Description

There have been many updates starting with the upgrade to Legacy Valor speakers & Wavelet v1 in June 2020, moving to Wavelet v2 later and continuing on through various upgrades across the entire system through February 2024.  The combined effect of all these upgrades is a significant up-leveling of all aspects of system playback and musical realism.

Many system configurations have come and gone since the 1970s growing up.  

My first exposure to RTR Tape and Vinyl as well as playing music was with my father who had a local jazz swing band, played trumpet & piano and arranged music. He taught me the love of playing and listening to great music, how important it was in life and so much more.

Many thanks to the countless people I have spoken with, read posts from, interacted with and learned much from over the years. The system has attained a state of organic and natural qualities and pure enjoyment of music that I have sought for a very long time and I'm very grateful to have it all.


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Room Details

Dimensions: 17’ × 14’  Medium
Ceiling: 8’


Components Toggle details

    • Overall Photos System Views....
    Various photos of the system....
    • Overall cable layout Elrod, Tubulus and Shunyata Research cables...
    Various photos of the cable management method and layout...
    • Legacy Audio VALOR
    Valor is an amazing speaker and these are built such that I need 4-channels of external amps to drive midrange & mid-bass via one set of binding posts and treble via a separate pair of binding posts for ultimate flexibility and resolving power.

    I had heard these many times since their introduction and since; my dream of owning them has finally come true!
    • Legacy Audio Wavelet V2
    The new Legacy V2 Wavelet platform with updated VALOR speaker Wavelet algorithms including Room Correction and active 4-way crossover and the latest Legacy-Boehmer "Stereo Unfold Technology" (SUT) which is groundbreaking sound!
    • Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums
    Custom size & weight configuration for Legacy Valor collaboration with Townshend Audio.  The results far exceeded even the highest expectations that I had.
    • Esoteric Audio Master SoundWorks C-02X Preamplifier
    An amazing SOTA dual-mono preamp containing technology and know-how derived from the development of the Grandioso C1 preamp...
    • Esoteric Audio S-02 Master SoundWorks Stereo Amplifier (2)
    A beautifully built and sounding stereo amplifier based upon the Grandioso S1 and identical build to it except for the Grandioso case work and binding posts.
    • Esoteric Audio Grandioso P1 Transport and Power Unit
    Grandioso P1 and PSU power chassis, a 2-channel SOTA transport
    • Esoteric Audio Grandioso D1 Dual Monoblock DACs
    Dual-mono separate chassis SOTA DAC implementatkon
    • Cybershaft OCXO (Type-2 curated) Premium Ltd V2 10 MHz Masterclock
    The best clock of any kind I've had in my system including many worthwhile contenders.  This 10 MHz master clock has the lowest phase noise, lowest effective jitter and most profound effect on sound quality of any out there!
    • Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Chassis Ground plane
    An outstanding power conditioner on its own. Propels the system forward in terms of ultra quiet black backgrounds and detail plus musicality even more advanced than the prior combination of TRITON v3 and TYPHON QR.
    • Shunyata Research TYPHON T2_30amp
    A high bandpass power conditioner focused purely on noise filtering for incoming power being used as the inbound power hub for my Esoteric S-02 amps, C-02X pre-amp, HDPlexx LPSU, Legacy Audio Wavelet v2 and the power leads for the built-in amplication of each Valor speaker (2,250 Watts in each speaker as mine are built).
    • Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone1: Amps, Preamp and Legacy Wavelet)
    A great addition to the system, compliments the chassis grounding I already leverage via the chassis ground block on the Shunyata Triton v3 power conditioner.  The Altaira SG-NR hubs are allocated one per component-type "zone" in my system and serve to siphon internal circuit and component noise always present in any audio component that introduces subtle aberrations to the analog and digital signal flow.
    • Shunyata Research Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground Hub (Zone2: Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU, dual D1 DACs)
    A second Altaira SG-NR Signal Ground hub to specifically isolate the signal grounding plane for my digital front-end components...
    • Shunyata Research SIGMA v3 SGC/CGC Ground Cables with STIS v3 terminations (20)
    Four 6-meter Sigma v3 cables used for chassis grounding for my Esoteric C-02X preamp, two S-02 amps to my TRITON v3's chassis ground plane.  Interchangeable Shunyata STIS v3 spades or bananas are used on the source and destination ends.

    The remaining fourteen Sigma v3 cables are all 1.5 meter and used for signal grounding multiple SG points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2.  Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...

    All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
    • Shunyata Research VTX-ag Ground Tails, various connector ends (14)
    Used with SIGMA v3 SGC VTX-ag ground cables for signal grounding multiple signal grounding points of benefit on my Esoteric Grandioso P1, two D1 DACs, Esoteric C-02X preamp, two Esoteric S-02 amps and Legacy Audio Wavelet v2.  Signal ground cables are connecting to either Altaira SG-NR Zone-1 or Altaira SG-NR Zone-2 depending upon component...

