Living in a dream world

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Charlie1
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Living in a dream world

Post by Charlie1 »

I'm fortunate to be able to afford luxuries such as a stereo, let alone a nice Linn system. However, that doesn't stop the occasional day-dream of being a multi-billionaire. I wonder what extreme measures forum members would take if they had unlimited funds to peruse musical nirvana?

Of course, I have already given this some thought and made preliminary plans for just such an event! I think at least four identical listening rooms is the minimum requirement. I'd fit out one with Naim's top spec system just out of shear curiosity. Another room would obviously require aktiv Komri's with a wall-full of Klimax Solo's. I don't care if it only requires 10 Solo's - I think 60 should do it just in case there's a failure.

I'd also pay someone to Tune Dem every single piece of Hi-Fi furniture ever made to find the best one for my LP12 and other components.

What else? I wonder does anyone think it would be worth locating your mega-system in an adjacent room so as to minimise the effects of airborne vibration? - Just feed the speaker cables through the wall into the listening room. >like this is ever going to be something I need to worry about!!!

I'd also pay the local electricity company to provide a dedicated sub station to feed the stereo rooms - make that two sub stations because no doubt the Naim system will needs it's own!

That should do it. Oh, one last thing for old times sake, I'd source a mint condition circa 1989 LP12 in black ash with Ekos and Troika, plus LK1 and LK2 amps and Kan II speakers and stands - the system I always wanted at that time, but could never afford, and I think it would also be great to compare how things have changed in the last 20 years.
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Post by vicdiaz »

I'm currently trying to set up the dream system I wished for 24 years ago. I've already got a 2nd hand NAIT-2 and a pair of Rega Kytes (always arrived late for a pair of Kans...)

What's left??? Source of course!!! I maybe use my notebook with a decent DAC to play the FLACs in my NAS server.

Yesterday I spent most of the day listening to the NAIT-2 and the Kytes and the system really boogies!!! Lots of PrAT, tune, musicallity, and of course a little lack of bass...

Tonight I'm going to experiment a little bit more and connect my Katans to the NAIT-2 and listen to it.

Maybe I'm in for a surprise!!!! If so, I may be tempted to sell my Linn gear (pre and amp) and just keep the NAIT-2 for amplification.
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Post by Azazello »

I'm curious about ATC's biggest Monster-speakers, the 300 SCM-a. I would try them in one room, perhaps with custom Filters and Klimax solo Amps?

Oh! And of couse! I would have every single cable direct soldered. And I would use the same kind of walls as they do in X-ray rooms in the hospital (I think it's led in them) to minimize all kind of impact of radiation. :mrgreen:
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Post by Charlie1 »

Azazello wrote:And I would use the same kind of walls as they do in X-ray rooms in the hospital (I think it's led in them) to minimize all kind of impact of radiation.
I like it!
What about you're own subterranean bunker? but maybe the sound of all that rock wouldn't sound so good. Personally I don't think I'm a 'subterranean bunker kinda guy' although no doubt my wife would think it an excellent idea.

I'd also like to try out the idea of a library as a listening room - I'm sure it was Fredrik said that was the best room he'd ever heard.
vicdiaz wrote:Maybe I'm in for a surprise!!!! If so, I may be tempted to sell my Linn gear (pre and amp) and just keep the NAIT-2 for amplification.
Is this with the aim of getting a Klimax DS by any chance?
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Post by vicdiaz »

Charlie1 wrote:
vicdiaz wrote:Maybe I'm in for a surprise!!!! If so, I may be tempted to sell my Linn gear (pre and amp) and just keep the NAIT-2 for amplification.
Is this with the aim of getting a Klimax DS by any chance?
Maybe, but I don't think the selling price of an Exotik, Akurate DS, 2250 and a pair of Kytes (will keep the Katans!) will be enough to cover the price of a Klimax DS.........

:cry:
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Post by Charlie1 »

vicdiaz wrote:Maybe, but I don't think the selling price of an Exotik, Akurate DS, 2250 and a pair of Kytes (will keep the Katans!) will be enough to cover the price of a Klimax DS.........
Never mind - I'm sure it sounds much better than any CD player. And besides, perhaps your dealer will be looking to sell their demo unit if and when you're ready to upgrade next time. Some dealers seem to refresh their demo kit quite often - perhaps put in a word now and get 1st refusal!
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Post by ThomasOK »

Ahhhh...Unlimited funds! I don't see too many stepping up to the real challenge.

