AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Salk Signature Sound => Topic started by: K Shep on 27 Oct 2009, 03:18 am
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I will make this first post brief and add to it as members reply.
I met Bob at his home today. We had pm'd back and forth when we realized we are both in the Bay Area. First off Bob is a great guy, hospitable and kind.
The first thing I noticed walking into his house were his GIK panels. His living room is well treated. The panels he had made are much more attractive in person than the photos on this site (Acoustic thread). His system is well thought out and clean.
I had forgotten how beautiful the Salk product looks in person, and the HT2s are, of course, larger than the ST that I owned. We got right down to biz. Bob played the Ray Charles track from Jim's demo CD, forgive me I don't know the name of the song, it sounded great, the sound stage is wide and the speakers image similar to the SongTowers, wonderfully. I brought a few CDs with me that I knew would test the low frequency of the speakers, if anything the speakers tested me! These babies dig. Everything I through at them, I have an electronic CD by Uberzone, big fat bass on most of the tracks, what a wonderful time to sit in Bob's sweet spot and hear his speakers just kill it! I could hear how the presence of the bass in the room was thick, we felt his speakers. The bass traps make a big difference, when I compare the sound to my room (I have minimal bass management).
Of course I have thoughts about the AVA gear and I guess this is the place to post my impressions.
Thank you Bob, so I am posting here to say when are you traveling up to my place to check out the attic?
Kirk
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It was great having Kirk over and he brought some fun music. I started him out with Jim's CD track 7, Ray Charles/Fever w/Natalie Cole. Great soundstage and imaging with that piece.
He answered back with Miles-Gurtu, Trilok Gurtu & Robert Miles which is an electronic jazz combination that I really enjoyed.
I don't remember all of the electronic selections that he brought but we gave the low end of the HT2-TLs a work out and I had a smile on my face the entire time.
I also had to show off the Apple Airport Express/AVA Insight DAC combo with mathgeek97's SMV selection, Lil' Victa. This combo works for me!
I also had to subject KShep to the multi-channel, Blu-Ray concert experience with k.d.lang Live in London and Roy Orbison Black & White Night. I enjoy this as much as the great 2-channel stuff.
The Salk/AVA combo provides amazing clarity, soundstage and pinpoint imaging. I agree with Kirk that I could work on my speaker/listening position setup in this room to try and get some depth added to my soundstage. Any suggestions there? Less toe in on the speakers, etc.?
Anyway, I had a great time and I'll need to get to Kirk's nifty attic soon to hear some tube preamp magic.
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Sounds like you guys had a great time; makes me wish I lived in the Bay area.
Kirk, you mentioned that this is the place to post your impressions about the AVA gear, but impressions I do not see. Let us know brother!
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Trilok Gurtu is awesome... I've got a couple of his discs (The Glimpse & Kathak) but not sure where to go from there. I like the Glimpse best, and have looked at several of his other titles but reviews seem too varied (not that I put too much stock in reviews, but its a place to start). Any suggestions? Also curious to hear more about the AVA gear. Lately I've been wondering if there is better synergy to be found with my (Salk) HT3 + A51 (Halo) combo... and there have been a lot of comments lately about AVA/Salk magic.
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I also had to subject KShep to the multi-channel.
We also listened to Seal - Best 1991-2004, disc 3 in this set is a DVD recorded in "Advanced Resolution Surround Sound". I am very familiar with Crazy Acoustic and hearing the song in great 5.1 was a pleasure. Bob has the best sounding surround setup I have heard, the Epik Phoenix subwoofer helps in the bass region, that thing is about 24" tall aa. Bob has done a wonderful job with the bass management in his room. With the bass traps and the crossover of his sub. Forgive my ignorance I have room to learn in this department, but what I do know is I love the low end in his listening space, bass is not an issue.
When comparing my room to Bob's I have approx 10 feet behind my speakers, which delivers depth to the sound stage in my room. So to Bob's point I think speaker placement up against a wall/between a TV is critical in relation to the ability to get the best sound stage available. Bob is adding a new piece of furniture to his room, that will move his listening position further away from the speakers and open up the room. At that point he will be able to fine tune the speaker location and find the best placement. Thinking about the speakers reminds me what I miss about the Salk product, the clarity of vocals and string instruments.
Bob powers his front 3 speakers with an AVA Insight Double 240/3 amp. I believe in head room and I noticed while pushing the amp in 2 channel that the volume knob on his preamp was at about 33%, obviously alot left in the reserves and I could hear it in the low frequency range.
