AudioCircle
Community => Regional Audiophiles => Texas Audio Jam => Topic started by: soliver on 11 Mar 2009, 08:35 pm
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I haven't hosted a meet in several years, and since then my system has been getting better and better.
I especially haven't hosted a meet for most of you that lurk on this board. I have a database of over 30 audiophiles in the Austin area from an older attempt at an Austin Audio Club, but I am going to post here first, to see what interest I get before going to that well.
It looked like Gabe's meet in November had about 8, I can easily host that with probably a max of 12-13 at a time.
But yes space is limited, and sadly my view isn't as nice as Gabe's.
On the other hand, the sound, oh the sound is very nice.
I haven't cleared a date quite yet with my wife, and I have a new top plate for my turntable on order that I want in before having this, but I am thinking April 4th. If my top plate hasn't arrived by then I will be very unhappy, and will probably move it back. But surely?
If you want to bring some gear, cables, or tweaks please clear it with me. I certainly don't mind doing a few comparisons, but mainly just want to listen to some good tunes, drink some booze, and yap.
Sound good?
Who's in?
My gallery and system listing are up to date here, as well as Audiogon. So go there for details on what I am running.
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I enjoyed Gabe's bbq and would be interested in checking out your GTG. Count me in :)
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Sounds like fun. I'll try to make it.
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Heck yeah it will be fun!
I still need to decide on the food and drink of choice for the day.
My last meet several years ago had Caiprihinha's and a selection of homemade Cuban chicken and pulled pork sandwiches. That is going to be tough to top, but I might have to go to my ace up the sleeve. The Silver Coin Margarita!!!!! Go to Fonda San Miguel's if you want to find out about the Silver Coin. Delicioso!
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Heck yeah it will be fun!
I still need to decide on the food and drink of choice for the day.
My last meet several years ago had Caiprihinha's and a selection of homemade Cuban chicken and pulled pork sandwiches. That is going to be tough to top, but I might have to go to my ace up the sleeve. The Silver Coin Margarita!!!!! Go to Fonda San Miguel's if you want to find out about the Silver Coin. Delicioso!
I wasn't there for the last meet you held, but it'd be pretty tough to top a really good caipirinha :drool:.
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I am avaliable. Let me know if you need any audio stuff.
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I'll be in Austin that weekend and would like to attend. :banana piano:
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Come on up Fred!
Lee, I think I am good. If you want to lug along your big amp to share with others, lets see how much interest I get and what other stuff is offered. With the size of the amp, I don't want things to be too crowded to fit in such a monster. Of course if you would prefer not to go through the trouble, no problem.
BTW, I made one power cable substitution that really helped my system's dynamics and speed. It improved things in a variety of other ways as well, in fact I am a bit in shock as to how much of a difference it made. It is that Flow Master Reference that I had on orderthe last time you came over.
As a friend said the other day when I took it down to his system, "I could have just bought that power cord and not gone through the hassle of finding the right preamp, if so I would be done now."
Quick question for others as the last meet, who brought the JC-1's. Were they owned or on loan?
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I have no problem in bringing the big amp. If the weather remains cold, it may provide some welcome warmth. I can just see it now, music lovers huddled around four bright burning 211s talking about audio.
The whole power cord thing has had me thinking. (Yes the hamster is running on his little wheel again) I may have a power cord for you to try. It uses an extremely expensive shielded cable used for high speed communication. It might be interesting.
Lee
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I believe Gabe had those JC-1's on loan from his boss.
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Wish I could come along since I had a great time at Gabe's. The 4th just doesn't work for me. I'll look forward to reading about it.
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Wish I could come along since I had a great time at Gabe's. The 4th just doesn't work for me. I'll look forward to reading about it.
Ah man, you should just pack up those baby nines and make the trip Scott. hehe
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Well step one in locking down the date is complete.
The wife over a nice dinner agreed to me hosting this on the 4th.
Now I just need my top plate to come in, so I can properly mount my tonearm.
And I need the weather to behave, no rain in early April please!
As a teaser:
Silver Coin Margarita Recipe
1) infuse tequila with watermelon chunks for 48 hours then strain out seeds and pulp when ready
2) combine in shaker with ice, 1.5 oz infused tequila, .75 oz cointreau, .33 oz fresh lime juice
3) shake and strain, and garnish with a watermelon slice
Yesterday, I got a chance to meet a new dealership in town. They had a wonderful room set-up, well actually make that a wonderful house set-up. The system consisted of Avalon eidolon diamonds, VTL siegfrieds, VTL 7.5 mk2, Accuphase DP-700?, Isoclean Supreme Focus power cords, and some upper level Siltech cabling throughout. The room was extremely well treated with Golden Acoustic panels. The biggest beef I had was also a positive that I liked. They had a keg-erator in the back that while really cool and great for hosting, it had a noisy little engine that kicked on fairly often. With all the attention to detail paid elsewhere, the keg-erator was an obvious negative to the experience. They should put it on casters so it could be rolled into another room for critical listening, and pull it out for more social occasions.
