re: Audiophile/Vinyl Thread - Post Pics, Advice, Questions, Setups, etc.

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Chick Corea--Return to Forever

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If I am not mistaken, I believe he made this record just after becoming a Jehovas Witness--or something along those lines. It supposedly influenced his writing...or so I've heard

I am on the south shore.

I pulled the trigger and placed the order for the following...




C1100 controller

C1100 tube preamp

C1100 DAC

MCT 450 SACD Transport

MPC 1500 Power Controller

MC 601 Mono Power Amplifier

MC 601 Mono Power Amplifier



All should arrive in about 2 weeks!

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I pulled the trigger and placed the order for the following

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I'd be lying if I didn't say I was green (and blue - haha) with envy, but will also say those guys couldn't be going to a better home!

Cheers!!

Got the sub ordered today...SVS Ultra SB16...16" sub in a sealed enclosure.

I went with the SB (sealed box) as opposed to the PB (ported box) for a couple reasons. Each type has its advantages.The ported sub is giant--175 pounds--and will go a couple Hz lower (down to 13Hz!!) and be just a tad bit more forceful.

The sealed sub enclosure tends to act as a vacuum, thus helping to "pull" the woofer back in after its outward excursion, thus providing a little tighter bass than a ported sub.

The sealed box sub will still shake the walls if it needs to (1,500 watt continuous power amp capeable of 5000 watts peak with a 16" driver!).

Most folks doing strictly home theater tend to veer to the ported sub as the extreme low effects, such as explosions, will shake the foundation. Those folks tend to want earth shaking power and force and aren't concerned if the sub sounds a little muddy on the bottom octaves of a cello solo.

Those using for music tend to veer toward the sealed box as they are usually OK with a low frequency of 16 HZ (which is crazy low!), and would rather give up the absolute last bit of earth shaking for a tighter sub that works better for music.

Since I have a pair of Magneplanar 1.7 panel/ribbon speakers that I will hook up from time to time, I chose the sealed sub to get a little bit faster/tighter bass. This sub, while a bit smaller footprint than the ported, still weighs in at 122 pounds!

Ordered the center channel as well...SVS Ultra Center...

I've been wanting to hear the SVS ultra bookshelves in person

I've read/watched several reviews for that sub.

It sounds like it is the cream of the crop

Some big ol blocks!

I assume you had no issues with your speakers right?

HerbertFest08...speakers are fine, but I would like to entertain a little larger speaker. I would like to jump up to the next size in the same family, but Focal's pricing is getting ridiculous.

My speaker, the Focal Alto Utopia Be, when new in 2009, was $23k. It was replaced and updated in 2011 by the LaScala Utopia (same 1", 7", and 11"drivers), and is now $39k...for basically some small refinements and a sexy auto paint finish and redesigned cabinet. That's a huge increase ($16k) for a replacement product without jumping up in the speaker line.

The next size up from the Alto Utopia (my speaker) in 2009 was the Nova Utopia, which retailed at $45k. The Nova became the Stella Utopia in 2011 and now retails for $100k.

So, I buy a speaker in 2009 for $23k, and 8 years later want to go to the next larger size, and the price jump is $77k??? That's frigging outrageous...but it is also a perfect example of what's happening throughout much of high end audio right now.

The same formula can be used for my Simaudio CD player. In 2008, it was $6500. It's replacement/updated version launched in 2012, was $16k!...sure the chipset was updated, but at a $9500 increase??

The high end audio industry is targeting a certain segment hard--the guys that were high school/college age audio nerds in its heyday in the '70's, worked for 40 years and made a decent living, and are now hitting retirement. The industry is trying to tap into their retirement nest eggs and striking while the iron is hot....and it is working. The proof that it is working is most of the manufacturers keep hiking the prices and releasing über reference level gear. If it didn't sell, they would stop, but it sells, so they keep it going.


What I would like to find is a pair of Nova Utopias on the used market, but they don't come up often (because the people that have them would have to spend $100k to upgrade their $45k speaker, so most Nova owners don't do it--they keep them). I also really like the sound of mine, I just want one size larger, so if I can find a pair on the used market, I would jump on it.

The Alto Utopia...($23k)...



The Alto's replacement, the LaScala Utopia ($39k)...



The Nova Utopia ($45k), the next size up from the Alto...



and it's replacement, the Stella Utopia ($100k)...




So I may hold on to mine for a little while longer...