AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Owner's Circles => Von Schweikert Audio Owners => Topic started by: Jean Sibelius on 28 Jul 2013, 02:02 pm
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Hi all! My name is Jan and I live in the Netherlands.
I'm a music lover and home theater fanatic for more than 25 years. Approximately 5 years ago I started building my own dedicated listening room in my backyard (a project which I call(ed): ‘Confidence Mansion’). I finished this dedicated listening room project in May 2012, but the real cherry on this project was (of course) my recent purchase of a Von Schweikert VR10-MK-II system in the end of May 2013 (a system of which I, until recently, could only dream).
The picture below shows the first initial set-up of the system based on room acoustics simulations and predicted frequency response characteristics of the VR10-system. I’m currently in the middle of my (new) journey of further optimizing the performance of my audio system. As I’m relatively new here on the forum, I will first introduce my gear and situation in this posting (starting with a ‘how it is made’).
I will keep you updated and if you have any questions, comments and/or suggestions, please let me know!
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84388)
The starting point for Confidence Mansion
My starting point for the dedicated listening room (also to be used as Home Theater) was optimizing the audiophile properties of such a room with a minimum of concessions regarding these aspects (thus in principle go always for the ‘full 100%’ unless there are very good reasons (e.g. money / effort) to deviate from this starting point. The main reason is that in my current situation the ratio between music listening versus watching movies is about 80:20. This doesn’t mean that I cut down the budget on audio-visual means such as the projector and the projection screen, but taking into account all the expenses in relation to this listening room such expenses could shift to a later time-slot (note: I’m not a millionaire). While making the planning for this listening room all the aspects (e.g. music listening / movie watching / looks / comfort / …) were taken into account parallel already from the start of the built (so first fully consider everything from A until Z including all the consequences relating to it and only after that really start with the execution of A). The final ‘looks’ of this dedicated room were of course also important, but came for me on a second place. When I had to make a decision relating to the acoustical properties of this listening room versus the looks of it, the first property was in almost all cases decisive (if I listen to music I will use my ears and not my eyes and the light is off when I watch a movie). This didn’t give me however a wildcard to create a very freaky room. Forces from outside (i.e., my girlfriend) compelled me also to take into account such aspects of this listening room. She wanted for instance luxurious chairs or a big couch on which she can sit in a very relaxed way instead of e.g. the well-known (but not so comfortable) small red cinema chairs (otherwise: “She would refuse to join me while watching a movie”). So the first concessions already needed to be made before even starting, although these aspects weren’t on beforehand in contradiction with each other (but you have to consider everything into detail). The colors that I used are also a compromise, e.g. black is too black and red is too common (but as you can see on the pictures, also here we came to a good solution/compromise). In summary: this listening room strives for a maximum of audiophile properties for both music listening and watching movies, the visual equipment in the room is also optimized and the esthetic aspects are (as far as necessary) taken into account, but were never decisive if this had negative consequences for the audiophile properties of the room. The name for this listening room was decided to become: ‘Confidence Mansion’. My initial and ‘ultimate goal’ was to build up a complete Home Theater setup using Dynaudio speakers from the Confidence-series. Meaning: Dynaudio Confidence C4’s as front speakers in combination with a Dynaudio Confidence Center and Dynaudio Confidence C1’s as rear speakers (maybe including an extra pair of the latter speakers) and including at least one Velodyne DD-18 subwoofer. How things can change however becomes clear from the title of this topic. Earlier this year I became aware that the previous owner of this system wanted to sell his system to become audio-equipment dealer for another brand and for which he needed all the space he had (including the listening room where he placed this Von Schweikert system). Lucky me! The confidence I had 5 years ago to start this project anyhow despite the dark economic clouds hanging over the Netherlands (and still hanging there) decided me to keep the name as it is (at least for now).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84397)
In the overview below and for everyone who is interested, I wrote down some considerations and decisions that were made while designing and building ‘Confidence Mansion’ with respect to:
- Acoustics;
Mechanical aspects of the building;
Power supply;
Choice of the electrical power cables;
Separate audio-groups;
Fuse boxes and fuses;
Wall sockets;
Comfort in the dedicated room.
The basis: Acoustics
Being familiar with the phenomenon: ‘listening room with problem frequencies’, this project started by making the decision to build a complete new listening room with a minimum and preferably no problem frequencies. My girlfriend encouraged me to do so, as in my previous situation our living room was for a big part dominated by the Home Theater set-up especially when the Confidence C4’s arrived. This meant however check what is allowable by the local authorities, start with acoustic simulations, go to the blackboard and start building after that your complete garden is empty (including cutting down trees and demolishing previous buildings). After discussions with the local authorities it became clear what the maximum surface and height of the building could be and acoustic simulations started to determine ideal ratios. In my situation a maximum surface of 810 square feet and a maximum height of 14.8 feet were allowed by the local authorities. After knowing these values an iterative process started to find the most ideal ratios for the listening room while also taking into account other wishes and requirements. As a consequence of creating so much space in my backyard and creating an opportunity to completely redecorate the garden also my former garage and shed needed to be demolished and therefore also a part of the 810 square feet should also be suitable as a new shed. It was however also decided not to rebuild the garage, so I sold my Pontiac Fiero GT from 1988 (which I owned for almost 12 years). Within the maximum boundaries available for this listening room length x width x height being (26.3 x 21.3 x 10.5 feet) it appeared that internal dimensions of 24.38 x 19.23 x 9.09 feet would be ideal (meaning approximately 4240 cubic feet effective listening room). The outside dimensions of the complete new building became eventually 35.4 x 21.4 x 14.8 feet (meaning 9360 cubic feet capacity) including a significant space under the roof of this new building (e.g., to story all the audio equipment cases and boxes).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84389)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84390)
Based on these dimensions I contacted an architect to formalize the plans into actual drawings which still needed to be accepted by the local authorities (which succeeded after one iteration => initially they did not like the proposed angle of the roof). Already in this stage of the project it was necessary to take into account the final finishing of the listening room. It was e.g. decided that the walls would be plastered and therefore the internal dimensions between the walls of the structural work were increased slightly to allow a certain thickness of the plasterwork. Also at this point it was decided that a wooden floor would become the finishing touch on the ground and therefore the internal ceiling height was increased by the thickness of the wooden floor. In this case it was decided to use a wooden floor and not for instance laminate or carpet, because the laminate would probably result in a very frequency specific damping and the carpet would probably result in an over-damped listening room (in both situations it is easier to add specific damping than to remove specific damping). To control the broadband reverberation time in the listening room a total of 7 Helmholtz-resonators were designed and build, each with their own specific volume and effective frequency. The frequencies of these Helmholz-resonators are tuned at 46, 50, 63, 71.5, 80, 100 and 122 Hertz (having a total volume of more than 400 cubic feet!). After completing the building of these resonators an actual RT-60 measurement was done to verify and to confirm (lucky me!) that the simulations appeared to be correct. Damping in the listening room above these frequencies is mainly realized by a plastered ceiling that is placed approximately 7.9 inch below the concrete ceiling and which is furthermore filled with acoustic damping material.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84398)
It is furthermore realized and taken into account that symmetry is very important in a listening room. The only asymmetry is caused by the inevitable entrance of the door, but this asymmetry is solved by applying sliding diffusion panels. These panels are slidable for the entrance door when listening to music or watching a movie. Furthermore diffusion panels are added on all first reflection points of the front and rear speakers on all the walls (front wall, side walls and back wall) and also on the ceiling. On the sidewalls near the front speakers so-called RPG diffractals are placed as they have a superior diffusion frequency behavior compared with the other diffusion panels. It should be noted that the in total 64 diffusion panels and the 16 RPG diffractals also have a damping effect that also should be taken into account!
