{"id":15577,"date":"2021-07-03T08:29:31","date_gmt":"2021-07-03T06:29:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=15577"},"modified":"2022-05-09T14:57:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T12:57:48","slug":"31-secondary-setup-2018-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/hfa-audio-setup-history\/31-secondary-setup-2018-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"HFA Audio Setup History 31 \u2013 Secondary Setup 2018-2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

After having further optimized the main system for the best achievable sound with the Wilsons (see the previous chapter<\/a> of the HFA history and the AcousticMatters<\/a> review), the listening position was pretty much halfway into the room and much closer to the front wall than ever before.<\/p>\n

Since I was content with the sound, it was time to accommodate the video section to the new audio setup. During the process of finding the optimum speaker positions after having rotated the system 180 degrees in the room, thus facing a different wall, the video projector had been out of service, and during this time I’ve been using the 55-inch LED TV in the bedroom\/TV area which took over the function of what was at various points in time the Secondary System Room, the Media Room (computer area), and originally the Cinema Room.<\/p>\n

Once the main system\u2019s positions were finalized, I re-fitted the projector and motorized screen and prepared myself for the long-awaited reacquaintance with the Big Screen. Well, that was a big disappointment! Sitting less than 3 meters from the 100-inch screen did no favors for the perceived resolution but worse, the brightness was now overbearing. The screen has a 1.3 gain which proved helpful over a long distance but was clearly too much at this viewing distance.<\/p>\n

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I then tried projecting right on the wall and in a considerably smaller area. Even though the wall has a brownish color called “Perkament”, the resultant picture was remarkably pleasant to watch and this gave me the idea to project onto a predefined area with a contrast-enhancing neutral grey paint. I found a color mixture designed specifically for high-contrast projection purposes called “Telegrey”. With this done, the blacks were now impressive and my eyes were no longer hurting but somehow, the whole projection business had lost some of its magic. I was still missing the resolution and even better black levels of the LED TV and what’s more, the requirement to darken the room and the projector’s noise were starting to annoy me. At this point, the idea of re-booting the Cinema room<\/a> was born. Only, this time it would not be as fancy and more like a dedicated TV room.<\/p>\n

The New TV Room<\/h3>\n

The aging 55-inch Samsung LED TV was still working fine but restricted to HD and of the pre-smart-TV era. To compensate for the “loss” of coming from a 100-inch projection screen, I sold it and got a 4K QLED Samsung model with an even bigger 65-inch size. The new TV has an “Invisible Cable” system that connects the break-out box with all the usual connections via a single and very thin, nearly transparent optical cable. Alas, the TV also needs a separate power cord, reducing the “invisibility” of the thin optical cable in the process. However, the TV’s position is very fortunate as the adjacent washing machine\/central heating room can effectively be used as a huge cable tray. I pulled the cables through the wall and lead them right to the break-out box, the Blu-Ray player, the mediaplayers, etcetera, resulting in an actually<\/em> invisibly connected screen.<\/p>\n

When I did my first tests for the sound quality using the simple but musical Marantz NR1501<\/a> surround amplifier, I was expecting various phase issues leading to boomy bass but using the IMF Compact II’s to start with, the sound was immediately involving and not at all boomy. It seems that the hallway on the right is helping prevent the buildup of harmful room resonances that made me abandon the secondary system<\/a> last time when I had closed the hallway<\/a> to extend the front wall all the way to the right. That, and the IMF speakers have inherently very little tendency to boom, even when being positioned right against the back wall.<\/p>\n

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This made me think. Although the idea was to simply create only a modest dedicated TV room, I now started having visions of a proper<\/em> secondary audio system again.<\/p>\n

The “new” Secondary System<\/h3>\n

As the main system was already to my liking (cough – well, at least until the next inevitable change…), the idea quickly formed to use tubes for the secondary setup. This would provide a nice alternative to the transistors in the main room. The eventual speakers were still to be decided upon but the system itself quickly formed using components that were already available: PrimaLuna DiaLogue<\/a> tube power amp, Ayon Stealth<\/a> tube preamp, Aqua Formula xHD<\/a> DAC, and AudioAanZee Reference Flow<\/a> music server with Euphony Drive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When using tubes, my natural urge is to also involve analog, thus, I reinstated the Thorens TD160 MKII turntable with an ATN150mlx<\/a> MM cartridge and getting ready to connect the Schiit Mani, I suddenly remembered that I also had the Sw1x LPU-1<\/a> tube MM phono stage, stored away since I normally only use MC cartridges.<\/p>\n

