Russell Hi Fi corner

[Peter_F]

  On 15/10/2024 at 12:50 PM, russell66 said:

Audio Research VS 60

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Operator error then?

 

Valves and B&W speakers is a sh!t show IME.

 

High current high powered SS amp will bring the B&Ws to life. 

[russell66]

And then there are those days where you wonder how and why do i have three turntables 

[russell66]

After a little while I got the B & W 805 sounding really sweet.

Swapping Dacs, cables, amps and positioning, and I guess getting use to them i found myself listening for hours enjoying their strengths.

They sounded best with the Audio Research, although I never got any real deep bass from them, it didn’t matter as the detail and texture was so good. 
There is a lot changing in the next few days so I thought I best update this chapter first. 

[russell66]

Oh and before I get to far ahead of myself you may of noticed lurking in background a few times a new pre amp, the kinki studio px7 I think.

i new I needed to improve the pre at some point and I liked the reviews on this.

It is impressive, a new benchmark for me in what is possible from a pre amp. 
if you get a chance to hear one I recommend it. 

[russell66]

Oh and it’s snowing here now. A little snap shot of the weather over the next few days because I think it’s funny and I know what you have got in Aus at the moment 

[russell66]

Well the B & W 805’s have left the building for no other reason than I saw what I thought was a good deal on something else and I needed to free up some space and some money.

I really enjoyed my time with them, and they would of been even better if i had wanted to invest in a more powerful SS amplifier or added a sub, but that is just not the direction i am heading in.

All of which prompted a round trip Guelph to Waterford to London (Ontario) then back home to Guelph. 

Wonderful countryside, lovely roads, lets just say very relaxed speed limits, which makes driving a pleasure again, then finishing the journey in a snow storm, which slows thinks down a bit but everyone (except me) knows what to do.

Anyway the first picture is me returning with a car full of new audio gear, the second is of the gear unpacked and in the house.

I’m sure if you stay tuned the next three in order will be my wife packing my bags, me leaving with said bags and then a verge full of free hi fi gear

Edited December 2, 2024 by russell66

[russell66]

Ok so I wanted to say something else, but I haven’t ever posted about the Kinki Studio PX7 I added some time ago.

i added it because I had upgraded my amplifier from the Cyrus to the Audio Research, and saw the Cyrus pre as the weak link now.

Adding the Kinki added depth and texture. 
I think it is the best Pre amp I have owned to date, and if you get a chance try one in your system. 
it really is very good.

Ok I needed this post to keep the timeline roughly in tact.

My next post is going to pretty much contradict everything i have said over the last 6 months so if you don’t like people who contradict themselves best not to read on.

[russell66]

Happy Christmas everyone, most of you reading this have already opened your presents by now and are well into the eggnog. 
Santa hasn’t got hear yet. He’s got to dash across the globe, who knows perhaps the time difference gives him chance to get a ten minute break.

[russell66]

So all the Cyrus gear is sold now. I wanted the guy who purchased the B and W to hear what they could do with the Cyrus stuff so I set it up for him. It sounded great.

After he left with the 805’s I decided to drop the Linn 242’s in. 
I had used them like this a year or so ago with great results. 
Now here’s the contradiction and what surprises me…

I upgraded to the Audio Research amp and that was a step up…

I upgraded to the Kinki Studio pre and another step up…

I switched back to the Cyrus and that was dare I say it a match.

i mean it sounded sensational, as good as all the other stuff I’ve raved about.

So much so, I had all this other new stuff, it just sat there for a month, I didn’t even plug it in.

The Cyrus and Linn combo just kept entertaining. 
I’ve switched back now because the Cyrus stuff has sold, what I have is good but not better. 
Yet I would have sworn I was getting more with each previous step. 
What does all that mean? No idea! An interesting turn around though. 

[russell66]

As part of the turntable load I picked up the other week was this 166mk2. Listening to it tonight and it is wonderful. We spend all this money on fancy arms and the latest decks but it doesn’t get any better. This tonearm is great even with stock wiring, but they have no real following so we overlook the quality. 
I needed to get rid of some stuff and the 320 had to go, it had a few problems and I just don’t have room or time.

Kicking myself now though really, the engineering is great, the tonearm is special but the head shell is expensive and hard to get, the arm board also lends itself nicely to other arms, still it’s sold and that’s that.

[russell66]

So at the Toronto show I was really impressed with the Harbeth 40 something, Nagra set up in the first picture.

I was handed the Nagra remote which just felt lovely I’m my hand, I wanted to keep rubbing it. 
Kieth don’t go was playing and I cranked the volume..

I am continually impressed with Nagra every time I hear it. 
Anyway the 40’s are more than I want to spend right now but I was lucky enough to pick up the 30.1. 
They are a really enjoyable speaker, they don’t have the plump bass which I have experienced with other Harbeths.

Not up to the 40’s sound I heard, but very promising and I’d like to try them with a solid state amp to see what it’s like. 

[russell66]

Well I’m on the move again. This time it’s our own house, so it should be a bit more permanent.

The great thing about Canada, is almost all the houses come with basements that happen to lend themselves beautifully to a HI Fi room.

There is a bit of renovating needed here, but essentially this is going to be my new listening room. 
The second picture is just me walking outside my door to fresh snow. 
It’s just beautiful here. 

 

[russell66]

I was going to post up a picture of my first set up in the basement, and make some comments, but then I noticed the last picture was of the snow, since then it keeps coming so I thought I would put up a picture of what it looks like now. I’ll get back to the HiFi next I promise.

