System #118 (Ascent i)

[Phil]

1. Member Name: Phil Haywood
2. Location: St Leonards, East Sussex
3. ML Model: Ascent i
4. Year Purchased: 2004
5. Mods/Changes: None
6. Associated Electronics:

Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista SACD
Clearaudio Reference
Master Reference Tonearm
Ortofon MC30 Supreme
Trichord Dino and Dino+ power supply
Talk Electronics Lightning 1.1 tuner

Amps:

Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 300
Alto Mac 2.3

Extras:

Futureglass stand
Voodoo isolation platform
Custom made slate plinths
Dedicated mains supply

 

[Robin]

Beautiful Ascent i - Phono Musical System...

Phil,

Welcome to the ML Club!
I think your system Rocks! I love the painting between your Ascent i's and over your TT... Way Cool. I see by your record album, on the floor of your photo, your a Doors fan as well. I wish I'd kept my record collection. Sadly, I sold it to a collector at a yard sale I was having several years ago...

Great system. It's good to have you here.

 

[theWB]

Phil,

Welcome to the ML Club!
Way Cool. I see by your record album on the floor your a Doors fan as well.

Great system Phil,Looking at your photo I had the sudden urge to listen to the track "Peace Frog".How thick are the plinths and where did you get them?

BLOOD ON THE RISE AND FOLLOWING ME

 

[Phil]

How thick are the plinths and where did you get them?

Thanks for your interest - the plinths were made originally to fit a stand I had at that time. There are two thicknesses: 1" and 0.75". I had them made by a local monumental mason out of slate. Most stonemasons are only too happy to do this kind of work, and it's a lot cheaper than going to a proper hi-fi store! As for cost, I have seven various sized pieces and they cost me less than £100 in total, about five years ago.

Phil

 

[Phil]

thanks for your welcome Robin . glad you like my system , it has been , and remains , a labour of love . the picture between the speakers is by a local artist , and looks even better in real life .
I still think vinyl sounds best and I am still collecting LPs , wish I had been at that yard sale !

 

[twich54]

hi Phil, Welcome, very clean , very nice !! sharp looking analog set-up, glad to hear you still love viynl !!

 

[holmancv]

Hey Phil, great system but what really counts is the vinyl.

When I first heard Morrison Hotel I was a sophmore in High School in Beaverton, Oregon. Hunter S. Thompson once wrote a few lines about great Rock 'n Roll mentioning about how the doors were tops when Kreiger was tight and gave the example of heariing Morrison Hotel through some really big speakers being driven by one of those giant tube amplifiers ... too bad ol' HST can't hear what they sound like on your system! I guess Thompson can just walk down the hall, knock on Morrison's door and hear it for real.
Tell me, is it really great on vinyl???

 

[Audionirvana]

Sweeeettt!

Sweet looking system!! Anyone know of a decent place in the mid-west that takes trades for MLS. I use to be a owner of a pair of ReQuest/SL3s etc.. And I really like the sound and look of the new Vistas. I am using Musical Fidelity KW-500 Int Amp, which pretty much can run any speaker. I am also a huge Dynaudio Fan, but MLs always have a place for my ear

 

[jjqiv]

Nice system. You have my TT after is has grown-up and gone off to college and completed its graduate work. How do you light the Souther arm? I have heard that they are very good but finicky.

 

[Phil]

... Morrison Hotel ... Tell me, is it really great on vinyl???

Yes holmancv, it's really great on vinyl. It is the only way to hear music of this era. A good friend of mine gave me some Zeppelin LPs as he had replaced them on CD but it was not long before he was begging for them back! Rock 'n roll on CD sounds dead sometimes - it lacks the drive and atmosphere of vinyl. My friend actually missed the clicks and pops that he was so used to from his 20+year old LPs!

 

[Phil]

Sorry - don't know anywhere in the mid-west - unless you mean Devon!

The KW500 replaced the TriVista in the MF range as the Tri was limited to 500 pieces worldwide, both excellent amps that will drive almost anything, MF are the closest thing we have to Krell in the UK.

I had a pair of Dynaudio Audience 72s running from a MF A1000 previous to this system, very good dynamic speakers.

 

[Phil]

... How do you light the Souther arm? I have heard that they are very good but finicky.

You are correct in thinking that the Clearaudio (Souther) linear tracking arm can sound very good, end of side distortion is something you may not realise you have until it is gone. The downside is, as you suggest, the set-up and maintenance of this arm is very finicky, in fact I am seriously considering changing the arm to something like an SME V. If anyone has any experience of tonearms that may suit the Clearaudio Reference I would be happy to hear!

 

[MiTT]

Great Looking System!

Love the equipment and the setup in the room. Nice use of color. Always good to see another 2 channel setup with vinyl.

 

[DanielAdler]

Incredible setup. Aural/visual treat. Love those ascents.