I was skeptical regarding the sound quality of an Airport Express using the optical digital sound5 connection. However, Bob's Apple Airport Express/AVA Insight DAC combo proved to sound great playing his iTunes library. The Insight DAC turned his Panasonic CD player into a solid transport while playing my CD demo list. The Roy Orbison Black & White Night Bob played on DVD on his Oppo through his Pioneer receiver, there is sure a difference in sound clarity, separation and imaging compared to the AVA gear. But that is 5.1 surround through the Pioneer and 2 channel through the AVA setup. Bob asked my opinion regarding the addition of tubes to his system, I beleive he has considered an AVA tube amp for his front 2 channels, correct me if I'm wrong Bob, what will that due to the sound when listening in 5.1? I love the idea of tubes in any system, I did hear a slight edge while listening to a Alanis Morissette track from her acoustic album, one of my demo songs. I believe tubes would soften the edge a bit. Please know I am comparing what I hear in my system, tube preamp, and my preference.
Bob played Norah Jones on vinyl, his TT was a freebie from a friend, he added a cartridge and to his surprise the unit sounded good. What a wonderful addition to his system, Bob could see I was enjoying the record and remarked I may be next to try the vinyl thing. Perhaps.
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Trilok Gurtu is awesome...
This is the CD Bob spoke of. If you like Gurtru you will enjoy this. Check it out and grab it...the last I looked this CD was $15 used from Amazon. I just purchased one for $5.44 for our friend Richard Schram. http://www.amazon.com/Miles_Gurtu-Robert-Miles/dp/B0001AVZ5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1256646446&sr=1-1
I also own this from Gurtru: http://www.amazon.com/Izzat-Remix-Album-Trilok-Gurtu/dp/B00008BRCV/ref=pd_sim_m_5
Kirk
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Kirk:
Thanks for the recommendation. Just ordered a copy for 5.43 plus shipping from Amazon Marketplace.
Regarding the tube amp up front, the issues are the amps' input impedances and output volumes. The volume is easy enough to control with the pre-amp, and vintageb can speak to Frank about the impedance issue. I was thinking about using two AVA amps for biamping, the tube amp on top and the solid state on the bottom, and those are the issues, if I am correct.
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Well, I did consider getting a tube preamp when I was ordering my AVA equipment but I chose to stay all SS for the multi-channel setup. I'll probably stick with that for now. If I had a dedicated 2-channel room like Kirk then I would definitely consider a tube preamp in the setup.
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The biamping tubes/ss is shared with many of the guys here on AC. I think that is a wonderful idea. I will ask around and get some input from the two members that I chat with that utilize tubes for the highs and ss the lows.
Great purchase pipe, the first track is awesome.
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I'll probably stick with that for now.
You just received your gear of course you will stick with the setup for now. You aren't even used to the sound yet, you haven't placed your speakers yet, you have a new seating position to figure out. Your room is not finalized. If my comment about tubes in your system has sparked a discussion about tubes in your system I apologize. You setup is amazing and I hope to come down and help you with the speaker placement once you get your new seating delivery. I just invited myself.
I think oneinthepipe is considering biamping with tubes. Pipe has asked me about my preamp so please don't take this as I think you should add tubes to you system.
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<snip>
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vintagebob will be visiting my home this Saturday. So you should be looking for his impressions of my setup. I just want to put some pressure on both of us aa
I'm borrowing a Luxman L-505u integrated amp to try in my system over the weekend so I will post my impressions.
I hope you don't mind if I post this in the Salk thread...I still consider myself part of the family.
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^ Of course not. I look forward to the event details. ;)
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vintagebob will be visiting my home this Saturday. So you should be looking for his impressions of my setup. I just want to put some pressure on both of us aa
I'm borrowing a Luxman L-505u integrated amp to try in my system over the weekend so I will post my impressions.
I hope you don't mind if I post this in the Salk thread...I still consider myself part of the family.
K Shep's attic is the pinnacle. You have to drive part way up a very steep road to get to his house (This is San Francisco after all) and then you have to climb almost straight up a folding ladder to get to the attic. I decided that it was like a tree house...with UPGRADES!
And what a fun tree house it was. I was treated to the tube "magic" of his Conrad Johnson (CJ) preamp, which works great with his Parasound A21 amp, and his new Revel Performa F32s. A very nice system indeed. The Conrad Johnson really smooths out the high end and the vocals. I liked it.
I was surprised that he had his speakers so close to the sidewalls but he demonstrated the boundary adjustment the F32s have and I could quickly see why they work so well there.
We played with a Luxman L-505u integrated amp that he had borrowed but it just seemed too harsh compared to his current setup. I guess you would have to describe it as solid state (SS). :wink: I much prefer the AVA sound to the Luxman and the CJ sound to the Luxman even a bit more. Of course the CJ retails for more than my entire AVA collection!