With this done, the only components that were still lacking in the new system were speakers. At this time, I still had the Apogee Duetta Signatures<\/a> on seemingly eternal loan from audio buddy JW while he took forever to decide whether or not to keep them. Of course, his tardiness gave me all the opportunities as described in earlier chapters of the HFA setup history so I am not complaining:-) Eventually, they were to be sold but so long as they were still available, why not try them here?<\/p>\n

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From earlier experience, I knew that the PrimaLuna had no issues driving them but being so close to the wall, they didn’t sound great and they were physically too large for this system anyway. Alas, the red and black beauties had to be stored away while waiting to be sold. To this day, it still breaks my heart as I would have loved to keep them if only I had a secondary room big enough to do them justice.<\/p>\n

Just for the fun of it, audio buddy Wouter brought over his B&W DM601’s. These humble pre-nautilus era budget speakers are a bit rough around the edges and certainly don’t qualify as high-end but they can actually sound quite nice if they are integrated in a supportive manner.<\/p>\n

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The DM601’s have pretty good imaging and surprisingly decent bass, considering their small woofer and enclosure. Of course, wall boundary reinforcement helps a lot, and for once, the room modes are not working against me but actually help bring out the best of these speakers. There are no weird phase issues and the bass is nicely solid and seemingly spread out evenly between the speakers, even if the left speaker produces more of it than the right one.<\/p>\n

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The PrimaLuna amp always performs well in any combination but it was the Ayon preamp that really surprised me this time by making the sound a lot more free-flowing than the Rowland Corus + PSU<\/a> could manage while sounding every bit as dynamic and lively.<\/p>\n

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The Ayon sounds bolder, timbrally richer, and more colorful but it cannot match the Rowland’s superb transparency, treble air, refinement, and overall transparency and neutrality. Of course, that’s only fair given the very large price difference. For analog sources, I actually preferred the Ayon and that’s just as well since I was planning on selling the Corus to recuperate some of the extravagant cost of the CH system.<\/p>\n

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After the easy success of pulling the TV’s cables through the wall, I decided to also fit the IMF speakers in the wall. This was a little less easy and quite messy but it was still considerably less difficult than sawing out entire walls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I made a neat little stand so that the speaker could simply slide in without the need for further support. Knowing myself only all too well, I decided to keep the removed gypsum blocks…<\/em><\/p>\n

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As if it was part of a bigger plan, I was contacted by Xavian to review their new Perla Esclusiva<\/a> speakers and as it turned out, these performed spectacularly well in what would after this officially become my secondary system.<\/p>\n

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Granted, the Zanden 8120<\/a> was a bit of an overkill given the modest speakers but boy did it sound great. Alas, it was only visiting for a review. Also note that the little REL Quake II sub is only used with the surround amplifier. It is completely separated from the stereo system, even down to the power that feeds it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Interestingly, the Stealth also proved to work absolutely fantastically with the NuPrime ST10 (in place of the PrimaLuna) and the Xavians. Especially when playing LP’s this combo had a combination of foot-tapping rhythm and superlative communicative powers that was remarkable. I know, we’re talking an analog source with a Class-A tube preamp combined with Class-D amplification but trust me, it may not have been the pinnacle of resolution or refinement, but otherwise, it sounded fantastic. Even my die-hard tube-lover friends JW (the Doctor) and JC (meneer Buis) had to admit that the system made highly compelling music.<\/p>\n

After reviewing the Ayon Scorpio<\/a> and Spirit III<\/a> integrated amplifiers, it was clear that the PrimaLuna had ultimately met its match. Right until that time it had been near-unbeatable, but now its time had come. I purchased the Spirit III and assigned it a central role in the secondary setup while it would also perform as a well-known reference in several other amplifier- and speaker reviews, be it in the secondary system or in the main system.<\/p>\n

At some point, the AudioAanZee Reference Flow was replaced with the first-gen Antipodes EX<\/a> that sounded more robust and also had a much more usable form factor. Although it can function perfectly as a server, it was used only as a renderer in combination with the Roon-controlled library on the Antipodes CX<\/a> in the main room.<\/p>\n

