# Bertholomey's Headphone Station Project



## bertholomey

This project is over 2 years in the making. 

It all started with a Car Audio Meet. 

For the few people that will read this thread......I'll tell the story (warning, long winded), and then start the 'build thread' 

So, in the Fall of 2012....I had a North Carolina SQ Meet at my house. My good buddy John (minibox) brought over some pieces out of his awesome 2 channel home system for guys to listen to as a make-shift 'reference' system. 

I love listening to his full set up at his house, and it was a lot of fun to hook up a couple pieces (Bryston DAC, Audio Research Pre-amp, Ariel 3T tower speakers) and listen in my home office. 



Well, after the meet one night, I let the wife know that I was going to listen to the system 'at volume' for a few minutes. I came out of the room, and she was on the couch with her iPad.....just cringing. I immediately thought that 2 channel home audio was a non-start for me. 

1) she is frugal.....home audio can (and typically will) get real expensive. 
2) she is always home - there isn't any time that I'm there, and she isn't
3) currently when I want to listen to good music 'at volume' - I have to go out to the garage and sit in the car.....but at least I can do that while she is in the shower, and it doesn't bother her (too much). 

That got me thinking......I can purchase a 'top shelf' Headphone set up for about the same price as that Audio Research Pre-amp. 

So I proceeded to get signed up on Head-Fi.com and try to learn everything about Headphones and Headphone Amps. Wow.....mind blowing experience. Dynamic headphones, planar headphones, electrostats, IEM's.......etc. Tube amps, solid state amps, and a plethora of DACs - from desktop and portable. 

The number one thing that stood out was that there was certain phones / amps that had good synergies and some that had bad synergies......and a LOT of 'personal preference.' Some of these threads about individual headphones have over 1000 pages......some guys say they are the best cans EVAH......and some say they are absolute rubbish.......same as you see on DIYMA to a certain degree......but it was a bit of a learning curve to determine what is 'real' and what is preference. 

Anyway, I decided that I was going to buy headphones first......use them on my Peachtree Nova. I decided that I wanted a set of 'flagship' headphones versus getting 2 - 4 less expensive sets that are good for different things (this is what many of the guys on Head-fi have). After some back and forth - I became enamored with the Audeze LCD 2's. I found a dealer in Cary, NC (Drew at Mood Audio) that was willing to give me a demo. 

Audeze Headphones

Immediately I knew the Audeze's were not for me. They hurt the top of my head (too many incidents involving kevlar helmets), and they were quite heavy. I really liked the sound, but I couldn't keep them on for more than a couple minutes. Drew came in - I mentioned this puniness to him - and he said the Fostex TH900's were his favorite. I put them on and WOW!!!! The sound was Amazing! And they were comfortable! I eventually went back to his shop to get a comparison listen to the Sennheiser HD800s - extremely comfortable, but the sound wasn't to my preference.....the Fostex was so much more of what I was looking for. 

Fostex International

Terrible pic - cell phone, fast - not sure if I was 'allowed' to take pics inside Drew's 'shop'. 



My wife and I had an agreement that I would wait to purchase my dream headphone set up until a certain financial milestone was met. So I had plenty of time to look around and research. Well, as it often happens.....the perfect pair of very newly purchased Fostex TH900's was posted for sale - for the 'right price' from a guy in Virginia. I purchased them and haven't regretted the decision at all. 



Well, now that the headphone purchase was done.....it was on to DACs and amplifiers. I have changed directions about 10 times in the last 2 years. 

I met a guy in Korea that had the TH900's + the Metrum Octave DAC + the Eddie Current Zana Deux tube amp. I was going to replicate his set up based on his feedback. Then I was into the Auralic stuff, Cavali amplifiers, and came back to the Naim Headline a couple times. 



Cavalli Audio - I LOVE the look of these amps! But....the Liquid Crimson is $1k more than the amp I purchased 

Cavalli Audio

Naim Headline - man....I just couldn't get this one out of my head for some reason....outboard power supply......
Headline

It was pretty confusing trying to figure out the DAC stuff. Some were talking a lot about the importance of DACs being able to ‘play’ the most advanced types of files. Others were advocating more ‘analog’ sounding DACs – like the Metrum and the Teddy Pardo. Another confusing thing – with a ‘limited’ budget, put the $ in the DAC or the amp or equal share. 

Metrum Octave mkii

Teddy Pardo DAC

TeddyDac

Wouldn't you know it - he emailed me that he was going to put together a headphone amp at some point....now he has one......

Teddy Headphone Amp


One really nice thing about headphones versus Car Audio or big 2 channel home audio. One can go to a headphone meet with your headphones and plug them in to several types of amplifiers and DACs. One can even mix and match amps and DACs at these meets. A lot easier to listen to sources / amplifiers in a room versus in listening to various equipment in cars…..with various speakers, installs, tuning. The hard part about the meets are they are typically in a large room, and all these old fellas like to yap about the stuff they love…..so even with closed cups – it is hard to really hear the quality of the gear. But….these are really good guys that share the passion for music and reproducing that music. 





































Cavalli Liquid Glass + Auralic Vega - this is Mr. Speakers' rig - he makes the Mad Dogs, Alpha Dogs, etc. Headphones











At the last meeting, a fella at the meet had the Auralic stack – sounded amazing! The coolest part to me was that he fully explained the Aries ‘bridge’, had the same type of NAS as me, and he said he was willing to come up to the house and get it all set up. I did some reading about the product, and saw it as a huge solution for my music – not just a great DAC and a good amplifier. My ‘solution’ would be music on the NAS, the Aries would bridge that music to the DAC (really good source), then I’d be able to play the music through the great headphones and feed the Naim NAP100 amplifier to play through the speakers on my desk. 

From the recent Raleigh Meet Thread

Raleigh Meet Thread

So, I connected with my ‘consultant’s’ supplier and made the order. Then I got to thinking that I would benefit from a good ‘power strip’. I sent a message asking about a certain Shinyata product, and he directed me to the supplier he purchased his power conditioner from. That happened to be P.I. Audio Group and Dave Elledge – an extremely cool fella out of New Mexico. This is another huge area that can get real confusing in a real hurry. As soon as you mention power conditioning and cables to most guys – they immediately scream ‘snake oil’! From my research, there is a lot of it…..vats of it….around the industry – that is why it was awesome for me to get a direct introduction to the builder. 

Dave was awesome to talk with, and he put things in perspective. We also share an interest in guns, and he also makes custom faceplates for his conditioners. I was able to pick a piece of left over hickory that we had from our flooring project to send out to him for this project. This guy knows wood! He informed me of the various steps he would take to make this piece of hickory beautiful! 

So, the Auralic pieces are traveling across the country – from California to Wisconsin……they arrived there on Wednesday, late afternoon. Nigel created a shipping label that had a delivery date for today, 22MAY…..well I got excited. I am here for a 3 day weekend, I wanted to get things hooked up, and we need to start building the shelves. Well, he wasn’t able to get the stuff to FedEx until Thursday morning, so they won’t arrive until Tuesday, 26MAY…….as I’m driving to South Carolina. I won’t see them until I get back on Thursday the 28th, and then I’ll drive to Virginia on Friday ☹.

But, I need to figure out how to install Java and Minimserver on the Synology. Then I have to try to clean up my library on the NAS. I think the wife and I are going to start working on the shelves this weekend as well.


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## Magic Hands

Wow! 

I should have asked for a demo while I was there.... or maybe better not.... getting back into car audio is expensive enough... for now


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## papasin

Subscribed


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## Golden Ear

Sub'd!


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## bertholomey

So, major decisions being made this morning. My plan has been to do a pipe shelf on the wall to place the equipment on. 

Something like this:

Rustic Shelves

The original plan was to connect two 6" wide pieces of Hickory flooring that we have with plumbing pipes mounted to the wall. The wife wasn't to keen on this idea for many reasons. I finally relented on the Hickory and agreed to 12" wide cedar shelving. 

Then we measured the CD player and Naim amp, and decided we would need 20" wide shelves with the equipment foot print and power cable behind the equipment. Plywood is the only thing that would give us 20" wide, and that would make the pipes more difficult. 

Then eureka.....why am I using a cd transport? The Naim amp can be turned sideways.....back to the cedar, but Vicki still suggested getting the equipment before building the shelves. 

We were getting our plan together this morning when the issues caused the question - what do others use? Wouldn't a rack on the floor work better, be a LOT easier? Well......YES! So that might be the answer. There is a decent one at Crutchfield that might get ordered.

Perhaps......

Crutchfield audio rack


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## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> Plywood is the only thing that would give us 20" wide, and that would make the pipes more difficult.


They aren't the species of wood you described but you can get edge glued panels from Lowe's. They are pine or aspen wood but you can get 15", 16", 18", 20", and 24" 
Shop Clear Kiln-Dried Aspen Panel (Common: 3/4 x 24-in x 48-in; Actual: 0.75-in x 24-in x 48-in) at Lowes.com
That link is one version.
With some nice stain they come out looking good.


Tuned in to see what you build.


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## jpf150

I'll be watching this one! Can't wait to see what you do Jason.


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## eddieg

Hey Jason, 

Beautiful thread and as well a beautiful companionship with your wife - good communications for sure! 

As we all know - happy wife, happy life! 

I'm amazed by the wooden cap preparation method by Fostex - wood around speakers to my personal taste is always providing the best resonance - must be an amazing set of headphones. 

