Tannoy & VAC in an old-world loft

Owner

Thanks @lalitk !

My weekend evenings/nights (my highest priority down-time) have been dominated by listening sessions since the big upgrades. It's what I look forward to each week; well worth the very large expense!

Congrats on your new Canterbury, I hope you'll love them as much as I do. Do you have the GR or an earlier model? I am still using the REF6 w/ Apollo Darks - it's a good combo, but I know well that nothing's perfect. I've run through a few high quality preamps: Rogue Hera II, REF 6, VAC Renaissance V. Settled on the REF6 - though I think the VAC clearly had the best midrange, it couldn't keep up with hard rock and heavy metal music like the ARC. The downside of the ARC is that it's perhaps a slight bit aggressive and forward up top. The Hera II sounded good, but had way too high a noise floor for these very sensitive Tannoys. That said, ideally I'd like something with the gorgeous mids of the VAC that can still rock - I'm just not extremely motivated to go looking yet. The feature set, digital volume, and balance controls of the ARC are absolutely perfect; I can't stand dealing with motorized analog volume controls like the VAC has, and it will be hard to go back to that.

I haven't tried another amp since I fell in love with the original Apollo back several years ago. Given the massive upgrades I've made upstream, I really, really should start looking again. I'll probably start by borrowing a VAC Signature 200iQ from my dealer. It'll be very interesting to hear the results - along with Koetsu and Tannoy, the Apollos have been the only other constant of my system this decade. And I want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious.

mulveling January 01, 2019 23:08

mulveling, gorgeous setup, I bet your system sounds amazing. I just received my Canterbury’s last week. I am wondering if you’re still using REF6 and Rogue’s Apollo Dark amps?

Have you tried any other amp/pre combo with Tannoy’s?

lalitk January 01, 2019 00:36

Owner

Ok, turns out I'm still a bit of a JUNKIE. Got a brand new Herron VTPH-2A phono stage I'm about to go pick up. I'm certainly not expecting it to displace the VAC Renaissance SE in the main system (so awesome sounding but hurt the wallet bad at 14.4K), but I am expecting it to beat my Rogue Ares Magnum in the Stax setup. I've got a nice new Shelter Accord breaking in on that Stax setup, already sounding about good enough to displace the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze I've had there. This should be fun. I'll give the Herron a whack in the main setup, too.

mulveling October 26, 2018 23:09

Owner

Hi @shadorne

Thanks man for your comments - yes, surely I am done now! Haha, I've said that so many times before. But this is truly the system I've had, far beyond all predecessors, that makes me constantly thirst to consume music on it. Loving every hour, and I've also significantly ramped up my record buying again.

I'm currently playing with a VAC Renaissance V preamp as competition for the ARC Ref 6. They're very different beasts. The VAC has a shockingly beautiful midrange. But then the ARC is much better for rock and heavy metal. It's going to be a difficult choice between the two - wish I could keep both and flip a switch between records.

As for 12AX7 - after RCA black plates I started using Telefunken, which are simply all-around excellent (both smooth plates and ribbed plates). But then I finally found my real "holy grail" 12AX7, which is the Mazda (France) silver/chrome plates. Anything I can stick these in benefits to the order of another small component upgrade. They won't warm up a system though, if you're trying to combat brightness.

mulveling August 30, 2018 19:47

I see you are a fan of RCA long black plate 12AX7 from the 50’s.

Have you found anything better/similar in your tube rolling experiments?

shadorne August 19, 2018 08:12

Wow. I just love the Art Deco look. Stunning gear! Surely you are done for now?

shadorne August 19, 2018 08:03

Owner

This is it, brohs. I've now upgraded almost EVERYTHING I had since summer 2017, excepting 3 power cords and 1 pair of AQ Kilimanjaro speaker cables. This is no longer a true "ever evolving" system, but reasonably a "done for now". The sonic gains have been HUGE. My last big piece is the VAC Renaissance "Special Edition" phono stage. Absolutely stunning when paired with the Audio Research Ref 6 linestage!

Well...I shall continue to partake in the amusement/joy/frustration of various tweaks. E.g. cable swaps, vinyl minutiae. For example: the Lundhal LL1931 MC step-up transformers (built into the VAC phono) render a shockingly transparent, open, airy, and crystalline sonic image. Whereas my outboard Bob's Devices Sky is fleshy, impactful, ballsy, and completely seductive in the mids. I find the Koetsu Coralstone pairs naturally with the Sky (I generally prefer the two-of-a-kind approach, rather than balancing fire with ice, etc), and Shelter Harmony with the LL1931. I might want to try the silver-wired LL1931Ag or 1933Ag, and see what that get me.

