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Article: Putting Together An Audio System With Mytek, Sonus Faber, and AudioQuest


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51 minutes ago, flyingelephant said:

Wonderful writeup, Chris.

What strikes em the most is how lean and efficient this setup is.

There is so much discussion here about optical, LPSU etc - and this setup has none of that.

(I'm actually surprised by this...)

Thanks fe. 
 

That other stuff doesn’t fly in a system in my dining room. As much as I love it and use it all in my listening room, there’s just no way I could pull it off here :~)

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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23 hours ago, Geoff13 said:

S booster power supply makes a huge difference as well


I completely agree that the power supply makes a major difference. I use the UpTone Audio JS-2 to power the Brooklyn Bridge (and a Sonic Transporter i5).

- Mark

 

Synology DS916+ > SoTM dCBL-CAT7 > Netgear switch > SoTM dCBL-CAT7 > dCS Vivaldi Upsampler (Nordost Valhalla 2 power cord) > Nordost Valhalla 2 Dual 110 Ohm AES/EBU > dCS Vivaldi DAC (David Elrod Statement Gold power cord) > Nordost Valhalla 2 xlr > Absolare Passion preamp (Nordost Valhalla 2 power cord) > Nordost Valhalla 2 xlr > VTL MB-450 III (Shunyata King Cobra CX power cords) > Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker > Kaiser Kaewero Classic /JL Audio F110 (Wireworld Platinum power cord).

 

Power Conditioning: Entreq Olympus Tellus grounding (AC, preamp and dac) / Shunyata Hydra Triton + Typhoon (Shunyata Anaconda ZiTron umbilical/Shunyata King Cobra CX power cord) > Furutec GTX D-Rhodium AC outlet.

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46 minutes ago, bbosler said:

Genelec makes a wide range of powered studio monitors that would be ideal for this application. The pros use them to mix what you're listening to. Some have analog and digital in, others just analog. Wide range of prices

 

https://www.genelec.com/loudspeakers

 

of course, some might say ugly, others modern.

8030_listingimage.png

 

Genelec makes good speakers, but they don't meet my requirements. 

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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8 hours ago, bbosler said:

Genelec makes a wide range of powered studio monitors that would be ideal for this application. The pros use them to mix what you're listening to. Some have analog and digital in, others just analog. Wide range of prices

 

https://www.genelec.com/loudspeakers

 

of course, some might say ugly, others modern.

8030_listingimage.png


I use those Genelics with a Lotoo PAW6000 feeding them balanced mode and as the OP said perfect thing to take to a friend’s house as it’s a great travel rig. The Focal Shape series with an Ayre Codex and a streamer like a Sotm sms-200 is a nice small combo for probably half the price if anyone is looking for something like that; but as great as it sounds for my needs it’s nowhere as classy looking or wire free as the OP’s. That’s a really nice setup and totally reminds me of those all in one small units from the ‘80-90’s. I’ll bet it’s great sounding and flat out enjoyable to use. Very nice write up, thanks for sharing. 

595396A6-7BBD-49B3-B0A3-0E4E824A678A.jpeg

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What a great article, Chris.  Enjoying music together is such a wonderful way to share different perspectives of the world.  And that is one pretty system. 

 

Now, could your daughter give her point of view?  That would be fun.

 

 

 

 

Grimm Audio MU1 > Mola Mola Tambaqui > Mola Mola Kaluga > B&W 803 D3    

Cables:  Kubala-Sosna    Power management:  Shunyata    Room:  Vicoustics  

 

“Nature is pleased with simplicity.”  Isaac Newton

"As neither the enjoyment nor the capacity of producing musical notes are faculties of the least use to man...they must be ranked among the most mysterious with which he is endowed."  Charles Darwin - The Descent of Man

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On 9/10/2020 at 1:52 PM, jcbenten said:

Involving my wife in music goes directly to simplicity of operation.  Hence she goes straight to the tv...try as I might, I cannot train her to hit an extra button or two to listen to music.  I have not been able get it simple enough.  I think an Alexa box is next.

Many came out of that mold 😚  After 48 years of daily education, my wife still tells everyone that I’ve made it so hard to turn on and use any electronics that she can’t do it by herself (fact checked as untrue by me).  So over the last year, we’ve ended up with an Echo Dot in almost every room.