I personally like the underdogs when it comes to headphones - simply because they provide a best value for money experience and as you well know - our hobies are EXPENSIVE - it is what that separates men from boys - the cost of their toys right? 

I really like the Audio Technica ATH series - I have the M30x for daily music - try to listen to the M50 for example they are monitor headphones and they are very clear sounding - for me, the high end is a bit too strong there so the M30 for daily use is more fun - they are very very comfortable by the way. 

Any-huuww - A good friend of mine is using a M2Tech DAC in his car and as well he is using a Helix power station to stabilize power - nice gear as well. 

How much does all the equipment weigh? - Do you think that using a "frame hanging wire kit" might do the trick? They are extreemley strong and are very cheap and I've seen several museums using them to hang giant paintings on walls and it looks as if they are floating on air - using four wires like that - having "floating gear" could be interesting 

Man, love reading your stuff.


P.S hate those helmets! but they are life protectors. 
By the way what do you think about the "Tavor" rifle and its Bullpup conversion kit (changing the bullet caliber on the fly)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmIo0YYKYCs


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## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> They aren't the species of wood you described but you can get edge glued panels from Lowe's. They are pine or aspen wood but you can get 15", 16", 18", 20", and 24"
> 
> That link is one version.
> With some nice stain they come out looking good.
> 
> Tuned in to see what you build.


Hmmmm - I replied to this a few hours ago, but it didn't 'take' for some reason. 

I would certainly use those if I needed the wide shelves. Now I'm convinced a 5 shelf rack is the way to go. I'll likely order this one (even though my wife suggested the $150 one at Best Buy :blush

Sanus 5 shelf rack



jpf150 said:


> I'll be watching this one! Can't wait to see what you do Jason.


You will need to get a demo in the Fall  

The pieces should be delivered to my wife's office tomorrow morning / early afternoon....if they come early enough, I'll zip over there and pick them up.....un-box them, power them up to make sure everything is in working order.....then drive to South Carolina for 3 days 



eddieg said:


> Hey Jason,
> 
> Beautiful thread and as well a beautiful companionship with your wife - good communications for sure!
> 
> As we all know - happy wife, happy life!
> 
> I'm amazed by the wooden cap preparation method by Fostex - wood around speakers to my personal taste is always providing the best resonance - must be an amazing set of headphones.
> 
> I personally like the underdogs when it comes to headphones - simply because they provide a best value for money experience and as you well know - our hobies are EXPENSIVE - it is what that separates men from boys - the cost of their toys right?
> 
> I really like the Audio Technica ATH series - I have the M30x for daily music - try to listen to the M50 for example they are monitor headphones and they are very clear sounding - for me, the high end is a bit too strong there so the M30 for daily use is more fun - they are very very comfortable by the way.
> 
> Any-huuww - A good friend of mine is using a M2Tech DAC in his car and as well he is using a Helix power station to stabilize power - nice gear as well.
> 
> How much does all the equipment weigh? - Do you think that using a "frame hanging wire kit" might do the trick? They are extremely strong and are very cheap and I've seen several museums using them to hang giant paintings on walls and it looks as if they are floating on air - using four wires like that - having "floating gear" could be interesting
> 
> Man, love reading your stuff.
> 
> 
> P.S hate those helmets! but they are life protectors.
> By the way what do you think about the "Tavor" rifle and its Bullpup conversion kit (changing the bullet caliber on the fly)?
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmIo0YYKYCs


Thanks Eddie.....it continues to be a wonderful journey.....I'm hoping that she will 'take' to the system....that occasionally she will fire up the iPad.....key up one of her favorites.....sit back.....and enjoy the music. 

I've seen some pics of audio gear on those wire shelf systems - it looks pretty cool, but the cables kind of take away from the effect. 

I haven't heard of that weapon - started to watch the vid - seems really cool. I'll need to watch the rest of it (starting back up on the new X-Men movie), and look up some general info on it. Thanks for sharing it.


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## etroze

Sub'd this is something that I've wanted to dive into just never had the funds to do it.


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## bertholomey

etroze said:


> Sub'd this is something that I've wanted to dive into just never had the funds to do it.



Very cool - this is the point of this thread (at least from my perspective) - to share info - and to relay how enjoyable a good set of headphones can be - this is not a show off thread in any way - not my intent. 

So if anyone has any questions - please feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to answer ?


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## bertholomey

How about a few new pics.....

This past weekend, as you have already read, was supposed to be the big shelf building weekend......in anticipation for the gear to show up. 

Got these strips of tape on the wall - that is as far as we got toward shelves being installed there. 










Lots of reasons - going to be tricky to get at least two screws per flange into the studs, worry about weight capacity on the drywall, look of the cables, etc. 

We moved this corner cabinet in that my father-in-law made - mostly for size reference for a rack. 










Yuck.....need something narrower and taller - like the 'expensive' one from Crutchfield. 

I got the text that the gear was delivered today around 1000 at my wife's workplace. I ran over and picked them up, and then I had the pleasure of un-boxing the pieces. 

Fairly grubby and a bit banged up










Aries



















Vega DAC










Taurus Headphone Amp / pre-amp




























My 'plan' was to merely un-box everything.....that turned into a plug in power cables to make sure the products turned on......and that turned into plugging them into the system.......and that turned into trying every input 

Still using the Naim amp to power the desk speakers....now with a very good source and especially DAC.


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## jpf150

bertholomey said:


> You will need to get a demo in the Fall
> 
> The pieces should be delivered to my wife's office tomorrow morning / early afternoon....if they come early enough, I'll zip over there and pick them up.....un-box them, power them up to make sure everything is in working order.....then drive to South Carolina for 3 days


I would love to! I know it will be sweet when it gets done, just like the car.



bertholomey said:


> How about a few new pics.....
> 
> This past weekend, as you have already read, was supposed to be the big shelf building weekend......in anticipation for the gear to show up.
> 
> Got these strips of tape on the wall - that is as far as we got toward shelves being installed there.
> 
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> Lots of reasons - going to be tricky to get at least two screws per flange into the studs, worry about weight capacity on the drywall, look of the cables, etc.
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> We moved this corner cabinet in that my father-in-law made - mostly for size reference for a rack.
> 
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> Yuck.....need something narrower and taller - like the 'expensive' one from Crutchfield.
> 
> I got the text that the gear was delivered today around 1000 at my wife's workplace. I ran over and picked them up, and then I had the pleasure of un-boxing the pieces.
> 
> Fairly grubby and a bit banged up
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> My 'plan' was to merely un-box everything.....that turned into a plug in power cables to make sure the products turned on......and that turned into plugging them into the system.......and that turned into trying every input
> 
> Still using the Naim amp to power the desk speakers....now with a very good source and especially DAC.


Isn't it so fun unboxing things and playing around with them? I'm jealous because I have a new DSP and a Pure i20 sitting in my apartment that I've only gotten to look at haha. Glad you got all your gear and were able to test it out. Have a safe drive down to SC!


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## Notloudenuf

bertholomey said:


> How about a few new pics.....
> 
> This past weekend, as you have already read, was supposed to be the big shelf building weekend......in anticipation for the gear to show up.
> 
> Got these strips of tape on the wall - that is as far as we got toward shelves being installed there.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Lots of reasons - going to be tricky to get at least two screws per flange into the studs, worry about weight capacity on the drywall, look of the cables, etc.


You can buy these hollow wall anchors at Lowe's
Shop TOGGLER 10-Pack 3/16-in x 2-1/2-in Toggle Bolts at Lowes.com

They are the best for your type of installation. Rated to 238lbs in 1/2" drywall (without stud attachment) 

I think you are going with the floor standing unit but I like the wall mount DIY version so I'm just being encouraging.


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## Babs

Big time sub'd! Cool stuff!

On racks, I have one of the Sanus 5-shelf racks that's literally been unused since we moved in.. Picked it up on audioadvisor a looooong time ago. In black. Great rack, just never had the gear or a space/need for it since the new house with small kids etc. If it interests you, hit me up. I need to do an inventory on it and make sure I can find all the parts even.


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## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> You can buy these hollow wall anchors at Lowe's
> Shop TOGGLER 10-Pack 3/16-in x 2-1/2-in Toggle Bolts at Lowes.com
> 
> They are the best for your type of installation. Rated to 238lbs in 1/2" drywall (without stud attachment)
> 
> I think you are going with the floor standing unit but I like the wall mount DIY version so I'm just being encouraging.


You are very encouraging! I appreciate it greatly!!!



Babs said:


> Big time sub'd! Cool stuff!
> 
> On racks, I have one of the Sanus 5-shelf racks that's literally been unused since we moved in.. Picked it up on audioadvisor a looooong time ago. In black. Great rack, just never had the gear or a space/need for it since the new house with small kids etc. If it interests you, hit me up. I need to do an inventory on it and make sure I can find all the parts even.


Sweet!


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## etroze

bertholomey said:


> Very cool - this is the point of this thread (at least from my perspective) - to share info - and to relay how enjoyable a good set of headphones can be - this is not a show off thread in any way - not my intent.
> 
> So if anyone has any questions - please feel free to ask, and I'll do my best to answer &#55357;&#56842;


I would never take this as a show off thread. I will have to pick your brain down the road when I get deeper than my inexpensive smsl DAC/amp. The equipment looks amazing and idk if I missed it but what was the rational with picking the gear that you did.