Mechanical aspects of the building
What applies for audio equipment and e.g. audio racks also holds for the building itself. Direct and indirect vibrations that are caused by driving the speakers and subwoofers are preferably not transferred via the floor, walls and ceiling to the other parts of the building and parts inside the listening room that could start resonating. To minimize the excitation of such kind of resonances, special construction measures are applied as discussed below.
First of all, the floor in the listening room on which the speakers and subwoofer towers are placed is substantially dynamically decoupled from the rest of the building. The floor is a directly, by cast concrete, formed free floating plate with a thickness of approximately 7.9 inches and an estimated weight of around 44000 pounds, being spring supported by a thick layer of polystyrene foam that is supported on the fixed world, preventing that vibrations that occur in the floor reach the rest of the building. Furthermore all inner and outer walls in the building are formed by thick and heavy bricks with in between a large cavity that is partly filled with acoustic insulating material, forming a total wall thickness of 12.6 inches whereby there is no direct mechanical connection between the inner wall and the outer wall. Finally, the ceiling of the listening room comprises 4 prefabricated floor parts, which are mutually connected with iron reinforcement material and flooded with cast concrete, consequently forming one massive and very heavy plate. The total thickness of this plate is approximately 8.7 inches having a total weight of around 48500 pounds (in fact the whole listening room is built as a room inside another room and only shares the foundation with the outside wall). All these measures serve the purpose to prevent that the listening room or parts located inside the listening room start to resonate due to vibrations originating from vibration sources inside the room. A second aspect of this mechanical construction is that it also forms a very effective mechanical filter for vibrations that originate from outside the listening room (both for vibrations via the ground, but also via acoustical excitation). A similar construction, but than in an even more extreme embodiment, is present in a special reverberation room at the Philips (NatLab) physical laboratories (located in Waalre, the Netherlands) that is fully acoustically and vibriationally isolated and in which very accurate sound power measurements can be performed (I should know, because I worked there for a few years). Finally the entrance of the listening room is provided with a special selected door, including special glass to make it as sound proof as possible.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84392)
Power supply
At the start of this project some modifications were made to my original power supply to enable the usage of the already available, but not connected, 3 phase power supply being present between the street and the distribution cabinet in my house (meaning e.g. a new power meter, two additional and extra heavy fuses, et cetera). After rebuilding the complete distribution cabinet in my house, the ‘new’ 3 phase power supply was extended to the separate building in my garden to end up in a second (‘3-phase’) distribution cabinet located in the shed. At that location it is measured which of the three phases shows the minimal amount of distortion and that phase is further extended to the dedicated room and only used for the power supply of the, in total eight, audio groups. The remaining two phases are used for e.g. lighting and the other power consumers in the building. The second phase is, as a rule of thumb, mainly used for my home and all lighting in the separate building (including that in the dedicated room) and the various wall sockets and the third phase is used for the (potential) big power consumers such as a dedicated air circulation plant, the central heating boiler and optionally an air conditioner which seems not to be necessary as currently in ‘my part’ of the Netherlands the temperature is about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty extreme, and the temperature inside the listening room remains constant about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84393)
Choice of the electric power cables
Between the distribution cabinet in my home and the distribution cabinet in the separate building use is made of a 5 x 0.056 square inch (~6mm2) Draka Vulta Mb power cable which is unshielded. Between the distribution cabinet in the shed of the separate building and the distribution cabinet in the dedicated room use is made of 3 x 0.056 square inch Draka Vulta Mb. From the latter distribution cabinet 3 x 0.056 square inch Draka Vulta Mb is used to supply the CEE wall sockets and 3 x 0.025 square inch to supply the HMS wall sockets. The CEE and HMS wall sockets can be used to provide power to my audio equipment. The reason why unshielded power cable is used relates to the presence of undesired capacitive effects of such a shielding. Furthermore it is assumed that power cables are mainly the course of crosstalk, so there where no signal carriers are in the neighborhood, it seems not to be meaningful to use shielded power cables. Taking into account that the whole power supply of the dedicated room is set-up spaciously both with respect to volume as power capacity it is possible to locate all power supplying cables far from each other to realize space for all the signal carriers. Furthermore the whole power supply in the dedicated room is, as good as possible, shielded by using a so-called ‘Cage of Faraday’ that is connected to a separate earth contact. At those locations where it becomes impossible to separate power supplying cables and signal carriers (from a practical point of view ‘after’ the wall sockets) well shielded power cables are used to prevent possible crosstalk problems. Incorporating this whole layout of the power supply at the start of this project enabled the realization of this principle idea. The separate earth contact is made of massive copper rods which are mutually connected up to a total length of 30 feet. This earth contact is mounted into the ground directly nearby the power cabinet in the dedicated room.
Separate audio groups
In this dedicated room there are in total 8 separate audio groups available:
Group 1. Amplifiers (left) (maximum 4 pieces) using CEE-form;
Group 2. Amplifiers (right) (maximum 4 pieces) using CEE-form;
Group 3. Amplifiers (left) (maximum 4 pieces) using HMS wall sockets;
Group 4. Amplifiers (right) (maximum 4 pieces) using HMS wall sockets;
Group 5. Subwoofers (maximum 2 pieces) using HMS wall sockets;
Group 6. Analogue sources using HMS wall sockets;
Group 7. Digital sources using HMS wall sockets;
Group 8. Projector directly coupled to the power cabinet.
Fuse boxes and fuses
All eight above mentioned audio groups comprise a ‘HMS Klangmodule 3i’ fuse box including a specially designed so-called ‘flat wire fuse’. Although in the current design of the dedicated room it is always relatively easy to approach these fuse boxes, but maintenance of the fuse boxes is undesired (i.e. ‘polishing the fuses’), it was decided to choose for HMS fuse boxes instead of e.g., alternative Siemens fuse boxes, although the latter fuse boxes are approximately 50% cheaper.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84394)
Wall sockets
The CEE-form wall sockets are wired with 3 x 0.056 square inch (~ 3x6mm2) Draka Vulta MB meaning that these CEE-form audio groups are fully wired with 0.056 square inch electric wires. The HMS wall sockets (type ‘gold-plated’) are electrically wired with 3 x 0.025 square inch (~3x4mm2) simply because there are no audiophile wall sockets (at least as far as I know) suitable for larger diameters of electrical wiring.
