Nagra DAC, TAG McClaren FM tuner
Nordost mains filter (Steve has a dedicated mains spur. In the back ground is the Pi-Q power supply.
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
Nagra DAC, TAG McClaren FM tuner
Nordost mains filter (Steve has a dedicated mains spur. In the back ground is the Pi-Q power supply.
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
I thought I'd bring the Soundblaster E5 round to compare it briefly with the Pi-Q. We connected the SoundBlaster E5 (which has a line out socket) into the Modwright 36.5 and I drove the E5 via A2DP Bluetooth using downloaded lossless TIDAL tracks from the mobile phone (this is the setup I use in my car - connected to the AUX input of the stereo system). We compared it to the Pi-Q on a few tracks.
After doing so I asked Steve what he thought. He was off axis, but said basically what I thought i.e. the Pi-Q had more drive to the sound than the E5. He thought the E5 maybe had more detail. I'm not so sure about that - on axis I thought the E5 displayed a more spacious 3D soundstage and definitely lacked the drive of the Pi-Q.
So that is two systems in which I found the Pi-Q to be relatively 2D soundstage wise compared to other digital sources.
At the end of the day I'd rather listen to the Pi-Q to the E5, because the E5 doesn't have the balls to do really well on more dynamic sounding music.
This Pi-Q was being fed via a £500 power supply whilst the E5 was running of its battery so it didn't disgrace itself for what is a cheap unit really.
Anyway, onto Steve's system... which I'll post about later.
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
Trade: Wakefield Turntables
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 9,778
I'm Andrew.
£50k EASY? Looks like Nordost valhalla cables.
SS
CD Teac VRDS25X(Audiotuned) DECK 1210 Mat Crystal Audio Mods MN Base/Bearing/Platter+Ebony armboard Feet Isonoe PSU Paul Hynes SR7EHD-27XL/DCSXL Ag DC lead/3 Stage Regs/Recap PCB+No Pitch/Strobe/Light ARM SME V(Kondo Ag Rewire&Tags) MC Cadenza Black FGS CABLES Arm Yannis SPD-4 IC Yannis 222 Litz+Ag bullets Power WAR PRE ATC SCA2 SPEAKERS ATC 50ASL STANDS Atacama PHONO Sugden Masterclass PA4 SUT Ortofon ST80SE POWER PSAudio P10
VALVE / MONO
PRE Croft Epoch(Modded) AMP Sondex S100 (Modded) SPEAKERS Tannoy 15"MG+RFC Warwick cabs+ Ref XO + Batpure supertweeters DECK Garrard 301 Mat Teunto Bearings 401(Bastin) Plinth Bamboo Arms 3009/3012 PSU Eagle+Tachometer MC Ag Meister II/FGS + Ortofon SPU MONO CABLES Arm Yannis 420.5 Litz+ SpeakerPC Tripple C+WBT-0681 Ag IC Oyaide FTVS-510 AgWBT 0110Ag Phonostages Paradise(4 Box Mega-Modded) / Croft Musicmaker
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
Site Owner/Administrator
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK
Posts: 110,486
I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.
Nice, but did you listen to any REAL music?Originally Posted by User211
Good result for the Pi!
Oh, so you can go all the way down to London for a bake-off, but not come up to Wrexham!
Marco.
P.S Barry will get 'all excited' (possibly to the point of creating a damp patch) when he sees all that Nagra..............
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL, in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
No London was family dealings. Steve is a Bristol man.
Music was everything really - rock, reggae, electronic, acoustic etc. Steve has taste.
Site Owner/Administrator
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK
Posts: 110,486
I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.
But you chose to swerve that and record the 'audiophile pap'...?
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL, in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Senior Member
Location: Bristol
Posts: 7,262
I'm Justin.
I wasn't really thinking about the music - just getting a video done of the kit.
Anyway, you should get your arse down here to get your ears and mind reset. Really, LOL.
Site Owner/Administrator
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK
Posts: 110,486
I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.
Lol... Why - what in your opinion needs 'resetting'?
Marco.
Main System
Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & regulator mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat with Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight. Isonoe feet & boots. Ortofon RS-212D tonearm with Denon DL-103GL, in a Denon PCL-300 headshell, fitted with Funk Firm Houdini and Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.
Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp and Denon AU-310 SUT.
Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.
CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.
Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.
Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp, fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.
Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.
Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.
Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.
Reply With Quote