I've added system photos going back to 2011 to show the upgrade process over the years.

-- Mike

mulveling February 10, 2018 02:38

Owner

Thanks @mjcmt ! I've been enjoying the upgraded sound immensely. Almost every weekend night now consists of me and the girlfriend having a long (and loud!) listening session to 3 or 4 AM. The effect of the new CMS rack, providing a perfect platform for the TT, has been awesome.

I've slowly started to love a new (to me) Audio Research REF 6 preamp over my old Hera II. It looks great in black too! So that'll be a keeper now, after initially flirting with its sale. And I'm still tweaking with cable upgrades and damping tweaks, of course. Running AQ Wild Blue Yonder ICs now, but will be upgrading to all WEL Signature in the next month. The speaker cables have been upgraded to a double-run Kilimanjaro biwrie.

mulveling November 19, 2017 00:35

You have it all here - esthetics and sound. Very handsome looking audiophile system.

mjcmt October 07, 2017 00:35

Owner

Holy cow, I just dusted off my half-broken, dust caked, taped-up Nikon D40 (circa 2004) and retook some pics -- makes the iPhone 6 pics look like trash. I guess I should've expected that, even with just the cheapo kit lens (broken autofocus) on the Nikon. At the end of the day, the high tech phones are handicapped by teeny-tiny sensors and lenses. I've updated recent photos to the D40 takes.

I'm enjoying both my headphone and speaker setups so much -- elated is a better word. It was a long journey to here, and at many points I was ready to give it up. Man, so many missteps that wasted time and money. But in the end, it's worth it.

The AQ Wind interconnect is the last cable I've bought, hopefully for a while. In the BHSE & Stax 009 headphone setup, it's about on par with the old version 1 Sky, actually perhaps a little bit better, because the Wind's ruthless detail retrieval and speed is exactly in line with both the BHSE and Stax 009 -- and the cumulative result is amazing. On the Tannoy speakers, the Sky is the clear winner over the Wind -- the Sky just has that wonderful spatial imaging, that touch of warmth, and effortless musical flow that makes is such an unusual and awesome silver cable. It's going to be very system dependent whether you prefer Sky (version 1) or Wind, and it worked out nicely for me with my 2 setups. The Wind is a more "modern", technical sound though. And it's stiff as hell -- hard to wrestle into place, even if you have adequate length on it. And the old AQ XLR plugs are easier to use and nicer to look at than the new ones. But both are great cables.

Enjoy your systems, and enjoy music guys!

mulveling October 23, 2016 18:58

Owner

Haven't checked in here in a while. Lately I've been investing heavily on "finishing touches" while keeping the core system components fixed -- as I believe they might very well represent my end game. These core components have been in place now for at least a few years each (well, phono stage maybe only 2 years). But I've been surprised by just how much of a positive difference has been made by further tube rolling and upgraded cabling. It's not at all subtle. The changes:

Phono Cartridge
My beloved Onyx Platinum finally bit the dust at the hands of a drunk girlfriend. Fortunately I got about 5 years of amazing play out of it (sparingly/caringly used). While it's off to Japan for a rebuild, I bought a brand new Coralstone -- it's amazing! Definitely my favorite Koetsu stone body, and it's not even burned in yet. The Coralstone is pure Koetsu in the midrange, but adds a lot more power in the bass vs. even the other stones. A wonderfully balanced cartridge that was obviously designed as a pure musical pleasure machine -- if you still analyze the sound after installing a Coralstone, then medical science hasn't yet invented powerful enough drugs to help you (I'll pray for your soul).

Cables
I like how Audioquest cables are relatively neutral and smooth sounding. But the AQ cables I had were either far from the top line or from older generations, so I've been making significant moves upwards (via used market). Each upgrade has yielded some nice gains:

Phono
First came the phono cable, which I upgraded from LeoPard to Wild LP. This was an immediately significant improvement. Soundstage has greater depth and the sound quality overall has a more lifelike dynamic impact. The LeoPard phono cable, like its Cheetah sibling, has a mild flattening effect on both of these aspects, and also can be slightly aggressive in the upper mids & treble (completely absent in the Wild LP). This upgrade was so satisfying that I continued upgrading other cables.

