12. These speakers sound absolutely wonderful with my system in my room, and they are an incredible value. I really had a certain price point in mind, and these Revels, to my ears, sound as good as speakers costing much more, and they exhibit a unique top to bottom balance and all around cohesiveness that I've been looking for. My compliments to you... your system is beautiful, and I'm sure it sounds mighty fine.

adam18

Owner
Thanks a lot Mitch. Your system seems mighty fine ! Good Luck with your new Pass amps, and keep on enjoying the music !

adam18

Owner
A rainy Saturday in upstate New York. TV on (on mute, obviously) with Ryder Cup golf, college football, and the Yankees game (Thank goodness for remote control.)
CD's ruled the day ... acoustic live Hot Tuna, Boz Scaggs "Dig", Allman Brothers Band "Second Set Live", Joni Mitchell "Miles of Aisles", Frank Sinatra "Live at the Sands", Allison Krauss and Union Station "Live", and Neil Diamond "Home Before Dark". My system is really singing sweet music, and all is good.

adam18

Owner
System edited: I changed the category from "Ever evolving" to "Done for now." Except for some possible tube rolling in the future, I'm pretty much done for now. This system makes beautiful music, has been very affordable to build, and puts a gigantic smile on my face and happiness in my mind whenever I power it up and start playing my favorite tunes.

adam18

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