Tampa Bay Circuit

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Craig's Equipment.

TBLS-Craig-07292007-a.jpg


TBLS-Craig-07292007-b.jpg


TBLS-Craig-07292007-c.jpg


TBLS-Craig-07292007-d.jpg
 
Last edited:
I must apologies that I forgot to take pictures of Alan's equipment. :bowdown: Alan, can you add some images of your equipment please.
 
Sorry folks... still haven't updated my system pics here, but I posted some a while back in the Audiocircle gallery...
http://www.audiocircle.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=1424

Even those pics are outdated, and I promise to get some updated one's here ASAP (after I get rid of my wall unit).

In the meantime, here's a closeup of one of my Bubinga Summits.
 

Attachments

  • Bubinga Finish (Small).JPG
    Bubinga Finish (Small).JPG
    46.7 KB · Views: 250
Tampa's got it going on.:drool: :wow: :drool:
Very impressive systems gentleman.:bowdown:
 
Alan, George and Craig sorry for the long delay in my impressions from the listening sessions. I have been in the deep weeds working for the last 2 weeks. So much so I haven't even had time to turn my equipment on since our trek around Tampa.

Thanks to all of you for your hospitality and being invited into your homes.

My first stop was Alan's. There was a clear improvement with the recent upgrades to his Belles and Modwright amps. The sound stage and center image was much stronger than when I listened to it previously.
Alan's down side right now as is mine, is having a large piece of furniture between our speakers. It makes imaging depth very limited.
With his plans for room and video display changes this year it should make a dramatic difference. I look forward to getting back to listen when the changes are made.

Next was Craig's. It seemed he had either equipment, cars or car parts around every corner.
He is further along with with his room acoustics than the rest of us and it was apparent with the depth and clarity of imaging from his Summits. I looked forward to hearing his new Wadia CDP as this is one of the pieces I have been thinking about. The Wadia combined with the Electrocompaniet amps was stunning with the depth of sound and imaging it created. The sound was very crisp, clean and engaging.
He then substituted the Art Audio tubes for the Electrocompaniets. At first listen I said I was not sure I could tell the difference between them. By the end the Art Audio did sound a bit more laid back and relaxed. I'm a tube fan so that would probably be my preference.
Craig's system is very well matched and sounded wonderful. The time he has spent fine tuning his system was evident.

The last stop was at George "The Bass Man's" home". First I must say that Pass Lab 350.5 is HUGE. I think my first comment walking in his listening room was holy cra* that thing is big.
The first thing that struck me listening to his system was I never imagined that much sound could come from his Aeons. The image produced was way larger than I would have ever expected. His Pass Lab pre/power combination was very power and sounded very precise and open. George appears to listen louder than some of us but even with the volume pulled back it lost none of its very impressive sound. If he upgrades his speakers as he was talking about and plays with some more room treatments I think George's and Craig's system will be on the same level.

For my listening taste at this point I still prefer my CLSIIzs and more laid back tube equipment with its wide image for mids, highs and vocals but until Alan and I conqure our respective entertainment center boxes between our speakers we won't be in the same league with Craig and George.

I look forward to listening to their systems as they progress with them.
 
Thanks for the nice perspective Brad.

BTW, I've finally taken the next step addressing room acoustics. My wife (reluctantly) agreed to let me replace our 3 year old wall unit with a low credenza cabinet, and wall-mounted (~50-55") LCD HDTV. For quite some time I've had my eye on a unique A/V cabinet from Crate & Barrel, their "Harmony" design, but hesitated buying it sight unseen. Fortunately, while in Atlanta this past week (and also getting a demo of JonFo's incredible setup), I was able to see the unit in person at a local C&B store. It's the perfect style, size (70"), and color (red-tinged walnut) to blend in with my family room Summit setup, and my wife gives it the thumbs up! As an added bonus, they now have a 30" companion cabinet, that (although only 16" deep), can accommodate additional components. Both units have open lattice fronts, allowing full ventilation, and unique back panels that pop right off for easy wire access. I pulled the trigger and ordered both pieces today (see pics). Will take 4-5 weeks for delivery, which gives me plenty of time to start researching the latest LCD HDTV's! :banana:
 

Attachments

  • Harmony 70 inch.jpg
    Harmony 70 inch.jpg
    9.4 KB · Views: 241
  • Harmony 30 inch.jpg
    Harmony 30 inch.jpg
    5.2 KB · Views: 237
Geez! You West Coast guys are having all of the fun!!

Where's the eastern Florida contingent???

Any interest in an Eastern Circuit??

Lemme know. I'm game! :D

Cheers,
Ray
 
WOW!!!

You guys have some amazing looking systems. I feel like an idiot that I didn't stumble across the forum a few years ago when I was in grad school in Florida. Geeze, I could have received another education in speakerology!!

Those are some fantastic pictures! I bet those setups sound as good as they look.

Erik
 
Man, you Tampa guys are realy setting standards for nice write-ups, great gear and superb pics. Wish I had been able to join the rounds with ya'll ;)
 
Craig, George, and myself had an impromptu listening session at Craig's today. I dropped by to try my Belles amp with his new Wadia 581i setup, and George happened to be over the same time dropping off his Aeon i's (making room for his newly acquired Ascents). We basically compared my Belles 350A Reference vs. Craig's Electrocompaniet monoblocks, and also compared some speaker cables and interconnects.

