Description

Back to Solid State(No More!) I missed the musicality, 3 dimensional sound stage and the "in the room realism" of my VAC tube electronics and sold all my solid state equipment and returned to the magic of Kevin Hayes at VAC and Kevin Malgrem at Evolution Acoustics. I am listening to music again. Winning the EAR DAC in a raffle allowed me to add the magic of tubes to my digital front end. The sleeper component in my system is the Snake River Audio cabling; it offers the uncanny ability to provide all the inner detail and nuance we want in a musical way without being analytical. Snake River Audio is one to consider.
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Components Toggle details

    • Baetis Audio Revelation II
    Music Server
    • EMM Labs DAC 2X
    Ed Meitner's superb 2X DSD D/A converter.
    • Continuum Criterion Turntable w/Copperhead
    Continuum's entry level Criterion with Copperhead arm
    • Ortofon A-90
    Moving Coil Cartridge
    • Valve Amplification Company Signature 2a w/Phono
    Kevin Haye's masterpiece Pre amp and Phono
    • Valve Amplification Company (VAC) Phi 200 Mono blocks
    200 wars/ channel
    • Evolution Acoustics MM2
    Ribbon tweeter; 2-7 inch ceramic midrange with 15' powered woofer.
    • Snake River Audio Bloomslang Digital Cable
    1M SPDIF cable
    • Snake River Audio Mamushi Signature ICs
    5.5M XLR; gold/silver mix with 24k gold coating
    • Snake River Audio Mamushi Signature Speaker Cables
    3 meter pair with spades.
    • Synergistic Research Tesla Powercell 10SE
    Amazing power conditioner.
    • Billy Bags Professional Equipment Rack
    5 shelf rack
    • Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl LP Cleaner
    Ultrasonic and mechanical cleaning cycles
    • Furutech Room Diffusers
    Room treatment panels
    • Billy Bags LP3678
    LP Stand; 36' X 78'; ;Holds 1000 LPs
    • Herbies Audio Lab Titanium Giant Speaker Decouplers
    8 speaker Decouplers in titanium.
    • Psvane 12AX7 phono tubes
    Swapped 6 stock tubes in VAC Signature with 6 of these.
    • Shuguang Black Treasure 6SN7
    6SN7 input tubes for VAC Phi 200 amplifiers/ 2 per amp

Comments 88

Showing all comments by charles1dad.

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Thanks,
This cable and the Sablon Panatela digital cable seem like good products.

charles1dad

What is the cost of this digital cable and is it organic in nature or is it more the ultra detail-resolution perspective? I prefer musicality rather than the hifi sound.
Regards,

charles1dad

hifimaniac,
Thanks for the explanation and your description of the character of the two systems. You made a move in the right direction.I`ll choose the system that sounds"real" over any other alternative presentation.
Regards,

charles1dad

The new system is beautiful and must sound excellent, congratulations.
Are there any particular attributes(or trade offs) you miss from the prior system?
Regards,

charles1dad

The VAC phi 300.1 (excellent PP amplifier) would IMO benefit(as any component would) if plugged into a power cell(or a high quality AC balanced transformer)with a 2000watt(20 amp rating)or larger specification. Balanced AC power is fantastic in my experience.
Regards,

charles1dad

The VAC 450 mono blocks have an intergrated power conditioner(I believe). So plugging them into another 'conditioner' is likely redudant and won`t be of benefit.

charles1dad

A good friend went from a ARC preamp to the VAC Signature MKII. His reaction is the same as yours, a definite step upwards in all respects. How long before you`re tempted by SS components again? I ask because you`ve had VAC gear before and went to SS.

charles1dad