HFA Audio Setup History 25 – New Secondary System – Aug 2017
Yes! Finally an all-grown-up secondary listening room! But wait…
After the halfway-there secondary listening rooms and the media room setups, now I finally have a secondary listening room that spans the entire width of the apartment. It is more narrow than the main listening room at its narrowest section (4m rather than 5m) but just as deep (7m).
The components seen below can change at any time – that’s precisely the point of this system: to be able to change anything for review purposes without having to tear apart my main system.
Currently listening to the refurbished Apogee Duetta Signature and original hybrid Centaur.
Refurbished Thorens TD-160B with SME 3009II arm, Meridian 506.24 used as transport, Exogal Comet DAC, Bricasti M5 Roon Ready endpoint as well as the EC Designs BeagleBone Black Squeezelite endpoint behind the rack, to server the secondary system in this room. Yes, there are two systems set up simultaneously:-)
The Rowland model 6 power amps are normally used in the main system but currently, I am enjoying the powers of a Bryston 3B ST in that system. The splendid Jeff Rowland Criterion preamp is for sale and only used as long as it is not yet sold. Also connected is my cheap but trusty Marantz NR-1501, in this case driving the Centaurs, and quite well it does it too! Naturally, I’d love to have an Accuphase for this task, or better still, a powerful SET amp. Who knows what the future has in store…
Two listening seats – narrow enough to allow free walking around yet wide enough to be very comfortable.
View to the kitchen with its newly closed wall, and to the left the re-opened hallway.
Only weeks after completing the work I was already dissatisfied with the sound. With the listening position this far back (which I had hoped would be ideal), I just could not get rid of some nasty room modes that resulted in out of phase bass at certain frequencies and this completely spoilt it for me. What was the point of sacrificing a roomy sleeping space and an open kitchen?
Overview of all HFA Audio Setups:
