Okay, Kirk. Don't keep us in suspense for too long. Tell us what the new speakers are and where are the power cords now located.

sherod September 02, 2006 13:24

System changes - hope to post this weekend... have been swapping various power cords in and out, as well as a new pair of speakers breaking in...

audiofankj September 01, 2006 16:30

Arizonapeakfitness - the room treatments I have in the corners are the Eighth Nerve room pack... very cost effective and quite effective. Well worth the $$$ invested for the sonic return.

To better answer your question - I purchased the Eighth Nerve room pack when I was still in the old house... the listening room was a spare bedroom - 11.5 ft. x 12 ft. or so... they did help immensely - I have the "seams" (I think that is what they are called) for the corners, as well as the triangle corner traps for along the ceiling... those eight peices for a couple of hundred dollars really helped tame some slap echo and reflectivity in that room.

I can not comment as to how much they helped in the current room, as they were installed before the equipment was... :)

I also essentially have floor to ceiling (maybe 10" from the ceiling) drapes that cover about 2/3 of one side wall... most likely about 12 feet or so... I am certain that helps to some degree, as well as the built in vinyl storage shelves in the back and the fake ficus trees...

The fake ficus trees actually made a very noticable improvement on all of my speakers when placed in the corner behind the speaker. Perhaps it was the diffusion... However, with that being said, my current Martin Logan Summits are the only speakers in which I have preferred the sound without the ficus trees in the corner... I guess the case I am trying to make is that a few $70 fake ficus trees can make a good sonic improvement. That is with the right speakers... as always try and experiment - but let your ears be the ultimate decision maker in your room.

I really didn't go all that far with my room design. There are many systems on here that have been assisted by design/acoustical engineers and Rives Audio etc. I happened to be able to have our "bonus" room made into a dedicated listening room... mostly through builder requests up front when the home was being built. At that I ended up tearing down the wall for repairs... Essentially it was just a bonus room - with exposed beam ceiling (to help break up standing waves), five dedicated 20A lines on the top of the breaker box, and then the built in book cases and shelving on the rear wall. Don't get me wrong - I love the room, and am extremely fortunate. At the same time, there are many here that have specific measured sonicly designed rooms that are astounding. I am certain just about any gear placed in some of those would sound incredible.

Hey Vince -

Have you been using to much "Herbal Essence" shampoo again?

;P

audiofankj August 11, 2006 17:37

Kirk, yes, yes, I do see what you mean.......... Oh yes I do.

muralman1 August 08, 2006 05:26

Hi Kirk,

This might be a funny question considering the magnitude of your room renovation, but what are those black room treatments you have in the corners? They remind of Michael Greens design from many moons ago and are not visually overpowering at all. Is this just the cherry on top for you or would you recommend them on their own as good treatments? I ask this of you because I suspect anyone that has gone this far with a room design has probably exhausted the "external" path for room treatments and that is my current project. Thanks, -Scott

arizonapeakfitness August 01, 2006 04:05

Thanks for the comments gentlemen...

Guido - all great comments, that I am certain I would have performed... IF I hadn't traded in my old cd player (the Capitole Mk II SE) on the new Esoteric X-01 LE. As for the 19" B&W TV - that would have to go into another room at this point... still a dedicated 2 channel room for now.

Amperidian - I am glad to hear the Epiphany X is working well for you. I agree with you on your comment of "personal choice of flavor" - especially given when you get to the top tier of performance of AC cords. They all seem to have their benefits, and weaknesses. I have come to find, along with personal preference, I am now thinking more along the lines of "what cord mates the best / brings out the best attributes to the component it is powering" ... still the cable swapping game here and there. Never much fun. I have also come to realize that it is unusual that ALL of one type of power cord doesn't always end up in the right balance. Thanks for the invitation... if I manage to have any travels planned your way, I will drop you a line! Don't get me wrong about the Esoteric vs. the Capitole Mk II SE either - that is an astounding player. What HT setup? :)

Vince - Hope all is well with you. Yes, I am aware of the revisions Henry has made to his H20 Signature Mono's. They definately improved the mono's in areas that I didn't expect were possible. I will also be auditioning his Fire preamp sometime in the future, as well as others. At least that is the game plan at this point in time...

Other than that, not too much new. Kehut and I plan to get together soon to listen to both systems. We both seem to be extremely busy. It will hopefully happen soon.

audiofankj July 21, 2006 16:42

Hi Kirk, hate to cut in on a cable party, but did you know new H2O amps are being fitted with revised ICE 500A modules? Henry says the new modules are, "Much better." He wouldn't say that, if there weren't notable positive changes. Given the great results you and I are witnessing, I can't fathom the change.

