Not going to give everyone a laugh after so many beautifully laid out rooms. But my stuff is in my garden room, a 3.5 m by 6m timber (log cabin ) room.
The Vivaldi upsampler (ExDem) has just arrived in silver, it doesnt match my black Vivaldi dac, which matches my black Townshend Allegri ref pre. But they both go with my Mark Levinson ML33Hs as they are silver and black. Speakers are Kef Ref5.
All strung together with Townshend Fractal F1 cable, yes he even made me a pair of Aes cables. Ethernet is meicord. Everything light enough is on Townshend siesmic stuff. Tempted to put the 33Hs on something but my back wont stand it and the speakers are on Gaias
1000 cds ripped to Naim UnitiServe and a roon nuc and Qobuz complete the deal. Have rediscovered Can and Krautrock…bands and artists I’ve never heard of, but glad I now do.
Currently watching the Upsampler straighten itself out and this is fascinating I thoight I knew DSOM, obviously not. I’ve had the Dac for a year and will soon get my head round the filtering choices…statistically scary
As I said to the Paul at HIFi Lounge…’‘i can’t wait 12 weeks for a black one, anyway its whats happens inside that matters,.see you next year for the clock’’
Looks great Erno! I am fighting temptation to upgrade to Rossini and instead trying to save $ for a speaker upgrade. Out of curiosity, did you consider trading in your Marantz and puting those funds toward the Rossini player?
Thanks Alex, Rossini is a worthy upgrade from an already great Bartók. My old Marantz CD-80 is just a placeholder, ready for disposal rather than trading in. Its place in my rack will be taken over rather soon.
Last time we spoke/wrote I was “upgrading” to a Benchmark LA4 for my Bartok.
Now you have moved ahead onto the Rossini, will you stay with your LA4 or do you feel that element bears a further upgrade?
That’s a good question, Sean. Like Erno, I have an HPA4 (the LA4 is line amp only), but fed from a Vivaldi dac. My HPA4 is used as the pre-amp for the system as well as headphone driver. I’m very happy with the sound, with the large caveat that I haven’t compared it to anything else. So if there is better sound to be had, I’m still in blissful ignorance. If Erno is going to experiment, then we want to know the results!
I am too still enjoying my HPA4, but I want to compare it with the soon to be available Niimbus US5 Pro. Next month I can demo it in just 1 shop, but unfortunately not together with a Bartók or Rossini. So what will I be listening to? It is too expensive to just take the jump and order it, and then find out at home if it is a winner.
Like the HPA4, it is a headamp and line amp. It has the same type of attenuator as the HPA4, but is even more suitable/ powerful for low impedance headphones.
I am not sure yet what I will do, but if you have the possibility to check it out I would be happy to hear what you think. If I take the plunge I will report here.
Was not aware of the Niimbus, and I guess our old friend the Townshend Allegri Reference will make a mention here soon too!
If I go Rossini I will need headphones so my LA4 will need to be changed out as well.
On the subject of “home trialling”…
…I have found this to be not as easy as people think and in-shop auditions are really not the ticket.
I have always tried to buy no-brainer type equipment which in many cases, barring major mismatching, are known quantities. Case in point my ATC50 towers…just can’t go wrong.
The Bartok and LA4 are in the same…can’t go wrong camp.
My feeling is the Rossini passes this simple test as well.
The worst for me is that I sell it used/nearly new a short while later for a modest loss, no lives lost etc.
I am trying to keep upgrades in around an £8k price jump each time, including a trade-in if that can be made to work, I fail and spend a little more sometimes…but you know what I mean.
I will keep my ear to the ground on the Niimbus.
I sold them a couple of weeks back as part of an in-progress house move.
They’re a pair of Von Schweikert VR-7 Reference speakers from around 2001. Fantastic speakers. I’m replacing them with a newer equivalent once we’re settled into a new home. Likely the VR-55s.
Must post a pic of the system as it was before I broke it all down. I’ll dig out that memory card this week.
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