Preamplifier

the mcintosh C100 preamplifier might just be the ultimate piece of audio gear.  it features a dual chassis design for total noise reduction (grasshopper) and microprocessor-based trimming for each source input (like cd, tuner, phono, etc.).

the lower chassis is the actual audio preamplifier.  audio cables (and the audio signals) from all other gear connect to this lower chassis.  this preamp chassis connects to the control chassis (the upper chassis) with a computer cable.  the upper chassis contains the power supply and all the logic control circuitry.  the main 110V power cord, all the 2-conductor data cables with 1/8" mini-plugs (that control the operation of remote mcintosh equipment) attach to the upper control chassis.

audio signals are driven to their own chassis, thus physically separated from the controls and power supply.  the mcintosh computer cable provides the "logical" connection, where the (upper) controller tells the (lower) preamp what to do.

the physical separation of signal types allows for the cleanest possible audio sound.  measuring the total harmonic distortion of the C100 tests the limits of the measuring equipment itself at a microscopic 0.002%!  we like that alot.

the C100 features 3 balanced inputs, 8 unbalanced inputs, moving magnet and moving coil phono inputs.  there are 4 balanced outputs.

volume control is done using an optical flywheel.  it sends signals to a microprocessor, which gracefully adjusts the volume up or down.   the mechanism is smooth as silk, and a real tactile pleasure!   the blue-green flourescent display shows the volume in steps of 0.5db for total accuracy.

see mcintosh's home page for more details about this world-class preamp.

(this component purchased: online)

(repair record:  volume control replaced)

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Tannoy Definition 500	Tannoy Definition 900

the tannoy "Definition" family of speakers is perhaps one of the most present, clean, and transparent lines of speakers out there.  shown here are the tannoy D500 and D900 speakers.  the D500 has 8" drivers; the D900 uses 12" drivers.

the upper driver in both pictures is the tannoy patented Dual Concentric driver (midrange and tweeter).  the lower driver is the bass speaker.  the dual concentric driver provides a point source for the mid range and high frequencies, allowing for wonderfully imaged stereo sound, no matter where you are in relation to the speaker.

to make the most of the large mcintosh amps, i needed speakers which could both handle high power, yet faithfully reproduce sound at the 1 watt level.    these speakers do it in spades.  i have one pair of each, wired in parallel, connected to each amp.  the impedance of the combined speakers is 3 ohms.  there are connections on the amplifer for 2, 4 or 8 ohm loads.   i use the 4 ohm tap, as that sounds best to me.

in england, the home of tannoy speakers, the word "tannoy" refers to the speakers in a public address system, like those in a railway station.   a typical usage would be "did you hear what just came over the tannoy?"

another factoid is that most recording studios do their audio mastering using tannoy speakers.

live it up.
buy a pair!

see tannoy's home page for more details.

(these components purchased: mcintosh dealership)

(repair record: d900:  no repairs needed)

(repair record: d500:  upper and lower drivers replaced in one cabinet; lower driver replaced in the other.  mea culpa)

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Subwoofer

this is the mcintosh ps112 powered subwoofer, in their beautiful red cherry finish.  it is driven by a built-in 400 watt mcintosh amplifier.  the sound is different than other subwoofers i've heard.   mcintosh has found a way to make the low bass notes sound, well, musical, and not just deep.

WOW!  is all i can say.  unlike my previous subwoofer, this one adds deep musical bass to the overall sound of my system.  the previous sub produced a "boom and thud" type of bass, making it sound a lot like one of those obnoxious, loud car stereos.  the ps112, on the other hand, produces well-defined musical bass, as if the sound originated from a musical instrument.  this is a remarkable subwoofer!

the ps112 is very large, and tips the scales at 99 lbs!   to provide perspective, the single driver in the picture above is 12" in diameter.  there are about 5" of enclosure above and below the driver, so the whole thing is 22" tall, almost 2'.   although hard to see from this angle, it is 19" deep, a little more than a foot and a half.  eat your wheaties before setting it up.

see mcintosh's home page for more details.

