System #95 (ReQuest originally, then CLS IIz , now YG Acoustic Carmel's)

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Tim,

Pity that HDCD didn't penetrate the market as it should have.

I agree that they do sound better than their red book brothers and can give serious competition to SACD's, depending on the particular disc.

Hope all is well and you are keeping your sanity with your new position.

Looking forward to seeing you again at RMAF 2010.

Gordon
 
I've had a lot going on, so I've kind of been a lurker for awhile.

Gordon, I agree on the HDCD front. Great format that always seems to sound very natural and more like real music to my ears. Every now and again I'll pop something in that is encoded in HDCD with absolutely no indication on the case or liner notes. Go figure. Looking forward to seeing you at RMAF this fall as well sir - only about 6 months to go!

MIGURA786 - At some point I will do something with room treatments, I've just never gotten there yet. Eventually I'll build my dedicated room and at that point I'll just consider treatments as a part of the design from the ground up.
 
Just updating this thread with a few images I captured today with a new camera I picked up in anticipation of the 2011 RMAF next week...
 

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What camera is it, Tim? Keep it nice & warm for the show:) Wish I could be there - but hey, Munich was cool and you can't do them all:D
 
What camera is it, Tim? Keep it nice & warm for the show:) Wish I could be there - but hey, Munich was cool and you can't do them all:D

It's the new Sony Nex 5N Justin. Still getting the hang of it, but I think I'm really going to like it once I have a chance to play with it. It's a Micro 4/3, but it's got a great 16.1MP sensor and even the kit lenses that came with it seem pretty good. I need to spend some more time with the software; never managed RAW files before. Still, unmanipulated JPEG's right out of the box don't look too bad though. Should be fun to use it at the show!
 

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System Update - sort of...

A little bit of a system update (sort of). We moved my wife's laptop up to our loft as it gives her a nice place to study. Since I run a Sonos system throughout the house I used it as an opportunity to add a Mac Mini in the music room with the goal of continuing to build my digital library and eventually add some high rez download (hence my curiosity recently about Adam and Roberto's addition of the M-Dac to their systems). The Mac is a little bit of a hot rod running a 2.6GHz Quad core processor with 16GB of RAM and both both solid state and 2TB hard drives. I also added a 2TB Time Capsule.

Next up is likely one of the Pure Music packages and a good asynchronous USB DAC.

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New DAC!

Following on to the post above, I recently added an Audiolab M-DAC. It's very difficult for me to give up my trusty Dodson Audio DA-217 that's served me so well all these years, but the combination of the USB input and ability to pass Hi-Rez files has convinced me to keep the little Audiolab and move forward into full on computer based audio. I've also added the Channel D Pure Music software and the combo has swayed me to the point where I'm not looking back. I've been doing a lot of downloading from the likes of HD Tracks, Blue Coast and Linn...
 

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The Audiolab looks nice in black, Tim. Enjoy. Does it sound better than the Dodson? Or just different?
 
The Audiolab looks nice in black, Tim. Enjoy. Does it sound better than the Dodson? Or just different?

I'm still fleshing that out Justin. I'm inclined to say "different" so far. The Audiolab certainly handles hi-rez material that the Dodson couldn't, and I'm enjoying not spinning physical media (other than vinyl). The Audiolab might have a slight edge in dynamics, but I think the Dodson has a mid-range liquidity that the Audiolab lacks. The soundstage on the Dodson seems slightly deeper and wider as well. I've got the Dodson for sale, but if it doesn't move I'm not going to be upset about it. The Dodson is a sweet sounding piece of gear.
 
I'm still fleshing that out Justin. I'm inclined to say "different" so far. The Audiolab certainly handles hi-rez material that the Dodson couldn't, and I'm enjoying not spinning physical media (other than vinyl). The Audiolab might have a slight edge in dynamics, but I think the Dodson has a mid-range liquidity that the Audiolab lacks. The soundstage on the Dodson seems slightly deeper and wider as well. I've got the Dodson for sale, but if it doesn't move I'm not going to be upset about it. The Dodson is a sweet sounding piece of gear.

Awesome system Tim, use the Optimal Spectrum filter for huge soundstage. Use also, just a piano, or solo instrument. Happy listening!
 
Very Nice!

Member Name: Tim Bingaman

Location: Thornton, Colorado

ML Model: CLS IIz

Year Purchased: 2008 (used)

Mods/Changes - None, actually I stuck some pavers on the top of the transformer box's

Associated Electronics:

Analog Front Ends - Grado Reference cartridge, VPI JMW 10.5 tonearm, VPI Aries turntable, VPI SDS Motor Controller, Aesthetix Rhea phono stage, Living Voice Mystic Mat; Vintage Marantz Model 125 Tuner

Digital Front Ends - Esoteric DV-50S Universal Player, Sonos ZP-90 (3 zones), Mac Mini feeding an Audiolab M-DAC

