Official A/V Thread

This post represents just a fraction of the stuff I got to audition at the recent AXPONA event.

3D -
There was a room dedicated to showing off how 3D TV and surround sound compliment each other. I'm still hung-up on the need for special glasses. The presentation was impressive with a nice projector setup.
I am however still not crazy about 3D

TV/Video -
As always nothing short of excellent from the Runco product line. I you have the coin to drop on a killer display, be sure to give them a look.

DVD & BD -
Oppo is still hands down one of the best affordable high-end players.

Electronics -
Finally after several years I had the opportunity to listen to Vincent Audio gear. I was very pleased with the quality in relation to their price point. Creek also had some nice stuff there...no tubes

Terry.330 --- I can with confidence recommend the current Vincent product line.

Speakers -
I was impressed with YG Acoustics and found myself not wanting to leave their room. For the past decade Krell has been working on their own speaker line, it was less than impressive; the only thing worse was Emotiva. In truth Emotiva was painfully outclassed by the majority of the other companies.

Best in show -
I was totally blown away by Role Audio. Their Sampan speaker is one of if not the most exciting speakers I have ever auditioned. The Sampan utilized a single full range 3.5 inch driver. The stated frequency response 35Hz - 20kHz (+/- 5 dB). Do I know for a fact they will hit 35Hz? No. However, I could not see any need for a sub. One thing is for sure, the wife or girlfriend will be pleased with the way they look. If the exhibiter had additional units on hand for sale, I would have been very tempted to buy them on they spot. These things image like crazy and the detail and control is excellent. One of the best small speakers out; comparable to the Arro by Totem.


Below are a few pictures taken at the event...enjoy.

Yeah, I've been looking at the Vincent SV-236 mk II pretty intently. Can't find any used though.

I got my Jolida back yesterday and they claim to have found the problem and fixed it and the unit was working well last night. I just don't want to have to keep my fingers crossed so I think it will be going up on audiogon this weekend.

If I sell off the Jolida I can swing the price for the Vincent new without too much trouble.

I bought a 'small' DAC to go with my new Squeezebox Duet. That shit works so f'ing well with iPeng on the iPod Touch or iPad, it's not even funny. The music is stored on my MacBook Pro in Apple Lossless.

Here's a shot of the interior of the DAC:



Here's a shot of the exterior. Mine isn't even that pretty, actually



It was more than $2000 when it was new, and there are no fancy, unnecessary bits; just coaxial in and analogue out. It uses an, apparently, very gnarly DAC chip called SM5813.

I went and upgraded my speakers and power amplification today. I bought a pair of DLS R55 floor speakers and a Creek Evolution 2 integrated amplifier. The latter will replace my power amp entirely, as it has an AV-bypass function that allows it to act as a regular power amp if I want it to. I can then enjoy the Creek's superior pre-amp when I listen to music through my new Squeezebox, as shown above. My previous amplifier was ICEpower based, while the Creek has a more traditional amplifier.

Same old stuff: Quad 99 series


Dali Suite 2.8 floorstanders on custom platforms


I need to go to a few shows and experience some real stuff, but they'd all be playing steely dan and dad rock probably.

That Dali shit is Danish

You're right!

Hi kern.

Nice to see you got some proper shelves for your gear.

I'll have to get some pics up of my setup.

I've had those for 5 years Terence.

So is the thing at the top a CD player with a pre-amp in it?

Yeah, CDP with variable output so it acts as a pre-amp with 6 digital inputs (no analogue), so you can use it as a digital pre-amp and upsampling 24/192 DAC also. Also good for connecting straight to power amps if you need no preamp with analogue inputs. A lot of CDP's are having variable volume control and digital input functions nowadays, but this was pretty much one of the first. I plug an airport express into it and stream lossless via my laptop/fileserver with ipad as a remote.

Thought it was time to post a pic of my hifi setup. Sorry the pic is crappy.

Jolida 1501RC Integrated Amp (Sovtek tubes rolled in to replace the cheap ass chinese ones)
Rega Apollo CD Player
Project Tube Box Phono Amp
Music Hall MMF5.1 Turntable
Magnepan MMG Electrostatic Loud Speakers
REL T1 8" Sub
Misc. Embarassing Figures and Cave Posters

Managed to get one of the last 5.1 units that came with the substituted Goldring carts.

lovely! Do you sit right in front? Just wondering why your speakers are so close together when it looks like you could put them a couple feet out a bit more. I'll hear some electrostatics one day, damnit.

Is tube rolling just putting in better compatible ones or what? I never understood that.. I'm so solid state

Yeah I sit pretty close, maybe 8-10' away. There is a triangulation diagram for the speakers that I have mapped out using a tape measure to get right in the sweet spot. Same with the sub, but I need another pair of ears to get that setup just right. It's hard to fiddle with and listen to at the same time.