BTW You should try his Fire preamp. It is not the one you heard at his place.

muralman1 July 21, 2006 07:05

Hi Kirk,

Just wanted to drop a line and thank you for the Epiphany X ... great value for the money in my opinion. It certainly does not lack in SPEED and TRANSPARENCY and was a very good addition to my system.

Also I want to say that reading your posts on the various cords compared is truly humbling for me. I thought I went through hard times trying to find the "RIGHT" powercords for my system. No such thing exists as I have discovered. It's all a matter of personal flavor.

I am very glad to see the post on the Esoteric player and that you are finally enjoying it. The HT setup belongs in another room anyway, and you can get by with more affordable Logans and electronics for that anyway ... just send me an email if you ever catch that bug again, I can share a lot of personal experience with you ... at least for now I am cured of that bug. But no matter what anyone says, watching movies in 2 channel (even on trully highend systems) is no match for a movie experience in 5.1 (again on a high end system) ... just to clarify some points for all interested.

My system is also improving, slowly now and you are welcome to stop by and listen if you are ever in Toronto (about 30 minutes drive away from the downtown hassle). I have recently gotten more from the Capitole ... yet again, this cliche should be banned from my dictionary. But anyways, two different philosophies in the school of sound.

You should definitely audition a whest audio dap in your system ... like I always say!

Thanks again for the pc.

amperidian July 21, 2006 05:58

Kirk, sounds like your mind is festering again with full blown Audiophilia Nervosa. . . I's proud o' ya!

You may want to try
isolating some of the variables you played with, so to discover the 'culprit' for the maximum amount of sonic benefit:

a. Attach the X-01 to the PC previously assigned to the front end.
2. Connect the Capitol II to the system with the Purist
Anniversary PCs.
3. Connect the prior front end PC to the Capitol.

You might be able to tell at this point what yielded the greatest benefit on your system: the X-01 LTd or the Purist Anniversary PC.

A 19" B/W TV sounds like a really swell long-term solution for your HT rig!

Guido

guidocorona July 14, 2006 18:16

Sherod,

Thanks for the link. I do think I could integrate the 2 channel into HT and have very good sonics, I just don't want to have all this $$$ tied up into an integrated HT system. If I were to go that route, I would downsize considerably.

Yeah, I understand about keeping the wife happy. Don't get me wrong, she is not unhappy. It is just the "listening room" is more of a one person (me) enjoyment, opposed to a proposed home theater which in discussion seems more appealing to her. Otherwise, all is fine... just started thinking about it, the money I could get out of the system, and have more "together time"... not a bad proposition - all and all.

Unfortunately I decided to sit down for half an hour or so and listen to some tunes. It has been quite some time since I have sat down for more than a brief "flip through the first 20 seconds of each track on the cd."

Into the Esoteric went Patricia Barber's Modern Cool, track after track - the sound was superb. Much better than I remembered this current group of components ever sounding. Unexpectedly pleased as I wasn't expecting it to sound so "tweaked" or "solid"... in went Di Meola, Ponte, & Clark trio Rite of Strings, again the sound was stellar... then in went Midnight Oil, another gear change to Sonya Kitchell, on to The Vanity Project, Sting, Josh Groban, and finally Natalie Merchant...

I had to pull myself away and come write that the chances of a home theater conversion just minimalized significantly. Over 3 hours went by like a blink. I really haven't had that type of experience with cd's since way back when I first started getting into the high end equipment. No matter what genre, or recording quality I threw in, it was engaging.

As to where the differences came from? The obvious culprit would be the Esoteric X-01 Limited. However, that is using a new Purist Audio Anniversary Edition AC Cord. Coupled with that I have trimmed some adjustments to the active bass settings on the Martin Logan Summit woofer eq's. I still need to work a bit more on the bass integration, but it is getting there.

Overall the Esoteric (if all can be attributed to the player alone... if not, then the Esoteric with Purist AC) reveals much more than the Audio Aero Capitole Mk II. It just seems to "dig deeper" into the recording. Not more hash or grunge, but more information. Small neuances in the background, as well as attack and decay of instruments, coupled with extremely expansive soundstage... the one word that kept coming to mind about the Esoteric X-01 Limited's presentation of the different cd's is "pure." I know, not an audiophile term, nor is it one I have used before. At least I don't think so... "Pure" just kept coming to mind, whenever I would pick up on a string passage, snare, brass, etc. etc. It was more than the attack, more than the decay, more than the timbre... when I state "pure" to me that conjures the inclusion of all of the above adjectives... you have the correct attack, you have the correct decay, with superb timbre, and resonance... I sat there pondering one note after another as the next would almost startle with its clarity.

