The joy of preamp, I mean a real one...

[murali]

Recently I had posted about some feedback on Audio Research preamps and now that I have finally installed one, the Reference 3, it is time to share the experience. This one was for mainly going for a fully balanced set-up from source to speakers as the one I was using, a VTL TL-5.5, was also excellent but lacked balanced inputs. Both my Ayre source and power amp are fully balanced and hence the jump.
Believe me, it is indeed a quantum jump. I am not a professional reviewer and hence don't want to write using audiophile terms. All I can say in brief is that music I have been listening and enjoying for a long time now suddenly sounds so magnificent that it makes me realise what I have missing in them. It is not just the sounds and timbres but what I am hearing now is the body of the music, each instrument, precise field of individual instruments and singer's highs and lows like never before. It turns into a music-as-a-whole experience rather than bits and pieces from here and there.
The Reference 3 is expensive, no doubt, but I got a good deal as it has been phased out by Reference 5. This means my VTL has now to go.
If anyone is around Cochin, welcome for a listening experience to Audio Research as I will be here till 04 December and then leave for my bread outside.

Happy listening.
murali

 

[madbullram]

It always is, how I wish I can find a 20k gift to get a nice pre-amp....

 

[murali]

Thanks. It looks as though you are not short of money but have invested more in automobiles and "running" sound systems inside rather than a high quality stereo set-up to listen at home!

Happy listening while mobile.
murali

 

[gobble]

Nice ... But if you are not going to be here to listen to it then why upgrade?

Regards

 

[suri]

Recently I had posted about some feedback on Audio Research preamps and now that I have finally installed one, the Reference 3, it is time to share the experience. This one was for mainly going for a fully balanced set-up from source to speakers as the one I was using, a VTL TL-5.5, was also excellent but lacked balanced inputs. Both my Ayre source and power amp are fully balanced and hence the jump.
Believe me, it is indeed a quantum jump. I am not a professional reviewer and hence don't want to write using audiophile terms. All I can say in brief is that music I have been listening and enjoying for a long time now suddenly sounds so magnificent that it makes me realise what I have missing in them. It is not just the sounds and timbres but what I am hearing now is the body of the music, each instrument, precise field of individual instruments and singer's highs and lows like never before. It turns into a music-as-a-whole experience rather than bits and pieces from here and there.
The Reference 3 is expensive, no doubt, but I got a good deal as it has been phased out by Reference 5. This means my VTL has now to go.
If anyone is around Cochin, welcome for a listening experience to Audio Research as I will be here till 04 December and then leave for my bread outside.

Happy listening.
murali

hi murali, i will driving down to cochin on 4th for a conference - i would really like to listen to your system before you leave for your bread!

i will leave cannanore at about 7.30 am and should be in cochin in the evening - can you give me a time convenient to you (30 minutes should be enough) - i will in and gone in a flash!

please let me know - i do not want to miss this golden opportunity!

TIA
suri

 

[suri]

It always is, how I wish I can find a 20k gift to get a nice pre-amp....

hi madbullram,

looks more like you should find a 333k gift

 

[suri]

Recently I had posted about some feedback on Audio Research preamps and now that I have finally installed one, the Reference 3, it is time to share the experience. This one was for mainly going for a fully balanced set-up from source to speakers as the one I was using, a VTL TL-5.5, was also excellent but lacked balanced inputs. Both my Ayre source and power amp are fully balanced and hence the jump.
Believe me, it is indeed a quantum jump. I am not a professional reviewer and hence don't want to write using audiophile terms. All I can say in brief is that music I have been listening and enjoying for a long time now suddenly sounds so magnificent that it makes me realise what I have missing in them. It is not just the sounds and timbres but what I am hearing now is the body of the music, each instrument, precise field of individual instruments and singer's highs and lows like never before. It turns into a music-as-a-whole experience rather than bits and pieces from here and there.
The Reference 3 is expensive, no doubt, but I got a good deal as it has been phased out by Reference 5. This means my VTL has now to go.
If anyone is around Cochin, welcome for a listening experience to Audio Research as I will be here till 04 December and then leave for my bread outside.

Happy listening.
murali

loudspeakers? - i am out of my mind with excitement!!!

 

[murali]

Nice ... But if you are not going to be here to listen to it then why upgrade?

Regards

Good observation. I come and go frequently and my family continues to live here and come there during holidays. Only I am "neither here nor there".
Even a few hours in a few days I spend in each visit in front of my system listening to music, that is something, and hope you will understand as a music lover.
By the way, I never spent money in my outside life in buying lifestyle or other systems and am most happy listening to good quality FM broadcasts with a vintage Sony receiver. Like religion, music to me is personal, sublime and something to be enjoyed oneself.

Happy listening.
murali

 

[murali]

loudspeakers? - i am out of my mind with excitement!!!

Vandersteen 2Ce Signature pair plus two Rel Strata-5 integrated to each with high level inputs from power amp outs.

cheers.
murali

 

[gobble]

Good observation. I come and go frequently and my family continues to live here and come there during holidays. Only I am "neither here nor there".
Even a few hours in a few days I spend in each visit in front of my system listening to music, that is something, and hope you will understand as a music lover.
By the way, I never spent money in my outside life in buying lifestyle or other systems and am most happy listening to good quality FM broadcasts with a vintage Sony receiver. Like religion, music to me is personal, sublime and something to be enjoyed oneself.

Happy listening.
murali

Yes I understand. Enjoy the setup!!

Cheers

 

[suri]

Vandersteen 2Ce Signature pair plus two Rel Strata-5 integrated to each with high level inputs from power amp outs.

cheers.
murali

hi murali,

can i listen to this system on the 4th Dec - evening?

please let me know.

regards

 

[kaushik]

It always is, how I wish I can find a 20k gift to get a nice pre-amp....

share market can give .. if u know how to play!
itz a little risky .

