The Story so far
26/01/12 10:00 *HELIX USB Cable*My Goal
It's taken over 30 years to get to this point in my Hi-Fi Journey
For most of it I have been "in the dark" and had to rely on audio stores to educate me in the finer points.
With the advent of the internet and the many excellent manufacturers providing some incredible sources of information, thankfully this is no longer the case.
I have been able to acquire knowledge that would have otherwise required me to be in the industry.
Some of this knowledge I already possessed after completing an Apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering
For many years I tinkered with various electronic circuits, like amps and guitar sound effects
On the digital side, considerable knowledge was gained when I completed a degree in Computer Science (with a bias towards hardware design)
I have been sharing my experiences with friends and a few forum members, who suggested it would be good to have it all in one place!
- My very own Blog! - So here it is...
THE GOAL OF THIS BLOG...
For most of it I have been "in the dark" and had to rely on audio stores to educate me in the finer points.
With the advent of the internet and the many excellent manufacturers providing some incredible sources of information, thankfully this is no longer the case.
I have been able to acquire knowledge that would have otherwise required me to be in the industry.
Some of this knowledge I already possessed after completing an Apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering
For many years I tinkered with various electronic circuits, like amps and guitar sound effects
On the digital side, considerable knowledge was gained when I completed a degree in Computer Science (with a bias towards hardware design)
I have been sharing my experiences with friends and a few forum members, who suggested it would be good to have it all in one place!
- My very own Blog! - So here it is...
THE GOAL OF THIS BLOG...
To document tweaks that have proven to extract every last ounce of performance from my existing components!!!
That's me in a nutshell - enjoy the blog
Steve...
FOOTNOTE:
I take the promotion of products very seriously.
If a company's product is identified on this blog it is solely based on that products exceptional performance.
I do not receive any type payment for products mentioned on this blog
My System - Current Build
28/01/12 11:22 *HELIX USB Cable*My System
Hi Fi Stand - by Lovan
Three legs, black steel with MDF shelves.
- Each shelf can support up to 200 lbs (not gonna test that one)
I've added 2 - 3/4" MDF Shelves for the Turntable and the amp
Turntable: Rega Planar II - i.e. in a former life
See Turntable Mod's for a list of all the tweaks & upgrades
Micrometer VTA Adjuster
I have made the following "upgrades"...
- A custom built plinth - 3 sheets of bonded MDF - with Sorbothane "earthquake suspension" feet.
- Audiomods “Classic” tonearm with silver litz continuous lead
- Isokinetik Sub platter
- Rega 2 motor upgrade
- Soundsmith modified Denon DL-103 Moving CoilCartridge
- SRM/TECH Deluxe Acrylic Platter
- MDF isolation deck - on the shelf under the turntable
See Turntable Mod's for details
The Other Bits
Simaudio MOON LP5.3 RS Phono Stage
MM/MC Phono Stage
Blusound NODE 2i
Ethernet connected music streamer
With the right IC’s and power cables it even brings 16/44 recording to life, with more of everything
Bryston B135 - Integrated Amp
Power Distribution Box
This is a very simple unit containing two switched Pass and Seymour MRI grade wall outlets and one non switched hospital grade wall outlet.
The box is protected with a 15 amp pushbutton breaker and for all the internal wiring I used Furutech mains cable conductors.
The power cable into this unit is my latest DIY power cord with cryo-treated silver plated copper connectors, which made a noticeable improvement in the performance of the attached source units
CABLES:
My own HELIX DIY Analogue Interconnect Cables (Green)
These are exceptional performers that I use throughout my system.
Their design is quite simple and they are quite affordable
HELIX DIY Speaker Cables
These are exceptional performers that I use throughout my various systems.
Their design is quite simple and they are quite affordable
HELIX Power Cables...
The Cheering Section!
