Sunnyboy in 2012

by sunnyboy1956 on Done For Now

Description

For some unfathomable reason beyond me, I am unable to edit or upload pics in my existing(circa 2007)system. Hence, I am adding pics/brief description of the recent changes to my vinyl chain including some new pics of my enlarged and refurbished,dedicated basement listening room.Apart from the vinyl set up, the rest of the system is unchanged from 2006.

In the past 8 yrs I have upgraded/changed my TT four times, gone through 5 cartridges.I am almost embarrased by the naivety of my early enthusiasm for vinyl. This prompted the purchase/cartage of a VPI 16.5 from Chicago to New Delhi. The decapitation of my Transfiguration Orpheus L was a wake up call. The system and sound have evolved in a manner that is consistently pleasing.

Jan 2013

After 7 years the upgraditis flu strikes hard. New speakers, Rockport Aviors, a new pre bought on Agon but yet to arrive, the CJ GAT and drooling over the prospects of large SET monos driving the Aviors.

Baby steps in computer audio with a Macair and Mytek DSD. Initial results...this could be good and I am beginning to understand what all the hype is about despite my initial cynicism.

June 2013

All things vinyl. On that plea decided to do all the vinyl fun things I always wanted to. A restored Garrard 401, a 12" arm, a Ortofon SPU and a Miyajima BE mono cart. This required coordination between Hong Kong(Mint LP),Singapore(source of the 309D,SPU,Miyajima cart and a Ortofon 80 SE SUT),Switzerland(MM card for the Nagra phono stage) and two locations in Delhi for the woodwork and Garrard 401.

Jan 2014

The Final Frontier or Sunnyboy goes bananas or My All Out Assault on Being Done For Now.

The Rockport Aviors arrived in Jan 2013, followed by the CJ GAT in April and after a 11 month wait and several hiccups the Wavac HE 833 V2 mono blocs arrived in Dec 2013.

I guess I am at the pinnacle of a 40 year audio journey. I have achieved all that I could dream of

and much more besides. The best part of the journey are the friends and fellow audiophiles across the globe that I have got to know.

Thanks for looking
Read more...

Room Details

Dimensions: 23’ × 14’  Medium
Ceiling: 10’

Components Toggle details

    • TW Acustic AC with Black Knight PSU +3 motors
    Considerably more than half the performance of the Black Knight at less than half the price
    • Durand Talea 2
    A unipivot arm that provides an excellent platform for the best cartridges available today
    • Lyra Atlas
    Top of the line and state of the art
    • Rockport Avior
    3 way speaker with berrilyum tweeter and proprietor carbon based drivers
    • Mytek DAC 192 DAC
    32 Bit handles DSD plus a useful headphone amp
    • REL Acoustics REL GI
    700 Watt sub that goes down to 16hz according to REL
    • Conrad Johnson GAT
    CJ'S current top of the line
    • Garrard 401
    circa 1965 and restored by a friend. All original parts
    • Ortofon 309D
    12" tone arm
    • Wavac HE 833 V2
    DHT SET monobloc 150 wpc with the RCA 833 tube
    • KLAudio RCM
    A superb ulta sonic cleaner
    • Lyra Etna cartridge
    A superb cart that does everything the Atlas does but more muscle and energy
    • Audiomica,Poland Speaker cable,interconnects
    Amazing performance at a sensible price. Way superior to what it replaced
    • Ortofon A95 cartridge in an Ortofon LH 1000 headshell
    An all Ortofon line up : tone arm, cart and headshell
    • Nagra BPS phono
    The battery powered BPS is linked to the Nagra MPS power supply in a all mono set up based on a Garrard 401 and a Lyra Kleos mono cart
    • Lyrita 35wpc GM70 mono blocs
    Superb local made SET mono blocs
    • Miyajima Madake cartridge
    The bamboo cantilever has been mounted on the Garrard 401.

