grubyhalo
New Member
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of visiting Rajivs home to audition his sound system, specifically his 2A3 SETs and would like to post a few of my thoughts here in case itd be helpful to others. Please forgive me if its long-winded and non-audiophilic as this is a first for me. Also, if there is an aspect of the system or the music that you find missing in my musings, please ask me about it and Ill try answering you. For people who dont have too much time to waste, you can scroll right down to My final thoughts.
First off, Ive never been to a persons home whom I did not know for awhile and definitely not just to check out his music system and hence I was a tad apprehensive. Also, I had to take someone alongwith and was a little nervous at the prospect of spoiling someones Sunday afternoon. Well, it turned out that I need not have worried at all. Rajiv and his wife were extremely friendly and gracious and put us completely at ease enough for us to feel like we were with long-time friends.
The following are the components of the system we listened to:
DIY speakers (Custom Tractrix horn with an Altec 15 woofer in a DIY cab linked by a home-brew crossover)
Linn LP12 / Ittok with the Akiva MC cart (I think!)
Lyrita Tube Phono stage with a step up transformer
Lyrita 2A3 SET integrated amp (3 Watts)
Phillips DVD player for the CDs (Not sure what the model was but I think it was pretty low-end)
Please note that the above list is from memory and may not be 100% right. Ill let Rajiv chime in if anything was different.
The following is a partial list of the music used during the audition:
LPs:
Simon & Garfunkel: Live at Central Park
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Oscar Peterson Trio ( I think)
Janice Ian Between The Lines
Carpenters
Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson (Forgot the name of the album)
CDs:
Elton John Goodbye Yellowbrick Road
The Police Regatta de Blanc
Best Audiophile Voices 1 and 2
Dave Brubeck - Double Live from the U.S.A. and U.K. [LIVE]
Most of the listening (about 2.5 hours) was done with the LP12 as the source with the CD player being used for about 40 minutes towards the end. The biggest caveat that you should remember here is that this is a description of what I heard during the 3+ hours I listened to the system and that my point of reference is live music. Some may not agree that live music could be the standard of reference but I dont have anything else.
The thing that hit me the moment the first LP was played is that the music sounded startlingly real and it was flowing in gushes rather than being squirted out of a box. Ive rarely experienced music so real from a recording. I have heard recorded music sound more clearer but never so real with so much of information. I could close my eyes and place each instrument in its place in the soundstage. I believe its the magic of the SETs that paint this unbelievable sonic image. The voices had this immediacy to them like the singer was in the room with us, standing slightly in-front of the band, bang in the center.
The second thing that was impressive about the system is the way wind instruments were reproduced. Trumpets and sax had this life-like quality with the breaths and the blemishes coming right through. I am not sure but this could be the horns doing their magic with help from the SETs. The decay and shimmer of the cymbals were as real as one can hope to get from a recording, with absolutely no overhang. One of the criteria I use as a reference to gauge a music system is its ability to reproduce the upright bass. If you can get the upright bass sounding right without it being strangled, chances are that the rest of the music is pretty safe too. This was the case here as well, the upright bass sounded scaringly real both when bowed and plucked. It was hard to believe that the bass sounded so good, clean and fast, especially with the woofers rolling off at 50 Hz. It did not sound to me like I was missing anything in the music. Tried as I did, it was extremely hard to listen critically and most often than not, I was just plain enjoying the music instead of trying to figure out what I was hearing. Apparently, for most part of the session, I was sitting there with a stupid smile on my face and blurting out with laughter frequently!
After about two and a half hours of spinning vinyl, we switched to CDs. I know we were not using the best CD spinner on the planet, but boy, what a difference! It was like the band suddenly decided to go back into the speakers cabinets and play like they are not being paid! I guess this is where a good DAC would be of immense help, breathing more life into the music. Things did get better on recordings like Telarcs Double Live from the U.S.A. and U.K. Take Five had me laughing like an idiot once again (like it always does). Though I had a bunch of SACDs, DVD-As and my universal player at hand, we could not listen to them as I had forgotten to pack in the power cable for the player! We had to be content with playing just the redbook layer on the SACDs. Irrespective of the medium, one thing the SETs seemed to excel at is painting a very vivid sonic picture (if thats the phrase to use) and giving recordings a sense of realism. If there was anything in the music that did not come through, I was not aware of it. Also, I was surprised at how smooth the horns sounded and how it made voices and instruments sound life-like than a normal dome tweeter. Im thinking this is greatly being helped by the SETs powering them. The only drawback I was able to perceive in the system was that everytime the volume was turned way down to aid conversation, a part of the music did not come through. Ofcourse, Im talking about levels that are way low for anyone to be used to.
My final thoughts on the system were that they excelled in reproducing jazz, acoustic, country and small ensembles amazingly well. Though I did not listen extensively to any rock records, my guess would be that, unless you listen to hard-rock bordering on heavy metal, the SETs should be just fine, provided your speakers are sensitive enough. It was shocking to hear how much of magic that a 3 Watt SET can enchant you with. However, if your tastes include hard-rock, heavy metal, reggae, bass-heavy and synthesized hip-hop the SETs may not be your cup of tea. Ofcourse that shouldnt prevent you from auditioning these SETs first. As for me, I definitely see these SETs in my future, given the humongous value for money that they represent and more so for the magic that theyre capable of. Ofcourse, I might still have a solid-state amp to back me up when I feel like playing Gojira or Royksopp.
