Day 56: Barry Held Hostage

[Barry]

     

Day 56: Barry held hostage.

It’s been 56 days since I began ordering and arranging my Media room.  You an see from the pictures the lack of amps near my speakers and the empty top to my Salamander cabinet.
 
Seriously, I have been working with an excellent dealer and I decided, in these covid isolated times, to completely set things up, rather than do it in stages. While I like to tinker as items come in, the dealer made things very easy and I would rather have them set everything up.
 
A great example is the Salamander unit you see in the picture.  The top will be replaced so I can put TWO rows of items on the outside. Everything would be accessible and visible.
 
I would like to thank everyone for their suggestions, it really helped and made me feel secure about the selections.
 
On ordered and delivered to the dealer:
Controller                   McIntosh MX170
Amplifier (center)        McIntosh MC-611
(2) Amplifiers               McIntosh MC1.25 KW
Streaming TV               Amazon Fire Cube (2 Gen)
Wiring:                       Shunyata
Cabinet;                      Salamander update
Amps Stands               Salamander
Wall Echo Strips          I forgot
Not yet delivered:
Streaming Audio          Aurender N100H
CD/SACD Player          Esoteric K-01XD
Delivered and installed (by another dealer some time ago)
Atmos Ceiling (2)          Revel C763L (delivered)
Amp: Rear/Atmos        Krell 1500, updated
surround
 
 
In place:
(2) Speakers                 Revel Ultima Salon 2  (about 13 years)
Center Channel            Revel Ultima Voice 2   (about 13 years)
(3) Rear & Back            Revel W 990                (3 years)
4K Disc Player             Panasonic UB9000      (2 years)
FM Tuner                    Day Sequerra FM Reference   (31 years)
HDTV Receiver            4K Verizon                  (two weeks)
SIRIUSXM/Pandora     Sonos                         (ten years)
Sub-Woofers (2)            SVS SB-13 Ultras                 (eight years)
Turntable                    VPI 19 Mark 4                 (30 years)
         Tonearm             SME 309
         Turntable Stylus Audioquest 404i
         VPI Synchronous Drive System
 Record Cleaner              VPI 17
Universal Remote        Harmony Elite                 (new)
Video Projector            JVC DLA-RS3000              (2 years)
Video Screen               Stuart StudioTek100     (2 Years)
 

[David Vaughn]

Barry has his own version of "Nightline" going. If you're too young to remember what that is, Google it

[TRainH2O]

Thank goodness you still have your "small system". I'd go crazy without access to my gear.

When's the last time you gave that VPI a spin? It might be a good time to find a good integrated amp and go old school. You could also go with a stereo preamp and use headphones. I've recently refurbished my first turntable from the '70s and have been going 100% headphones with it.

[AVSCraig]

Spyro Gyra! 

[TRainH2O]

Spyro Gyra!

Yes, I have been spinning and buying more records than Blu-ray.

[Barry]

    I will be getting my new McIntosh and other equipment on Thursday. I’d like to thank so many on this list but especially David and Tracy will help me decide on what to get. I will be getting the McIntosh Mx170 primarily because David pointed out how well the Trinnov works and the McIntosh uses their technology and even their apps. But I also him an audio person and the McIntosh is a balanced unit that I can plug in my two balanced inputs as well as my phono.
 
But in preparing for it today, I really felt a bit old. Not because of my age, but in going through my old instruction booklets I see how much change I have lived through. And it’s been a lot. And I don’t just mean the technology.
 
I love music. And I remember early on my dealer letting me try out Mark Levinson equipment at home and I was completely blown away. I stayed with that brand because they updated their equipment regularly. In olden days before the Internet you had to bring your equipment in for updates and there were very good. When surround sound was being introduced ML introduced the Proceed line, which fit right in. I liked it that their new technology built on their old technology so you did not have to change everything. I did upgrade at that time from my ADS speakers to Thiel.
 
By the time Blu-ray and advanced audio came out, Levenson was gone. It was bought over by Harmon Kardin who felt that they could make elite equipment and maintain  it in their run-of-the-mill platforms. They couldn’t. So nearly 20 years ago I switched to Krell. And then I got Revel speakers. Krell, for me, was not as easy to use as the Mark Levinson equipment. It just was not as user-friendly and while they promised it would be updatable it wasn’t. This was because Dan D’Agostino left the company and they simply have not run it well since then. They no longer make their own equipment either, it is imported from China.
 
It would take me a long time to tell you how much trouble I have had with the Krell equipment in the last three years. And it has been mostly not working for the last year or two.
 
So a major reason I chose McIntosh is that I think that they will be here to stay and they are reliable. I know the new stuff, 4K and all, will be among the best and I’m very happy about that. But when I look back, I see not just how much technology has changed but how industry has changed. And it’s not all for the better.
 
I truly miss the more personal contact I had with dealers, salespeople, and the actual manufacturer. That now is a generation gone with the wind.

[David Vaughn]

Be sure to take before and after pictures Barry

[Barry]

The before pics are already up!!!!

[TRainH2O]

Barry, it's good to hear that you will finally get your new gear this week. I know it's been a good while since you've had a working main theater.

I love the high-end, more boutique AV companies but they are usually the last to embrace new technologies. Onkyo, Sony, and Yamaha sell a ton more equipment and can spend the money on R&D. However, these companies rarely have the best sound especially for music. I have been running two different systems (1 for home theater, 1 for 2-channel stereo) for this very reason.

I can't wait to see your new room and read your thoughts about your new equipment.

[Barry]

New

[TRainH2O]

AWESOME, Barry !!! I know you are ready to enjoy your new system.

I look forward to reading your impressions. However, you know you have great gear when you have to set the amps, on stands, on the floor. 

[Barry]

The amps weigh over 150 lbs each. Whew. I know I am getting older because I am totally exhausted from work we did yesterday. What this means is that I’m having trouble learning everything and retaining what I need to know. But in the last year almost everything in the A/V chain has been either updated or replaced. Except me of course.

[TRainH2O]

It's time to update your Signature too, Barry. 

[Barry]

Tracy here is the entire shebang:

Controller:            McIntosh MX170
Video Projector     JVC DLA-RS3000
Video Screen        Stuart StudioTek100
Amplifier (center) McIntosh MC-611
Amplifier (lt/rt)     McIntosh MC1.25KW
Amplifier (rears)    Krell S-1500
4K Disc Player      Panasonic UB9000
HDTV Receiver     Verizon
TV Tuner               Mediasonic HW-150PVR
Streaming Audio   Aurender N100H & Sonos
Speakers Front:    Revel Ultima Salon 2
      Center Channel        Revel Ultima Voice 2
      Rear & Back             Revel W 990
     Atmos Ceiling (2)       Revel C763L
Sub-Woofers (2)    SVS SB-13 Ultras
Streaming TV        Apple T V/ Amazon Fire Cube (2 Gen)
CD/SACD              Esoteric K-01XD
FM Tuner              Day Sequerra FM Reference
Turntable              VPI 19 Mark 4
          Tonearm     SME 309
          Turntable Stylus   Ortofon 2M
           VPI Synchronous Drive System
Universal Remote Control        Harmony Elite
Wiring:                  Shunyata

 

[TRainH2O]

Funny, I've seen that same cartoon drawing except it was about records. I can relate.