House full of sound

[CnoEvil]

Where does the Sugden fit in?

 

[matt49]

Where does the Sugden fit in?

It's in our holiday cottage. Still looking for the right second-hand speakers for it.

:santa:

Matt

 

[CnoEvil]

Where does the Sugden fit in?

It's in our holiday cottage. Still looking for the right second-hand speakers for it.

:santa:

Matt

There will be some Proacs somewhere with your name on them. :rockout:

 

[matt49]

The new (i.e. second-hand) Peachtree is now installed in the living room, driving the Veneres and taking signals from a modded Sonos Connect via SPDIF and from the TV via optical. I'll report on the sonics after Xmas. For now, here's the installation, including a neat trick!

Lots of smart black shiny kit, but the Connect looks out of place.



OK, so turn the Peachtree around.



Remove the back plate.



And in she goes ...



Nice and snug.



That's better!



Little things please little minds.

Happy Xmas!

Matt

 

[matt49]

There will be some Proacs somewhere with your name on them. :rockout:

Yes, I just missed out on some D2s on eBay.

Horror of horrors, I'm also thinking of some PMC twenty.22s. Quite a different sound, but I think the synergy might be good. And 90dB sensitivity.

 

[CnoEvil]

The new (i.e. second-hand) Peachtree is now installed in the living room, driving the Veneres and taking signals from a modded Sonos Connect via SPDIF and from the TV via optical. I'll report on the sonics after Xmas. For now, here's the installation, including a neat trick!

Is this the "poor man's" Devialet? 😉

 

[matt49]

The new (i.e. second-hand) Peachtree is now installed in the living room, driving the Veneres and taking signals from a modded Sonos Connect via SPDIF and from the TV via optical. I'll report on the sonics after Xmas. For now, here's the installation, including a neat trick!

Is this the "poor man's" Devialet? 😉

I suppose you could say that, yes. Though of course it doesn't sound anywhere near as transparent or dynamic. But for the Veneres it seemed like a good bet.

I wanted something that'd look smart and simple in the living room. Then this second-hand decco2 popped up on Hifi Wigwam for £300, and it seemed too good to resist.

So one box replaces an ugly array of three boxes, i.e. the modded M-DAC (which is now working as a headphone amp in my study), the Cyrus X Power (which will be sold on, thankfully), and the Sonos Connect (which has been cleverly gobbled up by the decco2). And the one box sounds better than the three, even though the X Power had more watts.

 

[James7]

And the one box sounds better than the three, even though the X Power had more watts.

interesting. I would have thought the digital section of the Peachtree wouldn't be able to compete with the modded Audiolab, and that the power amp section would be outclassed by the Cyrus. But your early observations suggest not. I assume that it is the Peachtree's power amp section that is primarily responsible for the improved sound quality - is this a synergy thing do you think? I imagine the Cyrus to be leaner, and perhaps a less good fit for the Sonus fabers ... ?

 

[matt49]

And the one box sounds better than the three, even though the X Power had more watts.

interesting. I would have thought the digital section of the Peachtree wouldn't be able to compete with the modded Audiolab, and that the power amp section would be outclassed by the Cyrus. But your early observations suggest not. I assume that it is the Peachtree's power amp section that is primarily responsible for the improved sound quality - is this a synergy thing do you think? I imagine the Cyrus to be leaner, and perhaps a less good fit for the Sonus fabers ... ?

James, you're probably right about the digital stage, though the Peachtree does use an ESS Sabre DAC chip, like the MDAC. It's also worth bearing in mind that the Peachtree's preamp stage is pure Class A.

My feeling is that the Cyrus was, as you say, just far too lean sounding.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[matt49]

And the one box sounds better than the three, even though the X Power had more watts.

interesting. I would have thought the digital section of the Peachtree wouldn't be able to compete with the modded Audiolab, and that the power amp section would be outclassed by the Cyrus. But your early observations suggest not. I assume that it is the Peachtree's power amp section that is primarily responsible for the improved sound quality - is this a synergy thing do you think? I imagine the Cyrus to be leaner, and perhaps a less good fit for the Sonus fabers ... ?

James, you're probably right about the digital stage, though the Peachtree does use an ESS Sabre DAC chip, like the MDAC. It's also worth bearing in mind that the Peachtree's preamp stage is pure Class A.

My feeling is that the Cyrus was, as you say, just far too lean sounding.

:cheers:

Matt

I was, of course, being a bit dim when I wrote that last post. I should have mentioned that John Westlake, he of MDAC fame, also designed the Peachtree decco2 -- which explains why both units use the same DAC chip. I guess.

 

[matt49]

Where does the Sugden fit in?

It's in our holiday cottage. Still looking for the right second-hand speakers for it.

:santa:

Matt

There will be some Proacs somewhere with your name on them. :rockout:

Well, I've been looking out for some nice second-hand Harbeths or Proacs for the cottage system, but no joy after several months of waiting. One day ...

Anyway, this evening I picked up a pair of beautifully looked-after second-hand PMC GB1is from a nice chap on the 'Wam. I've had my eye on this model for a while. They're exactly the right format: small, slim floorstanders.

My experience with the PMC twenty series hasn't been altogether positive. I find the top end rather harsh. I've also heard the Fact 8s a couple of times and thought they were OKish, but expensive. But I do think PMC make good speakers, and the "i" series are more to my taste.

How well will they work with the Sugden A21a? No idea, but as they're second hand and retain their value fairly well, I think the financial downside is small.

It'll be a week or two before I get them set up, and you know how useless I am at posting photos ...

:cheers:

Matt

 

[Hi-FiOutlaw]

Nice one Matt! And when you have a min or two lets see those fotos... 8)

 

[matt49]

Sorry, Outlaw. The PMCs are sitting in their boxes in London waiting to be driven down to the holiday place. That'll be in about 10 days.

Matt

 

[matt49]

... but here are some pics of the man cave in London, taken on this grey February morning.

Not much going on here: just the Devialet, a Sonos controller, my bongos and one Sonus faber:

The Devialet is fed directly from a Synology NAS via USB. Also visible is the headphone system: Cullen-modded Sonos Connect, Lakewest-modded Audiolab M-DAC, and my much-loved Hifiman HE-500s.

The room has turned into a Shrine of Bruce.

The small black thing resting against the base of the left-hand speaker is my iPhone, which is providing some primitive lighting. Note to self: buy flash gun for camera.

:cheers:

Matt

 

[matt49]

It's a long time since I updated here. Since the photos above were taken, the Cremonas went into storage and were replaced by the Martin Logan Montis.

But the big news is that I'll be bringing the curtain down on this thread and starting a new one, as we're moving house in a fortnight. There'll be a bigger 'den' for the Montis, and the Cremonas will be coming out of storage to grace the living room. There'll also be some decisions to make concerning amplification ...

*drinks*

Matt

 

[Xanderzdad]

Exciting times. Enjoy and I hope the move goes smoothly.

 

[matt49]

Exciting times. Enjoy and I hope the move goes smoothly.

Thanks!

When we move in (10 days away) it'll all be a bit ad hoc. But there will be one immediate plus: a considerably bigger space for the Martin Logans to sing in. Some acoustic treatment will go in right away. I have some acoustic panels to fit on the ceiling and the wall behind the listening position. Together with the carpet, this should provide a nicely "dead" acoustic, which is what Martin Logans like best.

*dance4*

Matt