I hope this holds true tomorrow. If the ears are playing tricks on me, home theater is on its way. If this continues, how it sounded tonight, a black and white 19" is good for the other room. I won't be watching it.

audiofankj July 14, 2006 17:19

http://iar-80.com/page31.html

Kirk,

The above is interesting reading. I believe you might be able to kill two birds with one stone and have the Home Theater for your wife as well as some excellent sonics. Who knows? A SOTA home theater set up might be just the ticket for a guaranteed lasting marriage. I never thought I'd say this but I'd give up my stereo system in a heat-beat if it meant keeping my marriage intact.

sherod July 12, 2006 16:19

Hi Sherod,

Patience? Honestly the word isn't in my vocabulary! The wife and I had my family visiting from out of state for vacation the week of the 4th... thus the week before and now, the week after has consumed much time with work and travel. It is also summer, thus much time has been spent outside with the wife and such, rather than sitting solo in the listening room.

As for which power cord is better/best ? So far, it really depends upon which component it is on. There are some generalizations I think I have put my thumb upon, however, I have not done enough A/B comparisons to state just as of yet.

You want to hear some audiophile sacrelidge? The wife and I have been discussing the dissasembly and sale of my entire system and turn the room into a Home Theater room.
Trust me, I do NOT want to lessen the sonic abilities of what I have been tweaking for years, let alone sell it. However, the situation is the wife doesn't enjoy listening to music like I do. We do enjoy watching the occasional TV program together and movies. Thus, this is more of a stereo room = "selfish, time alone" versus home theater = "family time" - Now don't get me wrong, my wife isn't brow beating me, just a suggestive hint here and there how nice it would be to spend more time together enjoying the room. I do understand her point, and thus the thought has been festering in my mind.

So at this time, I hope I can manage not to fall off the wagon!

I may be entertaining the idea of a home theater room / setup and weighing the pros and cons. At this time I would say it is about 80% leaning toward keeping the stereo room and nixing the HT idea.

audiofankj July 12, 2006 15:37

Kirk,

You must have incredible patience. How can anyone with such a tweaked and fine new system find only 10 min. in two weeks to listen to it? Perhaps you've been working some overtime lately? I hope you find the time soon to sit down for a few hours each evening to really enjoy the music. I'm also anxious to hear where you find which power cord works best with each component. Please don't hold us in suspense too long.

sherod July 11, 2006 17:10

Guido, do you mean I don't have to wait for 2,000 hours to be sure? :)

In all honesty, I thought the Esoteric had plenty of hours on it a couple of hundred back. At that point however, I had a new power cord on the Esoteric with only a few hundred hours on it. I always try to give at least a couple of hundred hours more than what is recommended for break in to ensure I am actually hearing the component sound its potential best.

With that being said, I would imagine there has been more than enough hours put onto the new gear.

Final verdict? I have not conclusively decided exactly in which areas I feel the X-01 Limited bests the Capitole Mk II. This is not due to anything other than I have not had more than a couple very brief listening sessions. It seems that lately there has been little time to sit down for more than 10 minutes or so.

I would really like to sit down and extensively listen to a few favorite albums before any conclusions.

I will state that the Esoteric seems to have an apparently wider soundstage as well as slightly deeper. There is also a much greater sense of "ease" with this player, more authoritative perhaps. Again, all of this is really more of a first impression. I do plan to sit down and listen soon - however that has been planned for the past couple of weeks as well.

audiofankj July 11, 2006 16:03

Kirk, please do not keep us hanging any longer. . . with 1200 hrs your X-01 Limited is now as broken in as it will ever be. What is your final virdict? How does it compare in your view to the other excellent players you have experienced? Audiophilically bent minds crave to know!

guidocorona July 08, 2006 14:49

Hi Sherod - Well, I am not certain if I have found the "best" combination of power cords or not yet, as I have been logging hours to burn in the new Esoteric X-01 Limited as well as the Purist Anniversary AC cord going to it.

As of now the X-01 Limited has over 1,200 hours and the Purist Anniversary has a hair over 700 hours. I haven't listened in over two weeks and was actually quite suprised at how "right" it sounded when I sat down earlier.

Perhaps it was the time away, perhaps break in, most likely a bit of both. I am going to put in a few familiar favorite albums and see how it goes.

Now that everything seems to be broken in (without question) I may just try swapping cords again here and there.