Not sure why it's called rolling really as it's pretty much the same as replacing christmas tree bulbs. But yeah just swapping vacume tubes.

Is it actually a sub if it's just 8"? Also, why do you have a sub for a music setup anyway?

Otherwise; nice! If you have the patience to switch CDs, the Rega Apollo kicks butt.

Naiera said:

Is it actually a sub if it's just 8"? Also, why do you have a sub for a music setup anyway?

Otherwise; nice! If you have the patience to switch CDs, the Rega Apollo kicks butt.

Click to expand...

Yeah, 8" is considered a subwoofer as it can produce the lower frequencies that 6.5" speakers lack.

Most 8"'s are in a bandpass enclosure, but the one Terry.330 has compliments the electrostatic speakers.

Their frequency range doesn't go much lower than midrange, so the sub picks up the slack.

It's an awesome setup, I staged it when he first got it.

I've been into audio for years.

His shit sounds amazing.

We need more HT and HDTV in this thread!

Nice setup terry.330!

There has been a lot of 2-ch talk in this thread, which is great.

I'd like to see more members contribute to the thread....HDTV...HT...etc.


The video below is my modded AES with composite video. The video is passed through my Onkyo HT to my 42 inch Panasonic Plasma. Hey...that old console doesn't look bad on a HD set...much better in person but you get the idea.

The next video is the same TV with a BD player. Also, you can hear the HT. It's youtube and a Sony 14 megapixel camera...but maybe it gives you some idea of what it's like. Damn that auto focus screwing with the video quality. Again the camera and youtube doesn't do the sound and video justice....but what do ya do?



Both my dedicated listening room (new due to a recent move) and my 2-ch rig will be overhauled over the next few months. Full room acoustic treatment and tube monoblocks here I come! I'll post some pics when all the work is completed

Hey everyone, I have an issue with my turntable set up that some of you may be able to help with. The brand name of the turntable is escaping me as I type this, although I believe it is a sony. It's a cheap plastic belt driven table with an integrated pre-amp. I'm hooked up to a relatively new pioneer receiver through the "tape" input. I've read all about the difference between line-level and phono inputs since trying to set up my system to play vinyl, and I understand about the need to use a pre-amp and such, but that's about it.

Anyways, the problem is bass. There is an over abundance of it during the playback of my records. I believe I've had this problem before, but didn't have the drive to figure out what the cause was. I've read that adjusting the tone arm can cut down on high bass response, but my tone arm is just a single piece of plastic...no knobs or weights or anything.

I've been thinking about buying a better turntable, but don't want to spend more money than I have to. Would a new table fix this issue? Anyone else heard of this? Any advice?

I have my fathers old record collection just sitting here...wish he had left me his old table to play it on...

Is your TT grounded? There should be a small run of 16 ga (or so) wire that has a metal horseshoe shape on the end along w/ the RCAs that shoot off the back.



As you said it is hooked up to a 'newer' amp, your amp may not have the on board screw or clamp to terminate the TT's ground wire.



You can McGuyver this by putting the ground wire into an available RCA or Phones socket, making sure to touch both Tip & Ring. If there is hum, try moving the ground wire slightly until the hum is gone.



Hope this helps!

There really isn't a hum, it's just that the bass is way too pronounced. I'll try grounding it to see if it helps =)

BryLmoo said:

There really isn't a hum, it's just that the bass is way too pronounced. I'll try grounding it to see if it helps =)

Click to expand...

Gotcha. I wasn't sure if the bass you OG referenced was a low freq hum or not.

I understand now, & will ask around about the issue as I've not experienced it quite the way you describe it.

;^)

cool, thanks man!

BryLmoo said:

There really isn't a hum, it's just that the bass is way too pronounced. I'll try grounding it to see if it helps =)

Click to expand...

Check the tonearm setting. It sounds like you need to raise the vertical tracking angle a little.
***WARNING: Changing the setting can cause record and or cartridge damage!****

EDIT: I see you have little to no setting options on that TT. You may be out of luck if there is no option to even try a external phono pre-amp. Most lowerend TT use an intergrated phone stage; I don't think it would be worth spending much money on that turntable.

I'm w/ Neo Ash. After asking a few buddies if they've ever experienced what you described, I came up w/ nada. None of my cohorts has.

Getting a good TT set up off the ground can be akin to falling down a rabbit hole. However, I really think acquiring a different turntable would be the best bet at this point.

A good place to window wish/gather info is turntablelab.com. Even if you have no desire to be a turntablist, there is plenty to read.

Then, when you come across choices via Craigslist/swap meet/pawnshop/yard sales you'll be well informed, & able to spot a good deal.