 

The first time she asked Alexa to play music, she was like a little kid with a new toy.  But she still chokes on the syntax needed to activate functions, and little Al only knows exactly what she knows.
 

Once the skills are mastered, Alexa works great.  House Band lets her control JRiver Media Center.  When my wife can’t put the right commands together (which is still a problem because she doesn’t want to be bothered learning them all), she just tells Al to play whatever she wants to hear.
 

The Dots are paired for stereo in the living room and our bedroom, and they don’t sound half bad for casual listening.  There’s a 3 band EQ in the app, which helps a bit.  They don’t rival Chris’s new little system, but they’re great for technophobic spouses.

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My sister has an Alexa and over Thanksgiving last year we had a Battle of Alexa...music changing every 20 seconds because no one likes other's music.  I think there is a College Humor video waiting to be made similar to the Siri spoof.

QNAP TS453Pro w/QLMS->Netgear Switch->Netgear RAX43 Router->Ethernet (50 ft)->Netgear switch->SBTouch ->SABAJ A10d->Linn Majik-IL (preamp)->Linn 2250->Linn Keilidh; Control Points: iPeng (iPad Air & iPhone); Also: Rega P3-24 w/ DV 10x5; OPPO 103; PC Playback: Foobar2000 & JRiver; Portable: iPhone 12 ProMax & Radio Paradise or NAS streaming; Sony NWZ ZX2 w/ PHA-3; SMSL IQ, Fiio Q5, iFi Nano iDSD BL; Garage: Edifier S1000DB Active Speakers  

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Cool interview with Michal!  

 

Never met him in person, only by phone initially when I read somewhere about this NYC studio gear company developing a DAC that did high rez PCM and DSD (which I couldn't run through my Wadia 861i connected with the Wavelength USB converter).  Add balanced outs and analog and digital preamp controls...and I was pre sold, if it sounded great.  So I posted a heads up in the DAC Forum in Nov 2010 that now has over 4K posts and 679K views...Cool to see Michal credit this place as an important launching point for his Hi Fi products.  Yes, it sounded great and the Wadia was sold for most of what I paid for it after a decade of use.

 

Also dug hearing about the development of the amps.  My @20 year old McCormack DNA-500 is still kicking, but not sure how long the old battleship will continue or fade in performance.  Interesting stuff on the choice of amp modules, implimentation alternatives and the super fast transistors that they will use on the Empire series amps...though they sound pricey as is the Empire DAC.  

 

Sounded like the Empire DAC in a 100% streaming world renders separate server/PC obsolete, so maybe there is some economy under the high price tag?  And I dig a world with fewer boxed, gadgets, switches...

 

Great stuff!

 

 

Tone with Soul

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

+1 for Waldorf! Even online, although admittedly the kids would prefer live instruction.

 

My son plays a bunch of instruments now and sings in a notable boy choir. We spend a lot of time in the living room with the "big rig," enjoying the music whether live or reproduced. Someday he might express some interest in this hobby, but we don't talk about audio gear. We talk about music because it's part of his life at home and life at school. Excited for you and your family's discoveries!

Sum>Frankenstein: JPlay/Audirvana/iTunes, Uptone EtherRegen+LPS-1.2, Rivo Streamer+Uptone JS-2, Schiit Yggdrasil LiM+Shunyata Delta XC, Linn LP12/Hercules II/Ittok/Denon DL-103R, ModWright LS 100, Pass XA25, Tellurium Black II, Monitor Audio Silver 500 on IsoAcoustics Gaias, Shunyata Delta XC, Transparent Audio, P12 power regenerator, and positive room attributes.

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Nice setup, Chris!
Share & enjoy!!!

I fully appreciate the down-sizing effort, as I just went through almost the same.
Planning to spend extended time on my boat, a decent setup was needed.
So I cut as hard as a Genelec fanboy can: smallest balanced monitors (8010 in white) and smallest sub available (7040). 
A Motu M4 sporting the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC to feed it all beautifully.
No DSP (perhaps in SW), HD - Mac - soundcard - sub - monitors only. 

Conclusion:
Good sound all the way down to 30hz
Low energy consumption, as all class D
Small - fits the space
"Cheap" = €1411 / USD 1662 

Not a monster high end surround Genelec rig, but the music still keeps me happy, if not dancing.
All in a "coke can" tiny house that sails and powered by solar. 😊
I might throw in a Kali Audio MV-BT / ifi ZEN Blue or similar to add bluetooth if the gf moves on board for longer, but that's gotta be it.

