Saw your post about rel subs, I am getting a hum after hooking up to my center channel. Can you tell me how to eliminate it? Thank you.

stonesly October 23, 2012 23:59

Wow, it has been awhile since anything has been posted on my system. I have since moved, added another sub, upgraded power conditioning and power cables. One of these days I will get around to updating everything...

Lapierre-So have you bought a B2? I remembering speaking with you a couple years ago and I believe you were considering adding a sub back then. As you may already know the B2 is awesome, definetly recommend it. I feel it represents a great bang for the buck in the sub world and isn't as large as the B1 so it will work better in smaller rooms like we both have now.

If you end up going with each conductor separate you may be able to save some money and buy a good quality twisted cable and terminate it yourself, since the Signal Cable advantage is that it is twisted per their "recipe" and comes neatly packaged as one cable. Food for thought, I feel almost any larger gauge cable would represent an upgrade over the stock cable.

I have noticed you have moved recently and your new room is proving troublesome. I look forward to seeing what comes of it with room treatments etc.

jlind325is February 14, 2012 20:58

"Lapierre-Signal Cable should be able to make you a custom cable with the ground cable outside the common sheath, or perhaps each "conductor" seperate and only coming together at the Neutrik for use with your mono block setup."

Good to know. Likely need seperate conductors including ground and only coming together at the Neutrik.

Thanks. Will check it out.

lapierre February 13, 2012 22:38

System edited: I decided to ditch the one rack and go to two lower ones. I really like the look and the functionality of them as well.

jlind325is February 20, 2007 19:59

System edited: Here is my new listening space, a little small 11'x14'x9'6" especially for vons but it sounds great to me. It has almost everything i like in my music, the right tone and timbre, the tight bass, good soundstage and imaging. My depth isnt jaw dropping but it is layered. I know all the Von Schweikert owners out there are saying " Man, pulls those guys out from the wall!" Beleive me i tried them further out in the room, i would say the depth was farther but not layered and that was about it. They had muddy bass, spitty highs and overall not what the gear is capable of. Pushing them close to the rear wall as far as i have now turned my sound from so-so to ahhh yes! The bass is the best i have heard from my system, vocals are textured and everything is in its own space. I am just so pleased in this new room. Everytime i come home from the local dealers shop i say to myself, "i like mine more" with that silly grin. Comments are always enjoyed.

jlind325is January 20, 2007 23:49

Jayson-thanks for the kind words, and your not bothering me, and i am kind of a newbie myself. A little background on my gear may help with having you understand how i have mine connected. Since my TT is of such a cheap price it comes with captive interconnects and ground. My phonostage has the option for setting the gain for either a low output MC cartridge or a higher output MM cartridge. I have my TTs interconnects hooked up to my phono stage, and then a set of Transparent interconnects running from the phono stage outputs to one of my inputs on my pre amp. since i have an outboard phono stage and no phono card in my pre amp i can use any input. I then connect my pre amp and amp with a set of balanced interconnects. I am not familiar with your gear but i am assuming my way of doing things would work just fine. Now if your AR LS7 can accept a "factory" phono board then you would just connect your turntable to the phono input on the preamp. hope this clears things up for you and feel free to ask for clarification if your still needing help. And welcome to an addicting life style. Justin

jlind325is November 09, 2006 16:06

you have a very nice set up sir! i just want to ask you bout your phono preamp. is it connected directly to amplifier or its going to a line stage preamp then amp? sorry if im bothering you cuz im a newbie, i have an audio research ls 7 line stage only and needs to add a phono section for my turntable. how do i connect those 3 (ls-7 pre, phone pre, vtl amp), thank you

jaysonveracruz November 02, 2006 18:14

Thanks for the kind words Oregon. I absolutely love my pre as well. It is now fully broken in and the journey from new till now has been nothing short of incredible. to my ears it makes music sound like music, a bit rolled off at frequency extremes but i will galdly give up a little extension for a non fatiguing sound. I was also considering a used 5i but all balanced was an issue for me as well. i can honestly say i have no regrets about this pre amp and will be hanging on to it for a good while. Plus with the upgrades that are available it will only get better and better. Hopefully somtime soon i will get the phono board and upgrade my record player but i want a new rack as well. DAMN those tradeoffs!!! I recently moved into a dedicated room 11'x 14'-6" x 9' which is sounding alright, i havent had time to properly set up my vons but i will soon. i now have the option of treating walls etc. i have done a good bit of hanging rugs and curtains this past week and it has really helped calm the room down. i will have new pictures up later this month. see ya Justin

