Great room. I have same speakers and footers. You have addressed a lot of trade offs. My only recommendation would be corners. I used tri~corner ceiling traps . Lots of energy gets trapped there. Made a huge difference. Colors to match decor.
Hector, thank you for commenting. I think a while ago I was the one asking you about the Puritan mains filter. With your Dan D'Agostino amplification right?
Your room and equipment set up resemble mine. My hifi has to fight for it’s right to be in our family lounge, which has large windows along one wall whilst the opposite side opens into our open plan kitchen. I have my large floor standers mounted on isolation podiums. I don’t employ any acoustic treatment other than a large plush rug, placed on my wood clad, concrete floor between and in front of the floor standers. I also have heavy duty curtains placed at the windows. My speakers are placed 90cm from the wall behind them and 90cm from the side wall making then 270cm apart. When I sit down to an attentive listening session, I used to drape a curtain matching those at the windows, over my coffee table. I no longer do this, I find it more beneficial to remove the coffee table from the room, so besides the afore mentioned rug, there is nothing between my listening position and the floor standers. I don’t use ‘mains conditioner’ but have had a dedicated, clean power line run in from the consumer unit. Looks like you’ve put together a really high performance system. Enjoy the music!
I’m afraid I have nothing helpful to contribute, as I play in a much lower hifi-league, but I just found your channel and immediately subscribed when I saw what a beautiful system you have put together. I hope to be able to travel along in the back seat for future videos. Thank you for sharing.
Hey Rob When i something would improve, is on Acoustic treatment. I would rather absorb the sound in the back of the Speakers and distribure and absorb in the back of the listening position. So in theorie you rech that you hear the speaker more and not the room if that makes sense. This is a little bit hard to do that and dont deface the livingroom. And the homeliness in that space. I find a good solution with the thick curtains that you already have. Greetings and enjoy your nice setup!
Great video. Terrific system. I have been playing with adding weights on top of my components to dampen micro vibrations. Easy enough to test with no investment. Make sure there is a soft bottom. I used ankle weights. I will do some A/B testing to determine if there is any improvement. Good luck.
@@robsaudiophilejourney Thanks. I will try but my ability to record my system's performance is nowhere near as good as you. I doubt if I will be able to hear a difference on a video recorded on my phone. I will let you know how it goes.
Tastefully decorated room...and your gear fits the decor perfectly. Overall very cozy and inviting. Well done! Few fundamental things to consider (if you haven't already) - Dedicated mains power for Audio, reducing the noise floor with your entire system switched on - both electric and acoustic noises, ceiling diffusion.
Thanks for the suggestion. But why the subs? These speakers have 13" electromagnetic woofers that play down to 22Hz. Rarely do I play music that goes lower than that. I have 3 settings on these woofers. When choosing 'high', there's already too much bass in the room. So I set them to 'low' or 'normal'. Am I overlooking something?
I have same speakers but different pre and monos. I think, you could add a piece of area rug to control the high . Another one is use transparent opus cablings and power cords, the reason I suggest transparent is I used to had other brand of ultra high end cables, it wasn't sounding what I expected. So I switched to transparent cablings. These just my opinion. It up to you. Thanks
Four things I would consider: 1. bass traps on the rear corners (if they can fit somewhere). 2. a NetWork switch to clean up the signal between your router and streamer such as the SOtM sNH-10G. The youtube reviewer Hans Beekhuyzen is an expert on digital front ends and uses this network switch in his reference system. 3. a CD transport (if you have CDs) will sound even better than streaming with a network switch and the Jay's Audio CDT2 Mk3 is a great choice with Philips CDM4 reader, OCXO clock and i2s output. 4. the most important component in any system is the Dac and the best Dac in the market under $40k is the Holo Audio May, it will open up the sound stage especially depth, image layering and timbre realism. The Mola Mola pushes DS/FPGA Dacs about as far as that technology presently goes, but the best R2R ladder dacs go further. The only two Dacs which might beat the Holo May (I need an A-B test to confirm) are MSB Select ($105k) and MSB Reference ($40k). The May comfortably beats the lower end MSBs even though they are more expensive than it. 70 year old veteran audiophiles are selling their vinyl gear and records after they hear the Holo May.Some guy with an even more expensive system then you have and two pairs of floortstanders stacked on top of each other (the top one upside down) replaced his expensive Dac with a Holo May the moment his friend demo'd it for him.
Thanks Conner. 1) Would like to but am afraid it's not a great look for a living room. I'd need quite a few too to really have an effect; 2) I follow Hans and he's VERY knowledgeable indeed and may try this kind of network upgrade; 3) No CD's here, 100% streaming from Tidal via Roon; 4) Are you suggesting the $5,000 Holo Audio May is better than the $13,500 Tambaqui? And to better the May, you'd need to spend more than $40k?
@@robsaudiophilejourney 2) If you go for the Hans recommended network switch, the gap to CD transport would narrow a lot. Hans also adds a specialist "ENO ethernet cable" to connect to the streamer which he says further reduces jitter. And with the famous Focal beryllium tweeters, the less treble jitter the better, as they reveal everything coming in from the source components as I'm sure you already discovered. 4) Ultimately it is a matter of taste. The Mola Mola is one of the better Delta Sigma Dacs for sure. And such might even edge the Holo May on the last 1% of detail. But... where the Holo May (and the two top tier MSB Dacs - Reference and Select models - which Jay's Audio Lab use (not the lower MSB models as they are voiced completely differently, too warm and distinctly lacking transient information versus the May)... is the for many, coveted "3D holographic soundstage". Even the top of the line Chord and dCS chip Dacs sound 2D compared to the 3D Holo May and top two MSB R2R Dacs... these three R2R Dacs (all with separate chassis LPSUs) provide immediately obvious increased soundstage depth, which then provides space and clarity around the instruments, which then improves instrument timbre since the instruments do not clash with each other. The resulting effect being more "analogue" with zero digital glare and incidentally most likely a better synergistic match to the Focals which do not need any extra brightness or uncontrolled detail upstream. The below two Holo May 3D holographic samples are a few of many I have saved. Even though the guy does not have enough room treatment to stop the tweeter reflections, the 3D effect should be immediately noticeable and stands out compared to the multiple other Dacs he has experimented with: th-cam.com/video/R2tsBvWDfBk/w-d-xo.html , th-cam.com/video/Yw8I75hsCAE/w-d-xo.html As a bonus youtube just auto-played Holo May paired with some Focals, again the 3D soundstage is immediately noticeable in a different system, different room: th-cam.com/video/qyKWuu9skqE/w-d-xo.html One last comment in terms of price Holo Audio sells direct to market so that skips the 3.5x mark-up the dealer usually takes. So their $6k top line KTE model can be better viewed as being $21k worth and even then I don''t hear a 3D holographic soundstage and natural timbre rival even close to it until the $40k MSB Reference.
Great setup. Currently, I have the Maestro Utopia III in my family room. My speakers are pulled out 6 ft from front wall. I use a VAC tube preamp and Pass 260.8 monos. I also have added REL subs to the two corners for optimal bass. Question: if you test (you can play audio test tones on Tidal, for example), is your base response (30Hz, 40Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz test tones) flat in your room with the speakers where they are?
