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AUDIO FORUMS >> Member's Systems Picture Gallery >> Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
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Message started by charlieboy on 10/13/19 at 01:24:39

Title: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charlieboy on 10/13/19 at 01:24:39

Some upgrading as of late. Current reference setup with the James Burgess 45/2A3 S.E.T. amplifier, easily interchangeable to Burgess Eiclone 6550 triode monoblocks. A James Burgess tube preamp/phono stage, PeachTree Audio 65SE (serving as DAC), Modified AT1240 TT with AT33EV cartridge and Cardas wiring straight to the Burgess phono stage. Media is also served up via an Otari MTR10-2, Teac 1040Sl, Akai 280D-SS and Akai X-150D Reel to Reel machines, a PC music server with over 25 terabytes of Hi-Rez files, and plenty of great vinyl selections. All playing through a pair of 105db efficient Klipschorn loudspeakers with an 18” Velodyne sub crossed over around 40Hz. Room is 24x20x8.

Will be treating the room in the coming weeks finally. I also have two more bucket list pieces of gear coming. A pair of GPA Altec 604H III speakers, custom crossovers and Stonehenge cabinets and some 300b Thorsten Loesch “Legacy” circuit inspired monoblocks to drive them.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by bikehappy1 on 10/13/19 at 06:38:47

Would love to hear your system! You’re welcome to hear mine! We’ll be in the Bay Area the first weekend of Nov.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charlieboy on 10/14/19 at 00:41:49

Sure. Im 3 hours south of the bay area though.

Charlie

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 10/24/19 at 03:49:06

Charlie,

You should post these photos on the Listening Rooms Facebook page. Gosh, it is such a beautiful room!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charlieboy on 10/25/19 at 19:56:36

After a long "break in" period my Stonehenge V cabinets with GPA Altec 604H II speakers and custom crossovers are home and sounding amazing.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Donnie on 10/25/19 at 22:22:00

Your Stonehenges look real interesting.
I'm kind of in a big speaker mode right now, seeing prints online, Hmmmm.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charlieboy on 10/31/19 at 08:20:10

Unexpected time off so it's been jazz all day.... set the lights for a blue mood this morning and before I knew it the day was done. Swapped out the 2A3's for some 45's today. Glorious midrange with either but it's fun to hear the 45's and how 1 watt per channel can sing so good!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 10/31/19 at 15:14:51

Love that room! And your tastes in equipment, as well as decor.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Radarek on 11/02/19 at 00:58:14

Nice setup. Love the speaker choice...

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charlieboy on 11/04/19 at 18:41:06

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 11/23/19 at 05:39:19

These Thorsten Loesch "legacy" circuit 300B monoblocks with Tribute iron are going to get a listen with the GPA 604HII's. I have been waiting for this opportunity.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/08/20 at 07:10:24

Holiday guests are now all gone and things are returning to normal. I am excited to get started on a full room treatment in the next weeks, but for now things are sounding better and better with each little upgrade over the last months. I am excited to hear what the room treatment brings as it is long overdue.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by JD on 01/08/20 at 11:47:44

Charles,

Fantastic room, guaranteed the tunes sound great.

JD

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 01/08/20 at 12:10:36

Hi Charlie! I went with a single theatre recliner myself in my listening room. I wouldn’t have anything else now! I look forward to seeing what you do with room treatments. Keep the photos coming - love the room!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by busterfree on 01/08/20 at 23:50:43

What are the diffusers on the back wall?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/16/20 at 23:03:50

Another James Burgess beauty! Type 46 tube amplifier.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 03/17/20 at 03:00:43

Very nice Charlie. But you’d better watch out that Donnie doesn’t try to swipe it from you. He seems to have an affinity for red amps :D

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Delta 77 on 03/17/20 at 14:33:18

Hi Charles,
I just saw this same amp on the James Burgess Facebook page..
I was just drooling over this amps looks, and the fact that it was made just 45 minutes away from me..

You have great taste..!
I Moved just a couple weeks ago, and I’m still working on my system setup but I would love to get your ears on my system, and critique it for me..
Some of your advice just might lead to an incredible sounding system..

I have a ZROCK2 shipping this week, and a pair of Tekton subwoofers on order..
Also in the back of my mind, thinking of changing to a SSamp with a nice tube preamp, but when I plugged my Odyssey amp into the system it gave a huge “Ground Loop Noise” so I just put it back in the closet..

Maybe a dedicated circuit would be my next upgrade..?

Anyway happy to see you got a nice new piece, enjoy sir..!!

I’m out of Fresno,and would love to hear from you..

THANKS, BURT..
647-4029

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/17/20 at 19:49:08

Hey Burt. Yes the amp James posted ia mine. I just brought it home yesterday. Im 30 minutes south of Fresno. I will text you so you can have my number as well.

Charlie

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/17/20 at 19:54:07

busterfree.... Here's the link. https://auralex.com/tfusor-3d-sound-diffusor/

I got them for cheap to try from a friend.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/29/20 at 15:15:03

Legacy Audio Whispers

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 05/10/20 at 05:39:46

Not sure why the previous pic looks the way it does color wise. Here's another. Modified Teac 503 DAC with external Time Machine X 10 clock from Steve Davis, Legacy Whisper HD's, Emotiva power amp and other additions as of late.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/08/20 at 08:00:42

2” Eliptrac 400 wooden horns, tweeters, Crites cast woofers, and custom ALK crossovers.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 07/08/20 at 17:00:38

Charlie boy, you change equipment like some people change underwear ;D

3 or 4 years ago, I had a pair of Klipsch Forte's that i upgraded with Crites crossovers and tweeters. Bob is a good guy. Also, i've read rave reviews of Al K's crossover work.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/13/20 at 22:33:06

The last year has been major speaker evaluation and I just received my dream preamp So things are damn near locked in especially after finishing my total room treatment. It sounds the best I personally have ever heard this room sound in 21 years.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Rivieraranch on 07/14/20 at 02:05:29

I have a friend named Hidalgo and I always ask him, “Rene, what did you hide?”

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/14/20 at 07:25:50

26/101D preamp

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 07/14/20 at 12:21:17

That is quite an impressive set up!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/15/20 at 18:04:00

View

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/15/20 at 18:05:09

View

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/07/20 at 16:43:14

Years of patience has finally paid off. Custom built amps, preamp, and speakers rounded out the rest of the components and the full room treatment was long overdue. Only thing still in the works are a couple turntables that are getting full restorations.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 08/07/20 at 19:34:27

Now that is perfection!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 08/08/20 at 15:33:25

Hi Charlie. Just curious about your room treatments. Did you use a room treatment sound program to test the results?

The reason I ask is, it is possible that you have over treated. You may have made the room too dead. I don’t know that, but just curious.

Best,

Geno

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by beowulf on 08/12/20 at 07:55:00

Wow, tons of cool toys !!! Very nice components you got there.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/13/20 at 18:40:49

One of the TD-124 tables is together and though not fully restored as it could be it is enough that it's running great! The other ( with a black plinth, Ortofon RMG-212 tonearm, and Ortofon S 15-M/T both rebuilt to new standards) will be put in the system once everything returns from STS. It's time for a custom rack for the tables. :)

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/13/20 at 18:44:28

Hi Geno. Not over treated as many of those panels also have scatter plates that are diffusing as well as absorbing so as to keep the room live. I ran several test programs and added treatments as needed testing afterwards and so on and so on.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 08/14/20 at 01:30:22

I should have known you knew what you were doing ;)

That turntable is awesome. Is it a Lenco?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/15/20 at 06:51:20

It's a Thorens TD-124 with an SME 3009II arm aftermarket plinth. It's one of two I have. The other is almost done and is receiving a FULL BLOWN restoration with a 12" Ortofon arm. This one has been restored but not an all out one. All the necessities function great on it though.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 08/15/20 at 16:59:48

It is just beautiful. Nothing like restored vintage equipment.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Brian on 09/06/20 at 04:47:37

Charles, you did not tell us how well you liked your 300B amp. Did it give the sort of sound you were after?

