Focal/JL Audio/Parasound/Ayre/Integra/Pioneer

[cbw723]

Speakers: Focal 1007Be (L/R), Klipsch RC3-II (C), Klipsch RS3-II surrounds
Subwoofers: (2) JL Audio Fathom F-110
Sub Eq: BFD DSP1124P
Amp: Parasound Halo A51
Preamp (music): Parasound NC-2100, modded with Burson Op-amps and a custom power supply
DAC: Ayre QB-9
Music Source: Mac Mini, iTunes, ALC/AIFF
Pre/Pro: Integra DTC 9.8
Video Sources: TiVo Series 3, Denon DVD-2200, Samsung Blu-Ray Player
Monitor: Pioneer Elite PRO1140HD 50" plasma
Speaker Cables: Kimber 8TC (for the Focals), custom Liberty cables elsewhere
Interconnects: Gabriel Gold (Extreme Mk 2, Revelation), Kimber Hero, others
Power: PS Audio Quintet; various PS Audio Prelude, Perfetct Wave AC-3 and AC-5 cables.

[Prof.]

Nice gear..

[cbw723]

Prof. wrote:

Nice gear..

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it lately. The Ayre DAC is amazing, and I've just started trying out 96/24 music. All I can say is, "wow."

For HT, I'd like to get the Focal center channel and a 60" monitor (as money becomes available).

[Jon Liu]

Great gear, indeed! I really like the look of the JL Audio subs, both the fathoms and the gotham.

[cbw723]

Jon Liu wrote:

Great gear, indeed! I really like the look of the JL Audio subs, both the fathoms and the gotham.

The Gothams are beautiful, but a bit big (and expensive) for my listening room. The F-110s were a nice match for me. The controls and connections for the JL Audio subs are really well thought-out, too. The master/slave system is great for setting up a pair in mono mode, and I just EQ the pair as a single unit. I may try to treat them individually someday when I have some time on my hands.

I also treat my subs like real speakers. I'm not sure why we're expected to put them on the floor and get good results. That works okay for movies, where things that go "boom" are meant to shake the room, but it's a big problem for music. I've got my subs on 2-1/2" thick maple platforms, mounted on 4" aluminum legs (see photo). The difference in getting the driver up off the floor is dramatic in the resolution of the bass and the coherence with the mains. I think it helped with room modes, too.