Hi sir You have a great system there and it looks like you have done almost everything you can do to make your room as good as possible I have listened to the mola mola DAC and it is amazing I would say get a media player that is better than the nucleus and also an Ethernet switch if you don’t have made for audio. I recently got one that is not even one of the most expensive ones and it made a great improvement to the sound of my system. There are better cables than the triod but I know that they are really good and I think a good match for the focals because they can be a little bright. I also have a puritan in my bedroom system and my Shunyata Triton typhoon combo is clearly better but I do like the puritan. Let me know if you have any questions about what I said or my system. Best regards and enjoy your great system
Yep, there's definitely areas in the room where I hear slap echo. Adding thick absorption panels is hard without making your living room look like a studio.
Stella utopia are Phenominal speakers. Have had focal speakers since my first high end audio purchase. Started with chora and just updated to the sopra2. I would love to hear your system and the acoustic treatments look spot on.
Have you tried something like a Trinnov Amethyst? Correcting the room goes far beyond diffusers, as diffusers and absorbers don't really do the lower frequencies. The Trinnov does phase correction as well, which may be interesting to see how the Focals could benefit from this.
Fantastic system! What do you call those speaker wire holders that guides the speaker cable and keeps them straight. I am having a hard time finding one.
I have an idea of what you can improve... you can ship this absolute awesome setup to me and than you can enjoy the sound of silence in a way you never heard it before😅 just kidding this is an absolute dream setup🤙
You're missing out on a lot of sound if the ceiling above the listening position and between the speakers and the listening position is not optimized. Great speakers, also listen with Focal BE. Best regards.
Try this: Skip the bi-wiring for a more cohesive sound, and with the jumpers back in place only connect to the + and - of the tweeter rather than the bass which is more common. Of the 3 different pairs of speakers I tried they all sounded the best when connected this way.
Wow, that room looks lovely. Those speakers fit perfect. The only downside are the two different diffusors. Watch the video "Diffusion Confusion" from Acoustic Fields.
I've watched basically all videos by Acoustic Fields. You're right, these are not proper quadratic diffusers. But these slatted wooden panels are better than a flat concrete wall. Thanks for the compliments!
@@robsaudiophilejourney There's nothing wrong with the diffusors itself(different types).The problem only comes, when you "combine" two different diffusors together = distortion.
Have you tried moving your listening seat closer to your speakers? Inch by inch is better than foot by foot, btw. I suspect you are hearing the influence of your room to a large degree and being closer might reduce that effect. As easy and cost-free trial.
I’m still in lust!! One thing I would recommend is to remove the coffee table entirely and the couch extension on the left. That will further open everything up. Have you considered Isoacoustics under the Gryphens and Molamola.
Would love to remove the sofa extension and coffee table. But it’s a living room and I really need them. The Mola Mola Tambaqui and Puritan 156 mains filter both are on IsoAcoustics Orea discs. For pre and power amplifier; they are on very heavy platforms with Sorbothane hemisphere footers (calculated number of footers necessary to match the weight).
Nice room A) Gaia footers are not isolating low in frequencies. Earth seismic movements, and traffic as well will degrade sound. You need to isolate lower, below 6-8 Hz. Townshend Audio have got the upgrades you need to put your speakers on. Note that only the earths movement are 400 times more than the tweeters movement when making music. This movement smears the sound greatly. B) The same goes for you equipment. Sorbothane is even worse than Gaia’s. With that thickness they maybe absorbs some, but not all, of the vibrations down to 30-40 Hz. Even your own speakers base will chock the sorbothane lower in frequencies than the sorbothane can handle. Those marble slabs will only do a minor job. Put everything on Townshend, and the the marble on top of the Townshend. C) Have you tried grounding (like Entreq and CAD)? I have not tried your mains conditioner but grounding usually improves both power plants and mains conditioning. D) A large Stromtank would improve power further. Running everything on batteries. E) Entreq Vibbeaters 6,5 kg on top of your speakers would improve the speakers greatly. You can get them in white to blend in the room and speaker design. A very nice room and systems, but there are still low hanging fruits to acquire, Townshend, grounding and Vibbeaters on the speakers will raise the system to a new level.
Thanks for sharing. Great room and set-up! The Stella's look awesome in the room and match the room decor very well. The white color makes them look like art work in the room. Good hear more positive reports on the Isoacoustic footers. How do you like the Mola Mola DAC? Things to try going forward....well your system seems pretty high level and complete but made you can try a few different brand of cables to see if you like one brand more than another? Happy listening and enjoy :).
Very happy with the Mola Mola Tambaqui, can recommend it. Dutch product, just like me :) I’ve tried Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables and interconnects. Was different but not a huge improvement.
Always more you could do . Try rearranging the entire room with glass wall behing speaks. Speaks pointing toward kitchen and study. Curtain to be bigger and cover all glass. Heavy carpet. Ceiling absorption. It would sound even bigger.
Thinking outside the box, I like that! :) I actually had the speakers in front of the glass wall before. Problem is my TV needs to be between the speakers and that would kill the view and light into the room. I did get more side wall in that set up and a deeper soundstage. But mids and lows were less dense, as speakers need a solid rear wall, not thin single pane glass. Side walls were still far at about 9' or 2.7m away.
Few things: - Too much echo, RT60 time is too long. Would need many absorption panels to reduce this. - Sound is coming from the front wall, I’m not fully engulfed in sound. Probably because the room is large and side walls are 10’ / 3m away. - Lack of sound stage depth. All vocals and instruments seem to be lined up along the front wall. No difference in depth.
@@robsaudiophilejourney Wow Rob, didn't expect all this. As I'm not actually in the room I obviously can't diagnose the potential issues with certainty. I'm familiar with your individual components & they are all top notch. I can say Focal is a truly serious company, if you had Wilson's the problem would be easily addressed, sell the Wilsons! My first question to you is did you hear the Focal's in a well setup showroom before you bought them? If so, what was it about their sonic signature that you liked? The most important thing is establishing a list in order of what's most important to you. I realize this seems very basic but often overlooked. You come across as well versed so I'm sure you know all your hot buttons. The first two easy suggestions I have is 1- Purchase Get Better Sound by Jim Smith, he is a master at room set up. I've been at it for 45 years & I still learn from him. 2- Now this one is going to sound a bit crazy. I owned the Diablo Utopias at one point, I set them up & they initially sounded a bit closed in, thought break in? No, they cared completely wrapped in a clear protective wrap, makes sense, they don't want that beautiful finish getting scratched. Here's the crazy part, they wrapped the midrange driver as well, problem solved. I can only think you were smarter then me but wouldn't that be something. The Utopias are a very interesting speaker as they have the huge benefit of high efficiency which really buys you the freedom to use many amps. The Gryphos are as world class as SS amps get so no need to worry about that at this point. The base unit is very good but I have never seen a speaker system that didn't benefit from a properly integrated sub woofer system. You have a large space that you need to pressurize & as good as the eternal driver is it just may not be enough. People would be shocked that a sub woofer system done correctly will not only improve bottom end but will enhance mid, highs, body, texture depth, soundstage, litterly every conceivable aspect in the spectrum of musical reproduction. Everything tells me the system as it is configured now is a bit on the lean side? That is one reason I would like to know what your ultimate preference's are. There are many ways to address these issues but one thing that was suggested that I strongly would advise against would be the use of Transparent cables. These became famous because Wilson advised in their manuals to use them. The Wilson sonic signature had a giant suck out in the midrange & painfully bright in the top end. In the end you really want to avoid use cables as tone controls or filters. Oh yeah Rob, hope you ignored that nasty comment stating how terrible your room is, sounds like a jealous hater to me. Don't worry, I have seen many set ups that overcame the worst of rooms. To be continued my friend.
Thank you Scott for your elaborate reply. There's no dealer here who had the Focal Stella Utopia set up for a demo. And due to Covid lock downs, I wasn't able to travel elsewhere. I bought them blind, because I really liked my Focal Sopra No 2. I just ordered Jim Smith's book on Amazon. Eager to read it, thanks for the suggestion. I took the grills off and removed all the plastic wrap. In my case the mid range drivers were not sealed. As for sub woofers, you'd be looking at a set of two no? Something like this: rel.net/shop/powered-subwoofers/reference-series/no25/ I'm open to suggestions on this. But hard to get an in-home demo I'm afraid. And two more huge boxes in the room haha. The Stella's are huge too. As for my ultimate preferences, I like a wide and deep soundstage. I like an open, airy and detailed sound, but it needs to be easy-going and smooth too. Currently, some recordings from the 80's sound harsh and bright. Knowing what I know now, and being in a room with limited acoustic treatment, I could have considered speakers and (tube?) equipment that sounds sweeter and warmer. My 'harsh' room would prevent it from sounding too syrupy. For now, I've Stella's tweeter settings are on 'low' and 'soft'. Low is -2dB and 'soft' means it takes over from the mid range driver a little later.
@@robsaudiophilejourney No problem Rob, I would love to see you get your system dialed in. I didn't think we could get so lucky with a wrapped midrange, it was a long shot but crazier things have happened. At this point, I think stepping back & seeing what knowledge you can get from Jims book would be the most prudent move. The REL's are great subs & they would be my choice if I was going to stick with a classic box design. As you have a large space to fill 1 would probably be a bit light. In all honesty if yo went this rout I would lean towards going with multiple laser priced units as opposed to a single/dual top of the range unit. It really is about filling a large amount of volume at this point. Another approach to consider which I really like that is really suited to your situation is open baffle sub system. It fills the room very differently then a box design. As a side benefit you can construct them to match the focal's much more closely, at the same time it would be far less costly with better results. I actually did this with my reference system & I am happier then ever. Here is some places for you to assist you in learning about this approach. Pursuit Perfect System on TH-cam did a video on 4 REL's in a small room & I think you would get something useful out of this video, he is a good guy. Rythmik Audio makes servo amplifiers designed for this very application. Acoustic Elegance specializes in making world class woofers for open baffle designs all handmade in the USA, their web site is a wealth of knowledge. And finally GR-Research offers a open baffle kit & actually specializes in full range open baffle systems. I heard one of their larger speakers & it was quite impressive. If you ever considered records or even CD's that defiantly would provide us the abilitiey to add some warmth to the system, just food for thought in the future. I am blessed & at the same time cursed with the love of analog, 10,000 records & still buying. I will admit streaming is far more convenient but there is just a magic to analog that I can't give up. Hopefully this will be helpful to you in making your system sing, It truly is a beautiful dream system Rob!
Hi Rob, wonderful system. You seem to follow all the ‘audiophile rules’ 😉 - My first question would be: Are you missing something? What made you decide to do this video? - Apart from the quality of your components being much higher than mine, I have a similar situation with glass walls on one side and ‘nothing’ on the other side and quite a lot of room to play with. And I also have the speakers way into the room. - To address your question I may have 2 things. I’m sure you addressed these points already. - I achieved a big (accurate) soundstage by placing the loudspeakers as far apart as possible (just before the center image starts to break up). Maybe you can try that. - And I was wondering if some echo is a problem. I see a lot of hard surfaces. I have chosen absorption on the back wall instead of diffusion because of that. Anyways, great room and attention to detail. Thanks for sharing 👍
You’re welcome. And thank you for commenting. I’ll be uploading more videos playing music and assumed people want to know what components make up the system. Only thing I’m missing is that enveloping, 3D sound. Hearing that kick drum way way back behind the singer. But next to impossible with no side walls. Few questions about your speakers: - How far apart are are they? - How far into the room? - Distance to listening position? - Brand and model of your speakers? Echo is an issue to some extent. RT60 time is about 950ms. If it wasn’t a living room I’d use thick absorption panels to minimise echo. Ideal would be RT60 time of 400-500ms.
I'm surprised the diffusers behind the speakers have such an effect. I spoke with GIK Acoustics about how to treat the area in between the speakers and they said since only bass travels omnidirectional I shouldn't worry about diffusion.
Depends on who you talk to; there’s many factors involved. Dennis from Acoustic Fields usually recommends diffusion on front and rear wall, and absorption on side walls. Best is to try what work best in your room.
Have not considered that (yet). The 13 inch subwoofers in the Focal Stella Utopia are beasts and do a good enough job for now. I actually had to set them to “low” as to not overload bass
your setting is thoughtful and high end enough that minor adjusment including cables would not be so audible. You can have a try on HQ player though if you use ROON, it will make HUGE difference on music source. Try some other DACs, such as R2R to see whether you can notice any difference, such as Holo Audio May 3 KTE.
Move the speakers apart another 5 inches each so the ratio from speaker width to setting position is closer to 83% and you are at 75% now. Given you are exactly 9 meters and 12 meters
I love them. Even though it’s only 55 watts, it’s very powerful. My Dan D’Agostino Momentum Integrated has 60,000uF capacitance, the Essence combo has 940,000uF. Less watts but 15x more capacitance. And it’s 3 chassis with 3 power supplies vs. an all-in-one box. Bought sound great.
I improve my setup I start with one glass of wiskey and it starts to sound good then I have two wiskeys gets better sounding 3 rd wiskey and it starts to sound a lot better forth wiskey sound is excellent and it's cheap 😂🤣😂👍😂
You could up this significantly with a high end server streamer like the Innuos Statement or SGM Extreme. I’d say you would be shocked by the jump in realism over the Nucleus which is very good indeed but not up to the level of the rest of your gear.
Good point. I’ve heard many good stories about high-end streamers. But then I also hear this: th-cam.com/video/k0SDLQJDrG4/w-d-xo.html I wouldn’t mind an in-home demo for the Taiko Extreme or something similar.
@@robsaudiophilejourney Yeah, I saw that too. Headscratcher. Definitely an anomaly and likely the Select II has a killer clock or something else going on. It is a six figure DAC after all. I've played around with clocks like After Dark with the Etherregen and LPS's for both. They all made a significant difference even when I had the Innuos Statement.