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## Babs

And I thought trying to budget $150 for a set of phones, mainly for reference during car tuning, was going to be extravagant. LOL! Economies of scale and diminishing returns I guess.  I guess for that kind of work, a guy could 'get away with' a pair of Sunn's or something along that 'entry-level' scale.


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## RandyJ75

Subbed


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## Notloudenuf

Any updates Jason?


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## nineball76

Love this. I can't wait to get my truck finished so I can get back into home audio and headphones. I have done some stuff for a great portable setup. Using iBasso dx100 for high res lossless and dx50 for dsd. Both have pretty good built in dac and amp. Headphones are heir audio 8.a custom in ear monitors, and Grado sr325is. 

It's a crazy expensive hobby. Can't wait to see more of what you're doing.


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## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> Any updates Jason?



Well, yes and no - I'll post more tonight when I get to San Diego ✌



nineball76 said:


> Love this. I can't wait to get my truck finished so I can get back into home audio and headphones. I have done some stuff for a great portable setup. Using iBasso dx100 for high res lossless and dx50 for dsd. Both have pretty good built in dac and amp. Headphones are heir audio 8.a custom in ear monitors, and Grado sr325is.
> 
> It's a crazy expensive hobby. Can't wait to see more of what you're doing.



I'm not even trying to look at players....I'm going to only use my 2 iPod Classics for portable (for now). I have been obsessing over the 1964 Ears V6 Stage CIEM's. I'll have to wait a bit, and save up some $. I spend every week on planes and hotel rooms, and I feel that CIEMs would be a great addition to my travel kit. The iPhone earbuds are probably damaging my hearing. Ok - cabin door is closing ?


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## bertholomey

bertholomey said:


> Well, yes and no - I'll post more tonight when I get to San Diego ✌


Well, that didn't happen......long trip, and much to do when I got here. 

Anyway.....not a lot to update......sure, there have been several 'sit, play 2 tracks, eyes closed, in audible bliss'.......

I have been traveling a lot in the last month. Hard to enjoy the gear when you are never here.......I have been really wanting to journal this entire process, but again, too busy at the moment. 

I received all of the gear, set it up, did a little listening, then set it to run repeated for the 200 hour recommended burn in for the DAC. That was pretty easy to do - Just got it running for all the hours that I was away. I ordered my iPad Mini to run the app to select the tracks, and I was in negotiations with Babbs to buy his audio rack. I decided to purchase a new one from Crutchfield, and it should be here by the end of the week. 

I did receive the UberBUSS power conditioner from P.I. Audio Group. This was from a recommendation of a friend - talked to the owner, and he is completely awesome. This is the 'mid-grade' product that I was looking for....everything in one box, and with a little bit of custom to it. It is easy to discount power conditioning out of hand, and it is also 'easy' to drop $5k on Shinyata piece (or many others) that is basically a box with mains cables connected to it. 

I was able to send Dave a piece of Hickory flooring we had left after our floor project, and he finished it perfectly. 



















So, once I get the rack, put the Vega, Taurus, Aries, UberBUSS, Synology, and Naim on it - connect everything up, and then continue to work on the music library. 

Interestingly, right now I'm listening to discs on the Cambridge Audio DVD player - don't plan to have this in the final set up. And, I'm listening to tracks on the Synology via USB/SPIDF converter (Wavelength) from the old Windows PC that you see in the above photo - not planning on using that computer for anything anymore. So, right now, my best resolution is 16bit, 44.1 (blah, blah, blah). Again, showing how little time I have had recently.....I took the USB cable out of the Wavelength and plugged it directly to the Vega....the PC downloaded the driver (eventually), but it had an error....didn't have time to figure it out or use the disc that came with the Vega. 

I also connected the USB directly to my Mac Air.....it showed the Vega on the USB output device, but the music kept playing through the laptop speakers instead of through the USB output. Frustrating....no time to troubleshoot.......frustrating as well, because things that are so easy for others can be impossible.....for me. So, I'm hoping to get this music database correct - and I hope Jason W will come up to get the Aries, Minimserver, and the Synology all sorted out. I'll post more pics when I get everything on the rack.


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## nineball76

bertholomey said:


> Well, yes and no - I'll post more tonight when I get to San Diego ✌
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not even trying to look at players....I'm going to only use my 2 iPod Classics for portable (for now). I have been obsessing over the 1964 Ears V6 Stage CIEM's. I'll have to wait a bit, and save up some $. I spend every week on planes and hotel rooms, and I feel that CIEMs would be a great addition to my travel kit. The iPhone earbuds are probably damaging my hearing. Ok - cabin door is closing ?



I understand the iPod thing. I still keep mine around but I've upgraded them to 240gb msata drives that aren't big enough anymore. Not sure if I want to order 1tb drives or just the 512gb ones. I'm 30gb short right note of my entire iTunes. Those are mainly for carrying a library for vehicle use. Once I integrate to car pcs in all vehicles I won't need the iPods anymore. 

Next ciem I'm looking at is either the Noble K10 or JH Audio Roxanne. My Heir aren't fitting very good, I think their quality went downhill. 

Your setup is one to envy. As they say on head-fi, sorry about your wallet.


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## bertholomey

An Update....I finally am home from California and from Raleigh. 

So I ordered the rack and set it up last night / this afternoon. It really looks good - I'm very happy with the overall look. 

I pulled all of the gear off of the desk, then set the pieces on the rack, then started to wire everything up. I took some quick, lousy pics during the process that I'll share with you all. 

Setting in the rack










Test fit of equipment









Everything powered up














































I'm sitting in that leather chair right now listening to DMB Trax Nightclub from 1992 in FLAC - wonderful! 

My friend Jason is coming up tomorrow to get the Aries, the iPad app, and the synology data base set up. I'll try to take a better pic.


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## Notloudenuf

That looks good Jason. The chair looks like a good place to relax at the end of a tough week.


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## etroze

Wow that looks great, nice work Jason.


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## bertholomey

Thanks! 

So, yesterday we were a little busy, and then last night I watched a bunch of Women's World Cup.....so I only listened to a few tracks a couple different times yesterday. 

This morning, I plugged in the phones and.........noise! 

I tried a few troubleshooting steps, then emailed my friend J. We went back and forth and tried several things. The main thing was - when the input was set to Balanced (XLR cables going from Vega - DAC and and Taurus amp) there was noise - when switched to Single (RCA) - no noise. 

So there seemed to be something wrong internally with the Balanced input. I didn't do anything to it since yesterday - bizarre. And certainly J thought there was no way that there could be noise showing up when there was no change to anything else. 

We worked it out that I would tuck everything under my arm and 'zip' down to Charlotte. J was able to troubleshoot the issue within his system and switch between his Taurus and mine. Sure enough, the noise was apparent. Even more telling.....when we place a hand on the headphone plug and the chasis - the noise reduces by about 50%. So, the Taurus will hopefully be exchanged. 

This reminds me of a saying that I recently read from Mitch Anthony - true happiness is wanting the things we already have......a bit of a different way of looking at this situation - now that I have heard how amazing the synergy of the Taurus and the Fostex TH900 is......I want it!

I'm really enjoying the Lightening DS app on the iPad mini - pick it up, open the app, choose a track - it plays.....so much different from when I was using the old PC with JRiver Media Center....sometimes taking 10 minutes to get the first track playing. Now I just have to get the library all cleaned up.


----------



## bertholomey

Time for an update. 

When last I left you....the Taurus had developed a mysterious noise, and my friend Jason helped diagnosis it. I contacted Auralic, and their support team provided me an RMA number to ship the defective unit back, and I'll receive the replacement this Tuesday (of course I'll be in Michigan  ) 

But....I was a bit inspired when I visited Jason for the diagnosis session. He provided a demo of his 2 channel system - Best I have heard - truly amazing set up!!! 

It came to me one day that I have some items that are being 'wasted', and I could have a home office set up that could provide a better listening situation than what I have been using. I begin to form a plan to scrap my existing desk set up for a rolling desk in the center of the room - with a 2 channel set up (humble as it is). The key to this now is the continued use of John's Aeriel 6's. He will either take these over to Ember for consignment sale, or I may be able to purchase them. If not - then I may have to build something or purchase something inexpensive. 

I'm really enjoying the Vega DAC, Aries source, and Naim amp with these towers in this room. My plan also includes building a rolling desk that can be easily moved to the side of the room so the leather chair can be moved into its place. There is still a lot of stuff that needs to be put away, and the Aerials aren't perfectly set....I'm also using the sunfire/carver 10" sub in this set up..... and the 3" drivers in speaker boxes that was on my desk is now pulling Left/Right duty with the TV/Blueray set up 










I also received the Mongo cable from P.I. Audio Group - maker of the uberBUSS.


----------



## etroze

That Mongo cable looks neat, what are the advantages of that over a regular power cable?


----------



## bertholomey

etroze said:


> That Mongo cable looks neat, what are the advantages of that over a regular power cable?


Thank you for the comment on the Mongo.......I'm going to go with the idea that this was a question 'in good faith' and not a snare to drag me into a debate about cables. 

