System #158 (Sequel)

1. Member Name: Richard C.

2. Location: Washington, NC
3. ML Model(s): Mains: Sequels (original)
Center: Logos
Rears: Scenarios

4. Year Purchased: 1993 (Sequels), 2007 (Logos, Scenarios)

5. Mods/Changes: Hospital-grade power cords for three front speakers, RA Research Labs cones under Carver pre, Oppo & DAC; Isopod ceramic cones under Carver amps and Krell pre; 30lb. isolation blocks under amps on OrgeonDV 2.15" cones, custom-made isolation self under turntable; 5lb custom-made mass-dampers on top of all solid state components; 20lb mass dampers on electronics boxes of Sequels, OregonDV 1.5" cones under Sequels.

6. Associated Electronics: Krell KAV-300i (as preamp), Carver C-4000t preamp (as phono pre), Pair of Carver Silver 7t monoblocks, 2 Carver M-500t amps (One driving Logos, RT channel only, one currently out of commission), Benchmark DAC1-USB, OPPO DV-981HD 1080p Universal DVD/CD Player (used as a CD transport feeding the Benchmark), Sony NS3100es DVD player, Sony STR-DG600 Receiver (using as surround processor), Technics SL-1350 turntable with Sumiko Blue Point cartridge, Velodyne F-1500b Subwoofer; Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables, White Zombie Audio Pure Silver interconnects, Monster Interconnect 400, Nordost Blue Heaven Interconnect, White Zombie Audio pure silver Digital Interconnect (as Coax digital link between Oppo & DAC), Black Mountain Pinnacle Silver interconnects (5m) between pre and monoblocks, AKG K701 Headphones, Toshiba Regza 42LX177 LCD TV

7. Comments and/or stories about your Martin Logan experience: I fell in love with the Martin Logans the first time I heard them in 1991, and finally found a used pair which I bought from a retired (Army) rocket scientist in VA who was driving them with a Spectral amp and a McIntosh Pre and CD player. I've had a lot of different gear over the years, most of which I sold off about 5 years ago when I was unemployed for an extended period (18 months). I kept the Sequels though! Now I'm re-building my system, slowly but surely...

Richard, welcome ! Good to hear your on the road to recovery and rebuilding. Keep your eye on "Joey's" posts for he tends to upgrade on a monthy basis !!! and you be interested in what he 's selling off !!

Super ML Sequel System...

Richard,

So this is your beautiful system. I like your Sequel's with the new SL3 panels... Your Carver electronic gear Rocks! I noticed two grey round devices on the floor next to your Sequel's, what are those devices for?

Wonderful set-up, Richard...

Awesome to see another Sequel system in the forum. Love the gear as well. I'm a big fan of Carver equipment.


Robin: Those are ceramic "cable risers" to keep the cables off of the floor.

Ceramic Cable Risers...

Beat_Dominator said:

Awesome to see another Sequel system in the forum. Love the gear as well. I'm a big fan of Carver equipment.


Robin: Those are ceramic "cable risers" to keep the cables off of the floor.

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Beat_Dominator,

Facsinating..., and interesting as well.

Thanks

Robin,

If you'll look in the "tweeks" section, I have a post on the "cable elevators" thread, which has some close-ups, and an explanation.

I'm a notorious cheapskate, and since my father worked for the Bell System, I recognized these latest Overpriced Audiophile Ripoffs for what they really were--old telegraph line insulators. A quick trip to ebay, and I now have more than I can use, for a song! Hey, I didn't say they don't work, only that the current "dealer price" is criminal.

PS: those fat braided speaker cables are home-made by me as well...

Shelving is Ikea.

Amps and pre are also perched on trios of cool gloss black ceramic cones made by the now-defunct Canadian company called Isopod. Man, I wish I'd bought more than three sets of them back in the day. Best upgrade I ever made to my system (next to the bag-full of Michael Green Room Tune pillows I got for 80% off at a closeout)...

--Richard

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Paying Retail is Physically Painful For Me...
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Robin said:

I like your Sequel's with the new SL3 panels...

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Hmmm... Wonder when that happened.

I bought them from the original owner in '92 or '93 (before the SL3 came out) and I haven't upgraded or modded them since. I think perhaps you are mistaken about those panels.