I don't want to sound like a jerk but the diffuser you are using is the wrong product for the area you are using it in. You should be using either a different type of diffuser or better yet some absorption. Art Novion also makes absorber panels that would look nice and do the correct job. You have a very good looking room and have good gear. They also make some portable stands for 1st reflection absorption that can be used on both sides of your room. These can be moved out of the way when you aren't listening as well.
Which diffuser is the wrong type? The white panels behind the speakers or the grey square in the center, or both? Maybe you can include a link to what kind of product you’d use instead. I’ve place a thick mattress behind the speakers once to test with absorption. Didn’t really like the sound then. But I could try again.
THE ONLY THING U COULD DO AT THIS POINT IS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY LET ME BE THE FIRST TO RECEIVE A 100,000 DOLLAR CHECK FROM U AS A GIFT TO HUMANITY ''' LOL NICE SET UP BROTHER''''
Why have you put the amps on sorbothane? It's doing absolutely nothing, you want to acoustically isolate your monitors, not the electronics. You've got loads of reflective surfaces in that room, I'm not convinced those diffusers are doing a great deal unless you've calculated the diffusion characteristics specifically for your room when constructing the diffusers. You'd probably benefit from a decent sized cloud on the ceiling and some proper acoustic panels on the walls, but again, you'd have to do some maths to work out where your room nodes are. The biggest thing you have going for you is the big open plan space.
Sorbothane footers don't prevent vibrations from the floor going into the platforms and equipment? I agree on the acoustic treatment. If it wasn't a living room, I'd use way more treatment. It's a compromise between looks and sound. I may try absorption on the ceiling.
@@robsaudiophilejourney not in any functional way that makes a difference to audio they don't. Monitoring, yes, isolate them. Your receiver, why bother?
Unfortunately the room is nice for living but not for music,diffusion does nothing behind speakers unless you have rear firing speakers,you need to read about acoustic treatments and sound transfer,with all your money you need to invest in a proper audio space,by the way what is the purpose of this video,I think you just want to show off your money,I’m not impressed as long as your happy that’s all that matters,you want to know how to improve,(build a proper sound room) this one is ridiculous 🥴
I followed advice from Dennis Foley’s from Acoustic Fields. He’s got tons of videos here on TH-cam. All his 2 channel listening rooms have diffusion behind the speakers. For the rest, as you can see, I’m actively engaging with all people who made suggestions. Unfortunately my apartment doesn’t have an extra room big enough for such a set up. It’s obvious I’m asking questions and trying to learn here. If what’s being displayed happens to be expensive, it’s a poor man’s mindset to think it’s just to show off.
why do people with all those expensive shit just talk and talk endlessly about how this and that does this and this without even playing the damn thing and when they finally do they play some sleepy boring stuff as if they scared its gonna blow some fuse or something on their system.. I mean come on. Play something and stop massaging the system..push the thing.
@@robsaudiophilejourney its possible that you do, im not denying that, but it was just my opinion and view in general as on you tube thats all you see...audiophiles talking and talking and more talking and talking...,making big points about how sounds should be escaping from a speaker.. don't get me wrong I love good sounds and expensive equipment though myself I have none... buy play the damn thing..not just you. All you mighty audiophiles.
@@alferfoot1861 He done just that a month ago in a previous video if you bother to take a look at the rest of his content. A lot of us also really care about a video like this explaining his system in great detail. Luckily for us he’s tending to multiple needs & his system is looking at sounding great. Another Focal owner here btw. Keep the videos coming.
@@damonsbestI understand your point clearly, but I was just generalising the point that many audiophiles videos in general are 80% talk. Sure theres no problem with that, but sometimes us unfortunate people would like to hear those speaker more..
@@alferfoot1861 I won’t argue with that. I did enjoy listening to this system in the previous videos. It won’t show us how it truely sounds but can give us an idea for most of the audio frequency.
I would get rid of Puritan as even $100 components deal with noise efficiently. Cables make no difference so Amazon Basics should be fine. I would focus on acoustics including 2nd, 3rd, 4th and other reflections. This cannot be done ad hoc. Detailed measurements of the room should be taken and sent to either that Polish acoustics engineer, I forgot the name of the company (cheaper variant) or Italian Acustica Aplicata (more expensive variant) for a detailed free analysis. 99% of the sound will be based on that.
You’re welcome! I did try to connect the Tambaqui directly to the power amps. Not as good as the Essence. But not bad either. It’s flatter, less three dimensional.
Absolutely gorgeous room. Very inspiring.
Awesome set-up and great that you really payed attention to aesthetics of the room. Something some audiophiles tend to forget.
Looks like you've got the basics covered. Nice setup and room - enjoy!
"They were too far out in the room" yeah I suspected that in your first video. ;)
So envious, I hope I can afford the Scala Utopia soon.
Nice setup
Almost identical to mine
And it sounds awesome. Enjoy!
Beautiful room, system and sound. Congratulations. I think you have hit a perfect balance of esthetics and performance. I say just enjoy it.
Beautiful room and gear!😮
Great room. I have same speakers and footers. You have addressed a lot of trade offs. My only recommendation would be corners. I used tri~corner ceiling traps . Lots of energy gets trapped there. Made a huge difference. Colors to match decor.
Hector, thank you for commenting. I think a while ago I was the one asking you about the Puritan mains filter. With your Dan D'Agostino amplification right?
@@robsaudiophilejourney yes i remember now, glad you got it. its a great component. doesn't interfere at all with sonics.
Beautiful house/room. System is amazing too
Thank you!
Your room and equipment set up resemble mine. My hifi has to fight for it’s right to be in our family lounge, which has large windows along one wall whilst the opposite side opens into our open plan kitchen. I have my large floor standers mounted on isolation podiums. I don’t employ any acoustic treatment other than a large plush rug, placed on my wood clad, concrete floor between and in front of the floor standers. I also have heavy duty curtains placed at the windows. My speakers are placed 90cm from the wall behind them and 90cm from the side wall making then 270cm apart.
When I sit down to an attentive listening session, I used to drape a curtain matching those at the windows, over my coffee table. I no longer do this, I find it more beneficial to remove the coffee table from the room, so besides the afore mentioned rug, there is nothing between my listening position and the floor standers. I don’t use ‘mains conditioner’ but have had a dedicated, clean power line run in from the consumer unit.
Looks like you’ve put together a really high performance system. Enjoy the music!
Nice floors!
Power outlets, power cables, conditioner and correct grounding. I have Puritan also and it’s very good but using it for secondary components now.
I’m afraid I have nothing helpful to contribute, as I play in a much lower hifi-league, but I just found your channel and immediately subscribed when I saw what a beautiful system you have put together. I hope to be able to travel along in the back seat for future videos. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you and my pleasure!
Hey Rob
When i something would improve, is on Acoustic treatment. I would rather absorb the sound in the back of the Speakers and distribure and absorb in the back of the listening position. So in theorie you rech that you hear the speaker more and not the room if that makes sense.
This is a little bit hard to do that and dont deface the livingroom. And the homeliness in that space. I find a good solution with the thick curtains that you already have.
Greetings and enjoy your nice setup!
