Clearaudio Reference Turntable w/2 arms pic
Stealth Hyperphono Tonearm Cable
Silver Audio SilverBreeze Tonearm Cable
Counterpoint SA-2 Tube MC Step-Up
Silent Source Silver Signature Interconnect
Audio Research MCP-33 Tube MC Step-Up
APL Denon 3910 CD Player
Aria WV5 XL Tube Preamp
Jade Audio Ref Interconnects
Pair of warm cats (CAT JL-3 Signature) pic
Jade Audio Vermeil Gold Speaker Cable
Sound Lab A-1
Running Springs Haley
Dream State Power Cords
Pair of Cool Cats pic
Life with the Felines
My priorities have been for products that have a midrange bloom with great follow-on harmonic structure and decay. How notes decay and float in space is what has caught my attention. This can be experienced with a trip to a piano store: hit a key on a Kawai, then a Yamaha, then a Kimball, and then to the back room: the Steinway. The note carries on much longer with the Steinway. This is what I have chased with refinements to the audio system.
In time, I have become more attentive to tonal neutrality and resolution. And I have sought more of a "back-at-the-speakers" rather than "out-in-the-room" presentation. With improved top-end resolution mainly due to the Aria WV, I have a greater appreciation for percussionists. And with the CAT amps, I have dynamic contrasts and attack that I simply never heard before in my audio system.
The music system is in a dedicated basement room with dimensions: 13.5'W x 18.5'L x 7.5'H. The A1 speakers are very close to the side walls. This allows them to be almost 10' apart (center-to-center) with very little toe-in needed. Due to issues with severe bass peaks in the room, they are 6' from the front wall. This does not remove the peaks entirely but reduces them enough to not be tempted to insert an "equalizer" into the chain. |
