What’s your Hi-Fi set up? spec and pictures please

[Sheets Tabuer]

I've tried photo's of the kids and one of the cat, the cat definitely added depth and warmth to my Hagel but the soundstage seemed aloof.

[Stick Legs]

Nothing too expensive here, but sounds nice and is well weighted.

Lounge.

Rotel RA940BX amplifier.
Yamaha CDX-596 CD Player
B&W DM601S2 speakers on Atacama floor stands.
Chord Silverscreen cable, banana plugs.

I bought this new in 2000 with my first post qualified pay packet and apart from new cables a few years ago enjoy it as much now as ever.

Home office.

Yamaha CDX N470D Music Cast receiver (mostly used to play music off phones or stream spotify)
Sony book shelf speakers from the mid 1980's with upgraded connections, Chord carnival cable with banana plugs.

This was specifically designed to provide a warm sound and to make the home office a mice environment as opposed to chasing HiFi perfection.
It works brilliantly and flatters even bluetooth connection into sounding richer.

I'll edit and add some pics when I can.

[REM2112]

Real system previously posted, but this is the one that gets all the use. Naim Uniti plus Artcoustic speakers and sub.

[ian996]

A few pics of my system in it's new home - a bit (lot) of work still to do on optimising the room, but sounding pretty good (apart from an irritating, but thankfully not catastrophic, 80hz room mode, which is top of the list to try and sort out.)







Basic spec is:

SME 20 / SME 5 / Lyra Etna
Wadia 9 Series CD
Musical Fidelity KW Monoblocs & KWP Pre-amp (all modified to a degree that would have Antony Michaelson rolling around in his retirement)
Raidho D3.1 Speakers
Bluos Streamer

(And, in the corner)
Woo Audio WA5 Headphone Amp / Sennheiser HD800

Edited by ian996 on Friday 31st December 14:11

[Mark V GTD]

Holy crap - thats impressive!!!

[thebraketester]

What's the spec for the pipe lagging holding the cables off the floor?

[ian996]

Mark V GTD said:

Holy crap - thats impressive!!!

Thanks! Possibly a little on the overkill side, but it doesn't half bring music to life!

thebraketester said:

What's the spec for the pipe lagging holding the cables off the floor?

Why?

Are you worried I paid overblown audiophile prices for it?

[Spleen]

ian996 said:

Why?

Are you worried I paid overblown audiophile prices for it?

Defensive much?

[ian996]

Spleen said:

ian996 said:

Why?

Are you worried I paid overblown audiophile prices for it?

Defensive much?

Not hugely so, just happy to respond to a daft question with a daft answer

[loughran]

Do you mind me asking what you have holding the cables off the floor, It's difficult to tell from the photo.

[Spleen]

ian996 said:

Spleen said:

ian996 said:

Why?

Are you worried I paid overblown audiophile prices for it?

Defensive much?

Not hugely so, just happy to respond to a daft question with a daft answer

I know her you're coming from. I responded to someone on another forum who swore blind that using Tidal Connect through his Naim app was more 'detailed, bigger soundstage' and all the rest of that bowlacks than using the app itself. Refused to accept that it was one and the same stream, it was just being controlled by Tidal app rather than Naim app.

Never underestimate the power of, 'I want to believe.'

[wolfracesonic]

What’s the valve gear, if you don’t mind me being nosey?

[ian996]

loughran said:

Do you mind me asking what you have holding the cables off the floor, It's difficult to tell from the photo.

As spotted by the Brake Tester, it's pipe lagging. The (valid or otherwise) rationale for it is that cables conduct vibration, and suspended floors (particularly those supporting large full-range speakers on non-compliant spikes) will vibrate. By adding a degree of isolation between the cables and the floor, the intention is to reduce any possible impact on microphonic components.

As my speakers are on isolation supports, the requirement/benefit is probably less, so the (in effect) cost-free pipe lagging is just there on a "It can't do any harm basis"

[TonyRPH]

ian996 said:

<snip>

As my speakers are on isolation supports, the requirement/benefit is probably less, so the (in effect) cost-free pipe lagging is just there on a "It can't do any harm basis"

As any engineer will teel you, the signal travels on the outside of the cable and not actually in the cable - so your pipe lagging is massively rolling off the treble.

I may not be serious

[ian996]

wolfracesonic said:

What’s the valve gear, if you don’t mind me being nosey?

Not at all! It's a Woo Audio WA5 Headphone amp using 300B power tubes. While it is primarily a HPA, it also has an output for speakers, and pumps out about 9 watts. The main solid state amps were damaged in transit to my new house, and the WA5 did a fine job of driving the Raidhos for a couple of months until I got the MF amps repaired (albeit with limited headroom and slightly boomy bass).




The valves (Output and rectifiers) are both upgraded to Emission Labs Mesh Plate, which are sheer thermionic "pawn"

[ian996]

TonyRPH said:

ian996 said:

<snip>

As my speakers are on isolation supports, the requirement/benefit is probably less, so the (in effect) cost-free pipe lagging is just there on a "It can't do any harm basis"

As any engineer will teel you, the signal travels on the outside of the cable and not actually in the cable - so your pipe lagging is massively rolling off the treble.

You Cannot Be Serious!

TonyRPH said:

I may not be serious

Phew!

Edited by ian996 on Friday 31st December 19:48

[stuthemong]

ian996 said:

great kit

Ian,

Thought about fabrics/diffuser on the front wall? Room looks a little "reflecty"!

[ian996]

Spleen said:

I know her you're coming from.

Small World, eh?

[Spleen]

Where, even. You plum.

Nice set up though.

[ian996]

stuthe said:

ian996 said:

great kit

Ian,

Thought about fabrics/diffuser on the front wall? Room looks a little "reflecty"!

Room "tuning" is definitely on the list. Funnily enough, I prefer a "hard" front wall and "soft" rear wall set-up, so will be damping the wall behind the listening seat (which already has a thick pair of curtains that I draw across when listening). Plan B is to get some kind of roller blind over the shutters on the front wall if I think it needs softening a bit.

The plantation shutters are to try and take the glass out of the equation as much as possible and, set slightly ajar, might be having some kind of diffusing impact already.

I'm aiming to remove the main light fitting and installing some GIK acoustics absorption panels on the ceilings, partly to get rid of ceiling reflections, but also because the room width is quite close to 1.5 the room height, and I'm wondering if I can "cheat" that a little with a partial false ceiling.

Apart from the aforementioned 80hz hump, the room seems pretty well behaved.