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Because the IMF’s served remarkably well as the main speakers for TV sources but I found to be aesthetically none too pleasing, I decided to make grilles as covers.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, I had also added a turntable to the main system, the Origin Live Calypso mk4 with Multi-Layer Platter, Illustrious arm and Silver Hybrid cable.<\/a> Since the main system revolved around the CH Precision C1 DAC<\/a> which has analog inputs but I did not want to digitize LPs, I relocated the freed-up Ayon Stealth to that system to serve for the analog part while retaining the C1 in its main role for the digital sources.<\/p>\n

Also around this time, experiments with modifying Philips CD players had re-sparked my love of CD playback. For the secondary system, this meant that I wanted a CD player but with the space constraints, I only had room for 3 devices: the turntable, the amplifier, and the CD player. Good thing that the Ayon CD-10II<\/a> not only looked fantastic next to the Spirit III but also had a great-sounding onboard DAC!<\/p>\n

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Next up, Thorens issued the long-awaited successor to the TD160, the TD1600 and TD1601<\/a>, the latter of which performed superbly well and consequently was also added to the secondary system, replacing the TD160mkII and the TD125mkII.<\/p>\n

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Because the IMF’s served so well as front channels for the TV sources and I had two more of them tucked away since forever, I decided to use the extras as surround channels. But where should they be placed? The rear wall was not an option, nor were the side walls. So, I opted to mount them on the ceiling. But how to neatly mount them?<\/p>\n

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After scratching my head for some time, rejecting any ideas that involved hooks or other visible systems, it struck me. I was going to use a slide-on system, made of MDF.<\/p>\n

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After fitting the ceiling plate with two screws, the speaker can simply slide on.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Et voila: an invisibly-mounted speaker!<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, me being me, not too long after finishing the 4-channel IMF setup, it all needed to be changed again. In my defense, though, it wasn’t really my fault. You see, as “leftovers” from the surround system in the main setup, I still had four Martin Logan Fresco speakers. I had offered them up for sale but all that this yielded were disrespectfully low offers. Ultimately, I decided to put them to good use! Alas, that meant that I needed to close the holes in the wall, how fortunate that I retained the gypsum blocks!<\/p>\n

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Back in went the gypsum block that I had sawed out mere months earlier… It might look like irreparable damage at first…<\/em><\/p>\n

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…but as long as the block is properly aligned and enough plaster is at hand, such jobs can always be brought to a good end.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hey, presto! And that’s how you swap built-in IMF’s for on-wall Martin Logans, with not a trace of the former big square cavities in the wall.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Of course, the neatly suspended rear-channel IMF’s also had to make way for two Martin Logan speakers.<\/em><\/p>\n

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At the time of writing (01-06-2021), the secondary system’s main components have remained unchanged for over a year, which is something of a miracle for me:-).<\/p>\n

Although, I did<\/em> add the AVID Pulsare II<\/a> phono stage to the system, added acoustic treatments (see the RTFS Carreau<\/a> review), and changed the color of the front wall from “Sea Salt” to “Stone Grey”.<\/p>\n

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Cheap Cable Controversy<\/h3>\n

While the main components remained unchanged, I kept experimenting with interlinks and speaker cables and I am still searching for the ideal combinations to this day. I think that my continued experimenting is partially sparked by the ongoing evolution of the way that I perceive reproduced music. When I was younger, the most important aspects were delicate and non-edgy treble, a smooth overall sound with warm mids and full bass. The older I get, the more I long for utter neutrality, purity, and linearity, perhaps even to the point of a past me finding my current preferences unexciting. I’m still tempted by high resolution and a lack of grain but transient sharpness, purity, and lack of blur are now more important to me. Such is the development of the human psyche, I guess.<\/p>\n

In any event, this has led to a bit of an unusual situation…<\/p>\n

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While the very robust and sonorous but also slightly dark and lower-res AudioQuest Water (see photo above) has served me very well in a multitude of purposes and it remains one of my favorite relatively affordable cables, lately, I am finding a longing for a more neutral delivery.<\/p>\n

Having tried every cable in my inventory, to my surprise, it’s the simplest of cables that turns out to work best in the Ayon\/Xavian system. I am referring to the well-known\u00a0red and white connector “Shoestring Licorice” (Dropveters in Dutch).<\/p>\n

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This type of cable used to be supplied for free along with audio components. That’s why, in the German Audio magazines, these were called “beipackstrippe” and that’s how I also often refer to them when among friends.<\/p>\n

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Sure, compared to most upscale cables, these “Dropveter” cables sound lean and even a little barebones but they are also very linear and even-handed, uncolored, very natural, free-flowing, and, most importantly, they never obstruct the musical message. Other cables routinely outperform them in the bass, fullness, treble refinement, or smoothness but so far usually by trading some aspects for others.<\/p>\n

