Set the controls for the heart of the sun....

[choirboy]

My humble system :rock:

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/aceshazamme/system1600_zpsd1d5e428.jpg

[mr sneff]

Hi Michael, nice looking system.

[agk]

Humble? Very nice gear and a tidy setup.

[choirboy]

Humble? Very nice gear and a tidy setup.

Well, compared to some of the very flash systems I've seen in other pics on the forum anyway. :)

[sparrow]

My system is probably the most humble on the net..the pishanto word could probably used regarding all components..

[vouk]

Lovely stuff!!! :cool:

[Matt78]

Lovely system. Those Sonus Fabers look fabulous and I bet they sound it too!

[Rush2112]

Great system ! I take it you've experimented with speaker positioning etc ?

[choirboy]

Great system ! I take it you've experimented with speaker positioning etc ?

Yes, although to be honest it's always been a struggle to some extent, small room etc.

Why do you ask?

[Reffc]

My humble system :rock:

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/aceshazamme/system1600_zpsd1d5e428.jpg

What a well considered system Michael. Nice to see a pair of Electa Amators...along with The Extremas and Guarneri, they're amongst my favourite SF's. I'll bet they work well driven by the S5CR.

[choirboy]

What a well considered system Michael. Nice to see a pair of Electa Amators...along with The Extremas and Guarneri, they're amongst my favourite SF's. I'll bet they work well driven by the S5CR.

Yeah, the A5's have plenty of power which probably suits the Amators. Surprisingly good bass for a standmount speaker. My only regret is that I cant have them further away from the rear walls due to space. However there is NO sense of booming bass which is lucky probably due to the A5's lower end grip.

[Rush2112]

Yes they are a thirsty load ! The reality is that the more space you can give them the more you get from them which is a challenge in a small room but still worth experimenting with. Toe in and height play there part too ! Try and.get hold of the Sheffield Labs test disc it's really useful for getting the best out of speakers especially in small rooms where the manufacturers ideal placement is not possible !

[choirboy]

Yes they are a thirsty load ! The reality is that the more space you can give them the more you get from them which is a challenge in a small room but still worth experimenting with. Toe in and height play there part too ! Try and.get hold of the Sheffield Labs test disc it's really useful for getting the best out of speakers especially in small rooms where the manufacturers ideal placement is not possible !

Thanks for the tip! :)

I've now got hold of one of the Sheffield Lab discs. Couple of good tests for stereo placement. There's some good ones of the Stereophile and Chesky discs too.

[selby]

What power socket and leads have you got?

[choirboy]

What power socket and leads have you got?

It's all in the signature my friend.

[selby]

Sorry.

I was looking on TapaTalk and signatures don't show up. Lovely setup, very clean, simple and well put together.

[choirboy]

I've ordered a couple of pairs of Slic Innovations Eclipse C Interconnects.
I'll add my thoughts here seeing as the other thread has been closed. :closed2: :rolleyes:

[Yomanze]

I've ordered a couple of pairs of Slic Innovations Eclipse C Interconnects.
I'll add my thoughts here seeing as the other thread has been closed. :closed2: :rolleyes:

I didn't want to post in a commercial thread, and also don't want to tell you what to do, but given that these are £1k, this budget allows you to look into something like a http://www.teddypardo.com/dacs/dacs/teddydac.html representing a serious high end DAC, certainly way beyond what your 840C can do. 14 days sale or return, so something to think about testing to see what makes the difference for you? Just some advice that I think will help you enjoy your music more. :P

What's your reasoning for your equipment spend being so cable-heavy in relation to your turntable & CDP setup? PS am also a fan of the Goldring 1042 I use a similar cart a Reson Reca.

[choirboy]

I didn't want to post in a commercial thread, and also don't want to tell you what to do, but given that these are £1k, this budget allows you to look into something like a http://www.teddypardo.com/dacs/dacs/teddydac.html representing a serious high end DAC, certainly way beyond what your 840C can do. 14 days sale or return, so something to think about testing to see what makes the difference for you? Just some advice that I think will help you enjoy your music more. :P

What's your reasoning for your equipment spend being so cable-heavy in relation to your turntable & CDP setup? PS am also a fan of the Goldring 1042 I use a similar cart a Reson Reca.

To be honest, I don't really use my turntable at all which is why it's quality is the lesser of all the components. Yes I could spend the same amount on a DAC but I don't actually have the shelf space and was thinking about upgrading to the 851C at some stage anyway so its not for me presently.

I know what you're saying but I really wanted to try these cables after the rave reviews. That's it really.

[choirboy]

I've added a Cambridge Audio NP30 network streaming player and Topping remote control headphone amp to the system recently. :carrot:

I have a Cambridge Audio 851C hopefully coming today so the hi fi pic will be updated. :eek:

I'm currently experimenting with acrylic shelves in place of the glass ones in my hi fi rack, plus trying to get a definitive set of thoughts together regarding my SLIC interconnects.

As Sandy Denny one sung "Who knows where the time goes?" :hmm:

[ppat2]

Nice system. Don't be quick to write off the DAC in the cambridge audio 840c.


I have the same, and I retired the audiolab mdac to my second system as it could not compete with the dac in the 840c. Lord knows I tried, thinking the mdac must be better, but was not the case. The 840c dac is just more refined and silky highs and better separation. The mdac, which I like very much, is just a bit too grainy compared to the 840c, despite what settings are used. I also tried the mdac as a preamp, but it is not remotely close to my Linn, but then the linn is almost 10 times the cost.