jlind325is September 08, 2006 14:14

Very nice!
I have a BAT 3i preamp and I feel it soothes the treble, making it sweet. It does not add anything, but just seems to offer control over the other components. I'd consider a 5i, but all XLRs is an issue.
Enjoy!

oregon September 07, 2006 17:42

System edited: Finally getting around to adding my new pre amp to this thread. I have had the BAT for a couple weeks now and since intial listen to now im still continually impressed. When i removed the PCA-2 and added the VK-3iX is when my system really started producing music. I cant beleive all the ways it one ups the PCA-2, micro detail, depth, locked in imaging, dead quiet background, and not the slightest bit fatiguing. I would say my bass is less extended and not as tight. I adjusted the placement of the vons to counteract the negative and in turn was rewarded with better overall musicality. By pulling the speakers out farther i have a greater sense of not hearing my room. I can actually hear the space in which certain recordings were recorded, somthing in which i never had heard prior. I now know what all the tube "fuss" was about beautiful sound plain and simple. Well time to go enjoy......

jlind325is June 28, 2006 20:09

System edited: Pictures updated as well as the new cartridge. I am enjoying this new cartridge very much. Everything that i didnt like about my previous Ortofon has been improved upon, most notably bass response and extension. Still in need of many more hours of break in time but im already satisfied. I also have moved my rug into the room, lowered my noise floor and adds a little class in my opinion. A few pieces of furniture have moved, cd rack is no longer behind the right speaker. By doing this i increased my depth and imaging. I have reached another level with these changes and eagerly await the arrival of my pre.

jlind325is June 03, 2006 15:01

I would like to try a pre that used a seperate power supply one of these days. The only one i can think of that is somewhat near me was a Rogue dealer. I was impressed with the Rogue 99 when i listened to it. I had the ability to bring it home but that particular shop is a two hour drive each way and he was only willing to let me demo for a couple days, which didnt fit my schedule. I feel that the BAT is a better piece of gear anyways.

Let me know what material you use when you finish the head. have you found a junker turn table yet?

jlind325is May 28, 2006 13:10

Im very glad about your choice of the preamp. I much prefer the sound of seperates, as it seems it's the same for you. For the record cleaning machine, i am usuing a "wand stick"- long and somewhat flat. I used my dremel drill to cut the long edge open about 2-3 mm. I will clog the end which is used for cleaning, so the vaccum sucks through the new slit. I am looking for some fabric i can use to surround the slit- I am thinking of usuing fabric similer to what i am usuing on my records now (works wonders).
Then I should be on my way to clean records. I'll use the prototype for a while, and in the fall re-build it so it looks somewhat professonal.
Cheers

P.S- I never thought power-supplys would make a difference if they were onboard, or outboard. But its amazing that they do. I highly suggest trying a preamp with an outboard power-supply. (I dont believe that BAT equipment has outboard power-supplies) I would highly recommend you try one.

philoman2 May 27, 2006 19:30

Sounds good Philoman2. My local dealer will be getting Nitty Gritty products sometime in the future so maybe i can compare a home made one to a real one after i make my own. I was thinking about how Biomimetic made his and was thinking it would be nice to have a replaceable-changeable cleaning head so as to not cross contaminate between records. Is your custom cleaning head reflecting this thought in your design? I have also decided on a pre amp. I am going to give the BAT VK3iX a try. I did some extensive listening again with the BAT Vk300SE integrated and my Bryston amp. i listend to the BAT int. by itslef and then using its linestage with my amp. i much preferred the combo rather than the stand alone int. which wasnt my prior feelings the first time i did this. I beleive it will yield a much better sound with a dedicated pre amp, mostly due to the fact that the power supply isnt driving an amp portion as well. i will see if the VK3iX fits my ear when it arrives in a couple of weeks. Justin

