Really nice system! Like many, I think the most valuable and wonderful components of your system are hanging on that front wall. One thing: It seems like your other walls are pretty bare in your photos. Have you considered room treatments? I have only just started getting into them and they are like a miracle.

tjkurita August 25, 2013 20:56

Claud1e, thank you for the kind words though my room pales
in comparison to your awesome loft but this is pretty
standard for us normal folks living in Orange County. For
my listening preferences, smaller is indeed better. I go to
a lot of live shows in small venues so I prefer more of a
small scale, intimate setting. I prefer acoustic music with
a preference for female vocals, guitar, piano, and sax.
Hearing the emotion and depth of the vocals, the pluck of
the guitar string, the vibration of the reed is very
important to me. I am willing to give up some dynamics and
absolute clarity for some midrange warmth and weight. Also,
I want to able to see see and place each of the musicians on
the stage. I am getting there with my current setup. I am
hoping once I get some room treatments in I can get better
soundstage depth and separation. Then one last speaker
upgrade and I should be set for a while (famous last
audiophile words).

My other system was nice in the sense that it did many of
the audiophile things well...dynamics, big soundstage,
clarity, speed, etc but in the end it didnt speak to me. It
felt too impersonal like listening to music in an arena or
stadium. It took me a while but I understand much better
now what I prefer. I still miss that system only because I
spent some serious money on technically impressive gear! I
wish I kept the Esoteric P3 transport and the Ayre MX-R
monoblocks but I understand now that it is totally possible
to build a very involving system for a reasonable (by
audiophile standards) price.

Happy listening!

tboooe August 20, 2013 07:54

I see why you spend so much time listening Tboooe! I bet the imaging in your setup is spectacular. ;-) Do you have a preference between your current rig and your older 'Beauty and the Beasts' system? Both look quite nice!

claud1e August 20, 2013 03:47

System edited: Added Stillpoints Ultra Mini footers under my PS Audio P3. Two things I noticed right away was more focus and high notes had more definition. A bit more subtle was the additional low level details I was hearing that helped to impart a bit more sense of realism. For example, being able to hear the imperfections in the singer's voice reminds me that I am listening to a human being, not a perfect digital recording. I also tried the more expensive Ultras and luckily for me, I don't believe the improvement is worth double the price. To my less than perfect ears and in my modest setup, I heard perhaps a 10% improvement. Next up, room treatments. I am excited.

tboooe August 16, 2013 14:07

Focal Diablo.

lapierre August 13, 2013 20:54

I especially love your daughters (I'm guessing) room treatments. Takes any pretense away from having all that wonderful equipment.

mjcmt August 02, 2013 18:12

System edited: Added to Synergistic Research Element Tungsten AC cord for the PS Audio P3. I noticed an immediate improvement in clarity and reduction of noise. I will adding another Tungsten for my integrated once the funds recover a bit.

tboooe July 27, 2013 19:03

Hi, Tboooe, I knew the ultra ss still points would be better, I believe you did not get the results under your speakers for all the reasons you already listed, so, Do you believe the ss model is worth the price difference?, you should have put your post on the Tara site, we all talk about evertthing else there, why not still points?, you will have to tell me your answer there., cheers.

audiolabyrinth July 27, 2013 00:30

I just got the Ultra SSs to audition and they are a big improvement over the
Minis. The best way to describe it is that everything is more precise. Notes
are more definitive with very defined and distinct attack and decay. Bass is
more defined as well. When I put another set under my integrated amp, I
got more clarity and what seemed like a natural smoothness and warmth.
Its hard to describe because the attack and dynamics are still there. The
soundstage also got wider and the differing depths of instruments in the
soundstage got a bit easier to discern. Overall, i feel like I am hearing more
precisely what is on the recording, making music sound more real.

Next I decided to experiment with the Ultra SSs under my speakers. The
improvements are more subtle and dependent on the recording than when I
placed them under my components. However, the impact can be startling.
Immediately I noticed notes lingering just a bit longer and low level details
became more readily apparent. The perceived size of voices also got a bit
larger and moved forward in the soundstage giving more sense of depth.
There is a particular section of a song I am very familiar with that has some
backing vocals. Previously, these backing vocals sounded like they
emanated mostly to the left of center behind the leader singer. With the
Ultra SSs, these vocals soared and enveloped the room with a haunting
sound. It literally surprised me enough to make me look up from my laptop.
Unlike the SSs under my components, the improvements are not apparent
with every song.

People have said there are more significant improvements when used with
speakers but my experiences do not reflect this. I don't know if its because
the Sonus Faber stands and spikes are very well designed or because I
didn't actually screw the Ultra SSs into the base. I need to audition these
again but with the necessary adapters.

That being said, I will be saving my pennies to get these for my PS Audio
P3 and Accustic Arts Power 1 for sure.

tboooe July 26, 2013 18:40

Thanks Bryans. I now realize great sound can be had at a reasonable price, especially if you buy used. This entire system cost less than the monoblock amps I had before. I am very pleased with my sound right now so I am only playing around with modestly priced tweaks. My last upgrade maybe next year will be speakers.

tboooe July 20, 2013 16:11

Nice setup. I left audio a few years back because of the same reasons. I something wonder if "Audiophiles" actually like music. Seems like you have found the holy grail.