OK, first I would start with the house. It would have to be classy and beautiful without being too big, located in the right place and have at least three rooms that could be dedicated to music systems - one with video as a home theater - but the others strictly stereo. And all three rooms would have to be well proportioned and sound good. I like the library idea. Shelves full of books are an ideal way to break up reflections and balance the sound. But LP records also work quite well so possibly one side wall of wall to wall records ant the other with books. (Oh my, I'll need to pick up some more vinyl to fill up all those shelves. What a shame. :wink: ) At least a decent chunk of the wall behind the speakers will be taken up by a bunch of Klimax Solos with those cool wall mount brackets. Very chic. (I know it is probably supposed to be "Tres chic" but few are cool enough to pull of saying that without sounding like a dork and I am certainly not one of them. Plus I'd probably misspell it.)

OK, now that we have our nice tudor house (or maybe 1950s modern design). We get to the fun point of what to fill it with. My current LP12 is already as fully loaded as you can make it so it would stay although I would arrange to audition as many different wood plinths as I could get Chris to send me to find the absolute ultimate wood. Or maybe I'd just have Linn machine one of those custom aluminum jobbies like Ivor has. After all, we are talking unlimited funds. A Klimax DS with a huge, great sounding NAS. etc. A CD12 for those times I just have to play a CD (or possibly a DCS unit as I heard one recently that was actually quite good). A Kremlin (we'll leave the oher possible tuner discussion aside for now). Two Lintos (until Linn comes up with something better). Two Klimax Kontrols. Two Klimax Crossovers and eight Klimax Solos.

Now I bet most of you are expecting this to end with Komris. Well, the answer is maybe. I have never heard Komris really setup properly in a decent environment. So I would have to listen to a Komri setup that someone with ears has recommended as representative of an optimally performing pair and if I liked what I heard I'd have to evaluate them at home.

However, since we are again talking unlimited funds I believe that I would get a custom version of these made:

Image

These are the new reference model from ATC - the EL150. It uses the same tweeter and midrange as my current 100s but with the 375mm woofer (a version of which Naim has in their DBL). The cabinet is an obvious copy (not quite a clone) of the Sonus Faber Stradivari, but since I rather like the way the Strads sound I don't consider this a problem.

There are two possibilities I would look at as far as a custom version and either would also require custom built Klimax Aktiv crossovers from Linn. The first would be fairly straightforward as it would just be the speakers in some attractive wood with no crossover and the drivers triwired to jacks on the back panel. The other would require a fair bit more custom work and quite a bit of added expense but it might just be the ultimate speaker: an ATC EL150 with Isobarik bass loading! Of course the only way to know if it would work would be to try it and compare it to the standard models but if I didn't like them I'd just pop them on eBay.

I would either help fund Charlie1s hi-fi furniture test or else do it myself if I felt like it.

I might also do Nordost Odin cables as they are the first ridiculously expensive cables I've heard that I feel compete with Linn Silvers but I have to evaluate them some more to be sure they sound as good as my first impressions lead me to believe. And I might also add a $10,000US REL Studio sub (or two) if my Isobarik ATCs with the 15" woofers don't quite hit 9Hz by themselves.

Once I had all the goodies in place I'd fly Fredrik over to solder the connections and help optimize all parts of the system.

A/V system is the least important to me but I have unlimited funds so probably a big pile of Klimax Solos and some Kustom Klimax Krossovers driving four Aktiv Isobariks. Pioneer BluRay player (until Arcam comes out with one). Pre-pro TBD or maybe just four Klimax Kontrols and let the player do the decoding. (Any engineers out there know a way to make Klimax DS units decode movies? :) ) Stewart 2.35 to 1 screen and whatever great projector I can find.

Second audio system would be my historical showpiece but it would go a little farther back: restored or pristine original Quad ELS57s with bronze grilles. Likely Marantz Model 7C pre and Model 9s (monoblocks) to drive them but Quad 22/II or Harmon Kardon Citation I and II possible if they sound better. Marantz 10B FM tuner. Main source is where I come to some quandary on this. Do I stick with an LP12 as it is thirty-five years old and put something like a KMAL arm (with it's toxic mercury contacts) and Decca cartridge or something similar knowing it is only 35 years old? Or do I go for something that is closer to 50 years old to match the rest of the system like a Garrard 301/401 with an Ortofon arm and Ortofon or EMT cartridge? Why of course, I get both! Probably try to get an old Ampex or similar pro tube reel to reel deck and some prerecorded tapes just to complete the package.