Anyway happy listening.
Oh if fears of this site shutting down do come true, I will switch over to Audiogon Audio Clubs. My username is the same there.
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Thanks for the offer to host! This should be fun!
I need to check my calendar but I still have those JC1s in my possession 8)
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Let's hope for a repeat of today's weather on the 4th.
What a lovely day!
I am going out shortly to enjoy some margarita's on a patio, probably Z'Tejas on 6th.
Gabe, you have a nice boss to loan you some amps for about 5 months. I need a new boss. :D
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Gabe, you have a nice boss to loan you some amps for about 5 months. I need a new boss. :D
Well fortunately for me I have a boss with a brand new set of twins. His boss (wife) made him dismantle his AV room because it was right next to the bedrooms :nono:
In any event, here I am with the amps and he has no where to put them (except for the closet). Technically speaking, I'm doing him a favor. 8)
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Alright, i received word from Ayre today that my new top plinth has arrived and will be shipped my way tomorrow.
So other than the weather needs to hold out that day, all obstacles have been overcome and we are on for the 4th.
I am thinking a 1:30pm start time.
I won't be providing lunch, just a variety of finger foods.
I will also get my bar stocked for the signature drink, plus a selection of some other basic cocktails. If you are a beer drinker, I hate it personally, please bring your own and take it with you at the end of the day. If beer is left here, it just sits in the fridge forever.
The week before the meet, I will either email or private message everyone that has expressed an interest on this thread or sends me an RSVP email.
Just for your knowledge my place is near Highland Mall in North Central Austin.
If you are jonesing to bring some gear, let me know. I will have to keep some control on this, as I cannot hold as much as was brought to Gabe's place. Nor will there be a second system.
Things I would personally be interested in:
-Power cord's, if you want to try something out against the Argento stuff, feel free.
-Amps, I like hearing a variety of good quality amps on my speakers. They can pretty much be driven by 6 watts or more, so just about all types are fair game. My system is single-ended (RCA) if that matters. I know some Bel Canto Ref1000 amps I heard lately hated being driven single-ended.
-Phonostage, my vinyl uses the built-in MM stage in my preamp along with a step-up, but if you have a nice phono stage I would be all ears.
-IC's, I want Argento's but I can't afford Argento's yet. If you have something that could better my TG Audio's I am all for it.
-Tweaks, any crazy tweak you have had success with, I am open minded.
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Yesterday, I got a chance to meet a new dealership in town. They had a wonderful room set-up, well actually make that a wonderful house set-up. The system consisted of Avalon eidolon diamonds, VTL siegfrieds, VTL 7.5 mk2, Accuphase DP-700?, Isoclean Supreme Focus power cords, and some upper level Siltech cabling throughout. The room was extremely well treated with Golden Acoustic panels. The biggest beef I had was also a positive that I liked. They had a keg-erator in the back that while really cool and great for hosting, it had a noisy little engine that kicked on fairly often. With all the attention to detail paid elsewhere, the keg-erator was an obvious negative to the experience. They should put it on casters so it could be rolled into another room for critical listening, and pull it out for more social occasions.
I think I just visited this same dealer today (up in the far flung 'burbs of Pflugerville?) -- I went to hear the VTL 6.5 preamp but it was hard to know what I was really hearing with it all combined in a mega system with the Eidelons, the Krell SACD player and a pair of Krell Monos. Certainly there is some serious gear in this house/dealership, one of three houses in the company's 'shop', I gather. The set up certainly made music. I told Bill about this group and he mentioned a couple of likely suspects had spent some time there recently....he even threatened to throw his own bash in the summer.....there's life in Austin yet!
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Yeah, Bill was definately interested in getting involved, especially after I told him that Ne Plus Ultra had hosted a meet in the past.
And yes that was myself and another audio friend, who has another really nice system that is in a bit of disarray right now. He recently sold his DCS Scarlatti stack, and has not replaced it in the digital realm, nor quite gotten his new analog stuff operational.
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What length IC and PW cord?
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Scott,
This sounds like fun, I hope to attend. Let me tell you, if Lee brings his "big amp" you are in for a treat!! What a delicate beast! :thumb: :thumb:
John
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Good to here from you John, and glad you will be able to make it.
