Smiling

by cymbop on Ever Evolving

Description

This is a weird system.

I'm a tube guy, you see; but seven years ago the winds of circumstance blew into my room a pair of 1993 B&W Matrix 800s.  So I'm enjoying a (quixotic?) journey to make them sing with valves.  They're designed to mate with big solid-state iron, but surprisingly are 93 dB efficient and drop to 3.4 ohms at lowest.  

I took care of the bottom octave-and-a-half with a pair of REL 212/SE.  They are amazing.  Then with the low end a solved problem, we made our first amp upgrade in a decade:  The Ayon Spirit III Mk 4, a KT150-based push-pull with 65 watts a side.  It's settling in nicely.

I'm delighted with my DAC, a PS Audio Directstream with ethernet rendering from an internal Bridge II. Recent upgrade of its power cord, to an Audioquest Tornado, underscored the importance of source; it was a two-second, no-question improvement.  You can't *improve* the signal downstream from your source -- you can only hope not to muck it up.

Roon on an iPad ties the whole thing together and sends me down a rabbit-hole of discovery nearly every time I sit down.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.
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Components Toggle details

    • Bowers and Wilkins Matrix 800
    Perhaps the finest speaker that could be bought with money in 1992.  (My friend reminds me that you can drive a Honda Civic off the lot today which will smoke a 1992 Lamborghini.)
    • Ayon Audio Spirit III Integrated Class A
    65 watts per side in Pentode mode.  KT150 power section.  Zero negative feedback.
    • REL Acoustics 212SE
    Precision and power.  I use a high-level connection from the amp, and dial the crossover and volume low enough that you can't locate the subs with your ears.
    • PS Audio DirectStream DAC with Bridge II
    This thing is stunningly good for the money.
    • PS Audio Power Plant Premier
    It doesn't have the current to feed an amp, but on source components it's a no-brainer night-and-day improvement.  No problems with this unit for nine years now.
    • MIT Cables Oracle v2.1 spk
    From 2003, custom-terminated at the factory for bi-wiring the 800s.
    • AudioQuest Tornado Source
    From regenerator to DAC.
    • AudioQuest Thunder Power Cord
    From wall to amp.
    • AudioQuest Water XLR interconnect
    From DAC to amp.
    • Pangea Power Cords AC-9
    AC-9s from wall to Power Plant Premier and from wall to subwoofers.
    • Small Green Computer Sonicorbiter SE
    i5 NUC runs Roon Core server in a separate room.
    • Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet Cable, Cat 6a
    This cable blew away the MonoPrice Cat 6a it replaced.  Highly, highly recommended.
    • Boltz Custom
    Not the last word in isolation, but I let the wife pick this one for aesthetics. The glass shelves rest on DIY norsorene half-globes from a scientific supply company.
    • DIY Absorption Panels
    Three hand-wrapped panels of 2"-thick Owens-Corning 703 fiberglass.  They're positioned to kill the first-reflection points on the right wall for the right and left speakers, as well as tame some echo behind the left speaker.
    • GIK Acoustics CT Alpha Series Corner Bass Trap
    In rear corners.
    • PorterPorts AC Outlets
    Another product that hits my sweet spot for price to performance.
    • Melody (Onix) SP-3
    My first hifi purchase, a $500 find on Craigslist!  38-watt push-pull. Tubed with Russian NOS 6P3S-E's in lieu of 5881s. I shall never part with it.

Comments 41

Showing all comments by rixthetrick.

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What unusual speakers I thought to myself.. I might have to investigate a little more online about them.

I found this:
When I mentioned to my wife, Lynn-Jane, that perhaps a less obtrusive finish such as black ash would make them more domestically palatable, she came back with "That's about as effective as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!" We presently have a standoff between speakers and spouse. She hates the way they look but loves the way they sound (a true love-hate relationship). I guess I get to keep them.

source - https://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/691bw800/index.html

I like the with the grills off, good move.

It's the amplifier I like the most, to look of, beautiful. We had a direct stream (black) at the factory, I spent a lot of hours listening to one - good product indeed.

Seems you might like a little bass? But, you love a lot of bass!!!

Enjoy the music!

rixthetrick

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