There’s something about a mixing desk in the mix as it were, I use one in the office. It’s got that geek aesthetic. The pictures give me the urge to tidy cables though…
5 Likes
You are so right, i just put it together, still testing the speaker cables, all work in progress
1 Like
Cables, the bane of our existence, the fly in the ointment.
6 Likes
For old jazz recordings I like to use a vintage sound system:
6 Likes
Not for some
Although a decades gone since this…
2 Likes
Ah! Someone with my taste in music!
Peace and be wild!
2 Likes
Those Kii Three with the bass modules… I can imagine how they sound. Not inexpensive but from the research I’ve done are well worth it.
1 Like
Lockdown. It is what it is. Making the best of it. Finally having time to enjoy the audio rig… discovering new music and re-discovering music already in my library. Researching new gear (yes… I’m adding one new component which should arrive in a couple of weeks: MUTEC MC‑3+ Smart Clock USB… so excited!).
Previously I hadn’t posted images showing my listening space. Finally have time to do so, with some additional details for those that may find it interesting. Off to the left is a full kitchen / dining area, so obviously the space is not designed to be a dedicated listening room. But with the right amount of physical damping and digital room correction, the sound is fantastic.
Speaker placement: the back of each Reactor is 14” from the rear wall, with the front of each Reactor about 23.5” from the rear wall (see pic below). The distance between the left and right Reactor is 7 feet. Distance from each Reactor to the listening space is 10 feet. Cherry wood platforms are low-to-the-ground so as to not interfere with the soundstage.
I’m looking forward to implementing the Mutec MC-3+ USB into the system. There’s a matching REF10 that pairs with the MC-3+ USB, but the cost to performance ratio, I feel, isn’t justified. I know there’s at least one member here who has this pairing set up in their system if you’d like to chime in.
Main components:
• Duo Devialet Phantom Reactor 900 on The Legs
• miniDSP SHD-Studio
• Apple Mac Mini M1 / Roon & Audirvana
• G-TECH External 4TB
• Mistral Audio W-3900
• Silent Angel Bonn N8
Coming Soon: MUTEC MC‑3+ Smart Clock USB (Roon tested and approved)
13 Likes
Do you listen with headphones at all? Nice setup.
@rrwwss52 I do listen with headphones quite a bit. My headphone setup:
• Headphone AMP / DAC: iFi-Audio Micro iDSD Signature. Amazing value in the less than CAD$1000 price range.
• Grado Hemp: Love them, though they do tend to physically hurt my ears after 2-3 hours of use as they clamp pretty tightly around my head. But that Grado sound signature!
• Sony WH1000XM3: I use them wirelessly and wired into the iDSD Signature via Roon. Really comfy though ears do tend to heat up fairly quickly. Removing them periodically to allow the ears to breathe isn’t a big deal.
• Bose Wireless Sport Earbuds: Latest model from Bose. I’ve small ear canals and always had a problem wearing earbuds as they would always fall out of my ear. These fit, are very light, and they sound great. In fact, when it comes to BOSE their 700 model is on par with the Sony mentioned above.
1 Like
A friend of mine has a pair of Phantoms + Dirac Live.
Really great combination.
At least in the Phantom Golds (maybe not newer Reactors) Devialet had the chance to perfectly DSP time align all 3 drivers but the woofer lags a bit…
Dirac Live attempts to correct that lag (as well as other measured issues) and it makes a great improvement overall.
When playing music via from my HD collection & Tidal, via Roon, to the little AM transmitter, to one of my vintage ‘boat anchor’ receivers (weighing 40-75kg each) I find that old jazz plays best. Stuff that was often mono to begin with. More modern material with lots of wall-of-sound does not translate well through the valve modules to the small mono speakers of the old short wave receivers.
Dirac Live is great. It’s flexible and allows for complete tweaking of the measurement curves you capture when setting up your listening space. miniDSP’s implementation in the SHD is first rate. I first got into digital room correction with my home theatre system years ago. Canadian manufacturer Anthem makes a great series of home theatre receivers in their MRX line. Their proprietary room correction, ARC Genesis, is also a well developed software.
2 Likes
Rumour has it the Phantom Golds are coming in matte white and black options in February… I may pounce if that’s true !
I use Audiolense for DSP crossover and room EQ but Dirac Live 2.0 and newer 3.0 are just as good (although can’t handle DSP crossover yet but that’s coming)
All this talk of room correction, Dirac and DSP, etc. How come I never hear of Xilica (or similar) for home use? A few years back I went with an active 2-way set up. Learned how to use REW (and what the measurements mean), a directional mic and programmed my newly acquired Xilica. I could not be happier with the results.
Nothing really to back it up, just my opinion, but I feel like I am one step closer to what is really going on. With Audyssey/Dirac and the like, it seems like you might be slighting yourself on the ultimate results. Exchanging easy for better. Not looking for a fight, just wondering if anyone has done both and found room correction software to be better than you can do with some time invested in learning and understanding vs pushing a button.
I’m totally open to the idea that it could do better than I can…for the same reason I no longer change my own oil in the car or when I broke my collarbone in 4 places I went to an orthopedic surgeon vs cutting into myself with a bottle of booze, mirror and tweezers.
Being happy with the results is what ultimately matters. Different paths to get there for sure.
1 Like
Always fascinated by the elaborate signal paths I see here. (And this one is fairly tame.)
I use HQPlayer, and I have three links in the chain at most. I must be doing something wrong. 
1 Like
I have HQP but not using it now. No, you are not doing anything wrong. This is 3 stage convolution filter for room correction.
What is crazy about Roon is you can upload more than one Convolution filter and apply them all at the same time. Buying a hardware solution, if exist, would be thousands of dollars.
Many perhaps do not use the EQ/DSP engine in Room but you have something that is priceless here at your fingertips when you need it. The DSP engine in Roon is Super Super great and amazing. It is in my opinion above the pro levels.
1 Like
Dirac Live is just pushing a button? Not an educated comment. And not one trying to avoid a “fight” as you put it.