06-Oct-2016, 11:54
Hey all, thought I'd share a pic of the latest additions and changes to my system;
I upgraded from D800's to Od'A a few months ago and have been really pleased with the improvements they brought, and the more hours on them the better they seem to get.
Also after an extended period of procrastination, I replaced my Magico S5's with Wilson Sasha II's. I admired the Magico's greatly, but never loved them and in contrast there is something about the presentation of the Wilson's that has always appealed. I did have to go back and forwards to do auditions a few times before finally making a decision, and now with the speakers in my room I'm delighted with how they perform. Clearly everything is running in, but the change in stereo imaging and the dynamics are immediate.
One of the facinating learnings for me is that even as a group of audiophiles who have a common persuit of audio excellence and also in this forum, we share a central component from one manufacturer, how individual our tastes still end up being. I've auditioned many speakers in this price range and a number purely from looking at peoples profiles on this forum; SF's, Kef Blades I & II, Magico S3, S5 and it is incredible how differently they present music.
In this light, an entirely unsolicited recommendation for Oxford Audio Consultants. Jon has done what the name says - consult - he has patiently helped me work through my audio preferences and find the right solution for me. He and Pedro from A/S spent also spent several hours painstaking moving very heavy speakers back and forward, in some cases only a few cm's at a time to optimise their performance in my room. Their absolute (no pun intended) commitment to getting the sound right, and not leaving until they were completely satisfied is fantastic.
I've got a bit of work to do on the acoustics of the room, but corner bass traps, and ceiling mounted absorption panels are on the way should add the last few % of goodness.
As a final note from the picture, with the addition of a Lehle DI box, my system also makes a fantastic 1kw bass rig. Its also only slightly less practical for gigging than an Ampeg SVT and 8x10.
[attachment=1500]
I upgraded from D800's to Od'A a few months ago and have been really pleased with the improvements they brought, and the more hours on them the better they seem to get.
Also after an extended period of procrastination, I replaced my Magico S5's with Wilson Sasha II's. I admired the Magico's greatly, but never loved them and in contrast there is something about the presentation of the Wilson's that has always appealed. I did have to go back and forwards to do auditions a few times before finally making a decision, and now with the speakers in my room I'm delighted with how they perform. Clearly everything is running in, but the change in stereo imaging and the dynamics are immediate.
One of the facinating learnings for me is that even as a group of audiophiles who have a common persuit of audio excellence and also in this forum, we share a central component from one manufacturer, how individual our tastes still end up being. I've auditioned many speakers in this price range and a number purely from looking at peoples profiles on this forum; SF's, Kef Blades I & II, Magico S3, S5 and it is incredible how differently they present music.
In this light, an entirely unsolicited recommendation for Oxford Audio Consultants. Jon has done what the name says - consult - he has patiently helped me work through my audio preferences and find the right solution for me. He and Pedro from A/S spent also spent several hours painstaking moving very heavy speakers back and forward, in some cases only a few cm's at a time to optimise their performance in my room. Their absolute (no pun intended) commitment to getting the sound right, and not leaving until they were completely satisfied is fantastic.
I've got a bit of work to do on the acoustics of the room, but corner bass traps, and ceiling mounted absorption panels are on the way should add the last few % of goodness.
As a final note from the picture, with the addition of a Lehle DI box, my system also makes a fantastic 1kw bass rig. Its also only slightly less practical for gigging than an Ampeg SVT and 8x10.
[attachment=1500]
Nice speaker cables too 