I am bubbling with anticipation today, as I am hoping today I will be picking up my top plate for my Turntable from Ne Plus Ultra, also I ordered on a whim a PS Audio Soloist Premier that is on the FedEx truck for delivery right now. Who knows if the Soloist will help my sound at all, but it seemed like a route I had to try if I was considering upgrading my wall outlets, and with their no risk 30 day return policy.
I am going to start a head count for the meet:
JohnP
Nick77
gitarrtyp
audio_builder
FredT
Se7en
Delacroix
Others that I have extended an invite to outside of Audiocircle that I need to confirm with:
GShelley
ALindsey
MBerendt
JFrech
BBlaylock
That totals 13, which will equate to probably 10 attending, that would be a good full group.
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Scott, business travel will prevent me from being able to attend. I appreciate the invite and hope you guys have a blast!
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Not sure if you still want gear but I could bring some stuff perhaps = I have a BAT VK500 that I am going to trade or move on soon -- it's fabulous but fabulously heavy too so be careful, I'll request help if people want me to haul this along. Could also give you all a listen to a NuForce pre-power combo I have in for review IF Nuforce are ok with this, I'll have to check....am also happy to bring a couple of Virtual Dynamic PCs if there's some interest in trying these but the switching in and out is not for the faint-hearted :) My memory of Gabe's event is that there was so much gear it became impossible to listen to everything, so I left what I had at the gig in the car (another review piece). Let me know if any of this is of interest or if you need anything else to ease the hosting (drinks, snacks etc.)
Best
D.
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Thanks Delacroix.
So gear that is on the table as potential inserts:
Lee's DIY PP 211 amp
Lee's homebrewed IC and PC
Parasound JC-1's (not sure they are even on the table, but please do not bring them. too big)
BAT VK 500
Nuforce pre and power combo
VD David PC's
KCI Kables (not yet offered but I am sure John would bring some if asked)
Between the DIY 211, BAT, and Nuforce, I think 2 is the maximum we should have here.
I have heard the DIY 211 here before, but it is an intriguing amp that others should hear as well. Then again it is huge with big exposed tubes and lots of voltage. With a decent crowd plus one drunk stumble, and we could have Fried Human.
I have also heard the BAT VK600, but not in my system. You are looking to move it, so having a crowd hear it in person would be a good thing. I am not a SS guy in any way, but it would provide an interesting contrast.
Nuforce, again would be an interesting comparison, but would require lots of cable wrangling. Also no vinyl would be able to be played due to a lack of phonostage.
So I am torn, anyone else want to chime in on their preference?
As for cables, go ahead and bring everything listed above. It is not a big deal to install them for a song or two. I say a song or two, because I am exteremly confident in the performance of the Argento stuff. Yes, I am throwing down my gauntlet. :lol:
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I like a challenge.
I am preparing a power cord of epic proportion using only the finest materials found at Wal-Mart and Home Depot. It is sleek and black and can suck large amounts of money right out of your bank account The power cord uses all the cable technology available including Snake oil, Quantum purification, Ferry dust, and Nanotubes. It is so tuff and stiff that it can not be bent or shaped around audio gear. It uses quintuple shielding with natural and unnatural materials. Because of its girth, I will need some help bringing it into the house and setting it up. System break-in, with the epic power cord, should be a short 500 hours. Because of the enormous drain on the environment, only one of these epic power cords will be build, unless someone actually offers me money for it. Be prepared to be amazed, Scott has a good system.
I predict it will be a good battle, but in the end the Argento will go back to Denmark with it’s IEC between its legs.
Dam I need to find another hobby. Lee
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I am just sayin'
Speaking of fairy dust, Aaron has given the name The Warlock to Ulrik at Argento Audio. All of our scientific listening over margaritas has us convinced he must be just waving a magic wand over each cord and "Presto!" Magic power cord! :P
In all seriousness though I brought my Argento FMR to Aaron's place Tuesday night, as well as my SET tube monoblocks.
So the FMR went on Aaron's CD player and was head to head against a LessLoss DFPC, which is a pretty nice cord.
My Wyetech amps were being compared against Bel Canto Ref1000's.
So two power cords which are more similar than different, slight variations.
And then two amps that couldn't be much further apart on methodology and topology. 500-1000 watts vs 13 watts. Digital amps vs tubes. Class D vs Class A.
Well the difference between the two powercords was quite significant.
Amps, very tough to call, in the end both of us slightly prefered the tubes.
