AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Daedalus Audio => Topic started by: Daedalus Audio on 29 Nov 2014, 06:56 am
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One of a set of custom racks we just finished. this is the one we saved for the shop, a bit of a Steam Punk Mission style, very solid and sweet looking. Not sure if we would do these again but if so they would be in the $5k range.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=109475)
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I am one of the lucky ones who is the proud owner of new Daedalus custom audio racks. I started talking to Lou about finding some really high quality wood racks to replace my SolidSteel racks. The SolidSteel are good racks, but I wanted natural wood that would be more in tune with my Daedalus speakers and BOWs. As I was looking at different options including Kanso, Lou offered to make a couple of racks for me and I said go for it. I finally blocked out the time to assemble the racks, tear down the equipment and put it all back together on the new racks. Here are some pics.
This photo shows the sides and top & bottom shelves before assembly
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111742)
Assembled rack without and with shelves
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111743)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111744)
Before:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=105026)
After:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111800)
Obviously, the most time consuming part was disconnecting and reconnecting all the equipment. It was an all day job. The racks are incredibly solid, stable and very heavy since they are all maple and walnut. Did I say they are absolutely gorgeous?
Thanks Lou!
Laura
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Congrulations Laura on your new audio racks
Absolutely beautiful
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Congratulation vinyl_lady.
Sure look sturdy and with all the heavy weight equipment,
it sure won't be taken away by a tornado or a thief,
which ever comes first. :lol:
...and nice looking too.
Guy 13
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Look sweet! Does the wood change the tone of the music at all compared to steel?
Is that a P5 in the rack? How's it work for you?
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Real wood= real tone. :thumb: :thumb:
Other option are wood table for those that own few equips.
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Beautiful Racks!
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Looks great!
The before and after pic really shows why you put the effort into doing this, what an improvement .
Just curious what the big maple block shown in the before pic is now supporting or being used for?
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If I may ask, what model speaker you have to go along with that great gear you have? The rack is also nice looking and top notch of course. . . Congrats!
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If I may ask, what model speaker you have to go along with that great gear you have? The rack is also nice looking and top notch of course. . . Congrats!
If the system profile is up to date it says "Daedalus DA-1.1 version 2 with AP crossovers on maple/walnut/maple bases with spikes on Herbie's decoupling gliders"
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Very nice alteration/addition to your system Laura. Congratulations, will look forward to seeing it at some point in '15 if I'm lucky. :thumb: Looks like you've rotated in some new gear as well. As would be expected, nice work Lou. 8)
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Very nice.
What's the red circled item?
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111777)
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Looks like a PS Audio Noise Harvester
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Looks like a PS Audio Noise Harvester
Ah, would've thought it would be best to plug that into the wall outlet where the power strip is plugged in.
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http://d-t-s.at/shopx/out/pictures/master/product/1/noiseharvester(2).jpg
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Ah, would've thought it would be best to plug that into the wall outlet where the power strip is plugged in.
From memory I believe they also recommend it plugged into a power strip. I have a bunch of them.
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Audioprism quiet line filters are quite effective as well.
Wig :D
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From memory I believe they also recommend it plugged into a power strip. I have a bunch of them.
Oh OK.
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Audioprism quiet line filters are quite effective as well.
Wig :D
I have them as well.
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Thanks for the comments guys. I will try to answer some of the questions. Phil A has done a great job in my absence this morning (we have the day off and I slept in).
Pete, the SolidSteel racks have MDF shelves floating on aluminum cones. Since I spent Dec. 31 putting the racks together and unhooking and rehooking the equipment, and yesterday was the greatest college football day since the BCS took away the traditional New Year's Day bowls, I haven't had a chance to listen much, but will this weekend and will let you know what I hear. The Daedalus racks are all maple/walnut sandwiches so I expect them to be good sinks for any vibration, etc.
The P-5 seems to work well for me. I live in an older neighborhood (homes built between 1900 and 1925 and most have knob & tube wiring unless rewired) and the overhead power lines have been in place for a long time. I have incoming power that fluctuates from 116 to 121 volts and averages 3.4% to 5.1% TDH. I use the Multiwave setting and the power out is a perfect sine wave 120V with a TDH of 0.1%. When I listen late at night after my neighbors have gone to bed, the incoming power seems more stable and the TDH is on the lower end of the range; plus the Noise Harvesters barely flash, if at all.