Comments 215

Sign in to comment
Owner
Simon
Thanks for looking
Barry
Apologies have been away from this site and most things audio for nearly a year. Slowly finding my feet again. Every improvement has made a sonic difference but off course some more than others and I would recommend going down the path of slow incremental changes. The max impact was from the Cu platter, 10kg to 20kg, the HRS platform was a definite go to given that I have a wall mounted wooden platform. May not be that impressive if you have good isolation etc. I only have the 3 feet and don’t intend to upgrade. The battery controller is a mixed bag, love the isolation that the battery provides, but not sure if it is worth it. TBH there is so much going on in the system that it’s unfair to single out single components/changes etc. I love the overall sound that I have achieved after many years of tweaking.
Happy listening
Pradeep 

sunnyboy1956

Beautiful system and room.

simon

Pradeep, How do you like the HRS base and what did it do for the sound? Does your TW plinth now have 3 or 4 feet now? What did the battery/motor controller do for the sound?  Just curious as I may eventually upgrade my TW anniversary which already has the BN platter. Thanks!  Barry

barrysandy

Owner
Some recent changes, 2 new carts the Lyra Etna SL and the bamboo cantilevered Miyajima Madake. A new SUT , the Airtight ATH 2 with 3 inputs allows me to use the Nagra VPS phono for all my carts. It's a fine SUT but not in the class of the Lyra Erodion.
The Etna SL is an amazing cart coupled with the Lyra Erodion SUT. The Etna SL has taken my vinyl pleasure to a level I could not have imagined. Even discounting owner bias/hyperbole, simply awestruck with what the Etna SL is doing in my system and its not even close to break in.

sunnyboy1956

Pradeep,

I'm still working on my plinth. I have refinished four sides, but the top has presented serious problems, bad enough I've ordered more wood, I'm going to completely redo the top with newly made replacement pieces, and I will attempt to use a different finish. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Regards,
Dan

islandmandan

Owner
Dan, many thanks. A close audio buddy who helped acquire and refurbish the 401 did take it apart and we changed a few parts etc. The low rumble is not intrusive or even perceptible from  the listening chair or beyond. He reckons it could be the oil bearing .
The Wavacs should be back on duty sometime soon
All the best
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Pradeep, the spindle bearing is pretty simple to get at for inspection. Remove the platter, and first turn the spindle by hand, and see how it feels, and then turn it on, and engage the idler wheel, see if it turns smoothly.

If necessary, remove the chassis from the plinth, remove the screws that affix the bearing assembly from the chassis. The spindle can then be removed for inspection. Hopefully, the spindle and thrust pad are in good order. The bottom of the spindle can stand a bit of polishing, but care must be taken to not polish too deeply, and remove the hardened outer layer of the spindle bottom.

Another thing to check is the motor itself. It can be serviced if necessary.

Best of luck, regards,
Dan

islandmandan

Owner
Hi Dan
Would love to have you over for a listen. Unfortunately, the 401 has been relegated to exclusive mono duty with a Lyra Kleos mono cart. With  the two tone arms on my main TT rig, the 401 rarely gets a look in which is a pity as it is a superb TT. My mono collection is also pretty modest.
I have changed a few parts in the 401 but there is a slow rumble noise noticeable only a few feet from the plinth. Perhaps I need a new bearing assembly ?
Thanks for looking
NJoy in good health
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Hi Cymbop
Thank you for your kind words. Do drop by for a listen if you are ever in this part of the world.
Best 
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Pradeep, your system is one of my favorites here on A'gon. It would be a real treat to be able to sit down and enjoy it. Lucky you. I see you are still using your old faithful Garrard 401, mine is down for some further internal rebuilding and servicing, and an entire refinish of the plinth (I've sawed the front off, and affixed a 1" thick slab of Purpleheart, with an inlay of Australian burl in the center). Should be done in a couple more days.

