Sold off and planning next move

Ok, sold off my Summits, AR Ref 3, and AR Ref 110 without losing a dime. Now contemplating my next move. I have 4 options:


1. Continue to build to my final state stereo system with Lampi Big 7 -> Nat Audio amp -> Analysis Audio/Soundlabs or the Tune Audio Animas. Soundlabs or Animas would be long term, in which case short term I will have to get a cheaper full range stat like Audio Exklusiv

2. Build towards a Datasat RS20i with Dirac and Auro 3d, no dac and pre, and feed into a massive multichannel system. Do I do this with Stats or Vandersteen boxes.

3. Do a 5.1 Electrostat multichannel for Mch Classical SACDs with an HTPC with Dirac feeding a multichannel dac like the exasound e28 straight to a Mch power amp. Cheap, simple, high quality, but needs more space, which I will hopefully have in a couple of years. This can eventually lead to 2 above.

4. Since I am in Central London and averaging 1 concert a week at the Barbican/Wigmore Hall/Festival hall etc, quit audiophilia, get the new Linn Akubarik Exakt (which is surprisingly good and looks good) for the the once a week at home music listening, give up on optimizing and get more music live. Problem is, though this is the most practically appealing, after some time here I will again head back to 1, 2, and 3 given that I am crazy

Next few months will tell. Have a 5.1 Quad demo this Sunday, the guy has been going to concerts for 50 years and loves his Mch Classical. Will do a couple of Logan Mch in the US, have a Soundlabs demo in December. Will check out a couple more horns.

If I go Mch Stats, I would have made a mistake selling the Summits.

bonzo,

Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.

I wish you luck on your new venture but must state the obvious.

Only you can decide what to do moving forward.

Best,

Gordon aka the dude abides

Too many choices. So much money to waste. Like Gordon said... :cheers:

P.S. Go back to an inexpensive dedicated 2 channel setup until you work out what direction you want to go. How about a pair of the smaller ML stats (Theos, EFXs?) which could form your rears in a topline ML system later (CLXs).

Hey, check out the Vandersteen Model 1Ci. I know it's not an ML product, but they sound great.

I need to know the direction, then I can start with a relatively inexpensive set up. I don't need a system in the meantime. I am going to concerts once a week, work 5 days a week, gym 4 days a week, manage a girlfriend the weekends (luckily she loves music and concerts too).

So I first need to know if I am going multichannel or not. I will find out by Feb or March. I am also trying to separate music from audiophilia. I can scratch the itch by demoing intensively, and can get my music from live concerts and a normal system.

I am now relatively relaxed about dacs, preamps, amps, isolation and cables. A couple of speakers like Soundlabs to go, then some multichannel. The key thing that will keep me in is I know nothing about room correction and that will be a long journey. So might have to postpone Linn and get an HTPC with Dirac and play around with curves at some point.

bonzo said:

I am now relatively relaxed about dacs, preamps, amps, isolation and cables.

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NO! You didn't sell your Shun Mooks, surely!

If you're trying to separate music from audiophila, you're headed in the right direction. I'm sure that when you attend concerts you don't listen critically. I used to be an audiophile, but then I never relaxed and enjoyed the music; now I do - no more head-in-a-vise listening for me.

BTW, I envy your living in London, for the variety of music atists you get there. But then....I'd rather live in Vienna.

Sounds like you have more decisions to make than I do... Good luck my friend.

No, I still have the Mooks. I will always keep them for as many electronic components as I have (so if I go Linn, I will only need one set).

When I say I am relaxed about isolation, I mean I am at peace with it and have no interest in further demos and won't change it now. Nothing out there comes remotely close. For cables I will have upgrades over stock cables, broad gauge, shielded, with good connectors. That's it. And maybe wrap Mook cable wraps around them if I can find a good used set

Bernard said:

NO! You didn't sell your Shun Mooks, surely!

If you're trying to separate music from audiophila, you're headed in the right direction. I'm sure that when you attend concerts you don't listen critically. I used to be an audiophile, but then I never relaxed and enjoyed the music; now I do - no more head-in-a-vise listening for me.

BTW, I envy your living in London, for the variety of music atists you get there. But then....I'd rather live in Vienna.

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Joey_V said:

Sounds like you have more decisions to make than I do... Good luck my friend.

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Not more decisions to make, Joey, but more areas to explore. I think once I do the auditions well, decisions should be easy, except for the Linn one (which closes off further auditions and changes)

Option 5: G.I.P Laboratory. You forget even the little 225 kills 99% of all known speakers dead.

Option 6: Something from Kenrick Sound. A veritable wealth of awesomeness. Search for Rey Audio at the link I provided. Me likey. Though their demo room is super-compromised I think.

Option 7: get Jon to build you an above commercial standard pair of planar magnetics. Or get Graz to. Then wait. Graz will be quicker but cost a lot more for something truly off the scale good.

Those options are still in option 1 category, the Option 7 especially and is the usual stereo thing.

Problem is, 2, 3, 4 require a new direction

Joey_V said:

Sounds like you have more decisions to make than I do... Good luck my friend.

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Glad I don't have those decisions to make.