...end part I...
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... part II ...
Comfort in the dedicated room
An important aspect that while designing and building a dedicated audiophile/home theater (in my opinion) is often forgotten/neglected is the comfort in such a room (i.e. temperature control and sufficient ventilation). My starting point while realizing this dedicated room was to search and find a good solution enabling me to control the temperature in the room (both cooling and heating) but also to provide enough ventilation (and that for all weather conditions in the Netherlands) without making any compromise with respect to the acoustic properties of the room. A first and straight away choice seems to be to incorporate a complete climate control installation, including amongst others an inner and outer unit to keep the noise levels within specific boundaries. A first drawback of such a system is (in my opinion) the high installation costs but also the high variable costs due to the relatively high power consumption of such a system. The most important reason however not to choose for a climate control installation (taking into account the size of this dedicated room) was the requirement of a 3 phase power supply for such a system which fully contradicts my desire to maintain one dedicated phase for only the eight audio groups. All these undesired aspects forced me to investigate other and better suitable alternatives. Furthermore I didn’t want any radiator on the walls (taking into account the ‘full’ symmetry requirements and the application of diffusion on all the sidewalls). After investigating several options it appeared that the combination of floor heating in combination with a central heating boiler complied with all my desires. Until recently the combination of floor heating in combination with a wooden floor was impossible, but this changed due to the ‘invention’ of the so-called (in Dutch) ‘multi-plank’. These floor parts can be glued directly on a smooth concrete floor and are provided with a thermally conductive bottom layer to enable heating of the dedicated room via the wooden floor. Taking into account the distance between my home and the separate building it was decided to extend the natural gas supply pipe to the separate building instead of extending the hot water supply. This actually means that I now have two different central heating boilers (one located in my house and one in the shed). A radiator in the shed is connected to the latter boiler to heat up the shed wherein e.g. my tools, paint, bikes, turtle, et cetera are stored to keep them frost-free.
For the ventilation of the dedicated room a ventilation system is installed with a maximum capacity of 6400 [cubic feet/hour] (adjustable in three steps). Fresh air is sucked from outside and is blown into the dedicated room via two ventilation gratings in the ceiling at the front side of the room and sucked out from the room via two ventilation gratings in the ceiling at the back of the room. The installation is further provided with an adjustable heat exchanger to control the energy balance and to prevent undesired energy loss to the environment. By using a time controlled thermostat the installation is configured in such a way that during the nightly hours extra ventilation occurs to force extra fresh air in the dedicated room when it is not used. Possible undesired noise production/vibrations caused by this installation are prevented by supporting the whole installation on dampers with respect to the rest of the building and furthermore by providing several sound silencers in the inlet and outlet channels of this installation. All these measures result in a non-observable noise level in de dedicated room (even not when it is completely silent in the room).
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=84395)
This is just a ‘short’ summary. If you are interested in more details… more than 5 years ago I started a thread on a Dutch ‘HT-forum’ (see http://www.htforum.nl/yabbse/index.php?topic=75065.0) where a lot more pictures are shown (including a lot of discussion, but unfortunately in Dutch).
Hopefully this pursuit in striving for the ‘max’ motivates also other audiophiles to do the same.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly or via a private message.
Best regards,
Jan (a.k.a. ‘Jean Sibelius’)
The Netherlands
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Hello Jean,
I just wanted to say that is a beautiful and well thought out system and room.
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:o
Awesome build. I like all you have done and the size is great as well. Looks like a good reason to visit the Netherlands.
Rocket_Ronny
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:o
Awesome build. I like all you have done and the size is great as well. Looks like a good reason to visit the Netherlands.
Rocket_Ronny
X2. Couldn't agree more! Phenomenal. When is the open house? :lol:
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Hi Jean,
That is one fantastic system! The first thing that strikes me is how similar the array of vertically mirrored drivers introduced by Albert with your VR10 system is to his current VR11 and his recently introduced VR100 designs. That configuration produces an amazingly enveloping soundstage that I'm sure you're enjoying.
I'm certainly impreessed with your no holds barred power feed to the system. I've only recently started to upgrade that aspect of my system. Of course I've been using power conditioners, but I'm only now appreciating how much improvement is to be had with addressing the power supply further upstream. Results include a lower noise floor with wider dynamics, faster transients, and more definition to the gamut of instrumental signatures.
Again congratulations on your system and thanks much for the in-depth coverage.
Best regards,
Robert
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Wonderful room and system! Thanks for sharing all of the details.
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Yet another room I would love to visit! :thumb:
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Great system - congrats and thanks for sharing
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I suspect that Dynaudio center channel is on it's way out! :lol:
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Jean
Let me echo the sentiments of others - superb room and thank you so much for taking the time to share so much info with us. I think we need to organize a VSA Circle Tour of Europe to hear some of these systems that are being shared here.
Welcome aboard!
P.
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Hello Jean,
I just wanted to say that is a beautiful and well thought out system and room.
Thanks Bill for the compliment. Really appreciate your response! :D
:o
Awesome build. I like all you have done and the size is great as well. Looks like a good reason to visit the Netherlands.
Rocket_Ronny
Thank you Ronny! If you are once in the neighborhood, please let me know (but there of course also other good reasons to visit the Netherlands and/or Europe) :)
X2. Couldn't agree more! Phenomenal. When is the open house? :lol:
LOL. Hi Donald, thanks! I predict that if I tell my girlfriend that people are willing to travel from the US to the Netherlands, that it is always open house. But as also responded to Ronny, if you are once in the neighborhood and willing to pay me a visit, something can and will be arranged. This doesn’t happen so many times :green:.
Hi Jean,
That is one fantastic system! The first thing that strikes me is how similar the array of vertically mirrored drivers introduced by Albert with your VR10 system is to his current VR11 and his recently introduced VR100 designs. That configuration produces an amazingly enveloping soundstage that I'm sure you're enjoying.
Hi Robert. Really great that you also respond in this topic! Albert told me once that this VR10-MKII system is indeed an ‘earlier’ version of the VR11 and your VR100-system enveloping a similar soundstage whereas (of course) the latter two systems use even more sophisticated drivers, components and materials that outclass the VR10-system (but I don’t complain). I can only imagine how the VR100’s sound in your situation, but it can only be awesome.
I'm certainly impreessed with your no holds barred power feed to the system. I've only recently started to upgrade that aspect of my system. Of course I've been using power conditioners, but I'm only now appreciating how much improvement is to be had with addressing the power supply further upstream. Results include a lower noise floor with wider dynamics, faster transients, and more definition to the gamut of instrumental signatures.