Jason, Phil is right. Those are PS Audio Noise Harvesters. I have a lot of them in all of the unused outlets in the music room plus a few spread throughout the house as well as the two in the Power Broker. The Power Broker is plugged into a dedicated 20 amp circuit along with the P-5. The two amps and pre amp are plugged into the Power Broker and everything else is plugged into the P-5.
Tommy,
the 4" maple block (from Mapleshade) is sitting in my basement right now. It really made a difference when the TT was sitting on the top MDF shelf of the SolidSteel 6.4 rack. The top shelf of the Daedalus rack is a 2.5" maple/walnut sandwich and for now I am assuming I won't need the maple block.
Phil is correct about my speakers. They are Daedalus DA-1.1 version2 with AP crossovers. The wood is cherry. I also have two Daedalus BOWs in cherry. Here's a pic.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=87355)
Phil, thanks for helping me out by answering some of the questions. Let me know if you have other questions. Appreciate the nice comments. Lou really did a terrific job with these racks.
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If the system profile is up to date it says "Daedalus DA-1.1 version 2 with AP crossovers on maple/walnut/maple bases with spikes on Herbie's decoupling gliders"
Much thanks, looking at getting a full range speaker and Daedalus is on the short list, should be a good match with Modwright gear.
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Much thanks, looking at getting a full range speaker and Daedalus is on the short list, should be a good match with Modwright gear.
They are a great match for ModWright gear. Dan's reference speakers are the Daedalus Ulysses.
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Thanks for the pics Laura!!!
Even though these were a PITA to build I will add them to the product lineup, I just love the way they look and they ARE solid.
So thanks Laura and Jim for 'motivating" me to design and build these. :thumb:
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I agree, they certainly do look nice. When I went to RMAF in 2009 and ordered my DA-RMas, Lou had a beautiful rack then, which he had built himself. My wife and I inquired then whether he was going to market them. He said he thought not, they would be too expensive for him to build and offer at a reasonable price. This rack looks similar, perhaps a bit more heavily built, but it looks great.
The PS Audio harvesters are new to me, do you think they help with reproduction Laura? I would also like to know about the Power Broker. I thought it was an alternative to a conditioner, like the P5, but you use it as well. Do they seem to work well together? Thanks David
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hi David,
The Power Broker is very high quality distribution box that does some filtering and phase stabilization via the wiring (without filter components such as capacitors etc). It is designed for very high quality components which usually suffer when powered through 'conditioners'.
I usually have a Furman voltage regulation conditioner as well which I plug INTO the Power Broker. Preamps, power amps etc and any component with a very robust power supply do NOT go through the Furman but straight into the Power Broker. Other components ie: SB Touch, computers, some CD players etc make use of the Furman. I do have one tube preamp that needs to see 120v steady so that runs through the Furman as well.
It really is a case by case decision to use the Furman or straight into the PB. Usually good gear sounds better without being run through a conditioner and that is why Alex and I developed the Power Broker.
btw there is another thread on this
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=116811.0 (http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=116811.0)
thanks,
lou
PS glad you like the racks, I will be posting a web page for them. I like this design and while it is expensive to build I think it justifies the price.
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David,
Lou took care of explaining the Power Broker. I have a 20 amp dedicated circuit and the Power Broker and P5 are plugged into the outlet. The 2 ModWright amps and the 2 box 36.5 pre amp are plugged into the Power Broker. My source equipment (Oppo 105; power supply for the tube mod on the Oppo; SME TT; X-over for the BOWs; Apple TV; and power supply for the phono stage are plugged into the P5. The P5 and Power Broker work well together.
I believe the Noise Harvesters help to reduce noise grunge on the wiring in my home. I have dimmer switches on the lighting in my music room and they get real active when the lights are dimmed.They do help lower the noise floor and produce a more "black" background.
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(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=87355)
Laura, that is one sweet looking and I'm sure sounding setup. Mainly Washington State gear, too. I'd love to hear it someday.
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Laura, that is one sweet looking and I'm sure sounding setup. Mainly Washington State gear, too. I'd love to hear it someday.
