System #91 (CLS IIz, Stylos)

[jjqiv]

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. (Antoine de St.-Exupery)

Is the theory espoused, the theory in use?

 

[lugano]

Is the theory espoused, the theory in use?

Yes, in man-machine interface design applied to databases (my primary job) - I constantly try to convince coworkers that "better" is good's worst enemy.

But I also constantly fail at it.

 

[jjqiv]

Yes, in man-machine interface design applied to databases (my primary job) - I constantly try to convince coworkers that "better" is good's worst enemy.

But I also constantly fail at it.

Do you use all the components in your system enough to justify their presence?

Custom length cables can help to clean-up cable nest. With the help of my DIY Hydra power conditioner, some of power cable are only about 1 foot long. I also use tape, cable clips, and other objects to help keep the cables from touch one another.

B.T.W. I am currently the back-end guy in the Man-Machine interface (i.e., Database architec/analyst). The main database I inheritted did not follow the KISS rules at all.

 

[lugano]

Do you use all the components in your system enough to justify their presence?

definitely yes.

Custom length cables can help to clean-up cable nest.

Lately I bought cables which are 47 cm long (18,5 inches) and sold longer cables (had to rearrange gear in order to allow for such short cable runs). The HT gear is mostly used by the video tribe (wife and daughter) and I concentrate on the audio sculpture. The cable salad pic is behind the HT system, and it's not on top of my priorities, but I will eventually address it.

B.T.W. I am currently the back-end guy in the Man-Machine interface (i.e., Database architec/analyst). The main database I inheritted did not follow the KISS rules at all.

Wow ! I will send you soon some examples of my work - your opinion is more than welcome My philosophy boils down to

1) offering an exhaustive choice of possibilities
2) presenting 1 button to start it and another to cancel the decision.
3) there is no point 3).

 

[jjqiv]

definitely yes.

1) offering an exhaustive choice of possibilities
2) presenting 1 button to start it and another to cancel the decision.
3) there is no point 3).

Sounds like the GOOGLE model. I recently attended a conference and the former CEO of Travelocity was the Keynote speaker. He talked about how the GOOGLE interface made them re-examine amd simplify their interface. He credits that change with much of their success. Kind of like, if you build it, they will come. If you frustrate them, they will leave.

Ah, the mess is behind the HT. No worries mate!

 

[lugano]

rega apollo in, XA50ES out

Hello everybody, I just bought a Rega Apollo CD player. So what, you'll say. So what ? Well, after intensive listening at my local HiFi pusher and reading almost everything available about this player, I forked out the equivalent of $1100 and brought it home. Now let me start by saying that I've never been a analogue sounding fanatic - I washed my hands clean a long time ago and just can't stand tubes and people investing lots of money in order to get a retro sound (you might argue that analogue is not that, but let's move along...). Well, if you happen to decide to hang around at your local hifi store and have nothing better to do, please bring some CDs with you and ask for a listening session with the Rega. It blowed me away - a sound so damn right, so full and rich but not digital, so analogue without being digital and so digital without the low ceiling of analogue, so clean and sporting deep black wherever silence should be. Mind that I connected it to my Benchmark DAC - they say that with the benchmark you can use any $49 CD-DVD player and it will sound right. Well, no. There is a huge improvement over my Sony, which is not a cheap player. H-U-G-E. The difference is something like Johnny Walker versus Lagavulin. Something like comparing squares to circles. And it should burn in about a week, they say... I wonder what will happen after a week and after I'll connect it to AC with a decent power cable !
I'll update with some pix asap. In the meantime, please try it out - this baby has a royal flush in its hands. And it won't ruin your bank account.

 

[Chriss68]

rega apollo in, XA50ES out

Radu,
I just can compliment you . Everything well said .
Best regards,
Chris

 

[Munster]

I love the look of that rack. Would you recommend the frosted over the

clear glass or is just a preference? I've got to have one now .

 

[lugano]

I love the look of that rack. Would you recommend the frosted over the

clear glass or is just a preference? I've got to have one now .