46 directly-heated tetrode strapped to triode is one of my favorite amplifier sounds. How well do you like yours?

I imagine the 46 sounds better with your horn speaker than with those earlier speakers you posted.

"Equipment Envy Brian"

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/28/20 at 15:44:11

Finally all together and in the system. Greg Metz STS modified Thorens TD124 MKII, rewired Ortofon RMG212 tonearm, with an Andy Kim Needle Clinic rebuilt and retipped Ortofon S15-T MC cartridge with a linear contact diamond tip, and aluminium cantilever. The Ray Brown Trio had the honor of first play.and it didn’t disappoint.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Showme on 09/28/20 at 16:21:14

What a beauty. Love the TD'124"s

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 10/09/20 at 21:04:47

REK-O-KUT Rondine Deluxe mono setup With Gray Research and ROK arms. The 78’s and mono LP’s player.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/23/20 at 14:37:32

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/23/20 at 23:34:57

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 12/23/20 at 23:56:51

Charlie, what in the world is the cube tube amp??? I’ve never seen anything like it!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/24/20 at 00:47:50

It's a Ken Uesugi 46/47 type tube amp.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/06/21 at 16:19:38

Plain black Tubelab Simple Single Ended EL34 Amp triode wired single-ended amplifier designed by George Anderson. This amplifier has a beefier power supply than usually offered in the basic design and, Obbligato coupling caps, Kiwame and PRP resistors, and Transcendar Output transformers. It's not the prettiest amp but sounds very very good!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 01/06/21 at 19:51:25

Love those rectifiers!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/07/21 at 13:35:23

Ken Uesugi 42 type tube amp/DAC.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/08/21 at 12:23:48

Custom Bottlehead Kaiju 300B amp with DC filament upgrade and Shuguang Audio Treasure Series 300B's.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 01/08/21 at 14:24:30

Looks as if it sounds very interesting.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/22/21 at 02:35:51

James Burgess 2a3

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/02/21 at 17:20:59

Cleaning up the main room (moved three sets of huge speakers and tons of gear into the office room 2nd system area) in anticipation of my one of a kind Jon Anderson Shindo 604 builds which are almost done. It is very exciting times around here for sure.

Tease photo:

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/03/21 at 18:43:22

diytube stereo35

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/08/21 at 23:55:33

Greg Metz STS modified Thorens TD124 MKII in custom plinth, with an Alfred Bokrand Custom Ortofon Tonearm mounted on a black sourced armboard, with a beloved brand new NOS Ortofon SPU Royal A cartridge, topped off with Nordost Quattro-fil phono cable.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/09/21 at 13:51:42

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/10/21 at 21:36:11

Jon Anderson Custom 604's

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 02/10/21 at 21:41:38

Mr. Hidalgo, you are an audio prince!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by HockessinKid on 02/10/21 at 23:32:47

Beautiful Charles. Bet they sound magnificent.

HK

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tommy Freefall on 02/11/21 at 23:36:16

Charles, you have an amazing collection!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 02/12/21 at 00:27:22

Charlie, you constantly amaze me. Would love a tour if you weren’t on the other side of the country.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/12/21 at 19:09:29

Kind words everyone thanks.
Things have been running now 48 hours non stop and they are sounding better and better and I think by next week they will really be impressive though they sound amazing now. I moved them back closer to the front wall corners also. Damn impressive bass.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/16/21 at 02:05:48

Lenco PTP build... 65 pounds of analog goodness. She’s in the room now and will be fitted with a Fidelity Research arm this week. Three extra arm boards also for easy change out of tonearms.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 02/16/21 at 02:11:21

Wow! That is an absolute work of art!!!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/20/21 at 20:02:06

