Lot to unpack - my personal MSI laptop in my office (desktop app) is now set to Master (the best audio experience) after downloading a new TIDAL exe file. Before that, my TIDAL streaming page would show HiFi, Master not selectable. However, the MSI laptop is connected to my Bose “SoundDock” system through Bluetooth. It’s not my music room system; yet, important because I listen to that system in the morning while I work from home. In the afternoon, I take my work laptop to my music room and work from there listening to music from my audiophile system controlled by my iPAD. I stream music from my wireless router (CAT7) from the great room to the music room, using a PS Audio DS DAC. I use Mconnect player app on iPAD, streaming TIDAL; showing HiFi/Master streaming selected on the streaming page. The Mconnect player indicates MQA streaming when playing an MQA song. The PSA DS DAC has “red cloud” firmware loaded and indicates MQA on the display in small capital letters at the top of the display. In addition it has the correct rate & bit indicated in the display. The only downside now is the iPAD III not being able to show all the MQA albums like the new TIDAL desktop app will do. However, it will play any MQA song that is shown in the desktop app, just have to do a search on that album using the iPAD III. Next step is waiting till October and seeing if the qobuz is better with iPAD III and Mconnect. At present, Mconnect supports it, just weird trial membership a month ago… will check that again in October. Thanks everyone for your help.
Awesome set up cardri! How are the sonus speakers? I always had a love for smaller sized speakers (although they are not really that small with stands) - they “disappear” much easier when you start
playing. I bought some Mission 780SE small speakers way back, although in a different league from yours, it was probably the most fun speakers I had.
bjorna - I’ve owned floor standing KEF Reference II; Vanderstien, B&W, Bose 901… Those speakers are not even in the same ball park. These SF Guareni evolution speakers are simply amazing speakers. In addition, I wanted my system to have zero deficiencies (within reason). Understand, there are better systems. Therefore, I used CAT7 with Talegartner connections; all Nordost cabling; all PSA gear w/ P20 regenerator and AC12 cabling for every component. I set my PSA DAC to 80 max (so I don’t do something stupid), and I have yet to hear distortion. Listening to Andre Bocelli at 80 setting is like I was at the concert. These speakers are very open, incredible 3D imaging, zero ear fatigue. Low end w/ ASC isothermal bass traps & diffusers is so very tight. My music room is 13ft wide, 22ft long, and 10ft high. A small room requires acoustic treatment; absorbing some of the first 3 octaves. I believe a set of floor standing speakers would have overpowered the room. These very large bookshelf speakers w/ stealth port in rear are just amazing. None of the ported drama seen by ported bookshelf speakers. With stands they weigh over 100lbs each. The attention to detail and craftsmanship blew me away. They are like very high end furniture pieces; but unbelievable sound. The older Guareni model (evolution) speakers are the ticket. I love this new SF/PSA/Nordost system and setting it up properly w/ CAT7 and attention to installation has me streaming constantly. I was going to buy a Basis 2500 table (rack’s top shelf open) and after 3 months of listening to CD/SACD/streaming (just CD quality); I’m not going the turntable route. I don’t see the point. Unless, when I retire and have a huge amount of free time to dedicate to the LP drama, cause it is “cool”… I use to own a Trans Audio turntable w/ Threshold electronics & KEF reference II speakers. That system was not even in the same zip code. All I want to do is listen to music all day. Working from home, I can’t wait to listen to music in the afternoon. I create play lists in the morning w/ TIDAL desktop in my office and critique the lists in the afternoon. With TIDAL I now have access to >50M songs so this time around it is about the music and so much content to review. In three months my jazz portfolio doubled. I now sit with my laptop in the music room and research jazz musicians as I am listening to jazz. I don’t have to spend huge time socializing in order to broaden my music content and understanding. The only down side to the new system is understanding just how bad music is recorded. I was listening to a Queen CD (regular) and it was amazing. No SACD, MQA… amazing. It got me digesting every Queen peice of music because recording engineer spent the time and money to properly record. I have also bought SACDs that sound so bad… Revealing systems reveal… like Paul says, you have to ask yourself if that is what you really want. To me, I will deal with the 50% OK recorded, 35% bad, and 15% amazing…
I love “bookshelf” speakers! Amazing setup you have! Thank you for sharing. I was contemplating BW 805s but I eventually went with something totally different; electrostats. I love the look of those Guarenis and I am sure they sound amazing!
