Part IV – Audiophile System Building Journey

Here’s Part IV of my system building journey, click here for Part I, Part II, and Part III

I don’t know whether or not it was through frustration with the main rig, boredom, or something else, but I started to spend more time, energy, and money on system #2. Remember, system 2 is in a smaller room adjacent to the main system room, opening into the room through large double-doors which I keep open. Here’s a couple photos to help explain the situation:

Listening chair in the main room in front of the doors into room #2

System #2 off the main room and looking from the listening chair in the main room

The Decware / Caintuck Audio Clones – Open Baffle, Full Range Lii Audio F15 Drivers

Okay, these look bonkers but they actually sounded pretty nice on certain types of music, and when set up properly. I don’t know who built the baffles and did the assembly but it was a very professional woodworking job and seemed to be based on plans from either Caituck Audio or Decware.

The Caintuck Audio Clones with Lii Audio F15 drivers present an intriguing proposition for enthusiasts of open baffle, full-range speakers. These speakers are designed to deliver a pure and uncolored sound, taking full advantage of the open baffle design to minimize cabinet resonances and reflections.

The Lii Audio F15 drivers are the heart of these speakers, offering a full spectrum frequency response that extends from around 50hz up to I believe around 15 khz. The drivers excel in midrange clarity and detail, making vocals and acoustic instruments sound particularly lifelike and engaging. The open baffle design contributes to a spacious soundstage with impressive imaging, creating a sense of depth and realism in the music. These sounded great where the instrumentation is simple – jazz ensembles, folk music with vocal/guitar, etc. But deeply layered stuff where you need good instrument separation, that just isn’t their thing – they quickly start to sound compressed as you turn up the volume.

But on some types of music – wow! With no crossover network to color the sound, the full-range drivers provide a coherent and seamless audio experience.

For audiophiles seeking a high-quality, full-range speaker with the unique benefits of an open baffle design, speakers like these are definitely worth considering. In fact there’s at least one or two new companies who seem to have spun off from Decware or Caintuck and are doing their own thing with the technology. Not that it’s anything new, but I think the F15 drivers and others from Lii Audio are really opening the door for people to mess with full-range drivers and open baffle designs. Too fun.

I bought this little Dennis Had amp, the Fire-Bottle KT88, a single ended pentode design that can work with a wide range of different tube types, providing a dream scenario for people who like to tube-roll. I’m not really one of those people, by the way.

I’m jumping ahead here with this photo, there’s a lot of stuff here that we haven’t talked about yet, but it features the Emerald Physics CS2P Open Baffle speakers which I present here as a contrast to the smaller Caintuck style open baffles shown earlier. We’ll get more into these later.

Emerald Physics CS2P Open Baffle speakers

The Voice of the Theatre A7, Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 and more

So now let’s circle back to the main rig. If you remember from part III here, I was taking a walk down the vintage audio path, exploring whether or not older speakers could be tweaked a little, to the point where they might compete with new speakers in terms of providing musical enjoyment and ultimate satisfaction. I talked about the Altec Lansing Valencia on the previous page but I failed to mention an important component that came into the system at that time, the Lyngdorf TDAi 2170. If you’re interested in learning more about the Lyngdorf and its function as a full-featured digital control amplifier, then click the link above. If you’re interested in learning more about the Lyngdorf TDAi 2170 specifically as it related to the project with the Altec Lansing Valencias, then click here instead.

Basically, in the project involving the Lyngdorf and the Valencias, I set up an arrangement where the Lyngdorf was utilized as a 2-way crossover on the Valencias, bypassing their own internal XOs, and also used to drive the Valencias 15″ woofers, via the Lyngdorf’s internal digital amp. The pre-outs on the Lyngdorf were used to feed a second power amp to drive the horn section, and I used various amps in this role, including the Dennis Had Fire-Bottle KT88 and the Nelson Pass First Watt J2.