Great to hear! It took me while to discuss and to filter out all facts and myths with respect to the power feed, but it is indeed really something that can lift the performance of an audio system (in every price range), but it is unfortunately something that is many times forgotten or neglected. I can confirm all the results and effects that you mention above, so it’s really worth the time and effort.
Again congratulations on your system and thanks much for the in-depth coverage.
Best regards,
Robert
Thank you, really appreciate your response. And hope to see more of your system and your experiences about it.
Wonderful room and system! Thanks for sharing all of the details.
Thank you Holli! Your thread of your VR9-MKII system here on audiocircle was my inspiration for starting this one myself.
Really love your system and the acoustic treatment of your room!
Yet another room I would love to visit! :thumb:
Thank you Jack. If you are once in the neighborhood I will be delighted to receive you and give you a tour and an impression of the performance of the system.
I suspect that Dynaudio center channel is on it's way out! :lol:
It is indeed placed aside and now for sole :D
Jean
Let me echo the sentiments of others - superb room and thank you so much for taking the time to share so much info with us. I think we need to organize a VSA Circle Tour of Europe to hear some of these systems that are being shared here.
Welcome aboard!
P.
Thanks again for your enthusiastic responses! If you are in the neighborhoud, let me know.
I’m currently in the phase of getting the maximum of the system (Albert is a great help with this on the background). After that I will start further optimizing the integration with my rear speakers to improve the surround experience. For the time being I will use my Dynaudio Confidence C4’s for that. As soon as all the ‘gear’ is positioned at fixed positions a friend of my will make new pictures as the current pictures show this dedicated room with my Dynaudio Confidence speakers (which is of corse inappropriate in a Von Schweikert circle) :)
Best regards,
Jan
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Great looking stuff Jan.
I have some older VSA surround speakers and a rocking VSA LCR-31 center channel. Not sure how well it would integrate with newer VSA gear, but shoot me a PM if you are interested. No room for HT in my current set-up...
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Jan,
I hope it came across that my comment about the Dynaudio center channel was tongue in cheek! I marvel at the effort and thought you have put into your system. For the money spent, my VR 33's sound pretty wonderful, I can only imagine how great your system must sound.
Rich
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Hej Jan,
How far away are you from Amsterdam? Whenever I go to Europe I fly KLM and thus have Schiphol as my hub. I always make it a point to at least stay a couple of nights before flying back home.
Jack
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Great looking stuff Jan.
I have some older VSA surround speakers and a rocking VSA LCR-31 center channel. Not sure how well it would integrate with newer VSA gear, but shoot me a PM if you are interested. No room for HT in my current set-up...
Thank you Roscoeiii also for your offer! In the meantime Ceedee offered me to borrow his VSA LCR 4 center channel once to find out if I like it and/or still need a center channel given my current set-up (the VR10-MK2’s alone provide already a very impressive sound stage). Maybe the future brings you a room suitable for HT (also here it ‘happened’ quite suddenly).
Jan,
I hope it came across that my comment about the Dynaudio center channel was tongue in cheek! I marvel at the effort and thought you have put into your system. For the money spent, my VR 33's sound pretty wonderful, I can only imagine how great your system must sound.
Rich
Hi Rich, no problem and thanks for the compliment! Until now this is really the only picture I made so far from the system (somewhere in the end of May). As colleague VS owners we are both in the lucky position having great sound systems! :D
Hej Jan,
How far away are you from Amsterdam? Whenever I go to Europe I fly KLM and thus have Schiphol as my hub. I always make it a point to at least stay a couple of nights before flying back home.
Jack
Hi Jack. It is about 130 km in the direction to the South East from Amsterdam Schiphol. I still need some time to squeeze out everything out of my system, but if you are here in the neighborhood (later this year?) and willing to travel to pay me a visit, I will be glad to welcome you. Would be great!
Best regards,
Jan
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this is an amazing room , with lot of details well thought about.....i hope to see it some day...
i think this is the gold standard for room treatment...
V
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Hello All,
I have been in this room lately to be at help tuning the system together with Koen getting the system still higher on 'the stairway to heaven'.
Boy what a room, Jean built it with his own hands !
With a little help from Albert as Jean mentioned.
Next time visit we try again the next step up.
See you at X-fi first?
http://www.facebook.com/xfishow?fref=ts
http://x-fi-audioshow.nl/
All the best,
Cor
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It took a while before posting/preparing my next post, but it took a while to get the set-up at 'the next level'.
Currently I'm a very very satified Von Schweikert user!!!
After the initial placement in May last year, it took some time before finding the 'optimal' placement for the maintowers and subtowers of the system.
For the subtowers a DSP is now added enabling full correction of undesired room acoustics.
Herewith some new pics... Next step: further improvement of the electronics :D
Best regards,
Jan
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93598)
the subtowers in the corners with 90 degrees toe-in (you can hardly see them) resulted already in a very smooth frequency response.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93599)
but they are really there :green:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93600)
my previous speakers are now used as surround speakers
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Hello Jean,
Congratulations on the finalization of your dream system! Your room and overall system design is an amazing sight from just looking at your updated photos. Is the sound quality giving you "goose bumps" with each listening session? I'll be sure to stop by for a listen when I visit my partner in Netherlands, Cor Dekker, in a few months. He has told me that you have done an extremely good job of setting this room up and he is very excited to have you as a new client.
Happy Listening!
A.V.S.
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Hello Jean,
Congratulations on the finalization of your dream system! Your room and overall system design is an amazing sight from just looking at your updated photos. Is the sound quality giving you "goose bumps" with each listening session? I'll be sure to stop by for a listen when I visit my partner in Netherlands, Cor Dekker, in a few months. He has told me that you have done an extremely good job of setting this room up and he is very excited to have you as a new client.
Happy Listening!
A.V.S.
Dear Albert,
Thank you for your reaction and your compliments! I’m very happy with Cor and the way he advised me while improving the performance of the speaker setup. Currently I am indeed extremely satisfied with the way the system performs and ‘goose bumps’ occur on regular basis. The most impressing experience I still have on a daily basis is the effortless performance of the system, its liveliness and the ability to reveal so much details over the whole frequency range without getting fatigued even after hours of listening.
For me it would be a honour if you would visit my room together with Cor and you are of course more that welcome together. If you have a (rough) idea about the timing, please let me know and I will make sure to stay in the neighbourhood (i.e. not plan a holiday around that time). :D
Best regards,
Jean
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If Albert does visit we expect lots of photos documenting the event. Hey Cor, perhaps even some HD video as well :thumb:
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It took a while before posting/preparing my next post, but it took a while to get the set-up at 'the next level'.
Currently I'm a very very satified Von Schweikert user!!!
After the initial placement in May last year, it took some time before finding the 'optimal' placement for the maintowers and subtowers of the system.
For the subtowers a DSP is now added enabling full correction of undesired room acoustics.
Herewith some new pics... Next step: further improvement of the electronics :D
Best regards,
Jan
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93598)
the subtowers in the corners with 90 degrees toe-in (you can hardly see them) resulted already in a very smooth frequency response.