A gracious host, a view of the bay on a perfect Northern California day and some really beautiful two channel sound. No complaints on my end. If you get the invite, jump on it!
Nice system K Shep. :thumb: I know you'll be looking for ways to improve it (which might be tough!) and I'll be interested in reading about your adventures.
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Thanks for the update. How did the Revel's compare to your HT2-TL's? Since they are in a different room and a different system, I think you couldn't make definitive comparisons, but it would be nice to hear your impressions.
Thanks ahead of time.
Bob
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Thanks for the update. How did the Revel's compare to your HT2-TL's? Since they are in a different room and a different system, I think you couldn't make definitive comparisons, but it would be nice to hear your impressions.
Thanks ahead of time.
Bob
I'll pass on that one since our rooms are complete opposites but maybe Kirk will respond since he had SongTowers in that same space. I know that he likes the bass profile he gets with the F32s over the STs and the F32 boundary adjustment design really works in his space.
I enjoyed the F32s but I'm not giving up my HT2-TLs. ; )
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Thanks for the update. How did the Revel's compare
I will comment on the process I went through with my STs. I was able to take my STs to my favorite audio shop and do a side by side comparison. Having the opportunity to hear the STs then the Revels then the STs was valuable. What the SongTowers do well is midrange without a doubt the best I've heard. Better than the Revels, but for me the other characteristics are more appealing. I love the STs but they are lacking in the low frequency department. The difference is 42Hz to 32Hz for the Revels. The HT2-TLs are IMO a step above the STs. I don't feel comfortable comparing my speakers directly with the HT2-TLs.
If I were to hang on to my STs I would have purchased a sub and began the learning process of measuring nodes and finding the best crossover point and location of the sub. As you may hear from that last comment I am ignorant in the way to integrating a sub into a 2 channel system.
So I purchased a 3 way speaker in my price point. The best I could audition.
As vintage points out, our rooms are very different. My room is a dedicated 2 channel setup. His triples as 2 channel, surround music and an HT setup. Both rooms are well treated and IMHO both well thought out. If you are like me, sitting in either sweet spot will bring a huge smile to your face.
Its been my experience that the room in which the speakers live and the placement of the speakers has the largest variable of the performance of said speakers.
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K Shep, I also have a similar set-up as yours, Ayre Cd/Sacd C-ex MP player and a CJ tube pre-amp.How does the Halo A21 work single ended with your system? I know the Ayre is supposed to work better in the balanced mode. How is the A21? I understand it supposed to be a great sounding amp. Is it more of a full sounding amp or on the leaner side. I know with the CJ or even an Van Alstine amp or pre-amp, I would have no choice but to run single-ended rather than balanced. But I know the Parasound has balanced inputs.Your feedback would be most appreciated. Music Lover
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I will comment on the process I went through with my STs. I was able to take my STs to my favorite audio shop and do a side by side comparison. Having the opportunity to hear the STs then the Revels then the STs was valuable. What the SongTowers do well is midrange without a doubt the best I've heard. Better than the Revels, but for me the other characteristics are more appealing. I love the STs but they are lacking in the low frequency department. The difference is 42Hz to 32Hz for the Revels. The HT2-TLs are IMO a step above the STs. I don't feel comfortable comparing my speakers directly with the HT2-TLs.
Thanks kshep! That is just the type of information that is usefull. aa
When I set up Raj's ST's I used a Denon receiver with a sub. It sounds fantastic. The sub did improve things in the bass and the midrange. IMHO
Bob
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How does the Halo A21 work single ended with your system? How is the A21? Is it more of a full sounding amp or on the leaner side. Your feedback would be most appreciated. Music Lover
I haven't had the opportunity to try a balanced preamp in my system. So I am unable to answer the interconnect question. Parasound defines the amp as: High bias Class A/AB, which is high current. I have driven my sytem with 4 other receivers, integrated amps and amp. None compares to the A21 in the fullness of sound. If you are still considering a Parasound or an AVA amp you can't go wrong with either choice.
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K Shep, thanks for the feedback
music lover
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Well I was also privileged to have a visit with Vintagebob yesterday and all I can say is he better stop being such a gracious host because that, combined with a pretty awesome setup (including a KILLER TV) is going to be his downfall. A long list of visitors, I'm sure.
I was thrilled with the setup and loved listening to everything, including a great HT demo as well as my first experience with Multi-channel audio. I also loved the chance to listen to the setup driven my the Airport Express. Bob did a littlle AB show for me with a CD and his Airport Express both going to the same DAC and I must say, the AE is now on my list of things to buy. I had already planned on getting one, but this sealed the deal.
