[Gopher]

I'll be the first person to admit, I go a little nuts with upgrades. Rather then changing one component at a time I find I'm usually burning in muliple components/making several changes at the same time which often results in my not knowing which tweaks I'm hearing most.

Regardless--this week my system has seen a few changes. I removed my beloved Acoustic Zen Hologram Bi-Wire (sold) and in the meantime, as I await Grover SR Speaker Cable, I am using Radio Shack 12 awg. The cables been burning in for about 30 hours now.

I recieved a maple shade package today which consisted of a trio of "Ultimate Tripple Points," Micro Smooth and some CDs.

Rather than removing my Meridian from its mapple cutting board and Aurios 1.0 MIBs as I'd intended, I decieded to put the Ultimate Tripplepoints under my Unison Unico.

After balancing those out I polished up one of my new cds Mapleshades Music Festival, and I'll be damned if this isn't the absolute best I've ever heard my system sound. Dynamics have vastly improved, detail is reminsent of the Plinius SS integrated I sadly let go of, midrange is more involving then ever--emotion is there as is excitement. I'm completely baffeled! I remember the Holograms making a night and day difference on my previous speakers, but I could easily live with the zip cord in this configuration (though I'm certainly not going to

).

Its mindblowing--My system looses $1200 speaker cables and gains ~$130 in tweaks and sounds better then it ever has!?!? Oh well, can't argue with results--I think I'm going to explore some of their other tweaks.

Anyone else had similar results with mapple shade?

 

[Tuberoller]

Describe your current system for us again dude. You change it so much I got no clue what you're running. I know you got a Scout and Grado PH1 but the Meridian is news to me. May be you can leave stuff alone long enough to enjoy your system

 

[tanfenton]

I think you've been struck more by the quality of the recording than by the other items you bought from them.

NGF

 

[Gopher]

Tube,

Hehe, I'm almost done--I swear

right now it is as follows:

Von Schweikert VR-1s (on Osiris stands)
M&K MX-90
Meridian 508.20 (Acoustic Zen Tsunami PC - rack then blutack then mapple cutting board then Aurios 1.0 MIB then Tungsten Balls)
VPI Scout & JMW-9 Arm w/ Grado Platinium (on John Boos Mapple butcher block)
Grado PH-1 (hopefully will return this week)
Unison Unico (Amprex Bugel Boy Tubes & VD Power 3)
Toshiba 3950 (for dvds)
Grover SR ICs
Groover SR Speaker cables (soon)
Bogdan ICs (soon)

I listen to my system for hours a day: when I read, study, nap, veg out, etc)-- I enjoy it greatly... it's just an evolving enjoyment

tanfenton,

The recording is pretty damn amazing, but I don't think thats it. I've heard other discs in their catalog (ie ARC Choir) and own a bunch of Chesky, Blue note, Red Rose, DCC and other audiophile label recordings as well. I think the vibration dampening made a substantial difference. I gotta drive out to my GFs school in a few, but I'll give some more detailed impressions on what I feel changed tomorrow or something.

Also: FYI I've got Eric Claptons Unplugged running now (treated with Micro Smooth & CDi Blue Statmat), and it's sounding amazing as well.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Congrats on the system gellin' and coming together for you. Replacing one piece of gear at a time is one way of doing things, but scrapping the entire shootin' match and starting over is so much more fun, don't ya think?

Now all you need are some VD Nite power cables to really open everything up.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gopher Tube, Hehe, I'm almost done--I swear

Ha Ha..........wish I had a dollar everytime I said that over last 20 years!

I also have the VR 1 speakers (among others) , the Mapleshade triplepoints, the Grover cables, the Bogdan cables, and many Boos maple platforms.

I am excited with newest discovery, maple platforms under speaker stands.........yes thats right. I have wall to wall carpet in listening room , where speaker stands will be located I first lay down 24 x 24 plate glass table top for smooth flat stable surface then maple platform larger than speaker stand base. Of course you can put cork pads between maple platform and glass (just like you do in audio rack)

Anyway a bit complicated to explain, but this acheives same effect as massive Mapleshade solid maple speaker stands, cheaper of course.

Triplepoints

Maple Platform & Speaker

Tweaking yeilds large sonic gains and should not be overlooked, I have large collection of various isolation devices

 

[Howie]

Wow congrats. Recouping some money AND getting an improvement in sound is always exciting! Now tell us how the Vinyl sounds too!