This system would be mainly to show people just how good a roughly 50 year old system can reproduce music and, by comparison, how horrid most of the modern stuff sounds.

And now (since this post obviously isn't long enough already) I've decided that I need another room. Since my main room will be the best system money can buy and will just be waiting for the next advance from Linn, ATC, Nordost or REL to improve it, and since the Quad room will sound better than 98%+ of what is out there, I will need another room to keep my interest in the hobby going. :mrgreen: I will have a room setup with a system similar to the first room: fully loaded LP12SE with custom plinth (a different wood for variety), probably a Klimax DS, a Linto, a Klimax Kontrol, and a pair of Klimax Solos (we'll skip the doubling up on the preamp and phono stage). This room would be used to allow me to play around with a bunch of different speakers I've always wanted to hear in a good environment so I can find out if I really like them or any of their interesting characteristics. The constant parade of speakers would include such things as Shahinian Obelisks or maybe Diapasons, the Quad ESL2905, maybe Naim NBLs, Magicos, SF Guarneris and others. Also vintage pieces like HK Citation 13s, Hegeman 1as and maybe even some of those odball Lowther things. If I found something caught my interest I'd pick up a pair on eBay and drop them back on when I was done. I would also use the system, or at least the LP12 from it, to try out different MC cartridges, and would even drop in a different pre or amp from time to time. It would be a good system for listening to and evaluating interesting stuff without having to tear up one of my main systems.

Then again, maybe I'd just decide "Screw it -skip the fourth room" and take up sailing. Now there is a hobby that would really allow me to throw money down a hole - even if the hole is in the water and surrounded by wood. :)
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Post by Music Lover »

Well I keep it simple.
One stereo room with Linn top of the line system. Big enough to let 50 people dancing.
One 50 people film room with Linn top of the line 5.1 system. (5 active Komri that will say)
Both sound isolated with separate rooms for the electronics.
And (this is important) 5 small additional HIFI rooms and 5 additional film rooms for the SHE and the kids. Good enough avoiding them occupying my rooms.
= no discussion regarding music or film selection.

To that the best staff from Hilton Hotel (including baby sitters) so the family can spend time enjoying music/movies.

A Linn premium live time subscription = free of cost upgrading and one business day on site support.

Then I let Linn develop and install the best ever car audio system in my 911GT3, in HER 911turbo (4 seats is good to have).
Aston you say? No I like a car that I can drive hard 24/7/365 without being at the dealer all the time…

And now to the important stuff; FLAC studio masters, high res movies and vinyl of every recording/film I like to have.

Ok then, one last item - buying Linn company, giving them unlimited R/D founds plus letting a team constantly tweaking my system, finding/develop the best rack, IC/speaker/power-cables, DS Lan architecture whatever can be tweaked.
I like to test but prefer listen to music!

That should do. To start with… :mrgreen:
It's all about musical understanding!
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Post by Charlie1 »

Wow Thomas and ML - you have come up with some really fantastic ideas and a good fun read. They're hardcore Hi-Fi dreams I think and I wish you both all the best them :)
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Post by vicdiaz »

The moment you buy a company that sells a product that you enjoy as part of your hobby your priorities change and its not a hobby any more.

It's a job (maybe a fun one!!!!)

Better ask Ivor...
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Post by Charlie1 »

Your better have a re-think ML - not a decision to be taken lightly :D
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Post by Music Lover »

Charlie1 wrote:Your better have a re-think ML - not a decision to be taken lightly :D
Re-think?
Dont think so.
Unlimited R/D founds, who can turn down such a brilliant idea :mrgreen:
It's all about musical understanding!
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Post by Azazello »

I would have Fredrik custom-develoup the Udevalla Power supply for my LP12.
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Post by ThomasOK »

Azazello wrote:I would have Fredrik custom-develoup the Udevalla Power supply for my LP12.
Ditto! :)

And have somebody (Fredrik or Linn) develop some power supplies for the network goodies. How good would an Ethernet switch sound powered by a quality switch mode power supply? :wink:
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