A date with Prem's end game stereo system

[Satyaki Banerjee]

I have known Prem for 10+ years and have witnessed a small part of his audio journey, he has a gifted ability to hear and judge subtle nuances of reproduced music and correlate how seemingly minor changes in his audio setup can impact the overall sound. He is passionately committed to this hobby and has a child-like enthusiasm to constantly research about audio equipment and experiment with new components in his pursuit of the absolute sound.

I have in the past visited Prem's place a number of times and have fond memories of listening to his eclectic collection of records over his then setup that consisted of EMT 938 turntable with TSD 15 cartridge having a nude super fineline stylus, EMT phono preamp, 2A3 SET amplifier made by Viren Bakshi using Dave Slagle autoformer, chokes and transformers. The speaker cables he used at that timepoint was ASI Liveline cables made by Franck Chang and the speakers were initially Lowther based Rethm Sadhanas, later changed to a newer generation Sadhana with custom manufactured full range drivers. It was a brilliant system and had a superb ability to create an emotional connection with the listener, great dynamics and details.

Over the years Prem's research and experiment continued with multiple iterations to his audio system, in most cases he had a phase of excitement but there was that final element of satisfaction that was probably missing and his search continued. Things started changing with the acquisition of the vintage JBL 4343 speakers which gave a definite direction to Prem in his pursuit and finally a few months back he announced that his quest for the absolute sound has come to an end while we were soldering the terminals of a vintage Denon speaker cable. He seemed a very satisfied man on that day, a departure from the always experimenting Prem we know.

We decided to give some time for the cables to settle in before we planned a music listening session, which finally happened last evening.



The direct drive EMT 950 turntable is often regarded as the flagship in the EMT lineup along with the idler drive EMT 927. The TSD 15 cartridge now has a nude spherical stylus which is believed to sound more musical than the Super Fine Line stylus.



Next in the chain is a Thoress Phono Enhancer (Preamplifier) which the manufacturer describes as : Minimalist single-ended zero-feedback schematic with passive de-emphasis
installation utilizing (2x6J5GT+1xPCC88) vacuum tubes.

The gain stage for Moving Coil cartridge is done in purely active
operation mode (without the aid of step-up transformer gain).

It is a genuinely advanced phono stage with options to choose between multiple equalization curves, cartridge loading and tone control.

Next comes the Thoress Integrated Amplifier. The amplifier description according to Thoress is as follows: Vacuum tube MOSFET hybrid integrated amplifier offering 15 watts of output power per channel into a 6 ohm speaker
load; utilizing 2 x 6J5GT vacuum tubes.

Single ended, class-A, zero-feedback operation.

Based on EHT (EINTAKT-HYBRID-TRIODE) schematic: single- ended triode gain stage driving a unity-gain single-ended MOSFET output
buffer operated at high idle current.

The amplifier powers the JBL 4343 speakers. This is a 4 way vintage studio monitor with 15" low frequency driver,
10" midrange driver,
High frequency compression driver with horn/lens assembly and ultra-high frequency transducer mated with a diffraction horn. All drivers have Alnico magnets.

Interconnects are Gepco and Speaker Cables are vintage Denon.

We spent almost 5 hours listening to music. Jagjit Singh ghazals to 1960s-70s Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Mohd. Rafi songs, a bit of Jazz, Indian Classical and finally ending the evening with Dire Straits and Billy Joel.

It would not be an overstatement if I state it is the most nuanced, organic full bodied and absolutely natural sounding audio setup I have heard in my lifetime. It is that good. I have had the privilege of listening to live music at venues all across the world including the Carnegie Hall and Musikverein Hall and have also witnessed several recording sessions in good studios. I had that as a reference. This system takes you very close to a live performance.

