Threw this together just now out of stuff in my attic :)

Everything Else Systems
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Sometimes… ya wanna just do things simply and cheaply, and there is a certain joy in scrounging/improvising. So here it is:

PS Audio Elite Plus integrated, bought here dead for under $75 and repaired/reconditioned with new caps, etc

Sequerra Met 7 MK II’s, bought new from Dick himself for $350 back in about 1990 (I have new foam grilles coming in the mail)

Interconnects are Monster Reference A, Speaker cables are no-name 12AWG CL2

Server is my wife’s old Dell e6400 laptop running Win 8 and J River, DAC is an Audioquest Dragonfly (i also have an ifi nano iDSD, will try it with that too)

Tuner is a Dynaco FM5 modified by Frank Van Alstine, connected to a good attic antenna

The tube amp is my old Heathkit A7 that I’ve had since I was about 11 - strictly for decoration at the moment but it works fine

… and lastly, the object between the amp and speaker is quartz with dolomite from Cavnic, Rumania. Great for breaking up standing waves. :)

I will mount the Sequerras somewhere else at some point - this was a quick n’ dirty setup.

BTW the Elite is a great piece, I may try it as a preamp with my Berning ea-230’s. Sounds great, all controls work and are non-scratchy. Maybe I’ll spring for new knobs for it like the ones in the Sprout, and if I really want to live on the edge, I may go for some Home Depot extension cord as speaker cables. (I actually do have a spare set of Analysis Plus cables, but they are kinda long and stiff for this…)

Does it sound like my main rig? Nah. :) But somehow it satisfies me to no end!

office-stereo.jpg

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BTW… in case anybody wants to know… Dick wired the Met 7 MK II’s (and possibly subsequent versions as well) with Mogami Neglex 2534 as their internal cabling and swore by it as speaker cable. It can still be had for around $1/foot, and if you are feeling flush you can even use two runs for each speaker.

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Very cool. Nice nostalgic value.

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The Met 7’s btw are not to be sneezed at and are capable of delivering amazing sound, though obviously they are limited in the low end. But I could plug them right into my current main system and still be extremely happy.