Munster, I would definitely stay away from the frosted glass and stick to the clear glass. The lighting system is not cheap but it's a wonderful option to add, and I don't think it works well with frosted glass.

I'd like to add something regarding the rack. Its form makes it well suited for placement in a corner - like I did - but the rack itself is very heavy, and when you've added your gear to it, it becomes even heavier. Thus, make sure you also get the casters instead of the levelling feet - this way moving the whole rack in order to make adjustments in the back (cable shuffling, etc) is a breeze.

 

[edwinr]

What an amazing room, lugano. It must have taken a great deal of effort for it to look that good.

 

[lugano]

It must have taken a great deal of effort for it to look that good.

After some more effort, as of today it looks like this (from the listening point):

 

[lugano]

new rack

Notice that the alphastatic rack got a brother, a lambda (from the same manufacturer). I love those lights

 

[MiTT]

Can I just say, what a beautiful environment for listening to your music and watching movies.

Very nice setup and system. You must have happy ears.

 

[lugano]

Folks...

.. this evening I've reached audio nirvana. As most of you know, this state is not the result of piling up tens of thousands of hard earned $. It is the resulting vector of synergy. After cooking my new GCC-250 for 3 weeks, nonstop music 24/24, swapping cables, voodooing with snail plates and more than I'm likely to reveal (because I'd have to shoot you), now everything has a home. Every note, every voice, every instrument is where it belongs, playing as strong or as soft as it should. No matter what I play, they are in my listening room, I can distinctly hear them breathing and if a performer scratches his head between two notes, the sound of falling hair hitting the ground is there. I really can't imagine which gods played dice in order to make this happen, but they rolled a double six for sure. I'm speechless - been listening for 4 hours now and just wanted to shout this experience out to people that can get it - you.

PS: Music I've listened to includes:

Cesaria Evora - Cafe Atlantico
Paolo Conte - Best Of
Cassandra Wilson - New Moon Daughter
Julieta Venegas - Limon y Sal
CArla Bruni - Quelqu'un M'a Dit (3 times in a row, the whole f.. CD)
Diana Krall - The Look Of Love
Lisa Ono - Rio Bossa
Loreena McKennitt - The Book Of Secrets
Zamfir - Baroque Concertos (philips 420 938-2) highly recommended
and of course my most precious CD: MFSL JS-1A Jazz Sampler Gold Disc...

 

[Joey_V]

My friend,

You are in a place where most of us (if not all of us) would love to be in. Nirvana.

It has happened for me a few times already... but I always end up moving the bar forward again and again. Congrats on the setup, Lugano!

Joey

 

[lugano]

It has happened for me a few times already... but I always end up moving the bar forward again and again.
Joey

Joey, I'm at a point at which I'm ready to pay thousands if you can guarantee me that everything will stay the same for the next years. I don't want more than this. Now, if you also happen to sell *time*, like "time to enjoy what you have", I'm a buyer, too...

 

[Cherian]

Lugano, nice!!! “If we don’t take the time how can we ever have the time.”

 

[ralflar]

Lugano, you have a gorgeus setup.

And that must be an Aurex tape deck at the top of your left rack! The only one I have seen in over 15 years - except for the one sitting on my shelf. Are you still using it?

 

[lugano]

And that must be an Aurex tape deck at the top of your left rack! The only one I have seen in over 15 years - except for the one sitting on my shelf.

You just made my day with this one !!!

gimme five

it's fully working, yes ! Got tapes from my childhood on it, Boney M, Abba, etc The Aurex tape deck was freakin' quoted in the '80s and I remember how much I've spent to buy it...I was like Joey during that period.. a secret tip, my God, sometimes when Google returns under 10 search results ("aurex pcx 88ad") one really feels old - or should I say wise ??

 

[ralflar]

High Five, wise man!

One uncle had a HiFi shop so my parents got the Aurex for invoice. About 10 years later I got the tape deck, they got my CD player, I bought a new player . I remember the quotes saying that this deck's Adres noise reduction was very close to Nakamichi's Hicom, and better than licensees' Hicom implementations of the time which were twice as expensive. Do you remember what Adres stood for?