System #24 (Aeon)

[Steve-N]

Stephen Narayan

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Martin Logan Aeon

2003

Vertical Biamp setup

Rega Planar 3 turntable, Incognito rewired with Cardas tonearm wire
Denon DL-103 MC cartridge
PS Audio MC Amplifier/Step-up transformer
Perreaux SV-X1 Phono Preamp
Perreaux SH-X1 Headphone Amp and Grado SR-225 cans
Rega Planet CD Player (original version)
Perreaux SM6P Preamp
Behringer DCX2496 Ultradrive Digital Crossover
2 PS Audio 100 Delta power amps driving Aeon's
Peerless XLS12 x2 subwoofers driven by a PS Audio 100 Delta power amp
Denon DVM-4800 DVD changer, JVC HR-SH3600U Super VHS
Sony KV-27V65 Trinitron TV
Custom cabling including custom unbalanced RCA-XLR and XLR-RCA interconnects to connect the Behringer's inputs and outputs and custom unbalanced interconnects for analog audio components
QED Silver BW biwire speaker cables
Acoustat Model 3 ESL panels sitting in the corner - future system someday
Crappy Ikea stand - next necessary upgrade for sure

My local dealer had bought out some remaining stock from Plurison and was offering these Aeons at an astounding price. So I went in with a Funk afficionado friend of mine for a spirited listening session which lasted about an hour. The bass presence was much greater than the older generation Aerius I had previously. Which was just what my system needed I had to take the plunge and take these home.

I recently reintroduced myself into the world of analog with the addition of the Rega turntable. Best decision I've made since buying the Aeons. Also added the Behringer DCX2496 unit to act as a digital crossover/parametric EQ for my speaker and subwoofer setup. It's currently crossing over the speakers at 1.5 kHz lowpass at 24 dB/octave Butterworth-slope to the mids and 1.5 kHz highpass at 24 dB/octave Butterworth-slope to the ESL panels. The PS Audio 100 Delta amplifiers now take the signal and are arranged in a vertical biamp setup to the Aeons to give a dual mono configuration. As a result headroom has significantly increased as has the dynamic range. The subwoofers are crossed over at 90 Hz lowpass at 24 dB/octave and a subsonic filter is applied at 20 Hz 48 dB/octave Butterworth-slope. The subwoofer utilizes a pair of Peerless XLS 12" drivers model 830500 in a 13.75" cube enclosure for each subwoofer with heavy internal bracing. Crossover and equalizer filtering to fine tune the system will be provided via the Behringer DCX.

 

[Peter_Klim]

Hi. Nice system. Any plans to add more pictures?

 

[TheBobGoat]

he only has one speaker

 

[Steve-N]

I have a pair... but I didn't have any recent pics of my entire system so I wanted to at least get it listed with some initial pictures I had... I will revise them and add more of my components...

 

[Steve-N]

Pictures added. More to come.

 

[EricE]

Nice system Steve!

Another fellow GTA'er here

Where did you get your Behringer DCX2496 Ultradrive Digital Crossover from? I'm looking to get some Behringer equipment also.

 

[Steve-N]

Thanks Eric...

I got my DCX2496 from a dealer in the US. About the only one I could find that would ship to Canada. http://www.studio34music.com/. In a few weeks I will probably be ordering a DEQ2496 from them as well.

If you prefer to get one locally I know that Long & McQuade is a Behringer dealer.

 

[EricE]

How did they ship the unit to you, UPS?

I've been dinged too many times with crazy brokerage fees and what not from UPS that I try and deal with FedEX or USPS as much as I can.

 

[Kaliar]

Hi Steve,

If you prefer to buy from a Canadian distributor, you could try Oakwood Broadcast in Winnipeg (http://www.oakwoodbroadcast.com/). I found about them while looking for a Benchmark DAC1. The price was fair and I had a positive buying experience with them.

They carry a lot of pro equipment. I don't know if it is a good price but they do sell the Behringer DEQ-2496 at 416$ CDN (400$ if you open an account).

 

[zaphod]

How did they ship the unit to you, UPS?

I've been dinged too many times with crazy brokerage fees and what not from UPS that I try and deal with FedEX or USPS as much as I can.

UPS and other courier broker fees are ... well, outrageous.

i have a mailstop on the other side of the border. when i come back i pay PST and GST. except for some israeli made socks that my wife bought, duty is never an issue.

need a pair of $80 dollar socks?

i moved from SW ontario a decade ago so my geography is rusty - are the Falls your closest border crossing? if so, the drive might be worth it. unless the QEW really has turned into a parking lot.

 

[EricE]

Yup the Falls is the closest to me but you are right, the QEW is jam packed almost every summer weeked starting Friday afternoon.... The Casino's are doing well!!!

 

[Steve-N]

They shipped to me via USPS Parcel Post. I wasn't in any hurry and it worked out fine. Took about 2-3 weeks to get here...

 

[Steve-N]

Ya I'm close to the Falls but that border crossing takes forever...actually any of the Ontario to Western NY crossings are a bitch. I have a registered business so it's easier for me to just get them to ship it direct via USPS and pay the GST plus handling fee. I can claim a GST credit on the purchase at the end of the year anyhow.

 

[DTB300]

Ya I'm close to the Falls but that border crossing takes forever...actually any of the Ontario to Western NY crossings are a bitch.

The Lewiston bridge used to be a breeze for getting over and back. That too is now bad? Used to be the bridges at Erie and Niagra Falls were terrible and I imagine still are.

Dan

 

[Steve-N]

Yeah...last couple times I went across the Queenston/Lewiston bridge it took 45 minutes to 1 hour in traffic, during peak summer times.....

I can get through the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron/Sarnia in about 15 minutes, when I visit my friend in Michigan.