Fidelity Research FR-24 MKII tonearm is setup with an Audio Technica cartridge for starters. I'll be trying several different cartridges in the coming time.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by piezoman on 02/21/21 at 01:43:34

a lab technician's paradise. incredible!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/11/21 at 05:17:39

Tascam BR20T wireless control hack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_g8Vi59MOcc

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by piezoman on 04/11/21 at 13:48:48

my draw drops to the ground with drool. you are an obviously very dedicated audiophile. amazing. my hat is off to you.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 05/14/21 at 21:38:04

STS serviced with upgrades including a rewired and serviced Ortofon RMG-212 tonearm. A new idler wheel from AudioSilente, A WoodSong Audio thrust bearing kit with an 8mm thick bronze cap, a 6mm thick Torlon thrust pad, and a Grade 5 sapphire ball bearing. An MK2 conversion kit with the Hanze Hi-Fi Motor Spring Suspension kit is also installed. In this conversion, the 3 motor suspension mount studs of the MK1 motor, are replaced with longer motor suspension studs to give more motor suspension travel as well as allowing installation of the Hanze HiFi motor spring suspension system which reduces motor noise into the chassis by -16db over the standard double polymer bushing design which is still installed on most TD124’s. SPH copper mat copper record stabilizer, and Waynes outer ring round things out.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 06/09/21 at 22:39:00

I have wanted to do one of these correctly for a long time. Krebs Upgraded Technics SP10 MKII, DAS dual arm plinth, Fidelity Research FR24 MKII 9", Jelco TK-950L MKII 12", Sph copper mat and record stabilizer. Ortofon and Audio Technica carts.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 06/09/21 at 22:40:14

....

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Archie on 06/10/21 at 16:10:18

I've often wondered, why two arms? Is it only so you can have two carts mounted? I've been under the impression that a 12" arm is superior to a 9". If so, why one of each?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 06/11/21 at 17:03:20

Personal preferences over 25 years of searching for arm/cart matches that suite my taste for different types of music. 12" is amazing but it can be easier for a 12" to sound amazingly bad if all things are not right. Some surprisingly very inexpensive carts sound amazing with my FR24 MKII arm on less than great rock recording from the 70's and 80's. There are just soooo many factors involved from the source media to what makes it to my ears and these arms, carts, and tables represent years of experimentation. It's still fun, and interesting after all these years.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 06/16/21 at 21:36:24

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Donnie on 06/16/21 at 22:13:23

All of that and yet not a 8-track player in sight. Sigh....

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 06/18/21 at 03:55:38

Thank you John at Lynwardwoodworks.com/ for helping make my project a very beautiful and special one!

Audio-Technica LP1240 with bypassed internal phono section and Cardas cable wiring from the tonearm leads directly to the RCA's. An Audio-Technica cartridge on modified stock arm. Black Diamond feet between the TT and neoprene layered MDF internal base with kiln dried domestic hardwood that are at a max of 8% moisture content for the rest of the plinth. This was made from 3/4" curly maple inlayed with curly Claro walnut. Joints are mitered and biscuit joined to add strength. The very bottom and inner base of the the turntable sits on is 3/4" MDF and the base has threaded 1/4 20 inserts for my choice of footers which are currently Mapleshade. Copper platter mat and record stabilizer from Sien at SPH.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 07/14/21 at 16:49:57

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/24/21 at 12:23:34

Welcome home..... Jon Anderson vertical 9844's

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/04/21 at 20:33:28

Cain & Cain Supper Abby

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by ScottGA on 11/09/21 at 17:18:28

Charles,
When can we get some comparative reviews on all these amazing speakers? Give us something about what you like about each and why you prefer one over the others or some such. Strengths versus weaknesses and rankings or anything like that as I for one will never hear these amazing speakers and have to live vicariously through you. Are you familiar with Glow In The Dark Audio's web page? http://www.glowinthedarkaudio.com I would love to see something like that from you with whatever you wanted to post and when the DIY projects die down.
Thanks

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tony on 11/09/21 at 19:18:29

Scott,

Thanks for the link. Can you say anything more about the web site? Have you found it useful, and how so? Thanks.