Besides the obvious......looks cooler, looks more expensive (snark, snark, snark).......I would have to say that I became convinced that a power conditioner was 'worth the investment', and the power cord that is produced by the same person that produced the conditioner itself is also worth the investment. The owner of the company (1 man band) mentioned a couple other sources for power cable to use with the uberBUSS, and they pointed me back to him due to the thought there would be a certain synergy between the conditioner and the cable. Theoretically, a more efficient and effective transfer of electricity should flow into the uberBUSS using a cable of this gauge / quality - that would be a perceived benefit - or at least a hoped for benefit. 

So, when you ask about a 'regular power cable' - a couple of the pieces that I purchased do not come with a 'regular power cable'......it is understood that consumers purchasing these types of equipment would supply their own. I was not willing to invest in cables the size / cost of the Mongo to supply the Aries, Vega, Taurus, Naim, and Cambridge Audio - though many guys do. 

I was fortunate to find a source out of Canada that were discounting some cables, and I picked up 4 cables for about $50 apiece. That gave me the 'feeling' that I 'upgraded' from the $2 power cables that came with the equipment (for the ones that did), but I don't have a huge amount of money tied up in something that may or may not have a perceived benefit (perceived in terms of me being able to perceive any sonic benefit). 

I'm in the midst of building my rolling desk - we spent a lot of time over the 4th getting pipes cut, getting things painted, etc. so I'll update this once we get it put together.


----------



## etroze

bertholomey said:


> Thank you for the comment on the Mongo.......I'm going to go with the idea that this was a question 'in good faith' and not a snare to drag me into a debate about cables.
> 
> Besides the obvious......looks cooler, looks more expensive (snark, snark, snark).......I would have to say that I became convinced that a power conditioner was 'worth the investment', and the power cord that is produced by the same person that produced the conditioner itself is also worth the investment. The owner of the company (1 man band) mentioned a couple other sources for power cable to use with the uberBUSS, and they pointed me back to him due to the thought there would be a certain synergy between the conditioner and the cable. Theoretically, a more efficient and effective transfer of electricity should flow into the uberBUSS using a cable of this gauge / quality - that would be a perceived benefit - or at least a hoped for benefit.
> 
> So, when you ask about a 'regular power cable' - a couple of the pieces that I purchased do not come with a 'regular power cable'......it is understood that consumers purchasing these types of equipment would supply their own. I was not willing to invest in cables the size / cost of the Mongo to supply the Aries, Vega, Taurus, Naim, and Cambridge Audio - though many guys do.
> 
> I was fortunate to find a source out of Canada that were discounting some cables, and I picked up 4 cables for about $50 apiece. That gave me the 'feeling' that I 'upgraded' from the $2 power cables that came with the equipment (for the ones that did), but I don't have a huge amount of money tied up in something that may or may not have a perceived benefit (perceived in terms of me being able to perceive any sonic benefit).
> 
> I'm in the midst of building my rolling desk - we spent a lot of time over the 4th getting pipes cut, getting things painted, etc. so I'll update this once we get it put together.


It wasn't a bait into a debate ,I am actually interested as I do see value in upgraded parts like that whether its value in my mind, sonic value, or resale value. I really like the look of the cable it gives is a quality look that you just don't see much of these days. I can't wait to see the desk that should be nice if any of your previous work is an indicator of what you can do.


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## dBe48

etroze said:


> It wasn't a bait into a debate ,I am actually interested as I do see value in upgraded parts like that whether its value in my mind, sonic value, or resale value. I really like the look of the cable it gives is a quality look that you just don't see much of these days. I can't wait to see the desk that should be nice if any of your previous work is an indicator of what you can do.


First post here at Bertholmey's request. I'll try to answer the question in a way that doesn't incite a riot over "The Great Wire Debate (Debacle)"

First, thank you for the compliment on the fit and finish of the cable. I try to produce products that are something I can be proud of.

There is a lot of mumbo jumbo about cables from both sides of the argument. From the industry's side it is primarily the double speak and innuendo from marketing departments that personally makes me crazy. You would think that some power cables will make everything perfect and then cook breakfast if you listen to the hype. Equally annoying are those that try to reduce everything to LCR.

Take a look at a "normal" power cable> 3 wires twisted together in a spiral to keep LCR within reason and to give some noise rejection. Worse yet are the zipcord cables prevalent on lots of gear. Inexpensive and generally of a gauge that is borderline for the application. These merely do the job of getting wall power to whatever they feed. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) they do nothing to deal with the inherent problems in power delivery.

Mongo is a big cable for a reason - the geometry of the cable helps to again keep LCR where it needs to be for a given application. This cable is designed for linear power supplies which are primarily inductive at the input side. I spent literally years figuring out what the characteristic input impedance of a transformer based power supply typically presents to the cable and how to impedance match the cable to a TX input supply. Cables like Mongo may not necessarily work well on SMPS. There are a million different versions out there and there is no standard deviation to deal with in designing a cable for them. They are all over the place spec wise.

In addition to the LCR driven geometry of Mongo there are many more things that have to be taken into consideration when designing a high performance cable. A few of these are: RFI mitigation both into the gear and back upstream to keep noise at bay ; dielectric absorption ; dissipation factor of the cable ; damping to keep electro-striction in check ; optimal transmission line length ; magnetic field control; connectors and fixing methods to control micro-arcing ... those are just a few of the parameters that must be molded and shaped to get the desired performance.

So, what do we get from a properly designed cable? Unlimited dynamics, no smearing, RFI control (the biggie), dead silence from the cable instead of the 'almost' subliminal noise that rides on the power grid. That "open sound" we talk about is primarily achieved through noise reduction. IOW - a great cable is a filter network. There is zero snake oil in filter theory. Physics are what keep everything from flying apart. We just need to stay within those boundaries and use it to the best of our abilities.

Look at it this way. Our electrical grid is a sewer of EMI, RFI and other nasties. Bottom line is that power cables, like any other cables, are systems - not just hunks of wire. Some are like a regular straw. Some are like the survival LifeStraw - keeps the bugs out.

Example: I can take everything that goes into Mongo and by using different core materials change the sound of the cable or by changing the diameter of the core build a yawner instead of a jaw dropper: same components except for the core material and diameter.

I hope this is received in the manner it is presented.

YMMV, blah, blah, blah... It's all just about the music in any event. :2thumbsup:

Thanks, B.


----------



## bertholomey

Thanks Dave for that! I really appreciate you providing that information- I'll need to do some more digesting before I have a handle on it


----------



## Notloudenuf

It kinda looks like a snake plugged into your wall. :anxious:


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## etroze

That was a great explanation now I just have to go and do research to make sure I understood all of it lol.


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## bertholomey

I posted this elsewhere, but thought these photos would be useful here. This is where the set up is now. If the Aerial Model 6's go, then I'll need to figure out what is going to go in their place. I'm extremely happy with the sound out of the towers and out of the headphones. 














































We finished the rolling desk project, so the room is nearly back together in the 'final' placement.


----------



## Notloudenuf

Very cool Jason!
I like the desk.


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## etroze

That's pretty sweet nice work man.


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## sirbOOm

Is there special wiring behind the wall to the house's circuit breaker that needs to be done with these MONGO cables? When my shop does home theater stuff, some of the home theaters have specialized wiring in the wall, let alone anything plugged into a plug.

In other news, inspired by this, I decided to get a headphone amp for my Audiotechnicas and got a Creative SoundBlaster E5, which I can also use in my car to send optical to my processor if I want (and will). I am going to demo the OPPO PM-3's soon as they seem to be a well-regarded value play. I don't or want need $1K+ headphones but wouldn't mind some improvements on the top end and some more balanced bass to improve upon the Audiotechnicas I have.


----------



## bertholomey

sirbOOm said:


> Is there special wiring behind the wall to the house's circuit breaker that needs to be done with these MONGO cables? When my shop does home theater stuff, some of the home theaters have specialized wiring in the wall, let alone anything plugged into a plug.
> 
> In other news, inspired by this, I decided to get a headphone amp for my Audiotechnicas and got a Creative SoundBlaster E5, which I can also use in my car to send optical to my processor if I want (and will). I am going to demo the OPPO PM-3's soon as they seem to be a well-regarded value play. I don't or want need $1K+ headphones but wouldn't mind some improvements on the top end and some more balanced bass to improve upon the Audiotechnicas I have.


I had a 20amp circuit added to the panel and run directly to the outlet in my office. Dave (P.I. Audio Group) provided me an upgraded wall outlet. Other than that, no other special wiring. 

That sounds like great stuff Nick - I hope you enjoy those new pieces!


----------



## Babs

Got your room looking great Jason! With the wood stain color, and color of your walls, it reminds me of the product/room shots for high-end gear on Audioadvisor's website. Just needs the lady-model sitting there with a smile enjoying the headphones reading a magazine. hehe Lookin' sharp!

I love these guys.. They're like the Lands End of hifi.


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## bertholomey

Babs said:


> Got your room looking great Jason! With the wood stain color, and color of your walls, it reminds me of the product/room shots for high-end gear on Audioadvisor's website. Just needs the lady-model sitting there with a smile enjoying the headphones reading a magazine. hehe Lookin' sharp!
> 
> I love these guys.. They're like the Lands End of hifi.


Thanks Scott! It has been fun - I'll try to update with the construction of the pipe desk. 

I have enjoyed getting the Audio Advisor catalogs for years. Funny - not sure how I came across it, but I was on a hi-fi forum, and some of the older fellas were talking about the attractive young lady that has been in their catalogs for years (they were fortunately not being coarse). 

