One of them…
Posted already on r/audiophile, but why not here as well
This my current system, consisting of following components:
Speakers: Revel Performa3 F206
Subwoofer: SVS SB1000
Amplfiers : Ioatavx SA3+PA3
DAC: Soncoz SGD1
Record player : Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN
Power filter/conditioner : Taga Harmony PF-2000
Speaker cables: Taga Harmony PLATINUM-18-16C
RCA cables: Nedis branded
Digital music via Roon
How does it sound? Great These are my first floor standers and the difference between the scale of the sound and the bass output between my previous bookshelves is massive. Feels more like a wall of sound. Overall I am very pleased, especially since I got those speakers on sale as they were a demo model in a local Hi-fi shop.
(Bookshelves that I have used - Dali Zensor 3, Klipsch RP600M, KEF LS50 Meta)
What next? More space would be nice. Speakers are front ported but still would deserve more room and also the sitting position should be further away. Also, they would deserve a higher-end amp. I am interested in something with tubes, at least a tube pre-amp stage. Schiit Freya+ and 2xVidar would be nice. Also would love to try an R2R DAC.
So many great options out there!!
The cans are ADX 5000’s…I have D8000 Pros that I like very much as well.
Gone thru many, many itererations. Bought and sold, and bought and sold…many really good products
but these have hung around for awhile…
I test everything against these units…
Latest acquision was a NOS Dac from MHDT, their Orchid…
Fun times here!
Alex
This is straight up pornography. When I actually set up my listening rig I’ll post some pics. Some of y’all got some crazy set ups.
Congrats on the new amp. I looked hard at that one but I just couldn’t swing the price tag at this point in time. I am very interested in how you get on with it when it arrives.
The cans, well - those go without saying! Enjoy.
Desk 1
Desk 2 (009s/crbn not pictured)
Well, it certainly doesn’t suck!
Well, a slight update to the system. As previously mentioned, I picked up the SH-9 HP amp. Since that changed the sky line a bit, I figured I better put up a new pic
The SP200 is idle at this point. I’m thinking about finally taking it out as it really isn’t needed anymore. But it’s not hurting anything being there, so it will stay for now. The real surprise here is the re-cable I did. The DA-9 is now being fed by the TA-20 as a preamp, freeing up the SA-1 to be just a headphone amp again. But holy crap, the speaker system has never sounded so good.
The SA-1 did a really fine job as a preamp, but the TA-20/DA-9 combo really brings out low end punch and enhanced bass extension that is quite impressive. Mids have much more impact now. Instruments are nicely separated, and you are getting this enhanced “in room” presence. The BR02’s are responding very well to the new signal being presented to them. I just love these things. Overall, I feel like the signature is more organic and real now. Especially live music. Just fantastic.
I’m pleased with the changes. I’m getting things tightened up little by little. Tough to do on a tighter budget, so you take the little wins where you can. For a mid-level desktop near field experience, I’m pretty happy with it.
You are building quite a collection! We have have/have had many items in common. I am looking at cutting back on mine in September.
So, what’s your favourite overall amp? If you had to pick just one to keep…
Thanks, Shane. The journey has been fun for sure. We have traveled down some similar paths, which is very interesting. Kinda makes you feel like you are not alone!
As to the question, that is a tough one. Each amp serves a unique purpose and though it’s very early days, the SH-9 has made quite the impression. The TA-20 is that underdog amp that always overachieves and is always a joy to use. The DA-9 is its own animal being a power amp and all and is doing a great job. But somehow, I don’t think it’s gonna be my endgame speaker amp. But together with the TA-20, it’s doing great. I’m in no rush to replace it.
SO again, a tough call. But all this said, as it stands now, if I HAD to choose just one, it would be… The SA-1. I do want to spend more time with the SH-9, but I Think the SA-1 delivers an overall fuller, deeper, more complete sound. It seems to pair very well with the Bifrost 2, and when you connect up the LSA HP-2s… kinda magical.
I said I wanted more time with the new amp, the SH-9. So I am doing just that, and tonight I hooked up the Elegias. I love it. What a cool experience. The SH-9 actually widens the stage a little bit on these cans. Feels less of a “bubble”, if that makes any sense. Great slam and bass response. Mids and vocals are really, really good.
On a hunch, I also threw the Silver-plated copper cable on. Seemed a little counter intuitive as I thought it might add too much brightness, but the upper end is quite nice. Just enough dazzle but very well controlled. Cymbals sound authentic and decay is perfect. None of that treble glare like the SP200 would sometimes deliver. The SH-9 is bringin it, man! This is a wonderful combination. This amp continues to impress.
It seems like this is working out better than I could have imagined. Each headphone is finding its best matchup… The Elegias with the SH-9, the HP-2s with the SA-1, and the EDXS with the TA-20. The Sundara is a wild card and can go on any of the combos. Kinda dumb luck, but I’ll take it. The SH-9 definitely will stay.
Happy Friday, all! Home and rockin! Gettin some speaker time in before dinner. You know, this desktop system is really delivering the sound… but… It’s not there yet. It’s so interesting how “the sound” has been building on this system. It’s been evolving for over a year now, and I’m really happy with it. But you get greedy and start pushing the envelope!
In doing an overall assessment, the one thing that keeps coming up in my head is… subwoofer.
Man, I gotta go eat. To be continued…
Sorry for the long pause. HA! So yeah, the speaker side… It’s really sounding good these days, especially after the recent changes. But there is just something missing in the lower end. Depends on the music, but there are times when the lower end hit is not quite what I am expecting. And honestly, this is me really nitpicking my stuff here. But as I said earlier, you get greedy and start wanting more! So, I started weighing options, bearing in mind I have neighbors around me that I need to consider.
A better amp would be great, but I don’t think I need to go that far. I’m thinking a nice 8-inch, forward firing sub might just do the trick. The DA-9 has a sub output built into it. This could be the finishing touch I’m looking for. Hmmph. I guess I have some thinking to do.
Nice. I hear good things about this unit.
It’s a wonderful DAC/AMP, a class above anything else I’ve owned. I fell in love with it at CanJam NYC.
Christ the WA7 are much bigger than I thought.
Looks cool
wtf, that new schiit looks pretty badass