Very nice setup! Always good to read the progress that people make as they fine tune their gear.

Kudos on the speakers, great sound! Nice step up from the KEF's (though I also liked how the 103/4's sounded, excellent midrange).

Btw, if you are ever interested in selling the NEARS's, let me know. Seriously have been trying to find a pair in good shap for awhile now. There's a beaten pair on eBay, but local pickup only and I'm in Boston. sigh.

[email protected]

Cheers,
Scott

addictedtomacs007 November 21, 2005 06:14

System edited: Major System Overhaul: Upgraded speakers from KEF 103/4 to N.E.A.R 50ML Upgraded Amplifiers from PS Audio 250 Delta to VTL Renaissance M80. Various changes in interconnects. Tubes + more resolving speakers = more musical enjoyment.

speedracerucr March 30, 2005 08:11

System edited: Added the Camelot Technology Dragon Pro2 MKI. Using this jitter box along with the Sonic Frontiers Ultra JitterBug has really brought out the details in my CDs. With the resolution enhancement function of this unit, I can "dither up" the signal to 20 bits. With the Dragon installed in my system, the soundstage opened up to a level that wasn't possible before. Stage width and depth are noticeably increased while maintaining accurate image placement. The bass tightened up as well. Overall, instruments and vocals are much more realistic with the additional of the Dragon, especially percussion and trumpets. To me, a worthwhile addition.

speedracerucr December 04, 2004 08:38

System edited: Replaced the Straightwire coax with the Marigo Audio Labs Apparition MK1. This well built cable is being used between the Ultra JitterBug and Polyfusion DAC. I describe the cable as being smooth, airy and dynamic with nice transparency. A very revealing cable indeed.

speedracerucr November 19, 2004 00:27

System edited: Added Sonic Frontiers Ultra JitterBug. Nice little upgrade for my system. Improvements were subtle but noticeable never the less. Brought out a little bit more inner detail and a bit more sound staging. Now I am experimenting with different digital interconnects to get the best possible sound. I am set on one end with the Creative Cable Concepts Green Hornet, but am looking for another coax cable to compliment it. My $25 Straightwire Silverlink is just not cutting it. So the search continues...When will this upgrade craze end?

speedracerucr November 11, 2004 03:41

System edited: Added the Taddeo Digital Antidote Two. This is the active version. According to the manufacture, the Taddeo is aimed at curing some of the problems associated with digital due to phase errors caused by brickwall filters used in all 44.1kHz-sampling-rate DACs. I have no idea what that means, but regardless of how it works, this thing really do work. I couldn't believe the tremendous improvement I heard in my system. Grain and hash are greatly reduced with the Taddeo in the chain. More importantly, the sterility and flatness that plagued my system before are gone now. The mids have a newfound three dimensional quality while everything else just seem more realistic. This is truly a great addition to my system that is allowing me to enjoy CDs once again.

speedracerucr October 29, 2004 06:02

System edited: Upgraded my digital cable from Straightwire Silver Link to Creative Cable Concepts Green Hornet. This cable did wonders to increase the bass response in my system. I never thought that a digital cable can have such an affect on the low end, but it did for me. Not only do the notes go lower now, but I can actually feel the bass on some recordings. It was certainly a pleasant surprise to gain this bass response in addition to the increased smoothness and reduction in glare that I anticipated when I made the switch.

speedracerucr October 17, 2004 08:59

System edited: Upgraded my interconnects from Transparent Audio MusicLink to Sonoran Signature. Ironically, after switching from the MusicLink to the Sonoran resulted in more "transparency" and allowed inner details in CDs that were unheard before to come through. I also noticed that treble extension and treble energy increased without any sacrifice in midrange sweetness. This isn't surprising as some of the lower priced Transparent cables were criticized for slightly rolling off the treble. Overall, adding the Sonoran Signatures improved the speed of my system while lifting another thin veil covering the music. FWIW, I understand that the Signatures are the predecessors to the Oasis Series Interconnects that the company now makes.

speedracerucr October 05, 2004 02:23

System edited: Upgraded my speaker cables from MIT T-4 biwire to Tice Audio 416A bi-wires. These are the cables that I have been looking for for a long time and finally tracked down thanks to another Audiogon member. These solid core copper cables fits in quite nicely in my system which also includes a pair of IC 1A interconnects from Tice. I noticed improved clarity and smoothness in the treble while the bass response tightened. Background noise is reduced as well. Overall, the sound is more liquid and sweeter with the Tice installed. Except for some inconvience in installing the cables due to their bulk and stiffness, the Tice turned out to be a great match for my system.

speedracerucr September 24, 2004 05:57

System edited: Changed my preamp from Musical Design SP-2 to Canary Audio CA-601. I couldn't believe what a dramatic improvement the Canary Audio preamp made to my system. This is a beautiful preamp not only in its sonics but also in its appearance. Even before hooking it up, I was impressed already. In terms of its construction, this thing is built like a tank, with a thick and attractive gold anodized face plate on the outside and a large torridal transformer and point to point wiring on the inside. After hooking this baby up, I popped in a couple of my favorite CDs for a listen. I was really impressed with the improvements I heard even with the initial listen. I noticed a greater sense of clarity while listening to Norah Jones' CD, especially in the upper treble and midrange. Low level detail that were masked before are now more apparent as well. But the greatest improvement I noticed was in soundstage depth from front to back. On DG's CD of Horowitz in Moscow, I felt like I was sitting in the middle of the performance enjoying Horowitz's poetry on the piano. Decay on the Piano strings was reproduced faithfully, while ambient spatial cues are preserved, thus creating this illusion. Overall, the Canary CA-601 was a major step up to my system.

speedracerucr September 10, 2004 21:12

System edited: Replaced my Cardas video/Highspeed digital coax cable with a Straight Wire Silver Link. I noticed a reduction in graininess and a smoother treble, overall a more relaxed presentation. This was $35 well spent thanks to E-Bay. I actually spent less on this cable than the Cardas, which I paid $50 for a few months ago. Its funny how sometimes spending less will yield better results.

speedracerucr September 10, 2004 05:08