Someone she knew must have seen it, because she came on the forum. She was very cool and gracious about it - not indignant or disgusted.


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## Babs

Hehe.. I imagine in a world of all or darn near mostly male market I can imagine she gets a lot of 'attention'.  AA is a good company too. I think that's where I got my 5-shelf AV rack, long ago.

But nothing like a nice olive wall color and wood-grain hi-fi. I'm kinda glad you didn't buy my black Sanus rack.. That cherry finish looks phenomenal. I may have to strip mine and re-finish for giggles. Then I could use it more easily somewhere at home with good "WAF".


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## Raimonds

The collection of headphones measurements presented here:
*http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum...6-headphones-%96-measurements-correction.html*
should be interesting for readers of this thread.


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## bertholomey

I attended a headphone meet yesterday in Raleigh. I had developed a bit of a cold at the end of this week - woke up at 0400 on Saturday and took a couple Nyquil capsules.....that stayed with me all day! I really felt drunk when I was leaving - my wife cautioned me to stay because she didn't think I should drive. 

Anyway, I put everything in the car and drove to Raleigh. I got to the guy's house and set up........I couldn't get the Aries to 'see' the thumb drive that was plugged in the back of the device  This is the first time I set the Aries up outside of my house, and I tried everything I knew how to do in the software set-up. It was hugely disappointing and frustrating (in my drunken state, the house was very hot, and the thought of not being able to give any demos at the first meet with my new gear). 

I decided to give it up and just spin discs.......then I remembered that I had my Mac Air with me - I could hook that up via usb and add the thumb drive full of good tunes in JRiver to play. That is what I did, and it worked fine. Not as clean a source as the Aries, but doable. I need to determine what step needs to be corrected so this doesn't happen again. 

Overall, those who listened loved the sound of the Auralic Vega and Taurus and the Fostex came down to preference whether they liked it or not - to be expected. 

Some pics.


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## Souldrop

You've got some fun toys.


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## bertholomey

For those sub'd to this thread......got an update! 

I've attended a few headphone meets over the last year or so, and I have become more and more interested in the tube amp that I started this obsession with. 

I finally had the chance to meet a fella in Raleigh that had one of the original models of the amp. He also has 3 other tube amps, and I was able to listen to the 'obsessed about amp' with a couple others. 










The amp that I wanted when I first contemplated going down the headphone route is the one on the top right of his rack. It is the Eddie Current, Zana Deux: 

Zana Deux

I've also been blown away by the designer Craig Uthus' previous company's creation - the Moth 2A3 headphone amplifier. 



















So, I decided to sell my AURALiC Taurus, solid state headphone amp and save up for the Zana Deux SE (Super). It has a 6 week build time, so I had to practice my patience - which is always a struggle for me. 

Well - it finally arrived this past Monday! Of course, I was away on a business trip - not supposed to return until this evening, but the trip was cut short. My wife sent me a teaser pic when it was signed for on Monday morning.....










I arrived last night with a splitting headache, so reading the manual was about all I could manage. This morning I put everything together, and encountered no issues. I was a bit terrified....I haven't dealt with tubes, pins, etc. before. I was a first-time go at that station  

I have been listening since about 0900 this morning, and I'm completely blown away! Incredible sounding amp! This is with minimal time on the tubes, and with the stock Russian Tung Sol 6SL7 drive tube. I'll probably stick with it for a day or so and then roll in the RCA 5691 red base black plate drive tube. 

I was so impressed with the black background, the separation of instruments, and the power! This amp (IMO) has all of the 'kick' that I experienced with the Moth 2A3 amp. I have very easy headphones to power, but this amp really provides the power to play everything perfectly. 

Now some unpacking and finished pics. 




























Chassis by itself on the rack



















With the 6C33C-B and 6SL7 tubes in place:










With the rectifier tubes in and powered up:










A few beauty shots (sorry for the bad pics....I was trying to get the pictures done so I could listen!)




























Thanks for stopping by to take a look. I don't relish the thought of taking all of this to meets, but I don't see how I could not take it  

And.....it will be available for demos at the 2016 NCSQ Fall Meet in September


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## Babs

Tuuuuuuubes!!!!

Love it!


Sent from iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Notloudenuf

You've had those Fostex cans for how long? And I still have never heard them. 

September it is!


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## Babs

Notloudenuf said:


> You've had those Fostex cans for how long? And I still have never heard them.
> 
> September it is!


Get in line!


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## mbradlawrence

SEXY!


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## bertholomey

I'm going to post this article here and on my headphone thread. 

This is a local shop in Winston Salem, NC that I have wandered through a few times. Chris Livengood is an excellent chap - extremely knowledgable and passionate about audio. I have subjected him to my car a couple times, and he has given me excellent feedback. I would love to get a day with him to point out all of the nuances that he hears in the system - maybe one day when we aren't so busy. 

I really want to attend one of these vinyl events - even though I have no vinyl to share. 

I thought this was a great article, and I thought some of you might enjoy it. 

Ember Audio - Public Vinyl Demo


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## Notloudenuf

Be sure to click on the "Ember" part of the link or it'll try to take you to an ad.


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## Babs

That is cool! I would love to attend an event actually. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ErinH

I have perused this thread a few times but just now actually tried to take it all in and .... wow... very impressive and very cool stuff here, Jason. 

Our phone chat yesterday and this thread has really inspired me to do a similar type setup in my own computer room at home. Thanks for the extra motivation!


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## bertholomey

I haven't posted here for awhile - not much has changed - just enjoying! 

I did attend a mini-meet yesterday in Raleigh - just the 4 of us and our gear. Some really top notch stuff here for sure! Incredible sounding rigs 

The fun thing about headphone meets.....you can plug your headphones into everyone's amps - I took my FiiO X5ii with a coax cable and plugged directly into their DAC - so I could listen to whatever I wanted from my source. You can even swap amps / DACs to see if there is a better synergy than what you may have. This part can get expensive!

Jay's Cavalli Liquid Gold - extremely good solid state amp










Tom's Marantz CD Transport, Aqua La Scala DAC (about $7k retail), Chinese tube amp, Senn HD800's with Norne Audio Draug 2 cable





































My set up










I still love the look of the ZDS!










Vernon's gear

DNA Stratus tube amp (top of the line!), HiFiMAN HE1000 headphones + Senn HD800's, Eddie Current ZD 










One of our hosts......Otis......










......and Vernon.....










We ended the meet at a very good Sushi place near Vernon's - great time with the group. 

Best part for me......I was able to drive over to John's new home in Raleigh and give a quick demo of the BRZ and get a tour of the house. It was Fantastic seeing John and Lu again!


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## bertholomey

I have decided to sell my Fostex TH900 headphones. 

Fostex TH900 FS Thread

I did something foolish.....I demo'd a very expensive pair of headphones that captured my imagination.....now I have to save up for a long time to purchase


----------



## bertholomey

bertholomey said:


> I have decided to sell my Fostex TH900 headphones.
> 
> Fostex TH900 FS Thread
> 
> I did something foolish.....I demo'd a very expensive pair of headphones that captured my imagination.....now I have to save up for a long time to purchase


These sold last night  Now the long wait.


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## Notloudenuf

I guess I never will hear them.


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## Babs

Notloudenuf said:


> I guess I never will hear them.


They sounded unlike anything I could describe.


----------



## bertholomey

Notloudenuf said:


> I guess I never will hear them.


Well...I still have the Sennheiser HD650 that many out there regard as one of the finest mid-fi headphones in existence.....I'm hoping to have a new Norne Audio Draug 2c cable to mate to them as well  You should give them a listen during the meet in April


----------



## bertholomey

A small fun update......John's amp  

The Trafomatic Head 2 amplifier was received yesterday at my wife's work. I 'un-crated' it this morning and put it in my rack. Man! it is a lot bigger that I was lead to believe by looking at the FS photo! The crate was 45 pounds.....a guy at my wife's office had to take it down the stairs, and I had to get it out of the car last night when I got home from Florida.

It is stunning! At first - looking at the photo.....I wasn't too sure about this shiny red thing........It is magnificent! I let it warm up for awhile as I listened to this Bach album with my ZDS and HD650's:

Bach Album


Mid track....I paused.....switched the RCAs coming out of the Vega.....into the Trafomatic.....and WOW! my first impression was gaping mouth......don't take that necessarily to mean that the Trafomatic amp is 1000% better than the ZDS.....but soundstage, details, bass presence - all a bit expanded.....now, again, I don't have these level matched very well, etc. Just very quick impressions. I'm not even taking advantage of balanced inputs and balanced headphone connection. I have to admit.....I'm a bit jealous  I told John- that I was considering crating it as soon as I sent him the text with a pic. I seriously don't want to 'fall in love' with this amp.

Anyway.....It will likely be at my house for some time. John said he was going out of town for a couple weeks (that is why he had it sent to my wife's work - so it could be signed for). John is going to come over at some point to do a big demo with everything and take it home to Raleigh. Who knows.....he may keep it here until after the car audio meet that I will be having on April 8th.

Here are some pics of this beauty. 























































A bit of an update.....I was switching back and forth between the Eddie Current Zana Deux Super and the Trafo amp....I eventually quit and turned off the Trafo amp.....most of the highs, mids, staging was similar, but there seemed to be a bit more bass presence with the Trafo amp......so I turned it off. I still love my ZDS, but wow! The big red box is something special!