Gershman Acoustics Sonogram full range tower loudspeaker
Specifications are
- sensitivity 89 dB @ 1w/1m,
- Impedance 6 ohms,
- frequency response 28Hz-20kHz
- with recommended Power 40-250 watts.
The Sonograms are three-way ported designs with an eight-inch woofer made to Gershman specs, a three-inch Israeli-made Morel midrange driver and a one-inch Vifa soft-dome tweeter.
The speakers have a 2” x 8” rectangular port located at the bottom rear of the enclosure.
The listening Room...
The room is 15’ 6" wide, 40’ long with an 7.5’ ceiling
- The speakers are 7ft apart and have 8ft behind them
- There’s another 20ft of open section behind the 2 listening chairs
Three legs, black steel with MDF shelves.
- Each shelf can support up to 200 lbs (not gonna test that one)
I've added 2 - 3/4" MDF Shelves for the Turntable and the amp
- There are granite tiles under each component with drawer liner underneath to eliminate all induced vibrations in the shelf.
Turntable: Rega Planar II - i.e. in a former life
See Turntable Mod's for a list of all the tweaks & upgrades
Micrometer VTA Adjuster
I have made the following "upgrades"...
- A custom built plinth - 3 sheets of bonded MDF - with Sorbothane "earthquake suspension" feet.
- Audiomods “Classic” tonearm with silver litz continuous lead
- Isokinetik Sub platter
- Rega 2 motor upgrade
- Soundsmith modified Denon DL-103 Moving CoilCartridge
- SRM/TECH Deluxe Acrylic Platter
- MDF isolation deck - on the shelf under the turntable
See Turntable Mod's for details
The Other Bits
Simaudio MOON LP5.3 RS Phono Stage
MM/MC Phono Stage
Blusound NODE 2i
Ethernet connected music streamer
With the right IC’s and power cables it even brings 16/44 recording to life, with more of everything
Bryston B135 - Integrated Amp
Power Distribution Box
This is a very simple unit containing two switched Pass and Seymour MRI grade wall outlets and one non switched hospital grade wall outlet.
The box is protected with a 15 amp pushbutton breaker and for all the internal wiring I used Furutech mains cable conductors.
The power cable into this unit is my latest DIY power cord with cryo-treated silver plated copper connectors, which made a noticeable improvement in the performance of the attached source units
CABLES:
My own HELIX DIY Analogue Interconnect Cables (Green)
These are exceptional performers that I use throughout my system.
Their design is quite simple and they are quite affordable
- a solid signal conductor
- Neutral wire wound in a helix spiral
- The KLE Innovations Absolute harmony RCA Plugs attached
- See DIY Interconnect Cables - The "Helix Mark VIII"
HELIX DIY Speaker Cables
These are exceptional performers that I use throughout my various systems.
Their design is quite simple and they are quite affordable
- 2 x 18 gauge Solid Copper with AirLok Insulation from VH Audio
- 10 gauge Silver Plated Mil-spec copper conductor wound around the signal conductor
- Banana plugs are from KLE Innovations
- See DIY Speaker Cables - The HELIX Speaker
HELIX Power Cables...
- My own DIY custom built 12 gauge helix power cables
- see DIY Power Cables - The "POWER HELIX"
- Sonar Quest Silver Plated on copper connectors on all cables
The Cheering Section!
Gershman Acoustics Sonogram full range tower loudspeaker
Specifications are
- sensitivity 89 dB @ 1w/1m,
- Impedance 6 ohms,
- frequency response 28Hz-20kHz
- with recommended Power 40-250 watts.
The Sonograms are three-way ported designs with an eight-inch woofer made to Gershman specs, a three-inch Israeli-made Morel midrange driver and a one-inch Vifa soft-dome tweeter.
The speakers have a 2” x 8” rectangular port located at the bottom rear of the enclosure.
The listening Room...
The room is 15’ 6" wide, 40’ long with an 7.5’ ceiling
- The speakers are 7ft apart and have 8ft behind them
- There’s another 20ft of open section behind the 2 listening chairs