BTW, Great playlist on this site.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Delta 77 on 03/23/22 at 18:34:22

Wow that last one is Very Interesting..!!

Hope your doing Okay Charlie, haven't seen anything from you in a while..

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tommy Freefall on 04/21/22 at 15:50:46

Hey Charles, those Jon Anderson speakers are interesting.
Can you share any information on your 604s or 9844s?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by piezoman on 04/21/22 at 21:16:19

don't feed the monster.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/26/22 at 02:21:44

Hey Charles, those Jon Anderson speakers are interesting.
Can you share any information on your 604s or 9844s?

The "604's" are birch/maple with Rosewood veneered front baffles. The crossovers were built for me by Rick Craig at Selah Audio who recently passed away. The started at 620 cabinets but were built much better and ended up being almost 11cf. They use a PAS audio speaker with Renkus Heinz drivers.

The 9844's were a mint set of speakers/drivers that were pulled from a set of Altec cabinets that were an estate sale purchase. . Jon again built the vertical cabinets to be better than the factory built quality ever was and built new crossovers with very high end parts. The wood Yuichi horns have the Altec drivers on them and sound amazing to me.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/26/22 at 02:26:38

Wow that last one is Very Interesting..!!

Hope your doing Okay Charlie, haven't seen anything from you in a while..

Doing good and thank you. I have not had much new to post and I have sold off a lot of what I accumulated and settled into pretty much one set of speakers as of late.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/26/22 at 02:34:23

don't feed the monster.

?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by BicycleJoe on 05/03/22 at 10:14:34

Excelsior!!!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/24/23 at 16:46:51

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tommy Freefall on 01/24/23 at 20:44:06

Very nice, Charles!

Photos from a couple of years ago showed tube amps all over the place.
Have you pared down your equipment inventory?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 01/24/23 at 21:17:12

Still plenty tube gear. It has overflowed into an office, but I pull out whatever speakers and pieces as desired when the urges hit.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 01/24/23 at 22:32:35

One thing is for sure Charlie boy - you got style...

It is always a treat to see your setups!

Best,

Geno

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/02/23 at 13:57:33

Stonehenge GPA build project is in the final stages and hopefully will be in the main room very soon. :)

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tony on 02/02/23 at 14:23:18

Charles,

Great looking setup!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/06/23 at 01:10:08

Here they are at home now for a few days.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by GroovySauce on 03/06/23 at 11:16:14

Thanks for sharing. Love seeing peoples setups.

Are those super tweeters on top of the speakers? who makes them?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/06/23 at 17:01:40

Tweeters yes. They are Aperion Audio and have been great. They are more versatile, more sensitive, and are a 1/3 the price of my Townshend tweeters. The make some nice stuff.

https://www.aperionaudio.com/collections/super-tweeter-speaker/products/copy-of-aperion-audio-aluminum-ribbon-super-tweeter-speaker-pair-gloss-black

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by DrewDays34 on 03/06/23 at 22:01:39

Beautiful setup, Charles! :D

Are you a big reel-to-reel guy? I'm thinking about purchasing a tape machine. Curious what you'd recommend for a tape noob like myself.

I'm looking to buy some of the tapes Steve and Acoustic Productions sell. I pretty much stick to jazz and classical these days.

I'm chasing Steve's experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvdt8EgEt8&list=FLji1cBfA2yu35roYdVB4lKA&index=4

Cheers,
Andrew

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/15/23 at 06:44:47

I do enjoy tape, and have for some time. I'm not sure about any recommendations as the budget would determine a big part of choices.

Charlie

C.1970

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by DrewDays34 on 03/15/23 at 17:38:21

Very true. Budget is a major factor in the equation.

I'm torn between a completely refurbished Otari MX-5050 BII and a J-Corda Technics RS1500 at the moment.

They got you hooked when you were young. ;D

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 03/15/23 at 19:50:26

I really enjoy the Otari's and always have. I have only heard a Technics and never had one personally but I know they are coveted. The Otari with say an external head amp (if you get that deep) would probably be end game for anyone who has access to recordings done properly, in a nice proper as possible room. I know what Steve is experiencing when I see his reactions or hear him speak. It is "another plane" stuff and I feel blessed to have experienced it even if I never do again. Just incredible.

Good luck on the tape journey.

Charlie

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/01/23 at 20:10:35

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 04/27/23 at 15:44:09

Currently:
Decware Mini Torii with 5933/807w tubes
Schiit Freya+ with Tung Sol 6sn7 tubes
Schiit Loki Max
HiFi Rose RS150B Streamer/DAC
GPA 604-8H III Jon Anderson designed Stonehenge V cabinets
GPA matching crossovers
TEAC and Otari tape machines
SVS Pro 1000 12" subs
Nordost Blue Heaven cables

Everything from 30hz to the supertweeters is fully on the fly adjustable from the listening position. Things just float around the room in a sometimes 360 degree audio presentation that disappears into a wall of sound that is deeper and wider by far than the actual dimensions of the room. It is the best audio I personally have heard. Organic, natural, unbloated, and just head bobbing/toe tapping audio joy.

2023 find/finish a turntable, and decide on a centerpiece amplifier or upgrade the one pictured to wrap it all up.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by 4krow on 04/27/23 at 15:57:26

Meant totally in the right way, some systems are fun to look at. It took a second to see the RTR machines hiding back there.
TBH, this looks like one of the very few systems where someone has actually addressed important room issues, and I can imagine that the presentation of the music reflects that. Great job.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 05/09/23 at 05:06:11

Lucid tonight......

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by ArtMan on 05/09/23 at 07:23:35

Sweet.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 05/27/23 at 11:15:59

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Dominick on 05/28/23 at 05:26:53

Charles…..stunning is an understatement!! I would never want to leave. I’m sure the room treatment makes that room sing!!

Dom

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Kamran on 05/30/23 at 03:03:47

Fantastic setup Charles!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/08/23 at 10:10:58

Speakers disappear and it's simply the music and you!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/29/23 at 03:59:14

My ohhhh my.... SE84UFO25

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tony on 08/29/23 at 04:09:11

Charles,

If you don't mind me asking, what components are to the left and right of the SE84UFO25? BTW, the room looks great.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/29/23 at 04:22:42

Quicksilver Horn Monoblock amplifiers.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 08/30/23 at 00:43:58

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Kamran on 09/01/23 at 03:52:22

Love your room and equipment Charles. I noticed that you’re selling your cream top Rachael! Good luck. Would love to know your take on the various amps (Rachel, UFO25, Quicksilver) you have used over the years.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/01/23 at 08:49:03

Keeping it. ;)

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/25/23 at 21:30:02

Sarah has arrived and I must say....... well I'm not saying anything right now, but I am full of thoughts so until I sort them out I'll keep them to myself. This is a gorgeous amp.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 09/25/23 at 22:02:30

This forum has no “like” option so… [smiley=icqlite20.png]

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by HockessinKid on 09/25/23 at 22:52:52

[Congratulations Charles. Just enjoy the ride.

HK

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 09/25/23 at 23:29:56

Congrats Charles! Saw this on one of the other forums. You're going to be happy.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Sean on 09/26/23 at 01:06:04

Looks great!!!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Ghostship on 09/26/23 at 10:00:46

Congrats!!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/26/23 at 22:16:00

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by HockessinKid on 09/27/23 at 00:13:33

Beautiful Charles. What is the base wood you selected?

HK

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/27/23 at 04:56:25

Zen............ This SEWE300B Zen Sarah is really outstanding.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 09/27/23 at 06:09:10

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 09/27/23 at 08:04:34

Definitely agree. . .outstanding.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 10/04/23 at 00:33:20

[smiley=happy.gif]

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 10/04/23 at 00:49:28

Wish I had a room like that for my system! Maybe in the next life.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Matchstikman on 10/04/23 at 04:02:42

Nice system.

