Dodocus.I have 3 input XLR and 4 output XLR plus one RCA.
If itâs not out of place to return to the original topic â Vivaldi vs Vivaldi Apex Impressions â I have about 50 hours on my Vivaldi APEX upgrade. And my, what an upgrade it is!
Up the thread one of the folks summed it up very nicely:
âI would describe the APEX sound as vibrant, yet somehow with a touching intimacy. Plus an all-embracing sense of space around the performers, especially depth.â
I strongly agree and would also say that my Vivaldi APEX has lost none of the Vivaldi characteristic detail, nuance, precision, neutrality and texture but has added a large dose of liquidity and naturalness that is making listening extremely absorbing and emotionally involving. I have absolutely not experienced any dullness or darkness during the break-in period so far. Quite the opposite â music has taken on a beautiful, lit from within character, with a vibrancy and energy very much like the real thing. I couldnât be happier.
I was listening with output level set to 6v into my DâAgostino Momentum HD preamp before the upgrade and continue to do so post-upgrade.
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This is interesting, JackPot â Iâm a fan of the Nordost cones. Have tested them in a quasi-scientific fashion!
A question: do you worry about the full weight of the piece being concentrated on 3 very small areas? I gather you donât but I wanted to broach the issue!
Thx,
Jeff G
How did you find the SR-X9000? I found it a pretty big leap forward from the 009S.
Mixed. I love the build quality. Love the sonics. But it seems to take much more work to get comfortable than the 009/s, even than the Sr1a. Weird. Anyway, I put myself back on the waitlist for the 9000 after listening for a while to Benâs loaner. There are still some things about the ribbons and the Sus that can be more attractive on many recordings. But the 9000 is easily an all-purpose, end-of-search headphone for those in the electrostat camp.
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Not sure about âultra cheap,â though certainly intriguing. As reviewed in positive feedback in 2007, retail price was $595.
Very nice review of the Vivaldi APEX by Jacob Heilbrunn in the December issue of TAS.
Have you noticed the number of typos in both this article, and more so in Fremerâs review of the SME 60 in the same issue? Unbelievable. I mean really? Noone runs spellcheck on these articles? Proofreads? Unbelieveable.
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Noone? Seems we all need a proofreader over our collective shoulders.
Maybe, but no one here is getting paid for their comments.
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Right⌠So firstly, ânooneâ is a personal quirky choice related to the spelling of someone. It is intentional. The spelling mistakes in TAS are not just that, but none-words. Please have a read. I donât understand how this passes the most primitive of checks. Really.
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Perhaps Peter Noone of Hermanâs Hermits moonlights as a copy editor there. 
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Hi Jeff,
I was a fan of HRS. Excellent products. But the combination of Nordost kones with A Capella bases was for me a game changer. Even my Burmester 911 MKIII (35 kg?) sits on 3 âflimsyâ Nordost TC kones⌠I was never able to compare with Stillpoints, Ansuz etc⌠And the clever marketeers at Nordost designed the height of the Nordost kones so that you can slip a Qpoint below the equipment⌠Even my massive Clearaudio turntable sits on 3 Nordost Fut (on of course an A Capella base).
Enjoy the music!
Jack,
Thanks for getting back to me. I too am a big fan of the Kones. My STT and Rossini Player/DAC sit on 4 each. I havenât tested # of KonesâŚ
One more question:
That Furutech anti-static spray for CDs â are you a strong believer in it? You donât worry that the spray could somehow damage the transport? Of course Furutech is a very reputable firm, but stillâŚ
All best,
Jeff
In the end it is about the enjoyment of music. The spray dramatically improves the sound of cdâs. Instant reward. One only lives once!
On the other hand:
- I have used the spray for about 5 years now, and even my initially sprayed cdâs do not seem to have deteriorated over time; they will probably survive me
- Furutech claims the main component is distilled water; it might be the only one :=) !
- Respraying initially sprayed cdâs does not improve the sound: it seems the spray removes a layer of gunk originating from the cd production process, a bit like press oil for vinyl (which is successfully removed with an ultrasound record cleaner).
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I forgot to mention that I before listening, I treat each cd to Acoustic Revive RIO5-II tourmaline gobbledegook; the more, the merrier (I settled for 4 times: time: 4x15s, cost euro 0.25/disc over lifetime of the⌠fan?)
Generally these anti-static type sprays are simply distilled water and a suitable percentage of industrial detergent. save yourself a fortune by buying a small plastic spray pump, some distilled water and some industrial detergent. Experiment a little to find a dilution of the detergent that suits,Then , once you find out how little the detergent costs ( see online), think about what you have been spending previously 
.
BTW: use on label side of CD only. If you want to clean the CD to remove gunk then use a little dilute washing up liquid, rinse with distilled water and pat dry ( donât wipe) with a lint free cloth. Or, if you can get it, Disc Doctor Miracle CD cleaner.
A perhaps naive question: if Iâm only spraying the label side, how/why are sonics affected?
As for industrial cleaner, is Tergitol suitable?
Overall Iâd be concerned about messing up my Scarlatti transport. Would be interesting if someone from dCS could weigh in here.
Jeff
I love our community. Thread starts by comparing Vivaldi DAC to Vivaldi Apex DAC. Ends (?) with how to clean a CD!
Lol : )
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