Room Size

Nominally 15'L x 11.75'W

System Overview

This is about as good as I can get at a 2.1-channel SET/SDL system without breaking the bank. Listening area is too small (ginormous lift chair, equipment & etc.),but I don't plan to move. Quasi-nearfield listening setup mitigates some room issues. I gave up on HT years ago feeling two speakers are hard enough to integrate into a small room, occupies too much room & doesn't sound better, & is as expensive (or more so) than quality stereo loudspeakers.

Music Preferences

Nearly anything well recorded but primarily acoustical, vocal & jazz.

Movie Preferences

Believable plot/acting.

Room Description

My listening room (small apartment living room) is a work-in-progress. Apartment sits on a concrete slab with thin carpeting, drywall on wood stud walls, 'paper-thin' walls & has only two true corners. Asymmetrical stereo arrangement with an opening to DR/Kitchen, open door to a to a BR, open hallway,& a sliding glass patio door). Adjacent rooms have noisy A/C, furnace/blower & refrigerator. Speaker geometry: 4' between speakers, 5.5' to listening position, 2' from rear wall.

Acoustic Treatment

None, but working on it.

Listening Impressions

Limited to less than 85dB due to neighbors excellent hearing. System accurate (but not laid-back), fatigue-free (sweet with no 'ear-burn,' edge or glare), focused (clear & defined) & musical (not mechanical). I now listen to comfortable over-the-ear headphones 50% of the time, which are a compromise with loudspeakers but I can listen late at night at any level without worrying about irate neighbors in the morning & there is no need to compensate for the room.

Media Storage

Mac mini (CD) & Lorentz Design: CD4 (DVD).

Other Comments

Prefer simple/straight-forward to complex/high-maintenance (and tubes are NOT high maintenance). IMO, SET/SDL & small woofer helper is a significant step up from solid state/low-sensitivity speakers. The highest complement I can give my audio system is I never get tired listening. Headphone accuracy may not be the best, but sounds natural. The loudspeakers aren't loud, but sound realistic at low-listening levels. Thats what's important to me.

Components

Satellite or Cable

Comcast: Digital Starter & Motorola: DCH3200 receiver.

Video Display

Sharp: Aquos LD-32D50U HDTV

Digital Source

Apple: Mac mini (early 2009, Snow Leopard) via Pure Music (audio), Frontrow (video).

Signal Processors

Schiit: Gungir w/USBCard

Preamp

Cary: SLP-88 (oil capacitor upgrade & upgraded tubes).

Power Amp

Decware: SE84ZS -- 2wpc EL-84 SET (upgraded tubes).

Speakers

Omega: Stick -- SDL (MQ5L Bomega driver).

Subwoofer

Horn Shoppe: Cube (includes OEM 'magic' cable, Dayton SA-100 plate amp/xover & Belkin 16 AWG speaker cable).

Speaker Cable

Dave's Cables: Custom (Neotech 20 AWG EC-UPOCC/cotton insulated & Furutech: FP-200B banana plugs x 8.

Interconnects

Nordost: Red Dawn x 3, Monster Litz Wire/RCA Coupler x 2/IC-300 (audio). Radio Shack component cable, Monoprice: Mini DVI-HDMI Adapter to HDMI, Cable Matters: TOSLINK to Mini Plug (video)

Power Cables

Above All Audio: Nova, Aural Thrills Audio: Active (Audio); OEM (Video).

Headphones

beyerdynamic DT-990 Premium (250-ohms).

Racking

Salamander Designs: A3 & Twin Platform & casters (audio). Salmander: A3, Drawer & casters; Ergotron: 60-572-003 HDTV wall mount (video).

Power Cond

Brick Wall PW8R15AUD x 2 (audio/video). Blue Circle: Noisehound; AudioPrism: Quietline x 8 (audio); Mondial: Magic (video).

Tuning and Tweaks

The best tweak I've heard (or not heard) is ear wax remover & late night listening without lights; Optrix: Cleaner (CD/DVD); 2-inch maple platform & constrained-layer isolation blocks x 4 (DAC): HAL: tube dampers (all tubes), Sennheiser: HH 10 (HP holder)

Other Components

Decware: CSP2 -- OTL headphone amp (upgraded tubes); Macnally: iKeySlim & EcoMouse; Apple: Remote; LaCie: d2 Quadra HDD/500GB (video).