System Overview

Two channel audio only system.

Music Preferences

Bach to TOOL

Room Description

Open floor plan, with system in one end. Speakers 5' from wall, in 14' width, listening distance 11'.

Acoustic Treatment

Minimal, damped ceiling corners, wall hangings at first reflection points, carpet.

Media Storage

Mac Mini with 2TB drive for storage (moderate library) running Audirvana Plus, I oversample all PCM to DSD 128 in Audirvana Plus with custom filter settings.

Other Comments

Networked Audio, with Sonore Signature Rendu SE as the renderer. Special custom power supply on router, all computer gear far away from the audio system in another room.

Components

Digital Source

DIY Twisted Pear Audio Buffalo PRO DAC (ESS 9038), Mercury I/V stage with custom gain (Z-Foil resistors) and analog filter (Amtrans film capacitors), custom power supplies and transformers, Twisted Pear Audio Amanero/Cronus isolated USB interface with re-

Signal Processors

Audirvana Plus on Mac Mini

Power Amp

DIY Ncore 400 stereo amp with all Cardas Litz wiring, Cardas XLR jacks and binding posts, Furutech Rhodium IEC, Synergistic Black Fuses, custom Sonore chassis. Crystal power conditioning. Herbies Tall/Soft Tenderfoot footers.

Speakers

Focus Audio FS-888 Signatures, with cap mods

Subwoofer

JL-Audio e112 sub, DIY sub cable with Kimber wire, high level input from amp.

Speaker Cable

Nordost Frey

Interconnects

Nordost Frey, balanced, Nordost Tyr USB, or Sonore USB

Power Cables

DIY: Various Oiyade plugs, proprietary design with Cardas Litz wire, 9 and 11.5 AWG. Unshielded, except for Renderer.

Headphones

Audeze: EL-8 closed, i-Sine 20 for portable (with Chord Mojo)

Racking

DIY rack: maple uprights, birch ply shelf supports, acrylic shelves on sorbothane isolators

Power Cond

Synergistic Powercell UEF 8, with Synergistic Atmosphere cable

Tuning and Tweaks

Various proprietary RF damping materials, TuneBlocks graphite blocks as chassis dampers.