[eiekal]

Hi,

I live in the USA and came into 6000 dollars. Please help a newb make a system, from the gound up, thats centered around the stax omega 2 headphones. Since my knowledge is slim, please spell out exactly everything I should get and perhaps a good place to get it if you know of someplace.

Also since I'll be listening to CD's, could you incorporate the Denon's DVD-5900 in to the system? Or would this be a unwise choice?

Plz include your favorite jazz CD... Maybe I'll have just enough cash left over to get it =)

Perhaps the biggest challenge, if it's possible to make this system for 6k, is to convice the wife to let me buy it =p

 

[TrevorNetwork]

An envious position to be sure. I'd go for the Omega II's, Blue Hawaii, and a Wadia CD player, with Zu Cable Varial interconnects, and Zu cable mother power cords, and a monster level 3 power conditioner. That's just me though, and I'm hypothesizing this would sound good, as I've never heard it all together.

tre

 

[Snake]

The only recommendation I can provide is think about centering the system around a pair of Omega 2's...connected to a good external D/A converter. I haven't heard the Omega's, and I haven't heard the DVD-5900, but I do have Lambda Pro's and sold Stax for a while and 'brutally revealing' is being generally nice. You'll hear differences in things like cables so easily it will just scare you. The 5900 is a 'universal' player and most of them, the Denon's especially, get very good reviews but not 'this thing is high-end awesome!'. So maybe (what I'm looking into) get one of the Denon's - a 2200, 2900 or 5900 - and use it as a transport to a D/A. But, then again, I don't know if, when playing SACD's or DVD-A's, the unit outputs PCM or bitstream data to the digital outs and most likely any D/A won't handle bitstream...

I would recommend listening to the Denon with the Omega's, for absolute sure. It might be hate at first connection. Stax's can be really picky.

 

[MartinB]

I don't have a recommendation. But look at this Omega system!!!

http://www.euphonia-audioforum.se/fo...wtopic=34&st=0

Linn CD12
Balanced Nordost Valhalla interconnect

 

[TrevorNetwork]

My God that's beautiful. My vote still goes to my proposed setup though!

tre

 

[MoLtoSoLo]

I would suggest a system with Accuphase DP-75, KGSS, OmegaII headphone, any good IC, any aftermarket powercord(even those under $100.)

 

[spritzer]

Ohhh crap I want that setup!

 

[smokey]

eiekal -

You have one problem with this. You're going to need to buy your set-up directly from Japan. The US markup is very high, and an Omega II/717 system is going to cost you about $6,000 by itself here.

Now that said, if you check out the front page of this site you'll notice a company called AudioCubes. They import directly from Japan, and are offering this system for about $2,800+. It'll take you about 10-15 days to get this once you place the order.

As a newbe I wouldn't want to have to wait for a custom KGSS or Weebl to be built. (Search these terms in the archives for info.) In your budget though, if you were determined, you could probably afford the KGSS, but not the Weebl.

As far as the CD player, I'd see if your current model could be modded by Modwright, or one of a number of other modders. Failing that I like Cary players a lot. Others like other brands.

Your interconnect can be virtually anything you like. I am partial to Cardas myself, but again others have differing opinions.

My two favorite Jazz albums are "Kind of Blue" and "Time Out". Boring I know, but thats the kind of guy I am.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Here's what I would reco:

1. Z Cable Live V5 IC - single ended cables run about $400 used.
2. Stax Omega II earspeakers - imported from EIFL Japan - $1600 new.
3. Stax SRM717 amp - imported from EIFL Japan - about $1200
4. For a power cord I would reco something like the Virtual Dynamics Nite. These can be had for about $400 used now, and an incredible bargain at that price.
5. The rest of the money, about $2400 - a really good CDP. Which one is up to your ears and budget. Since I don't know jack about SACD players I can't really say which one sounds good. Do some research and see what you can find.

 

[Snake]

Bump

(is that allowed in this forum?)

 

[Vertigo-1]

Quote:

Originally posted by ServinginEcuador Here's what I would reco: 1. Z Cable Live V5 IC - single ended cables run about $400 used.

Aren't you currently preferring something else though?

 

[gbeard]

I don't know squat about the Omega system (hope to someday!), but if you want 2 channel SACD playback and don't care about multichannel for another system, you could do a lot worse than picking up a used Sony SCD-777ES for about $1300-1500 and have it modded by Dan Wright. That would be a terrific source. In the stock form CD playback is not as good as other CD only sources, but again, if you want SACD that would be a very good way to go in my opinion. It's a bullet proof machine and I wish I'd kept mine and modded it.

Your system sounds like it will be a lot of fun to put together, make sure to enjoy the process!

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally posted by Vertigo-1 Aren't you currently preferring something else though?

Benson,

Yep, but that's only for another week until the Z Cables arrive. I will have the Z Cables in hand next Saturday morning. After reading about what they did for you I somehow doubt I have found anything that will compete with them. I will change my mind if they are not up to the task of besting the W Enterprise NW cables I have right now. From what you said about the Z Cables they combine the best of what I have heard in several different cables, but lack their weaknesses. I leaned upon your experience in cable swapping for this, but will happily eat my words if it proves that the Z Cables aren't as good as the W Ent NW ones.

 

[Vertigo-1]

I honestly think anybody that buys a Stax/R10/Orpheus simply must go through several months of cable swapping hell (and lose some major bucks along the way) to really find out what cables pan out for them, and also to maximize the system's potential. If there's one thing I learned from all the months of cable swapping I did, it's that there's no one really perfect cable, especially not for everyone.

So by all means, if the Zcables don't pan out for you, kick them out.

 

[Zanth]

With 6k you can CERTAINLY be super setup. SIE started you off nicely. Omega II's from Eifl, KGSS from zzz, a good front end, something used maybe? and then some cables you try out, done done and done