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They truly are both sonic and visual works of art. I would be suprised if I ever cross another headphone amp with the ability to make headphones do the things that amp does. The one regret is I wish I would have got to try it as a preamp. I had it built with the two balanced inputs and selector switch along with preamp outputs (also balanced).

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Tom,

Have you ever tried anything other than dynamic speakers in your listening environment? The way you describe your speakers is exactly the way I feel about my Eggleston Andra IIs. Just perfect dynamic speakers IMO. It think the strength of dynamic speakers is their ability to maintain coherence in soundstage and imaging even when you are not sitting in the sweet spot. Furthermore, the precision of dynamic speakers are hard to beat.

That being said, I also run a line source setup in another room. They require precise seating position and are very tricky to set up properly, but I really feel that great line source speakers deliver soundstage and dynamics like no dynamic speaker possibly can. I'm sure it has something to do with the fundamental differences between dynamic and line source speakers. After all, 20-21s do stand almost 9 feet tall an utilize over 40 drivers/tweeters and even the 12-12s are 6 feet. For day to day listening the Andra IIs are my choice because my line source setup can almost be overwhelming at times.

Just a thought in case you build another 2 channel setup. I find it very satisfying to have 2 very different speakers as they really do give you contrasting, but equally enjoyable musical experiences.

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I will try it for you. Nice to see you are still roaming the forums here. I think that may be one of the reasons I am reluctant to get rid of heapdhones completely. I have to justify my time on head-fi somehow.

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The other system I listen to alot is my close friends Maggie 20.1 system. But I must say I prefer the Thiels by a wide margin as far as presence and imaging in the soundstage. I think the Maggies stage is higher, about the same width but nut nearly as deep as the Thiels. also The musicians and singers dont have the dpeth and fullness on an individual basis as the Thiels. His system is VERY GOOD with large scale classical. But throw in Diana Krall "Live in Paris and with the Thiels even using a much lesser source right now(The Droplet vs. his ARC CD7 Ref. player) and its not even close. When he left the night before last he was even thinking about going back to dynamics. The rest of his gear is the ARC Ref 3 preamp. ARC Ref. 210 monoblock amps, SME table and Arm with Lyra cartridge. For SACD he uses a Modwright modified Sony with all the platinum sig. tube upgrades. its very nice.
Are your other speakers similar to the Nearfields? I have never had the chance to hear any of these type speakers. My girlfriend loves lush heavy tube sound and I think when the Thiel system is complete...
(Audio Aero Prestige CDP and
Bat VK-51SE instead of 31SE preamp)
Then we might start doing are homework and auditioning some single driver speakers with some kind of sweet flea powered tube amps for the bedroom. Not another vinyl system, but maybe a modified Shanling SACD player or something like that. Maybe a pr. of the Zu speakers or something, surrounded with the wetest lushest sound we can get just for her. Whatever she wants. She has mentioned that or a surround sound and movie setup for the living room. She loves my friends Magie surround with the two big subs shaking everything during movies. Like I said whatever she decides on, It would be nice if when people come over she can have her system to let people hear. The Thiel system is ours but I picked and bought everything. It would be nice for her to go through the hunting process and get something she picked. She loves music and listens a bunch. Good ear too. Beter than mine to tell the truth. Any way I'm rambling.

My wife has a better ear than me too.

I'm not sure what the Nearfields are, but the Epiphany 20-21s are these:


I feel dynamic speakers are the way to go in a 5.1 system. That's where I use the Egglestons Andra IIS. Maybe a Thiel 5.1 system for you? 5.1 is incredibly difficult to do right, so make sure you check out room correction for that.

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A pr. of 2.4's for the rear, and a MCS1 for center channel would be nice.......but waaay hard to explain to my much, much, better half at the present time. Plus I think my room is to small. Are you using subwoofers with the Epiphanys? I think I might go listen this weekend to the 12/12s and 6/6s at a near by dealer.

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Yes, TACT corner load subs and room correction. To be honest, I did not like the way they handled low frequencies at all. I just don't think tiny drivers can replace a nice big one. Nevertheless, when I paired them with the TACT corner loads and crossed them over at 200HZ, the setup became ideal. It sounds like heresy to purists to be using corner load subs and room correction, but the results truly are out of this world. Be wary of any audition because I think line source are very difficult to setup properly and most rooms just can't handle them. They require failry precise seating as well. Even standing up or sitting down can significantly affect the way they sound.

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Thanks, I will take all that into consideration. How do they compare to the Pipedreams speakers? Ever got to hear them?

I've been meaning to add these...

Looks great Tom. I really like the way you patterned the acoustic treatment. I might have to steal that from you.

I see you got your BB rack. I can't get enough of his racks. I put the finishing touches on my heaphone rack last night and rush ordered it for delivery in 2 weeks. That Singlepower amp deserves proper rack.

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I also plan on getting speaker stands and amp stands to match the rack. Unfortunetly I have a severe case of shallow pockets at the moment.

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Yeah, that BB stuff gets pricey fast. I didn't realize how much this custom headphone rack was going to cost until after I confirmed the configuration. Because it is a one-off and I put a 2 week rush order on it, I got slapped w/ a 30% premium, not to mention the additional 30% premium for the brushed steel.

Are you planning on raising those speakers on stands? I have a pair of his monoblock stands and monitor stands in black. Defintely worth wating for. They will look great with your rack.

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I want something the speakers sit down in, and then the four corners have adjustable spikes on them.

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Looking at your picture, no surprise your wallet is empty.

But it's a serious good looking setup. if it sounds as it looks, you're in for a big treat.

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It's my wedding in March that has me pinching the pennies more than anything.