That is one beautiful clean room.
Great video. Terrific system. I have been playing with adding weights on top of my components to dampen micro vibrations. Easy enough to test with no investment. Make sure there is a soft bottom. I used ankle weights. I will do some A/B testing to determine if there is any improvement. Good luck.
Interesting and easy to try. Will you upload a video of you A/B test?
@@robsaudiophilejourney Thanks. I will try but my ability to record my system's performance is nowhere near as good as you. I doubt if I will be able to hear a difference on a video recorded on my phone. I will let you know how it goes.
Tastefully decorated room...and your gear fits the decor perfectly. Overall very cozy and inviting. Well done! Few fundamental things to consider (if you haven't already) - Dedicated mains power for Audio, reducing the noise floor with your entire system switched on - both electric and acoustic noises, ceiling diffusion.
Thanks for the compliments. I have a dedicated power line, which goes straight into a mains filter. I am considering treatment for the ceiling.
Looks fantastic.
beautiful setup
Thank you! Cheers
Pair of subs to provide a solid foundation down low and it will clean up the mids and highs.
Thanks for the suggestion. But why the subs? These speakers have 13" electromagnetic woofers that play down to 22Hz. Rarely do I play music that goes lower than that. I have 3 settings on these woofers. When choosing 'high', there's already too much bass in the room. So I set them to 'low' or 'normal'. Am I overlooking something?
I have same speakers but different pre and monos. I think, you could add a piece of area rug to control the high . Another one is use transparent opus cablings and power cords, the reason I suggest transparent is I used to had other brand of ultra high end cables, it wasn't sounding what I expected. So I switched to transparent cablings.
These just my opinion. It up to you. Thanks
Four things I would consider: 1. bass traps on the rear corners (if they can fit somewhere). 2. a NetWork switch to clean up the signal between your router and streamer such as the SOtM sNH-10G. The youtube reviewer Hans Beekhuyzen is an expert on digital front ends and uses this network switch in his reference system. 3. a CD transport (if you have CDs) will sound even better than streaming with a network switch and the Jay's Audio CDT2 Mk3 is a great choice with Philips CDM4 reader, OCXO clock and i2s output. 4. the most important component in any system is the Dac and the best Dac in the market under $40k is the Holo Audio May, it will open up the sound stage especially depth, image layering and timbre realism. The Mola Mola pushes DS/FPGA Dacs about as far as that technology presently goes, but the best R2R ladder dacs go further. The only two Dacs which might beat the Holo May (I need an A-B test to confirm) are MSB Select ($105k) and MSB Reference ($40k). The May comfortably beats the lower end MSBs even though they are more expensive than it. 70 year old veteran audiophiles are selling their vinyl gear and records after they hear the Holo May.Some guy with an even more expensive system then you have and two pairs of floortstanders stacked on top of each other (the top one upside down) replaced his expensive Dac with a Holo May the moment his friend demo'd it for him.
Thanks Conner.
1) Would like to but am afraid it's not a great look for a living room. I'd need quite a few too to really have an effect;
2) I follow Hans and he's VERY knowledgeable indeed and may try this kind of network upgrade;
3) No CD's here, 100% streaming from Tidal via Roon;
4) Are you suggesting the $5,000 Holo Audio May is better than the $13,500 Tambaqui? And to better the May, you'd need to spend more than $40k?
@@robsaudiophilejourney 2) If you go for the Hans recommended network switch, the gap to CD transport would narrow a lot. Hans also adds a specialist "ENO ethernet cable" to connect to the streamer which he says further reduces jitter. And with the famous Focal beryllium tweeters, the less treble jitter the better, as they reveal everything coming in from the source components as I'm sure you already discovered.
4) Ultimately it is a matter of taste. The Mola Mola is one of the better Delta Sigma Dacs for sure. And such might even edge the Holo May on the last 1% of detail. But... where the Holo May (and the two top tier MSB Dacs - Reference and Select models - which Jay's Audio Lab use (not the lower MSB models as they are voiced completely differently, too warm and distinctly lacking transient information versus the May)... is the for many, coveted "3D holographic soundstage". Even the top of the line Chord and dCS chip Dacs sound 2D compared to the 3D Holo May and top two MSB R2R Dacs... these three R2R Dacs (all with separate chassis LPSUs) provide immediately obvious increased soundstage depth, which then provides space and clarity around the instruments, which then improves instrument timbre since the instruments do not clash with each other. The resulting effect being more "analogue" with zero digital glare and incidentally most likely a better synergistic match to the Focals which do not need any extra brightness or uncontrolled detail upstream. The below two Holo May 3D holographic samples are a few of many I have saved. Even though the guy does not have enough room treatment to stop the tweeter reflections, the 3D effect should be immediately noticeable and stands out compared to the multiple other Dacs he has experimented with: th-cam.com/video/R2tsBvWDfBk/w-d-xo.html , th-cam.com/video/Yw8I75hsCAE/w-d-xo.html As a bonus youtube just auto-played Holo May paired with some Focals, again the 3D soundstage is immediately noticeable in a different system, different room: th-cam.com/video/qyKWuu9skqE/w-d-xo.html
One last comment in terms of price Holo Audio sells direct to market so that skips the 3.5x mark-up the dealer usually takes. So their $6k top line KTE model can be better viewed as being $21k worth and even then I don''t hear a 3D holographic soundstage and natural timbre rival even close to it until the $40k MSB Reference.
Beautiful setup!
Glad you like it!
Great setup. Currently, I have the Maestro Utopia III in my family room. My speakers are pulled out 6 ft from front wall. I use a VAC tube preamp and Pass 260.8 monos. I also have added REL subs to the two corners for optimal bass.
Question: if you test (you can play audio test tones on Tidal, for example), is your base response (30Hz, 40Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz test tones) flat in your room with the speakers where they are?
Hi sir
You have a great system there and it looks like you have done almost everything you can do to make your room as good as possible
I have listened to the mola mola DAC and it is amazing
I would say get a media player that is better than the nucleus and also an Ethernet switch if you don’t have made for audio. I recently got one that is not even one of the most expensive ones and it made a great improvement to the sound of my system.
There are better cables than the triod but I know that they are really good and I think a good match for the focals because they can be a little bright. I also have a puritan in my bedroom system and my Shunyata Triton typhoon combo is clearly better but I do like the puritan.
Let me know if you have any questions about what I said or my system. Best regards and enjoy your great system
Very nice system Robert, i really want to demo the Essence pre-power in my system coming from a Diablo 300.
Very popular upgrade. And from what I hear, a highly successful upgrade indeed.
I would add Corner Tunes , all sound ends up in corners of room . Walk around room doing clap test or use test disc . Just my two cents of input !
Yep, there's definitely areas in the room where I hear slap echo. Adding thick absorption panels is hard without making your living room look like a studio.
You should get the VR-55 MkII and the Boulder 3060...
What a wonderful idea ;)
Amazing system.
Stella utopia are Phenominal speakers. Have had focal speakers since my first high end audio purchase. Started with chora and just updated to the sopra2. I would love to hear your system and the acoustic treatments look spot on.