(this component purchased: online)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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Single CD Player

the mcintosh MCD7009 single cd player uses an aluminum cylinder the diameter of a compact disc, and clamps the cd to the cylinder during playback.  this provides vibration-free reproduction.

a Burr-Brown DAC transforms the digital data into analog signals.  available outputs are:

• digital optical connectors (TOSlink)
• digital coaxial connector (S/PDIF)
• balanced stereo outputs (xlr connectors)
• unbalanced stereo outputs (rca-style jacks)

i use the balanced stereo outputs, and connect them to the balanced inputs on the C100 preamp.  the sound produced by a totally balanced signal from cd player, through preamp, and then through balanced amplifers is beyond sweet.  all audiophiles should experience this sound!

due to the digital music revolution, i hardly use this player anymore - but sometimes i get the urge to listen to a new cd before it has been ripped into the digital music server.  i'll keep it as an easily-accesible cd player, and as a cd transport, should i ever get a mcintosh mda1000 d/a converter.  a great piece of mcintosh audio gear is always worth holding on to!

see mcintosh's home page for more details.

(this component purchased: online)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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AM/FM Tuner

this is the mcintosh mr85 AM/FM stereo tuner.  it is actually a tuner chassis.  the mr85 chassis holds up to two "tuner modules", so you can switch between two broadcasts with the push of a button (there are also presets available for each tuner module separately).  mcintosh ships the mr85 with a single tuner module installed.

mcintosh has taken a lesson from car audio, and increased their home stereo tuner's reception ability to rival car tuners.  normally, car tuners can receive broadcast signals even under the most adverse conditions, where home tuners fade out.  this new tuner receives as well or better than the best car tuners!  for example, i have just a humble (cheap) FM dipole antenna, thumbtacked to the wall.   with only this crappy antenna, the mr85 picks up all local FM stations very well!  distant stations (50 miles) come in fairly well, as long as they have a signal strength of at least 2 (on a scale of 0 - 9).  if i had an FM antenna on the roof, there would probably be no limit to the reception.

mcintosh includes the RAA1 remote AM antenna with the mr85.   without some external signal-boosting help, i cannot receive a single AM station - i live in a deep, narrow valley and reception is virtually impossible.  but, with the mr85 and the RAA1, i can receive 5 or 6 AM stations for the very first time!  while AM generally sucks for music, it does provide news, traffic and emergency information, which is good for us mountain folk.

the mr85 features optical flywheel tuning, and a programmable display for each preset station (up to 8 characters).  the tactile experience of tuning the mr85 tells you that this is a fine instrument.   however, i have had multiple problems with the control logic and display circuitry of the mr85 - please see the repair record, below.

see mcintosh's home page for more details.

(this component purchased: mcintosh dealership)

repair record:

under warranty:	microprocessor and display EPROM replacement
under warranty:	a SECOND microprocessor and display EPROM replacement
not under warranty:	a THIRD microprocessor and display EPROM replacement

and the unit has failed a FOURTH time on new year's day, 2007.  i have written to mcintosh about this, expressing my dismay.  let's see how they respond.

repsonse record:

january 5, 2007: certified letter sent to mcintosh

january 16, 2007: certified letter arrives at mcintosh  :-)

january 23, 2007: one week later, no response  :-|

january 30, 2007: two weeks later, still no response  :-(  left voicemail for john messemer, service manager at mcintosh.

january 30, 2007: john messemer left me voicemail.  he'd never received the personally addressed, certified, return-reciept-requested letter.  left message with the name of the person who had signed for it.

january 31, 2007: letter found.  plan is:  send the tuner to the factory for service.  RA#26060

february 2, 2007: tuner shipped to mcintosh labs for analysis and repair

february 8, 2007: tuner arrives at mcintosh

march 8, 2007: one month status check: problem not yet identified; mcintosh still working on it

april 9, 2007: two month status check: mcintosh still has not been able to make the tuner fail.  would like to keep it for a while longer.  offered me a replacement tuner if they can't figure it out.  wow!  that's a great offer!

june 9, 2007: four month status check: mcintosh still has not been able to make the tuner fail.  would like to keep it a while longer.  my patience is beginning to wear thin at this point.

july 9, 2007: five month status check: i came right out and asked for the tuner back.  i feel five months is more than enough time to repair a piece of electronic gear.  mcintosh was unable to reproduce the problem in-house.  mcintosh will replace the old tuner with a 4-month-old dealer demo.  am awaiting its arrival!

july 19, 2007: the tuner arrives!  yay!  it has been unpacked and installed.  i'll turn it on, use it, and see how well it operates.  :-)  i sent john messemer at mcintosh two pounds of see's chocolates as a Thank You gift.

