My 2 Channel Hi Fi

[jaxwired]

The audio rack is from a company called salamander. The shelves are infinitely adjustable as the legs are threaded steel rods. The shelves are rock solid since they are clamped down with rubber washers and steel nuts. Also, each shelf can be individually leveled.

The electronics are: NAD C355bee amp and NAD C545bee cd player.

The cable is chord chameleon for the interconnect and audioquest GBC for the speakers. The cable is neatly fixed to the audio rack legs. I ran the power down one leg, and the speaker cable down the other to avoid any possible crosstalk.

Under the rack is hidden a dynex surge protector that also filters EMI/RFI noise.

The CD rack on the wall is all metal and from IKEA. You can't see it in the pics, but there are 3 of them and that will hold 225 CDs. They are excellent CD racks and cost a mere £2.93 (made by lerberg).

The speakers are of course the new Spendor A6's. (I'll post my comments on how they sound in the next few days). I've got them about 12 inches out from the rear wall. That's somewhat close, but that wall is not continuous and the acoustics are rather good in this room because of the break in continuous wall. I know they would sound even better further apart, but that is not possible at this time. They are a good 4 feet from either side wall. I am not using the spikes right now due to child safety.

Thanks for taking a look. Feel free to comment.

 

[Anonymous]

Very nice and clinical. Those spendors are very smart. Have you not thought of spacing amd spiking the speakers abit more to give a greater sense of scale?

 

[Anonymous]

Looks good. If only we could hear it.

I suggest you place the amplifier on the bottom shelf and the player on the middle.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice and clean set-up you have there ! I hope your A6's sound as amazing as mine

 

[Anonymous]

Very nice indeed. I've found with the Spendor SA1s that a wider separation makes a big difference, with a little toe-in to focus the sound. The spikes will make a big difference too IME.

 

[Anonymous]

Very simplistic nice looking system Jax. I'm sure they sound just as awesome. Cant help saying this but, I really urge you to try Igglebert's suggestions - if that is possible within your proposed layout.

Cheers.

 

[jaxwired]

igglebert:Very nice indeed. I've found with the Spendor SA1s that a wider separation makes a big difference, with a little toe-in to focus the sound. The spikes will make a big difference too IME.

igglebert,

I'm going to try moving the speakers further out (tonight) with the toe in as you have suggested. Can't leave them that way, because of the room, but if it really does make a big difference, I could move everything to a different wall and re-arrange the room to provide a more permanent solution with wider speaker separation. Regarding the spikes, to tell the truth, I've never tried spikes on any speakers I've owned. I've just got a bias against the way they make the speakers look and the fact that they become more tippy. I've got a 1 year old and a 2 year old that come running the second they hear my hi fi come on. The bass is really tight and fast already although it is definately a tiny bit recessed (more on that when I post my review of the speakers).

Thanks for the feedback. I love fine tuning...

 

[Anonymous]

Jaxwired,

Great, neat set-up. You know I approve! I bet they sound great with the NAD kit, too. I noticed that the patina of veneer you have on the front panel is very similar to mine. It would be nice to think that they came from the same section of wood.

I also see that yours are fast developing a tan, like mine. I don't take the grilles off much anyway, but when I do I notice how much the cherry veneer has changed from the initial pinky colour to the deeper orange/brown with stronger definition of the grain.

Like the rest on this forum I would recommend moving them out a bit - I have mine about 7 or 8 feet apart and toe'd in so they aim about 1 metre behind my listening point.

I notice that you said you'd take the spikes off for child safety. I've found speakers that are spiked are more stable on carpet than those that aren't. I would expect there's more risk of your lads knocking them over as they are than if they were spiked.

Whatever you do, enjoy it!

 

[jaxwired]

PhilAllen:

I also see that yours are fast developing a tan, like mine. I don't take the grilles off much anyway, but when I do I notice how much the cherry veneer has changed from the initial pinky colour to the deeper orange/brown with stronger definition of the grain.

Yes, I was really surprised to see that occuring so quickly. I've had them for less than 2 weeks and when I took the grills off yesterday I immediately noticed the shadow outline of the grill on the wood.

 

[idc]

PhilAllen: I notice that you said you'd take the spikes off for child safety. I've found speakers that are spiked are more stable on carpet than those that aren't. I would expect there's more risk of your lads knocking them over as they are than if they were spiked.

I am with you Phil regarding spikes. If you shove a set of spikes through a carpet it is harder to tip the speakers over and the sound improves because the speakers are more stable.

 

[Anonymous]

Looks understated yet elegant. Well done.