After all was said and done, I sold the Valencias! Can you believe it, me actually selling something that sounded pretty darn good?!

After the Valencias left the building I moved the Piega C40s back into the main system and rode that wave again for a while, until spotting my next challenge, a pair of Altec Lansing VOTT A7s.

So the picture above is how the system looked for a couple of months. Well, actually the gear in the middle changed quite a bit as I wheeled amps in and out in an effort to please the mighty VOTT A7 overlords. I wrestled with the A7 as I do with everything, to the point where I quickly become frustrated with what I’m doing, then promptly hit the button on a ‘For Sale’ ad on USAudiomart or the local Craigslist. I think I probably listed the A7s for sale about a month after they arrived, then waited another month or two before someone came to pick them up.

I struggled with the A7 in various ways, but I think their biggest weakness was in the bass, which I could never get to integrate properly with the main horns; it just never sounded quite right. That said, they did play some things pretty well. Here’s a YouTube video of the A7s playing some Jethro Tull. Watching this video has just reminded me that I’ve missed an important addition to the system, so I’ll get to those next. But take a quick watch of the video and please hit the ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’ button. I haven’t figured out YouTube yet and whether it’s something I want to put more energy into, but if a few more people subscribed to the channel, I probably would.

Here’s the video:

Veloce Audio Saette Hybrid Monoblocks

So I’ve missed the acquisition of the Veloce Audio Saette Hybrid Monoblocks, which arrived here in December 2022, and you can see and hear them in the video above. Here’s a photo:

You may recall that I own the Veloce Audio LS-1 battery powered preamp, well the Saetta are the matching monoblocks, and as far as I know the Saetta and the LS-1 are the only two products ever made by Veloce Audio – at least products that made it to the marketplace. Like the LS-1 Linestage, the Saetta monos are battery powered. Internal to each monoblock is a Hypex digital module, a pair of 6H30 tubes, and the Lithio battery pack. A charger/regulator is provided in a separate box and it connects to both amps via an umbilical cord. You can run the amps around 40 hours on a single charge, but the regulator keeps them topped-up automatically in between listening sessions. The amps sound nice and I still have them here and use them in and out of the main system. They’re for sale as of August 1st 2024, so if you’re interested, give me a holler!

Sonus Faber Cremona M Speakers

After ridding myself of the VOTT A7s, I went back to the Piega C40 for a while until I spotted a pair of Sonus Faber Cremona M for sale on the local Craigslist. I used these with different amps, including the Veloce Audio Saetta monos, and a SimAudio Moon W5.3SE that I brought home at the same time as the Sonus Fabers. Between the Veloce and SimAudio W5.3SE amps I preferred the W5.3SE with its extra weight and authority in the bass on the Sonus Faber Cremona M.

I really enjoyed these speakers. I had previously owned the Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M, the stand-mounted version, but the smaller Auditors didn’t compare to these. In fact, they sounded like speakers from a different company. The Cremona M sounded far more neutral and transparent than the smaller Auditor, and they’re among the best speakers I’ve owned when it comes to disappearing from the soundstage. Their ability to vanish, leaving only the music, is truly impressive, making them a standout choice for any serious audiophile. And the finish on this version is spectacular, Sonus Faber refer to the color choice as ‘Graphite’, but it seemed to have just a hint of blue when caught in the right light.

I loved these puppies, but like all good things….

And here’s the SimAudio power amp, the Moon W5.3SE. Like a fool I sold this to a friend who lives out in New Mexico, he used it as a backup while his Kraft amp was being repaired, then retired it to a closet. A tragic end for a great amp from one of my favorite companies – SimAudio.

Digital Upgrades – Lampizator | Mytek | PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream Junior DAC

Here’s the Lampizator DAC I owned for about 3 days. It came, it crackled, it popped, it went back to its owner.