Anyway, thanks for giving up your Sunday morning to show a weary traveler you're awesome setup!
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No problem! It is always fun meeting great people like Kirk and yourself. Good luck in your search.
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If I wasn't moving this month, I would love to listen to your system.
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If I wasn't moving this month, I would love to listen to your system.
Well, if some time opens up for you just let me know. :green:
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I know Bob loves when I do this :D but this is the thread to post your visits with VintageBob. I am hoping to spend more time at Bob's now that he has changed his room ever so slightly. Honestly, I am looking for another excuse to sit in his room. I get used to my listening room, it is healthy to get a different perspective on a well thought out system.
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I might have to get myself over to the Bay and crash your party, sounds like a great time! :D
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I might have to get myself over to the Bay and crash your party, sounds like a great time! :D
I would be willing to take some of my gear to Bob's for a listening get together. I would offer my place but my listening room is in my attic and it is a pain to get gear up the drop down ladder.
I shouldn't invite us over to Bob's but he is such a gentleman I think it would be great to have a Nor Cal get together.
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That would be great if we could pull it off. I could bring some gear as well.
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LOL. We could probably put something together. I need to dig out at work first so that I can have some free time...
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Sounds like fun, too bad I will miss it! The moving truck is almost all packed...
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I communicated with vintagebob. Please let us know if you Nor Cal AC members are interested in a mini rave in the next month. It will probably be held in San Jose if not San Francisco. Please post if you're interested.
Kirk
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Definitely interested. My wife works every other weekend which puts me on baby duty, so schedule is always tough, but if the date works out, I am in!
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Definitely interested as well. :thumb:
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I'm definitely interested, especially if I can hear a pair of SongTowers :D
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I'll show up too. Thanks.
Waiting for my HT-3...
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OK. So Stylus, what is the first weekend that you are available after Valentine's Day weekend? That would be Feb 20-21 or Feb 27-28. (My thought is next weekend is Super Bowl weekend and the following weekend is Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend so we should shoot for a weekend after that.)
Chime in and let me know if you prefer a Saturday or Sunday.
I need to know what equipment, if any, folks are thinking about bringing. I'll try to arrange my system to allow for "easy" installation. :roll:
Also, let me know what types of media you plan on bringing. CDs would probably be the easiest. I'll probably remove the turntable/cabinet out of the room to allow for an additional equipment rack. My vinyl system is only entry level quality anyway.
cacophony777, I have HT2-TLs so no SongTowers unless someone decides to bring a pair. I'll see what I can do along those lines but no promises.
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The best weekend that would work for me would be the first weekend of March (6th/7th). The weekend of the 20th we have plans, and then the wife works the next weekend. Don’t let my crazy schedule screw it up for everyone else though if that doesn’t work.
I don’t think I have the guts to bring my ST’s down, but I was thinking my McIntosh MA6500 (integrated amp) might work. Or if you did want to play with analog I could bring a Technics 1200 MkII (just picked it up this weekend for $150! :D). The VPI TT would be a bit more of a pain to pack up.
I am fine with skipping the gear swaps as well if you don’t want to mess with it.
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March 6/7 works for me too. The date is further out so hopefully that will provide enough time to work the gathering in.
I will bring my Conrad Johnson preamp. Tubes to compare to SS. I am willing to bring all of my gear actually, except my speakers. To much of a pain to get them down from my attic. So A21 amp, CJ pre, Ayre USB DAC, and I can bring my Arcam CD player too. I have a big butcher block that I'll bring as a base. Also I have 2 pair of Synergistic Research ICs.
Bob, if I bring down my external hard drive is that an easy plug and play on your computer?
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Thanks to K Shep for cluing me in to the plan... I will definitely attend and the weekend of Mar 6,7 is good for me. Sat Mar 6 would work better for me, though I could probably make either day happen if Sunday was better for the majority.
I read that K Shep is already planning to bring his CJ tubed preamp. I have a Blue circle tubed preamp I could also bring. I would be very interested in the comparisons to the CJ and Bob's AVA SS preamp. Maybe we could do a single-blind preamp test :)
-Stew
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I read that K Shep is already planning to bring his CJ tubed preamp. I have a Blue circle tubed preamp I could also bring. I would be very interested in the comparisons to the CJ and Bob's AVA SS preamp. Maybe we could do a single-blind preamp test :)
The more the merrier, unless my CJ doesn't perform then I am jumping out the window! :duh:
Good thing Bob's house is at ground level.
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ditto for my BC gear :) hopefully, it'll be a matter of taste, not "performance" per se :)
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ditto for my BC gear hopefully, it'll be a matter of taste.
