System #182 (Vantage)

Name: Rob Rhodes

Location: Ft. Worth, Texas

ML models: Vantage, Depth

Purchased: March 2007

Modifications: None

Associated electronics (new pics to come soon to show new purchases):

Source: Accustic Arts CDP
Pre-amp: Plinius M8
Amp: Innersound iPower 330

Tweeks/Cables/Misc:

Speaker cables: Various
Surge protection: Brickwall
Interconnects: Various

Rob, again welcome to another Vantage owner !!!

Welcome and sorry for nuking your first post... Always good to see another Pass Labs owner!

Yep, great looking system!

How do you like your Acoustic Arts CD player? Please do tell.

Love the mix of tubes and solid state.

Happy Listening!

:welcome:

Thanks, guys - and no problem TomDac about inadvertantly deleting my first system thread.

Ah, the Accustic Arts CDP. It is the only component remaining from my head-fi days (no accident). Though I haven't much to compare it to (my previous source was a Mac g5 running lossless files through a Musical Fidelity X-DACv3), I do find the Accustic Arts to be uber smooth and without the kind of digital glare I find in other players. The fact that it is made in Germany (as was my wife ) and is built both beautifully and like a tank doesn't hurt either!

Thanks for the kind welcome!

:welcome:!

As I said earlier, it's great to see you here and it's great to have another headfi fanatic become an ML fan!

Thanks, Joey. I really did enjoy my time at head-fi, but the whole headphone thing was more due to my wife having a baby. Now that our son is nearly five, headphone listening is no longer a necessity.

It has long been my dream to own some MLs, and I'm still in a state of shock that that dream has been realized.

bahamaman said:

Thanks, Joey. I really did enjoy my time at head-fi, but the whole headphone thing was more due to my wife having a baby. Now that our son is nearly five, headphone listening is no longer a necessity.

It has long been my dream to own some MLs, and I'm still in a state of shock that that dream has been realized.

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Awesome, Rob!

Now, remember.... tube roll them 98Ps!! I got a 5 pc Sylvania 6sn7gtb for $42 on ebay from some guy who pulled them out of a Baldwin Organ/Piano. They may not be new old stock, but the sound is how the 98 should sound like had Cary not used Chinese tubes.

bahamaman said:

like a tank doesn't hurt either!

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Thank goodness you didn't say like your wife after that... :haha1:

I grew up near you... Went to Grapevine High School...and middle school. My folks have lived there for 29 years now, just down the street from G'vine hospital but will be moving next month to Austin to be closer to me and my brother and his kids... we are looking forward to having them here!

Welcome to the club!

Pcar928fan said:

Thank goodness you didn't say like your wife after that... :haha1:

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Oh, don't you know I was sorely tempted!

Joey - I have already given some thought to upgrading the tubes and I'm in the initial throws of looking at the options out there. I want to make future upgrades a longish process as I really love the quest to arriving at some sort of audio nirvana (though it sure does feel I'm getting dangerously close already!).

So you still visit headfi? If so, are you itching to get back with some kind of a headphone setup, albeit even if it werent so over the top like your last one?

I surf there sometimes and I do get the urge.... but I kinda keep my focus because each dollar I spend on my ML setup brings me more enjoyment than each dollar I spend on a headphone setup, IMO.

Yet, I still get the urge...

Joey

Joey_V said:

So you still visit headfi? If so, are you itching to get back with some kind of a headphone setup, albeit even if it werent so over the top like your last one?

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Old habits die hard, so I do wander over there a couple of times each day and there are some nice folks I still pm now and again. But no, I doubt I'll ever return in any big way to headphone listening. In the evening hours, with everyone asleep, I've still got some AKG portables I listen to straight out of the computer, and I'm fine with that for casual listening. But with the MLs in the house, it just doesn't make any sense spending big dollars on a headphone rig.

bahamaman said:

But with the MLs in the house, it just doesn't make any sense spending big dollars on a headphone rig.

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My thoughts exactly... good to have you here with us crazies... .

Vantage Placement

I couldn't really tell from the picture how the Vantages were placed on the floor.... are they on their standard feet? spikes? etc? Just wondering how it was sitting on the floor, as the room I will be using is possibly going to be hardwood as well....


Congrats on the system, it looks beautiful! :cheers:

HopelessDFilms said:

I couldn't really tell from the picture how the Vantages were placed on the floor.... are they on their standard feet? spikes? etc? Just wondering how it was sitting on the floor, as the room I will be using is possibly going to be hardwood as well....

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Right now, the speakers are just sitting there, without the benefit of spikes and (presently) without much thought as to placement. The truth is, I finally "sold" my wife on the concept of buying the audio gear before we completed an addition to the house (and hence before I get a dedicated audio/ht room). Until that happens, nothing will be ideal - neither placement, nor accustics/treatments, listening position - nothing.

But you know what - they stilll sound awesome! I can only imagine what can be accomplished once I have some freedom to do some major tweaking. Until then, my listening position is on the bed, on my back, with my elbows elevating my head just enough to get close to something approaching a sweet spot. How's that for major inconvenience?