Robin said:

Your Carver electronic gear Rocks!

Click to expand...

Thank you. If you think it looks cool, you ought to HEAR it. Yummy...

Robin said:

Wonderful set-up, Richard...

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Thanks. Coming from the folks on this august list, that is QUITE a compliment. Please excuse the mess and clutter in my pics--I'm still in te process of moving the gear in and getting it properly set up. Hopefully, in the next month or so, things will be tidy and pretty for pics...

--Richard C.

Oh, yeah, one more thing... Compared to most of the other systems I've seen on here, mine is like a Walkman. I'm SOOOOO envious of those folks with the TUBES.

I'm So very humbled by the systems I'm seing on here, and I realise now that the fact that I even OWN a pair of Sequels is either a minor miracle, or a tremendous testament to my good luck and scrounging abilities, considering my meager income (graphic designer and "artsy" printer).

Maybe someday I'll stumble across a deal on an old Silver Seven set and a dusty old pair of Statements.

Ever the Dreamer...

--Richard C.

Dreamer said:

Maybe someday I'll stumble across a deal on an old Silver Seven set and a dusty old pair of Statements.

--Richard C.

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Richard,

I love the Carver equipment. I'm a Carver fan from way back....I still have boxes of old carver stuff in the garage, waiting for my office system to get set up. I'm waiting to get a hold of an M400T to power it.

Anyway, nice system. Definately hold on to that Carver stuff, it never will go bad and will always challenge the sound quality of newer components.


Dan

Richard,

Like the pic of your system!

Glad you are back employed. If I lost my job for 18 months, I'd have to move FOR SURE! Might get to keep most of the system though, I would keep as many of the ML's as I could FOR SURE!

Your system is sweet, simple, to the point, and probably sounds better than 99% of what the rest of the WORLD listens too! You needn't be to envious of those of us who have spent more...as I have said to another person recently, it is NOT how much you spend but how much JOY your system brings you that makes you an audio (or video) phile!

All the best to you and welcome!

Sorry...

Dreamer said:

Hmmm... Wonder when that happened.

I bought them from the original owner in '92 or '93 (before the SL3 came out) and I haven't upgraded or modded them since. I think perhaps you are mistaken about those panels.

Click to expand...

Richard,

Sorry about that I confused your Sequels with another members pair I recently had been discussing. My mistake, please forgive me.

Thank you for the great information regarding the telegraph line insolators. I will difinitely check-out the other thread and will be aquiring some of those soon.

Thanks again...

Small update:

I recently got a Martin Logan Logos center speaker, and a new Oppo DV-981HD DVD/Universal CD player. Both sound very nice, but I'm not running th eCenter speaker yet, because I'm still looking for a surround processor I can 1) live with, sound-quality wise, and 2) afford. (I'm looking at used Classe, and Lexicon rigs, mostly, but will probably go with the Classe, because I've heard sso many good things about it, AND it has 5.1 inputs, so I can hook the Oppo up to it directly).

I'm trying to arrange a time to drive down to central VA and pick up a pair of Stylos sometime this month, and then I'll have a fully ML 5-channel system. and I'm trying to nail another Carver M-500t for the center speaker, and either an M-1.0, M-400t, or TFM-15 for the rears.

Probably going to go with a Sunfire subwoofer though. I know some of you folks LOVE the ML subs, but I've heard them, and the only one I think compares with the Sunfire is the Decent, and I just can't afford on of those new.

But honestly, the Sub is WAY down on my "gotta have" list. I've got to get my analogue setup re-tooled. I'm finding that my old Technics SL-1250, although a solid and clean-sounding table, is just not realy up to the task of fronting the Carver/ML system. Still not sure what I want, but it will probably be Clearaudio, Rega, or a used Maplenoll air-bearing rig (if I can find one). Or maybe I'll pull that old QRK broadcast table out of storage and rebild it into a "tweakers nightmare" of some sort...

Anyway, I'll post updated pics soon.

--Richard

Hi Richard,

I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of your new 5.1ch system.
I bet you would be able to enjoy the rearrangement very much from your heart!

