Johnny Vinyl: Living the Analog(ue) Dream!

[talstarone]

Good Morning,John,My Friend .
I Hope your Saturday is off to a Great Start.

I was reading your previous post and I am thrilled that you are zeroing in on the exact speaker placement that will give you the Best sound quality possible.

It takes a while sometimes to learn the acoustics of a particular room.And then use what you have learned to your advantage.But the more times you try to tweak the placement by very small increments show that you are almost completely dialed in to the perfect positioning.

I hope you have much success and hopefully this last adjustment will be the one that makes your system sound as true to life as humanly possible.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

After many hours of critical listening in the last 3 or so weeks, I have finally come up with a speaker positioning plan that I'm satisfied with. They have been in this position for the last 2 weeks and they are going to remain there.

My Totem Sttaf's are now placed exactly 93" (7'9") apart from centre to centre and 17" forward of the back wall. I have maintained the Toe-OUT concept, but reduced it to a ½" from the former 1". I felt that with the first trial (8'6" apart with a 1" Toe-OUT) I lost some "oomph" or "kick", despite the overall improvement in soundstage and presence. Something was missing and I felt, in the end, that the greater soundstage also introduced a thinness or lack of substance from the overall sound.

As you can well appreciate, I certainly didn't want to lose any soundstage, but I also wanted more richness in the music. Various configurations were tried and listened to intently, and I think I have come up with the perfect balance for my room. The soundstage may have been reduced slightly (and I mean slightly), but the music is much richer now and I'm enjoying the delivery more.

I always use PF's DSOTM and Rickie Lee Jones' self-titled debut album for a final analysis, as I am intimately familiar with those 2 recordings. In the new configuration and placement of the Sttaf's those recordings and the speakers have never sounded better.

John

Mourning John !

It sound's like you have found the best spot for your Totems , to get the best performance out of them ! That is great to hear .

It has always (although just for A year or so) amazed me how little tweeks of things can make A difference in how it performs , Especially when it comes to sound & the way it is interacting with all the different things within an area .

[Johnny Vinyl]

Good morning to you as well Todd!

I see you have a PJ coming shortly, and from reading the other threads you are being rather coy about letting people in on exactly what is happening. I think that's kinda cool. Do your thing, set it up, post some pics and tell the world! I'm sure it'll be fantastic, and I'll be checking out your thread for new information.

I've made some changes to the room and have also decided that I really wanted to set up my speakers for a 2-channel system, not an HT experience. Music, as you know, is my primary passion and I derive the greatest amount of joy from my system when I hear a great record being played.

One of the things in finally arriving at the optimum positioning of the speakers is discovering that my AVR has its limits. Although I have a fairly powerful AVR (Yamaha HTR-6190B @ 140 watts per channel), I can almost hear the strain from the lack of quality a dedicated 2-channel amp could provide. I think, no...I know, a separate 2-channel amp would improve my setup dramatically. This is something I would dearly like to address in the coming year, but we'll see.

The next upgrade (X-mas this year) will involve replacing my current speaker cable, power cords and perhaps some additional IC's for the AVR and Oppo. When that gets put in place, I'll be selling my fairly decent Ultralink Matrix 2 MTP-12 speaker cable.

John

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Mourning John !

It sound's like you have found the best spot for your Totems , to get the best performance out of them ! That is great to hear .

It has always (although just for A year or so) amazed me how little tweeks of things can make A difference in how it performs , Especially when it comes to sound & the way it is interacting with all the different things within an area .

Morning Brent!

Yes, you're absolutely right. It's the little, subtle tweaks that oftentimes have the greatest impact. I think that far too many people don't pay attention to that side of the hobby. If something doesn't sound right they go out and buy something else, when that is not always needed.

In a way I'm lucky, because I'm not in a position to buy new componants on a whim. As such, tweaking has become a big part of my routine. It's the same with VIDEO. People don't adjust their settings and/or play with them to maximize the output and quality they get. Tweaking is a good thing!

John

PS~ Now that you've had your PJ and screen for a bit....how are you enjoying it? Planning more changes?