Jon,
Thank you. I am very happy with my system. I feel extremely blessed. Consider this an open invitation to come to the east side of the state and spend some time listening to vinyl. let me know if you are going to be in the Spokane area.
Best,
Laura
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Jon,
Thank you. I am very happy with my system. I feel extremely blessed. Consider this an open invitation to come to the east side of the state and spend some time listening to vinyl. let me know if you are going to be in the Spokane area.
Best,
Laura
I'll make a point of it. Take care.
John
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The P-5 seems to work well for me. I live in an older neighborhood (homes built between 1900 and 1925 and most have knob & tube wiring unless rewired) and the overhead power lines have been in place for a long time. I have incoming power that fluctuates from 116 to 121 volts and averages 3.4% to 5.1% TDH. I use the Multiwave setting and the power out is a perfect sine wave 120V with a TDH of 0.1%. When I listen late at night after my neighbors have gone to bed, the incoming power seems more stable and the TDH is on the lower end of the range; plus the Noise Harvesters barely flash, if at all.
Laura,
Very nice system. At the risk of derailing a rack thread, you've got a lot of power conditioning/treatment going on. Just curious how you arrived at the choices for the P5, noise harvesters, power cables, etc.
Thanks,
Evan
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Laura,
Very nice system. At the risk of derailing a rack thread, you've got a lot of power conditioning/treatment going on. Just curious how you arrived at the choices for the P5, noise harvesters, power cables, etc.
Thanks,
Evan
Evan,
I stumbled on to PS Audio at RMAF about 8 or 9 years ago. I knew from listening to other systems that my background wasn't as quiet as some and they all seemed to have some kind of power conditioner. I bought a Power Plant Premier because I thought the idea of regenerating clean, steady power with a smooth sine wave and constant voltage made sense. When I hooked up the Power Plant it made a noticeable difference in my noise floor. I upgraded to the P5 when PS Audio came out with the new Perfect Wave series and offered a trade in. I never looked at other brands.
I bought the noise harvesters because I have dimmer switches and after reading about their purpose decided to give them a try. They seem to help, maybe not as much as the power plant, but they don't hurt. The fact you can see them working is pretty cool. I bought the Power Broker on Lou's recommendation after upgrading my amps to the KWA 150SE. I wanted something where I could plug amps without going through the regenerator/conditioner. I have a hodge podge of after market power cords that are better than stock. I can't tell any difference in performance between the PS Audio, AudioPath or Shunyata. I need anther power cord so I'm going to give WyWires a try. I like the performance of the Power Broker so it seemed the right time to try one of their power cords. I also trust Lou's recommendations in this area.
Laura
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Laura,
Thanks for the thoughtful explanation.
Evan
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Look sweet! Does the wood change the tone of the music at all compared to steel?
Is that a P5 in the rack? How's it work for you?
Let us know if you get a different tonality from the new wood rack
Very nice
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(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=117319)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=117320)
I have decided to offer this series of "custom" racks as a product, even though they are a labor intensive build the result is excellent and I feel worth the effort. We will get a page on the web site up asap.
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(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=117325)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=117326)
A couple more pics from a different customer!
I like systems that are 'part' of the home, in the living space with the video and all. :)
My first goals with audio were to have speakers that visually fit into a home and that fill a house with music. I get and appreciate the dedicated room, yes that is generally the 'best' sound, and the speakers can do that but there is a whole 'nother art to speakers you can 'live' with.
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I like systems that are 'part' of the home, in the living space with the video and all. :)
I like that you like this! :D
It's great for parties and get togethers to have the system in the central room of the house.
Nice pics btw.
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Just a small suggestion, but I have found that tall racks can interfere with imaging when placed between speakers - is doing a low/wide rack instead, an option? Beautiful work, BTW!
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Just a small suggestion, but I have found that tall racks can interfere with imaging when placed between speakers - is doing a low/wide rack instead, an option? Beautiful work, BTW!
good point! the pics with the screen are a set that are shorter, these are about as wide for one rack as I'm comfortable with building (24" wide shelves) but a pair of short ones can easily be done.
Of course in the pics from Laura she has the racks on the side wall so that is not a problem, and in larger rooms where there is more space behind the speakers I don't feel you have much of an impact on the imaging.