So at this point I’ve sold my Denafrips Terminator DAC and the Denafrips GAIA DDC, so I’m starting to try some different DACs. The Lampizator came and went then I picked up a nice Mytek Brooklyn Plus with a SBooster LPS. It sounded pretty good, not as full-bodied and dimensional as the Denafrips DAC but it was 20% of the cost.

Not long after picking up the Mytek DAC a PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream Junior DAC fell into my arms and that unit got quite a bit of use in the main rig before being relegated to system #2, where it lives to this day (August 2024). There’s nothing wrong with the PS Audio DAC, it’s perhaps a little on the lean side, certainly when compared with a good ladder DAC, but it’s nicely detailed and it soundstages more than adequately for its price. A bonus is the inclusion as standard of PS Audios network bridge, which means you can hook it to the network via Ethernet and stream to it over the network from a file server or online service like Qobuz.

I picked up a couple other pieces of PS Audio gear in the same haul that saw the DSJ DAC arrive. I bought a pair of PS Audio M700 class D monoblocks, and a PS Audio Nuwave convertor, which is basically a phonostage that captures the analog signal, converts it to digital, and streams the digital signal out so that you can record your LPs in hi-res. I never got to try the Nuwave convertor, but I understand it worked pretty much as it said on the box.

The PS Audio M700 amps worked well, I got to use them on the Sonus Faber Cremona M and also with a pair of Martin Logan Impression ESL 11a, which I reviewed at the link.

Martin Logan Impression ESL 11a

These were nice looking speakers and sounded pretty darn good. My last serious encounter with Martin Logan speakers goes all the way back to my time in Green Bay, WI when I heard a pair of ML Prodigy hooked up to a fantastic sounding pair of Lamm monoblocks, courtesy of Sound World in Appleton, WI. The Prodigy sounded wonderful. I’ve never heard a speaker project images with such body and such a natural tone – and walk-around holography at its best. But the bass integration from the Logans woofers was bloody awful. Not so with the modern versions of Martin Logan’s electrostatics, they’ve obviously figured out how to make a dynamic driver work well with an electrostatic panel, as the bass integration with the Impression 11a was first rate.

Speakers under cover

I didn’t keep these long. There was really nothing much wrong with them but I had the itch for something else, and as is not always the case, I have no real regrets over selling them.

“The dog knows things, if only he could talk”

Here’s a quick YouTube clip with the Logans playing Kate Bush. The PS Audio M700 monos were the amps in use at this time, and I’d sold my Basis Audio turntable so I was using the VPI TNT until a new table arrived…

Black Ice Audio Fusion F360 preamp

With the PS Audio gear and the Martin Logan speakers, came a nice addition: the Black Ice Audio Fusion F360 preamp. This preamp is made by the same team who were involved with Jolida years ago, a brand known for delivering quality and innovation at competitive prices. Naturally, I was curious to hear the Fusion F360 and see how their products have evolved since the Jolida days.

Actually, I spent some time in the Black Ice Audio room at Capital Audiofest back in 2019, if I remember correctly. It was one of the busiest rooms at the show, and it was hard to get time in the sweet spot. The room sounded great, as did this little preamp. One standout feature of the Fusion F360 is its adjustable effect labeled as ‘Dimension.’ This rotary knob allows you to dial in a spatial effect that gives the soundstage more width and depth.

The concept reminded me a little of the old Bob Carver Sonic Holography circuit, or the system Polk Audio uses on some of their speakers to broaden the soundstage. However, the ‘Dimension’ effect on the Black Ice F360 wasn’t as pronounced as I’ve heard through other systems. This was actually a positive, as it didn’t come with the same deleterious effects on the sound, such as loss of transparency, that I’ve experienced with systems from Polk and Carver. Instead, the Fusion F360 maintained clarity while subtly enhancing the spatial characteristics of the music, making it a notable and enjoyable feature without downsides.