[talstarone]

Originally Posted by John72953

Good morning to you as well Todd!

I see you have a PJ coming shortly, and from reading the other threads you are being rather coy about letting people in on exactly what is happening. I think that's kinda cool. Do your thing, set it up, post some pics and tell the world! I'm sure it'll be fantastic, and I'll be checking out your thread for new information.

I've made some changes to the room and have also decided that I really wanted to set up my speakers for a 2-channel system, not an HT experience. Music, as you know, is my primary passion and I derive the greatest amount of joy from my system when I hear a great record being played.

One of the things in finally arriving at the optimum positioning of the speakers is discovering that my AVR has its limits. Although I have a fairly powerful AVR (Yamaha HTR-6190B @ 140 watts per channel), I can almost hear the strain from the lack of quality a dedicated 2-channel amp could provide. I think, no...I know, a separate 2-channel amp would improve my setup dramatically. This is something I would dearly like to address in the coming year, but we'll see.

The next upgrade (X-mas this year) will involve replacing my current speaker cable, power cords and perhaps some additional IC's for the AVR and Oppo. When that gets put in place, I'll be selling my fairly decent Ultralink Matrix 2 MTP-12 speaker cable.

John

What Brand of Cables,cords,and wires are you looking for John.
Back in the mid 90's (when I subscribed to Audiophile Magazine)and had all seperates I used ALL AudioQuest Cable.I know they arent a Big High End Cable producer as they used to be,but I still have all of mine.

They were named after Jewels(like Topaz,Turquoise,and Ruby)The 3 different lines I used.And I know in theory there is no difference in cables but I sware I can hear a slight difference.

But you need something better then a $200 receiver and a $100 HTSpeaker Set to hear that difference.But if you have the right equipment like you do from source,to pre amp,to amp(or High End Receiver),to speakers to ears.Then you can really hear a difference,and NO its not a placebo.

When you are really familiar with your systems sound you can tell a difference when switching cables.It produces a True Audible Difference.So I think your idea to upgrade your cables is money Very Well Spent.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by talstarone

What Brand of Cables,cords,and wires are you looking for John.
Back in the mid 90's (when I subscribed to Audiophile Magazine)and had all seperates I used ALL AudioQuest Cable.I know they arent a Big High End Cable producer as they used to be,but I still have all of mine.

They were named after Jewels(like Topaz,Turquoise,and Ruby)The 3 different lines I used.And I know in theory there is no difference in cables but I sware I can hear a slight difference.

But you need something better then a $200 receiver and a $100 HTSpeaker Set to hear that difference.But if you have the right equipment like you do from source,to pre amp,to amp(or High End Receiver),to speakers to ears.Then you can really hear a difference,and NO its not a placebo.

When you are really familiar with your systems sound you can tell a difference when switching cables.It produces a True Audible Difference.So I think your idea to upgrade your cables is money Very Well Spent.

I'm currently using some Audioquest Copperhead IC's between my AVR and the Oppo, and I have been pleased with their performance to date. I think Audioquest makes a good cable and their pricing isn't excessive either.

I really wanted a pair of Nordost Blue Heavens in an 8' pair for speaker cables, but their pricing at $750CDN MSRP is a bit too steep. If I could find a used pair around $350 or so, I'd seriously consider it and would probably jump at them. Rich has some cables, power cords and IC's from Taiwan that he is currently using and is recommending highly. I believe that BluRayFred also uses them and is very pleased with them. We've been discussing this upgrade over in the Interconnect cables & Speaker cables thread.

There is not a doubt in my mind that an upgrade in this area will pay significant dividents, and I'm looking forward to finalyzing my decision and getting them in place.

John

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

Morning Brent!

Yes, you're absolutely right. It's the little, subtle tweaks that oftentimes have the greatest impact. I think that far too many people don't pay attention to that side of the hobby. If something doesn't sound right they go out and buy something else, when that is not always needed.

In a way I'm lucky, because I'm not in a position to buy new componants on a whim. As such, tweaking has become a big part of my routine. It's the same with VIDEO. People don't adjust their settings and/or play with them to maximize the output and quality they get. Tweaking is a good thing!