 

[ipodstudio]

Glad to hear it all sounds great, Gopher, well done. I hope my system pans out the same. I was very close to pulling the trigger on a Meridian 508.20 a short while back, but then the Arcam came along at a price I couldn't refuse, sooo
I'll keep you tuned as to how it goes.

 

[Andrew Pielet]

Gopher,
One thing you are missing that will improve your system beyond what you though imaginable. A good solid rack like a Mana Acoustics. I wish I had one. Tweaks become a thing of the past with a well built audiophile rack. Sometimes the tweaks make the system sound worse. Has that ever happened to you?

 

[Gopher]

SIE,

I've wanted to try the Nites for a while now. Maybe I'll work out a loan with something. Right now I'm pretty happy with the Acoustic Zen Tsunami's on my source and a VD Power 3 on my Integrated. I like the additional warmth the AZ provides and I suspect it'll be appropraite when I complete my all silver cabling.

DA,

hehe... tell me about it. I'm usually not serious when I make those claims anyway. I know I'm incapable of acting like a mature adult in this field. Either way, I graduate in May and then I'm cut off from the 'rents and I'll have to pay my own way through law school so it looks like I won't have a choice but to take it easy.

I didn't know you had VR-1s. I thought you passed because they weren't bi-wirable. Very cool. I'll probably give the cutting boards under the speaker stands a try and return them if they don't work out for me. It's an affordable enough tweak.

One question I do have: are all the John Boos butcher blocks mapple? Mine looks like the ones in the link you sent but says its some sort of hardwood.

Howie,

Yes, it's always fun to yield benefits and put money back in the pocket. Hopefully these Grover Silver References will work out for me though I'm getting a bit nervous about having an all silver cabling (except AC).

The scouts sitting a top my rack looking pretty, but I'm still without a phonostage so I haven't heard her sing yet. I talked to the lady (Kim?) at Grado labs and my phonostage should get back here this week, so hopefully I'll be spining vinyl by the weekend.

Andrew,

I would love to have a nice high end stand, but I think for the most part they are way out of my budget. I'm still an undergrad, and I save my pennies for everything I buy. 1K+ racks probably aren't an option. For now I think theres enough mass on the Flexi that it's pretty rigid. I just need to figure out a way to get it on cones/spikes.

I know what you mean about tweaks making the system sound worse. Its a rarity, but I remember not carring for the VD Power Basic. I felt on my plinius the sound was comparably slower and bass was a little boomier.

 

[Andrew Pielet]

Think of all the tweaks you bought the last year, and how many you will buy in the future (alot I imagine) and it'll add up to $1000 quick. I think you are making a mistake because the tweaks you are piling up now will be useless with a good rack. You will be saving money, and (I know you dread the thought) you might finish your system. Did you ever hear of Chauncy the gardener*? Simplicity is a good thing man!




*(Just saw "Being There" last night)


Edit: PS, I was talking about tweaks, not cables.

 

[lan]

Are you the same guy who's house I been to? Your system is so different now

You gotta put yourself on park and enjoy it now.

 

[Tuberoller]

A tip about Butcher blocks. You can usually find these at local mills very cheap. If you live in the east or upper midwest(where most butcher blocks are constructed) you should be able to get custom sizes very quickly for much less than store prices and save the huge shipping costs of large,heavy blocks. I had a 4 inch thick 20x24 block constructed for $40.00 and got the chance to pick the grain and finish of my block and it was done later the same day. You can usually find all kinds of really cool custom patterns for the blocks when you visit a mill. I saw a block that was constructed with peices of wood cut in a swirl pattern,it was super funky looking and was only about twice what a standard block costs.

 

[Gopher]

Andrew,

I will almost definetly be looking for a good rack in the future, but at this point in time I'll have a really hard time freeing up enough money at once. One of the ways my system has been able to evolve as it has is through incremntal purchases. On the other hand, if/when I get a descent rack I can always sell off the individual tweaks I've acquired at little if any loss so it's not really lost money.

Hmm, I'd kinda saw rolling power cords as tweaking as it is less conventional then ICs/speaker cables. I suppose I'm not THAT big a tweaker other then a few isolation devices, playing around with placement, and seperating the circuit my digital and analog are on. All of these things have yielded positive results in my expereince though.

lan,

Heh. You caught in me as I was altering the system. The week you took my MMGs was the same week the Jolida 1501 RC sold. I was pretty happy with my philips, but it died on me. I got a full refund and decieded to upgrade there... hmm, what else did I have then? oh yea... still have the same subwoofer

Tube,

Thanks for the heads up. I'm gonna scan the local listings to see if I can find a mill. That would be an excellent, cost effective solution.