INTRODUCTION

Like most other audiophiles, my system is in a never-ending evolving mode. This is an ideal situation where the journey itself is the experience, because if the destination is "perfection", no matter how it is defined, it will never be reached.

I feel particularly fortunate that at least I now know exactly what I want, and what is actually possible, from my system. This is sadly rare for most audiophiles, mainly because of the multitude of initial choices and alternative directions we have to choose from. I can still make mistakes and deviate temporarily from my chosen path, but I always get back and move further ahead, usually sooner rather than later, and with, I hope, some greater knowledge and wisdom that I can share with others.

Ultimately, the search for a better audio system is, in many ways, a personal discovery of your deepest needs: "what really turns you on". You must experience many different components and systems, while keeping an open mind and heart, if you want to reach your unique destination.

My system is analogue oriented, based around a phono front-end. I also have an excellent tuner, and a CD player, but neither of them is my primary source.

My system has a number of purposes. The first is definitely for my personal listening pleasure, but it also serves as a "reference" for comparing components, records and entire systems, within audio shows and in my friends and (now former) customers homes.

Almost all of the components you will see here are in my Reference Components List, and most of them are in Class A. This is not a coincidence. Why I chose these particular components can be further understood by reading "My Audio Philosophy", which will also explain my audio priorities and general direction.

The primary strengths of this system are its sheer naturalness and its ability to retrieve low-level musical information, which is my highest sonic priority. This includes; musical harmonics, decays, ambience, dynamic shadings, the sense of space, complexity and tension, intelligibility, and an unpredictability of the sound. There is also a continuous, "absolute presence" that exists on good recordings even when the musicians are not active.

Further, the system is very cohesive, neutral, highly detailed and transparent, and has a "big sound". Finally, the system is truly "dynamic" and "full-range", with the frequency response being flat from 20 Hz all the way up to 30K Hz.

The system is capable of this performance only because of its extreme minimalist design and execution. The end result of my many years of effort:

By stark contrast, most preamplifiers, with phono stages, have 4 to 8 devices all by themselves. The sonic result of all this "simplicity" is the lowest system "sound-floor", by far, that I have ever experienced.

The only real weaknesses of my system are that it can not play "real loud" (a very rare desire), meaning well above 100 dB, and its focusing ability is not up to the highest standards. In actual practice, the loudness levels, which can cause pain, are more than adequate for me, and I've never had a single guest who wanted a higher volume capability. The system's focusing ability is a step down from both the Ars Acoustica System Max and, further in the past, the Morrison speakers (which excelled in this area).

BENT AUDIO TX-103 MC TRANSFORMER (SILVER)

MARANTZ 10B TUNER
KRELL STANDARD SACD PLAYER MK II

The Lenco and Graham have just been installed in my system. They have not been optimized as this is written (March 2010). However, based on preliminary auditions, they appear to have a greater amount of ultimate potential than any other front-end combination I've yet heard.

The ZYX UNIverse is, without question, the finest cartridge I've ever heard in my own system. The .24mV Copper version is the model I use. Next, the Bent Audio Silver Transformer is even superior, overall, to the Expressive Technology SU-1, my reference for 13 years. I now use the high gain setting (26dB).

The Marantz tuner has been partially modified, with better coupling capacitors. The Krell is the finest CD player I have ever heard in my own system. I haven't heard it with SACDs as this is written. These two components are used mainly for warm-up and background music, though this may change if the Krell's SACD performance is as good as my friends tell me.

JADIS JP-80 PREAMPLIFIER (HIGHLY MODIFIED)

I have had this preamplifier since the Spring of 1989. I have modified it countless times, in each instance making the signal path simpler and shorter, while also upgrading the passive components that are impossible to remove from the remaining signal path. It’s a shame that the JP-80 couldn’t have been built this way to begin with, because it would have cost much less to purchase and there would be no need for any modifications.

As of now, this is a low-gain but highly accurate and musically natural design; by far the best that I have heard. The difference between a stock JP-80, of any vintage, and this modified version, is literally "night and day".

The Details: The entire line-stage and the phono cathode-follower have been removed from the signal path. That leaves only two tubes and two coupling capacitors in the signal path. The coupling capacitors are V-Cap Teflons, the finest I've heard. The RIAA curve is accurate to +/- .01 dB. Even the volume control has been removed from the direct signal path. The power supply is comprised of only film capacitors; since all the electrolytics have also been removed.

