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by mark maloof_Archive
Ok, here comes to list with explanations...
Innersound Eros electrostatic/transmission line hybrid (flat from around 25 hz out to 27K, dipole electorstatic membrane plays from 360 hz up, while the transmission line-loaded SEAS woofer has speed to keep up with the very fast panel, but can give you real physical bass down to the mid 20s.) The crossover between the woofers and panels is electronic. The electrostatic panels are 100% arc proof, impervious to moisture and high rock n' roll volume levels (unlike all other electrostatic panels out there), and, oh, they REPEL dust, rather than attract it (another problem with other electrostatic panels.) Very accurate, no cone and dome distortion or crossover from 360 hz up, so you hear things that probably the majority recording engineers don't hear from their own studio monitors. They let one hear how bad many rock records sound (and how fucking good things recorded at Electrical Audio sound, esp. the Cheer Accident "Introducing Lemon" album that Steve engineered, that thing is fucking amazing.) Still love to listen to poorly recorded punk and rock music on them, but when a not overly compressed record by a good engineer comes on, whoa!
Innersound Kaya crossover amp for transmission line woofers of Innersound speakers (600 watts at 4 ohms) Op amps upgraded by me ($10 op amps do sound better than ones that cost a buck or two!)
Innersound iPower 330 electrostatic amplifier (300 watts 8 ohms/ 600 4 ohms, 1000 watts at 2 ohms, will run anything pretty much into a dead short. The Innersound electrostatic panels present a difficult load to many amps, makes sense to use the amp made for the speaker.) Also have a 100 watt per channel Music Reference RM9 tube amp that I'm having some work done on, but still bet that the Innersound solid state bruiser will deal better with the electrostatic panel's load.
Preamp: Here come the tubes: Transcendent Sound Grounded Grid tube preamp, 12AU7 based (DIY kit) with Auricap modification and ladder attenuation (a must for best sound from this preamp)
Phono stage: Hagerman Cornet DIY tube phono stage built by myself (12X7 and 12AU7 based, with tube rectification), in which I used various "audiophile" parts (Riken resistors at critical signal path points, Sonicaps and Jantzen caps in signal paths, Panasonic electrolytics, etc) Lundahl moving coil step-up transformers installed inside the chasis.
Turntable: Redpoint/Galibier Quattro table, has 24 lb platter composed of 2 inches of PVC (waaaaay better than acrylic) on a 1 inch aluminum carrier, with 24 chambers filled with leadshot and oil in the platter. The PVC of the platter provides a close match to the properties of vinyl (though the more expensive Teflon that Redpoint and Galibier now use is a bit better in the bass), and the leadshot mass lets the platter keep its own inertia going, so that the tape belt is more or less just maintaining constant speed of the platter. The bearing is super heavy duty (can, I think, support something like 150 lbs or more) with tight tolerances, Marvel Msytery bearing oil lubricates it. The base is 44 lbs of MDF with a dampened 1 inch aluminum top-plate, and the MDF is chambered and filled with, you guessed it, leadshot and oil. The outboard 8 lb motor pod is battery powered (12 volt jumpstart battery), and uses 1/2 inch recording tape instead of a stretchy/springy rubber belt. One can use recording tape, VHS tape, regular mylar ribbon, so it's super easy and cheap to make your own belts if you need to.
Tonearm and cartridge: the weakpoint of the table, BUT still not bad, is the tonearm, which is a tricked out Rega RB300 (upgraded Cardas wiring, Heavyweight counterweight which is a 100% MUST for ANY Rega tonearm, VTA adjuster.) As the turntable can accomadte two tonearms, I will probably pick up a 12 inch Ikeda tonearm at some point in the future (great arm!) or would love to get a Tri-planar (but $$$$, though I know the owner through a friend.) The cartridge is a $250 Denon 103R low output moving coil (one of THE bargains in highend audio, would have to spend $800 to $1000 or more to better it), also have a very nice Supex 900 borrowed from a friend that I may buy off him (supposedly an earlier form of a Koetsu, these cartridges have acquired cult status.) Would love to move up to something like a more expensive Lyra or Transfiguration someday, but the Denon sounds so good on rock for so little money....