Or you may going home with AVA, I may be going home with BC and vintage may end up with a CJ preamp. :green:
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I will start with a list of current members interested in the gathering.
vintagebob
K Shep
Stylus
luckyrolls
cacophony777
writeface
stew
ttsaki
low.profile
The event will be held in San Jose near the 85/101 junction on March 6th. Details will be added as the event grows nearer.
If you're interested post or PM and we will add you to the list, all are invited.
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Hey guys, any idea of when we'll kick things off on Saturday? My wife and I are going to stay in the City that night and go catch dinner and see whoever is playing Yoshi's that night and just want to plan accordingly.
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Hey guys, any idea of when we'll kick things off on Saturday? My wife and I are going to stay in the City that night and go catch dinner and see whoever is playing Yoshi's that night and just want to plan accordingly.
We don't have a time yet. What works for you?
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My preference would be late morning/early afternoon, but whatever works out for the group.
I don't know the exact time of the show, but we'll want dinner first so I am guessing we'll need to get up to the City by early evening.
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My preference would be late morning/early afternoon, but whatever works out for the group.
I don't know the exact time of the show, but we'll want dinner first so I am guessing we'll need to get up to the City by early evening.
I'll split the difference with you and suggest 12:00 as the time. Let me know if this a problem for anyone that wants to attend.
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I'll split the difference with you and suggest 12:00 as the time. Let me know if this a problem for anyone that wants to attend.
That works for me :)
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The festivities will begin at Noon.
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Those of you that wish to attend our Bay Area GTG on March 6th, please send me a PM and I will provide you with my address and cell phone number.
As a reminder, the GTG will begin around Noon on Saturday, March 6th.
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PM sent!
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Those of you that wish to attend our Bay Area GTG on March 6th, please send me a PM and I will provide you with my address and cell phone number.
As a reminder, the GTG will begin around Noon on Saturday, March 6th.
I certainly "wish" I could come, but it is a bit far. :) Sounds like fun.
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I certainly "wish" I could come, but it is a bit far. :) Sounds like fun.
It would be great to have you here again! You'll have to organize something in your neck of the woods.
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Hi everyone - I just sent PM to vintagebob. I stumbled across this thread and think it's a great idea to have a Bay Area get together. You might also think about putting a link to this thread in the Norcal circle so that a wider audience hears about this.
Thanks,
---Gary
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If there is room, I'd love to come!
Please let me know!
Thanks
T
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People who sent me a PM so far:
K Shep
Vintagebob
Stylus
stew
GBB
ttsakai
Sonny
writeface?
haw1144?
eweitzman?
Equipment so far:
Conrad Johnson CT5 Preamp
Blue Circle tube preamp
Ayre USB DAC
Benchmark DAC?
DIY cables
MIT Shotgun MA speaker cables
Come on Stylus, you know you want to bring those SongTowers. ; )
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Come on Stylus, you know you want to bring those SongTowers. ; )
Ha, I actually would like to bring them, a side-by-side with the HT2's would very interesting.
Unfortunately I think I am going to have to leave the gear at home. We are going to stay in the City that night, and leaving the gear in the car overnight does not seem like a good idea.
BTW, my wife is going to be with me, anyone else bringing their better half? :|
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Ha, I actually would like to bring them, a side-by-side with the HT2's would very interesting.
Unfortunately I think I am going to have to leave the gear at home. We are going to stay in the City that night, and leaving the gear in the car overnight does not seem like a good idea.
BTW, my wife is going to be with me, anyone else bringing their better half? :|
I wouldn't want my gear left in my car overnight. :o
I'll ask my GF if she wants to join us...
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If I am going to be the only one, I might see if she wants to go to a movie or something. That should win me some points :lol:
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Loading your ST's in the back of your vehicle to attend the GTG is one thing. Dragging them around all weekend is another...I would never carry my speakers in the back of my car for three days.
I would hope your wife would feel comfortable at Bob's. I see no reason to shuffle her away to a movie.
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Stylus,
Does she like Champagne? ; )
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Loading your ST's in the back of your vehicle to attend the GTG is one thing. Dragging them around all weekend is another...I would never carry my speakers in the back of my car for three days.
I would hope your wife would feel comfortable at Bob's. I see no reason to shuffle her away to a movie.
My wife loved our visit with Bob. He is a wonderful host.
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Stylus,
Does she like Champagne? ; )
Looks like she will be there :lol:
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People who sent me a PM so far (March 5th):
K Shep
Vintagebob
Stylus (+1)
stew
GBB
ttsakai
Sonny
low.pfile
Kevin
writeface?
haw1144?
eweitzman?
