[Rclark]

Of course, will do.

[werd]

One day I may have to try a Set amp, after my system here is 100% done and I'm ready to tinker.

It's true, when you have a system that can play the full signal with gusto, but quietly, it is the best way, because you can get the highest fidelity listening this way. And you aren't missing out, because the full signal is played strongly and clearly in all frequencies, it's like it's not even turned down. The completeness and richness of the sound lulls you into thinking you have it turned up. The highs still sparkle, the vocals clear as a bell, and the bass purrs deeply, it's not overexciting your room, the room becomes transparent, you get lost in the soundscape.

It truly is one of the greatest features of this amplifer, and really, anyone who lives in an apartment should look into these. I can listen after quiet hours here and it's totally satisfying, and I'll even play heavy rock, etc, and not find myself thinking, man I wish I could turn it up. It's really a wierd phenomenon. Probably also related to having planar speakers which put forth a large wavefront. Large wavefront, amplified at low volume from great amps.

Hopefully next Oct I can get into a house, and then I can let her rip. She does that too.

I do crank it up in the daylight hours, but I'm nearfield, and so 75-80 dB is really plenty.

Cd players will work excellent here but the bdp is really nice.  If you are listening and not distracted that tells the emotive is quiet and not pushing the envelope in noise.  If the system is noisy its going to way down the sound and make it uncomfortable at these levels. So the goal is real low noise.

I like how you are using a passive pre. Those are awesome for this and I have really decent one too. On the noise front passives are hard to beat. Mine is a TPV with a primary and secondary transformer winding. And the very nice volume control sits in between. What's great about this is I have complete isolation from my source to my amps. Which is another noise dropper since they are both on different circuits.

The best systems I have found are the one that are extremely dry and critical sounding. Only because at low volume systems like this they are lush sounding . They dont exibit the dry nature at all. The builder of my pre wasn't comfortable that I was using a solid state amp. I was like no way send it to me I want it. As it turns out that pre has come into its own and lost it's dry sound. How ever it's such a great performer for resolution and pace and low volumes it's a real nasty pre. Bent audio builds them too on this site

You and I really have identical systems. 

Oh yah and cabling really makes a difference too at these level I have found.

[jtwrace]

Rclark needs to get into computer audio...then he will really like what he hears.     The good news is that it's fairly inexpensive these days. 

[werd]

Rclark needs to get into computer audio...then he will really like what he hears.     The good news is that it's fairly inexpensive these days.

File playback is for sure but you don't want a computer making noise near you.  Fans and drives and stuff like that.

[jtwrace]

File playback is for sure but you don't want a computer making noise near you.  Fans and drives and stuff like that.

Plenty of ways to deal wtih that.

[werd]

Plenty of ways to deal wtih that.

Oh yah for sure.

[timind]

When you say low level it makes me wonder what db level you are listening at. As you probably  know the ear perceives sounds differently at low levels that it does at higher/normal levels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness
Are you using some sort of equalization to compensate for this? I'm thinking of the loudness control my old Harman Kardon recvr had back in the 70s. It really seemed to enrich the music at low volumes back in the day..

[jtwrace]

When you say low level it makes me wonder what db level you are listening at. As you probably  know the ear perceives sounds differently at low levels that it does at higher/normal levels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness
Are you using some sort of equalization to compensate for this? I'm thinking of the loudness control my old Harman Kardon recvr had back in the 70s. It really seemed to enrich the music at low volumes back in the day..

No, just low volume. 

[werd]

When you say low level it makes me wonder what db level you are listening at. As you probably  know the ear perceives sounds differently at low levels that it does at higher/normal levels. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness
Are you using some sort of equalization to compensate for this? I'm thinking of the loudness control my old Harman Kardon recvr had back in the 70s. It really seemed to enrich the music at low volumes back in the day..

I think I can speak for Rclark, you would be amazed at what low volume levels we are talking about.  You try and listen in the day time like this -  forget it.


No equalization just systems built around purity minimalist setups. We only have volume controls.

[werd]

I'd like to hear about the diffusers you chose. Maybe you can start another thread about them?

I have been screwing around with 3 gik244s. But I would say treatments are not necessary to enjoy it like this spent years without.

[Rclark]

I'm talking loooow looow volume. Like so low it would be inaudible or really peaky and unintelligible, and garbled, with no bass, on other systems I've had. Below 50db, yet fully developed, clear sound.

And yes, the way the Emotiva works with this passive it is absolutely magic. It is super quiet and shares the revealing nature of the Ncores.

I have a feeling a computer setup would have to be pretty expensive to match my player. No joke. Plus I love pulling down an album, flipping through the liner notes, and enjoying the great sound quality. No need to change that yet.