Speakers
Next was speaker cabling, for which I've long run a biwire of 6' Mont Blanc low and 7.5' KE-4 high. A couple years ago, this combination performed quite well against a dealer loaner pair of 8' Redwood (biwire) -- the Redwood sounded slightly smoother, and my cabling had a bit more sparkle on top. Overall I decided the Redwood was the slightly better cable, but not by enough to convince me to spend a LOT of money on them (list on that pair was over $8K!!). I recently snagged a gorgeous Kilimanjaro 6' pair here on audiogon, and did a night of comparison with 3 new configurations: Kili alone (all solid silver 12 awg), Kili high & Mont Blanc low (half silver, half copper for a total 9 awg), Kili low and KE-4 high (all solid silver 10 awg). It wasn't even close; the Kili & Mont Blanc combo smoked the rest, and beat my old Mont Blanc + KE-4 arrangement. Based on this, I'd say that this particular biwire represents an excellent value on the used market, as sonically it should be positioned at least at the midpoint of AQ's current Redwood and Wild Wood models -- with very similar metal content and the same geometry. The only problem is that Kilimanjaros are quite rare, and then you'd also have to find a Mont Blanc of similar length, or have it cut by AQ to match. I could also speculate that a biwire of KE-4 (used) and GO-4 or CV-4 would also be an excellent value biwire that would compete with the current AQ Meteor model for a much lower price. I'll also note that I was surprised to prefer the copper/silver combination over the pure silver configurations, since I tend to prefer all silver in interconnects.

Interconnects
And finally, interconnects. I've long used a Sky 1m RCA (1st version) from phono stage to pre, and that's safe for now, as it's still a great sounding cable -- it was the first silver cable I heard that was exceedingly smooth and almost warm in tonality, with speed and detail like silver plus great bass like copper. So first I looked at the Colorado 0.5m RCA running from SUT to phono stage -- because of the way SUTs work, this is a especially critical interconnect that should NOT exceed 0.5m in length. The Colorado is a very good cable, with a great 3D image and good speed/detail, but not quite like silver's speed. They're also a little on the warm side. So I snagged an AQ Niagara 0.5m RCA (audiogon). Again, this yielded a VERY nice gain. Though the staging didn't notably improve over the Colorado (I feel this was the Colorado's strong point), the speed definitely improved, and -- as a pleasant surprise -- the weight and density of the musical image increased significantly with the Niagara. As with AQ Sky, the Niagara didn't impart any brightness or hardness to my system. I was so impressed by its value over the Colorado, that I've ordered a Wind 1m XLR (i.e. the newer generation of Niagara) to replace the Colorado I have between preamp and monoblocks. Also I've used AQ Cheetah cables in the past, but found the Colorado to be slightly superior overall (better 3D staging, and more natural sounding). Based on this, the Niagara is quite an improvement over the prior generation Cheetahs. The Cheetah was a really good cable, but I feel both Colorado and Niagara now represent a better value on the used market than Cheetahs.

Headphones
I've been loving the Stax SR-009 headphones since I first heard them a few years ago. I use mine by my iMac -- so my speakers are vinyl source only, and headphones are digital only. First I upgraded my digital source from the NAD M51/Eximus DP-1 to a Schiit Yggdrasil. A very good upgrade, for a very reasonable cash outlay. Then I got a Head-amp Blue Hawaii SE amplifier, stocked with vintage Mullard tubes. I easily prefer this amp over my KGSShv Carbon. And it's way better than a "plain" KGSShv. The only amp I've heard that beats the BHSE is a DIY T2 (which I can't get). I also got a nice pair of AQ Sky 1m XLR interconnects, which is worthy of the BHSE. And I run the Yggy via an Audiophilleo 2 w/ Pure Power to coax, because I think that the Yggy's USB input absolutely sucks (bright and light on bass).

Tubes
Mazda 12AX7 chrome plates; phono stage and monoblocks. What an amazing tube; they gave my system a significant step forward in sound. In my system, these absolutely destroy every other legendary 12AX7. The Telefunken ribbed plates take 2nd place, but it's not very close. I also continue using 1950s Sylvania black plate 12BH7 in place of 12AU7 -- another very significant sub, though not quite as much as the Mazda 12AX7. The Mazda chrome plate 3-mica 6189 takes 2nd place here (and they are fairly close). Russian KT-120 fill out the Apollo monoblocks, and 6N30pi for the Hera II pre. For these, vintage alternatives are too costly as I require 3 quads of KT120 and 2 quads of 6N30.

TODO
Based on the wait time I had for my Phantom II Supreme, and on my less-than-stellar perception of their customer service. I definitely won't be sending it in for upgrade. But I have been eyeing the new Graham Phantom III or Elite 10" arm-wands. They have upgraded internal cabling (might as well, since I've upgraded all other cables), and the Elite is a more substantial wand. The Coralstone deserves the best.