Equipment so far:
Conrad Johnson CT5 Preamp
Blue Circle tube preamp
Ayre USB DAC
Benchmark DAC?
Schumann Resonator
DIY cables
MIT Shotgun MA speaker cables
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It's looking good. See you all tomorrow fellas! :D
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Should be fun! ; )
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Have a great time guys. I wish I could join you.
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Don't forget to take some photo's....thanks ! :thumb:
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Don't forget to take some photo's....thanks ! :thumb:
BIG +1! We *need* pictures. :)
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Don't forget to take some photo's....thanks ! :thumb:
My place looks like a bomb went off but I think I have everything wired and my wireless network setup downstairs. At least music is coming out of the speakers?!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27459)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27460)
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Hey Bob, what is the best way to bring demo music? Data CD work? FLAC & WMA OK?
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Hey Bob, what is the best way to bring demo music? Data CD work? FLAC & WMA OK?
That should be OK. Basically anything that iMac/iTunes can read.
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Can't get the DVD burner to work :duh:
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Early arrivals...
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27462)
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Did you get a new equipment rack Bob? the one in the picture where your turntable was located.
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Did you get a new equipment rack Bob? the one in the picture where your turntable was located.
No. I actually have had the rack for a long time but never use it. I re-arranged everything for the sake of equipment swapping. It didn't really work out but oh well. It will be gone in another hour... ; )
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Thanks again Bob and Kirk for a fun afternoon. Cool to try a little of everything 2ch, Bluray 5.1, SACD with all the gear. Lots of great sounding gear today.
And of course, it was great to meet the fellow NorCal ACers!!
I laughed when I came home and saw my speaker/TV set up and it looked like a doll house version of your Salks + 60" Pioneer rig!
Cheers,
Ed
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A few snap shots.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27473)
the rig
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27474)
stack:
Ayre USB DAC
Blue Circle tube Preamp+PS
Conrad Johnson CT5 Preamp
power amp by AVA (behind the stack)
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Sorry, Real Names/aliases, I've mostly forgotten already!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27475)
rear: ttsakai, ??, sonny(tuan)
mid: stew, kevin?
front: stylus, writeface
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27476)
ms. stylus
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27477)
stew, kevin
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More Pics
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27478)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27479)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27480)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27481)
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We had a great turn out. I just returned home, here are photos as requested.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27483)
vintagebob man's the grill.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27484)
vintagebob, low.pfile and K Shep
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27485)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27486)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=27487)
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All-
I would also like to throw in my thanks to Bob and Kirk for setting up the get together and especially to Bob for hosting!
Great to see so many music lovers in one place and it's always so interesting to hear about how different each persons music system setup is. Sooooo many choices and results ....
Take care everyone and it was great meeting all of you! :wave:
Tracy
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The pics are looking good. But I don't want you to think you were the only Salk gathering today. I just flew back from Detroit for the HT4 shootout to choose the final design. I won't spill the beans, but there was complete agreement, and I was very happy with what I heard. Jim had a pair of red (very red) HT2 TL's sitting in the corner that I would have loved to have heard alongside the HT4's, but I had to dash back to the airport.
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Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing the photos.
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Nice !!! Thanks...:beer:
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I love seeing the CJ there.
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San Jose GTG Report
We started out with the CJ/Ayre combo and stayed with that for a good part of the day. It sounded good. The modified Blue Circle preamp was then thrown in the mix and did very well. We ended with the AVA gear and I think most people were impressed. The shotgun speaker cables at least made the sound louder? A difference was noted with the Schumann Resonator as well. To be fair, I never had a chance to sit in the sweet spot the entire event. The burdens of the host. It was fun listening to the wide variety of music though and meeting so many great people!
As for the Salks? I'm a "fanboy" so my comments don't count. ; )
Hopefully some others will chime in with their comments...
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I got to Bob's early to set up. I had a chance to sit in the sweet spot and listen to his system. This is my second visit to his home and Bob has made positive noticable changes to his room. The soundstage alone has grown leaps and bounds. Regarding his HT2-TL's...these speakers dig deep! The low end extension is wonderful and caught my attention a couple of times yesterday. I love Salk speakers and having listened to Tracy's (ttsakai) HT3's and Bob's speakers again I miss my Songtowers.
Bob brought his iMac downstairs and set it up on a partition wall (see photos earlier in thread). I brought an external hard drive (firewire) and plugged it through his computer utilizing Bob's iTunes. I set up his iMac to play files through Ayre USB DAC and away we went. It was easier than I had hoped for.
PM me if you want to chat about the MIT speaker cables :wink:.
