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Baddog's System
#1
In the spirit of the other threads.

We will just cover the adult years. Prior to that very inexpensive BIC turntable plus some low end receiver I cannot recall, tape deck, and little speakers my dad made which were essentially a 12" full range speaker.

The poor college years and CD era sadly led me to foolishly sell off most (but not all) of my wonderful record collection.

1st system - Bose 401 speakers, Sony receiver, Sony CD player, Radio shack interconnects and speaker cables. Later added a B&O linear tracking turntable for the ~100 records I still had. Owned this for ten years.

2nd system - Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble with two woofers and two satellites, Marantz receiver, Sony CD/DVD player. I owned this for four years.

3rd system - Added on surround channel from Cambridge Soundworks, and later added in (2) SVS Subwoofers, which oddly enough were the most expensive part of my system, I was big into Home Theater at the time. Had this one for another 2 years.

4th system - I would call this my first real system. I got some great deals which is why i was able to step up. Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 7's, Marantz receiver, Sony CD/DVD player, and my first set of crazy expensive cables, Kubula Sosna speaker cables, thick as a garden house.

5th system- shortly thereafter sold the subwoofers, bought a used BAT VS-300x integrated amp, and a Estoteric X-01 CD/SACD player. Bought some expensive K-S interconnects. Started buying SACDs, they were on sale at the time at a local store for $15 pop. I owned this for about 5 years.

6th system - This is when I entered my analog phase or as some might say "tube phase". Out with everything. In with a set of Shindo 300B mono blocks, Shindo Pre amp, SUT, Garrard 401 turntable with EMT arm and cartridge. Oh and Devore O/96 speakers. Many days spent at the used record store. This lasted for a few years, one change is that eventually I added a MSB Analog DAC to the mix, and got into computer audio with Pure Music, than Audirvana, then JRIVER, before moving to Roon once they launched. A NAS would come into the mix as well. I won't get into the USB cables I tried, the Regen or the microRendu, as they come during this phase and spill into the next.

7th system (current) - This all started when I went to listen to a pair of Vivid Audio G3s about a year a half ago. I knew I had to have them. Spent alot of time, figuring out what had to be sold to purchase them and yet still be able to playback music. So bye bye to the tube stuff, the SUT, the MSB Analog DAC and all the crazy expensive interconnects, speaker cables, and other minutiae.

I sold it all. I had been interested in Devialet for quite a few years, and wasn't really sure where I wanted to go long term (plus couldn't afford much beyond the D's anyway), so I bought a D200 thinking it would serve me short term. Well the speakers were delayed in shipping from South Africa, so a month passed playing them into an old, old Infinity speakers (not the high end ones) that my brother gave me that I had been using for my home theater system. After a month with no speakers still I thought crap, why not just go for the D400 and not worry about more equipment for at least a year or two. While I was waiting I also ordered speaker cables from DH Labs, bi wired for the G3s.

Finally a month later the G3s arrive, and they get setup with the Devialets, DH labs, with my Mac Mini running Roon via USB. They sounded wonderful, all thoughts of swapping to another system down the road were gone.

So this takes us to about October of last year. Since then I sold the LH Labs Lightning cable, the Regen went ahead of the microRendu, the microRendu lasted about two weeks till AIR3 Beta for the Mac was released.

My frustration with the delays in processing my upgrade request almost led me to cancel the order, and sell of my D's and start all again, I am glad that did not transpire.

Oh in May of this year I had my phone wiring converted to CAT5 and some additional CAT6 runs installed so direct ethernet now to the NAS, Devialet, and two RoonServers.

I think that about sums it up. Very happy to have so few boxes, so few wires, so little clutter and yet great sound. I may add back a turntable later this year though, as I do have about 700 records with nothing to play them on. Much of that music not available either on CD or downloadable. I do have Tidal too. 

Pictures when the D440's return (they are still in the process of leaving the States, yet another story for another day).
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#2
(08-Nov-2016, 01:32)baddog Wrote: In the spirit of the other threads.

We will just cover the adult years. Prior to that very inexpensive BIC turntable plus some low end receiver I cannot recall, tape deck, and little speakers my dad made which were essentially a 12" full range speaker.

The poor college years and CD era sadly led me to foolishly sell off most (but not all) of my wonderful record collection.

I think that about sums it up. Very happy to have so few boxes, so few wires, so little clutter and yet great sound. I may add back a turntable later this year though, as I do have about 700 records with nothing to play them on. Much of that music not available either on CD or downloadable. I do have Tidal too. 

Pictures when the D440's return (they are still in the process of leaving the States, yet another story for another day).

baddog

What a great story, I ran a B&O 8002 liner tracking turntable for a few years. (still have it)
Love your Vivid Audio G3, I had to settle on B&W 803D3 Dodgy

Hope you get your upgrade sorted out real soon.

Brian
Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated amp, VPI Classic TurnTable c/w Transfiguration Phoenix Cart, 
Auralic Aries G2, Audience Front Row USB cable, B&W 803D3 (black) Audience Front Row Bi wire speaker cables, 
6 x OREA Bronze Footers.
                                                                 Ottawa, Canada.                                                                                      

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#3
Hey Brian!

Mine was a Beogram 3300 turntable. My dad had some Revox linear tracker. I ended up with both, but they had issues over time, probably capacitors drying up, etc.. I kept them forever, but finally I had too much "stuff" in the garbage and there came the "Great Cleaning" of 2012 and off they went. I had a VPI Classic for a few months but for reasons lost on me now, traded it for a modified Garrard.

Now i am thinking about a VPI Prime. But given I have nothing to hook it up to at the moment, I have time to decide. Plus the lazy side of me appreciates not having to get up every 20 minutes and all the attendant maintenance.

Barr
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#4
(08-Nov-2016, 02:29)baddog Wrote: I had a VPI Classic for a few months but for reasons lost on me now, traded it for a modified Garrard.

Barr

Now why would you do that, VIP classic is a nice table, but i'm like you getting up every 20 mins is getting harder.
Thats why I purchased my Aurender N100H streaming with an iPad is easy.

Brian
Vinnie Rossi L2iSE integrated amp, VPI Classic TurnTable c/w Transfiguration Phoenix Cart, 
Auralic Aries G2, Audience Front Row USB cable, B&W 803D3 (black) Audience Front Row Bi wire speaker cables, 
6 x OREA Bronze Footers.
                                                                 Ottawa, Canada.                                                                                      

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#5
Very interesting story - we all went through different stages in this hobby. But once Devialet becomes the centre in our system, there are less variables in the chain. I also once owned tube preamp, tube power amp and active loudspeakers (after sold the power amp) but they are all gone now. It is good.
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#6
Great post baddog. Looking forward to the 440 return!

>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase.  <<<

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#7
Thanks I took your lead and decided to post as well.

And I certainly don't miss having to power up six devices to play music.
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
Reply
#8
(08-Nov-2016, 20:59)baddog Wrote: Thanks I took your lead and decided to post as well.

And I certainly don't miss having to power up six devices to play music.

Haha, well you beat me to it too!

>>> 1st Place Award: Devialet, last decades most disappointing technology purchase.  <<<

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