I might consider continuing to upgrade cables, though anything beyond this level gets VERY expensive in the AQ lineup, even used. I'm interested to see which I prefer between the old version 1 Sky versus the new Wind (1 level below Sky but 2 generations newer). If the Wind is victor, I may look into replacing my Skys.

I want to explore tube vibration control, via Herbie's dampers. Also the phono stage might benefit from an isolation platform -- I have vibrapods under it now.

I have never addressed power cabling or conditioning in my systems. Not sure I wanna go there, yet.

mulveling October 17, 2016 00:34

Thanks Mulveling, you're a good guy with good sense.

schubert October 18, 2014 00:12

Owner

Haha, I know the "stupid enough to still want X" theme very well. But as a member of working middle class, I also knew I eventually had to pick a stopping point.
Here it is, for me! Salamander gear looks great and is well-constructed. In fact the stands under my monoblocks are Salamander (Synergy media rack top shelf plus polished
aluminum claw feet); I keep forgetting about that, but I love 'em.

My dealer has been fantastic to me, and for the last couple years he's been pushing the Critical Mass Systems racks. But with their pricing, I'm just never gonna go for that!
Rack resale value is horrific, and that's very relevant to me. And also, if I could hear more from my TT with better isolation, I'm confident the Stax SR-009 w/ KGSShv would
reveal it, but it doesn't!

mulveling October 17, 2014 22:12

I hear that, I've gone back on forth on big buck racks for years.
I go to the symphony 3-4 times a month ,when I get home I spin a vinyl and there is very little difference from live center-hall.
So, I guess my Salamander Archetype is good enough but I am stupid enough to still want a 2-3 K rack .

schubert October 17, 2014 18:49

Owner

Thanks Schubert. A Lovan Sovereign (3 modules, 7") that's basically hollow steel sheet tubes and MDF shelves (rosewood look) - had it nearly 10 years
now.

Definitely nothing special, but it's nicely rigid, looks OK, and I've filled its legs with lead shot. The TT also now has a nice maple platform under it, built
by a local friend of mine. In combination with moving it all right up against the wall (floor is more rigid there too), I've gotten pretty effective isolation
for cheap. A check on the Stax headphones doesn't reveal any major shortcomings of it (with regards to acoustic feedback), at least. That combined with
the financial fatigue from 10+ years of audiophiling...means I won't be spending a ton of cash on a new audiophile rack. Seems that lots of the nice
ones run 12K and up (way up) for a few shelves, geez!

mulveling October 17, 2014 14:55

What kind of rack is that? Looks nice, fantastic system !

schubert October 17, 2014 14:13

Owner

DONE.
Been listening more lately, with the Sonic Frontiers Phono 1 SE+ still in place for phono stage. I'm gonna call this system DONE. There will be no more
component evolution here, save for maintenance and perhaps the occasional cable swap.

Not sure I believe in cap break-in, but for whatever reason -- maybe responding to improved isolation for my TT, or maybe the introduction of Amperex
6DJ8 in combination with Siemens -- this Phono 1 (V-Caps from the SE+ upgrades) has developed unbelievable midrange, treble, stereo image and depth. In
these crucial areas it's now a full level ahead of the other 2 stages I was swapping -- which were a Hagerman Trumpet and Rogue Ares, both used with Bob's
Devices 1131 SUT. The SF is as quiet as the Trumpet, quieter than the Ares. The SF bass (extension and impact) lags behind that of the other 2, but it's very
clean bass, more than acceptable in light of its other strengths.

The SF midrange is so clean and palpable; it imparts the sensation of warmth without actually being warm. The treble is silky smooth without dulling detail or
sparkle -- the Ares was actually a bit strident by comparison.

I'm also still loving the Stax headphones w/ KGSShv amp and NAD M51 (iMac/USB transport). This final speaker rig has pulled ahead of the headphone setup
again, but I sill immensely enjoy each session with either Stax, never feeling like I'm being cheated or settling for a lesser experience. They've also been
extremely instructive towards what clean treble, mids, and bass SHOULD sound like. Sometimes I flirt with the idea of a Headamp Blue Hawaii SE (which I've
heard a number of times now; awesome amp), but honestly the KGSShv is right about there for a lot less money. Still, maybe...

mulveling October 17, 2014 06:11

Owner

Thanks Gerulaz -- I was just admiring your Mission Pilastro setup the other day. Absolutely gorgeous, and I would never have known they existed!