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93599)
but they are really there :green:
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=93600)
my previous speakers are now used as surround speakers
Hi Jean,
awesome system along with story behind putting it all together - thanks for sharing :)
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After a few months of no postings in this topic, time for an update :D
If Albert does visit we expect lots of photos documenting the event. Hey Cor, perhaps even some HD video as well :thumb:
Unfortunately Albert did not visit my room yet, so no update on that; but Albert if you are reading this: if you are in the neighbourhood you are of course still more than welcome together with Cor (if you still like).
awesome system along with story behind putting it all together - thanks for sharing :)
Thank you for the compliment and more than welcome! :thumb:
After a lot of listening sessions after starting this thread, I’m now very confident that I will boost the audio performance even above ‘goose bump’ level. In the coming month, I will add new electronics to my system that will improve the performance of my VR10-MKII’s to (hopefully) but more in general the complete audioreproduction of the set-up to unimaginable levels of realism. I will keep you updated.
Best regards,
Jean
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A friend of my was so nice to create a panorama picture of this room, hereby the result(s)
(note: the VS subtowers are positioned in the corners)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=106361)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=106364)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=106368)
Best regards,
Jean
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Wow, looks amazing! :thumb: Thanks for posting!
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Wow, looks amazing! :thumb: Thanks for posting!
Thank you Dave and you are more than welcome :thumb:.
Last Friday I placed an purchase order for a Trinnov Altitude32 pre-processor. After experiencing the stereo version in my listening room (the Trinnov Amethyst) I immediately knew that this would be my next purchase. In my opinion this is the first pre-processor system (incl. DSP) that is fully able to correct over the full frequency range without making compromises to the live experience.
What we noted is that although the phase behavior of the VR10-MKII's is very very good (compliments to AVS! 8)), it is not perfect. Using the capabilities of the Trinnov and the 3D microphone, it appeared to be possible to create a 'monster-size' speaker system (like the VR10's) with a perfect time behaviour. The result is astonishing when you considered music reproduction.
Still 3 weeks to wait before it arrives in the Confidence Mansion, but it is worth every second!
Best regards,
Jan
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The delivery date of the Trinnov Altitude32 is finally confirmed. :D (being December 4th, 2014).
Count down has begun. Still 8 days before I hear the VR10-MKII's absolutely time-coherent over the full frequency range 8) (can't wait)
Best regards, Jean
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Dear fellow Von Schweikert enthusiasts,
Yes! Thursday December 4th, I (finally) received my Trinnov Altitude32 processor/optimizer. This was also reason for a small celebration at the Benelux distributor as I’m the first private person in the Netherlands that purchased and received this new type of gear :thumb:.
In comparison with my previous pre-/processor, several things changed in a (very) positive way. 1) Improved pre-amplifier; 2) Improved DAC-boards; 3) Ability to play the highest resolution audio files (up to and including studio master quality); 4) No compromise, full-range amplitude and phase compensation, via the built-in Trinnov Optimizer; 5) Fully balanced design (i.e. now using XLR-cables to connect all the amplifiers).
In this set-up, I now use seven balanced outputs from the Trinnov Altitude32. The Von Schweikert VR10-system is bi-amped with four mono-amplifiers (so requiring four outputs in total), 2 outputs are used for the rear speakers (Dynaudio Confidence C4’s) and 1 output is used for the Velodyne DD-18 (handling the LFE-signal).
A very nice feature that comes with this Trinnov is the 3D-microphone that enables to measure both amplitude and phase at the same time. This allows the Trinnov optimizer to correct both amplitude and phase simultaneously, enabling to eliminate irregularities due to room acoustics and audio-equipment without any disadvantages (as generally applicable when using DSP’s). After setting up the calibration microphone, the actual measurement (even for a surround set-up) only takes a few minutes. Calculating and updating all the filter settings per speaker is only a matter of a few seconds. In the meantime I played with several filter settings (e.g. 3 up to 24 filters per octave, limiters, …) providing more or less correction of these irregularities. The optimizer also provides the possibility to set a ‘target curve’ (e.g. boost the frequency response a little bit in the lower frequencies while decreasing the frequency response at the highest frequencies to eliminate the sharpness in the sound). Such type of correction is preferred if you initially correct the frequency response up to 20kHz at the same level as the level set at 20Hz :D. The Trinnov allows storage of a total of 29 pre-sets, so in practice there is enough room to experiment and to determine which setting(s) suits best.
My first impression is an incredible tight and colorless response without affecting the liveliness in the music. If you close your eyes female singers are just standing a few feet from my couch. Overall the music sounds very natural (e.g. bass, guitar, …) and live performance is perceived as very live. Very difficult instruments like e.g. piano are reproduced up to a level that I (until now) never heard before here in the Confidence Mansion or even on any other system (and I heard a lot in the last 30 years!).
At this side of the world, a really very very happy audio enthusiastic! :D :D
Best regards,
Jean
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That's awesome Jean! I'm using a now antiquated Marantz pre-pro in my HT. I am getting a bit itchy. If you don't mind my asking, what is the retail for the Altitude32?
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Hello Jean,
Your room is progressing nicely; it is beautiful and very well designed! I'll bet your new processor will work some magic and I can't wait to hear this unit.
I apologize for not coming to see you sooner, but I was unable to leave my factory this summer as I had to design several new models and finish a new " super speaker" for a client who owns our VR-11SE Mk2. I've been working on the client's custom model, called VR-111 XS, for two years and am very close to having the complete design assembled and tested. We will publish a set of photos prior to shipping them, but there are some basic photos published by The Absolute Sound magazine in their latest Recommended Components Issue.
Two months ago, there was also a shorter version published on the TAS website called "Robert Harley Visit's Albert Von Schweikert's Design Studio." We provide a link to the article from our website News Page. Jean, you might find it interesting that the VR-111 XS resembles the system architecture of your VR-10 Mk2, which I designed back in 1987 and built on a custom basis for clients all over the world. Although we altered the system to a single tower per side in the VR-11 SE Mk2 in 2004, the basic concept is similar to that design as well.
The VR-10 Mk2 was a simplified version in basic black that we marketed for home theater use, although we found that most the systems ended up in two channel systems. I believe you have the only pair of them in your country and we are quite proud that you have taken this design to new heights of quality with your fantastic room and dedication!
I will try to visit you and Cor when I'm at the upcoming Munich show in Germany in a few months. Let us plan ahead!
Happy Listening,
AVS
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That's awesome Jean! I'm using a now antiquated Marantz pre-pro in my HT. I am getting a bit itchy. If you don't mind my asking, what is the retail for the Altitude32?