When I managed to tear myself away from Rajivs place, I realized that the 3+ hours just flew, though my original plan was just to spend just about an hour. I had also discovered so much good music that I had not known all my life, discovered the magic of SETs and the realism that a good vinyl setup brings. My sincere thanks to Rajiv and his family for sharing with us a slice of their time and music.
First off, Ive never been to a persons home whom I did not know for awhile and definitely not just to check out his music system and hence I was a tad apprehensive. Also, I had to take someone alongwith and was a little nervous at the prospect of spoiling someones Sunday afternoon. Well, it turned out that I need not have worried at all. Rajiv and his wife were extremely friendly and gracious and put us completely at ease enough for us to feel like we were with long-time friends.
The following are the components of the system we listened to:
DIY speakers (Custom Tractrix horn with an Altec 15 woofer in a DIY cab linked by a home-brew crossover)
Linn LP12 / Ittok with the Akiva MC cart (I think!)
Lyrita Tube Phono stage with a step up transformer
Lyrita 2A3 SET integrated amp (3 Watts)
Phillips DVD player for the CDs (Not sure what the model was but I think it was pretty low-end)
Please note that the above list is from memory and may not be 100% right. Ill let Rajiv chime in if anything was different.
The following is a partial list of the music used during the audition:
LPs:
Simon & Garfunkel: Live at Central Park
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Oscar Peterson Trio ( I think)
Janice Ian Between The Lines
Carpenters
Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson (Forgot the name of the album)
CDs:
Elton John Goodbye Yellowbrick Road
The Police Regatta de Blanc
Best Audiophile Voices 1 and 2
Dave Brubeck - Double Live from the U.S.A. and U.K. [LIVE]
Most of the listening (about 2.5 hours) was done with the LP12 as the source with the CD player being used for about 40 minutes towards the end. The biggest caveat that you should remember here is that this is a description of what I heard during the 3+ hours I listened to the system and that my point of reference is live music. Some may not agree that live music could be the standard of reference but I dont have anything else.
The thing that hit me the moment the first LP was played is that the music sounded startlingly real and it was flowing in gushes rather than being squirted out of a box. Ive rarely experienced music so real from a recording. I have heard recorded music sound more clearer but never so real with so much of information. I could close my eyes and place each instrument in its place in the soundstage. I believe its the magic of the SETs that paint this unbelievable sonic image. The voices had this immediacy to them like the singer was in the room with us, standing slightly in-front of the band, bang in the center.
The second thing that was impressive about the system is the way wind instruments were reproduced. Trumpets and sax had this life-like quality with the breaths and the blemishes coming right through. I am not sure but this could be the horns doing their magic with help from the SETs. The decay and shimmer of the cymbals were as real as one can hope to get from a recording, with absolutely no overhang. One of the criteria I use as a reference to gauge a music system is its ability to reproduce the upright bass. If you can get the upright bass sounding right without it being strangled, chances are that the rest of the music is pretty safe too. This was the case here as well, the upright bass sounded scaringly real both when bowed and plucked. It was hard to believe that the bass sounded so good, clean and fast, especially with the woofers rolling off at 50 Hz. It did not sound to me like I was missing anything in the music. Tried as I did, it was extremely hard to listen critically and most often than not, I was just plain enjoying the music instead of trying to figure out what I was hearing. Apparently, for most part of the session, I was sitting there with a stupid smile on my face and blurting out with laughter frequently!
After about two and a half hours of spinning vinyl, we switched to CDs. I know we were not using the best CD spinner on the planet, but boy, what a difference! It was like the band suddenly decided to go back into the speakers cabinets and play like they are not being paid! I guess this is where a good DAC would be of immense help, breathing more life into the music. Things did get better on recordings like Telarcs Double Live from the U.S.A. and U.K. Take Five had me laughing like an idiot once again (like it always does). Though I had a bunch of SACDs, DVD-As and my universal player at hand, we could not listen to them as I had forgotten to pack in the power cable for the player! We had to be content with playing just the redbook layer on the SACDs. Irrespective of the medium, one thing the SETs seemed to excel at is painting a very vivid sonic picture (if thats the phrase to use) and giving recordings a sense of realism. If there was anything in the music that did not come through, I was not aware of it. Also, I was surprised at how smooth the horns sounded and how it made voices and instruments sound life-like than a normal dome tweeter. Im thinking this is greatly being helped by the SETs powering them. The only drawback I was able to perceive in the system was that everytime the volume was turned way down to aid conversation, a part of the music did not come through. Ofcourse, Im talking about levels that are way low for anyone to be used to.
My final thoughts on the system were that they excelled in reproducing jazz, acoustic, country and small ensembles amazingly well. Though I did not listen extensively to any rock records, my guess would be that, unless you listen to hard-rock bordering on heavy metal, the SETs should be just fine, provided your speakers are sensitive enough. It was shocking to hear how much of magic that a 3 Watt SET can enchant you with. However, if your tastes include hard-rock, heavy metal, reggae, bass-heavy and synthesized hip-hop the SETs may not be your cup of tea. Ofcourse that shouldnt prevent you from auditioning these SETs first. As for me, I definitely see these SETs in my future, given the humongous value for money that they represent and more so for the magic that theyre capable of. Ofcourse, I might still have a solid-state amp to back me up when I feel like playing Gojira or Royksopp.
When I managed to tear myself away from Rajivs place, I realized that the 3+ hours just flew, though my original plan was just to spend just about an hour. I had also discovered so much good music that I had not known all my life, discovered the magic of SETs and the realism that a good vinyl setup brings. My sincere thanks to Rajiv and his family for sharing with us a slice of their time and music.
! Enjoyed reading it !