Thanks Erby. I had Focal Sopra No 2 before this. They are lovely speakers, enjoy!
They are good, but version 2 is much better (or easier to tune in different environments)
Wow. Really nice. Enjoy!
Focal 🔊🔊🔊 maravillosos
Have you tried something like a Trinnov Amethyst? Correcting the room goes far beyond diffusers, as diffusers and absorbers don't really do the lower frequencies. The Trinnov does phase correction as well, which may be interesting to see how the Focals could benefit from this.
Need bass traps in the ceiling
All is good !!!100%👍👍👍💘!, Do you have power filtration??
Yes, I have a Puritan PSM156 mains filter
Fantastic system! What do you call those speaker wire holders that guides the speaker cable and keeps them straight. I am having a hard time finding one.
Thanks! There’s called cable lifters or cable risers. I had these custom made.
I have an idea of what you can improve... you can ship this absolute awesome setup to me and than you can enjoy the sound of silence in a way you never heard it before😅 just kidding this is an absolute dream setup🤙
You're missing out on a lot of sound if the ceiling above the listening position and between the speakers and the listening position is not optimized. Great speakers, also listen with Focal BE. Best regards.
How would you “optimise” this?
Try this: Skip the bi-wiring for a more cohesive sound, and with the jumpers back in place only connect to the + and - of the tweeter rather than the bass which is more common. Of the 3 different pairs of speakers I tried they all sounded the best when connected this way.
I may try that, thanks
Wow, that room looks lovely. Those speakers fit perfect. The only downside are the two different diffusors. Watch the video "Diffusion Confusion" from Acoustic Fields.
I've watched basically all videos by Acoustic Fields. You're right, these are not proper quadratic diffusers. But these slatted wooden panels are better than a flat concrete wall. Thanks for the compliments!
@@robsaudiophilejourney There's nothing wrong with the diffusors itself(different types).The problem only comes, when you "combine" two different diffusors together = distortion.
Have you tried moving your listening seat closer to your speakers? Inch by inch is better than foot by foot, btw. I suspect you are hearing the influence of your room to a large degree and being closer might reduce that effect. As easy and cost-free trial.
Good advice, thanks, will experiment with that.
what is your opinion on Puritan 156 mains filter? Can you confidently hook power amps there? Your gear is top notch matched
I’m very happy with it. Can easily use it for power amplifiers without checking the power
The one you have above the television, did you build it or what is it for absorber?
Yes, I built the green panel myself. It’s a wooden frame with acoustic panels glued against it, wrapped in a velvety fabric.
I’m still in lust!! One thing I would recommend is to remove the coffee table entirely and the couch extension on the left. That will further open everything up. Have you considered Isoacoustics under the Gryphens and Molamola.
Would love to remove the sofa extension and coffee table. But it’s a living room and I really need them.
The Mola Mola Tambaqui and Puritan 156 mains filter both are on IsoAcoustics Orea discs.
For pre and power amplifier; they are on very heavy platforms with Sorbothane hemisphere footers (calculated number of footers necessary to match the weight).
Nice room
A) Gaia footers are not isolating low in frequencies. Earth seismic movements, and traffic as well will degrade sound. You need to isolate lower, below 6-8 Hz. Townshend Audio have got the upgrades you need to put your speakers on. Note that only the earths movement are 400 times more than the tweeters movement when making music. This movement smears the sound greatly.
B) The same goes for you equipment. Sorbothane is even worse than Gaia’s. With that thickness they maybe absorbs some, but not all, of the vibrations down to 30-40 Hz. Even your own speakers base will chock the sorbothane lower in frequencies than the sorbothane can handle. Those marble slabs will only do a minor job. Put everything on Townshend, and the the marble on top of the Townshend.
C) Have you tried grounding (like Entreq and CAD)? I have not tried your mains conditioner but grounding usually improves both power plants and mains conditioning.
D) A large Stromtank would improve power further. Running everything on batteries.
E) Entreq Vibbeaters 6,5 kg on top of your speakers would improve the speakers greatly. You can get them in white to blend in the room and speaker design.
A very nice room and systems, but there are still low hanging fruits to acquire, Townshend, grounding and Vibbeaters on the speakers will raise the system to a new level.
Thanks for the suggestions. I may at one point upgrade to proper audio platforms.
Enjoy 😉
There's a speaker brand in my country named Kharma, have you ever looked/listened to them?
Daar heb ik wel eens van gehoord ja ;)
Dealer hier heeft de Enigma Veyron 4D staan met Pilium.
Thanks for sharing. Great room and set-up! The Stella's look awesome in the room and match the room decor very well. The white color makes them look like art work in the room. Good hear more positive reports on the Isoacoustic footers. How do you like the Mola Mola DAC? Things to try going forward....well your system seems pretty high level and complete but made you can try a few different brand of cables to see if you like one brand more than another? Happy listening and enjoy :).
Very happy with the Mola Mola Tambaqui, can recommend it. Dutch product, just like me :)
I’ve tried Nordost Valhalla 2 speaker cables and interconnects. Was different but not a huge improvement.
Always more you could do . Try rearranging the entire room with glass wall behing speaks. Speaks pointing toward kitchen and study. Curtain to be bigger and cover all glass. Heavy carpet. Ceiling absorption. It would sound
even bigger.
Thinking outside the box, I like that! :)
I actually had the speakers in front of the glass wall before. Problem is my TV needs to be between the speakers and that would kill the view and light into the room. I did get more side wall in that set up and a deeper soundstage. But mids and lows were less dense, as speakers need a solid rear wall, not thin single pane glass. Side walls were still far at about 9' or 2.7m away.
The first question I would as is what does the system sound like to you in it's currant configuration?
Few things:
- Too much echo, RT60 time is too long. Would need many absorption panels to reduce this.
- Sound is coming from the front wall, I’m not fully engulfed in sound. Probably because the room is large and side walls are 10’ / 3m away.
- Lack of sound stage depth. All vocals and instruments seem to be lined up along the front wall. No difference in depth.
@@robsaudiophilejourney Wow Rob, didn't expect all this. As I'm not actually in the room I obviously can't diagnose the potential issues with certainty. I'm familiar with your individual components & they are all top notch. I can say Focal is a truly serious company, if you had Wilson's the problem would be easily addressed, sell the Wilsons!
My first question to you is did you hear the Focal's in a well setup showroom before you bought them? If so, what was it about their sonic signature that you liked? The most important thing is establishing a list in order of what's most important to you. I realize this seems very basic but often overlooked. You come across as well versed so I'm sure you know all your hot buttons.
The first two easy suggestions I have is 1- Purchase Get Better Sound by Jim Smith, he is a master at room set up. I've been at it for 45 years & I still learn from him. 2- Now this one is going to sound a bit crazy. I owned the Diablo Utopias at one point, I set them up & they initially sounded a bit closed in, thought break in? No, they cared completely wrapped in a clear protective wrap, makes sense, they don't want that beautiful finish getting scratched. Here's the crazy part, they wrapped the midrange driver as well, problem solved. I can only think you were smarter then me but wouldn't that be something.