Despite having 4 drivers, the speakers reproduce music like a point source in the most coherent manner

It has the ability of conveying the emotional elements of the music in such a manner that you lose focus on all analytical aspects and start enjoying the music exactly like the artist intended. You are aware of the presence of enormous micro details, you can feel the scale and the dynamics of the music, you experience the sound stage ... it's all there but the emotional drive in the music takes center stage. Music that makes you sing along, tap your feet to the rhythm, music that makes you feel happy or even melancholy. Such is the emotional impact of the system.

 

[prem]

Thanks Satyaki for coming over and helping me further fine tune the system. Fiftyfifty had helped me with the first round of fine tuning.

It was as always a pleasure having you over Satyaki. We should be doing this more often. Hope other members from Mumbai join in too.

And lastly thank you for a lovely write up.

 

[arj]

It would not be an overstatement if I state it is the most nuanced, organic full bodied and absolutely natural sounding audio setup I have heard in my lifetime. It is that good. I have had the privilege of listening to live music at venues all across the world including the Carnegie Hall and Musikverein Hall and have also witnessed several recording sessions in good studios. I had that as a reference. This system takes you very close to a live performance.

Despite having 4 drivers, the speakers reproduce music like a point source in the most coherent manner

It has the ability of conveying the emotional elements of the music in such a manner that you lose focus on all analytical aspects and start enjoying the music exactly like the artist intended. You are aware of the presence of enormous micro details, you can feel the scale and the dynamics of the music, you experience the sound stage ... it's all there but the emotional drive in the music takes center stage. Music that makes you sing along, tap your feet to the rhythm, music that makes you feel happy or even melancholy. Such is the emotional impact of the system.

So very well written Satyaki !

The lines in bold is where I can only echo wholeheartedly with what you have written. One of those systems which every audiophile, no matter where one is in ones journey, must hear to know well a well setup system can sound like !

i remember first listening to a All Rethm system ( at Prems) way back in 2008 and fixing it as a reference for me and every iteration of that system has only evovled my own expectations from a system

 

[Fiftyfifty]

Wonderful write up @Satyaki Banerjee . Your writing has the same emotional appeal as Prem's setup. I was at Prem's a couple of days earlier and completely agree with every word written by you. It is indeed a privilege to listen to such a system, even if that results in raising the bar to a level that one cannot ever hope to achieve.

I would also add that having Prem around whilst listening allows you to appreciate the nuances even more, with every change in speaker position or turntable speed revealing a different characteristic of sound quality, ultimately resulting in a better appreciation of these nuances.

Thank you @prem for being such a wonderful host. Always educative and always such a pleasure to be there.

 

[prem]

Fiftyfifty, it was great hosting you, Capt Rajesh and Hari the other day.

Always a pleasure interacting with you. Look forward to more such meetings.

 

[Kannan]

What a beautiful setup. The JBLs look absolutely stunning. Nothing can come close to large driver-based speakers if one has the liberty to integrate them into the room.
Congratulations @prem...
Eloquently written @Satyaki Banerjee

 

[Satyaki Banerjee]

A few closeup photographs of the EMT 950.

 

[coaltrain]

@Satyaki Banerjee
Over the years, there have been numerous rave reviews of Prem’s incredible setups. Yours, I must say, is one of the most beautifully articulated ones. Thanks for taking the time to give us a glimpse of audio nirvana.

@prem
As always, I’m gobsmacked by your attention to detail! Every little piece of the puzzle seems to have been carefully considered, before it’s put into place.
I would also like to ask you a few layman questions, if I may:
- How big is the room, and how far away is your listening position?
- Is there any room treatment done to control the bass? I would imagine those gargantuan woofers move some serious air!
- Is the room open at the other end, or do you listen with all the doors closed?
My friend and I have been struggling with boomy bass in his mid-sized listening room, hence my curiosity.

 

[prem]

Thanks coaltrain.

There is zero room treatment.

Width of the room where the speakers are is approx 11.5 ft. That’s like the funnel end of the room. From there it opens up. Right side opens up to the entertainment room. Further on the right side it takes an L shape and opens into the dining room. Straight ahead it opens into the kitchen. There are no doors or anything. It’s an open architecture. It’s quite weirdly shaped. So very difficult to explain unless you see it in person. Length will be like 35 ft I guess.

