Solid State will never beat my Zen Select for Flesh on Bone Musicality.

But, I do like some butt muscle solid state 2 channel jamin' right?

I picked up a pair mono block Emotiva UPA-1's for my 2nd system within the same room/dedicated listening room.  Lot of fun! I did not do a search, but does anyone else have any experience with these?


Solid State System:
Denon DCM-290 (Transport)
Acoustic Zen MC2
Dac Magic
Monster M1000 MKIII  IC (from 1993)
Rotel RA-1062 (as Preamp)
Kimber PK10 Palladian (Rotel)
Kimber KCAG
UPA-1 x 2
HGA SC-16 Silver Braid to Kimber 8TC
Polk LS90
360 Degree Room treats-dedicated Room

Tube Amp System: (#1 system = 80% of my listening)
Sony as Transport
Illuminati D-60
AA DTI-Pro
Prophecy Cryo-Silver i2s
AA 3.0 Dac
Kimber 1030
Decware Zen Select
KS 3033
LS-90

That is a sweet 2nd system setup Lon (Zig's original Torri...). The Proton? I remember it on the market/good stuff for SS and they made a TV or two that was highly rated as well.

Yes, fun to break out and party with once in a while ("fire up ...just to keep it all happening"). The reason I bought the Mono UPA-1's is for just that/brief jam sessions. Solid State lacks the Thermionic Aspects of my Select for deep involvement - but - you know that as well as I if not more.

Stone of Tone

I look forward to buying the Torii MK III. I have wanted one since I heard it at Decfest 05. I am in the process of doing the big "D" an moving to Mission, Texas. When the dust settles the MK III is ordered!

Thanks Lon for all your impressions of the MKIII. It dishes it out and can read the paper without breaking a sweat!  I look forwared to comparing it A-B-A to my Zen Select and having both to come home to after work.

Well, off to hear some live music this weekend at the Kettle Moraine Jazz Festival. I love pop jazz (and straight ahead too). Jeff Lorber's band closes the Festival Saturday night....look forward to all of it and especially him.

Stone of Tone

Well, I did finally get the Torii 3 and I love it. I have settled on these set ups to serve the music to me!

Sony as Transport>Illuminati D-60>Audio Alchemy DTI-Pro>Prophecy Cryo-Silver Reference i2s>Audio Alchemy DDE 3.0 w/remote wand>Kimber Select 1030>Decware Zen Select Integrated Amp or Decware Torii MK3>Kimber Select 3033> Polk SDA 1/Stereo only

Denon DCM290 Transport>Stereovox XV2 digital cable>Dac Magic>Kimber Silver Streak Intercon >Rotel RA-1062>Kimber 8TC Speaker Cable>Polk SDA SRS 1.2/use SDA always>Kimber 9033 to/hi Pass jumpers> Kimber PK10 Palladian Power Cord to Rotel

I just acquired the Polk SDA SRS 1.2's from local Craigs List. Don't get me wrong.....I love the holographic imaging of my Zen Select and imaging and power of the Torii3. However, in keeping with this thread.....I still love to fire it up with a behemoth Speaker/1.2's. Probably, much like Steve likes to fire up his huge Audio Labs from time to time. These 1.2's would cost 8 to 10k to produce today. I see why the Club Polkies's are loyal to them and do mods. I will upgrade the Tweeters first with RDO194-1's and go from there. I like the best of both world's. More on the tube side though.....of course.  

http://www.ebay.com/itm/POLK-SDA-SRS-SIGNTURE-REFERENCE-SPEAKER-SYSTEM-/14065465...

I paid $1250 for mine in cherry condition. These here are already at $1375.   Stone

Awesome 2nd system Lon. It is fun to play around with and tweak the 2nd system. I am having fun with my Polk SDA SRS 1.2's tonight. The impact and the scale of these are very fun. At 185 pounds each and 63 inches tall....they make a statement physically and sonically. I am also smiling because the pair in my last post sold for $2175.00. My $1250 was well spent-same speakers.  Cheers, Stone

PS-I hear you on to many pairs of speakers. I have eight pair. After the new year/holidays.....I am going to list/sell my Parker Crusaders with plate amp too, Polk RTi A1's and my Emotiva UPA-1 mono blocks. I have the original boxes for each.

Very sweet Lon. Yes, your PS Audio xStream's are to good to be collecting dust. Especially, when getting them for a 3rd of 800.

I remember when I bought my Kimber Select 1030 IC and Select 3033 Speaker cables (99 & 2000). I paid $649 for the IC with tax and $1320 something for the Speaker cables with the Kimber 9033 jumpers to high/low pass. Yes, to expensive I know. But, at the time I was on the quest for the Behemoth power amp and then speakers etc....etc.... . THEN, I took a chance and tried Steve's little Select AMP....that is supposed to have such great fidelity. Of course it blew my mind sitting 5 to six feet off the front plane of the speakers at 76db SPL that sounds like 90db SPL with this incredible AMP!