The Utopias are a very interesting speaker as they have the huge benefit of high efficiency which really buys you the freedom to use many amps. The Gryphos are as world class as SS amps get so no need to worry about that at this point. The base unit is very good but I have never seen a speaker system that didn't benefit from a properly integrated sub woofer system. You have a large space that you need to pressurize & as good as the eternal driver is it just may not be enough. People would be shocked that a sub woofer system done correctly will not only improve bottom end but will enhance mid, highs, body, texture depth, soundstage, litterly every conceivable aspect in the spectrum of musical reproduction.
Everything tells me the system as it is configured now is a bit on the lean side? That is one reason I would like to know what your ultimate preference's are. There are many ways to address these issues but one thing that was suggested that I strongly would advise against would be the use of Transparent cables. These became famous because Wilson advised in their manuals to use them. The Wilson sonic signature had a giant suck out in the midrange & painfully bright in the top end. In the end you really want to avoid use cables as tone controls or filters.
Oh yeah Rob, hope you ignored that nasty comment stating how terrible your room is, sounds like a jealous hater to me. Don't worry, I have seen many set ups that overcame the worst of rooms.
To be continued my friend.
Thank you Scott for your elaborate reply.
There's no dealer here who had the Focal Stella Utopia set up for a demo. And due to Covid lock downs, I wasn't able to travel elsewhere. I bought them blind, because I really liked my Focal Sopra No 2.
I just ordered Jim Smith's book on Amazon. Eager to read it, thanks for the suggestion. I took the grills off and removed all the plastic wrap. In my case the mid range drivers were not sealed.
As for sub woofers, you'd be looking at a set of two no? Something like this: rel.net/shop/powered-subwoofers/reference-series/no25/
I'm open to suggestions on this. But hard to get an in-home demo I'm afraid. And two more huge boxes in the room haha. The Stella's are huge too.
As for my ultimate preferences, I like a wide and deep soundstage. I like an open, airy and detailed sound, but it needs to be easy-going and smooth too.
Currently, some recordings from the 80's sound harsh and bright.
Knowing what I know now, and being in a room with limited acoustic treatment, I could have considered speakers and (tube?) equipment that sounds sweeter and warmer. My 'harsh' room would prevent it from sounding too syrupy.
For now, I've Stella's tweeter settings are on 'low' and 'soft'. Low is -2dB and 'soft' means it takes over from the mid range driver a little later.
@@robsaudiophilejourney No problem Rob, I would love to see you get your system dialed in. I didn't think we could get so lucky with a wrapped midrange, it was a long shot but crazier things have happened.
At this point, I think stepping back & seeing what knowledge you can get from Jims book would be the most prudent move.
The REL's are great subs & they would be my choice if I was going to stick with a classic box design. As you have a large space to fill 1 would probably be a bit light. In all honesty if yo went this rout I would lean towards going with multiple laser priced units as opposed to a single/dual top of the range unit. It really is about filling a large amount of volume at this point. Another approach to consider which I really like that is really suited to your situation is open baffle sub system. It fills the room very differently then a box design. As a side benefit you can construct them to match the focal's much more closely, at the same time it would be far less costly with better results. I actually did this with my reference system & I am happier then ever.
Here is some places for you to assist you in learning about this approach. Pursuit Perfect System on TH-cam did a video on 4 REL's in a small room & I think you would get something useful out of this video, he is a good guy. Rythmik Audio makes servo amplifiers designed for this very application. Acoustic Elegance specializes in making world class woofers for open baffle designs all handmade in the USA, their web site is a wealth of knowledge. And finally GR-Research offers a open baffle kit & actually specializes in full range open baffle systems. I heard one of their larger speakers & it was quite impressive.
If you ever considered records or even CD's that defiantly would provide us the abilitiey to add some warmth to the system, just food for thought in the future. I am blessed & at the same time cursed with the love of analog, 10,000 records & still buying. I will admit streaming is far more convenient but there is just a magic to analog that I can't give up.
Hopefully this will be helpful to you in making your system sing, It truly is a beautiful dream system Rob!
Hi Rob, wonderful system. You seem to follow all the ‘audiophile rules’ 😉
- My first question would be: Are you missing something? What made you decide to do this video?
- Apart from the quality of your components being much higher than mine, I have a similar situation with glass walls on one side and ‘nothing’ on the other side and quite a lot of room to play with. And I also have the speakers way into the room.
- To address your question I may have 2 things. I’m sure you addressed these points already.
- I achieved a big (accurate) soundstage by placing the loudspeakers as far apart as possible (just before the center image starts to break up). Maybe you can try that.
- And I was wondering if some echo is a problem. I see a lot of hard surfaces. I have chosen absorption on the back wall instead of diffusion because of that.
Anyways, great room and attention to detail. Thanks for sharing 👍
You’re welcome. And thank you for commenting.
I’ll be uploading more videos playing music and assumed people want to know what components make up the system. Only thing I’m missing is that enveloping, 3D sound. Hearing that kick drum way way back behind the singer. But next to impossible with no side walls.
Few questions about your speakers:
- How far apart are are they?
- How far into the room?
- Distance to listening position?
- Brand and model of your speakers?
Echo is an issue to some extent. RT60 time is about 950ms. If it wasn’t a living room I’d use thick absorption panels to minimise echo. Ideal would be RT60 time of 400-500ms.
I'm surprised the diffusers behind the speakers have such an effect. I spoke with GIK Acoustics about how to treat the area in between the speakers and they said since only bass travels omnidirectional I shouldn't worry about diffusion.
Depends on who you talk to; there’s many factors involved. Dennis from Acoustic Fields usually recommends diffusion on front and rear wall, and absorption on side walls. Best is to try what work best in your room.
Pretty awesome. With a room that vast, have you considered adding a coupe of REL No. 25’s?
Have not considered that (yet). The 13 inch subwoofers in the Focal Stella Utopia are beasts and do a good enough job for now. I actually had to set them to “low” as to not overload bass
Awesome room. Are you 6 feet from the front wall to the back or front of the speaker?
It’s 6’ from front wall to front baffle of the speaker. Speakers are 2.5’ deep.
Is good you have nice space I wish you play some music like Leonard cohen or bonobo or boards of canada or thievery corporation
I would suggest that you get a pair of standmounts.
Like what kind? Any links?
Note that you speaker cables will send vibration into your power amp, maybe something to address
How could I address that?
your setting is thoughtful and high end enough that minor adjusment including cables would not be so audible. You can have a try on HQ player though if you use ROON, it will make HUGE difference on music source. Try some other DACs, such as R2R to see whether you can notice any difference, such as Holo Audio May 3 KTE.
Thanks, I may experiment with that if I can get in-home demo
Move the speakers apart another 5 inches each so the ratio from speaker width to setting position is closer to 83% and you are at 75% now. Given you are exactly 9 meters and 12 meters
I’ll keep playing with these distances, thanks.
@@robsaudiophilejourney killer setup btw
How do the Griphon's perform?
I love them. Even though it’s only 55 watts, it’s very powerful. My Dan D’Agostino Momentum Integrated has 60,000uF capacitance, the Essence combo has 940,000uF. Less watts but 15x more capacitance. And it’s 3 chassis with 3 power supplies vs. an all-in-one box. Bought sound great.