 

[Anonymous]

I would also encourage you to use the supplied spikes as my A6's are ultra stable on theirs.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice. Crying out for a NAD tuner though.

 

[Anonymous]

Here's my set-up (if only I could get rid of the TV still the wife would kill me !). Can't have a rack so this is the best compromise as the unit is very very heavy (takes four people to move it !) Just a couple of minor tweaks left and that it's finally finished. Can get on with enjoying my music now as it sounds amazing.

oops, hope that's it now !

 

[jaxwired]

spacehopper,

Can't see your pic...

BTW, I took everyone's advice and separated the speakers. Pulled them out on each side and they now have about 8 feet between them. Also, this puts them in a space with no wall behind them. Toed in slightly now. Wow! It's really great. Lovin it! I orginally pulled them out just to do a quick test, that was 2 days ago and they haven't moved back yet.

Looks like that is their new home although my wife complains everytime she has to walk around them when she comes into this room since they now slightly block the entrance. Small price to pay for the improvement.

Thanks to everyone for convincing me. I'm pretty hard headed...

 

[idc]

Spacehopper:

Here's my set-up (if only I could get rid of the TV still the wife would kill me !). Can't have a rack so this is the best compromise as the unit is very very heavy (takes four people to move it !) Just a couple of minor tweaks left and that it's finally finished. Can get on with enjoying my music now as it sounds amazing.

oops, hope that's it now !

Spacehopper, very smart set up (and yours Jaxwired!). Can I suggest that if you have your kit on a cabinet that you try these....oak cones between the cabinet and the CDP and amp, as an alternative to having a rack.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers mate, it is finally the set-up I've been after for years - although I do need to get used to listening to music with a huge grin. Just need a new cart and the arrival of my new Gram Amp 2 SE and that's me. BTW I like the idea of your DaVinci cones !

 

[manicm]

jaxwired, what diffference did your Chord Chameleon Silver Plus make? I'm thinking of getting one too.

 

[jaxwired]

manicm:jaxwired, what diffference did your Chord Chameleon Silver Plus make? I'm thinking of getting one too.

I was using the Chord Crimson prior to getting the Chameleon. The crimson is actually a fantastic interconnect given the price. The crimson provides fantastic detail and clarity with mid and high frequency content. But the crimson lacks deep authoratative bass. This is what the Chameleon brings to the table. Once I put the Chameleon in place, there was a noticable increase in bass content. Not that bass become over blown, but when the music contains deep bass, the Chameleon delivers in spades. The Chameleon also maintains the clean articulate mids and highs of the crimson, but there may be a tiny smidge less detail than with the crimson. It's hard to tell since the crimson is lean on the bass, it makes the mids and highs sound emphasised. Over all, I am very happy with the Chameleon and have no plans to change. With the floorstanders I'm using, I need a full range signal at that's what the Chameleon's deliver.

It is possible that in some systems, the crimson could be a better choice than the chameleon. It depends on the rest of your system. Hopefully I've given you enough to go on...

 

[True Blue]

Jaxwired,

Very nice system. Very jealous lovely speakers. Am in the process of upgrading my old hifi and have just bought the Crimson interconnect have to agree whole heartedly regarding the slight lack of bass. What componant did you purchase first when building your system? was it a gradual upgrade or did you just get in all at once?

 

[jaxwired]

True Blue:

What componant did you purchase first when building your system? was it a gradual upgrade or did you just get in all at once?

I've been a Hi Fi hobbyist for 20 years, but there was a period of a few years that I lost interest. Then about 3 years ago, I got the urge to get back into it. So I resurrected my old 2 channel yamaha amp and yamaha CDP and purchased some very affordable boston acoustic speakers. This sounded ok, but not great. After a few months and some research, I purchased some new B&W CM7's to replace the bostons.

That was about 2 years ago. This was a huge improvement. The CM7's are great speakers. But it was obvious that the rather dated yamaha amp was not getting the best from the B&W speakers. So, about 1 year ago I purchased the NAD C355bee. The improvement was not subtle. I have been very happy with this amp since then.

The yamaha CDP then finally quit working completely so I started using a denon DVD player while I researched new CDP's. I first purchased a marantz player (CD5001). After about 3 weeks with it, I sent it back for a refund. To me it sounded inferior to the denon DVD player. So I kept using the denon until Jan of this year when I purchased the NAD C545bee which I love. This player is unbeatable for the money.

By this time, I'd had the CM7's for about 2 years and although some music was jaw dropping good, the speakers had a few issues that bothered me so I wanted to try something else. I new if I was going to beat the CM7's I'd have to buy something very special, otherwise I'd be better off with the CM7's. I auditioned the MA RS6 and RS8. But again, not good enough to trade for the CM7's.