I sit anywhere and listen. It sounds fine to me. I don’t like to be confined to one position. So I try set it up such that it sounds decent anywhere in that area. Many times I am at the dining table working and listening. From the dining table, I can’t even see the system

I hope I have been able to answer your queries.

 

[coaltrain]

Many thanks, Prem, that’s very helpful!
Judging by your setup, I’m guessing that the speakers have room to breathe, without over-pressurizing the room. Perhaps, keeping the door open in my friend’s room might help alleviate the problem. Good thing the weekend is nigh; time to experiment

 

[prem]

Yes, keeping the door open will help.

But before that if possible place the speakers as correctly as possible. There is usually one point in the room where it sings with the room. At this position there is much less opposition from the room. The trick is in locating this spot. This is true for any room.

 

[coaltrain]

While his speakers are only a 2-way standmount with an 8” woofer, I get the feeling they’re too big for the room. Small group jazz sounds incredible, but Massive Attack will remind you of the old Maxell tape ad! Guess some amount of room treatment is inevitable.
Anyway, many thanks for your pointers. Now, let’s get back to drooling over your setup

 

[aeroash]

While his speakers are only a 2-way standmount with an 8” woofer, I get the feeling they’re too big for the room. Small group jazz sounds incredible, but Massive Attack will remind you of the old Maxell tape ad! Guess some amount of room treatment is inevitable.
Anyway, many thanks for your pointers. Now, let’s get back to drooling over your setup

Size of the drivers has nothing to do with it. Boominess is a result of standing waves originating from poor speaker/seating location relative to the room.

It's hard to treat frequencies below 200hz as the thickness required for absorption is not practical, at least in a home setting.

 

[souravin]

Wonderful description and write up. I have also been fortunate to listen Prem's audio rig many a times. His taste of music, knowledge of nuances of music and orchestration and pursuit of audio fulfillment are just spot on and very clear.

Looking forward to another session.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Thanks coaltrain.

There is zero room treatment.

Width of the room where the speakers are is approx 11.5 ft. That’s like the funnel end of the room. From there it opens up. Right side opens up to the entertainment room. Further on the right side it takes an L shape and opens into the dining room. Straight ahead it opens into the kitchen. There are no doors or anything. It’s an open architecture. It’s quite weirdly shaped. So very difficult to explain unless you see it in person. Length will be like 35 ft I guess.

I sit anywhere and listen. It sounds fine to me. I don’t like to be confined to one position. So I try set it up such that it sounds decent anywhere in that area. Many times I am at the dining table working and listening. From the dining table, I can’t even see the system

I hope I have been able to answer your queries.

Interesting. I learned something from this. Thanks for posting.

Enjoy the music!

 

[Amarendra]

Yes, keeping the door open will help.

But before that if possible place the speakers as correctly as possible. There is usually one point in the room where it sings with the room. At this position there is much less opposition from the room. The trick is in locating this spot. This is true for any room.

Beautiful system and an equally beautiful write up. The system does look intimidating though . It seems to say to me - do you even have the ears/ understanding to listen to me !!! LoL . One will need to be a refined listener to appreciate all the nuances that it throws. Thanks for sharing

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

Among the various aspects that impressed me about Prem’s system when I saw/listened to it, the one that stood out for me was how he has discovered his musical listening preferences and assembled a system to best suit them. His system is therefore very dynamic and musical - the way he likes his music. One can’t help but tap feet and nod head (and if you are so inclined, get up and dance) to the music it plays. The system is minimalist too… nothing excessive than what he absolutely wants… with only the TT as source (which he has complemented with the choicest original edition records of the music of his choice - mostly vintage Bollywood, but also some ghazals and rock).

And those who have seen him moving those huge speakers by an inch here or there to get the sound right would understand what must have gone into this seemingly perfect system (end-game) for his needs.