Waiting for the Caiman SEG

[Bourneendboy]

Very nice!

[StanleyB]

The SEG is very much power supply dependent. The standard 12V SMPS can give an edgy sound in some systems, which is why I recommend that it should be upgraded with a linear 15V power supply. Several suitable cheap ones from China have been discussed.
There is also an SEG PSU enhancer on its way.

[twotone]

Yeah I already had one. I was lucky to find the 5v one used as new at $150 after buying the Digione, and now the same situation for the 15v one when I bought the SEG. I couldn't pull the trigger on them new due to the cost, and I'm a sucker for being able to try and resell anyway.

No more complaints from me, I now have a pitch black back drop and smoothness top to bottom. The added detail via the HPA is mind boggling with the new lack of noise floor. You have clarity and definition many notes further down and up and going through familiar songs is information overload. Having a lot of fun tonight with my old knackered AKG K550's

HPA?

[MasterTape]

HPA?

Headphone amp. My Rega + Harbeth combo was so far behind the unfettled headphone output out of the SEG that I sold them an hour after getting the SEG on clean power.

It was predetermined to some extent. I hate my room (noise from appliances, a ventilation drum, the road outside, room nodes) and look forward to getting back into stereo listening once I've moved into a more quiet and hopefully long term place.

[Theadmans]

BTW Andreas - I tried your Joni Mitchell track on my SEG and Creek CD50....

...a very good treble test track

Sounded mighty fine on both the SEG and Creek. No sign of "fizziness".

My SEG has a Chinese 15v Linear Power Supply - so maybe this is the reason.

I used Senheiser HD650s for the test.

I noticed your original speaker system with the Brio amp and Harbeths was conceptually similar to mine.

I have a Creek 50A Amp and AVI Neutron IV speakers. So we were both running small speakers (your Harbeths perhaps more upmarket than my AVIs)

Over the years I have been frustrated by my room too - which is small and square. A Victorian fireplace means I have to have the speakers on bookshelves either side of the fire. The AVIs give good mid-range and treble but obviously are very limited in the bass.

I have wondered about using a subwoofer but am worried that this would mess up the sound balance.

I have come to accept the limitations of the speaker system. But the speakers and headphones have different strengths. For now I will keep both and just enjoy the music.

[MasterTape]

Good to hear I'm fully on board with Stan that it was probably the switching mode power supply in combination with the Rega Brio that was the issue.

Yeah I'm fine with limitations and would gladly work with them if it wasn't for the fact that I only have 12 months left on my apartment lease and studies. I've been torn between just adding that little bit of extra furniture/treatment to get the decay down or postpone it for a longer term project in the near-ish future. It fell to the latter but it stung a bit when the new owner of the P3ESR's called today to tell me how gob smacked he was

[twotone]

Good to hear I'm fully on board with Stan that it was probably the switching mode power supply in combination with the Rega Brio that was the issue.

Yeah I'm fine with limitations and would gladly work with them if it wasn't for the fact that I only have 12 months left on my apartment lease and studies. I've been torn between just adding that little bit of extra furniture/treatment to get the decay down or postpone it for a longer term project in the near-ish future. It fell to the latter but it stung a bit when the new owner of the P3ESR's called today to tell me how gob smacked he was

I've owned P3ESR's and I'm amazed that they didn't get on with the SEG.

I'm currently running a pair of Spendor S3/5r2s which are about half the price of the Harbeths but easily as good as them, they sound amazing on the end of my SEG/Creek 5350SE combo.

Source is just a cheap Denon Streamer with internet radio and FM/AM tuner section but I do have a very good Arcam FM/AM FMJ tuner and Frankly I can't really tell the difference between the two sources however Radio 2 Extra and Radio 4 Extra via the Denon>SEG>CREEK is far superior to FM, just sounds the same (analogue) but much much better.

[twotone]

BTW Andreas - I tried your Joni Mitchell track on my SEG and Creek CD50....

...a very good treble test track

Sounded mighty fine on both the SEG and Creek. No sign of "fizziness".

My SEG has a Chinese 15v Linear Power Supply - so maybe this is the reason.

I used Senheiser HD650s for the test.

I noticed your original speaker system with the Brio amp and Harbeths was conceptually similar to mine.

I have a Creek 50A Amp and AVI Neutron IV speakers. So we were both running small speakers (your Harbeths perhaps more upmarket than my AVIs)

Over the years I have been frustrated by my room too - which is small and square. A Victorian fireplace means I have to have the speakers on bookshelves either side of the fire. The AVIs give good mid-range and treble but obviously are very limited in the bass.

I have wondered about using a subwoofer but am worried that this would mess up the sound balance.

I have come to accept the limitations of the speaker system. But the speakers and headphones have different strengths. For now I will keep both and just enjoy the music.

Do yourself a favour and try a pair of Spendor S3/5rs or S3/5r2s, I think you will be surprised at how much bass you will hear with the SEG in the system and those speakers, pretty sure the Harbeths P3ESRs would have been just as good though.

[MasterTape]

The Brio was the exposed and inferior component, no blame shall fall on the sublime P3's

The setup deserved a much better amp. I did try a Hegel Röst at home for a while earlier this spring that I didn't quite click with and sold on, but I would have loved to hear what its resolving power and the SEG could have done together.

And yeah the bass out of the P3's with the SEG was more than I ever would have guessed they had in them.

[Theadmans]

Yeah I remember that Stan said quite some time ago that was an issue with his DACs and Rega Brio amps.

Never had any problems with my Creek Amps - I have had a Creek 4330 and then more lately a Creek 50A.