 

[madbullram]

share market can give .. if u know how to play!
itz a little risky .

I missed the boat when it crashed, now I am not really that smart to play it

 

[suri]

share market can give .. if u know how to play!
itz a little risky .

hi kaushik,

it is very easy to make Rs. 10 lakhs playing in the stock market - and that too, in one day!

you start with 15 lakhs! - on friday - and subsequent monday when the bill for Wadia transport/scarlatti transport is due - that investment will become 10 lakhs!

for the uninitiated, dalal street is suicide street! but if you have gone through pain, done your homework, and are able to stay the course, one can make decent money.

on a another note, I have stopped buying clothes for myself, so as to have adequate money to fuel my passion for music - these days aysha banian = Rs. 112/- , cotton shirt = Rs. 1112, and non-iron pant = Rs. 2222.
and i suppose i could save a little more, if I stopped having haircuts (Rs. 90).
and i am paying a little more attention to my vegetable garden, so i get my greens for free.

Ah! - the pleasures of depriving oneself!

 

[marsilians]

Vandersteen 2Ce Signature pair plus two Rel Strata-5 integrated to each with high level inputs from power amp outs.

cheers.
murali

Excellent taste in the Vandersteen's if you are into classical, jazz music or any genre rich in instruments. Having said this, I am wondering about the Rel Stratas in your applications though. AR pairs very well with the Vandersteen's. A couple years ago I installed a 2 chanel setup with the same speakers driven by Luxman L-505U. It was very good for vocals but really came out when symphonic recordings were played through them.

 

[neutral]

Post deleted

 

[dinyaar]

hi kaushik,

it is very easy to make Rs. 10 lakhs playing in the stock market - and that too, in one day!

you start with 15 lakhs! - on friday - and subsequent monday when the bill for Wadia transport/scarlatti transport is due - that investment will become 10 lakhs!

for the uninitiated, dalal street is suicide street! but if you have gone through pain, done your homework, and are able to stay the course, one can make decent money.

on a another note, I have stopped buying clothes for myself, so as to have adequate money to fuel my passion for music - these days aysha banian = Rs. 112/- , cotton shirt = Rs. 1112, and non-iron pant = Rs. 2222.
and i suppose i could save a little more, if I stopped having haircuts (Rs. 90).
and i am paying a little more attention to my vegetable garden, so i get my greens for free.

Ah! - the pleasures of depriving oneself!

HAHAHA
Suri I am located on 'suicide street' FYI.
MBR there are 'boats' every day, in fact many times a day so there is no missing the boat really.(Maybe small trips as apposed to a long journey) When it was at the level u are mentioning there were very few buyers as all & sundry were predicting 5/6K!!!
Forget the 20% at the bottom & the 20% a the top end, that still leaves 60% in which one can make a fortune. No point trying to predict tops/bottoms and most of us do Ok somewhere in between. Naturally it helps if u get the timing right.
Its never easy making money else no one would do anything but stocks!

Murali, congratulations and hope this new toy brings u years of bliss.
Rgds

 

[murali]

Excellent taste in the Vandersteen's if you are into classical, jazz music or any genre rich in instruments. Having said this, I am wondering about the Rel Stratas in your applications though. AR pairs very well with the Vandersteen's. A couple years ago I installed a 2 chanel setup with the same speakers driven by Luxman L-505U. It was very good for vocals but really came out when symphonic recordings were played through them.

Speaking of subwoofers, my study on the subject narrowed down to only 4 makes/models to musical subwoofers (sealed and not ported for home theater bangs and slams) which can integrate very well with a floorstander like Vansersteen. Vandy themselves make excellent subs (2WQ) but having burnt plenty of money in getting the mains directly from USA (paid double the speaker cost after freight, duties etc), I did not venture out again. Bag End is another excellent make and have a distributor in Delhi whereas M&K was unavailable. The Rel is available in Chennai and Strata-5 is the one I really liked. Initially I started with one and later added a second so that each is high-level connected to each main. The crossover is set very low (23 Hz) so that the Rel only looks at the signal and responds into the deep bass area and the integration is smooth.
I will be replacing the Vandy 2Ce Signature + Rel in a couple of years with Vandersteen Quattro which has built in woofer. This will also relieve me of space constraints.
I do not think at this juncture I will ever leave Vandy speakers. Remember, the 2Ce Signature cost only around US$1200 when I bought them (now higher) and was one of the best value for money and excellent performer and a rare gem in the group of time and phase coherent speakers, and still classified high in Stereophile and other recommended speakers.

cheers.
murali

 

[awedeophile]

Murali,
Upgrade the stock tubes to NOS 6H30P-DR and it will take the preamp to another level. Also, use isolation under the chassis.

 

[anm]

the way veggies are getting expensive, I think your vegetable garden would be sufficient to fund a good system I am trying a kitchen garden myself.

hi kaushik,

it is very easy to make Rs. 10 lakhs playing in the stock market - and that too, in one day!

you start with 15 lakhs! - on friday - and subsequent monday when the bill for Wadia transport/scarlatti transport is due - that investment will become 10 lakhs!

for the uninitiated, dalal street is suicide street! but if you have gone through pain, done your homework, and are able to stay the course, one can make decent money.

on a another note, I have stopped buying clothes for myself, so as to have adequate money to fuel my passion for music - these days aysha banian = Rs. 112/- , cotton shirt = Rs. 1112, and non-iron pant = Rs. 2222.
and i suppose i could save a little more, if I stopped having haircuts (Rs. 90).
and i am paying a little more attention to my vegetable garden, so i get my greens for free.

Ah! - the pleasures of depriving oneself!