Andrei's Collection [Archive] - The Art of Sound Forum

Andrei

19-10-2012, 07:16

This is what I am playing with at the moment.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_System_zpsa0061102.jpg

There is free software called Diagram Designer that is fairly easy to use - about a 5 minute learning curve. I find it useful because at the rear of the 'system' is such a muddle of cables (there are 10,000 power cables as well) that my CNS (Central Nervous System, euphemistically referred to as my 'brain') loses track.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_ViewfromListeningPosition.jpg?t=1350625545
This is the view from the throne.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_LoungeView2.jpg?t=1350625544
Lounge view

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_NotmanyCDs.jpg?t=1350625545
Not many CD's do I hear you say? Alas too many CDs!! They have all been ripped to the hard drive. Quite a bit of what is there are DVDs DVDAs & SACDs.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_MarantzTT.jpg?t=1350625545
Marantz tt15 turntable. The cartridge is a Benz Ace

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_MarantzTT2.jpg?t=1350625544
+- 20 years ago I embraced the shining new era of digital playback. I sold, gave away and threw away my 900 LP collection. A worse mistake than getting married! A year ago, after being seduced by the angelic phrases of the vinyl clan I succumbed and now have re-entered the world of vinyl. For all those who love the vinyl vs CD debate I am a vinyl believer. BUT the battlefield has shifted: now the pretender to the throne is Hi-Res (from RAM).

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_PCwithDacontop.jpg?t=1350625545
On the right you can see the sub with some books. This little project is has the beatles 'Abbey Road' album underneath - it is warped. I am hoping the Stravinsky tome CAN SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT :lol:

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_ATCSIA2.jpg?t=1350625544
A truly gorgeous amplifier. It runs hot (biased to class A up to 100 watts!) but it is not possible at my price range to outdo it. The Perreaux e250 is as least as good in quality, runs cool, and has more customization but cost a bit more. My other candidate Amp was the Rogue Chronus Magnum. But Superior Authority forbid me to have valves.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_Fattyoftenchasesthecurser.jpg?t=1350625544
I would like to introduce you to Fatty. Her companion is life is a smaller cat called Skinny. They don't particularly care for the music but both have a pathological fascination for for the cursor.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_TVisthePCsmonitor.jpg?t=1350625545
The Television is used as the monitor for the PC. I use a wireless mouse and keyboard and music play is no different from any other PC.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_UsingFoobartoplayfrommemory.jpg?t=1350625545
I use Foobar 2000. It is free and does everything I need. JRiver Media Center is more powerful but I don't use it because it always adds "jRiver" to every Tag you make. You can see from the photo that the music is playing from a Ramdisc. These days there is really no reason to play from a spinning disc (Black, Silver, or Battleship Grey) when you can play from memory with its associated jitter. It runs at varying speeds but 2 Ghz is achievable without breaking into a sweat. Of course there can still be jitter but a good DAC will soak that up.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_TVisthePCsmonitor.jpg?t=1350625545
As mentioned the TV is essentially the PC monitor.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_Rockmap1920x1080_zpsf12a82b5.jpg
This is one of a few background screens.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/th_Notmanyrecords.jpg?t=1350625545
I have wept many bitter tears about getting rid of my vinyl collection. At the moment I prefer playing 24bit 96Khz and 24bit 192 Khz files from the PC. Butvinly has its attractions. Half of my modest +- 100 lp collection is at 45 rpm and the quality is fabulous.

Upgrade Path
The Phono Stage is a weak point. Unscrupulous dealer sold it to me. What I needed at the time (being a vinyl noob) was advice that MM phono stages were good and cheap but MC phono stages were good only if you spent mega bucks. I understand that now but if I had known that then I would not have wasted money on the Project.

I hope you have enjoyed these pics as much as I have enjoyed looking at other contributions. I am happy to answer any questions especially on PC audio as I fancy myself as knowledgeable in that area.