Hi Jack. Thanks! I had the same feeling with my previous Arcam AV8 pre-pro which originates from the Jurassic Park time period :wink:. Nevertheless I still like the sound of it, so it will move back to the living room. I expect that Dutch people have some advantage regarding the retail price as the distance between the Netherlands and France (and back) is ‘easily’ drivable within only one day. Based on the retail prince in the Netherlands and assuming that you also want your own 3D-microphone, the basic 8-channel version of the Altitude32 is about $25K based on the current currency rate Euro/USD. If you want more output channels and/or e.g. Dolby Atmos/Auro 3D on board the Altitude32 becomes more expensive.
Hello Jean,
Your room is progressing nicely; it is beautiful and very well designed! I'll bet your new processor will work some magic and I can't wait to hear this unit.
Thanks Albert! I realize that I still not reached the maximum potential of the set-up, but I’m getting closer and closer (and as you know good things take time, like the VR-111 XS). This new processor and all the improvements and capabilities that come with it are indeed a significant step in the good direction.
I apologize for not coming to see you sooner, but I was unable to leave my factory this summer as I had to design several new models and finish a new " super speaker" for a client who owns our VR-11SE Mk2. I've been working on the client's custom model, called VR-111 XS, for two years and am very close to having the complete design assembled and tested. We will publish a set of photos prior to shipping them, but there are some basic photos published by The Absolute Sound magazine in their latest Recommended Components Issue.
No problem :wink:. This allowed me in the meantime to improve the set-up (even) further :D. Just read the article and this looks like an amazing piece of work. Any ideas if you are going to add the VR-111 XS to the Von Schweikert catalogue or will this pair obtain the status of a unique piece in the world? Do I understand correctly that each woofer requires its own amplifier? (i.e. are 8 mono-amplifiers required to drive the two subtowers?)
Two months ago, there was also a shorter version published on the TAS website called "Robert Harley Visit's Albert Von Schweikert's Design Studio." We provide a link to the article from our website News Page. Jean, you might find it interesting that the VR-111 XS resembles the system architecture of your VR-10 Mk2, which I designed back in 1987 and built on a custom basis for clients all over the world. Although we altered the system to a single tower per side in the VR-11 SE Mk2 in 2004, the basic concept is similar to that design as well.
It is indeed interesting and very special to realize that for a speaker system with absolutely no compromises (like the VR-111 XS) you went back to the system architecture of the VR-10 MK2 that enables bi-amping the four cabinets with a set of four mono-amplifiers (class-A/B for the main towers and class-D for the sub towers). In my perception I still consider the VR-10 MK2’s as speakers without any compromises (hope to stay in that ‘fantasy’ world for quite a while).
The VR-10 Mk2 was a simplified version in basic black that we marketed for home theater use, although we found that most the systems ended up in two channel systems. I believe you have the only pair of them in your country and we are quite proud that you have taken this design to new heights of quality with your fantastic room and dedication!
Thanks for your compliments and of course I really like to do this kind of exercises as part of the hobby! If was I informed correctly there is indeed only one system in the Netherlands and there appears to be one system in the United Kingdom (so with only two speaker systems in Europe making it quite unique). Are there any plans to create a center speaker that matches with these type of speakers and set-ups (VR10, VR11, VR 100, …)? Although I do not really miss a center speaker in the current set-up I’m still pretty confident that it would complete the surround experience even further. Those centers that I had and tried did more bad than good. So, if a matching center comes on the market, I really might be interested.
I will try to visit you and Cor when I'm at the upcoming Munich show in Germany in a few months. Let us plan ahead!
Happy Listening,
AVS
Sounds great! I’m also planning to go to High-End Munich next year with a few friends. Let’s keep in contact so that we can try to align our visits. I expect to fly on Friday May 15th to Munch and to fly back on Sunday May 17th (but this still needs to be confirmed with the other guys).
Best regards,
Jean
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Yowza! Quite a bit over my budget! :? I shall live vicariously through you Jean. I'm looking forward to your impressions when you've got everything dialed in :thumb:
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Nice to hear your first user comments from Altitude32. I would be curious to ask what will be your main signalling way (for music) alternatives into Altitude. Analog XLR or HDMI or USB bit perfect from a server. Movies with HDMI is the way but what are the possibilities from a music server that has usb output ?
How was the XO frequency selected for the VSA bass towers in Altitude ? - preselect frequency with proposed slope in Altitude or did the system analyze the best XO frequency by itself ? Just wondering because the towers must have their own inbuilt XOs also. So how to do it in Altitude or was it mainly finetuning the levels, room modes and phasing in digital domain ?
Great system and tailoring the biamp curve for the sub towers and house curve for the system must be a great opportunity. Please keep on posting more comments and would be great to see the before after graphs from screen for response & phase measurements.
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Yowza! Quite a bit over my budget! :? I shall live vicariously through you Jean. I'm looking forward to your impressions when you've got everything dialed in :thumb:
Hi Jack. I realize that the thing in itself is not cheap, but taking into account all the functions it combines (e.g. pre/dac/pro/optimizer/…) it is even ‘cheaper’ than to create a dedicated stereo and surround set-up (which was also something I considered for a while) including all the required cabling. I give myself until the summer of 2015 to learn ‘everything’ about this Altitude32 and to integrate it with the rest of the set-up (incl. some possible minor upgrades) up to optimal performance. Sounds like a long time, but unfortunately I currently don’t have much time to spend on the hobby (although my fingers itch).
Nice to hear your first user comments from Altitude32. I would be curious to ask what will be your main signalling way (for music) alternatives into Altitude. Analog XLR or HDMI or USB bit perfect from a server. Movies with HDMI is the way but what are the possibilities from a music server that has usb output ?
In the current set-up, I still use analog XLR’s, HDMI and a coaxial digital cable between my main source (an Oppo bdp-95) and the Trinnov. The digital connections in the Oppo are set at bitstream out and no secondary audio signal. The main reason is that my previous pre/pro (an Arcam AV8) did not have XLR nor HDMI inputs. So I invested in a ‘more than good’ coaxial digital cable but I realize that the current XLR’s and the HDMI-cable that I use are good and reasonable priced (but definitely not top of the bill). I have not tested USB bit perfect as I don’t have a server (yet). Still on my ‘buck-list’, but no priority at this moment.
How was the XO frequency selected for the VSA bass towers in Altitude ? - preselect frequency with proposed slope in Altitude or did the system analyze the best XO frequency by itself ? Just wondering because the towers must have their own inbuilt XOs also. So how to do it in Altitude or was it mainly finetuning the levels, room modes and phasing in digital domain ?
Before switching over to this Trinnov Altitude32 I used modified miniDSPs to (fine-)tune the frequency response of the sub towers. The final XO frequency and the slope in that situation were selected based on months of intensive experiments and listening. The same XO and slope is now chosen in the Trinnov as default. Note that it is possible to by-pass the XO in the towers which is now done in my situation (the Altitude32 is in full control of what happens and the same applies with respect to the control of my Velodyne DD-18 (no XO); all control is done via the Altitude32). To keep things simple, the XO is the only thing that needs to be set in advance before starting the calibration; the rest of the calibration is done by Trinnov and the 3D microphone. After that you can go completely bananas with whatever you want to do in the digital domain.