So yeah it must be some fairy dust, as that was quite interesting to wrap one's head around.
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The power cord is finished and burning in as I write this. It is so stiff and straight that I could use it for a ruler. That is the first sign that this is going to be a wonderful power cord. The electricity will just shoot out the other side. I am going to have the power cable irradiated tomorrow to help speed up the burn in process. It will be primed and ready for Saturday. Sleep well Argento. :icon_twisted:
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Luckily the fire was easy to put out. I am glad the power cord is black. Just a little cleaning and some more electrical tape and the cord should be good as new. :thumb:
On the bright side, now it is really burned in.
I can’t wait to hear it on Scott’s system.
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The power cable is cursed! First the fire, now the monkey. Apparently monkeys like the smoky taste of PVC. He chewed on the cord. :duh: Luckily he did not get electrocuted because he could not chew through the titanium final shield.
Sonically, the cable sounds better than ever. I wonder if the high heat and monkey saliva are the key?
Oh well, back to Wal-Mart for some more electrical tape. It should be good as new for Saturday.
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Monkeys and Stereos, just should not play together.
So do we have any defectors from my attendee list above?
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Monkeys and Stereos, just should not play together. So do we have any defectors from my attendee list above?
My wife says I can still come so long as I don't touch any of audiobuilder's toys. When I told her about the monster amp and the epic power cord she muttered something about the dangers of high plate voltages along with the hazards of using power cords that aren't built out of Stereophile-approved materials. And then she told me from this point forward I am limited to solid state equipment whose output devices operate at no more than 30 volts. So it's goodbye to my parallel 6C33CB Audio Mirror SET monoblocks.
My new system:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=38943)
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YES, the top plate is installed and things are dialed in.
Although I am probably jinxing myself by posting this before playing an album.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=403&pos=12)
(http://IMG_0052.jpg)
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My attempts to post new pictures from my gallery failed miserably.
But anyhow, the turntable is sounding pretty nice.
My biggest problem is that PS Audio Premier Soloist, it still probably needs more break-in. But I am getting close to having to make a call to remove it for the meet.
So far I think it might help in some hi-fi ish ways, but I think my system ahs lost some of its intimacy and naturalness, two traits I value highly.
Well I have until the 20th to make a call on it, but for the meet I may have to uninstall it unless it improves between now and Saturday.
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(http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/mrnick_2006/IMG_0054.jpg)
(http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/mrnick_2006/IMG_0053.jpg)
(http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/mrnick_2006/IMG_0052.jpg)
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Thanks for the assist.
The one of particular interest to me is the one that has screws in the base of my tonearm photographed, finally.
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OK, I just sent everyone who has stated they planned to come either a private message or an email with directions.
Please contact me if you by chance didn't get anything.
I started the tequila infusion process last night.
And my vinyl system has been running the past two days, probably could still use a little tweaking but it is sounding pretty good.
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Pretty quiet around here, and not much response to my emails or PM's.
Oh well, more space, food, and margaritas to go around.
I hope everyone can make it.
Food and drinks are covered. Only drink not really covered is beer, and as for soda I was going to pick up some Diet Coke cans only.
Unless you are planning to bring some of the gear listed in the above post, just bring some good Cd's or Lp's to share with the group.
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Thanks for hosting, looking forward to it.
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I can bring the monkey? aa
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Are you refering to the long stiff monkey or the overweight monkey with big things sticking out of the top of it?
Go ahead and bring both, if you want.
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Thanks guys for coming over.
Sorry about the slow start, but I just had to get that PS Audio Soloist out of the system. It was killing my enjoyment, and Aaron confirmed it upon showing up and hearing my system with it in.
Should of just stuck with my instincts that my system was just above PS Audio performance level, or that is my story at least.
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Scott thanks for hosting, the vinyl experience was sweet. And the margaritas were very tasty. Thanks again.
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Agree -- thanks for hosting Scott -- nice sounds. Would like to do a controlled comparison of some of those elements too, those Argento cables deserve a test. For me, vinyl won the day at your place.
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Scott, thanks for hosting. Pictures from the meet are posted here: http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/7811300_n4bRz#505787441_Tzesq
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Scott,
Sorry for not making it yesterday. This was my first weekend home in over a month (work travel) and I just had too much stuff to catch up on.
I'm sure it was a great time!!!
-Gabriel
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Hi Scott,
Thank you for the great listening party, good food and good people. I apologize for not bringing any cables or food/drinks, when my son was injured Friday afternoon my organization skills went out the window. :duh: It was fun and I hope to hear that system again soon, very nice indeed!!
John