Peace 

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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2 hours ago, DigiPete said:

Nice setup, Chris!
Share & enjoy!!!

I fully appreciate the down-sizing effort, as I just went through almost the same.
Planning to spend extended time on my boat, a decent setup was needed.
So I cut as hard as a Genelec fanboy can: smallest balanced monitors (8010 in white) and smallest sub available (7040). 
A Motu M4 sporting the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC to feed it all beautifully.
No DSP (perhaps in SW), HD - Mac - soundcard - sub - monitors only. 

Conclusion:
Good sound all the way down to 30hz
Low energy consumption, as all class D
Small - fits the space
"Cheap" = €1411 / USD 1662 

Not a monster high end surround Genelec rig, but the music still keeps me happy, if not dancing.
All in a "coke can" tiny house that sails and powered by solar. 😊
I might throw in a Kali Audio MV-BT / ifi ZEN Blue or similar to add bluetooth if the gf moves on board for longer, but that's gotta be it.

Peace 

Love it Pete. Thanks for the kind words. 

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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16 hours ago, DigiPete said:

Nice setup, Chris!
Share & enjoy!!!

I fully appreciate the down-sizing effort, as I just went through almost the same.
Planning to spend extended time on my boat, a decent setup was needed.
So I cut as hard as a Genelec fanboy can: smallest balanced monitors (8010 in white) and smallest sub available (7040). 
A Motu M4 sporting the ESS Sabre32 Ultra™ DAC to feed it all beautifully.
No DSP (perhaps in SW), HD - Mac - soundcard - sub - monitors only. 

Conclusion:
Good sound all the way down to 30hz
Low energy consumption, as all class D
Small - fits the space
"Cheap" = €1411 / USD 1662 

Not a monster high end surround Genelec rig, but the music still keeps me happy, if not dancing.
All in a "coke can" tiny house that sails and powered by solar. 😊
I might throw in a Kali Audio MV-BT / ifi ZEN Blue or similar to add bluetooth if the gf moves on board for longer, but that's gotta be it.

Peace 

Welcome back, DigiPete.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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47 minutes ago, DigiPete said:


Thanks for the feedback.

I beg to differ or at least expand the perspective.

Genelecs have been designed exclusively according to function: to give the best sound for the size and money spent.
You may have them in black, white or raw aluminium, but that's it. Period!

Shape, topology and materials are dictated by physics and available production techniques.
Much like a large bridge, where you can follow the flow of forces in the construction.

I'm from the Nordics, and our design language appreciates the stylistically simple and that shape follows function.
Thus I often find bridges beautiful, love Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim NY and also the design of Genelecs.

Some may prefer Disney castles, log cabins or 1950's mahogany lunges, who are we to judge preferences?

 

Screenshot 2020-10-06 at 09.57.43.png

I like the white🙂

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38 minutes ago, firedog said:

Welcome back, DigiPete.


Thanks

I see everything is mostly as I left it 😂

Except DSP room compensation seems to be slightly more accepted. 😉

Oh, and ESS Sabre lost its hump - yay. 
(Thus Motu M4 for me . . )

And Lisa Ekdahl is playing "Stranger On Earth"
 

 

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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3 hours ago, DigiPete said:

Thus I often find bridges beautiful, love Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim NY and also the design of Genelecs.


There’s a gas station here in Minnesota that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. 
 

I used to live down the block from a FLW house in Minneapolis. Such an amazing design. 
 

http://www.thewilleyhouse.com/

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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22 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I used to live down the block from a FLW house in Minneapolis. Such an amazing design. 
 

http://www.thewilleyhouse.com/

 

What a beautiful home, and so way ahead of time (1934).
I'm sure FLW's influence has been felt around the world, and heavily influenced Scandinavian furniture and architecture design.

I grew up in a similar house in the 1970's, except we had all white walls with art.
I'm sure it shaped my appreciation for simplicity 😃

Promise Pegasus2 R6 12TB -> Thunderbolt2 ->
MacBook Pro M1 Pro -> Motu 8D -> AES/EBU ->
Main: Genelec 5 x 8260A + 2 x 8250 + 2 x 8330 + 7271A sub
Boat: Genelec 8010 + 5040 sub

Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser PXC 550 II
Blog: “Confessions of a DigiPhile”

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