    All signal ground cables are connected to components with Shunyata VTX-ag top of the line "ground tails".
    • Shunyata Research Sigma v3 SGC/CGC Grounding cables with STIS v3 terminations (5)
    Used for chassis ground of my Esoteric Grandioso P1, P1PSU and two D1 DACs plus my Cybershaft clock to the chassis ground plane on my TRITON v3 power conditioner.  Lengths are 3-meter and four 2-meter cables with STIS v3 terminations.
    • pArtScience QRD64 2D 3-inch SpaceArray Diffusor Wood Panels
    Added 8 of these extremely effective quadratic diffusor panels on the back wall of the room.  pArtScience QRD 64-well 2D panels are a cut above other options available as stock commercial offerings from the usual sources.  Very impressive results...
    • Adona Corporation Master Reference Zero GX3, Zero GX2 (2) and Zero GX (3) Racks
    After almost 20 years with Adona's AV45-series racks that were a great long-term investment, I have done a massive upgrade to Adona's Zero GX Master Reference racks across my entire system. These raise the performance bar even higher!
    • Composite Audio CF-2010 Platforms (7)
    Wonderful and reasonably priced refinement to all the attributes of the Adona rack system,...I have yet to find any situation or external effect impacting sound quality or stability after adding these platforms many years ago.
    • Avatar Acoustics AfterBurner8 Duplex Outlets...
    The Avatar AfterBurner8 are back in the system,...pure copper and brass with minimal coating to prevent corrosion is the way to go!
    • Harmonic Resolution Systems DPX Damping Plates (16)
    Reported to pull in and dissipate airborne and chassis vibrations from all types of components...
    • Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold Speaker Cables 9-foot (2 pair)
    Pair #1 is full-range, and utilized to drive Valor's mid-bass and midrange

    Pair #2 is custom built and optimized for upper frequency playback.
    • Shunyata Research OMEGA CLOCK-50 50-ohm BNC:BNC 1.5-meter (2)
    All OMEGA digital cables beat the seemingly unbeatable SIGMA V2 digital cables and deliver additional perfection in sonics and musical results!
    • Tubulus CONCENTUS HDMI 1.5 meter
    Outstanding HDMI cables optimized for use with high-speed data protocols using by the Esoteric Grandioso P1 and dual D1 stack....
    • Elrod Power Systems Master Series Diamond XLR 2-meter (1 pair)
    Outrageously good interconnect!
    • Elrod Power Systems Diamond XLR Interconnects 6-foot (1 pair)
    A fantastic analog XLR interconnect!
    • Elrod Power Systems Statement Gold XLR 13ft pair and 6ft pair
    Amazing Elrod Statement Gold XLR Analog interconnects!!!
    • Shunyata Research Anaconda Zitron XLR (with KPIP process) 6-meter
    A tremendous long-run, super quiet, extremely quiet analog XLR!!!
    • Elrod Power Systems Master Series Statement Gold Y-Cable (custom)
    An incredible bespoke Y-Cable pair built beyond any quality measure I could imagine. Sonically amazing and imparts great musicality, dynamics and tonality to the midrange and Legacy Valor SUT Array's impact and sound quality.
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Diamond SE 10-foot 15-amp (2) and 20-amp (1)
    Great SOTA power cords.....
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold 3-meter 15-amp (2)
    New smaller main center section and longer flexible ends; equal in performance to the original Master Series but much more easily placed and positioned in an audio system!
    • Elrod Power Systems Masters Series Statement Gold Power Cords 15-amp (4)

    Fantastic power cords,...

    • Audio Art Cable AAC Statement e2Plus Cryo AC Cable 15-amp, 2-meter (2)
    A great power cable for use with my HDPLEXX 300W LPSU.  Tremendous ROI for its price or any other. A great addition to the system!

    Also does a great job between my Everest 8000 power conditioner and my Cybershaft Premium Limited 10 mHz OCXO Master clock.
    • Revelation Audio Labs 'Passage' Cryo-Silver Reference XLR3::XLR5 DC Umbilical
    This is my 3rd setup to utilize this amazing DC Umbilical...
    • HDPLEX 300 Watt Quad-Rail LPSU (LT3045-enabled)
    An outstanding multi-output DC Linear Regulated Power Supply to drive the Legacy Wavelet
    • AudioHiFiSolutions Audio HighWire Cable Elevators with extenders
    This exciting new product line is unlike any other cable elevator I've seen or tried.  

    With the large amounts of analog & digital interconnects and chassis & signal grounding cables becoming typical in today's systems, traditional cable management falls short due to the plethora of cables and the complexity of routing.