Great system and tailoring the biamp curve for the sub towers and house curve for the system must be a great opportunity. Please keep on posting more comments and would be great to see the before after graphs from screen for response & phase measurements.
Absolutely! But also a lot of things (still) need to be tested, including some more rigorous alternatives like the amount of toe-in and the position of the subtowers. So a lot of work, but it will definitely pay off all the effort.
Best regards,
Jean
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Congrats Jean, excellent effort, excellent looking system and setup.................. :drool:
Regards..
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Congrats Jean, excellent effort, excellent looking system and setup.................. :drool:
Regards..
Thanks for the compliments! :D
I took a while, but 'finally' some new pictures of the set-up. Still extremely happy 8)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111574)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111575)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111576)
(http://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=111577)
Best regards,
Jan
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Jean, Thanks for keeping us informed. It is educational and inspirational!
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Dear VS-lovers,
A long period has passed since my last post in this topic.
In the meantime a lot has happened wherein I experimented a lot, really a lot since I purchased the Trinnov Altitude32. The Von Schweikert VR10-system is now separately driven as a four tower system, each tower is provided with its own mono-amplifier, whereby in the Trinnov the crossover frequency, the type of filter and the slope of that filter are programmed (i.e. I use 4 output channels on the Trinnov to drive the system).
After first getting more familiar with the system and learning more about the options, a more stepwise approach was implemented. In summary: 25 different presets were simulated, measured and verified via actual listening (each preset having a certain crossover frequency and using a filter type/slope combination for the sub towers and the main towers that based on actual measurements on the hotspot appeared to be promising). The Trinnov automatically calibrates/compensates for the gain difference and calculates the delay(!) between the towers on 1/100st of a millisecond accurately. After choosing the most promising starting point, I further improved my calibration skills and based on a very reliable set of calibration measurements further tweaked the more advanced options, like the so-called ‘limiter curve’ (i.e. a frequency dependent boundary to indicate/select how much attenuation and suppression are allowed by the optimization filters). The real cherry on the pie is the tweaking of the ‘target curve’. This allows a frequency dependent adaptation of the final frequency response that is desired (in steps of 0.1dB). Without the Trinnov this kind of tweaking is comparable with experimenting with e.g. cables to boost or suppress a certain frequency range, but this is much faster and controllable.
In the end this whole process took me 11 months. My conclusion (if you want the best performance) is that the first step should always be to tweak the system (positioning of the speakers, toe-in, level settings on the VR10’s) as much as possible to the desired outcome.
Only after that (mis)use the Trinnov to compensate for all the remaining ‘issues’.
Also some new gear was added to the set-up (Oppo bdp-105D, Crystal Cable XLR’s, NAS, Network cables and tweaks). A software update of the Trinnov Altitude32 in March of this year enables me to stream (multi-channel high resolution up to 192kHz 24 bit) directly from a NAS to the Trinnov (the only connection in between are two CAT-cables and a switch). In my situation this is the preferred way to listen to music, so I started with ripping all my CD’s.
Best regards,
Jean (a very Happy Von Schweikert listener)
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I visited Jean recently,
Jean's system is beautiful balanced now.
Very relaxing.
Enjoy the music Jean.
All the best,
Cor
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Our systems are similar -= I also have the Oppo105 :lol: Congratulations on such a beautiful system
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I visited Jean recently,
Jean's system is beautiful balanced now.
Very relaxing.
Enjoy the music Jean.
All the best,
Cor
Hi Cor,
Thank you for your compliments. It was great to have you over at ‘The Mansion’.
Once again thank you very much for your service, dedication, patience and persistence in having my power amplifiers getting repaired, although it was a tough job for you to obtain a new class-D power module.
Without you the system could never have sounded so balanced as now.
Best regards,
Jan
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Our systems are similar -= I also have the Oppo105 :lol: Congratulations on such a beautiful system
:D
Thank you very much! As you also own Von Schweikert speakers your system should sound great! :)
Best regards,
Jan
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Jean - to my ears The VSA Aktives took my system to a wonderful level of realism. I would love to hear the music that emerges out of your fabulous setup.
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Hi all,
It is a long time ago that I posted something in this topic. Still enjoying my VS VR-10. Still on the quest for new power amplifiers. I will visit the Highend in Munich within two weeks and reserved a lot of time to listen to the Von Schweikert with VAC amplifier setup 😊.
Best regards, Jan
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One of my goals to visit the High-End Munich was to meet Damon and the experience how the VR11's would perform while driven by the VAC Statement 450 IQ's. As this was all a great succes, it was made possible to have the VAC Signature 200 IQ's in my own home situation for about 3 weeks.
I can only confirm that these amplifiers are a beautiful match with my Von Schweikerts. Next monday this will go back. Still some brands to experience, but for now these are on the top of my list as possible replacements for my current amplifiers.
Best regards, Jan
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=183268)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=183269)
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Dear Fellow VSA-enthusiasts,
After a period of almost two years of experiencing the impact of various amplifier types and brands in my system, I recently became the proud owner of a pair of brand-new power amplifiers to drive the maintowers of my Von Schweikert VR10 MK2 system.
After evaluating (including rigorous testing in my own set-up) types like: Soulution 501’s, Nagra HD’s, Mod-Wright KWA 150 SE’s, TAD m600’s, Goldmund 1000+’s, CH-precision A1’s and the Alieno vacuum tube amplifier, eventually the VAC Signature 200 IQ mono’s appeared to be the best match with my system :D.
Last year at the High-End München I spoke with Damian von Schweikert and learnt that he is also owning a pair of Signature 200 IQ’s to drive his VR9’s, so in the end it is not a total surprise that the VAC amplifiers would eventually stay.
Currently the tubes of the VAC’s are still running in until they reach the recommended 200 hours and after that I will use all the features of my Trinnov Altitude32 to optimize the performance of my system even further. My previous power amplifiers (Parasound JC-1’s) are now driving the subtowers, already resulting in an even more controlled and faster (low)bass response.
Still a lot to experiment, measure, listen and enjoy, but I’m already very happy with these new amplifiers.
Herewith some first quick snapshots. When I have new/better pictures I will upload these in this topic.
Best regards, Jan
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192872)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192873)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192874)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192875)
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Love the Spidey and TRex!
Thanks for sharing in on your experiences.
Best,
Anand.
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Congrats on finding a happy amplifier match for your loudspeakers! I know how frustrating it can be. It took three amplifier changes to find the right combination for my speakers. Happy listening!
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192917)
VAC works for me too :thumb:
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Love the Spidey and TRex!
Thanks for sharing in on your experiences.
Best,
Anand.
Thank you Anand. I also like the spidey and Trex, especially as I received those from my wife as a gift. The rest of the set-up I had to pay myself :lol:
Best regards, Jan
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Congrats on finding a happy amplifier match for your loudspeakers! I know how frustrating it can be. It took three amplifier changes to find the right combination for my speakers. Happy listening!