Krell KSA80 Power Amp

And then there was Krell. What a monster of an amp this was, the Krell KSA 80, reviewed here. I’m not a big fan of Krell, I’ve found some of their amps over the years to be one-trick ponies. They excel in delivering good, taught, deep bass, but they can sound lean, bright, and unforgiving through the rest of the frequency range. Krell owners will be quick to disagree, and that’s fine. My experience after all is limited. I’ve owned the Krell 300i baby integrated amp, an FPB200, and I’ve had the MD300 monoblocks and a FPB700cx on long-term loan from the same friend (RIP Mr. Squidboy).

Anyway, whatever the stereotype for Krell gear that I’ve perpetuated above, the KSA80 doesn’t suffer from the same issues. It’s anything but lean sounding, it has a beautiful tone and sounds almost like classic tubes without the limitations on low frequency performance. I remember thinking to myself, “if I had to own one amp for the rest of my life, it just might be the Krell KSA80”, then a week later I sold it.

ProAc D40R | Holo Audio May KTE DAC | Aurender N10 | REL Acoustics Carbon Special Subs

A few things happened in quick succession. First came the wonderful ProAc D40R speakers, that I still have to this day and reviewed quite positively here.

Later came the Holo Audio May KTE DAC –

Then an Aurender N10….

And finally, a pair of REL Carbon Special subs…

ProAc D40R

Starting with the ProAc D40R, I bought these to replace the might Piega C40, which I sold along with the Sonus Faber Cremona M speakers. The ProAcs are very satisfying, they’re on the warmer side of neutral, which I like, and they have very good bass extension, precluding the need for subwoofers – but I bought a pair anyway.

The ProAcs need a little work to get them dialed into the the room. Initially, they can sound a little bass-heavy, pulling them away from the wall helped as did plugging the down-firing bass port. I prefer them firing almost straight ahead. The couple degrees of toe-in I have them set with is imperceivable from the listening position. With about 8′ between them, 6′ to the wall behind them, and about 10′ to the chair, the ProAcs disappear quite nicely and push back well behind the speaker with a deep and wide soundstage.

Holo Audio May KTE DAC

The Holo Audio May KTE DAC was bought to replace the Denafrips Terminator. Both are ladder DACs sharing a similar topology but the May DAC is a rung or two up the ladder sonically, when compared with the older Terminator. The strength of the Holo Audio May KTE is its ability to separate out instruments and layer them impressively front to back and side to side. It’s also a little on the warm side of neutral, though you can reduce this by selecting oversampling, which from memory bypasses the ladder DAC section and uses a conventional oversampling chip – I might have that last part wrong, I’m too lazy to go looking for the actual topology implemented in the DAC, making stuff up is easier.

Aurender N10 Streamer

I’ve forgotten to mention the Lumin U1 Mini that came along many months ago, and also the Small Green Computer Sonic Transporter i5, Sonore Ultradigital, and Sonore UltraRendu, that I purchased way back in August 2021 to serve files to a DAC from USB storage. All of this kit was replaced successfully with the Aurender N10. There isn’t really much to say about the N10, it does a great job, it has 8TB internal storage, of which I use less than 3TB, and it sounds wonderful going into any DAC I’ve tried it with. The only thing missing from the N10 is an i2s output, so I used the Sonore UltraDigital unit between the Aurender N10 and the Holo Audio May DAC.

REL Acoustics Carbon Special Subs

I bought a pair of these just before I bought the ProAc D40R and quickly realized I didn’t really need subs with the ProAcs. Nevertheless I still use them with the ProAcs, they do very little but I detect just a tad more extension with the subs in circuit and a little more heft and authority. But it’s marginal. I reviewed the REL Carbon specials here, and noted some ergonomic anomalies with the way the dials operate for gain and the XO points. Otherwise I can’t fault the subs, and they’ve been useful on the odd occasion when I’ve brought a different speaker into the main system to take a break from the ProAcs.

Stay tuned for the final installment, Part V coming up…