    These are available in multiple cable tolerance sizes (0.25", 0.5" and 0.75") and accommodate, from 2 to 9 cables depending upon cable size. 

    There is also an on-wall or on-rack mount option coming available.

    They've done wonders here in my setup...
    • Music Collection Many Genres CD XRCD/2/24/K2/DXD/UltraHD SACD
    I love music, all kinds, shapes, colors and types; this is an extensive collection of music in many genres and formats from pipe organ, classical, jazz, all the way to hard rock, electronica/techno and everything in between. 

    Formats: CD XRCD, XRCD2, XRCD24, K2HD, DXD, UltraHD, SACD
    • PRIOR 2-channel: Legacy Audio CaliberXD, Foundation, Wavelet, Esoteric, Cybershaft, Elrod, Shunyata
    Legacy Audio CaliberXD, Foundation, Wavelet, Esoteric A-02, Esoteric P-02, D-02, Cybershaft OP21A, Shunyata Triton V3, TYPHON QR, etc....
    • PRIOR 2-channel: TAD R1 MK2s, Esoteric, Cybershaft, Elrod, Isotek
    Loved this system in many ways, lasted about 2 years,....many things evolved during this time, power cords, interconnects, power conditioning, speaker cables, my overall listening tastes and a distinct missing/longing for the extremely musical experience of Legacy Audio speakers, active room correction, etc... Don't get me wrong, the TAD R1 MK2s are within their stated range as perfect a speaker as I've heard in many aspects but the bottom octave rolling off halfway up and the bottom half octave rolling off even more plus my preference for the Legacy AMT tweeter and super-tweeter sound led me back in very short order!
    • PRIOR 2-channel: with Legacy Audio Aeris, WAVELET Esoteric, Cybershaft, Shunyata & HDPlex
    I love this setup and will be sad to see the AERIS and all of its active-speaker benefits with great RoomEQ by the WAVELET and HDPlex Custom PSU leave my system.  This has impressed all who have heard it and me daily for the past 1-2 years. Truly Amazing!!!
    • PRIOR 2-ch with Legacy FocusSE
    Prior to the arrival of the AERIS statement reference speakers, this was the configuration of the system. I will miss the FocusSEs from the point of view they gave me several great years of listening and produced far more than their price point would have indicated. A great speaker in a great sounding setup!
    • PRIOR 2-channel: Legacy Focus HDs biamped...
    The system has evolved and been refined many levels over how it sounds quite a few years ago. Prior generations centered around high-end Tara, AQ and Shunyata with Classe pre-amplification and dual NL 12.1 amps in a vertical bi-amp configuration.
    • PRIOR 7.1 HT & 2-channel: All Legacy Audio
    This is the system configuration many years ago when I attempted to go all out for 7.1 HT and 2-channel all rolled into one system. The impact, musicality and overall enjoyment factor on the HT portion of the system based upon custom-built Edge amplification, Classe HT surround-proc, 2-channel pre-amp, multiple pairs of Legacy speakers in all positions plus a REL B1 subwoofer with Velodyne processor was off the charts however the 2-channel never attained what I have always hoped for in my primary system. It took about 2 years to reach the decision but several years ago I decided to focus on 2-channel listening and have not looked back ever since.

Comments 365

Owner
Lapierre: Did you consider the Hallographs again? You won't be sorry that you did! Happy New Year!

zephyr24069

Owner
That's definitely correct! I checked out your system posting a bit more deeply and I like your new room plan draft. Please let me know how those acoustic treatments work for you...

zephyr24069

So your like me...looking for a balance of design and function.

I looked at the Shakti Hallographs but never pulled the trigger on a actual purchase. Not sure how that would look and perform in my smallish listening room.

lapierre

Owner
Lapierre: The Shakti Hallographs are of great help in this room or any other over the years. They do help tame other characteristics. Technically speaking, the answer to your question is yes; the room would benefit from diffusers and a few good bass traps however I do not wind up with as much pileup in the corners as I had thought. In the previous house, I was able to have a well thought out design and application of studio-like (Auralex/other) diffusers and corner ceiling traps. Unfortunately, in the current world what I would like to do fails WAF criteria completely. I am looking ultimately for anything that is aesthetically more like having acoustic treatments that look like art/wall-hangings. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

zephyr24069

Well done! Looks you have thought of everything using custom wire, outlets, and Purepower with batter options. With the size of the Legacy doesn't your room require more room treatments such as diffusors and bass traps?

Spin the Yellowjackets.

lapierre

Owner
Will do...things just keep sounding better and better to me as the cords have settled in very nicely and the harmonics and macro and micro dynamics have really come into their own. The system has a pacing, naturalness and precision while still being the most musical I have achieved that leave me smiling...

zephyr24069

Thanks for your fast answer. Please let me know in the future your results with the elrod pc . Enjoy your system.

trabucco66

Owner
Thank you very much!I put the system together over the years as a devout music lover of many different styles. I am very happy and blown away by the result!