Best regards, and enjoy that wonderful system of yours.
Dan  

islandmandan

Beautiful room; I love your attention to lighting, seating, and listening.  It's a room for living and for listening.  Well-done.

cymbop

Owner
Some new system tweaks. The TW AC is now upgraded to full BN status with the new copper platter. Apart from the gorgeous looks the sonic benefits are impressive : larger soundstage(could be my imagination 😂), deeper bass, longer sustain and definition of notes .
My Wavacs are temporarily out of commission and have substituted them with a pair of local made 35wpc mono blocs based on the GM70 Russian tube. Lamm sells a GM70 based amp at around USD 140k. 
Will post pics
Best
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Some recent additions. Added a 3rd tone arm , a Durand Kairos with an Ortofon A95. A new phono the Nagra BPS to convert the Garrard into an exclusive mono TT with a Lyra Kleos mono cart.

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Adding pics of dome recent tweaks. All cabling is now from Audiomica,Poland. Added metallic cups/coasters under the Aviors and the new Gen Shunyata cable elevators. Replaced the Ortofon 80SE SUT with the very first commercial edition of the new Lyra Erodion EVO. It's a SUT but Lyra prefers to call it a MC step up interface. Initial impressions : very impressive but a lot of break in to do.
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Barry
Many thanks for your kind words. Did take a peek at your system page via WBF. Really most impressive. Retired is what I would like to be... Do plan a trip to this part of the world . You can combine audio with food, culture and whatever takes your fancy.
Cheers and all the best
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Pradeep:  Beautiful house and beautiful system. I must get back, and will, to Delhi now that I am retired. People are really wonderful and culture and history is more than amazing. This is much more important than audio!  Thanks to you I have achieved audio nirvana,  I bought the Lyra Etna.  Up to about 40 hours and here is how I feel about it, " Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment". Really i am there now and want for nothing..... So many thanks, but I really can't get all the Indian gods straight with multiple names even still!



barrysandy

Owner
Right slot 
Apologies for getting your moniker wrong.
Pradeep 

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Right slot 
Apologies for getting your moniker wrong.
Pradeep 

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Rightshot
Many thanks gorgeous your comments. Much appreciated. The dedicated room is in a basement with a 10' ceiling. Actually the room pics are a bit dated. Will post fresh ones showing recent paintwork etc
Best
Pradeep 

sunnyboy1956

I sure hope you are checking in on this.  But I've got to say---FANTASTIC!!
Pretty big wow factor for my eyes.  Nice.  
Can you tell me?  Is the first picture (top, left corner) is that in the basement?  Can you touch the ceiling without jumping?
Just wondering so I don't blow big $$$$.  I like it.
Thanks

rightslot

Awesome to read ! You know I to love my Nagra VPS phono stage. Great news on the cable...that phono to pre is a key link.

My Triton v2 is breaking in nicely. You were correct here in your thoughts also...nice upgrade...especially on digital.

jfrech

Owner
Reporting on two recent upgrades. Thanks to Jfrech's recommendation I got the Nagra MPS, basically a battery driven power upgrade for the Nagra phono stage . The results are stunning in that the soundstage has expanded, lower noise floor. The phonostage is almost silent. IMO, the Nagra VPS has been underrated as a phono stage . With the addition of the MPS, this is now in another league.
Added a new cable between the phonostage and the preamp. A 1 m Audiomica RCA cable. I simply can't believe how good this cable is. Simply put this is the best cable I have heard. In every sense it smokes a very highly regarded cable it has replaced. The Audiomica's are from Poland and an insane bargain.

sunnyboy1956

Owner
Hi Shaizada
Yup I was involved years ago.
Where are you located ?
Cheers
Pradeep

sunnyboy1956

Pradeep, just curious, do you have anything to do with the Noida Toll Bridge Company? I grew up in Delhi by the way :)

shaizada

Owner
John
My MPS should ship this week. Going by past trends I may have it in my system by end August.

sunnyboy1956

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