Guest DarkNark Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) Hi all, I posted this picture a while back in the "My system this morning thread" and I have made a few changes so I thought I would start this thread and can post my updates. My system at that stage was Anthem MRX510, (which incidentally led me to this site ) A big thanks to Snoopy8 for the help in the setup via the thread I started. Oppo 105D 2011 Mac Mini server Geisler Klein DAC Emotiva XPA 1 Gen 2 Monoblocks XTZ 99.36 FLR SVS SB 1000 x 2, (just out of crappy iPhone shot) Samsung 55" LED tv Edited November 21, 2018 by DarkNark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 My first major change was a Geisler Groß DAC. Clay was very patient and helped with my novice questions. I was very pleased with the results. The only way I can describe it is that a fog had been lifted from my system. Fog that I hadn't realised was there in the first place. First song through the DAC? US Forces by Midnight Oil. I see there is a thread for a new power supply for it, which I will have to investigate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irek Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 Hi, did you connect the DAC to power amps directly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 @Irek Hi, no I did not connect the Groß directly to the amps, I ran it through an Emotiva XSP-1 preamp that I borrowed and in the end buying . But I believe that you can run directly to your amp. @Gieseler Audio would be able to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 So with the Groß and my new preamp having the capability to use balanced cables I went and made some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 4 minutes ago, DarkNark said: Hi, no I did not connect the Groß directly to the amps, I ran it through an Emotiva XSP-1 preamp that I borrowed and in the end buying . But I believe that you can run directly to your amp. @Gieseler Audio would be able to confirm. Clay's advice on connecting directly to amps: I was running my Groß directly to my active speakers for a while; it gave a clean, detailed but clinical sound. I ended using a valve preamp to deliver warmth and additional bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 An upcoming change waiting for my return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorkBun69s Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 On 21/11/2018 at 9:45 PM, Snoopy8 said: Clay's advice on connecting directly to amps: I was running my Groß directly to my active speakers for a while; it gave a clean, detailed but clinical sound. I ended using a valve preamp to deliver warmth and additional bass. Ditto for running anything direct to active speakers. I added a tube preamp (Modwright LS100) and made it all better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Upgraded the television a few months ago, Retired the 55" Samsung and bought a Panasonic 65" EZ950 OLED. I went to buy a 75" LED/LCD from JB and while deciding what model to buy I saw the Panasonic for only a few hundred more. It was a runout model, 2017 I believe. Wow! What a difference. Not for one second do I regret only having a 65" over a 75" LED/LCD. The picture is stunning. Very happy with the purchase. Definitely the best upgrade I have made so far. The rear wall where I mounted the TV started to annoy me as it is a very neutral off-white. I started to find it distracting while i watched movies. I read a few threads on SNA about members setting up dedicated Theatre rooms and eventually settled on a colour. "Black Flame" by Taubmans. It's a very deep indigo blue. Its darkened the wall up enough for me, not sure I could live with black. Very difficult to get a good picture on an iPhone to show the true colour. This is the middle of the day with the blinds closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray H Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 @DarkNark What about the new Elac speakers ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 (edited) @Ray H Sorry, getting to it Had a moment to unbox my new Elac FS 409's. Heard these in a shop once and knew I would buy a pair one day. Today is the day! Edited December 6, 2018 by DarkNark Tried for a better picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 First album through the speakers is The Chieftans "The Long Black Veil". Third track "The Foggy Dew" sung by Sinéad O'Connor got the hairs standing up on my neck. Spooky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Me likes a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray H Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 Wow, fantastic speakers ! Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorkBun69s Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 (edited) On 21/11/2018 at 9:32 PM, DarkNark said: So with the Groß and my new preamp having the capability to use balanced cables I went and made some. So how does balanced vs single endedsound in the system? Assuming you're running the GroB balanced into the Emotiva pre? Edited January 4, 2019 by katattack74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 4 hours ago, katattack74 said: So how does balanced vs single endedsound in the system? Assuming you're running the GroB balanced into the Emotiva pre? Yes I run the Groß into the preamp with balanced cables. I actually have never tried with single ended cables. I'll try it and report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy8 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 5 hours ago, katattack74 said: So how does balanced vs single endedsound in the system? Assuming you're running the GroB balanced into the Emotiva pre? Have run the Groß on balanced and RCA, no differences... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrology Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Interesting article on XLR versus RCA (towards bottom of page):- https://openaudiodesigns.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galactic Soap Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Those speakers look brilliant. Great thread mate! Looks like a cracking space you're piecing together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) So lots of changes coming. Some have been planned for a while and just waiting on funds and some were a rush of blood! Damn Stereonet classifieds! First addition was Clays' "Kraftwerk" power supply. Nice compact little package, certainly made a positive change to the SQ, but I would rather use it for a little while before posting my final impressions. Edited January 16, 2019 by DarkNark spelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) So not mentioned previously in this thread, I have made a recent foray into records. I have a Rega Planar 3 with Ortofon blue that @Hydrology kindly set up for me. I will mention (for any beginners like me, reading this thread) that I was totally underwhelmed when I played my first record in 30 years. I was quite disappointed to be honest. A bit of googling and reading a few threads here, led me to getting my records cleaned. If you are a beginner looking to start playing records I can not overstate that having clean vinyl is a "must have". It totally transformed my initial reaction and now I take pleasure in putting a record on. Back on topic, I had previously used the phono section in the Emotiva XSP-1 and I tried out a MoFi Studio phono. TBH I really didn't hear much of a difference between the two phono stages. I toyed with trying a different phono stage but I was a little wary of over capitalising on my modest Planar 3 deck. Then I saw a Primare R32 for sale in the classified and took a punt. I had previously considered buying one as they seem to have a great reputation in the online reviews. A deal was struck and @Cideburns dispatched said phono. I had to make a new shelf to house it, so a quick trip to Bunnings sorted that out. How does it sound? Would I notice a difference? Smooth is the word I would use to describe it. The difference is significant, it sounds bl@@dy great! It actually makes me want to try other Primare gear. I do believe that the online reviews are well justified. A quick side note, @Cideburns was great to deal with. The Primare presents as new, not a mark on it. I am a very happy camper! Edited January 17, 2019 by DarkNark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Previous picture shows an Oppo 203 under the R32. I previously/still have an Oppo105D, but since I upgraded to a 4K telly and DAC duties are taken care of by the Giesler a 203 seemed like a good fit. Still running the Elac 409's in and I haven't worried too much about their final position yet, but I am still enjoying them very much. Bass presence is noticeably bigger than my previous XTZ 99.36 floor standers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PorkBun69s Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 1 hour ago, DarkNark said: How does it sound? Would I notice a difference? Smooth is the word I would use to describe it. The difference is significant, it sounds bl@@dy great! It actually makes me want to try other Primare gear. I do believe that the online reviews are well justified. As expected. Hehe i see another upcoming upgrade coming up soon..that primare preamp is very nice indeed.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DarkNark Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 (edited) On 16/01/2019 at 10:57 AM, DarkNark said: So lots of changes coming. Some have been planned for a while and just waiting on funds and some were a rush of blood! Damn Stereonet classifieds! Err, so it's time to come clean! The next upgrade was more or less unplanned and more of "when opportunity knocks" sometimes you have to go for it. So jump in with both feet I did! My entry level Rega Planar 3 was replaced with this. Transrotor Dark Star. A big thanks to @Toyboyo for the assembly instructions and careful packing. Not a huge amount of information out on the net, and @hugo_wilco offered me some advice on cartridges via PM that he has used with a Dark Star. A big thanks for the assistance guys! I chose to install a 2M Black that I had purchased, at the time, to try on my Rega. I would like to try an MC cart with this turntable one day, when funds allow. So if anyone has advice on a MC cart please chime in. @Hydrology came and helped set it up for me. I was careful not to feed Mark any beer until the job was done. First record played on it was Men At Works "Business as Usual" I have played my new Cold Chisel box set on it all day and had a fat old time, and ultimately thats what it's all about. This turntable is certainly a step up from my entry level Rega and I am not sure if it's the cart or not but the bass on the records is noticeably improved. Can't wait to hear what it sound like in 100 hours or so. While CC was playing I was busy making some RCA cables for my next upgrade. this one was planned. Stay tuned! Edited January 17, 2019 by DarkNark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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