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i decided to build my own Digital Music Server from available technology.  the system needed a heart, a brain, and some brawn.

the heart of the music server is the Slimdevices Squeezebox2 network music player.  the squeezebox2 turns 802.11g wireless data streams into analog audio signals, suitable for input to a preamp or even a power amp:

i chose this network music player for many reasons, but first and foremost, the squeezebox2 music player supports native (in hardware) FLAC decompression.  as a self-deluded audiophile, i could not abide my music collection in mp3 format - "lossy", by definition.  FLAC, on the other hand, is lossless, so the original bit stream of the cd is restored during playback.  the trade-off is disc space.  FLAC files tend to be much larger than their mp3 counterparts.  FLAC files on hard disc are about half to two-thirds as large as the original cd.  mp3 files are about one-third the size of the original.

i have had my squeezebox modified by wayne waananen at bolder cables (the bolder cable company). wayne changes power supply routes, capcitors, the DAC, and removes the output op-amp, among many other things.  he makes and sells linear power supplies and AC cords (for squeezeboxes and other electronic gear).  i am extremely happy with the sound, and use the modified squeezebox as my primary source of music.  the sound satisfies me as well as anything i've heard, and i consider the modified squeezebox a true piece of audiophile gear.  the tuner, turntable and cd player sit idle most of the time now.

there are two brains to the music server: slimdevices' slimserver software and the unix shell script abcde (A Better CD Encoder).  slimserver sends digitized music to the squeezebox client, manages playlists, organizes music folders, and so forth.  it runs directly from the network attached storage device itself (see the brawn section, just ahead), without the need of an intervening pc!  abcde, however, does require a pc with a cd-rom drive.  i use a 1GHz dell pc, which easily runs my favorite distribution of linux:

abcde calls 4 other programs as it runs:

1. cd-discid to grab the cd's numerical disc id.  abcde then sends the disc id to the Gracenote cd data base on the internet, and receives back track and title information

2. cdparanoia to turn the tracks on cd into .wav files on hard disc

3. flac to encode the .wav file into a FLAC file

4. metaflac to tag the FLAC file with the track and title information retrieved from Gracenote

abcde, cd-discid, cdparanoia, flac and metaflac are all available from the debian linux distribution websites.  after some initial configuration, i've been able to rip and FLAC-encode hundreds of cd's with relative ease.  here are my current music library stats:

• 1,154 discs ripped
• 10,537 tracks
• 432 artists
• 365 gigabytes of disc space used (47% of capacity)

an Infrant Technology ReadyNAS 600 Network Attached Storage Device holds the processed music files.  this black box is the brawn of the system:

while it may not look impressive from the outside, the ReadyNAS 600 sports 512MB of RAM (upgraded from 128), four 300GB Seagate SATA drives (1.2TB unformatted) and an infrant technology network processor chip capable of running its own operating system and other programs.  i use the ReadyNAS itself to run the slimserver program - there's no need to turn on a pc!

starting with four 300GB discs (1.2TB raw storage space), creating a RAID5 protected system yields 777 gigabytes of available storage.  that's enough for approximately 2,400 cds at a FLAC compression ratio of 50%.  2,400 cds is a lot of music on a single device.  it's like putting all your eggs in one basket.  danger, will robinson!

the RAID5 system insures data integrity if one disc drive fails, and i have a spare drive on hand.  however, if two disc drives fail, or if the ReadyNAS itself fails, all data (music) could be lost.  so, i back up the entire music library to an external usb hard drive, just in case.  and, i store this drive at a remote location, to make double sure.  i'm very serious about preserving my music files.  :-)