@@robsaudiophilejourney I have them here as well. I have on a very low level compare to others a lot of distortion. Can't drive 800d4 with them
Are your saying your Essence mono blocks can't drive your B&W speakers?
@@robsaudiophilejourney yes exactly because they have not enough power to drive the 801 because a lot of distortion
IMO you can’t really do much to improve on this amazing system, but if if you want to get a hi-end streamer I’d highly recommend a Lumin streamer.
I improve my setup I start with one glass of wiskey and it starts to sound good then I have two wiskeys gets better sounding 3 rd wiskey and it starts to sound a lot better forth wiskey sound is excellent and it's cheap 😂🤣😂👍😂
You could up this significantly with a high end server streamer like the Innuos Statement or SGM Extreme. I’d say you would be shocked by the jump in realism over the Nucleus which is very good indeed but not up to the level of the rest of your gear.
Good point. I’ve heard many good stories about high-end streamers. But then I also hear this: th-cam.com/video/k0SDLQJDrG4/w-d-xo.html
I wouldn’t mind an in-home demo for the Taiko Extreme or something similar.
@@robsaudiophilejourney Yeah, I saw that too. Headscratcher. Definitely an anomaly and likely the Select II has a killer clock or something else going on. It is a six figure DAC after all. I've played around with clocks like After Dark with the Etherregen and LPS's for both. They all made a significant difference even when I had the Innuos Statement.
Just got your latest message on Audiogon. Could you contact me at rjlankhorst@gmail.com?
Naim Statement could go RIGH iN the MIDDLE ! :P
Nice to include metric numbers. Not all people in the world are used to US measurements 😅
And the Focal power supply away from the speaker cable.
Good idea. Increased the distance by several inches. The power supply and power cable a well shielded by the way.
Have you ever listened without the coffee table? I would be curious to hear your impression.
Diffusion behind the speakers...
You need to add grounding. I am trying to suggest the top grounding company, but my comment keeps being deleted.
Tri point audio.
Had to make it three words to make it stick.
Also FEQ Carbon & Atmosphere Infinity
how about your neighbours upstairs and downstairs? :)
No complaints, I rarely play very loud. In my new place I’m on the first floor. So the amount of neighbours has been cut in half
I don't want to sound like a jerk but the diffuser you are using is the wrong product for the area you are using it in. You should be using either a different type of diffuser or better yet some absorption. Art Novion also makes absorber panels that would look nice and do the correct job. You have a very good looking room and have good gear. They also make some portable stands for 1st reflection absorption that can be used on both sides of your room. These can be moved out of the way when you aren't listening as well.
Which diffuser is the wrong type? The white panels behind the speakers or the grey square in the center, or both?
Maybe you can include a link to what kind of product you’d use instead.
I’ve place a thick mattress behind the speakers once to test with absorption. Didn’t really like the sound then. But I could try again.
You need my patent pending, power conditioner...
Oh... and dont enclose the electronics in that marble box. Let the equipment breathe.
THE ONLY THING U COULD DO AT THIS POINT IS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY LET ME BE THE FIRST TO RECEIVE A 100,000 DOLLAR CHECK FROM U AS A GIFT TO HUMANITY ''' LOL NICE SET UP BROTHER''''
:)
Why have you put the amps on sorbothane? It's doing absolutely nothing, you want to acoustically isolate your monitors, not the electronics. You've got loads of reflective surfaces in that room, I'm not convinced those diffusers are doing a great deal unless you've calculated the diffusion characteristics specifically for your room when constructing the diffusers. You'd probably benefit from a decent sized cloud on the ceiling and some proper acoustic panels on the walls, but again, you'd have to do some maths to work out where your room nodes are. The biggest thing you have going for you is the big open plan space.
Sorbothane footers don't prevent vibrations from the floor going into the platforms and equipment?
I agree on the acoustic treatment. If it wasn't a living room, I'd use way more treatment. It's a compromise between looks and sound. I may try absorption on the ceiling.
@@robsaudiophilejourney not in any functional way that makes a difference to audio they don't. Monitoring, yes, isolate them. Your receiver, why bother?
Hello rich 😂😂😂
Unfortunately the room is nice for living but not for music,diffusion does nothing behind speakers unless you have rear firing speakers,you need to read about acoustic treatments and sound transfer,with all your money you need to invest in a proper audio space,by the way what is the purpose of this video,I think you just want to show off your money,I’m not impressed as long as your happy that’s all that matters,you want to know how to improve,(build a proper sound room) this one is ridiculous 🥴
I followed advice from Dennis Foley’s from Acoustic Fields. He’s got tons of videos here on TH-cam. All his 2 channel listening rooms have diffusion behind the speakers.
For the rest, as you can see, I’m actively engaging with all people who made suggestions.
Unfortunately my apartment doesn’t have an extra room big enough for such a set up.
It’s obvious I’m asking questions and trying to learn here. If what’s being displayed happens to be expensive, it’s a poor man’s mindset to think it’s just to show off.
why do people with all those expensive shit just talk and talk endlessly about how this and that does this and this without even playing the damn thing and when they finally do they play some sleepy boring stuff as if they scared its gonna blow some fuse or something on their system.. I mean come on. Play something and stop massaging the system..push the thing.
What makes you think I never “push the thing”?
@@robsaudiophilejourney its possible that you do, im not denying that, but it was just my opinion and view in general as on you tube thats all you see...audiophiles talking and talking and more talking and talking...,making big points about how sounds should be escaping from a speaker.. don't get me wrong I love good sounds and expensive equipment though myself I have none... buy play the damn thing..not just you. All you mighty audiophiles.
@@alferfoot1861 He done just that a month ago in a previous video if you bother to take a look at the rest of his content.
A lot of us also really care about a video like this explaining his system in great detail.
Luckily for us he’s tending to multiple needs & his system is looking at sounding great.
Another Focal owner here btw.
Keep the videos coming.
@@damonsbestI understand your point clearly, but I was just generalising the point that many audiophiles videos in general are 80% talk. Sure theres no problem with that, but sometimes us unfortunate people would like to hear those speaker more..
@@alferfoot1861 I won’t argue with that.
I did enjoy listening to this system in the previous videos.
It won’t show us how it truely sounds but can give us an idea for most of the audio frequency.
I would get rid of Puritan as even $100 components deal with noise efficiently. Cables make no difference so Amazon Basics should be fine. I would focus on acoustics including 2nd, 3rd, 4th and other reflections. This cannot be done ad hoc. Detailed measurements of the room should be taken and sent to either that Polish acoustics engineer, I forgot the name of the company (cheaper variant) or Italian Acustica Aplicata (more expensive variant) for a detailed free analysis. 99% of the sound will be based on that.
Too much big room
Hi, thank you for the videos! Can you say how do you like Mola Mola Tambaqui ? Did you try to connect it directly to poweramps ?
You’re welcome! I did try to connect the Tambaqui directly to the power amps. Not as good as the Essence. But not bad either. It’s flatter, less three dimensional.