The Black Adder

19-10-2012, 07:23

Looks like a lovely system.

sq225917

19-10-2012, 10:06

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/System_zpsa0061102.jpg

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/ViewfromListeningPosition.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/LoungeView2.jpg?t=1350625544

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/NotmanyCDs.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/MarantzTT.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/MarantzTT2.jpg?t=1350625544

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/PCwithDacontop.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/ATCSIA2.jpg?t=1350625544

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/Fattyoftenchasesthecurser.jpg?t=1350625544

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/TVisthePCsmonitor.jpg?t=1350625545
.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/UsingFoobartoplayfrommemory.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/TVisthePCsmonitor.jpg?t=1350625545

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/Rockmap1920x1080_zpsf12a82b5.jpg
.

http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y530/Andrei_nz/Notmanyrecords.jpg?t=1350625545

Andrei, your house looks just like mine but smaller... ;-)

morris_minor

19-10-2012, 10:51

Great pictures! And some interesting composers - Nielsen, Nyman, Pärt, Glass - right up my street :)

Tarzan

19-10-2012, 11:51

Very nice and cosy Andrei looks cosyand the ATC amp you have has quite a reputation:)

Tim

19-10-2012, 15:57

Very nice Andrei :)

How do you find the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2?

Andrei

19-10-2012, 21:37

Very nice Andrei :)

How do you find the Wyred 4 Sound DAC2?

I find it very good and it was my last purchase. Comparison wise I can only compare the following:

Cambridge Audio's DacMagic,
SimAudio's Moon 100D;
Burr Brown (Texas Instruments actually) PCM1792A that comes with the Asus Xonar soundcard.

Those three are similar with the Moon getting the nod. The Wyred for Sound Dac 2 is in another league. We have all read the "the product was so good I could tell the colour of the violinist's dress" but this baby is not far off that. It cost twice the amount of the Moon but is worth it. There is enough detail to separate the voices. One curious thing though: the difference after it was 'broken in' was huge. Out of the box it was a tad better than the Moon it replaced. After about 72 hours it came on song. I have never heard such a difference with the break-in of a product. Wyred do of course say that it will improve after 100 - 200 hours but this was extreme in my experience. It does the soundstage thing, it does the separation of voices thing, instruments sound close to the real thing. Can't rave about it enough.

Andrei

19-10-2012, 22:11

Great pictures! And some interesting composers - Nielsen, Nyman, Pärt, Glass - right up my street :)

Try

http://www.stereophile.com/content/fifth-element-73 and

http://www.stereophile.com/content/winners-1a1502b

Stereophile's John Marks has always got lots of goodies. The competition was to put together a concert program. One of the things I noticed was the heavy 20th Century focus. You, me, Nielsen, Nyman, Pärt, Glass - we are all children of the 20th century. That is why I think this sort of music appeals to us. The three Bs may be the best, but the message, for want of a better word, of people of our own generation seems more meaningful.

Regards, Andrei

PS make sure you check out the 2nd link as it has a kiwi connection!
PS2 'pologies for being so philosophical - not sure why - I think it is a full moon.

Reid Malenfant

19-10-2012, 22:57

morris_minor

21-10-2012, 16:20

Try

http://www.stereophile.com/content/fifth-element-73 and

http://www.stereophile.com/content/winners-1a1502b

Stereophile's John Marks has always got lots of goodies. The competition was to put together a concert program. One of the things I noticed was the heavy 20th Century focus. You, me, Nielsen, Nyman, Pärt, Glass - we are all children of the 20th century. That is why I think this sort of music appeals to us. The three Bs may be the best, but the message, for want of a better word, of people of our own generation seems more meaningful.

Regards, Andrei

PS make sure you check out the 2nd link as it has a kiwi connection!
PS2 'pologies for being so philosophical - not sure why - I think it is a full moon.

Thanks for the links! What great concerts they would be :eek:. Mind you you'd never find a concert promoter to put them on - they're much too risk adverse these days. :lol: Good to see more of my favourites cropping up - Bax, Bliss, Walton, Finzi . . .

The best hi-fi in the world is useless without great music to play on it!