[Godot]

  On 17/02/2025 at 2:38 AM, russell66 said:

I was going to post up a picture of my first set up in the basement, and make some comments, but then I noticed the last picture was of the snow, since then it keeps coming so I thought I would put up a picture of what it looks like now. I’ll get back to the HiFi next I promise.

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I’ll be in Canada, although over in BC, later this week. I’m hoping it keeps snowing ! Here it has only just cooled down enough to crank up my tube gear. I just don’t like the background noise the air conditioning creates. I’ve been enjoying your posts, looking forward to seeing the evolution of your system in the basement. 

[russell66]

  On 17/02/2025 at 3:34 AM, Godot said:

I’ll be in Canada, although over in BC, later this week. I’m hoping it keeps snowing ! Here it has only just cooled down enough to crank up my tube gear. I just don’t like the background noise the air conditioning creates. I’ve been enjoying your posts, looking forward to seeing the evolution of your system in the basement. 

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BC seems to be a bit warmer but I guess it depends which part you head to. It’s the opposite here, every now and then the furnace kicks in, but it doesn’t run non stop so thats good.

[russell66]

So ye first thing I did when I got a chance was set up the Linn 242. They sounded really good a while back when I had a longer room. So I thought they may work well.

 

This is how I think about speakers, they were about $12,000 new I think, then you could make them active for about $40k this would be at a time when that was one of the most expensive  speakers around. Now today that $12k would equate to anything between $30 to $50k and that has been my experience with them when compared. 
 

Now they say the room is a decent % of the system and again that would seem to be true based on this experience. It’s substantially improved, I’m not going to try to quantify it. 
 

I’ve heard it said Fremer for one, that distance from the wall has nothing to do with stage depth, and I have heard decent setups where the speakers are close to the wall, but I have never achieved it. What do you think on this topic?

 

And can you treat a shared space to give as good a sound as I seem to be getting from this new space? 
 

I have also heard dedicated spaces that don’t sound that much better than a shared space, but that could be listener preference. 
 

I want to do things right so you will notice the acoustically treated wall in the centre. Each acoustically tuned separate tile is specifically tuned and placed to create a wall of sound. 
It cost me $7000 if you would like to purchase it make me an offer. 
Or is it just an old wall from the 70’s that needs to be ripped out when I renovate? I’ll leave it to you to decide. 

 

 

 

 

[illusion]

Nice work Russ, I well remember those winters living in Montreal. Ohh man the amount times I had to be dug out of the lower level of a triplex, because of a big overnight fall was frequent and irritating.

[Steever]

Nice adventures there Russell.

As a Cyrus tragic myself, I wondered recently whether a system box count reduction is in order and how a nice super-integrated would perform in comparison.

I even listed all my little boxes for sale at one stage.

I've no doubt there is something in one or two boxes out there which would be better but I'm not sure I want to go to the effort and cop the financial hit involved right now. Cyrus, as much as it draws polarised opinions from people, is still a lovely bit of kit and with the right room and speakers, still makes me go "wow" quite often.

 

It's nice following your journey. Keep the posts coming.

[La scala]

Pull the Linns out more till they disappear , nice deeper soundstage  should be audible ++   that’s the fun part.

Although long wall placement is much preferred ,  make most of  what’s  achievable closer together and equally away from your side walls.

 

Good to see your winter snow pics and bet your excited having the basement , the roof panels should be complimentary  for sound.

 

Only recently retired your old Supratek Cortese , its was great and never missed a beat.

Learned that in the end it’s in the pre amp.

 

Get In to it , enjoy  

[russell66]

  On 28/02/2025 at 11:30 AM, La scala said:

Pull the Linns out more till they disappear , nice deeper soundstage  should be audible ++   that’s the fun part.

Although long wall placement is much preferred ,  make most of  what’s  achievable closer together and equally away from your side walls.

 

Good to see your winter snow pics and bet your excited having the basement , the roof panels should be complimentary  for sound.

 

Only recently retired your old Supratek Cortese , its was great and never missed a beat.

Learned that in the end it’s in the pre amp.

 

Get In to it , enjoy  

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Your saying you think it’s the Pre Amp that makes the difference? 

Thats good i went well, i never had any issues with it.

So did you purchase something else, what did you get?

[La scala]

Russell I think I wasted 20 odd years on the different Power Amplifier merry go round. Sure Class A is great and declining from there ,  yet Tubes are for me for their speed and tone ,  anyhow…

Assuming one’s Speakers , power amp and room treatments etc etc etc etc  gives desirable  synergy and touch on audio nirvana , it’s the pre amp that’s the magic maker.

Yes power amps have evolved a great deal over the last 40 years or so , however not so much with pre amps.  
I’d say if you compare a $10k power amp to a $100k unit , it roughly may give a 20% improvement , yet listening to same scenario with pre amps  , I find more like a 200% improvement.

Workshop got the Conrad Johnson Premier 7 and home the ARC SP11 Mk11. 
Thought the Supratek Cabernet and Cortesse pre amps were  amazing , but these vintage top shelf pre amps are radically amazing mind benders on what they bring out in the music. 
 

Keep us up with your  progress  in the new Basement , lucky , I’d love a basement too. 
 

Edited March 1 by La scala

[russell66]

Well back in Perth, cycling through HiFI gear and selling it off as much as possible.

 

These Kefs are so good, running with this Denon amp, the sound is just awesome, not just for the money but Soundstage, Depth, Detail, Room extension, everything excels.

 

I guess next to more expensive speakers perhaps they lack the refinement but it’s hard to notice in isolation.

 

As often happens to me, I am left with why spend more??

Edited March 15 by russell66