Wait to see what Emotiva delivers on that.

[werd]

I'm talking loooow looow volume. Like so low it would be inaudible or really peaky and unintelligible, and garbled, with no bass, on other systems I've had. Below 50db, yet fully developed, clear sound.

And yes, the way the Emotiva works with this passive it is absolutely magic. It is super quiet and shares the revealing nature of the Ncores.

I have a feeling a computer setup would have to be pretty expensive to match my player. No joke. Plus I love pulling down an album, flipping through the liner notes, and enjoying the great sound quality. No need to change that yet.

Wait to see what Emotiva delivers on that.

cd is fine here, i did it for years with cds and although i like my setup more now it never really dissappointed.

Its not loud at all. I found that with late nite listening my strategy has been to - up the power response while keeping the volumes really low. Like responsive power cables for eg. Even if, lets say a cable really pushes the envelope in treble with  loud playback. This cable might be really really nice for late nite listening or it may not be but is always worth trying.

I am surprised Quiet Earth hasn't piped in by now with all that AN gear. 

[Quiet Earth]

I'm still here . . . just listening for now.  Not much to say while RClark is steering the ship. Soon he will be teaching us!

No computer for me right now, but maybe someday I will try it again.

[Rclark]

 Lol, I have a LOT to learn before that ever happens. I claim "journeyman" status at best.

 Werd, that sounds like a good plan. I would figure you to already have an arsenal of cables though. I really enjoyed all the cables I tried so far this year, got to try Triode Wire, PI Audio, and Spatial Computer. I plan on incorporating a little of each as wires are the last upgrade, and I like what they did, in their respective parts.

 We'll eventually see how a DSPeaker Dual Core does here. It's completely adjustable, you can adust the electrics to mate up with whatever parts you have connected, you can give it battery supply or whatever exotic PS you fancy. Rodge 827 owned a Warpspeed too, and he replaced it with the Dual Core, claiming it to be equally transparent. I'm a ways from buying one now, but when I do, I hope to maintain the fine sound quality I have now and further it with active bass correction.

I may end up not buying another sub for a while because I really am in one listening position right now, and the Epik Legend sub is just fabulous, apparently the way it sends out bass is as a bipole sub, one uniform bubble sphere of bass. It is very smooth.

Don't run it at night though. Which makes the Ncores even cooler, because the bass is so good, even turned down low, you pretty much don't miss the sub. It's a dream come true.

[Rclark]

BTW Werd,

You mentioned you were curious now about my player. Here is a great vid from the chief engineer talking about the then prototype ERC-1 (which I also owned). the 2 is basically the same, with upgrades and better sound quality, but the basic engineering and layout are the same. I think you will be impressed.

FYI, the ERC-2 outputs an even stronger signal than the 1. the 1 had 1 v nominal, 7.5 peak to peak, the 2 has 2 v nominal, 12 v peak to peak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflLmNQEtU4

I tested the 2 against the virtue M2 player and it was no contest. I hate to say that, but true. I absolutely love it.

[OzarkTom]

In the last 2-3 months, I have had the NC400's, the Atsah NC1200's, the updated Eximus S1, the TBI Millenia MG3, and now currently the 500 wpc Stello AI700 integrated in my system. It is amazing on how everyone of these amps sounds so good at the very lowest listening levels. Maybe this is one of the strong points of Class D technology? Another big plus for Class D.

Now when my wife goes to bed early, I can continue listening at very low levels instead of having to turn my sdystem off. 

[jtwrace]

When do we find out which you decided to go with your new big boy speakers?   

[OzarkTom]

When do we find out which you decided to go with your new big boy speakers?   

The jury is still out between the Atsah's and the Stello, but the remote on the Stello is starting to spoil me.

[Rclark]

What's that? You get another one to demo?

[werd]

BTW Werd,

You mentioned you were curious now about my player. Here is a great vid from the chief engineer talking about the then prototype ERC-1 (which I also owned). the 2 is basically the same, with upgrades and better sound quality, but the basic engineering and layout are the same. I think you will be impressed.

FYI, the ERC-2 outputs an even stronger signal than the 1. the 1 had 1 v nominal, 7.5 peak to peak, the 2 has 2 v nominal, 12 v peak to peak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflLmNQEtU4

I tested the 2 against the virtue M2 player and it was no contest. I hate to say that, but true. I absolutely love it.

How much did you say that was? Anything under 2k is under priced by the looks of it. The size of that power supply says a lot. I honestly didn't expect that.  You are good to go with that and some for sure. I wonder what transport they are using?