Shuji

Richard,

Sounds like it is coming together for you again! That is great man! Logos are neat center channel speakers and will go well with all of the rest of your gear. I do love my Descent sub and I think you would like them too, I have seen them on the 'Gon and Ebay for as little as $1300! That is a BARGIN! They are indeed great subs, they are VERY MUSICAL (though maybe not quite as much so as an REL maybe) and they can MOVE SOME AIR for big HT scenes too!

Congrats and good luck getting everything set up and amped up! I do like my Rotel gear the 1068 are pretty dang affordable too and most do have the 5.1 channel inputs on them these days. Check into a 1068 or maybe even a 1066 Rotel and see if they will do you, I bet you could get one for under or right at $1k! I have the Rotel RSP 1098 and LOVE IT!

Dreamer said:

I'm trying to arrange a time to drive down to central VA and pick up a pair of Stylos sometime this month, and then I'll have a fully ML 5-channel system. and I'm trying to nail another Carver M-500t for the center speaker, and either an M-1.0, M-400t, or TFM-15 for the rears.

Click to expand...

I'd deffinately try to get the TFM-15, or M-400t. The TFM amps have a build quality that was a definate step up from earlier Carver gear

Just picked up a pair of Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables from a local forum member. I'm going to plug them in this evening, and let them "burn in" with my system for a day or so, then I'll let everyone know how they sound...

Joey-itis has DEFINITELY struck the Dreamer household...

--Richard

Dreamer said:

Just picked up a pair of Nordost Solar Wind speaker cables from a local forum member. I'm going to plug them in this evening, and let them "burn in" with my system for a day or so, then I'll let everyone know how they sound...

Joey-itis has DEFINITELY struck the Dreamer household...

--Richard

Click to expand...

I saw those listed...seemed like a very good deal for a Nordost cable and they were quite long too! Very nice buy I think. I am anxious to see if you think they sound any different...personally I don't think I can tell a difference among cables...

Pcar928fan said:

I saw those listed...seemed like a very good deal for a Nordost cable and they were quite long too! Very nice buy I think. I am anxious to see if you think they sound any different...personally I don't think I can tell a difference among cables...

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Unfortunately, I am one of those people who CAN tell a difference between cables--this is a problem that has plagued me from the beginning. I actually used to insist that the interconnects we made in the college radio station where I went to school be soldered with silver-bearing solder because it sounded better. Some of the other radio kids thought I was nuts until the station manager (who was blind since birth and had incredibly acute hearing) agreed with me...

Anyway, These Nordosts sound VERY nice. Hard to describe, but they are just more THERE. Almost like they sound "faster" or something. Mids and highs seem a little bit smoother and natural, but the biggest differences are in the bass, which has tightened up noticeably. Perhaps there is a little more "air", and the soundstage is a little more precisely defined. It's only been about a week, and I'm still getting things dialed in with the rest of the system.

And now I find I'm going to have to relinquish my dedicated listening room for one of our daughters who has moved back. So it's off to the MAster bedroom with my gear for now, which IS a bigger room, but it's got a bed and several dressers in it.

Oh well. I'll just have to MAKE it work, I suppose...

--Richard

Dreamer said:

And now I find I'm going to have to relinquish my dedicated listening room for one of our daughters who has moved back. So it's off to the MAster bedroom with my gear for now, which IS a bigger room, but it's got a bed and several dressers in it.

Oh well. I'll just have to MAKE it work, I suppose...

Click to expand...

After college my folks gave me till the end of summer to find a job and move out... well, MOVE OUT anyway, the job part was up to me if I wanted to actually have a roof over my head I guess! LOL! Got me off my butt and into the work force, probably was the best thing they could have done for me.

Best of luck w/ the master bedroom! Maybe you will get your listening room back sooner rather than later!

Just moved the system into the living room. (had to give up my dedicated listening room for a "returned-to-the-nester") I've still got to figure out how I'm going to integrate the TV into all this, but I think I've got that figured out. I think this looks a LOT cleaner than the old setup, and the room is about 2.5 times as big, so believe me, the ol' Sequels sound a LOT better. The boominess is gone from the bass, and the soundstage is a lot more in-focus and ambient.

Of course, it's all going to change this weekend, when I buy the stands and shelves I need to put the TV and my newly-aquired ML Logos Center speaker to the mix. I'll be sure to post new pics when it's all together.

--Richard