----------



## Babs

Your Mrs didn't skin you alive over that hifi ferrari red piece of beautiful hardware?!?!
She is a KEEPER!

Makes me think... Need the paint code and a set of Mosconi's... haha! They'd look pretty good in red, me thinks.


----------



## bertholomey

Another update to the Headphone Project. 

I've been reading about Focal's foray into the Headphone game - they made a big splash in 2016 with two amazing units - a Flagship / TOTL pair, and what many consider as the best value in the headphone world (relatively speaking). 

The Focal Utopia and Elear. A friend got a pair of the Elears on a demo program......didn't like them at first with the tube set up he prefers with his Sennheiser HD800's. He changed tubes, it got better.......changed again and, WOW! He was very impressed......well, that meant a lot to me because I view him as very established ears......and his preferences and mine typically align. 

That recommendation enticed me to set up a demo at Moon Audio in Cary, NC. I spent about 1.5 hours between the Focal Utopia and Elear and Fostex TH900. Well, the Fostex didn't cut it compared to the Focals. I put them up for sale, and they sold more quickly than what I expected.....for less $ than I hoped for. 

At that point.....I was going to do 1 of 2 things.....either pull everything out of the car and sell it to get the $'s to buy the Utopia or 'save up' for about a year or so to get them. Getting the Elear + a good cable was a very viable option.....but my psychosis is......I would always wonder......would what I'm hearing sound much better on the Utopia's. 

White Paper that I found to be a very good read: 

Focal White Paper

Fortunately an epiphany came to me (doesn't happen often).....I could pay myself a bonus......I was the 'CEO' of my own company last year.....could be the only time that happens.....and felt that it was 'reasonable' to pay my self a bonus.....after working the details out with my wife......this became a reality.

I contacted Drew and chose an RCA cable, headphones cables, and the Utopia. I picked them up last Friday, and I have been completing the 'burn in' every night since then. These take about 300 hours to really open up....so it has been an iPod at night - just getting the moving parts to move slightly. 

Pics of the un-boxing: 

RCA and Headphone Cable - Drew's Black Dragon




























Utopia










This is the 'carrying case' for these.









































































RCAs DAC side










RCAs Amp side










Headphone plug










DAC / Amp / Headphones










I rearranged the room to de-clutter - mainly moved the speakers out to the living room - typically didn't listen to them.....plan to be listening to the Utopias a bit  I had the rolling desk in the middle of the room beside the rack so I could adjust volume with the amp volume pot. 










New set up - rolling desk in the corner with the two windows, and the chair in the opposite corner. 










Anyone that comes on Friday night to the NCSQ meet in April is free to get a demo of the system  


Parting shot 










What's up with these teeny little pictures? Must be a new thing


----------



## bertholomey

A small update with this project. 



I have been enjoying the FiiO X5ii for awhile now - especially on all of my traveling - and more recently, in my car connected via coax to the Helix processor. Well, when the new FiiO X5iii was announced - I was sucked in as soon as I saw the pics and the specs on it. It hadn't been released yet - was released to the Asian market first to start working out the bugs, and then recently released to the US market. 



I received mine a few weeks ago, and it is terrific. I love the sound quality and the GUI. I have two 256GB micro SD cards in conjunction with the 32GB internal memory. 



X5iii Product Page































Back in November, I took advantage of the Black Friday sale at Norne Audio to order the Therium Silver OCC Litz.



Therium CIEM Cable 



I also ordered the Draug 2c cable for my Senn HD650's which is a very time-consuming cable to produce. Through all of the ups and downs of the 1-man operation's business / personal life stuff.....I eventually canceled the Draug order and received the Therium this past Friday. This a beautiful looking and sounding cable. 


























































FiiO X5iii with 64Audio A6 + stock cable.


----------



## bertholomey

I haven't posted in this thread in a while, so I thought I'd give an update. I'm still enjoying headphones. I recently had a conflict of conscience with a post I read on Head-Fi....










So I decided to try to get a couple amps to challenge my current amp - to determine if it was going to be worth the 'struggle' to 'upgrade'.....

Evaluation of ZDS + Focal Utopia versus Pass HPA-1 and Moth 2A3 amplifier

I borrowed the Pass, Moth, and Audeze LCD XC’s from DannyB. 

I wanted to see if the ‘greater power’ that the Pass potentially offered, or even the Moth would make the difference that I was after. This was an excellent opportunity to evaluate these pieces in the quite of my listening space - with my DAC, source, etc. I picked up the gear and had a wonderful time hanging with Danny - listening a bit through his system, and then listening to his superb home system. It was extremely impressive! HUGE Pass amp with Sound Labs 7’ tall speakers - breathtaking - especially with Big Phat Band!

I took my prizes home and set everything up. I got some quality time to switch back and forth between the LCD’s and the Focals….and then the ZDS and the Pass. I eventually was able to add the Moth into the mix. My initial impressions were repeated and reinforced as I listened over the next few days. To cut to the chase…..I prefer the ZDS + Utopia…..what I was hoping for, and what is the best outcome for me for several reasons. 

Audeze LCD XC - many fit issues (heavy, headband, clamping, wanting to fall forward if you look down). Upon early comparison to the Utopia, it was evident that there were a couple frequencies that seem to zing my ear with the LCD’s. Upon direct comparison, I was missing a bit of the space, air from the Utopia’s open design. I thought that the LCD’s would have stronger bass response than the Focal’s, but I didn’t find that to be the case. 

The Pass amp was very good for many reasons, but it didn’t have the sound I have grown to prefer. It is technically very good, but it doesn’t have the same ‘presence’ that the tube amps I prefer. There seems to be a ‘liveliness’, sense of ‘openness', or ‘realism’ that I perceive with the tube amps on hand, that I didn’t get out of the Pass. It wasn’t harsh sounding, edgy or extremely dry…..I was told the voicing was intentionally on the ‘warmer’ side (it seems that is written about many solid state amps). 

The Moth has been a bit of a unicorn to me - I had an opportunity to buy this one from Danny when I was considering the ZDS, but the price and the age kept the amp out of my grasp…..I had only heard it once before at a meet, and my memory was that it had authority! It had good detail, but the bass was tremendous. Well, that memory was good…..what I notice going from the Moth to the ZDS is a bit better separation of instruments, a bit more of the sense of a tightness of images within the soundstage - maybe a bit wider of a stage. There was a bit more of a solid foundation in the lows with the Moth - a bit more weight, but it wasn’t as significant as my memory led me to believe. My comparison this morning tilted the entire presentation to the ZDS…….Listening especially to many tracks on ‘Windham Hill’s’ A Winter's Solstice II’……the ZDS had a clarity, a sweetness to the harp, flute, guitar, etc. that I preferred. 

The Trafomatic Head2 was an amp that I had not heard of until Vernon mentioned it to John as a great match for the HD800’s. There was a great buy on Head-Fi for one, and John took Vernon’s advice (because Vernon is very trustworthy, and John is a very smart guy ? ) and picked this one up. He was out of town, so he asked if it could be shipped to Vicki’s work. Well, it showed up in a huge crate, and it was very heavy…..and beautiful! I had it at my house for a couple weeks…..I hooked it up to make sure it had survived the trip from the West Coast, and I was very impressed with the sound out of the Focals. After a few tracks though, I decided to turn it off and set it on the floor. I thought I had perceived huge advantages in the bass department, and I had decided it was best to not listen to it versus getting obsessed about it. Well, this time around - I didn’t really perceive a major advantage in bass over the ZDS. I think John mentioned that he didn’t feel that way, and if anything, there may be a slight edge to the ZDS in that department. He mentioned to me that he felt their was a bit more detail with the Trafomatic - especially in the highs, but the midrange and mid bass may have been a touch better with the ZDS. 

*Eddy Current Zana Deux S*
Associated equipment: FiiO x5iii, Bryston BDA1 DAC, with Nordost Heimdall 2 Powercable, Nordost Frey 1 RCA’s.
Sennheiser HD800’s

Sweet strings without edge or harshness. Can visualize the bow sliding accords the strings then reverberating throughout the hall. Not thin. Could of had more body to the violins but this is typical of the hd800’s and not at all the case when listening to the focals. Excellent sense of space and detail. Found myself really getting into and appreciating each pull and push of the bow and appreciating the talent and emotion of the musician. Didn’t want to take the phones off, just wanted to listen and enjoy. Only thing that had me take them off was commenting on how much I enjoyed this amp. So musical and sweet. Voices were rounded, not edgy and defined. Same remained true regarding voices between the Senns and Focals. Senns were wonderful to listen to but lacked the chestiness, body, and weight of the Focals. Somehow the Focals deliver this without sacrificing any of the detail, transparency, space and sweetness of the HD800’s.

*Moth Audio 2A3*
Had trouble getting a solid connection with the jack. Noticed an immediate hum. Not as airy and sweet as the zd but what it gave up in that slight loss of top end re-creation of space, it made up for in spades in the midbass and midrange. Rich and detailed. Had the control and speed of a solid state but texture of a tube amp. Was a great amp for HD800’s because it provided the midbass that the HD’s often lack. This was another sound and amp that I could spend hours with. Darker and thicker than the EC ZDS but not in a negative way. Just a different sound signature. This was a more yin amp, the EC ZDS was a little more yang. Both did not come close to overdoing it in either direction. The hummm and trouble getting a good connection with the moth was a deal breaker for me. Especially given the higher price. I’m not paying extra $ for an amp that I have to unnecessarily fiddle with and hear buzzzz. 
That is the impression with the Senn’s. With the Focals, the EC ZDS was the perfect bowl of porridge. They brought what I felt was an ideal balance to the EC ZDS. All the good things the Senn’s had plus midrange texture and midbass weight. I am content with my Senn’s and love them but the Focals are simply superior in every way. When it comes time to get another set of cans, they’ll be on my very short list.