My Linn Akurate Kontrol preamp (new 2 channel model ) has 2 xlr inputs, so I could a/b both 840c and mdac side by side each connected to the linn, both using cardas golden reference xlr.

The mdac has more thrust, but the 840c is just so clean and refined. I am guessing the dac in the 851 will be even better, but likely a very long burn in period as is common with CA gear.

Source for this a/b was my HDD loaded with 16/44 and 24/96 wav files.

so don't rush out to buy a dac unless it is in the $2500+ CDN$ range, or you may see only a minor return for the outlay.

BTW, i had the goldring gr1.2, not much different than the project, and with the gr1042 cart. A nice combo.

Paul

[choirboy]

Nice system. Don't be quick to write off the DAC in the cambridge audio 840c.


I have the same, and I retired the audiolab mdac to my second system as it could not compete with the dac in the 840c. Lord knows I tried, thinking the mdac must be better, but was not the case. The 840c dac is just more refined and silky highs and better separation. The mdac, which I like very much, is just a bit too grainy compared to the 840c, despite what settings are used. I also tried the mdac as a preamp, but it is not remotely close to my Linn, but then the linn is almost 10 times the cost.

My Linn Akurate Kontrol preamp (new 2 channel model ) has 2 xlr inputs, so I could a/b both 840c and mdac side by side each connected to the linn, both using cardas golden reference xlr.

The mdac has more thrust, but the 840c is just so clean and refined. I am guessing the dac in the 851 will be even better, but likely a very long burn in period as is common with CA gear.

Source for this a/b was my HDD loaded with 16/44 and 24/96 wav files.

so don't rush out to buy a dac unless it is in the $2500+ CDN$ range, or you may see only a minor return for the outlay.

BTW, i had the goldring gr1.2, not much different than the project, and with the gr1042 cart. A nice combo.

Paul

The 840c is a great machine and the dac is very good quality. The 851c's DAC totally kicks it in the nuts though! :punch:

It's very good indeed. :)

[ppat2]

The 840c is a great machine and the dac is very good quality. The 851c's DAC totally kicks it in the nuts though! :punch:

It's very good indeed. :)

Hey Michael. The reviews I have seen, state the 851c is a better player than the 840c. However, most of the reviews also state the 840c is the more "musical" of the 2; so a little smoother, warmer, etc. They state the 851 is still the better of the 2 and wins in terms of detail, dynamics, etc. Some reviewers have also said the 851 is a bit bright at times in the higher frequencies, but they still prefer it over the 840.

What are your findings having owned both? What do you like more about the 851? Is it "musical" or more "hi-fi"?

[choirboy]

Hey Michael. The reviews I have seen, state the 851c is a better player than the 840c. However, most of the reviews also state the 840c is the more "musical" of the 2; so a little smoother, warmer, etc. They state the 851 is still the better of the 2 and wins in terms of detail, dynamics, etc. Some reviewers have also said the 851 is a bit bright at times in the higher frequencies, but they still prefer it over the 840.

What are your findings having owned both? What do you like more about the 851? Is it "musical" or more "hi-fi"?

I was worried about this too before I bought it. It does have a different presentation to the 840c, the sound is more neutral and cleaner. There is a slight loss of warmth but the high frequency presentation is FAR better on the 851C. It is not bright at all, just very clean and detailed. The bass too is powerful, defined and has a more muscular character than the 840C which was never the best player in terms of timing.

But the overall thing that puts it ahead is realism and how it can bring out the accurate tonality of instruments and the ambience of the recorded venue. It is far more resolving/revealing as a player than the 840C which sounds a little unsophisticated by comparison.

So yes it lacks a little warmth and analogueness of the 840C but in every other area it clearly out performs it.

[ppat2]

I might just go there too. I do like a little warmth, but when pushed will take realism, dynamics and neutrality over the other option. Thanks Michael.

[choirboy]

I might just go there too. I do like a little warmth, but when pushed will take realism, dynamics and neutrality over the other option. Thanks Michael.

So do I, but when comparing you realise that the 840C sacrifices the HF info for a more midrange focused presentation. I think the only way the 851C would appear bright is a person's system was too bright to begin with.

I also think the player should improve further after a few hundred hours of use the 840C did.

[choirboy]

Updated as of Jan 2015 to include new gear :)

http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/aceshazamme/Hi-Fi%20System/systemtestmorecompression_zps2e635844.jpg

[southall-1998]

:stalks:

S.

[The Barbarian]

Mains leads are nice & neat apart from the 4th along needs to go the the back cos it's over the top of the 1st,2nd & 3rd one :D

[choirboy]

Mains leads are nice & neat apart from the 4th along needs to go the the back cos it's over the top of the 1st,2nd & 3rd one :D

Yes haha, will try and fix that for aesthetic purposes. ;) The reason the others are so neat is they use solid core leads so they stay in place. The last one doesn't sadly.

[walpurgis]

Nice looking system. I'd imagine the Sonus Fabers work well on the end of the MF amplification.

[selby]

Hey Choirboy, what power cables you using or are they home made?

[choirboy]

Hey Choirboy, what power cables you using or are they home made?

It's in the sig :)

Mains: Oyaide EE/F-S 2.0 UP-OCC Furukawa cables, Iego 8095 99.999% Pure Silver IECs, SR-20 Black fuses, Missing Link EPS100 Plugs/Sockets.
Plus one Black Rhodium Cratos.