It All Started With a PV-10A

[simsjim]

Hi All

My first foray into Conrad Johnson starting around 1994 when I bought the PV-10A from Barry at Danby Radio (which became World Wide Stereo) in Ardmore PA. Barry is responsible for turning me onto the world of tubes, and adjunctly, 'hybrid' component setup of tubed pre, solid state power. The PV-10A has been the mainstay of my analog gear since then. Other components have rotated in and out of my system over the years.

I'm trying to better understand how to balance in one system the HDMI demands of current video components while keeping the sound of the CJ for the analog as best I can. Suggestions welcomed!

Here is my modest attempt at how to do that:

Set Up:
Media
Sony PS-X70 Turntable
Bluesound Node 2i Streamer
NAD C538 Compact Disc Player
Samsung BluRay
Samsung HDTV
AppleTV

Pre/Pro
Conrad Johnson PV-10A (Tape Outs to Aux In on Outlaw)
Outlaw 975 7.1 Channel Preamp/Processor

Amplification
Front - Kinergetics Research Chiro C-300
Rear - B&K ST2140

Speakers
Front - B & W 640i
Rear- Paradigm Alpha Mini

Interconnects
Blue Jeans LC-1
Audioquest speaker cable

Power Supply
Rotel RLC-900 Line Conditioner

[admin]

Looking great. Very nice setup. Lots of bang for your buck in there.

How far apart are the front speakers? It's hard to tell if they are very close or just lens effect from the camera. Sometimes giving a little extra separation on the L/R speakers can really open up the soundstage.

Big plus on the Blue Jeans cables. I make my own RCA interconnects and order the actual LC-1 cable from them. Very good interconnects for not a lot of money.

[simsjim]

Hi

Thanks for the compliments. The speaker distance is a bit of a frustration for me, but I’ve come up with a bit of a routine. I am limited by the space confines of a small city row-house and the steps to the second floor are only 1O feet from the front door, and those two features are on either side of my stereo.

So, what I normally do is move the speakers around depending on how I am using the stereo. I,e, for tv viewing or casual ‘background’ use - the position you see in the pics: about 5 ft apart and 12” from the wall. When I am engaged in ‘a listening session’ where I am sitting in the sweet spot focusing on the music - I increase the spread to 6’ and the distance from the wall increases to about 16”. And - absolutely - this seemingly minor, albeit inconvenient, exercise of sliding the speakers around has a dramatic affect on the openness and depth of the sound.

My huge take-away from having to adapt in that way is that if I ever move into another house, I’ll be more skeptical of room measurements and layout to make certain the place can accommodate what many would consider the fussier requirements of good speaker placement.

That said - do you know of any squat, rigid, speaker stands on casters that would make moving the speakers easier, but have wheel locks so they don’t vibrate into a new position? Kind of counter-intuitive to general speaker placement practices. Lol.

James

[admin]

I think we've all had our systems in rooms which were not "ideal." This was certainly the case for me when I was living in apartment after I finished school. You work with what you've got. Having the speakers mobile is a good solution. There is nothing wrong with having speakers on wheels. I've listened to some $+100k Wilsons that were on casters. You can also put them on a dolly. I would maybe try a solid wood dolly such as this https://www.harborfreight.com/24-in-x-1 ... 56782.html. Perhaps it's not the best "audiophile" solution but I think in your situation you will get more improvement with moving them out a little then fussing with exactly they are on. It also won't break the bank. If it doesn't feel well stabilized, you can maybe throw a couple of slabs of marble onto the dolly to give it extra weight.

Until I bought my house and was able to build a dedicated listening room, position was always less than optimal. It's just the way it is when your stereo is in a shared living space.

[simsjim]

Thanks for the HF link. Great idea. My last house had a finished basement and I had enough room to spread out there ( as well as not worrying about volume offending neighbors) alas....choices. Thanks again. BTW, I was checking out your HT room-rehab thread - stunning. So, while you were performing all of that construction, were you also creating a mental list of the first few weeks’ of movies?

James

[admin]

Although audio is my true passion, I love watching movies so building it as a dual listening room / hometheater was always the plan. I collect laserdiscs (I have over 1600 titles now) so the wife and I pick movies from there in addition to watching blu-ray's.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out.

[simsjim]

@admin Your excellent Harbor Freight idea, slightly modified. Two ‘furniture leg dollies’ for each speaker. Works well if I take the spikes off of the bottom of the speakers. I think to really finish it, a piece of 12x18” marble as a base atop the rollers. Then I can put the spikes back in for vibration dampening. I can roll the speakers around easily now for a wide soundstage when I’m doing focused listening. Thanks again!

[admin]

Glad it worked out! Sometimes it's good to think outside the box. Enjoy the music.