*Pass HPA-1*
Right away I was surprised by the sibilance. Smooth but to the point of sounding slow. Little air surrounding instruments. Sounded like the music was recorded in an extremely deadened studio. I was impressed by the detail but there wasn’t enough shimmer, pluck or emotion. This amp ticked most of the boxes but fell short in emotion and musicality. Music wasn’t veiled but less engaging than I prefer and I was listening to the amp, not the music. It didn’t falter in its reproduction but the feeling of being in the room with the musicians never came. Good for those who want a very laid back, clinical presentation. I would recommend this amp to those who prefer this type of sound because it does have its strengths. Not my cup of tea though.

After the headphone listening party, we moved upstairs to John's amazing 2 channel listening room. And wow! was this an amazing room.....with the best sounding system I have ever heard. I have heard many amazing systems, including Danny's just the other day.....but this system just moved me in an incredible way. It helped tremendously that I had a lot of my music on his Aurender to listen to  Realism, sound stage, pace, dynamics - everything!

Wow! What an incredible day of Music, equipment, and most importantly - friendship. I want to thank Danny and John for helping me understand that what I already have is what I want....what I need to obsess over....what I need/want to be impressed by every day.


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## CBS13WRX

The grass is green.


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## bertholomey

My buddy hosted another mini-meet this past weekend, and I'll update this thread so I have another data point to remember this journey. To the 3 fellas that might look at this.....please overlook the fact that these are cell phone pics. 

The buddy that hosted the event had recently purchased a few more 'tools' of the trade, and we were invited to discover their awesomeness. 

He ordered the Head Amp Blue Hawaii SE amplifier that my buddy actually picked up the day of the meet. He also recently acquired the Stax SR-009 headphones from another attendee. And lastly, on the headphone front, he was able to score a Chord Dave DAC. 

Our other buddy sold the Stax SR-009 to purchase the Stax SR-007mki headphones. He also received his Chinese made Stax amplifier.

So.....all of this was a great excuse to get together and enjoy some great music on some of the best equipment on the market. 

Un-boxing the Blue Hawaii























































Vernon's DNA Stratus










and HE-K's










Two amplifiers to drive the Stax electrostats










Mess of Wires.....



















The Mighty Chord DAVE....one of the finest DACs in the world......and a truly amazing piece of equipment to play headphones directly connected. You are hearing the direct output of the DAC - no separate headphone amp. 




























The sound of the Focal Utopia out of the DAVE almost made me do something very, very dangerous.......

A little different than a car audio event......



















Tom enjoying a little of the Eddie Current ZDS....



















And then a little bit of 2 channel to end the night. 










From the seating position - including pics of the dogs up.....




























And then the night ended with a 2 hour white knuckle drive in the BRZ with all of my headphone gear from Raleigh to Randleman at 34-37 degrees and snowing......Yikes! That was NOT fun!


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## Notloudenuf

Maybe someone at your next headphone meet will have tried these out

https://ddaudio.com/ddownlow/dd-audio-introduces-the-new-dxb-6-5-8-1-true-surround-headphones


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## bertholomey

Small update.....

I was able to sell the FiiO to a good guy in Cali (very cool - he is very active in the car scene with the Papasins, et. al.), so I picked up a new DAP. 

I'm really enjoying it - exactly what I was hoping for in a DAP! 

A&K SR15 'Norma' - funny, their 'entry level' - if this is entry level, I would imagine their top stuff is pretty special......but I'm not that customer. What I like about this DAP: 

- Size - smaller than many of the others - very portable - size of screen is just fine to me.

- UI - excellent firmware - company has been around for 10+ years - stripped down Android versus the full Android (that I didn't like on the FiiO). 

- Sound Quality - I feel it is a large step up versus the FiiO......with an investment, there is an expected sound quality increase, and this DAP did not disappoint. 

- Connectivity - the WiFi works great, the Bluetooth works great, the USB output works great.

So, I'm using this primarily when I travel - airport, airplane, hotel, etc. I will be using it for a source at headphone meets - outputting through USB into DACs. And I'll be using it in the car - primarily for demos, comps - connected through USB to the DSP. I'm waiting for the Samsung 512 GB micro SD cards to become more plentiful - then I'll have the same storage capacity that I had with the FiiO. 

*Now - before I get a bunch of comments about the skewed screen - design feature that A&K played with on this DAP - hold in your left hand, the screen is square to you - you either think it is a pretty cool aesthetic, or it drives you crazy....if you are a customer of A&K DAPs....then you can make that decision.....if you are looking at the purchase of another individual....there really is no need to comment on how you think it looks stupid......but if you feel the need to get it off your chest.....can't go through the rest of the day without providing your criticism, then fire away *























































This shot shows a track being played via WiFi from my Synology NAS....pretty cool feature to have all that music available. 










Playing mostly through these 64Audio A6t Custom In Ear Monitors.


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## rockinridgeline

coming to the meet in May. Would love to hear the Focals if possible. I've been rocking some hifiman HE400i's for a while that, for the money, have outstanding sound. Would love to hear what spending several times more would give!


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## bertholomey

rockinridgeline said:


> coming to the meet in May. Would love to hear the Focals if possible. I've been rocking some hifiman HE400i's for a while that, for the money, have outstanding sound. Would love to hear what spending several times more would give!




Absolutely! Make it over on Friday night, and you can get the full demo - bring the HE400’s with you 


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## rockinridgeline

I’ll be there!


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## SPAZ

I have the focal utopias right now and love them. I've heard so many good things about the ZDS and utopia pairing but have not been able to commit to buying it.


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## bertholomey

SPAZ said:


> I have the focal utopias right now and love them. I've heard so many good things about the ZDS and utopia pairing but have not been able to commit to buying it.




I was enjoying a few minutes with that pairing last night - listening through Mumford & Sons’ ‘Sigh No More’ album. Completely enthralling sound. Took a quick pic to send to a friend.....













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## SPAZ

I have the same stand for my utopia


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## bertholomey

That is so cool!!! I didn’t think I’d see another one of those stands - I like so much more than a lot of the other stands out there. 

And Norne Audio cable! I have the Draug 2C cable on mine with the Rosewood splitter. Which model is that on your Utopias? 

Trevor emailed me about the Silver - would love to try it out.....but I need to focus on selling my car amps and getting my install done. 


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## SPAZ

That's the norne einvaldi reference. I also have the draug silver and a full copper one (I will sell soon). I was hesitant to buy a silver cable but I love it.


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## bertholomey

Small update post

I’m checking out this little combo because we are having a big headphone meet this weekend. The rep from iFi provided this combo for evaluation - Wow! A lot of Fun! This would be a fantastic combo at the work place - the Focals and the Senns sound wonderfully of them. 






























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## gijoe

That's a pretty sweet setup! I don't know if I could stay in one place long enough to have a headphone station that nice, mine is pretty portable. I did build my own headphone stand though. This one is walnut, but I've built a couple of others with different woods, I started one in purpleheart that I never finished.


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## bertholomey

Right On! That looks terrific, and it is more functional than the purchased stands I have seen. I work from home when not traveling, so I have headphones or speakers playing all day long. 


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## bertholomey

This is cross-posted from the Head-Fi forum site. We had a very good headphone meet this past weekend in Charlotte - incredibly beautiful day, good venue, good people, and amazing headphones!


I thought the venue was perfect, and I truly appreciate all the efforts Danny made to make sure this venue worked perfectly for our needs.

As has been stated already - thank you Justin for bringing such amazing items for us to experience. It is a very different thing to actually hold / listen to a set of headphones than simply see them / read about them on the forum and in sales publications. But.....it is always a blessing / curse kind of thing. I think that is why I kind of left abruptly - basically needed to distance myself from all things HiFiMAN :anguished: So.....apologies to Danny for not helping to clean up / etc.

That 'experience' of the Shangri-la headphones on the BHSE was 'other-worldly'. A truly remarkable audio performance. And then....enjoying the Susvara out of the Status and the Moth was amazing as well......putting me into a little bit of a funk :disappointed::laughing: - not your fault Justin.......

Anyway - there seemed to be a consensus within our little tribe that these couple headphones represented a 'next' level kind of experience with the appropriate source and amplification (especially this).

The Focal Stellia was a wonderful headphone to listen to and compare to the Utopia. There were many similarities, and I personally like the aesthetic.

The PrimaLuna was an excellent tube amp that I enjoy very much - and so enjoyable talking to Alan.

I took some cell phone pics that I'll share - not nearly as good as the ones posted already.

The Venue:




























Of course - it was an amazingly beautiful day - too nice to be indoors, but if you are going to be, at least listening to good music on incredible systems makes it better.



















Tour around the room:




































































































Chord Blue mkII transport/upscaler + Chord DAVE DAC 










Blue Hawaii SE



















HiFiMAN Shrangri-La!!!!!!!!!