My experience with the PurePower is similar to any other power conditioner I've owned in that using a better pc does serve to deliver larger quantities and quality of power to the power conditioner itself resulting in an overall better listening experience. With this conditioner however, given the fact that the PurePower performs 2 regeneration steps (according to my dealer) and then stores the cleansed power into batteries from which the actual signal to my components is pulled, it seems to be the case that using a good versus "SOTA" power cord on the PurePower yields substantial and sufficient differences and is good enough "for now". At present I am using a reasonably priced power cord on the unit as well as the same cord on my digital clock and transport and am quite happy. If the opportunity presents itself in the future, I will in all likelihood also try an Elrod Statement Gold PC on the PurePower and ultimately on my transport and digital clock (in that order of precedence) as the Elrod offerings have transformed the system as a whole in ways and to an extent that I could only have hoped for...

zephyr24069

Congratiolations from germany, what a great system and what an unbeliveable elrod stuff...it takes my breath away!
I owned also a purepower 1050,230V version. I used for the moment the stock cable. What is your expirience with another power cords from the wall outlet to the purepower, is there any difference?

trabucco66

Owner
Thanks! I've had the 20/20s, later the Focus HDs (simultaneously in the same HT/2-ch hybrid system, the 20s make a great surround speaker!) and over the past 1 1/2 years, the SEs. I fell in love with the musical versatility and price/performance/value delivered by Bill's speakers across the board in the Focus 20/20, HD and SE as well as the Mist IIs, Studio-Is, SilverScreen II and HD and the Victoria LE (an amazing speaker). They've really outdone themselves with the Focus SE design; my current cabling and power cabling choices are showing me just what these speakers are cable of.

The Esoteric separates bring (to my ears) the best combination of accuracy, nuance, musicality and analog-like playback (n the context of my total system) that I've heard. Grounding, cabling and power quality are all mutually linked topics that I've found had to be 'right' in order to get the Esoteric gear and the rest of what I own to sound the way it does today however the transformation of the system over the years and all the success (and trial and error at times) along the way has taught me alot with the help of some great audio enthusiasts.

I heard the Whispers back in 2006-2007 and loved the panel-like imaging they delivered; I also heard the latest Whispers in April and had similar admiration for what they deliver. The Whisper DSW (no ICE amps) is about the only upgrade path I see for myself until the Helix incorporates the new mids and ribbons that are present in the HD and SE Focus line today (and I hit the lottery!). I cannot say enough good things about what I hear on a daily basis that inherently comes from the drivers that Bill has brought to the market and matched perfectly with just the right crossover, cabinet design, etc...Any potential 'next step' speaker would have a long way to go however to beat the Focus SEs speed, accuracy, musicality and price/performance ratio. More importantly, with the range of music I listen to, deep and articulate bass is a key foundation I must have; the Focus SEs deliver all this and more.

Thanks for the feedback; I look forward to continuing the discussion....

zephyr24069

Wow, you have a great system too. My best friend, has owned a pair of 20/20s for years. That is why I bought the Helix. You've done a great job assembling your system with a lot of great gear! I heard your speakers while up at Legacy not to long ago. They are awesome. There really is not much that can touch them besides Whisper or Helix. I'll bet the Esoteric digital stuff is sweet. I heard one of their CD players a couple of years ago and was very impressed about how musical it was.
Again, fine job indeed.

sgr

Owner
Thank you all for your comments! The system is sounding more natural, has much more energy and realism than ever before. You are all welcome for some dedicated listening! I look forward to sitting back, relaxing and seeing how the system has matured!

zephyr24069

I can't even imagine how your system sounds now with the Focus SE, C-03 and Elrod cabling. You have put exquisite care into forming this system and I'm glad you're reaping the rewards. Better yet, as Rich and Douglas point out there is no stoppin' that train; it's only going to morph into even more of a marvel. Well, gotta go - time to price tickets to this audiophile center of the universe...

jphig

You're not playing around; that's a serious rig! Seems the only thing you may not have taken into consideration is the content of the rug's fibers! Or did you? ;)

No stoppin' that train!

(Disclaimer: I reviewed the Focus SE for Dagogo.com)

douglas_schroeder

Congratulations Mark!! I have heard your system and you are not exaggerating about its capability. The synergy is great, and there is unlimited power and scale to match the beautiful and life-like tone. What makes the hobby so fun is that no matter how good it is now, you will still find ways to improve it even further as you continue to learn more about the technology and your listening preferences. After hearing your system I too intend to buy the same speakers, and also the purepower conditioners. I'm looking forward to hearing your system again sometime.
Rich

richidoo

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