The best part of the event, for me, was the people. What a great time. This was my first event like this and I truly had a great time. I made a few friends and I intend to continue putting these events together in the future. My problem is my attic isn't the best spot for an event like we had yesterday. Not enough room. But I will definitely have a GTG at my place this year.
I want to thank vintagebob for nodding yes as I asked him if we could have the event at his place. He grilled more than enough food, put out a great spread, his gal Nikki is a real sweetheart. Bob brought in chairs and rearranged his home to put on this event. So for our first Salk Nor Cal event it went off very well.
Thanks Bob!
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Just got home after a great weekend!
Many thanks to Bob for hosting this event, both my wife and I had a great time! I really enjoyed meeting everyone, hope we can do it again! :)
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I will be back in the bay area over labor day weekend, maybe we can arrange something then :)
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Glad you guys had fine; I'm jealous. :) I look forward to more North Cal events.
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Hi Bob and fellow NoCal'ers -
I had a great time over the weekend! Thanks to Bob for hosting us - he shared food and wine, and truly was a perfect, magnanimous host. His girlfriend was great too, and I enjoyed talking to her a bit about wine. Thanks Kirk for DJ'ing most of the day, and bringing some great equipment to listen to (and look at!). It was a lot of fun being around fellow audiophiles - talking, debating, listening, swapping stories and experiences. To me, the day truly epitomized what being an audiophile is about. And I feel I made a few friends too!
Whoever hosts the next event, count me in! I would also consider hosting in the future, though my place is not nearly as hospitable as Bob's in terms of accommodating people in my listening room (perhaps Kirk and I share similar listening room limitations), and my room acoustics aren't nearly as good as Bob's even though I do have some GIK treatments going on.
Looking forward to next time!
-Stew
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The best part of the event, for me, was the people. What a great time. This was my first event like this and I truly had a great time. I made a few friends and I intend to continue putting these events together in the future.
..
Thanks Bob!
Exactly! My first time too. It was truly a pleasure seeing all. Thank you Bob!
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So, after listening to my system, especially with all of the other equipment, what would you recommend for the next "upgrade"?
1) Mount TV on the wall and move equipment to the sides of the room?
2) Tube based preamp? (AVA Avastar or T8)
3) Larger amp? (Maybe AVA Double Ultra 550)
4) More room treatments? :roll: (I actually have more panels on the way...and the ceiling is still bare)
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So, after listening to my system, especially with all of the other equipment, what would you recommend for the next "upgrade"?
1) Mount TV on the wall and move equipment to the sides of the room?
2) Tube based preamp? (AVA Avastar or T8)
3) Larger amp? (Maybe AVA Double Ultra 550)
4) More room treatments? :roll: (I actually have more panels on the way...and the ceiling is still bare)
I know I was not there for the gtg, but based on my visits...
IMO, the biggest noticeable impact your system will have is the pre-amp. Your room is already pretty well treated, tho I am sure there is some more that can be done.
If it was me I would do it in this order:
1. Pre-amp
2. Amp
3. Room treatments
4. Mount TV
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Wow I missed out... looks like everyone had a great time!
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Wow I missed out... looks like everyone had a great time!
Hey, no worries. You're not far away and you can visit anytime.
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So, after listening to my system, especially with all of the other equipment, what would you recommend for the next "upgrade"?
1) Mount TV on the wall and move equipment to the sides of the room?
2) Tube based preamp? (AVA Avastar or T8)
3) Larger amp? (Maybe AVA Double Ultra 550)
4) More room treatments? :roll: (I actually have more panels on the way...and the ceiling is still bare)
Your room changed from my first visit to last Saturday. The sound stage opened up and your system images better. I believe that has everything to do with speaker placement and a little to do with treatments. IMO mounting you TV on the wall and moving your equipment out of the area between the speakers or minimizing the center rack will open the sound up even more.
1- Mount TV
2- Preamp
The other two options won't chagne much IMO.
3- measure your room
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Your room changed from my first visit to last Saturday. The sound stage opened up and your system images better. I believe that has everything to do with speaker placement and a little to do with treatments. IMO mounting you TV on the wall and moving your equipment out of the area between the speakers or minimizing the center rack will open the sound up even more.
1- Mount TV
2- Preamp
The other two options won't chagne much IMO.
3- measure your room
I would generally agree with KShep about the changes that would have the most impact, given what I've heard twice now. But, IMHO the first 2 priorities would be preamp and TV, in that order. Reason is, moving the TV to the wall will probably increase depth of soundstage a little, but not change much else (especially given you have a large amount of room treatment already). Upgrading on the preamp, you will probably notice improvements in many aspects of your system.
-Stew
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I agree with Stew and Kshep.
