From yesterday’s Times magazine. It always troubles me that our hobby features so rarely in the mainstream media.
Great system and also a very impressive floor.
It’s very good thank you. The panels and the new wall both contribute to a more balanced sound. I’d guess the frequency response is evened out but I’d probably gain even more with some absorbers/diffusers in the ceiling and next to the speakers and on the back wall.
As the lounge system hasn’t changed for a couple of years i thought i’d take a few of shots of my headphone system. I’d previously used my Sony 1Z walkman, but wanting a more permanent solution went on the hunt last year for a DAC / Headphone amp, the only caveat being that it needed to fit onto my bed side table.
After trying the Chord TT2/DAVE options i settled for the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, driving my Sony MDR-Z1R headphones through a Chord Shawcan cable. It’s Roon enabled by a Project Streambox S2.
A Sunday iron work. I still had new Naim plugs.
Needed my biggest iron for getting them hot.
No idea if it brings different sound over 4mm gold banana’s.
Lovely photos James!
Very nice, James, makes a change to see a headphone system.
I had a similar journey recently. I chose the Sony TA-ZH1ES to drive my Focal Utopia. Thinking on the Sony headphones too.
Back wall is key ! And so is the ceiling, of course (it’s a huge flat surface).
I made some modification lately. Back Wall and front wall
The result is beyond expectations!
It passed the wife test with a “it sounds so good now” grade.
Really unexpected
A studio spring clean this week to help with a little distraction therapy from the terrible news headlines. A full system strip down, dust, shelving tweaks and cable tidy. Quite therapeutic. The office has never been tidier!
A few minor system changes for 2020 system pics, although the key boxes remain. Rega wall shelf raised, allowing my old Sound Factory Tripod (4 rigid 150mm shelves) to fit underneath. My shorter height ‘Naim’ Tripod shelves stored. Five surplus plywood shelves from a DIY project were (coincidentally) cut to within a couple of millimetres of the Tripod shelf dimensions and have now been repurposed. In time I do intend to repaint them black (or mid grey perhaps), but for now I quite like the B&W contrast as it makes the vintage Tripod look a little more contemporary. May also experiment with bamboo blocking cut to size at some point…
A 3mm Funk Firm Achromat added. A minor but worthwhile addition for the modest cost, tightening up the bass, and refining the higher frequency glare on some discs, as the Ortofon 2M black can occasionally sound a little clinical.
Monitor Audio R252 old timers still performing well, even though they are now approaching thirty five years of age…
And finally a little chrome bumper Nait2 photography indulgence…
New pet in the house
Lovely system. Who can’t love a Nait (especially a CB Nait 2) and the R252 was my first ‘proper’ speaker many years ago. It’s good to see a well preserved pair still providing enjoyment
I don’t have to
Perfect! Enjoy the new pet
Sometimes there are constraints. Physical and domestic.
My speakers are 74 inches apart (tweeter to tweeter), front of the speaker 25 inches from the back wall. If I put the details into the room model in REW I get the best listening position at 147 inches from the back wall. In reality, that is where the front of the settee is. If I move that forward it’s not possible to get in and out of the room.
Using 1:1.8, I get 133.2 inches, for the same reason not possible.
If he has time and doesn’t mind, the pictures that Peter @Cymbiosis posted on Facebook showing his setup gives a good visual of setting up Kudos speakers.
I heard my “naim” mentioned.
Like james_n I think I have also reached an endpoint for my bedroom headphone only system. New dCS Bartok winged its way across the Atlantic just in time before the factory closed. An all in one ROON ready box with optional built in headphone amplifier. It is currently breaking in however I think this may be the one.
Having attended CanJam NY these past 3 years I had the ability to briefly demo (battle show conditions) the Chord TT2 and DAVE. Neither did it for me. James’s Mytek Brooklyn paired with Headamp’s new GSX Mini was rather impressive. I also have the Sony WM1Z DAP (like James, Bert etc.) and thought for a while about using that however in the end I decided to go for end game.
Next up is to connect the Mjolnir (Stax) headphone amplifier on the bottom shelf and use the Bartok’s DAC output to drive that as well. The top shelf will get more crowded as the Utopia’s and Z1R’s will have to move a little to accommodate two Stax headphones.
Best
Gregg
WOW! Looks like a NAC S1