A summary of the Main System and its operational components in November 2024. For a full list of all HFA Reference equipment and accessories, see Associated Equipment.
Added: PS Audio P20 Power Plant
Added: HRS EXR Floor Platforms
Added: Artesania Carbon Fiber and Panzerholz discs
Set aside: Jorma Unity speaker cables
The core of the main system consists of the CH Precision C1.2 DAC, L1 preamp, A1.5 power amp with the Antipodes Oladra, XACT S1, and Taiko Audio Extreme servers, and the Aqua La Diva M2 CD Transport, with Magico S1 MkII speakers. All interlinks are Driade Flow Link Reference 808, both balanced and unbalanced. The speaker cables are the Driade Flow Reference 808.
All CH Precision components are placed on an Artesania Exoteryc rack with Carbon Fiber Linear Arms. All digital sources are placed on two HRS EXR racks. Review components will be assessed on a vacant spot in one of the HRS EXR racks or on an Artesania KSH2 Krion shelf coupled via Artesania Carbon Fiber Linear arms to an Artesania Aire Floor Platform. In essence, the Aire is a lower Exoteryc rack, and it sounds identical. All racks have Artesania discs as floor interfaces, Panzerholz for Artesania, and Carbon Fiber for HRS.
The power for this system is delivered by a dedicated run of solid-core installation wire, sourced in the Breaker Box from a Siemens Sitor Cylindric Fuse Cartridge and ending in three GigaWatt G-044 single Schuko Wall Sockets behind the audio system. For the Network Switch and the Music Servers, I use two power distributors that started life as Pawalle TP-80 but are used for the enclosure alone, stripped of all internals, and everything replaced with selected wiring and components. The rest of the system is powered directly from a PS Audio Power Plant P20 power generator.
The power cables are a mix of brands and OEM home-made specimens. Most notable are the GigaWatt LC-2 EVO for the CH C1.2 DAC and the GigaWatt PowerSync ULTRA for the CH L1 preamp. The CH A1.5 power amp is the only component still using a Belden 19364 power cable. Most other components, including most review components, are powered by one of my two home-made variants, either the Block CUL 500 Enamelled solid core copper in PTFE tubing with OEM Rhodium-plated schuko and Oyaide C-004 IEC or the OEM tinned litze in PTFE dielectric with OEM Rhodium-plated schuko and Oyaide C-004 IEC.
Loudspeakers
Magico S1 MkII
Pre Amplifier
Power Amplifier
Phono Stage
M2Tech Nash
Manunta EVO Phono 3
Turntables
Thorens TD1601 (with TP-92 tonearm)
Thorens TD1601 (with TP-160 tonearm)
Cartridges/Stylii
Thorens TAS1600
Thorens TAS1500
DAC
CH Precision C1.2
Aqua Formula xHD
Music Server
Antipodes Oladra
XACT S1
Taiko Audio Extreme
CD Player / Transport
Network Renderer / Streaming Endpoint
Aqua LinQ Network Interface
CH Precision C1.2
Record Cleaning Machine
Clearaudio Matrix Silent
Degritter
Interlinks
Driade Flow Link Reference 808 RCA and XLR
Loudspeaker Cables
Digital Cables
Jorma BNC
Mogami 3080 Neglex
Silent Angel Bastei coax
USB Cables
Ethernet Cables
ValueLine OEM CAT6 cables
Network Switch
Silent Angel Bonn NX + Genesis GX Clock
Audio Group Power Installation
Siemens Sitor Cylindric Fuse Cartridge (standard silver-plated fuse and solid silver rod)
GigaWatt G-044 Schuko Wall Socket (three in use)
Standard unshielded 2,5mm solid core copper installation wire
Power Distributors
3x Pawalle TP-80 (very heavily modded, not recommended in standard form)
Power Conditioning
PS Audio PowerPlant P20 (powering the entire system except Network Switch and Servers)
Power Cables
GigaWatt LC-2 EVO (with CH C1.2 DAC)
GigaWatt PowerSync ULTRA (with CH L1 preamp)
Belden 19364 with Bals schuko and Oyaide C004 IEC connectors (with A1.5 power amp)
The other components use one of the two following home-made cables:
Block CUL 500 Enamelled solid core copper in PTFE tubing w. OEM Rhodium schuko and Oyaide 004
OEM tinned litze in PTFE dielectric with OEM Rhodium-plated schuko and Oyaide 004
Equipment Support
Ansuz Darkz T2
Ansuz Darkz S2T
Artesania Exoteryc Audiorack
Artesania Carbon Fiber Linear Arm Upgrade
Artesania Panzerholz Floor Interface Discs
Artesania Carbon Fiber Floor Interface Discs
Artesania Aire Floor Platform
Artesania KSH2 Krion shelves
Finite Elemente Cerapuc
HRS EXR Audio Stand
HRS EXR Floor Stands
Stillpoints Ultra SS V2
Room Treatment
R.T.F.S. SiRRAH
R.T.F.S. Big Block
R.T.F.S. Ceiling Vane
SMT Diffusers
Vicoustic VicTotem
Hard Wood Stiffening Bars glued onto all windows
The story of my most recent room acoustics improvements is intended for a new installment in the HFA Setup History. Alas, I have yet to find the time to write it as I have to prioritize regular reviews. In short: each of the 8 ceiling-to-floor glass window sections has 4 horizontal hardwood bars glued on using Bison Polymax kit. These bars are then stabilized using thick wood bars that are screwed into the left and right frames. What this achieved is a strong reduction of the glass panels’ 40Hz resonance that killed much of the right speaker’s low output and also introduced very annoying phase effects at higher bass frequencies.
See Also
All HFA Reference equipment and accessories frequently used for reviews: Associated Equipment
Overview of all Audio Setup Snapshots
In-depth overview of how the HFA systems developed over the years: HFA Audio Setup History
Ranking Order of reviewed components with appointed Awards: HFA Awards page
Chrstiaan, where do you buy the OEM Rhodium Schuko connectors?
Regards, Mark
On Ebay, search for “Silver / Rhodium Plated EU Schuko Plug Power Connector for HIFI Power Cable”, choose the Rhodium version in the “color” field.
Salut Christiaan,
You’ve also tried this schuko (instead of the bals) with the Belden cable and Oyaide c-004 ?
Regards
Sébastien
I did indeed, but I found using Oyaide 004 for schuko and IEC injects too much of a polished, “friendly” nature into the sound for my tastes. It makes the sound ultra-refined but lacking impact and expression. I found the combination of Bals and Oyaide to provide a more ideal intermediate balance.