So I finally settled on the A6's and have had them for a couple weeks now...

 

[True Blue]

Many thanks for your interesting and detailed reply. I currently have 15 year old Kenwoods (integrated amp and CD player) connected to Tannoy Mercury M2 speakers, Chord Crimson Interconnect and Chord carnival silverscreen cable.

I am considering the MA RS6's / Rega R3's or the B&W 684 as my first upgrade with amp / and probably NAS based streamed music via Sonos or equivalent as source (next year).

Have you any thought on the above speakers? or would I be better with say 685's on superdreadnought stands? Have got a demo booked with the RS6's and R3's but unfortunately cant demo the B&W's.

My amp will probably be similar to yours. Is the difference REALLY noticable up to the A6's because if it is I would rather wait and save up a little longer.

Thanks for your time its appreciated.

 

[jaxwired]

True Blue:

I currently have 15 year old Kenwoods (integrated amp and CD player) connected to Tannoy Mercury M2 speakers

I envy you. This will be a very fun process for you. You are going to see dramatic improvements as you upgrade each piece of your system.

True Blue:

Chord Crimson Interconnect and Chord carnival silverscreen cable.

Great cable, so you're all set in that regard...

True Blue:

I am considering the MA RS6's / Rega R3's or the B&W 684 as my first upgrade with amp / and probably NAS based streamed music via Sonos or equivalent as source (next year).

Have you any thought on the above speakers? or would I be better with say 685's on superdreadnought stands? Have got a demo booked with the RS6's and R3's but unfortunately cant demo the B&W's.

Before I purchased the CM7's, I demo'ed the 684 and the MA RS6 and RS8. I have never heard the Rega's but I know they are well regarded. Between the RS6 and the RS8, I prefer the RS6 hands down. Unless you are a bass head, the 8's bass is a bit over the top and you sacrifice mid and high detail for the bass. Regarding the 684, it's a good speaker, but not exceptional in my opinion. It sounds smooth and is fun to listen to, but detail, clairty, and resolution are lacking compared to competitors. They sound a bit "boxy" to me with vocals. I would pick the RS6 over the 684 every day of the week. The RS6 is about as good at it gets in that price range. You get tight, fast bass combined with clean, crisp mids and highs. Vocals are especially good. Also, the cabinet is finely crafted and I like that they are smaller and look more refined and elegant than the 684's. Also, the MA's are a better match with NAD if you go that route later. The NAD amps are bass rich and warm sounding which balances nicely with the RS6's crisp sound. The B&W's would sound too fat with the NAD.

True Blue:

My amp will probably be similar to yours.

When I upgraded my amp from yamaha to NAD, I was shocked at the difference. You will be too. Don't underestimate the importance of the amplifier. The electronics are critical.

True Blue:

Is the difference REALLY noticable up to the A6's because if it is I would rather wait and save up a little longer.

The A6's are fantastic, but are they worth 3 times the price of the RS6? Not in my opinion. However, it does give me a longer term upgrade path as someday I will get the itch to upgrade my amp and then my speakers will be in the same league. If I were you, I'd buy something in the RS6 price range. You can always sell them on ebay someday if you want to upgrade, but I think you'll be very happy. Good luck and post when you buy something...

-Jax

 

[True Blue]

Jax,

Once again a big thankyou, I was tending towards the MA RS6's but I will wait until I have demo'd the R3's.

Cant believe myself the advances in technology, when I replaced my cables recently I was amazed (the originals were not cheapo's 15 years ago).

Only trouble is now finding the songs I will take along to demo.

Should be an interesting year!!!! will keep you posted

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Jaxwired,

Well we have the same amp and cdp, my sistem is:

NAD C355BEE + NAD C545BEE + B&W 684 + QED Silver anniversary biwired + Straithwire Musicable II interconnect.

You say that the 684 sound fat, not in my opinion, I heard some speakers with the C355 incl the 683, and this 684 were the speakers that sounded better, they are refined, delicate, excelent bass and very dynamic, with wonderful mids (voices are marvelous) and treble sparkles!

Now I'm trying the Atlas Hyper 3,0 speaker cables, they are very expensive, but have deep bass and makes all details more noticeable too.

Now I don't know if I'll change the QED's and keep the Atlas. As for the I/C I want to change them too.

Your sistem is more to the laid back side or more frontal and dynamic sound?

Also my C355 makes a hum noise from the transformer, on or on standby, your does that humming too? I listen to mine putting the hear against the upper metal case right above the toroid...

Greetings,

J.Costa (jcosta1968@hotmail.com) - email me so we can exchange ideias on our similar systems, ok?