My Audiophile Desktop System

[Voltron]

I have had the Desktop Amp/Dac with Home modules and Desktop PSU for years, and fell hard for the rest of Tyll's Audiophile Desktop brainchild after hearing it at two meets. Tyll even quoted me lusting after the Harbeth rig in a recent Stereophile ad. I truly believe Tyll and HeadRoom have a serious winner on their hands with this setup.

After agonizing over it for a few months, I ultimately realized that I listen to music at my desk for 7-10 hours a day during the week and do not come close to those kind of hours anywhere else I listen. That realization put me over the top and I ordered it up about 10 days ago.

I bought a pair of the Bi-Amp Monoblock Desktop Power Amps, the HeadRoom Desktop Speaker Stands, and a pair of gorgeous cherry wood Harbeth HL-P3ES-2 30th Anniversary Edition mini-monitors. HeadRoom gives a 10% discount for purchasing a setup like this even though it is not their full package with Desktop Amp, cables, etc. All of the new gear arrived on Wednesday of this week, and I believe I ordered it last Wednesday or Thursday. Fast work HeadRoom.

I still have some proper cables to obtain for bi-wiring the Harbeths, but I expect those soon. I am using three brand new Stefan Audio Art Endorphin power cords that are on loan. Even without the ultimate amplification, and with amps, PCs, and speakers fresh out of the box, it already sounds stunning and will only improve with a little playing time. I will try to post up some listening notes along the way, but the improvement from my prior self-powered M-Audio Bx5a speakers is readily apparent. More bottom end and more top end sparkle, the beautiful Harbeth mid-range, better instrument separation, and better imaging were all there already.

I am considering a Squeezebox or an Airport Express to improve the digital transmission and cut down on the impact of my crappy work Dell laptop but for now it is very sweet. Good stuff HeadRoom. I hope you are selling tons of these because it is just as dreamy as I expected.

So, here are some pics to show you a real life system in action.

 

[socrates63]

Nice, Al! </drool>

 

[mrarroyo]

Very nice! Does the power supply you had for the can amp used to also drive the mono blocks? Or do they have their own psu? Enjoy your new toys!

 

[heil]

Man!! that's an awesome setup - can't afford those stands but I intend to get those power amps in futures to add to my maxed up desktop amp and power supply.

Those pics are just tempting me to get it a.s.a.p

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very nice! Does the power supply you had for the can amp used to also drive the mono blocks? Or do they have their own psu? Enjoy your new toys!

Thanks guys. No, Miguel, the power amps have a built-in power supply so the Desktop PSU does not power them. I had hoped that was the case, but my understanding is that the amp units incorporate the PS and it would be more effort to change them than made sense to HR.

 

[moogoob]

Oohhh... looks nice.

What's the sound like?

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moogoob /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oohhh... looks nice. What's the sound like?

Not sure what you are asking specifically, but it sounds better than it looks.

 

[acidtripwow]

Nice system. I think this setup was at the last CanJam. I want a setup with big giant towers speakers!!

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acidtripwow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice system. I think this setup was at the last CanJam. I want a setup with big giant towers speakers!!

Hey Al. CanJam was when I became fixated on the Harbeth system and ultimately I just had to buy it.

Now, are you saying you want some even bigger speakers than those on your desktop or do you want to just hook the HeadRoom gear up to something like these:

 

[warpdriver]

omigosh, that's one nice setup. Good job

 

[jjj121]

I am using balanced desktop amp as pre-amp and desktop stereo amp to power my desktop speakers. I had someone make a XLR-RCA as interconnect. The sound is amazing and much better than what I expected before the purchase of HR power amp. The power amp is clear, detailed and has very good control to the drivers. The only disadvantage is I have to switch between HPs and the interconnect.

Thanks HeadRoom for making this small but awesome power amp. I believe the ICEpower ASX2 (new generation?) benefits the sound a lot.

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Sorry I haven't commented sooner Al, kinda don't like saying thing like, "Looks good on your desk, hope it sounds as good as it looks."

How's the imaging. I always find that I like it when the speakers are close together and I bring my head in close. That's good in the sense that people usually get close to their machine when typing, but it always surprises me that I don't like the system as much when there's lots of space between things.

 

[Voltron]

Hey Tyll, what's wrong with saying good stuff about your products in your own forum! I thought that was what it was for [in part anyway]!

I have been loving this rig, and it just got better in many ways because I received and installed the custom bi-wire cables Nate made for me. The speakers and cables will need more time before either are at their best, but the improvement in separation, definition, extension and even imaging appeared right away.

I totally agree with you on the closer placement of the speakers. When I had my old powered speakers, I put them in the corners of my 6 foot long desk. The image was pretty good, actually, but at HeadFest and CanJam you had the speakers in close on either side of the iMac you were using. I thought that would be too tight, but I like it better this way and the image is very focused, right in the center. I dislike pin-point sound emanating from speakers and love the way these speakers disappear in favor of a musical image in front of me. Hard to do in a small space but it really works so well.

One question: what gain setting do you think is best on the Desktop Amp with the bi-amp monoblocks and Harbeths? I have been on Medium mostly, but I am curious if you have spent time on that question (and could not find it in your literature).

Cheers Tyll!

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey Tyll, what's wrong with saying good stuff about your products in your own forum! I thought that was what it was for [in part anyway]!

I guess. I've never been too comfortable pimping our stuff directly. Probably has to do with the fact that after writing all the ads and much of the website I'm just sick of dong it. That, and I like to rely on the products speaking for themselves to the customers, and then the customers speaking their impressions in areas like this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al One question: what gain setting do you think is best on the Desktop Amp with the bi-amp monoblocks and Harbeths? I have been on Medium mostly, but I am curious if you have spent time on that question (and could not find it in your literature).

Hmm. Never formally have done any listening tests. Just asked Joe and he said that technically "high gain" should be ever so slightly better do to the fact that med and low gain have an extra resistor in the signal path and therefor would have very slightly elivated Schott noise. It would be hard to overstate how minor a factor this is, just because I mention it here don't think that you'll be able to hear it.

I tend to listen at medium or, occasionally, low gain. Just seems to be the range that gives best volume control range.