Forums - View from my chair

CAJames

Seasoned Member

"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."

Posts: 1646

View from my chair
12/21/20 at 19:34:42

Here it is, and it sounds great.

From left to right and top to bottom across the shelves (custom made by a buddy of mine, who also made the CD shelves):

Maplenoll Athena air bearing turntable.

Luxman Step-up transformer

Sennheiser HD-650 headphone (and Audeze EL-8 for when I need closed back)

Woo Audio WA22 preamp/headphone amp.

Mapletree Audio phono preamp

Audiolab 6000CDT transport and Yamaha CD-S2100 that I'm using only as a DAC, because in my experience the "fancier" a CD/SACD player is the faster the transport dies.

Also my Omega Super Alnico Monitors, resplendent in Macassar Ebony with my UFOs peaking out from behind. And the "amp stands" are Pass Labs Aleph 2s.

.

Off camera is the cheap Windows netbook I use for playing hirez downloads and all the SACDs that I've ripped. No streaming, I guess that makes me an "old guy."

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IMG_0613.JPG

[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

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HockessinKid Seasoned Member Posts: 1089	Re: View from my chair Reply #1 - 12/21/20 at 19:37:11 👍👍👍 HK
Back to top	Nottingham Interspace TT w/ Audio Technica AT-OC9XML cart + Modwright PH 9.0XT phono OR Modwright modded Cambridge CNX V2 > CSP3-25th Ann. preamp > ZMA-25th Ann. amp > PI Audio UberBUSS > Caintuck Audio Lii15 Magnum speakers > Snake River Audio & ZenWave cables IP Logged

CAJames Seasoned Member "I've run every red light on memory lane." Posts: 1646	Re: View from my chair Reply #2 - 12/21/20 at 19:37:35 And here's a close up of amp, configured as a balanced mono-block. The rectifier is an (adapted) National Union 5Z3, the power tubes are (adapted) Tesla EL83s and the input is a Tesla gold grid E88CC. And the speaker cables are the 10 AWG version of the cable the Decware uses for the ZSTYX speaker cable.
Back to top	IMG_0614.JPG [FOOBAR2000 \| Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650 IP Logged

piezoman

Ex Member

Re: View from my chair
Reply #3 - 12/22/20 at 19:45:07

Hey James, magnificent!!

Those Omega CAMS with 6.5" single driver AlNiCo.....I have the XRS tower version. They sound fantastic with Decware power, how about it? Unbelievably transparent and so "real".

How does it sound with those EL83's?

No streaming here either, not yet anyway......all my music resides on a 8TB external hard drive.

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ArtMan Seasoned Member Posts: 169	Re: View from my chair Reply #4 - 12/23/20 at 01:01:23 I owned some Pass Aleph 5's that looked just like your amp stands.
Back to top	Acer Laptop, Curious USB cable, Holo Audio May L2 DAC, ZRock 2, SE84UFO25, Fast 15 Network, Caintuck Audio Fast 15, Decware DSR3S/DHC2/ZFOCUS cables, Swiss Digital Fuse Boxes, Cryotone tubes (5AR4-WC, EL84-WC X 2, ECC88-WC, 0A3-WC X 2, 0D3-WC, 12AU7-WCL) IP Logged

CAJames

Seasoned Member

"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."

Posts: 1646

Re: View from my chair
Reply #5 - 12/23/20 at 04:15:17

Thanks Piezoman!

You're right, Decware and Omega AlNiCo is a special combination. I was expecting transparency and detail and life like timber, and those expectation were exceeded, and by a lot. The thing I didn't expect is how hard they will hit if called upon. I never thought 5 watts a side and single driver stand mounted monitors would punch me in the gut the way this combo does, but damn, the sound is as exciting as it is beautiful. Maybe the best thing I can say about it is it has kinda ruined me for headphone listening because the amp and speakers are out resolving my (very nice, I thought) headphone rig.

As for the EL83s, I like them a lot. I would say they sound a little bigger and darker and maybe a touch richer than the stock tubes, a Mullard sound if you will. But I haven't felt like putting the Decware tubes back in to see where they're at. I've got a box full of Russian power tubes that I collected while I was waiting for my amps and at some point I'll start rolling through them, and try to match them with the best rectifiers and input tubes, but that day isn't today (or tomorrow).

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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

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CAJames

Seasoned Member

"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."

Posts: 1646

Re: View from my chair
Reply #6 - 12/23/20 at 04:18:38

Quote:

Posted by: ArtMan Posted on: Today at 01:01:23
I owned some Pass Aleph 5's that looked just like your amp stands.

Yeah, I've had my Alephs for almost 25 years and I love them to death. I sent them back to Pass about 6 years ago for an overhaul and I thought they sounded great....until I heard my UFOs. And they make very nice amp stands.

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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

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piezoman

Ex Member

Re: View from my chair
Reply #7 - 12/23/20 at 14:41:32

James, that's so fantastic and exciting! I too have a sizeable stash of Russian driver tubes for the long haul. You've now reached a true pinnacle with your system. I too have learned the deepest joys of Decware with Omega. Currently I have a 1930's CeCo 80 balloon rectifier in the CSP3 Anniversary and a 1958 Mullard GZ34 fat base in the Taboo MK 4.....with Steve's driver tubes in both.....and 1943 RCA VT-231 6SN7's with smoked glass in both input positions.

Enjoy your new nirvana!

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CAJames

Seasoned Member

"I've run every
red light on memory
lane."

Posts: 1646

Re: View from my chair
Reply #8 - 12/23/20 at 16:04:24

Quote:

...and 1943 RCA VT-231 6SN7's with smoked glass in both input positions.

I envy you your heritage 6SN7s. My preamp uses them, and it was clear my Scottish Heritage wasn't going to spring for matched pairs of VT-231s or redbase 5692s or Tung Sol black glass round plates so I started looking for bargain alternatives. I started with 7N7s but now use 6J5GT single triodes, which you can see if you look closely at the second and forth tubes in the preamp. In my phono stage I have a 12SN7 NU grey glass, which costs pennies on the dollar compared to the 6 volt version. In general I prefer octal tubes to 9 pin, which lets face it, exist because they are cheaper, not better.

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[FOOBAR2000 | Jay's CDT2 MRK3] -> Denafrips Terminator 2 + Gaia
Sumiko Pearwood -> Mapleknoll Athena -> Luxman SUT -> Maple-tree Phono 3E
Woo WA22 -> 2x UFO25s, balanced monos
Omega SAM , Hifiman Arya, Senn HD-650

IP Logged