System Pics 2016

Hungryhalibut posted:

The world has clearly gone mad. I get knocked off my bike, fracture my skull, spend a few days in hospital and when I come out everything has changed. 

I thought something was missing, welcome back!

Glad all is well, Clearly gone mad, nope.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 In the beginning it was Linn's source, and Linn's Speakers, coupled with Naim's electronics.

I'll bet a six pack of 135s, coupled with an 52, can still hold it's own!

Active of course!

I hear you Simon!

Allante93!

That doesn't sound at all mad to me. I like the simplicity of it, and despite the fact that I've just returned to a separate pre/power setup, it's something I would consider in the future if, of course, it sounded good. It fits in perfectly with my desire for fewer boxes - the exact opposite of the traditional (Naim) active approach, which I would never consider for that reason.

gary yeowell posted:

I'm sure you will do the extended demo Simon and make your decision. Only time i ever heard active ATC was with SCM100 and a Chord Dave. It was an unforgettable experience for sure, a bit like a bad toothache.

Yes indeed Gary... but remember I am already an ATC passive speaker fan - and later models with the newer HF drivers are really rather unforgettable for other reasons... but getting a long term demo won't be easy - I will have to see what big Al can do...

At least I try and keep an open mind about such things....

It might be it ends in tears - but I was internally dismissive of the Hugo until I tried that - i learnt my lesson. At a sound engineering level there is a lot going for active speakers - and there more you look into it (blast that AES library) the more you feel you can't ignore it and passive systems you are fighting against physics.. and it was the thought of upgrading my 250.2 to the 250DR that made the penny drop.....

What I can't decide in my head is to whether I keep the 252 and drive them active - or go directly from the TT - that is where the demo will need to come in I suspect... and perhaps this might lead to the biggest sonic change...

It is a quite an upheaval however - and that is an unattractive thought.

S

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

 

 

I am toying with the idea of selling up and going active - for me it will be the SCM19a possibly with the TT... i feel I have got to the stage where I can hear the issues of passive crossovers and speaker cables and I just don't want to devote the real estate and cost to a Naim style active system- and as you improve your system elsewhere the  issues of passive speakers and passive crossovers - especially on revealing monitor setups and higher end Naim NACs -  start to become more prominent and bug - especially as things start to wam up ... I also like the idea of removing  the clutter but not sacrificing SQ. I will keep my Naim NDX as a transport renderer however... but interested in others who have gone down the active route. It may be a folly of an idea that I don't follow through - but I have been thinking about it and exploring options for a few weeks now ... enough to share on this forum 

The proof is in the pudding as they say. Try it and see what you think, at the very least you will satify your curiousity. I tried both passive and active version of SCM40 and although both sounded wonderful I preferred the active version. The ATC website have just linked to an interesting review of the SCM40A by Stereotimes.

Whatever you decide, please share your experiences. I can help you and others with a couple of things I have learned:

1. Up until very recently some, if not all, tt's have a noise issue with the front led display when lit affecting sq. Try a new one that has recently been manufactured that Chord can confirm does not have this issue.

2. Both the TT and SCM40a and 19a speakers are single ended, even though they offer balanced connection. I found that rca to xlr (unbalanced) offers the best sound quality, likely due to cleaner signal path/less conversion.

3. Macbook, battery powered, new fanless design, running Audirvana integer mode 2 sounds superb and is completely silent. Best to keep completely isolated from mains earth (i do not attach ethernet but use internal/external drive and have wireless enabled for iphone app control and backup (only when plugged in). TT has galvanic isolation on hd usb so filters out any noise from usb.

4. Chord Shawline rca-xlr (unbalanced) sounds better than anything I have so far heard, I'm sure the further up the Chord ladder you go the better. Signature looks very good but pricey and diminishing returns.

5.Tripp Lite U023-003 USB cable is superb and only a few quid.