jlind325is May 27, 2006 16:26

Im glad you asked about the record cleaner- well im still working on it. Its pretty bad looking, in part due to the fact i dont have many power tools. I probably should have cut the wood at my school. many of the boards dont fit the best. More over, I still need to get my hands on a junky record player for the cleaner. right now, you could say i have a "prototype" (I should have done it the right way first) I am usuing a 1 Hp wet/dry vac. I am currently working on a custom made cleaning head.
I'll post pics once my prototype is working, then i'll try to make a better one later-on.
cheers

philoman2 May 26, 2006 22:27

Chadnliz-thanks for the kind comments. Im still building to have it all but im having fun. Please note that the BAT you see isn't mine and is no longer in the system. I will update pictures soon. I am currently thinking about using an integrated amp like the BAT you see or keeping my Bryston amp and adding a tube pre.

Philoman2-You will have to post pictures of your new hand built cleaner, i would like to see how it turned out. The rack is actually a design i copied off my brother. I really need to shorten the all thread and bring the shelves a bit closer. I think it looks spindly now but im waiting to get the gear figured out first. i eventually want to buy the Mapleshade Samson v2 rack. It's a very beautiful upgrade to my rack but retains the same design with the all thread.
Later guys

jlind325is May 21, 2006 16:16

well I started building my record cleaner, still need some parts, but overall its coming along. I really like the homemade rack. Its really cool that you can ajust the size of each rack space by just usuing a rench.
cheers

philoman2 May 20, 2006 22:05

great system..nice room, you got it all man!

chadnliz May 19, 2006 22:12

thanks. i think i will try my hand at the record cleaner here in a few months after i move. Hopefully soon my local shop will have the room to get some BAT tube amps in, i realy want to hear their seperates.

jlind325is May 11, 2006 14:23

I know the preamp was tubed, and the power amp was solid state. I cant recall the models. Guessing at the sheer size of the power amp im pretty sure it was the VK-600 but it could have been the VK-250. My guess is the preamp was the VK-51SE.
I wasnt able to listen to BAT's Tube Amps for a long time. Only for about 5 minutes. I was very happy with their sound, for the short time i had. the model i listened to was the VK-55, in stereo mode.
hope this helps

-Yes i am addicted to vinyl, :) thanks
im gonna try to make a record cleaner sometime before i finish this school year. (weekend project)

philoman2 May 10, 2006 17:12

I miss having the BAT in my system now that its gone. The PS/Bryston combo cant compete with it to my ears. OF course the BAT VK300SE goes for $6000 new w/ options so its kind of expected that it should sound good. What i have found in my short time in hifi is that your ear is different than anybody elses. i see no reason why not the Wislon/BAT combo could of sounded uninvolving to you, yet it could sound magical to me. I just need to keep listening and find "it." Are you addicted to vinyl yet?

jlind325is May 08, 2006 21:24

I am happy you liked the BAT preamp- maybe it was just the combination of all Bat equipment and Wilson speakers which made me not like the sound. If you enjoy the BAT pre with the 2B SST, perhaps i should consider re-evaluating the listening session.

philoman2 May 08, 2006 15:20

Thanks for the link. I didnt suspect you were associated with them, you just sounded pleased with your piece of gear.

jlind325is May 04, 2006 17:45

I replaced a Musical Fidelity A3cr with the TAD-150. It was a very nice step up, for close to the same money. You have to buy the TAD directly from Paul at http://www.angelfire.com/biz/bizzyb/index.html although I heard he may be out of stock for a while.

FYI, I have no connection whatsoever to Behringer or anyone who sells them. Just a very satisfied customer.

ecruz May 04, 2006 15:08

i am actually looking at tube pres as we speak. I dont think anyone local carries TAD so i might have to buy it used. Im wanting to buy new these days because i am having a hard time finding my sound so demoing is a priority. I just listened to some Musical Fidelity and Linn solid state preamps and then i listened to a Rogue 99 and to my ears it blew the others away. the sweetness was exactly waht i wanted. Im sold on a tube pre now. Justin

jlind325is May 04, 2006 14:34