This one sums it up......this is what it is like to be ushered into another level.....Chord Blue mkII + Chord DAVE + BHSE + Shangri-La. Of course, as stated above, the Susvara with the Cary Audio SACD + EC Moth was incredible as well!!!


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## SPAZ

Good stuff. Thank you for sharing


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## bose301s

Have never seen this thread before and didn't know you had the Focal Be headphones, will definitely have to take a listen to them in May if you allow it, lol. I also plan on bringing my MrSpeakers AEON Flow Closed and would love to try them with your desktop amps etc if you don't mind.

NVM: I forgot that Saturday is no longer at your place and I can't come on Friday night, oh well. I will still bring my headphones and DAP Saturday.


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## bertholomey

bose301s said:


> Have never seen this thread before and didn't know you had the Focal Be headphones, will definitely have to take a listen to them in May if you allow it, lol. I also plan on bringing my MrSpeakers AEON Flow Closed and would love to try them with your desktop amps etc if you don't mind.
> 
> 
> 
> NVM: I forgot that Saturday is no longer at your place and I can't come on Friday night, oh well. I will still bring my headphones and DAP Saturday.




I wish we could work it out for Friday night, but we might be able to do something on Saturday. It would be fun (maybe) to hear the Aeon Flow on the ZDS and then listen to the Focals. We can hook the Flows into the A&K DAP as well. 


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## dcfis

Stellar set ups guys!!! What does bertholomey think of that Aurilic? Want to sell that sub?


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## bertholomey

dcfis said:


> Stellar set ups guys!!! What does bertholomey think of that Aurilic? Want to sell that sub?


Thanks! 

The AURALiC equipment - the Aries wireless streaming bridge is an amazing piece sound quality wise it takes a bit of getting used to regarding the NAS, library, connection to the Vega, using it when not wired in at the home station, etc. 

The Vega is an extremely good DAC - very well thought of in the industry. Of course, they have come out with an entirely new series - completely different aesthetic, and they have likely improved greatly on the hardware. 

No.....I'll never sell the sub - my friend Jason built this for me, and it will never be for sale - and, it sounds amazing!


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## dcfis

Thanks man, is that not your Rolex sub?





bertholomey said:


> Thanks!
> 
> The AURALiC equipment - the Aries wireless streaming bridge is an amazing piece sound quality wise it takes a bit of getting used to regarding the NAS, library, connection to the Vega, using it when not wired in at the home station, etc.
> 
> The Vega is an extremely good DAC - very well thought of in the industry. Of course, they have come out with an entirely new series - completely different aesthetic, and they have likely improved greatly on the hardware.
> 
> No.....I'll never sell the sub - my friend Jason built this for me, and it will never be for sale - and, it sounds amazing!


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## bertholomey

dcfis said:


> Thanks man, is that not your Rolex sub?




I’m not exactly sure what you are referring to - the sub that I have in my 2 channel set up is the SI BM mkIV. 











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## bose301s

bertholomey said:


> I wish we could work it out for Friday night, but we might be able to do something on Saturday. It would be fun (maybe) to hear the Aeon Flow on the ZDS and then listen to the Focals. We can hook the Flows into the A&K DAP as well.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


I don't want you to risk damaging anything by bringing it to the park or for you to bring it if you don't feel comfortable with doing so.


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## bertholomey

bose301s said:


> I don't want you to risk damaging anything by bringing it to the park or for you to bring it if you don't feel comfortable with doing so.




No - I was thinking more about you stopping by the house - that day - but that might carve out a couple hours from the meet. You may just have to stop by sometime if you are ever near Greensboro. 


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## bose301s

bertholomey said:


> No - I was thinking more about you stopping by the house - that day - but that might carve out a couple hours from the meet. You may just have to stop by sometime if you are ever near Greensboro.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


OK, I got you now. Yea, I think that would be best.


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## bertholomey

Hey guys, let me know if you or someone you know would be interested in purchasing a high quality home DAC. 

FS: AURALiC Vega DAC


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## bertholomey

I don't know if anyone is paying attention to these older threads of mine, but I'll post this here anyway. I'm selling my Naim NAP 100 home stereo amplifier. 2 Channel amp that provides 50 watts per channel @ 8 ohms. Very conservatively rated - dual mono, high current design. I was driving a pair of Aerial Acoustic Model 6 towers very well with it. I have a pair of Naim NACA 5 speaker cables to sell with it. 

NAP 100 - retail price $1495, selling for $650
NACA5 - 12' pair - retail price $780 - selling for $200. 

Naim NAP 100 Amplifier + NACA5 Speaker Wire

I also have it on Marketplace / Sound Quality Classifieds


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## jackk

bertholomey said:


> I don't know if anyone is paying attention to these older threads of mine, but I'll post this here anyway. I'm selling my Naim NAP 100 home stereo amplifier. 2 Channel amp that provides 50 watts per channel @ 8 ohms. Very conservatively rated - dual mono, high current design. I was driving a pair of Aerial Acoustic Model 6 towers very well with it. I have a pair of Naim NACA 5 speaker cables to sell with it.
> 
> NAP 100 - retail price $1495, selling for $650
> NACA5 - 12' pair - retail price $780 - selling for $200.
> 
> Naim NAP 100 Amplifier + NACA5 Speaker Wire
> 
> I also have it on Marketplace / Sound Quality Classifieds
> 
> View attachment 259669
> View attachment 259670
> View attachment 259671


Nice GLWS!

Cheers


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## bertholomey

Taking a break from the car system today to make adjustments to the 2 channel system. A little bit of speaker and sub placement adjusting. 

Taking advantage of the wife being at the store - listening to my 2020 Meet Disc at elevated volumes - Wow!!!! 


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## bertholomey

A few minutes on a Friday night after a stressful work day.....glass of wine, decision of the 2 channel 










or headphones......










headphones tonight......Nickel Creek’s debut on the Focal Utopia and EC ZDS......


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## bbfoto

bertholomey said:


> A few minutes on a Friday night after a stressful work day.....glass of wine, decision of the 2 channel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> or headphones......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> headphones tonight......Nickel Creek’s debut on the Focal Utopia and EC ZDS.....


Nice! Check out the _Naim True Stereo CD Sampler_ upload I just posted in the "What are you listening to today?" thread.


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## bertholomey

bbfoto said:


> Nice! Check out the _Naim True Stereo CD Sampler_ upload I just posted in the "What are you listening to today?" thread.


Thanks Billy! I certainly will when I get home - I really like those Naim albums!


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## chefhow

bertholomey said:


> A few minutes on a Friday night after a stressful work day.....glass of wine, decision of the 2 channel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> or headphones......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> headphones tonight......Nickel Creek’s debut on the Focal Utopia and EC ZDS......
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Keep looking at a couple of tube amps but can’t convince myself to go down that rabbit hole. 
I’ve got a set of t60 Argons, Fostex X00’s and modified M1060’s with an SU8v2 and a WHAMMY amp. Love the class A and will probably order the SU9 as and upgrade to the DAC 


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## bertholomey

chefhow said:


> Keep looking at a couple of tube amps but can’t convince myself to go down that rabbit hole.
> I’ve got a set of t60 Argons, Fostex X00’s and modified M1060’s with an SU8v2 and a WHAMMY amp. Love the class A and will probably order the SU9 as and upgrade to the DAC
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I can plug my Focals into the Naim integrated that has a decent-ish Class A amp, but I really prefer the tube amp. It would be great if you were able to carry your stuff down here for a proper demo - my stuff on your rig and vice versa. I’ll likely have a meet at my house in mid-May - may be a good time to do it 


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## chefhow

bertholomey said:


> I can plug my Focals into the Naim integrated that has a decent-ish Class A amp, but I really prefer the tube amp. It would be great if you were able to carry your stuff down here for a proper demo - my stuff on your rig and vice versa. I’ll likely have a meet at my house in mid-May - may be a good time to do it
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Sounds like a plan. I think I can get my stuff down there in May, just give me a date and I’ll look to make it happen. 


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## bertholomey

Posted this on my 2022 NCSQ Meet Thread

Had a good prelude meet up yesterday.....a headphone meet in Raleigh with a couple close friends. It was the first time we have been able to meet up since 2019 due to the pandemic. 

John and Vernon have some incredible equipment, and I provided my 2022 NCSQ mix ‘disc’ for evaluation of the various systems. 

The stars of the show were: Stax 009 on the Blue Hawaii + Chord Dave and Cord Blue M2 Upmixer as well as the HoloAudio Spring and May Dacs and the HiFiman Susvara and HE1000 headphones. The Bakoon speaker amp / headphone amp was extraordinary as well as the DNA Stratus. The night finished with incredible Sushi while we tried to sort the world’s problems. There were also some truly historical antics by Vernon’s two Poms - Otis and Piper. What a great day with great friends, amazing systems, and wonderful music (that you guys will get to hear soon). 

John also listened to the Audi, and it was determined to be adequate 










DNA Stratus









HoloAudio Spring Level 3 and Bakoon amp











Piper is only quiet when on your lap....put her down, and she likes to bark.....so we took turns holding her. 









Blue Hawaii electrostat headphone amp. 









Chord Dave and Blue!










I should have gotten a better pic of the May DAC - truly amazing piece! 









HE1000 and Susvara with Spring DAC









Lots of $ on this table.......









My Eddie Current ZDS and Innuos Zen Mini 

I’m listening right now to “Angie” from The Rolling Stones on the ZDS + Focal Utopia - very good. 











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