Hope this helps.

gary yeowell posted:

I'm sure you will do the extended demo Simon and make your decision. Only time i ever heard active ATC was with SCM100 and a Chord Dave. It was an unforgettable experience for sure, a bit like a bad toothache.

bizarre. certainly with scm40 and tt the sound is very forgiving, yet has all the detail you could wish for. very musical and enjoyable. very easy to listen to with no fatigue.

yes there is no tiring - and the sound is beautifully forgiving  and insightful. Tiring  and un accommodating audio vanished for me some time back - I have moved on to several  levels down.  Its the bass and mid driver intermodulation I believe I can sometimes hear - I think I have noticed it on several passive speakers that I rate hugely from Kudos Titans to my passive 19s .  soft, subtle and can be irritating... and unless you  hear actives you might never notice it. Go to an active speaker recording studio - absolutely absent .. It might be just one of those things with passive speaker domestic hifi - I am being picky - but hey no harm in exploring if I can improve things is there?

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

What I can't decide in my head is to whether I keep the 252 and drive them active - or go directly from the TT - that is where the demo will need to come in I suspect... and perhaps this might lead to the biggest sonic change...

I would try both and see which you prefer. Try a new tt which does not suffer the noise issue I previously mentioned directly into the atc active speakers. try the tt hd usb input from a mains earth isolated battery powered laptop running os x and audirvana on interger mode 2. It is truely stunning and very real when you close your eyes and just listen with a beer or glass of wine.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

yes there is no tiring - and the sound is beautifully forgiving  and insightful. Tiring  and un accommodating audio vanished for me some time back - I have moved on to several  levels down.  Its the bass and mid transient intermodulation I believe I can sometimes hear - I have noticed it on several passive speakers that I rate hugely from Kudos Titans to my passive 19s .  soft, subtle and can be irritating... and unless you  hear actives you might never notice it. Go to an active speaker recording studio - absolutely absent .. It might be just one of those things with passive speaker domestic hifi - I am being picky - but hey no harm in exploring if I can improve things is there?

atc claim their actives have 20dB improvement in intermodulation distortion

After getting home to a toddler/ speaker incident (no one hurt, speaker fell onto limestone fireplace - dented PMC's but all sounding fine otherwise) perhaps those active ATC's with their amp packs adding stability to the base of the speaker and the mesh grilles, finger protection, the 40's are looking more and more attractive 

Simon, interesting stuff, and I will certainly be watching your active exploits with interest. System simplification and box count reduction without compromising (and who knows, possibly enhancing) SQ are things that interest me a lot.

At the Bristol show I had a listen to the Dynaudio digital and active speakers, the Focus XD 600s I think. These were simply connected to the mains, and to each other with an ethernet cable, with one speaker connected to a Unitserve with an ethernet cable, all controlled by an iPad (or tablet of choice). That was it!

I assume these speakers have pre/power amps (1 per driver) and DACs inside them. And I guess there is the rub/compromise. Cramming all these delicate electronic components into smallish wooden boxes. But on the upside, no interconnects, no speaker cables and no burndies to spoil the party. Sounded pretty good to these cloth ears.

The world is coming to an end.... Soon you will be claiming that the Earth is round and in fact it circles the Sun....

james n posted:

After getting home to a toddler/ speaker incident (no one hurt, speaker fell onto limestone fireplace - dented PMC's but all sounding fine otherwise) perhaps those active ATC's with their amp packs adding stability to the base of the speaker and the mesh grilles, finger protection, the 40's are looking more and more attractive 

oh no.

be warned,  scm40a weigh an absolute tonne. strangely, i find this reassuring.

Halloween Man posted:

james n posted:

After getting home to a toddler/ speaker incident (no one hurt, speaker fell onto limestone fireplace - dented PMC's but all sounding fine otherwise) perhaps those active ATC's with their amp packs adding stability to the base of the speaker and the mesh grilles, finger protection, the 40's are looking more and more attractive 

oh no.

be warned,  scm40a weigh an absolute tonne. strangely, i find this reassuring.

but how is the fireplace doing? poor limestone ...

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

gary yeowell posted:

I'm sure you will do the extended demo Simon and make your decision. Only time i ever heard active ATC was with SCM100 and a Chord Dave. It was an unforgettable experience for sure, a bit like a bad toothache.

Yes indeed Gary... but remember I am already an ATC passive speaker fan - and later models with the newer HF drivers are really rather unforgettable for other reasons... but getting a long term demo won't be easy - I will have to see what big Al can do...

At least I try and keep an open mind about such things....

It might be it ends in tears - but I was internally dismissive of the Hugo until I tried that - i learnt my lesson. 

 

Hmm funny. Three extended home trials of Hugo, three home trials of ATC speakers (SCM40,12,7), an ATC open day with active 100s in conjunction with Chord and the Dave, a dealer demo of a 272/ATC SCM40 Active, and several other passing encounters with both products. I'd have thought that was fairly open minded... Perhaps if i continue to smack myself over the head i will eventually get it.

tonym posted:

Very impressive set up, just not sure about the SBL's....( only joking) 

gary yeowell posted:

Hmm funny. Three extended home trials of Hugo, three home trials of ATC speakers (SCM40,12,7), an ATC open day with active 100s in conjunction with Chord and the Dave, a dealer demo of a 272/ATC SCM40 Active, and several other passing encounters with both products. I'd have thought that was fairly open minded...

Indeed Gary, it's good that you and I are open minded to try different things.. and I seem to remember you and I  discussing such things together with our dealer in a London restaurant once..... But perhaps not everyone is like you and I?

Simon

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

gary yeowell posted:

Hmm funny. Three extended home trials of Hugo, three home trials of ATC speakers (SCM40,12,7), an ATC open day with active 100s in conjunction with Chord and the Dave, a dealer demo of a 272/ATC SCM40 Active, and several other passing encounters with both products. I'd have thought that was fairly open minded...

Indeed Gary, it's good that you and I are open minded to try different things.. and I seem to remember you and I  discussing such things together with our dealer in a London restaurant once..... But perhaps not everyone is like you and I?

Simon

Fair comment, after all i do use Shahinians!

wenger2015 posted:

tonym posted:

Very impressive set up, just not sure about the SBL's....( only joking) 

How long does it take u to take down, clean, and then reassemble your entire system i.e. Spring clean up?   I have 2 fraim racks of olive boxes and it takes me 2 hours. David

ps. You have a lovely floor- have u ever considered a rug. I also have a very large room with hardwood floor. Without a rug system sounded hard and echoey - adding a large area rug improved sound immensely

davidf posted:

wenger2015 posted:

tonym posted:

Very impressive set up, just not sure about the SBL's....( only joking) 

How long does it take u to take down, clean, and then reassemble your entire system i.e. Spring clean up?   I have 2 fraim racks of olive boxes and it takes me 2 hours. David

"Clean"? Not sure what you mean...

Actually, every year or so I get Andy from my excellent dealer, Signals, to strip it all down & rebuild. Takes him half a day, but then he's very good at it! I'd do it myself but arthritis prevents.

No need for a rug. There's a very large dog's bed offshot, but the rooms actually very benign acoustically. It's some 14 metres long.

An aspirational system indeed, Tony !  (and likewise the room - it's interesting that a few hundred years ago they could build acoustically good rooms, whereas nowadays we have to contend with the ringing and bouncing oblong boxes that 'modern' building methods produce for us.  Perhaps a return to the good old wood framed lath and plaster method for our listening room would be a good idea... maybe in my next home extension project? ) 

I've been meaning to put up a sistem (anyone remember this ) pic for quite some time, finally have one. To the right (not seen here) is the Audience aR6 PDC and the left speaker - I'll try to get a pic and upload.

Posting system pics after Tony is not too dissimilar from standing at the next urinal to John Holmes...

And for those who are interested in such things, the other side of the room behind the listening chair...

The New York Rangers motif one is one I just finished "building" - assembling really - they are cheap guitars and I gutted it down the the body and replaced literally every bit of it (neck, tuners, electronics, pickups, hardware) besides the customized core.

(There's a Taylor GS-mini in the bedroom too.)

Ok, after Tony's tour de force let's just turn it down a few googolplexes of notches