In a nutshell, Craig's Wadia/Electrocompaniet setup (with balanced interconnects) beat the Wadia/Belles setup (with RCA connections), primarily because of cleaner, more detailed bass, and a tad more precise imaging. Switching to Audience Au24 RCA interconnects brought out more detail and resolution with the Belles amp, but still not quite as detailed as Craig's balanced setup. We did NOT try RCA interconnects with the Wadia/Electrocompaniet, nor did we demo my tube-rectified Modwright, as we needed Balanced to RCA adaptors. I'm *hoping* the balanced connection was the reason for the improved sonics, but time will tell.

Regardless, all three of us agreed that various interconnect cable flavors CLEARLY make a difference, with the Audience clearly better than my default Blue Jeans Cable, and Craigs other inexpensive RCA pair (forgot the brand). We also prefered the Audience speaker cables over his Harmonic Tech hoses, but the difference was not as apparent as with the interconnects.

Since I'm about to totally reconfigure my listening room, I'm not gonna make any changes until the new furniture arrives, and I have time to tweak the system further. Given what I heard today, I'll likely upgrade to Audience Au24 speaker cables and interconnects as the next step, seeing how they sound with the Modwright. After that... all bets are off!
 
Last edited:
Guess I should have stopped in a little more often, seem to be missing all the Tampa action! I enjoy getting an education on different setups with ML speakers. Have heard Alan's and George's systems, but they seem to change on a weekly basis. Nice to see Alan discovering how nice tubes sound with stats. Since I have the CLS, I like to see someone else with in the area with these great speakers, even better with the tube equipment. Would like to compare the sound of Brad's system to mine, I'm always trying to find some way to improve the sound. Look forward to more info from you guys.
 
The transition has begun!

After Craigs 'bass whipping' yesterday :)D ), I awoke this morning as a man on a mission! I rallied the family, assigned everybody tasks, and after a few hours, we'd emptied and disassembled my audio-horrific wall unit, and moved it to another room. I've now got a VERY temporary room setup, pending arrival of my new furniture in a few weeks (with on-wall HDTV to follow). However, the mere removal of that monstrous wood and glass unit has already made a HUGE improvement in sonics (despite still having my 46" RPTV in the middle). My Summits are now about 70" apart (previously ~100"), with only slight toe-in, and panels about 4-1/2' from front wall. Imaging, midrange, and bass detail have improved immensely. Frankly, I didn't really expect THIS much improvement with that simple change, and can't wait to hear how things develop as the transition continues. I'll keep posting pics of my progress along the way. Watch out guys, I'm gaining fast on y'all!
 

Attachments

  • Transition1.jpg
    Transition1.jpg
    50.6 KB · Views: 229
Last edited:
Well, the transition is coming along nicely! I now have the 70" Harmony cabinet in place (WAF ++++ ) , and am awaiting delivery of the 52" Sony XBR4 this Monday! I also have Verizon Fios scheduled for installation Wed.

Unfortunately, the 30" matching Harmony piece did NOT have a removeable back (as described in the catalog), so won't work as an audio rack. I might use it elsewhere in the room, or send it back.

Instead, I have ordered a StudioTech HF-4 modular audio rack, and will customize the shelves with a WAF acceptable faux paint finish. After a few weeks of "tweaking" the final location of everything (optimized for two-channel, of course), I'll mount the XBR4 with the cantilevered Omnimount UCL-X, thanks to Spike for the suggestion! (The tape markings on the wall are stud locations, and wall vs. room "center" marks for reference).

Should be ready to host listening/viewing sessions in Oct!!!
 

Attachments

  • Harmony 70 inch.jpg
    Harmony 70 inch.jpg
    51.8 KB · Views: 201
  • StudioTech HF-4 rack.jpg
    StudioTech HF-4 rack.jpg
    25.8 KB · Views: 203
Last edited:
Alan:

Looks really good. I take it that the new TV is a flat screen to be mounted on the wall?

Erik
 
Sleepy,
Looks great and I bet the ML's sound more open now that the cabinet has changed and old TV are gone. I know mine sounded more open and revealing.

It will be great when it is all finished. :D

Good Luck and as always use it all in the best of health.

Jeff:cool:
 
Yet another update pic! Got the XBR4 up on the wall, with the Omnimount UCL-X. Next project is installing a cable cover over the wires. I also WAF-ized my StudioTech rack with faux granite paint, and hope to have a ML Motif center by years end. I also have a Belkin PF60 power center on the way, and will shift my Monster HTS 3500 MKII to the video side. I'm psyched to host another listening session ASAP, and let y'all comment on the sonic (and visual) improvements!
 

Attachments

  • AV Transition5 (Small).jpg
    AV Transition5 (Small).jpg
    63.7 KB · Views: 183
Last edited:
Alan,

Looks REAL good! Love the flat screen on the wall. I can't wait to hear your system in it's new arrangement. :rocker:
 
WOW!!!! Sleepy, your setup looks awesome. I love the faux finish on the walls. The Harmony cabinet and Sony video monitor are outstanding. I really kind of hate Sony, but they make some of the best T.V. monitors in existence, IMHO. I am sure the sound has improved a huge step above your previous setup.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top