Moreover, I can’t seem to find a better cable to fit between the Thorens turntable and the phono preamp, be it the Sw1x, the Benz Lukaschek, or the AVID Pulsare II. Could it be that the simple Dropveter is actually ideal? Every time I tried more upscale cables with purer conductors, better shielding, special geometries, and high-spec dielectrics, etc, they bring certain improvements but without exception, they seem to somehow dilute, round, or sweeten the delicate MC signals.<\/p>\n

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Having also tried the same “Dropveter” cables between the Ayon CD-10II CD player and the Ayon Spirit III amp I heard the same benefits, but here, the downside was a too obvious timbral graying and overall leanness. After having tried all of the cables once again with the CD player, I finally settled on a Siltech London MXT (see image above). While at 300 euros not supplied for free as are the Dropveters, the Siltech cable has a similar absence of editorialization while having great bass and sounding timbrally just right.<\/p>\n

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Likewise, I have had similar adventures with the speaker cables. Having started with the very cheap (6 euro per meter) Van den Hul Skyline Hybrid (see image above) (as an inheritance from the Apogee Duettas with which they mated very well) I have tried a handful of subjectively better, and much more expensive cables. Yes, the resolution routinely increased and depending on the cable, sometimes the bass gained fullness or articulation, often the smoothness increased and I’d often hear sharper focus and deeper imaging. The Driade Flow 405<\/a> speaker cables were a revelation in many respects, but ultimately, their sweet and euphonic delivery made me long for a more “straight-up” presentation even if that meant decreased fluidity and resolution. When I reconnected the Van den Hul I needed a moment to recalibrate to the simpler sound but it was also evident that the Van den Hul has the least of an editing effect.<\/p>\n

It’s all relative<\/h3>\n

Now, I should make a couple of observations. First, I’m absolutely sure there are better cables than the ones I ended up with for now. I just have not found them yet. Neither the Dropveter nor the Van den Hul is in any way special but the cables do happen to work synergistically in my systems. Basically, their straight-up sonic presentation fits my components and the cable’s deficiencies (of which there are many) are apparently partially compensated for.<\/p>\n

Second, every system is different. Ayon components typically have a robust sound with a full tonality and as such, they do not really require any extra fullness or coloring which goes a long way toward explaining the Dropveter’s success. Third, although analog sources seem to work especially synergistically with these standard cables, I may also be somewhat biased concerning the Thorens turntable, because no matter the model (TD160B, TD145MkII, TD160MkII, TD160 Super, TD125MkII), I have always used them with standard cables.<\/p>\n

The one mantra that keeps popping up in my mind is that one should never reject something based on preconception. It’s always best to assess and reassess a situation every time the combination of components changes.<\/p>\n

While all that is true for the secondary system, I should also note that the same basic cables are most certainly not the best solution in the main system. When using the Origin Live turntable and using the Dropveters between the CH Precision P1<\/a> phono preamp and the Ayon Stealth preamp, I still have to admit that these stupidly simple cables do an admirable job of not editorializing the musical message as it is engraved in the vinyl, but I definitely also hear its shortcomings all too clearly. Likewise, the Van den Hul absolutely does not come close to the Jorma Trinity<\/a> (imaged below).<\/p>\n

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For the main system, between the phono stage and preamp, I have ended up with the Siltech Paris MXT for the same reasons as mentioned for the London MXT in the secondary system. Yes, the Origin Live Silver Hybrid<\/a> cables are better in nearly every way. They are much airier and transparent and significantly more refined but they are also a little too polished and while they are articulate, over time, I found them to not quite have enough attack or propulsion in the bass. I should mention that the Silver Hybrid DIN tonearm cable works exceedingly well and is still in use. The AudioQuest Water is more or less the inverse, having great bass, timbre, and robustness but lacking in air and openness. FoilFlex<\/a> comes close to being ideal but is ultimately a little too lean, Vermouth<\/a> cables are immensely seductive but most models are also a little too sweet for my current preferences, etcetera, etcetera. The Siltech may not excel in any single area but it does provide the most balanced sound so far. And for me, that’s currently what I am after. I do intend to keep investigating.<\/p>\n

Next Chapter<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Overview of all HFA Audio Setups<\/h3>\n

HFA Audio Setups Overview<\/a><\/p>\n

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