I think there is a post by Steve where he suggest putting a rug in front of your speakers. I have one in front of my Cornwalls and helps with the focus.

This is the mat I purchased of Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JCZDZXZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

It may help that tiny bit.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 10/04/23 at 06:02:29

Funny you mentioned it as I ordered one this morning for that area. 8-)

Man I secretly hope to find a set of Cornwall I's again someday within a reasonable drive. I miss mine I had almost 20 years ago.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Tony on 10/04/23 at 06:54:59

If I remember correctly, Steve recommended that the direction of the stripes on the rug made a difference. The short side of the rug goes along the base of the speaker and the long side points directly at the listening position. That way the stripes point at the listener.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/04/23 at 23:10:12

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 12/04/23 at 23:25:52

Charles, have you tried 75C1 yet? I took my trio out one at a time then two at a time substituting 0C2 . . . and I couldn't return to a trio of 75C1 fast enough. At least for my system they are very special!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/04/23 at 23:29:51

Quote:

Charles, have you tried 75C1 yet?

Not yet. I have a half dozen new ones that came in a few weeks back when my amp was with Steve though.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Lon on 12/04/23 at 23:31:56

Good. I love those tubes. I used to use them as voltage regulation for the input tubes in my SE84UFO3 Monoblocks and they really shined there as well. There's a richness to them I haven't found in other voltage regulation tubes--not mud, just a full sound.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 12/08/23 at 04:58:39

Finishing up on a totally different system variation, with high powered tube amps, and speaker placement.

I'm again, blown away right now.

Middle: Audio Research VT100 MKII, and/or Sonic Frontiers SFM-160 monoblocks.

Halcyon-Mark Audio floorstanders custom built by Jon Anderson!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/05/24 at 16:17:06

Holy Moses!

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Steve Deckert on 02/06/24 at 16:17:30

I have an imaging enhancement for you. Let's talk about drapes... To understand how much sound they absorb and at what frequencies vs. bare glass there is a simple and effective test.

Turn on your stereo -- open the drapes and stand with your back against the glass -- listen to your room. Shut your eyes. Now close the drapes over your face and see what you hear change. If nothing changes, you can hear the sound perfectly, then it can be assumed the drapes do nothing.

My guess is that will probably happen, and it would likely take at least 10 layers of those drapes to make an audible difference. If the drapes are never opened, you could hang some moving blankets behind the drapes. If they are opened then I would encourage you to make heavy heavy drapes your next audio purchase.

Steve : )

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by Geno on 02/06/24 at 19:44:32

Quote:

heavy heavy drapes

Heavy drapes rather than diffusion?

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/07/24 at 00:05:31

Quote:

My plan at some point was to experiment with a window "plug" to slide in the recessed window area as I almost never open things, and it could be squeezed in for a perfect fit and depth of around 4". I did had a few "quilt hangers" (8' long with two 1x2 flat pieces of hardwood you mount the blanket in then use screws to compress the boards flat and not harm the blanket when hanging) to choose from in the closet and one was almost the exact same width as the window (roughly 8'). I mounted a heavy moving blanket ( yes I had some of those too.. imagine that). I will listen tonight but I admit, it at least fits like it was made to order inside the window area and the regular curtains (not real thick but they were doing a bit) cover the entire thing as nothing changed. After Steve's suggestions I checked. The window area is dark now totally dark for that "night time" like listening in the day. I am a huge believer of listening with as little distractions visually as well and this allows me to do that anytime of the day now at least. I turn off all fancy displays when I can and always have. I had thought of this before but thanks Steve for the little nudge.

Title: Re: Recent upgrades as of late.. With a few surprises!
Post by charles hidalgo on 02/08/24 at 08:06:38

Today has been surreal.. I'm jittery still. It was a full on digital, vinyl and 15ips tape day, and It was just an incredible christening with Jon. We listened all day to these beautiful speakers that he built. We discussed what we were hearing and it was an "another world" experience for me. He felt the same.

Charlie