Thanks SlushPuppy,
It took me almost two years to find this best match. I tried several combinations and for me this was the best match (but still some kind of compromise).
The tubes are now at 200+ hours. Now some additional tweaking can start using the Trinnov Altitude.
Best regards, Jan
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192917)
VAC works for me too :thumb:
Very nice set-up Holli! Before making some stupid remarks, which components do I see on the picture? (I recognize of course Von Schweikert and VAC) :thumb:
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Very nice set-up Holli! Before making some stupid remarks, which components do I see on the picture? (I recognize of course Von Schweikert and VAC) :thumb:
Sorry for the delay. Been offline for a few days. I'm mostly digital for my music but enjoy occasional analogue. Too lazy to deal with vinyl everyday.
My system:
VAC Phi Beta 110 Integrated amplifier
Kaleidescape server for digital
Theta Gen VIII for D/A
Rega planar 10 for analogue
Von Schweikert VR-9 mk II
Analysis plus Oval 8 for cables/interconnects.
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hi hollis
VSA mark 11`s still looking stunning in your dedicated room, not tempted to move the ultra 9`s....
noticed a new vinyl unit in the system,
must take the sound to a much higher level
any noticeable difference with the digital....was awesome when i visited
cheers
sam
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hi hollis
VSA mark 11`s still looking stunning in your dedicated room, not tempted to move the ultra 9`s....
noticed a new vinyl unit in the system,
must take the sound to a much higher level
any noticeable difference with the digital....was awesome when i visited
cheers
sam
Hi Sam
I'm really enjoying my system. Since you visited I demolished the stage to allow the speakers to move further into the room. I also placed the amp and power supply on footers. Those changes have really improved the sound. The vinyl setup gets some occasional work but I'm lazy so still mostly listening to digital.
Rodney
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=194448)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=194450)
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What are the round things on top of the Parasound amps?
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What are the round things on top of the Parasound amps?
Those are the dampers that come with the Artesania aire audioracks. These are the so-called mk3 dampers. Still not decided if I also will buy two aire racks for the Parasounds. The dampers are on the VACs in the meantime.
Best regards, Jan
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Hi Rodney
System looks even better with refurb with better speakers placement and the tweeters at the ear height
I am sure it sounds stunning.....was stunning even when I visited
Here I am still very happy with my mark2’s
Still to decide on medium prized tt ....strange the phono stage has been ideal for 2 years.....hope to cleanup by summer
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Herewith some new and better pictures of the system. Currently tweaking the system using the possibilities of the Trinnov and Roon.
Best regards, Jan
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=197043)
Front view of the set-up
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=197044)
Side view of the set-up
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=197046)
Close-up of the set-up
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Beautiful! That must sound incredible! Are you using the Trinnov as your preamp for two channel as well? Have you tried a VAC preamp instead?
Boy, at some point, I’ll have to get a 200iQ for my system.
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Beautiful! That must sound incredible! Are you using the Trinnov as your preamp for two channel as well? Have you tried a VAC preamp instead?
Boy, at some point, I’ll have to get a 200iQ for my system.
Thank you for your compliment. Currently the system is, in my opinion, playing at a level of combined musicality and accuracy that I consider to be very rare in view of all the systems that I experienced in the last 30 years. Nevertheless, it is still music reproduction and not the real thing (and it will never be).
I use the Trinnov indeed also as pre-amplifier for 2-channel. There was a long time that I was thinking about two different set-ups: one for stereo and one for multichannel. After evaluating the Trinnov I considered it being so good, that I decided to proceed with only one set-up (that was more than 4 years ago).
I experienced VAC last year at the high-end in Munich (VS VR11 + VAC 450 IQ’s) after already evaluating many other power amplifiers in my own system. Eventually the Signature 200 IQ’s appeared to be the best match in my system in view of all my preferences.
Although a VAC pre-amplifiers seems to be tempting, I will not proceed that path as I do not use any analogue source and will not proceed in that direction and furthermore the Von Schweikert system is a 4 tower system (2 x main tower and 2 x bass tower; so four mono amplifiers), which is nearly impossible to properly drive without using all the features within the Trinnov, like active crossover sections, delays, cross over filters, et cetera. After four months I am still tweaking the Trinnov to get the most music out of my system.
If you have the possibility the get a (pair of) 200 IQ(’s), go for it! I can not imagine that you will ever regret such a decision.
Best regards, Jan
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(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=192917)
VAC works for me too :thumb:
Out with the old, in with the new 8)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=199561)
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Thank you for your compliment. Currently the system is, in my opinion, playing at a level of combined musicality and accuracy that I consider to be very rare in view of all the systems that I experienced in the last 30 years. Nevertheless, it is still music reproduction and not the real thing (and it will never be).
I use the Trinnov indeed also as pre-amplifier for 2-channel. There was a long time that I was thinking about two different set-ups: one for stereo and one for multichannel. After evaluating the Trinnov I considered it being so good, that I decided to proceed with only one set-up (that was more than 4 years ago).
I experienced VAC last year at the high-end in Munich (VS VR11 + VAC 450 IQ’s) after already evaluating many other power amplifiers in my own system. Eventually the Signature 200 IQ’s appeared to be the best match in my system in view of all my preferences.
Although a VAC pre-amplifiers seems to be tempting, I will not proceed that path as I do not use any analogue source and will not proceed in that direction and furthermore the Von Schweikert system is a 4 tower system (2 x main tower and 2 x bass tower; so four mono amplifiers), which is nearly impossible to properly drive without using all the features within the Trinnov, like active crossover sections, delays, cross over filters, et cetera. After four months I am still tweaking the Trinnov to get the most music out of my system.
If you have the possibility the get a (pair of) 200 IQ(’s), go for it! I can not imagine that you will ever regret such a decision.
Best regards, Jan
Hi Jean,
I love my IQ 200 VAC's! Let me know when your ready to take those speakers to an entirely different playing field 8)
I can only imagine how those sound with the VAC's
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Hi Jean,
I love my IQ 200 VAC's! Let me know when your ready to take those speakers to an entirely different playing field 8)
I can only imagine how those sound with the VAC's
Thanks. I can only confirm that Von Schweikert and VAC is just an awesome combination. At this moment there is no need or feeling that I still want to change anything to the setup, which is very relaxing. Just focus on enjoying the content which is possible via my NAS and a subscription to Qobuz sublime.
Best regards, Jan
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Hi everyone,
In the meantime a lot changed in my set-up, but the Von Schweikert VR10’s are still there :D.
I am curious if there are more VS-enthousiasts who have a surround set-up (especially having larger VS’s as fronts) and if so, what are you using as rear and height speakers?
Currently I use Dynaudio Confidence C4’s as rears and a Velodyne DD-18 (subwoofer).
Best regards, Jan