I finally got around to taking a few pictures. I have a few end points around the house and I am in the process of installing Ethernet around the property and performance has been really good since doing this. I have been using Roon since August 17 and I am a lifetime subscriber now. I am still loving the whole experience!
Lounge set-up -Amp: Musical Fidelity M3i Speakers: Monitor Audio Bronze. Roon end point: Allo USBridge DAC: Mytek Liberty DAC Control Huawei M10 tablet
Upgrading and replacing some cables (speaker and interconnects) in the lounge set-up.
Moving the Sonos Play1 to bedroom
Installing Ethernet to kitchen, adding new speakers (Ruark MR1 MK2 most likely) and end point (either move the USBridge or use a raspberry PI I have lying around) and a new tablet to control things!
Think about room correction.
I should probably do a network diagram, but, I need a beer first to build up my strengthâŚ
Two small upgrades to 2nd listening zone. Harmony One and and new hub to use Deep Harmony extension to control it all from the Roon app. Nice work here with this extension @Adam_Goodfellow. 2nd upgrade some monitor speaker isolation pads. Not the best looking but they have helped calm the bass which the unit seemed to amplify too much and angle them better for the listening position⌠Sounds much better as a result. Still surprising how much bass these active push out .
The RPi 3 with Allo BOSS DAC returns to the bedroom and is replaced by a RPi3+ and a Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital. The small S.M.S.L SA-98E amp drives the Opticon 8âs with ease. It delivers 2x 160 W of power.
Since a few days I have made my âlongâ awaited speaker upgrade. Last year I did my fair share of research on which amp I wanted to buy. I have done allot of reading and allot of auditioning. At some point I read an article in the Music Emotion about the magical combination between the Primaluna Dialogue Premium and a set of Franco Serblin Accordoâs. The review really reflected the way I feel HiFi is all about and quickly became interested in auditioning the amp. I made an appointment at HiFi Beek (which is co-owned by Herman van den Dungen, the creator of the Primaluna brand) to audition the Primaluna Dialogue Premium Integrated amplifier.
To my excitement he also had a pair of Franco Serblin Accordo graphite available in the Store. So after listening to the amp on my PMC twenty.23 I couldnât resist to give the Accordoâs a go as well. Let me tell you guys, the latter combination is pure magic. From the moment these âguysâ started playing I completely lost track of time and notion of all the things surrounding me. I simply stood in awe of the sonic quality these refined instruments could produce.
I knew right there and then that this would be my ultimate setup and a few weeks later I purchased the Primaluna amp knowing that the Accordoâs would have to wait a while (these are âŹ8800 speakers, which quite frankly is allot of money for me). Well a âwhileâ wasnât really going to take that long because 1.5 years later I stumbled upon a demo set that quite frankly looks like new. I knew I had to act quickly to not let this opportunity slip!
And now since two days I am the proud owner of a pair of Franco Serblin Accordo graphite hooked up to my Primaluna Dialogue Premium integrated. And boy-o-boy is this a special marriage between speaker and amplifier. If you ever come across the opportunity to listen to this combination you really are in for a surprise. Pure magic!!
Alright, enough with my rambling, lets share some pictures of these, imo, gorgeous speakers.
I really like the asymmetrical design of the speakers. It suits their âunrulyâ yet sophisticated sonic characteristics very well. Itâs incredible what a wide an expanded soundstage these small speakers can produce.
I have also changed my ROCK setup. As it is installed in a passively cooled case I have placed it directly in my HiFi setup. It is connected to my AURALiC Aries through an Audioquest Carbon ethernet cable.
I have not heard these speakers, or any speakers from his own brand, but I really do respect the late Franco Serblin and what he accomplished at Sonus Faber. The Accordo speakers truly look amazing and if they sound anything like they look it must be an amazing experience (and from you description it âsoundsâ like they do ).
The Accordos (Accordi?) are lovely speakers â I had a chance to listen to a pair for an extended trial a while back â and look beautiful too. Nice choice!
Nice setup and interesting separation of the A/V elements from the 2-channel.
Is there no way of running front L+R from the A/V side into the 2-channel side, to utilise those lovely speakers?
I do this, taking the front L+R from my Tag AV32 processor into a HT input on my Sim Audio Moon Amp. This bypasses the pre-amp stage, and my B&W Signature 805 speakers are then the front L+R.
Obviously there are separate outputs for Centre, Rear L+R and for the .1, which are handle by a separate 3 channel power amp and a Sunfire subwoofer.
I used to have my old speakers configured through HT bypass. However I decided not âwasteâ my valves on series and movies since I watch them allot. But indeed they would probably make for an impressive Dolby surround front!
Got my Roon Nucleus two days ago and fitted a 2TB SSD for music storage. Itâs running into my Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC via USB. Iâm using an iPad for control. Currently using a budget NAD integrated amplifier to see if I fancy a change from my Leben valves. Am thinking of trying Devialet or Naim amps too. Also the Auralic Polaris looks good too.
After re-organising my system, that is, replacing the old Airport Extremes with the Orbi Netgear (RBK 53) with one router and two satellites, I am happily streaming from my MacBook Pro sitting in my office to my Devialet two floors below. Works like a charm. Very happy with the setup, just as happy with Roon. And that means something as I used to be a long-time Aurender afficionado!
My Devialet Expert 120 feeds into my beloved ATC SCM 11s. The Devialet will soon be upgraded to the Expert Pro 220. Canât imagine how to bridge the time without my gear
100 Watts more per channel , which of course, is not what I want for the smallish living room we have. The thing is, I bought the 120 as a demo equipment from my local dealer and with the upgrade, Iâll get the newest boards (with the latest Core Infinity board) with a 5 yearâs guarantee extension.
But you are right, I might be there already. Still tempted to switch to the Harbeth Monitor 30.1 speakers. Letâs incubate things a bit more.
Then you would be dropping the Sony. The Dev is an all in proposition, as it will re-ADC any incoming analog signal and bring it back to digital; eliminating, imho, any benefits from having another DAC upstream.
Indeed, Devialet is a one-box solution, but for me it became the perfect solution. I used to have an Aurender going into a DAC, the DAC went into a pre-amp, and the pre-amp in turn into a power amp. So, four relatively large boxes, all that cabling, and it took quite a large rack to hold all the equipment.
At one point, I got fed up with all those boxes and cables. I was always attracted by those shiny Devialet pizza boxes, till I accidentally stumbled on this demo Devialet. It took me a moment to decide, and once installed, my ATCs shone like never before!
).
, which of course, is not what I want for the smallish living room we have. The thing is, I bought the 120 as a demo equipment from my local dealer and with the upgrade, Iâll get the newest boards (with the latest Core Infinity board) with a 5 yearâs guarantee extension.