I just got some Marin Logan 11a driven mostly by PS Audio equipment, powered by McIntosh 275 amp. I see you have a lot of Nordost. I was recommended to get Heimdall 2 speaker cables, but I am not happy with them in my setup since the mid-upper range information seems to be pretty much lacking, and they are a bit on the dark side. I only had them for a week though, so I am pretty sure they are not burnt in yet. Have you had any experience with those (Heimdall2)? I have been contemplating Audience speaker cables and interconnects.
The curse of high-end systems are really recording and the quality of them. Can be very disappointing, but very fun when you get high quality material.
bjornar - I went Nordost: I started looking at Heimdall interconnects. I was then told to go the next step and bought Tyr2 speaker cables, Valhalla 2 HDMI, Valhalla 2 XLR. When all my interconnects cost the price of a new car, you have to ask yourself, are they worth it. I felt this was the best I could afford and then scraped up more money going from Heimdall to Tyr2. I was into stereos 35 years ago (sold it when got married 30 years ago); just got back into them this year. At my age, I can afford pretty much any peice of equipment; so, you take a chance on equipment. A lot of stereo equipment is experiential. I love Nordost cables, some think they are not that good. I have nothing to compare them against, yet. Stereo is about listening and if you love the sound of a peice of equipment, stay with that peice/brand of equipment. I have built my stereo in middle May, 2018 and use it about 10 hrs a day. I’d say it is broken in; however, I’m still using the stock BHK250 tubes and yet to install the “golden tubes”. I like to take my time with things and really analyze decisions. Being an EE design engineer, I’m very patient and analytical with decisions. I could have went a different route with speakers and would have been just as happy. The speakers are the system. When you buy them you really need to understand the criteria used to buy them. What sound do you like? Do you like revealing or forgiving speakers. Electrostatic speakers are amazing and friends own them. What I am most impressed with on the PSA equipment is that I don’t need to go out and spend tons of money on content. A regular CD sounds amazing. A regular FLAC song sounds amazing. So, now it is about listening more than analyzing the equipment and content. This phase of my re-birth into 2 channel is about really enjoying content, not chasing the better peice of equipment.
bjornar - This is the block diagram I arrived at in April; then installed the system. Each of the (3) CAT 7 runs are 100ft going from great room to music room. The electrician installed the (3) runs and I connected the Telegartner RJ45 connections shown in block diagram.
Well you really went about building your system methodically! I am absolutely sure it sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing! I am yet to do much work into the network but it is nice to have some reference points to look at.
I have always been into audio really, but getting into the system building is a bit of a merry-go-round and takes a lot of time, space and money. Not all points of life where that is possible or sensible.
I am pretty much all into most music. I guess I listen to more older music though, from early 90s and down. You sure seem to love your jazz, and I would probably say that is one of the genres I listen the least to. Though I think a lot of people into high-end audio are into jazz? I do enjoy a revealing system where you can dig into the music, and with electrostats I understand it can be too revealing though for some music. And with my liking for rock music they can be a bit gentle, but I live in an apartment so they are not too loud which suits me perfectly.
Our systems are fairly similar (apart from speakers, and interconnects) since we are both into PS Audio. Though I have the PS Audio preamp - I always felt the DAC’s from PS Audio needed a preamp in my systems even when Mr McGowan was very much against them!
I need to look a bit more into interconnects/cabling, and then I should be set for a while!
Anyway, I am heading off to Northern Ireland for a week so we can perhaps continue sharing experiences later as well! Thanks for your replies and your thoughtful posts! Enjoy the music!