John

PS~ Now that you've had your PJ and screen for a bit....how are you enjoying it? Planning more changes?

You are so right . If something is not right to me , There is A reason & most of the time it just needs to be tweeked (adjusted , moved) one way or another . Weather it be audio or video .
Yesturday I moved half the gear to the otherside of the room & was able to move my front R/L out 6 more inches Witch gave me another foot of seperation on the front sound stage & I noticed A difference right off the bat .

I am vary happy with the way everything is & what I have at the moment, so no changes in the near future John .

[talstarone]

Originally Posted by John72953

I'm currently using some Audioquest Copperhead IC's between my AVR and the Oppo, and I have been pleased with their performance to date. I think Audioquest makes a good cable and their pricing isn't excessive either.

I really wanted a pair of Nordost Blue Heavens in an 8' pair for speaker cables, but their pricing at $750CDN MSRP is a bit too steep. If I could find a used pair around $350 or so, I'd seriously consider it and would probably jump at them. Rich has some cables, power cords and IC's from Taiwan that he is currently using and is recommending highly. I believe that BluRayFred also uses them and is very pleased with them. We've been discussing this upgrade over in the Interconnect cables & Speaker cables thread.

There is not a doubt in my mind that an upgrade in this area will pay significant dividents, and I'm looking forward to finalyzing my decision and getting them in place.

John

Good to hear AudioQuest is still in the industry with descent quality products.

I think you would find the best performance from your system by changing out your cables.I know even in my situation everyone says go to MonoPrice(MonoCable)or BlueJean Cables.They do make a descent product but I think if youre going to put some money into your system you cant get every ounce of performance from it unless you have quality cables where there can be No signal loss or even no decrease in signal strength.

I wish you much success in getting the cables you are looking for at a price that makes them worth the investment.Because why invest high dollar in the components and speakers only to introduce distortion and lose some signal integrity by using a pair of speaker cables that set you back about $5 or $10 dollars total.

It just doesnt make sense to me.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by talstarone

It just doesnt make sense to me.

I couldn't agree more with you buddy!

John

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

I'm currently using some Audioquest Copperhead IC's between my AVR and the Oppo, and I have been pleased with their performance to date. I think Audioquest makes a good cable and their pricing isn't excessive either.

I really wanted a pair of Nordost Blue Heavens in an 8' pair for speaker cables, but their pricing at $750CDN MSRP is a bit too steep. If I could find a used pair around $350 or so, I'd seriously consider it and would probably jump at them. Rich has some cables, power cords and IC's from Taiwan that he is currently using and is recommending highly. I believe that BluRayFred also uses them and is very pleased with them. We've been discussing this upgrade over in the Interconnect cables & Speaker cables thread.

There is not a doubt in my mind that an upgrade in this area will pay significant dividents, and I'm looking forward to finalyzing my decision and getting them in place.

John

Thanks for this post John !

This is something I have been following along with But just was not to sure about ! I guess it is the fact of spending so much money on A cable/wire that It just didn't make sense ! Maybe sense I have gotten to the point were I am happy with what I have I should think of uprading some of the cables for an increased performance out of my system .

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Thanks for this post John !

This is something I have been following along with But just was not to sure about ! I guess it is the fact of spending so much money on A cable/wire that It just didn't make sense ! Maybe sense I have gotten to the point were I am happy with what I have I should think of uprading some of the cables for an increased performance out of my system .

Well Brent, you have the quality of equipment that could see you really benefit from a cable upgrade. And it really doesn't have to cost a lot of money. I'm not speaking of Nordost cabling, because that stuff is really expensive, but you should come and have a chat over in the thread I mentioned earlier and you'll pick up some great ideas as to what might suit your needs.

I think for someone new to the cable upgrade path, better speaker cables for your Front L/R would be a convincing factor, and would most likely have you consider other upgrades as well. Now that you have the ERC-1 and are enjoying CD's, you'd really find an amazing difference in quality a decent upgrade would provide. It's certainly something to think about for you.

