System #460 (CLX)

[ttocs]

Roberto, I've searched again through your thread and cannot find any reference to the two wooden "trees" standing behind your main speakers. Are they for resonance?

 

[roberto]

ttcos,

Because the TV screen is a wave mirror, these soften the waves, and diffusers them...so no piercing highs! Here is a review about what they do. The RoomLenses are a nice tool to have in my very small room. Along with the shun mook discs, are a must. You do know is this...little things here and there will make a difference.

https://6moons.com/audioreviews/shakti/hallograph.html

 

[Bernard]

Roberto,

Nice to see an updated pic of your system. Mucho Gusto! It seems to me that you’ve increased the toe-in of your speakers, but that’s going by a 4-year-old memory.

The last time I visited you I could not hear the effect of the RoomLenses, but you could. Very subjective, this hobby.

Uptone also makes an upgraded power supply for the Mac Mini, something I have to investigate.

 

[roberto]

Hey Bernard,

Thanks for visiting my system. There is another nice tweak and I just made. I got the Gaia II speaker isolators feet. They have a patent pending for their design. It works marvelous. I got a better lower midrange presence and also got a much better body from the musical instruments without being over...they do have now a sweetness never before. The voices are projected very nice and no hoarseness at all. There is a kind of charm that I never had this before.

Happy listening!

 

[roberto]

Hola Chicos, who is using the Lush^V2 USB cable?

 

[Robert D]

How do you like your balanced force 210 sub? Ive got the depth i now. Wondering if you have heard both and can compare. Do you feel like the custom crossover for the sub works well with your CLXs? Wondering how it would team up with my Prodigy speakers.

 

[roberto]

Hola Robert. The bass of the BF-210 is very natural and more sweeter than the Depth I or the Descend I. They are a totally different beasts. I will say a softer bass. I will shake your room if you want this, but these two 10" woofers are made for my taste, a much better blend with my CLXs. Besides, there is a downloadable software at the Martin Logan site, and this software is made for the perfect blend of the CLXs with this wonderful BF-210. I had before the Depth I and the Descend I, both great subs too. What I listen, is that the BF-210 bass notes are deeper, but not necessary more intense. The volume level knob of the BF-210 is set exactly when it just starts to sound. The CLXs are very good from 50 Hz and up, only a very low frequency reinforcement is needed...just a little bit. 80% of my time is to listening in stereo music, not videos.

See if the Prodigies are in the list for this special software. The sub comes with a flash driver for the software.

I just check at the site, and here is it:

https://www.martinlogan.com/en/custom-filters-firmware

There, search for Prodigy.

Happy listening!

 

[Robert D]

Thanks. I saw that the software is there. So it is effective and not just hype. Good to know. Im always skeptical of new things.

I see that the sub also has an optional PBK. Did you use that? Do you feel like it helps produce a more natural sound? Do you know how the PBK software works? I'd guess its similar to audyssey on a receiver. Would you use both audyssey and the PBK together? I'm going to guess no.

 

[roberto]

Thanks. I saw that the software is there. So it is effective and not just hype. Good to know. Im always skeptical of new things.

I see that the sub also has an optional PBK. Did you use that? Do you feel like it helps produce a more natural sound? Do you know how the PBK software works? I'd guess its similar to audyssey on a receiver. Would you use both audyssey and the PBK together? I'm going to guess no.

No, I am an old fashion guy. I trust what I hear, and not what a computer wants me to hear. When I was young, I had all the little gadgets to play, a real time analyzer, +- 2dB, from 30Hz to 20KHz, so I could plot very nicely the frequency response of my room. Well we all know what a dB is, is the unit to express the intensity of the sound. Do you know what a Sabin is? This is the unit to absorb the intensity of the sound, and because the sound is logarithmic, it varies every +- 3dB, it is not linear. So, if I measure my room with a pink noise, and make to be flat at let's say 70 dB of SPL, and get a nice curve, with only -5 dB or +5 dB of intensity, this curve is different. So, always there is an average reading. A compromise.

Of course I do believe in room treatment, A room treatment is a must. Now here is the big question, who are the final judges of your room? They are your ears! I do trust and what I do like. And my liking not necessary must be your liking. As an example, I do love tubes. Many other audiophiles do not. I love now my improved digital gear, right now, I am only playing digital...and I do know that I am going to be nailed here saying these statements. How can you measure love or hate? How can you measure the way that I play my guitar? And when you listen to your music, you start to call the musicians playing there. In other words, trust in your ears. If they are happy, they are telling you that what you are listening is OK.

The frequency response measured by a $5.00 mic with a special software that makes to find the exact amount intensity at a certain frequencies to make my room flat, and to listen what the software wants, it is not my liking.

Please understand that this is my liking! I have many little things in the room to make it to sound beautiful. As an example, I am a Shun Mook Mpingo Discs user. I think that I am the only one here in this forum. Read about them www.shunmook.com. Also I have the Mechanical Grounding.

I am also user of the hallograph Soundfield Optimizer, and the Shakti stone. The Hallograph - Shakti Innovations

As you can see, there are a lot of things in our musical world. Remember, trust your ears, they are your final judges. Don't trust in your immediate memory. Trust in your long term memory.