I suppose it's far too harsh to say I'm unhappy with the table. My analog setup has taken a significant step forward in sound quality since I upgraded from the SOTA Star; I'm very happy with the sound quality and looks of the Clearaudio. The vacuum on my old SOTA lost its seal with age, so the clamping solution with my Innovation is wonderful (but again -- $2300 for 5 lbs of steel?). It's just that there's a couple of minor details/issues that I'm miffed about existing at this price point. Coupled with perhaps a tinge of buyer's remorse from spending beyond what should have been my "budget".

The motor whine seems to be inherent to the design of the Innovation motor; I've observed it on the dealer's other units, and have conversed online with another owner who hears it too. I think it's specific to that very small, high-torque motor. The whine is at a high frequency and low level, so some folks may not hear it at all. And probably not in a showroom with any ambient noise. I can hear it an night in silence, though admittedly it's a non-issue in my seating position with the needle dropped. It's just that we can buy $300 tables without audible whine, so why was this detail overlooked at $11K?

mulveling August 14, 2014 17:50

Great system, i read that you're not very happy with your turntable, i also have a Clearaudio turntable and the motor doesn't make any noise, or sound. The only way i can tell that is on is that the platter is spinning, maybe you have a problem with yours.

gerulaz August 14, 2014 02:14

Owner

System edited: Updated gear and cleared out all the uninteresting cruft (e.g. cables and acoustic panels) so that the structure of the system isn't quite so buried in meaningless details. And since I've lived with every component here for between 1-5 years (3 years
average), I felt bold enough to add some more candid thoughts under the description of each piece. The system is sounding GREAT. It's been a long and slow process of tweaking and dialing-in, with many ups and downs (remind me to NEVER sell the Sonic
Frontiers again), but it's worth it. I haven't listed my headphone gear yet, but I've become enamored with high-end Stax gear (SR-009, SR-007, KGSShv), which is really serving as a nice complement/alternative to my Tannoy love-fest on the speaker side. I'm very
much a huge fan of the transducers from Tannoy, Stax, and Koetsu. And also VERY much a huge fan of the Kevin Gilmore designed headphone amps (of which there are many) -- and which he donates to the community FOR FREE.

And there's still no nighttime neighbors to piss off :)

mulveling August 13, 2014 04:53

I liked your description of old loft apartment. It sounds like it has a really good vibe there. A comfortable room is as important as your favorite gear. You mentioned wanting to try an SET amp. I would recommend only an 845/211 or larger with your speakers. I use 845 Viva Auroras and also a 300b amp but I have horns. Jim Smith (look him up if you haven't heard ) uses Canterbury and the same 845 amps as mine. You have a very nice system, enjoy.

sdrsdrsdr April 23, 2013 05:15

Mulveling,

I'm thinking about getting a pair of Apollos with kt120 tubes. My speakers, Tyler Acoustics D1's, and the preamp is a W4S STP/SE.

What do you think about the Rogue's in my system?

Thanks,

Leo.

leog2010 April 06, 2013 02:04

Awesome! Please add some pictures of the architecture and the building. Street shots?

bjesien April 02, 2013 21:59

Owner

Jmohd,
I have not heard the Wilson Sasha -- you may be confusing me with Tom :)

mulveling April 01, 2013 23:00

Hi, in some other thread you mentioned about Wilson speakers. The Canterbury se and the WIlson Audio Shasa are about the same price range.

May I know why you choose the Canterbury over the Shasa?

Thanks

jmohd April 01, 2013 16:14

Showing 76 - 100 of 147 posts

Description

Room Details

Components Toggle details

Tannoy Canterbury GR

VAC Master 300 Musicblocs

VAC Master

VAC Signature 200iQ

VAC Renaissance Phono SE

Clearaudio Master Innovation

Critical Mass Systems MAXXUM

Audio Research REF 6

Koetsu Coralstone Diamond

Koetsu Onyx Platinum

Koetsu Jade Platinum

Ortofon MC A90

Rogue Audio Apollo Dark

Bob's Devices Sky 40

AudioQuest Niagara 7000

Rogue Audio Ares Magnum

Rogue Audio Hera II

Clearaudio Innovation Wood

Graham Engineering Phantom Supreme

Head-amp Blue Hawaii SE (BHSE)

Stax SR-009

Stax L700

Audioquest (All analog cabling)

Sonic Frontiers Phono 1 SE+

Phison Audio A2.120SE

Phison A2.120 SE

Comments 147

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