Good Job!

bryans July 20, 2013 10:55

Thank you LaPierre. I will compare the Tungsten to the Copper with my cdp. I am also going to try the MPC mod that is supposed to really improve the performance. After that I need to see if I can find an SR IC that can beat out my Acoustic Zen Silver Ref IIs. I have tried many other high priced ICs but none have provided me the organic sound like the Silver Refs. Any suggestions?

Another tweak I am trying are the Stillpoint isolation devices. So far I am extremely impressed. They add yet another level of detail, clarity, and realism to the music. I have only tried them under my components but will be auditioning more under my speakers next week.

tboooe July 20, 2013 06:50

My source uses the SR Copper Element. When switched to SR Tungsten Element I could not hear a significant difference in clarity.

You have to experiment to see what works best in your system.

Enjoy

lapierre July 19, 2013 21:26

Great to hear your evaluating Element Tungsten.

Will stay tuned for you insights.

lapierre July 10, 2013 19:18

System edited: Added some HiFi Tuning Supreme fuses to my Accustic Arts Power 1 int amp and PS Audio P3 AC Regenerator. I heard some minor improvements to clarity and dynamics with the fuse in the int amp. On the other hand, I heard no change from the P3. Oh well, small investment. I have spent much more to get far less. What's the next tweak??? :)

tboooe July 08, 2013 15:11

@Harris4crna...thank you. I definitely intend to give them a listen. I will let you know what I think.

tboooe July 03, 2013 06:49

Franco serblin Accuerdos. Go listen at stereo unlimited in San Diego. Went from Cremonas M to FS Ktemas and will never buy another speaker. Let me know what you think.

harris4crna July 02, 2013 22:12

Lapierre, in a nutshell everything now sounds more realistic. Notes have lifelike authority, weight, and decay which produces a very holographic effect. The sound is more effortless yet at the same time powerful and delicate. I am getting more and tighter bass than I ever thought was possible with my little monitors. It's like my system before the P3 was somehow being held back. I am also hearing so much detail which is adding to the sense of realism and "being there". For example, I can now hear the reverb of the singer, the moisture of the singer's lips, the rigidness of the guitar pick against the strings. My soundstage has become more consistent in height. Before the P3, I had trouble with the vertical placement of instruments being all over the place. All of this has made the music so much more engaging. I've been listening nonstop since I got the P3 last week and I am still astounded. It's strange, even with more detail and dynamics, the sound is still so smooth and liquid. I get absolutely no listener fatigue after many hour sessions. I can't guarantee everyone will get the same results as me but given the huge impact I experienced I would advise at least auditioning the PS Audio Powerplants.

tboooe July 01, 2013 22:10

T what was the biggest change in your system when Audio Plant P3 was implemented?

lapierre July 01, 2013 21:23

Artist of the Week:

Artist: Kristina Train
Album: Dark Black (import)
Release date: 2012

Some people may not know the name but may recognize her voice from the Lexus commercial where she says a cover of Aretha Franklin's "I'm Wandering".

tboooe June 29, 2013 11:57

System edited: Lots of changes this month. I wasnt planning
on adding anything for the rest of this year but the
opportunity arose to get some pieces I have had my eyes for
a very good price.

First I added the Luxman D-06 cdp. I use it mainly as a DAC
but the having CDP capability is nice for the times when I
am too impatient to rip a new cd before listening to it.
Overall, the sound is classic Luxman...smooth, liquid, and
easy. Compared to the Musical Fidelity M1 DAC it replaced,
the Luxman presents a much larger overall soundstage. Sound
now seems to envelope the room more.

Second, I added the PS Audio P3 Powerplant AC regenerator.
All I can say is WOW! I dont know why I waited so long to
add this. Its like I upgraded my entire system. The first
things I noticed with the P3 is more detail and dynamics.
But after listening for a while I also noticed a larger
soundstage and deeper bass. Music I am very familiar with
sounds like totally new recordings. There is better
separation and layering of the instruments. Each one is
more distinct now. I always knew power was an important
part of any system but I just didnt realize how big an
impact good, consistent, clean power can have. Of course
YMMV but since I was coming from having no AC tweaks, the P3
has had a bigger impact aside from my
speakers and amps. Highly recommended!!!!

tboooe June 28, 2013 09:16

Erndog, as I told Jaxwired, I would be very happy to trade musical recommendations with you. I am always looking for great new music. BTW, just played some Amos Lee, Last Days at the Lodge...love it!

tboooe June 27, 2013 16:09

I really like Vienna Teng and have 2 of her cd's, but haven't heard the others. I'll review them on Amazon. Thanks for the recommendations. We have similar taste in music.

erndog June 27, 2013 11:36

ahhh...Beth Orton. Love her. I really like her Central Reservation and Day Breaker albums.

Some similar artists you may want to check out are Boy, Daughter, Julia Stone, Bic Runga, and Vienna Teng.

tboooe June 27, 2013 09:01

Here's a music recommendation: Beth Orton "Pass in time." It is her greatest hits, double cd. Lots of gems in there. I'm new to her and just learned about her about 2 months ago and some of her songs have become my new favorites for 2013 so far. The song "Sweetest Decline" just melts my heart every time I hear it.

erndog June 27, 2013 08:20