Almost cringe at the thought... :)

Hope all is well for you!

audiofankj July 07, 2006 16:55

Hi Kirk. Just checking in to see if you found the right balance/mix of power cords for your system. I hope all is well for you.

sherod June 29, 2006 07:58

Well... hours continue to pass by and break in continues on both the X-01 Limited as well as the recently added Purist Anniversary AC cord.

The X-01 Limited is just shy of 800 hours, in which I have heard is the "magic" number for most, concerning sounding good...

The Purist AC is a bit shy of 240 hours.

Truth be told... The system is sounding really good. If things continue to refine and/or improve I won't mind. :) However, the sound is probably the most pleasing the system has been since moving into the new listening room.

If you happen to be reading this Ken, give it another week or so of play time for good measure, and you will have to make a trip over with some of your familiar media and give me a second opinion!

audiofankj June 18, 2006 13:08

Hi Ken,

LoL - Yeah, the ever migrating fake ficus trees... They really seemed to help behind the Blue Heron 2's. However, everytime I place them in the corners behind the Martin Logan Summits, it just doesn't seem to sound as good as without them. Perhaps we will have to move them around when you stop over next time and get a second opinion!

Captive "zip" cord? Sounds like heaven to me now! This cable swapping/comparison gets a bit tedious...

I bet your system is singing and you are enjoying the music, rather than comparing cables!

The java is always ready for you! Espresso, Cappucino, Latte, Coffee, etc. you name it, if it has caffeine in it, it is most likey in the house! Give the system another week or two to break in the latest cord and you will have to bring the golden ears over for some critique! Look forward to talking with you soon.

audiofankj June 09, 2006 17:17

Kirk,

Nice look! I see you have a tree growing next to my easy chair!

When we spoke the other day, I had to chuckle to myself after you were talking about the various PC's you were trying. When I think of all the pc's we've tried on the back end of our gear...it makes me laugh at myself as I now have only the tiny captive "Zip" cord that comes as standard on the Mac gear! ;-)...Real hi-end eh? LOL!!

Oh, well.. I can still live vicariously through your cool system!...Let me know when the Latte's are ready buddy! ;-)

Ken

kehut June 08, 2006 16:08

Wow, a bit of activity for early summer... Thanks Sherod. I am going through the motions, however time will tell where it all shakes out... Hopefully pleasing.

Hi Grant, thanks for the info on the Ferrox version. I wish I had that info prior to purchasing all Fluid versions... Good to know your experiences with the Ferrox. Yes as for the comparisons, perhaps I should have been more clear, but I was over magnifying the differences and exaggerating them for comparison purposes between the power cords.

Hi Guido, yeah I have a handful of the Dominus Fluid Revision C, as well as an Aqueous Anniversary, with the Epiphany's for comparison.

The Purist Anniversary AC was delivered at 6 p.m. this evening and inserted into the system to start breaking in. It is a bit of a "monster" :) 2m and the box from FedEx stated 9.4 lbs. About the same diameter as the Dominus, but quite a bit heavier than my fluid versions.

Thanks again Grant for the clarification of your experiences between the Dominus versions. It is too bad I wasn't able to compare the two, as the Anniversary with contego may/will be an entirely different animal in itself.

Will try to be better about posting updates as things progress...

audiofankj June 08, 2006 15:35

System edited: Swapped some photos of the listening room. I still need to revise the blurb about the system in the intro... another day...

audiofankj June 08, 2006 15:08

I understand completely what Kirk has forthcoming. I'm simply stating what I know from my own experience and how it may address the issues Kirk has with the Dominus Fluid cord. Whatever Kirk finds with the Contego, there is no guarantee the problems he has with the Fluid Dominus will be ameliorated by the Contego Anniversary...then again they might. I know without a doubt the Ferrox addresses the issues Kirk has with the Fluid cord, and without any downside.

I didn't just fall off the zucchini truck.

tvad June 08, 2006 13:56

Grant, if I understand Kirk correctly, he is bypassing the entire fluid/ferrox issue and has ordered a purist Anniversary chord, which contains the newest Lombago. . . oops I meant Contigo isolation material.

guidocorona June 08, 2006 13:15

Thanks, Kirk. I have never heard the Purist Anniversary PC, so I have no basis for comparison. I do think you'd find the Ferrox to be "just right" without any fault in the midrange. As I said, many folks combine the two. I do, too. I'll be interested to hear what you think about the Anniversary PC as I think you're description of the Fluid cord, though exaggerated, was in accordance with what I have heard in four different - and disparate - systems.

tvad June 08, 2006 12:36