Andrei

24-10-2012, 04:08

Nice & rather unusual amplifier with the ATC Andrei :)

It's odd as the front end runs on a low voltage (if I remember right) & the output stage is where a whole lot of the voltage gain takes place, also if I'm correct it needs seperate transformer windings for each output.

An odd amplifier, but not without it's merits!

Apparently it is rather good indeed :D

Nice system, enjoy!

PS, nice pussy :rfl:

Thanks for your comments. Also you have piqued my interest in the internals of the Amp. This could explain why it does not come with a headphone connection or phono stage - not that I want any of those in an amplifier. I think it will be worth a bit of (internet) research.

Regards, Andrei

Andrei

25-10-2012, 22:05

Good to see more of my favourites cropping up - Bax, Bliss, Walton, Finzi . . .

A passion for English music then? Here's an odd thing. I prefer Walton to all other English composers - don't know why. I would rather listen to his music than Britten, Elgar, VW etc. I do enjoy much English music but have an affinity for Walton. His Viola concerto is my favoutite concerto and I listen to his violin concerto more than those of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch etc.

morris_minor

27-10-2012, 16:41

A passion for English music then? Here's an odd thing. I prefer Walton to all other English composers - don't know why. I would rather listen to his music than Britten, Elgar, VW etc. I do enjoy much English music but have an affinity for Walton. His Viola concerto is my favoutite concerto and I listen to his violin concerto more than those of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch etc.
Hmm. Walton. Somewhat of an obsession of mine. :mental:

I must have over 20 recordings of his First Symphony, plus many of his Second Symphony, numerous Belshazzars, concertos, and loads of other stuff. Don't know quite what it is about his music, but I can't get enough of it!.

However, RVW and Bax run Walton a very close second, plus Elgar, Holst and many others. I must just be on the same wavelength I guess. . . :)

Audio Al

27-10-2012, 17:52

Very nice system :)

Even comes with a egg's box

Is that a signal scrambler or is it to stop the system boiling over :lol:

Reid Malenfant

27-10-2012, 20:44

Thanks for your comments. Also you have piqued my interest in the internals of the Amp. This could explain why it does not come with a headphone connection or phono stage - not that I want any of those in an amplifier. I think it will be worth a bit of (internet) research.

Regards, Andrei
Yes, with any headphones it'd short out part of the output stage, as I'm sure that the grounds may well be separated. Unless of course they built in a separate headphone amp, but why go to that expense, when they are available elsewhere ;)

I really must look the thing up myself, your posting this reminded me of the oddness of the thing, though as I mentioned, it's not without it's merits.

I'm sure I have some kind of basic layout of the ATC amps kicking about here somewhere, it'd be nice just to remind myself how the things actually work :D

Andrei

27-10-2012, 22:27

Even comes with a egg's box
Is that a signal scrambler or is it to stop the system boiling over

(1) When I play from PC I usually play the tracks in order. Sometimes I want a random order. Placing an eggbox close to the hard drive scrambles the order of play. :whistle:

(2) It just appeared there one day. I was playing Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and when it was finished I noticed it there:mental:

(3) I have half a dozen round the PC as it is a mild effective at sound damping. (Probably not necessary since I got an Intel 3770S chip that is specifically designed to run on low power.)

Enter your choice of (1) (2) or (3) to go into the draw to win [I'll think of something].

Andrei

28-10-2012, 08:27

Hmm. Walton. Somewhat of an obsession of mine. :mental:

I must have over 20 recordings of his First Symphony

Crumbs! I have three and I thought that was obsessive! In fact I did not even know know it had been recorded that many times. Do you have a particular recommendation / favourite for the symphonies and concertos?

morris_minor

28-10-2012, 11:07

Crumbs! I have three and I thought that was obsessive! In fact I did not even know know it had been recorded that many times. Do you have a particular recommendation / favourite for the symphonies and concertos?
Nothing like being put on the spot! :scratch:

Symphony 1:

Top of the pile still hase to be Previn/LSO on RCA from the 60s. Fresh from Hollywood, Previn was on sizzling form with this, and the 1st movement impetus and pacing is spot on (IMHO). His later remake for Telarc, though in much better sound, was at a much lower voltage.