John

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

Well Brent, you have the quality of equipment that could see you really benefit from a cable upgrade. And it really doesn't have to cost a lot of money. I'm not speaking of Nordost cabling, because that stuff is really expensive, but you should come and have a chat over in the thread I mentioned earlier and you'll pick up some great ideas as to what might suit your needs.

I think for someone new to the cable upgrade path, better speaker cables for your Front L/R would be a convincing factor, and would most likely have you consider other upgrades as well. Now that you have the ERC-1 and are enjoying CD's, you'd really find an amazing difference in quality a decent upgrade would provide. It's certainly something to think about for you.

John

When I first got into the amp part of sound I had cheap skinny RCA's . Then I got some good thick heavily shielded RCA's and did notice some difference .

When I got the ERC-1 & went analog The Bostons where so different sounding , It was like having new speakers . I know that the ERC-1 can have A lot to do with it as well as it being analog changing how things sound .

Maybe I will look into Getting new front speaker cables to see where that goes .

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

When I first got into the amp part of sound I had cheap skinny RCA's . Then I got some good thick heavily shielded RCA's and did notice some difference .

When I got the ERC-1 & went analog The Bostons where so different sounding , It was like having new speakers . I know that the ERC-1 can have A lot to do with it as well as it being analog changing how things sound .

Maybe I will look into Getting new front speaker cables to see where that goes .

It's a good idea Brent! I have some decent Ultralink cables on my fronts right now and they are great. Spent less than $100 a pair, fully terminated with banana plugs and spades (because that is what I prefer). So you see, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

John

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

It's a good idea Brent! I have some decent Ultralink cables on my fronts right now and they are great. Spent less than $100 a pair, fully terminated with banana plugs and spades (because that is what I prefer). So you see, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

John

Just curios but For my front left I would need at least A 15 - 18 foot length & for the right about 8 feet . Do you think that that would be considerably more in cost for that long of run for the cables !

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Just curios but For my front left I would need at least A 15 - 18 foot length & for the right about 8 feet . Do you think that that would be considerably more in cost for that long of run for the cables !

Before I answer that Brent conclusively (because it could be yes and no), what do you have right now for speaker cable?

John

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

Before I answer that Brent conclusively (because it could be yes and no), what do you have right now for speaker cable?

John

Sorry it took so long .

I have 12AWG speaker wire from Monoprice on all the speaker runs

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Sorry it took so long .

I have 12AWG speaker wire from Monoprice on all the speaker runs

Does the wire for the longest run need to cross part of the room? Or is it going along the wall? I ask because I have a pair of Audioquest Flatwire speaker cables (2x25') that I could send you to try out. I used them on my former Totem Mites for the rear channel's as they had to run under the 5x8 carpet.

John

PS~ You can have them really cheap, as they are sitting here doing nothing.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by John72953

Does the wire for the longest run need to cross part of the room? Or is it going along the wall? I ask because I have a pair of Audioquest Flatwire speaker cables (2x25') that I could send you to try out. I used them on my former Totem Mites for the rear channel's as they had to run under the 5x8 carpet.

John

PS~ You can have them really cheap, as they are sitting here doing nothing.

They both run down the wall than under A area rug to the speaker .
I am interested if you want to part with them ! let me know how much

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

They both run down the wall than under A area rug to the speaker .
I am interested if you want to part with them ! let me know how much

I'll send them to you to try out....if you like them we'll do a PM. If you don't, just send them back...no problem.


John

[talstarone]

crazy I used to use nothing but AudioQuest back in my day.
For innerconnects(audio and video)and for speaker cables.I Loved them with a passion.In fact I still have most of them boxed up with my Rotel and Adcom seperates.

I would say that you WILL Hear a difference in the sound quality of your system in using these.
You may not hear it so much in the Home Theater Venue.But if you are using your Emotiva CD player you will hear a difference.
You will hear detail that you were never aware of.And you will hear a more defined soundstage.You will be able to pinpoint the location of the piano on the stage with your eyes closed.

Good,quality cable will make the difference between a Good and A Great System(In my Honest Opinion,as well as my own Personal Experience)John is very wise when it comes to cables.And you using seperates crazy will really benefit from moving over to quality cable and connections.