Bob,
I imagine your system already sounds amazing, but it will get better after those steps are taken, and I can't wait for it all to come together for you. 8)
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Bob,
Out of curiosity, what is not sounding "right" to you? I think making changes needs to be based on what you are hearing vs. what you want to hear.
My comment to you is that your speakers are too far apart making them far too close to the side walls. I had a VERY strange thing happen a few weeks back. A friend of mine just wasn't liking the sound of his setup, but he has very nice gear. I stopped over to try and "help" one day after work.
So I sit in his listening position and listen. There is a strange sort of distorted sound and things just sounded smeared for the lack of a better word. I didn't have a clue where to start with trying to make things better. One thing I did notice was that his speakers were just a bit farther apart than the distance from each speaker to the listening position. I asked if we could start by moving the speakers closer together and my friend said "sure".
We moved the speakers closer together by about 14" each for a total of 28" total (I'm estimating here, but I'm not too far off). The change is sound was amazing. The sound was immediately clearer sounding. The sound had more weight and the imaging was near perfect. It was like we were listening to a completely different system in a different room. My friend was completely floored and he said that his setup never sounded that good. Everything came into balance and sounded fantastic. As a matter of fact, that's all we did that night to "fix" his setup. We spent the rest of the time just listening to everything we could and it all sounded fantastic. He told me that his setup finally reminded him of visiting my home. He's been extremely happy ever since.
I don't know how much you've played with speaker placement. Judging from your room treatments, I'm guessing you've got a lot of trial and error time in. When I first saw your pictures, it just struck me that your speaker placement reminds me of my friend's situation. It might be worth a try.
I also trust that those of you at the GTG must have really liked Kirk's mega-sexy CJ preamp? :D
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Unfortunately I didn't get you hear your system with your AVA pre so it is tough for me to comment on how that upgrade might affect you setup. I will say though that I thought your system sounded great with the two tube pres I heard.
I would have to guess that moving the TV would have a negligible effect as compared to how you had the panel covering it during the GTG. But, if moving the TV was = to the panel then that would add a nice convenience factor that I think would be worth it.
How about a nice turntable and a haul of records? :icon_twisted:
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Bob,
Out of curiosity, what is not sounding "right" to you? I think making changes needs to be based on what you are hearing vs. what you want to hear.
My comment to you is that your speakers are too far apart making them far too close to the side walls. I had a VERY strange thing happen a few weeks back. A friend of mine just wasn't liking the sound of his setup, but he has very nice gear. I stopped over to try and "help" one day after work.
So I sit in his listening position and listen. There is a strange sort of distorted sound and things just sounded smeared for the lack of a better word. I didn't have a clue where to start with trying to make things better. One thing I did notice was that his speakers were just a bit farther apart than the distance from each speaker to the listening position. I asked if we could start by moving the speakers closer together and my friend said "sure".
We moved the speakers closer together by about 14" each for a total of 28" total (I'm estimating here, but I'm not too far off). The change is sound was amazing. The sound was immediately clearer sounding. The sound had more weight and the imaging was near perfect. It was like we were listening to a completely different system in a different room. My friend was completely floored and he said that his setup never sounded that good. Everything came into balance and sounded fantastic. As a matter of fact, that's all we did that night to "fix" his setup. We spent the rest of the time just listening to everything we could and it all sounded fantastic. He told me that his setup finally reminded him of visiting my home. He's been extremely happy ever since.
I don't know how much you've played with speaker placement. Judging from your room treatments, I'm guessing you've got a lot of trial and error time in. When I first saw your pictures, it just struck me that your speaker placement reminds me of my friend's situation. It might be worth a try.
I also trust that those of you at the GTG must have really liked Kirk's mega-sexy CJ preamp? :D
Wow, great post! Thanks. I've been planning for awhile to start another thread just on HT2-TL placement and put in all the stuff I have tried to date with the appropriate links. Maybe tomorrow night...
I have actually tried the speakers closer together. I think that vocal clarity is my last hurdle and really my system is MUCH better than it was. I just think that I can get some more out of it.
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Wow, great post! Thanks. I've been planning for awhile to start another thread just on HT2-TL placement and put in all the stuff I have tried to date with the appropriate links. Maybe tomorrow night...
I have actually tried the speakers closer together. I think that vocal clarity is my last hurdle and really my system is MUCH better than it was. I just think that I can get some more out of it.
I would very much like to see a thread on placement of the HT2-TL. I've learned a couple of things with mine in my room, but I'm guessing it's the room that's by far the biggest factor. I'd still like to know what people have gone through in placing their HT2-TL's.
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K Shep, PM sent.