Haitink/Philharmonia on EMI is a bit of an oddity in that tempos are slower than average, giving the 1st movement a solidity and weight that's sometimes lacking, while the (very slow) slow movement has an elegiac quality overlaying the "melancholy" which Haitink skillfully hangs together. (I liken it to trying to ride a bike really slowly without wobbling!). Excellent recording.

There are many other good recordings, but of the currently available ones Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish on Hyperion is very good - coupled with a very good No.2.

Otherwise George Szell's Cleveland recording of No.2 for CBS is spot on for performance and historical veracity, and Previn (again) is good with the LSO on EMI.

Of the concertos, at the risk of sounding like a Previn fan-boy, it's Nigel Kennedy/Previn/RPO on EMI that are the top of my violin and viola conc. pile, and Yo Yo Ma/Previn/LSO on CBS for the cello.

There are of course many other good performances around . . .

Oh, if you were wondering about Belshazzar's Feast, then not even Previn's EMI account can outshine Walton's own Philharmonia recording for Columbia.

Andrei

30-10-2012, 05:18

Nothing like being put on the spot! :scratch:

Symphony 1:
Top of the pile still hase to be Previn/LSO on RCA from the 60s. Fresh from Hollywood, Previn was on sizzling form with this, and the 1st movement impetus and pacing is spot on (IMHO). His later remake for Telarc, though in much better sound, was at a much lower voltage.

Haitink/Philharmonia on EMI is a bit of an oddity in that tempos are slower than average, giving the 1st movement a solidity and weight that's sometimes lacking, while the (very slow) slow movement has an elegiac quality overlaying the "melancholy" which Haitink skillfully hangs together. (I liken it to trying to ride a bike really slowly without wobbling!). Excellent recording.

There are many other good recordings, but of the currently available ones Martyn Brabbins/BBC Scottish on Hyperion is very good - coupled with a very good No.2.

Otherwise George Szell's Cleveland recording of No.2 for CBS is spot on for performance and historical veracity, and Previn (again) is good with the LSO on EMI.

Of the concertos, at the risk of sounding like a Previn fan-boy, it's Nigel Kennedy/Previn/RPO on EMI that are the top of my violin and viola conc. pile, and Yo Yo Ma/Previn/LSO on CBS for the cello.

Thanks for that. I have the Brabbins but will keep an eye (or ear) open for Previn. I know it shouldn't but I can't be a fan of his - despite his fab interpretaion of Dvorak 7 - simply because of his hair. Somebody has to talk to him.

My notable experience is Walton himself conducting with Menuhin in the Violin and Viola Concertos. It was on LP and alas got lost when I gave up on vinyl. (I should add that I have since seen the error of my ways).

morris_minor

30-10-2012, 13:59

My notable experience is Walton himself conducting with Menuhin in the Violin and Viola Concertos. It was on LP and alas got lost when I gave up on vinyl. (I should add that I have since seen the error of my ways).

This EMI double CD (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walton-Symphonies-Concerto-Violin-Overtures/dp/B000026BT0/ref=sr_1_35?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1351605444&sr=1-35) with the violin and cello concertos (Ida Haendel and Paul Tortellier - Berglund/Bournemouth) was a good buy, as it included Previn's (sorry!) good performance of Sym 2 and Haitink's monumental Sym 1.

The Walton/Menuhin disc is still around on CD (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walton-Violin-Viola-Concertos-Partita/dp/B00004LCB5/ref=sr_1_22?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1351605235&sr=1-22). .

NeilNZ

21-03-2013, 19:09

The Phono Stage is a weak point. Unscrupulous dealer sold it to me. What I needed at the time (being a vinyl noob) was advice that MM phono stages were good and cheap but MC phono stages were good only if you spent mega bucks. I understand that now but if I had known that then I would not have wasted money on the Project.

Um, actually I remember you contacting asking specifically for it. Why would we disuade you from buying what you want? and I also remember suggesting that the Dynavector P75 might be the better way to go if you wanted a bit of longevity out of it.