Pre-Amp - Balanced Audio Technology VK-31SE

Power Amp - Balanced Audio Technology VK-6200

Subwoofer - REL Stadium II

Cables - All Synergistic Research Designers Ref or Resolution Ref (mostly X2) with Active Shielding, several mini power couplers and Master Control Center

Power Filtering - PS Audio P600 & several 20 amp Ultimate Outlets

Accessories - Bright Star Audio Big Rock Aries base with 50 lbs. of sand, Bright Star Little Rock on top of DAC, Mixed sets of Black Diamond Racing cones and thick pucks under Phono Stage, SACD Player, CD Transport and Pre-Amp, custom stainless steel cones under DAC, Townshend Audio Seismic Sink under CD Transport, Salamander Racks, SolidSteel Amp Stand, Musical Fidelity X-Cans and X-PSU headphone amp, Sennheiser HD580 headphones, ceramic cable elevators, VPI 16.5 record cleaning machine, duct tape and bailing wire.

Room Size 12' x 14' with a 9' ceiling

Comments or Stories - I had my system listed on the old website, but both it and I have been through many changes since then. My wife and I built a new house and moved in after many months. The room the system is housed in is a bit small, but at least it's a dedicated space. Eventually I will build a full blown Audio and Video room in the basement, but this works well for now. I'm enjoying the virtues of nearfield listening!

My first set of Martin Logans was a pair of used Sequel's. I'd always been enamored of planar type speakers, starting with Apogies and Magnapans, but when I had an opportunity to get the Sequel's I didn't hesitate. A few years later I picked up the ReQuests when they were first coming out and I enjoyed them for a very long time. While I enjoy the superb dynamics and bass attack of the Summits, I really felt like the midrange of my ReQuests was more magical than any of the other Logans. - although I haven't heard the Statement E2's or at that time, a properly set up set of CLS's.

In 2007 I had the opportunity to travel to Italy and Switzerland for my job, and in the process I was able to meet with one of our fellow Martin Logan owners Radu (Lugano). This meeting was magical for me on many levels. I got to visit a beautiful place, make a new friend, and finally listen to the CLS speaker in a setting that did it justice. I left Switzerland with fond memories and a burning desire to own the CLs's for myself. Almost a year later, after monitoring the 'Gon and other sites, I finally was able to lay my hands upon a minty set of CLS IIz's, and I couldn't be happier.

I listen to pretty much all kinds of music, but have an affinity for Classical, 50's & 60's era Jazz, most Rock and Alternative. I'd say about 70% of my listening is from vinyl. I worked in a record store for about 10 years part time and took my wages out in music, so I've collected about 6000 albums and 3500 CD's over time. I've also picked up about 400 SACD's over the past few years. It all sounds great through Martin Logans!

Shots of the new CLS based version of the system as well as the old ReQuest based system shown below, with further shots of upgrades appearing throught out the thread...
 
Lots of Changes!

It's been a long time since I've updated my system and it's really in a state of flux. Let me start by saying that I HAVE NOT gotten rid of my beloved CLS IIz's, but they are in storage right now. We're doing a lot of work around the house, including finishing the basement - which will finally include a dedicated music room.

But, a guy can't live without his music, so even though the main system was taken down, it made me re-evaluate what I wanted out of it and where I wanted to take it. I haven't listened to anything other than vinyl or music I've ripped onto my Mac Mini or Hi-Rez downloads in a very long time, probably 2 years or more. So even though I took the big rig down I still have tunes in the office, and started selling off some equipment, while buying other things and developing the "new" system.

Gone are my old Dodson DAC, as is the Audiolab M-DAC. So too the Balanced Audio Technology VK31-SE and VK-6200. I needed a DAC that would decode all of my Hi-Rez files, and I wanted a system with a smaller footprint overall. I added a pair of the rather stunning sounding KEF LS-50's, and in the interim a Peachtree Audio Grand Integrated. After that I added the AURALiC Vega DAC, and just last week the AURALiC Taurus Pre. I have to say that this combo has given me a whole new insite on detail retrieval and dynamics. Next step is to replace the Peachtree with a pair of the AURALiC Merak mono blocks as well as the AURALiC Aries streamer for a full complement of all AURALiC electronics.

Once the basement is finished they will all move downstairs into their new home and the CLS's along with the vinyl front end will come out of storage.

Stay tuned...

In the meantime, a few updated pics of the new equipment in the repurposed office space.
 

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Glad to hear your making headway on your basement project Tim !
 
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Electronics Update Complete!

The update on my system Electronics is now complete with the addition of a pair of the AURALiC Merak Monoblock amplifiers. These are a very sophisticated Hybrid Analog (Class D/Class A) design outputting 200W in 8 ohms and 400W into 4 ohms. I was initially intrigued by a great review out on 6 Moons and they recently got a similar rave in HiFi+. The synergy between all of the components being from a single brand is another plus. After almost 300 hours of run in they sound great on the KEF LS-50's, but I also had them briefly running my CLS IIz's pulled from storage and I was quite impressed. Progress on the room is slow as we've been spending a lot of time at our property in the mountains, but still a goal to complete this year or early next.
 

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