Speaking of new toys...
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The stereo has been evolving.
I purchased a new pair of tower speakers about 2 months ago.
Designed in Germany, made in Taiwan, Heco Aurora 1000 towers. These things dig deep down to 22Hz. I haven't felt the need for a subwoofer since they were delivered. Beautiful silky highs and very detailed mid frequencies. They punch way above their price.
Not sure I ever said anything about the new integrated amplifier but, back in the 3rd quarter last year, I found a screaming good deal on an Austrian built Ayon Spirit III Integrated Tube Amplifier.
After I got the written job offer, I bought a factory refurbished built in Colorado, PS Audio Directstream DAC. This DAC brings digital much closer to the sound of analog than anything I have ever owned.
I'm am feeding it from 3 different sources. A Roon Nucleus music server/streamer with built-in 2TB ssd along in addition to the Qobuz streaming subscription. Using USB interface.
A 25 year old Sony 50 disc CD Jukebox using Optical S/PDIF interface. and a Sony Blu-ray unit with SACD capability using a digital coax interface.
Chasing this dragon is a never ending pursuit.
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Looks like a great set-up. I find I'm increasingly listening via decent headphones. I bought a Sennheiser 800 a while back that is still connected to an Ayre Codex DAC/Headphone Amp. Recently, I also bought a pair of Hifiman 1000SE and have it connected to Topping D90SE and amp. I'm probably moving off of a Lenovo laptop to a Nucleus Roon server for the downloads, CDs I have. I'm hoping that with new ownership, Roon broadens its base of streaming services. As for those services, I have Apple, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Idagio - haven't gone with Quboz or Tidal cuz I'm pretty happy with what I'm hearing already.
With two systems in the house, I find the headphone experience more enjoyable. I've thought of downsizing and selling off the main system - as it is used so infrequently.
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The article talks about the factory that builds Sennheiser headphones. But the below from teh article is interesting also.
Our shift complete, we’re led beyond the manufacturing maze to our last showcase. Partitioned behind glass is Damian, the artisan responsible for the 3,000 parts and hundreds of hours that go into each HE 1—the $70,000 bespoke headphone system. Want one? Sennheiser requires you put down a $10,000 deposit and prepare to wait up to 45 days, assuming component availability and Damian’s bandwidth allow (four were simultaneously in production during our visit). Once they’re ready, you pay the remainder. But what you get for your five-figure investment is a testament to transcendence.
What goes into the HE 1 is improbable, impractical, and awe-inspiring. It’s a middle finger to compromise. It’s not just a headphone; it’s a moonshot. Beyond mystique, the HE 1 is a block of Italian Carrara marble, selected for both its aesthetics and vibration-damping properties. Within this spring-loaded structure are all manner of routing options—S/PDIF, optical, USB, unbalanced RCA, and balanced XLR.
Whatever your source (turntables to DAPs), if it’s physical, there’s an input. This interface feeds eight ESS Sabre ES9018 digital-to-analog converters (four DACs in parallel per channel), supporting resolutions up to 32-bit/384 kHz. Gold-vaporized ceramic electrodes to separate L/R channel paths eliminate distortion. Those, in turn, feed the vacuum tube preamplifier—all in service of reproducing summit-fi technicalities.
The headset itself, found at the end of a specially tuned fabric-wrapped 99.9% silver-plated OFC cable, sits snugly thanks to luxurious, hand-sewn leather and reflection-absorbing microfiber cushions. It contains 2.4-micrometer platinum-vaporized diaphragms between conductive plates, each one powered by a Cool Class A MOSFET amplification found in a “fin” along the precision-machined aluminum ear cup. This fully decoupled power supply helps prevent electrical interference.
The result is reproduction of 8 Hz to more than 100 kHz, with distortion less than 0.01% at 1 kHz, 100 dB SPL. That translates to everything in its right place. Before he signs off on an HE 1, Damian runs extensive testing. Hundreds of cycles confirm acoustics and apparatus shouldn’t buckle under humidity or hubris.
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Bout time to replace?
Still works, but quite fancy a similarly compact SW radio + CD player (we have a separate vinyl player).@AndyD If I may ask, what type of things do you listen to on shortwave?
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Lol.
None at the moment. But as a teenager I would listen to VOA and anything I could pick up.
Working abroad, the BBC World Service on my Toshiba saved me from being homesick(I still listen to it in the car).Just fancy messing about hearing whats out there instead of Sky tv channels.
Maybe I'll get one of the Sony or Sangean portables.
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I have had the Sony one for a number of years. Dont use it much now, but it is a good radio. Good memories of trying to access english (or other language) news stations.
(Used to find the DPRK english news just for fun)
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In the 1980's I used to listen to the Soviet English news service for the chess world championship match scores.
How freaking sad is that?
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Still have the Heco speakers but I replaced them with a very gently used pair of Sonus Faber IL Cremonese. They are made in Italy.
Had the opportunity to purchase these at a very good price. Hesitated a little but in the end, I caved and wrote the check.
They are freaking amazing. It was like getting a whole new system.
The system is still evolving. I might replace the DAC, amplifier and phono preamp with an all in one integrated from GoldNote, the IS1000. Also made in Italy. I have it here on trial.
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Wonderful equipment Mark. The hifi store I worked carried Heco and Sonos speakers. Sounded great with the right system driving them. Usually used a MacIntosh for amplication although a Greek Zacharidis tube amp also sound good. Sonos and Harbeth speakers sounded best to me.