 

[Robert D]

I use the audyssey setup, but then always fidget with settings for a week or so before it sounds right to me. I think you are right about using the ear. After all, the stereo is there to please the user.

 

[roberto]

If it works for you, that's perfect!. Besides, it is your system and your liking. Enjoy, do not worry about the others, like me!. Enjoy your system and your music.
Happy listening!

 

[roberto]

Hola Chicos,

Is there any Lush ^V2 USB cable user? Can you share your config?
Thanks,
Roberto.

 

[roberto]

Have you ripped all those CD's onto a hard drive yet? :music:

Hola Tom,
I just finished today to do that. Now I have almost 20 TB of good music!

Happy listening!

 

[R1200CL]

Is there any Lush ^V2 USB cable user? Can you share your config?
Thanks,
Roberto.

On Audiophilestyle there is a whole thead about this. The manufacturer is present as well.

 

[TomDac]

Nice job, Roberto!! It took me MONTHS to rip all of my CD's.. WOW.. what a big task.. Make sure to keep a backup offsite.

 

[roberto]

will do dear Tom...just, a lot of time.

a big hug from Costa Rica!

Happy listening!

 

[roberto]

On Audiophilestyle there is a whole thead about this. The manufacturer is present as well.

Yes, Peter is a great guy. Did you know that he plays keyboards? I just was wondering if here are users of the lush. Thanks!!!

 

[roberto]

Hola Chicos,

This is my new toy. It is a USB cable that you can change the sound coming from your computer to your dac. There are thousands of possible combinations. What I did is, I entered in a forum where the members had a discussion of the best possible sound combination. The most voted is the one that I am using now, and let me tell you what happened to my sound.

1) The bass is deeper and robust, but without coloration...the right amount is what I am getting.
2) The stage opens up from left to right, and still with great sense of 3D
3) The harmonic texture of the musical instruments is more detailed and more pleasant.
4) The vocals are projected to the air, but with space between them and the musicians.
5) The piano exhibit a much better coherence and beautiful musicality.
6) The strings are delicate with a silky sound that only the strings have.
7) Winds, metals are easy to distinguish between the woden made. The clarinet is breathtaking.
8) The percussion is truly dynamic with the right amount of any stroke of the drums sticks.
9) Any kind of music is a revelation.

The cable name is The LUSH ^V2 sold my Phasure. It really worth every penny.

On each connector there is a six way connection with 4 cables and two jumpers or more.

 

[Paul172]

Name - Roberto

Location - Costa Rica

Speakers - CLX, Stage x, Motion 4

Subwoofer: BF 210 with CLX crossover special filter.

Pre-amp - modded Onkyo PR-886 digital preamplifier processor

Amp - VTL stereo ST-150 .

Source - M-Dac - Mac Mini - Bel Canto CD2 Transport and a Bel Canto Reflink to convert USB to coax. Also an Oppo 103 as DVD Blu Ray player.

Center amp - Perreaux

Rear amplifier - McIntosch MC-2505. And Bedini 25/25

Also have a Harmonic Recovery System for each channel.

Cables: most Nordost Blue Heaven. Also I use DHlabs interconnects for rear channels. For digital cable, I use a DHLabs Mirage USB and D750 silver digital Interconnect

Mechanical ground for amp: Shun Mook U.D.R For DVD and preamplifier: Shun Mook S.D.R.

Room Eq: Shun Mook Mpingo discs and Spacial Control Octet.

AC line filter: Transparent PowerLink Reference.


I am using right now in my room, the speakers are, the CLXs, the Stage X for center, and for rear Motion 4. As a Pre-amplifier, I am using an Onkyo with the power supply modified, and also as a digital HT processor. For Stereo only, I use an AudioLab M-DAC, with a Mac Mini via USB to a Bel Canto Ulink coax to the DAC. Also have a Harmonic Recovery system for each channel. The main amp is an ARC VT-100 MK II modified at the power supply too. I use Kt-120 as power tubes. For the Stage X , I use a Perreaux and for the rears a McIntosch MC 2505. Cables Nordost blue heaven for main speakers. DH labs for others. Interconnect Nordost blue heaven mostly. TV- Vizio '65 " 3D DVD Blu Ray Player Oppo 103 and Bel Canto CD2 CD transport. Mpingos all over the room, and on top of all my system components.

Hi Roberto, Are you using the factory power cables for your Clx’s? I’m wondering if a better quality power cable would make a difference in sound quality?

 

[roberto]

Hi Roberto, Are you using the factory power cables for your Clx’s? I’m wondering if a better quality power cable would make a difference in sound quality?

Hola Paul,

This is my point of view only, and not necessary is a statement. The electrostatic speakers are not power hungry at all. They do not drain any power from the mains AC. Their consumption is less than 5 watts. I do not see any reason why you are going to need a heavy super big AC mains cable.

This is what the manual says about the power consumption:

Mains Power Draw
Standby: <1W each Max: <5W each

Think of this: the electrostatic speakers are like a water pond. There is no drain of current at all, just a tiny bit for charging the stats, and to charge the panels time is less than a second.

It is only static electricity. The cable supplied by Martin Logan is a very nice cable. The current supply capacity by this cable is beyond the need to charge the stators. Remember that the stats behaviour is like a capacitor.
Enjoy your CLXs...to my ears, are one of the best speakers of the world!!!

Happy listening!