Base for turntable: the table sits in a sandbox with 50 lbs of sand, with a 45 lbs aluminum top plate on the sand (the bottom of which is loaded with heatsinks to stop it from ringing and to drain vibrational energy down into the sand.) The sandbox sits on a DIY table I made with 2.5 inch shelves, a composite plywood, damping caulk, and MDF.)
Digital source: Sony ES555 SACD player with op amps upgraded, not a bad player, would love to get a Sony SCD1 someday, but I spend more time with vinyl anyways. Yeah, SACD sounds nice, better than regular cd (IF it's a properly done SACD), but the vinyl rig still tops it. Can't beat analog....
Revox A77 reel to reel: a new edition for me, plays great and heads in good shape, but I need to upgrade RCA jacks, etc.
Vibration control: preamp and phono stage sit on plexiglass plates, with rubber balls underneath (simular to Ghinko Audio Cloud 9 anti-vibration platforms, simple and they work.) The SACD player also sits on the plexiglass/rubber ball combo, but also rests inside a sandbox with 20 lbs of sand ('cause I had an extra one I built.)
Power conditioner: This makes a difference. It's a DIY Felicia balanced power conditioner, a three-way version, seperate transformers for the tube preamp, phonostage and SACD player (turntable is battery powered.) To build one, go to the lab section at audiocircle.com and look for Felicia. Hey, real balanced power for less than $100 a source component (only good for up to 90 watts), cheap! It went head to head with a $3800 Audience power conditioner and came out strong (though the audience was nice in its own way as well.)
Outlets: cryoed treatet Hubbell (not sure if I believe in cryo or not, but the deathgrip the Hubbell puts on ac plugs is a plus, nothing slips out, less chance of micro-arcing, etc.) Pass and Seymour outlets used on Felicia conditioner and DIY quad box to feed power amp and crossover amp, but will change those to Hubbells as well when I get a chance.
Power cords: Venhaus DIY Flavor 2 power cords, 12 guage (see vhaudio.com), may try to make some of his 10 guage Flavor 4 cables sometime.
Interconnects: DIY Venhaus Pulsars with Eichman Bullet plugs, may also try his DIY silver recipie, but think I may like the sound of copper a bit better (electrical engineers, I used to laugh at this stuff too, but the more revealing things have become, the less I have scoffed...still an agnostic fence sitter, but becoming more of a believer.)
Speaker cable: On the electrostatic panels, had a borrowed pair of expensive ($1500, I think) Synergistic Research active sheild speaker cables borrowed from a friend that I liked, but liked the Innersound coax cable (which is simular to cheap Mogami) better, and Roger Sanders who created the Innersound speakers has his explanation of why coax cables can sound best on Electrostatics, due to e-stats needing as low induction as possible. However, after experimenting with various cables, my current favorite on the panels is a DIY design featuring this cheap Belkin cable (Pure AV, it's called) that has PCOCC (pure Ohno continuous cast copper) solid core in it (yeah, it's an audiophile weeny thing, do a search at audioasylum.com). It's cheap, lists at $1.00 a foot, but can be found for half that amount. I twisted up a 16 guage pair, and, surprise, the electrostatic panels came alive. Getting ready to buy more and experiment with a couple different configurations, also may try some solid core magnet wire, another popular and inexpensive audiophile DIY cable thang.
On the transmission line woofers, I had DIY teflon covered silver plated copper braided cables that I liked, but for laughs tried some cheap Canare 11 guage star quad cable (69 cents a foot). This SUCKED on the electrostatic panels, but sounds pretty good on the Transmission line woofers. Next experiment will be twisted solid core magnet wire, and also some star quad 9 guage teflon coated copper cable from vhaudio.com
Yeah, I'm nuts but it's a fun drug, and while I spent a bit of money, I did manage to get good deals on things (a friend who worked for Innersound cetainly helped!)