Now, back to the Kimber. With the revelation of Steve's Amp....I new my Audio Alchemy front end was up to the task and have owned it since new in 1995. I have tried to replace the Kimber......but nothing comes    close. The synergy of the 1030 with the Zen Select and 3033 has a soundstage with air air and more air around it with exacting timbre. Surprisingly, my Torii does better with my Kimber KCAG. The Select 1030 is to much for it. I bought the KCAG over 10 yrs ago too.......now prices on all these cables are just off the charts now with the price of Silver!  So, I guess I'm saying as you re-appreciate your PS Xtreme's....I am glad I bought the Kimber Select and KCAG and then got off the Stereophile bandwagon with the advent of the Zen Select with its fidelity in my System. I have enjoyed the Select for over 10 yrs now and of course the Torii just joined in.

However, back to this thread......my 2nd system mostly all bought used and at killer rediculous (low) prices is fun. I have an Emotiva XPA-2 coming to run the Polk SDA SRS 1.2's that I also use for 2.0 HT and Serius/XM Sat radio. It can't do what the Zen Select and Torii have Ruined me for in the fidelity department.....but mostly passively it fills that other side of my habit.    -Stone

Stone, I bet you would LOVE the ERRs. I think they're amazing. I loved the RL2s even though there were a few things about them I felt could be improved. The Turning Point Audio HR-1s that I then received I also loved, they did not exhibit the aspects of the RL2s that I thought needed improvement, but they also did not have the whole "immersive" quality of the ERRs. I adjusted and was very happy, but the minute I had the ERRs finally in my system I felt the bliss that has only grown with the field of sound and the tonal balance, of the three just right for me.

In both of my systems, I have two channel video setups in use with the Decware components and speakers, and I'm SO SO happy with the sound. Just amazing, I can get completely lost in the watching and listening experience with the Decware sound. Keeps me spending far too much time in my listening/viewing seat but I waste my time in deep enjoyment!

I'm glad I spent the money on those xStream cables as well at the time, but for just a little less I actually feel that the longer length of Decware speaker cable that I bought afterwards (and I need the extra length in the main system) is clearly better. Just as I find the Decware Silver Referrence ICs better than the TARA Labs and PS Aucio xStream Statement ICs I bought before hand! Steve really knows how to choose and manufacture this type of cabling!

Quote:


Indeed, they are a bargain. Excellent quality. I only wish he made them in 1.5 or 2m lengths.

Well, changes in the main system led to changes in the second system.

I bought a discounted Denon DCD-A100 SACD player. This player is an astonishing value for 1500 bucks. Built like a tank with resonance control in mind, weighs 32 pounds, and the drive assembly is both constructed and isolated with resonance control in mind. 32 bit DACs, some of the best DACs in the world, with Denon's processing (in this case Advance AL32) for Redbook. DSD processing for SACD. USB input that can be used with iPod and has a "Restorer" circuit for lossy files that actually sounds nice. A coaxial and an optical input so that the excellent DACs can be used by other sources, a big plus!

At first I put this into the second system in place of my Decware DEC685, and it began to bloom and really sound great. (It's no shame that the DEC685 was not quite up to this unit's sound quality, but sounded really really good in comparison). The I moved this into the main system. My gal and I worked together and came up with a way to fit this Denon and the CSP2 into the main system without purchasing a new audio rack, our combined heads worked pretty darned well. The Denon has about 350 hours on it now and has been shut off overnight three times and it's astonishingly good with SACD in the main system. I have my PS Audio Duo running through Reality interconnects into the CSP2, my Denon running through cryoset.com interconnects into the CSP2, and the CSP2 running into the Torii Mk III via a new pair of cryoset.com.  The interconnects are still settling in, but the sound is excellent on all sources. Being able to adjust the gain at the PS Audio DAC/preamp, the CSP2 and the Torii Mk III means. . . well lots of excellent variant possibilities. And having SACD back in the main system is great, I love classical music on SACD and I'm spinning it and just sinking into my chair in bliss.

So the second system now doesn't have a CSP2 as a control center, and I decided the slight hum that the ZBox brings at best isn't needed and the ZBox really isn't needed. I have the DEC685 running straight into the Torii Mk II via My Audio Cables Ultrasilver + interconnects, and my Marantz BDP7004 Blu-ray player running into the Torii Mk II via Decware Silver Reference interconnects. (I confess I hardly use this player in that room, bu it's there and sounds pretty good--not the match of my Sony Blu-ray player in the main system though).

I decided that the two isolation transformers I had been using in this second system really weren't doing anything positive and I have two PS Audio "Duets" plugged straight into the wall, one for digital components, one just for the Torii Mk II. The Duet for digital is powered by a PS Audio xStream Statement power cord, the Duet for the Torii is powered by a PS Audio xStream Plus SC power cord. These two cords have made a positive difference on the system. The Torii Mk II is powered by a My Audio Cables "HC" power cord, and the DEC685 and Marantz DBP7004 are powered by Decware power cords.

The second system sounds really really good. I find myself lingering there to listen on occasion. And my gal is very happy with the sound, she relaxes and curls up with me and we have great listening sessions. If only the bedroom were bigger, I know that the HR-ONEs would love to have the room to breathe and image. But all in time. . . . The "now" is a very good "now'!