MITCHELL COTTER NOISE FILTER BUFFER
BEHRINGER DCX2496 DIGITAL CROSSOVER

These two components are used first as an impedance buffer for the second output of the Jadis JP-80, which enables it to drive a second (bass) amplifier. They also filter out the subsonic frequencies caused by vinyl warps and other irregularities, and, of course, providing the required low-pass filter for the subwoofers. The Behringer digital crossover has other signal processing capabilities, but I don't use them.
Important- They are only used when I am biamping.

ARS ACOUSTICA INTERCONNECTS (PROTOTYPES)

These are the finest interconnects I have heard, both in line-level applications and for phono-level signal. They are very neutral and revealing, and have both body and a very low sound-floor. I don't know if, and when, they will ever become available commercially.

Amplifiers were the "weak link" in my system for many years. With the introduction of these two Coincident amplifiers below, particularly the Frankenstein SET, this is no longer the case. Simply put, these are the two finest amplifiers I've ever experienced, and they don't require any modifications to reach their unprecedented level of performance. However, good tubes, dampers and cables are still required for optimization.

COINCIDENT M300B FRANKENSTEIN MK II-MAIN AMPLIFIER

The finest sounding amplifier I've ever heard. I recently replaced the "original" model with the latest (shiny stainless steel) version.

COINCIDENT DRAGON 211PP -BASS AMPLIFIER

This is the finest bass amplifier I've yet heard. The impact, detail, control, weight and neutrality are all superb. It still doesn't equal the Frankenstein or older Golden Tube designs, or other top-notch single-ended amplifiers, in certain very important areas; liquidity, purity, low sound-floor etc.

POLK & COINCIDENT EXTREME SPEAKER CABLES- There are two versions of the Coincident; one "regular" and the other, which is thicker and less flexible, optimized for bass frequencies. I use the thicker version only when I am biamping. When using only one amplifier, fullrange, I use the Polk for the midrange and tweeter and the regular Coincident for the woofers. The Polk is only 3' long and has 6 individual cables wired in parallel.

This is the latest version of my speaker reference of the last 3 years. They are the finest speakers, overall, I've ever heard. The "Extreme" is the exact same speaker, except it has two cabinets per channel, instead of one.

For my extensive review of the original (one cabinet) version, which is still available, see The Pure Reference File.

My new listening room, to my own surprise, has proved to be superb. I chose it most carefully when I purchased my house, but it has even exceeded my expectations. It is 18' 4" wide, and 40% of it is around 18.5' deep, while 60% of it is 27' deep. The ceiling is 10' high. The entire structure is built out of reinforced concrete. It's extremely solid, with plenty of heavy objects and openings to break-up potential standing waves. To enhance it even further, I have installed "Room Tunes", "foam panels" and "Tube Traps", at various strategic points, which I brought with me from Toronto.

I have put in 3 dedicated, shielded, heavy amperage lines, one for each amplification channel, plus the other for the front-end. The local high-power AC transformer, for my side of the street, is actually located on my property (by sheer luck), just a few feet away from my electrical box. There are no heavy industry or commercial users in my vicinity, which was a serious problem for me in Toronto.

The original owner of my house had an "entertainment center" built in as an expensive upgrade. I initially planned to remove it, until I discovered how well built it was, enough to support a hippo. I kept it, but I had to get a cabinetmaker to drill (4" thick) holes through it for the (AC and signal) cables.

The end result is a room that is even more satisfying, overall, as my former room in Toronto. The Toronto room was wider, by almost two feet, but that was still enough to give it a slightly greater sense of "scale". This new room has both better bass and a more intimate, immediate sound in its favor.

The biggest problem I have had is from the local power company, Florida Power and Light. In the Summer, hardly a day passes without a short-term power outage. I know they occur because my VCR has to be reprogrammed each time (I eventually gave up).

My accessories, in the past, focused on acoustical isolation of the components and the purity of the incoming AC. This is still the case. I am using custom made "sand boxes" underneath both the monitor and subwoofer amplifiers. I use the Coincident Power Cords (the best I have experienced) on the preamplifier and the four (mono) power amplifiers. The Lenco is isolated using a dead metapolymer shelf. There are also fluid bags underneath the preamplifier. I may look at an AC regenerator later this year.

As this is written (March 2010), I have a new turntable, tonearm, phono cables, phono stage, line stage, main amplifier and speakers to audition. It is possible then that, after many years of slow change, 2010 may prove to be an unprecedented year of change.

AUDIO CRITIQUE

THE RECENT FILE

Reference Components

My Audio Philosophy

The Supreme Recordings

Modifications

COPYRIGHT 1999-2010 ARTHUR SALVATORE