IMPORTANT NOTE TO LP LOVERS: recently, i have found medialocks digitizing service.  these fine folks take your vinyl lp's, and turn them into cd's, which you can rip the usual way!  i can now vouch for the quality of their work - they digitized 11 lp's, and 10 ep/45's and did a superb job of it.  the music is so nostalgic, it seems like it never sounded better, EVER!  not even when it was brand new!   the point here is that now, you can have ALL the music you love on your digital music server.  :-)

by now, you're probably thinking "this is all fine and dandy - but how well does it really work?"  i'm glad you asked!  the answer is: "it works really well!"  the only problems i've had are due to wireless ethernet - sometimes, the signal to the squeezebox client gets dropped, and the music stops mid-stream.  that could be fixed with an ethernet cable, but i like the lack of wires running all over the house.  i'll just live with the occassional music cut-off, and enjoy the wireless music solution most of the time.

i was completely impressed with the sound quality of FLAC encoded music played through the squeezebox network music player.  i did an "a/b" comparison test with a cd in the mcintosh mcd7009, and a FLAC encoded version of that same cd being played over wireless network.  i could not tell the difference between the two!  the sound of lossless digital music through a squeezebox music player is literally as good as a world-class cd player.

after years of play, the modified squeezebox2 player has consistently lived up to its promise!  to my ears, it now sounds better than the mcintosh mcd7009 cd player.  i have shipped a second squeezebox2 to bolder cable for modification.  i'll store the original squeezebox2 as backup, and use the newly modified 'box in its place.  i never want to be without at least one of them working!

here's a breakdown of the music server costs, including taxes and shipping (i have donated my labor):

component	cost	purchased from
readynas 600 and five 300GB discs (one spare)	$1,475	atacom.com
512MB memory for readynas	$75	fry's electronics
two squeezebox2 network music players	$560	slimdevices.com
(2005) first squeezebox2 modification plus linear power supply ("early adopter" deal from bolder cable) (this unit is now in storage as hardware backup)	$450	boldercables.com
(2008) second squeezebox2 modification from bolder cable (this squeezebox2 currently in use, with linear power supply)	$425	boldercables.com
10/100 network switch & 802.11g wireless access point	$115	fry's electronics
nokia 770 internet tablet	$380	nokia.com
1TB usb external hard drive, for backup	$150	fry's electronics
total	$3,630	my depleted bank account

i use a nokia 770 internet tablet as a remote control for slimserver:

a home-built system has the huge advantage of easy and free maintenance.  :-)  if anyone is interested, here's a network diagram and a bill of materials to make your own music server.

see slimdevices' homepage for more details about the squeezebox2 and squeezebox3 network music players.

see bolder cable company's homepage for more details about squeezebox2 and squeezebox3 modifications, and linear power supplies for them.

see infrant's homepage for more details about the ReadyNAS 600 network attached storage device.

see debian's homepage for more details about debian linux.

see nokia's 770 webpage for more details about the nokia 770 internet tablet.

see medialocks digitizing service homepage for more details on getting your lp's turned into cd's.

(these components purchased:  mostly online, but i did go to fry's once)

(repair record:  no repairs - i just keep adding in more music!  :-) )

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Record Album Turntable

Dual CS 450 Turntable	Grado Silver Phono Cartridge

this is a Dual CS450 Belt Drive Turntable.  it is fitted with a Grado "Silver" cartridge.  this cartridge solves the mass problem inherent in moving magnet cartridges, and the stiff stylus problem inherent in moving coil cartridges.  how, you might ask?  well, they use their special "pivoted fixed axial cantilever stylus-generator transducer technology."   sounds very impressive, doesn't it?  all verbage aside, the cartridge reproduces sound from vinyl quite nicely, which is really the bottom line.

my audio dealer (House of Music in San Francisco) had a great deal on the package, and i needed a new turntable anyway.  my previous dual turntable (a model 1246) lasted 22 years, was heavily used, and never needed service.  since this turntable will hardly be used, it ought to outlast me!

i still have several hundred record albums (from a very long time ago, thank you).  alot of the weird stuff i like is not available on cd - and probably will never be!  so, when i'm in the mood, i listen to a Real Album.  for those occasions, this turntable faithfully does the deed.  if i listened to vinyl more often, i might go for the separate "turnable, tonearm, high-end cartridge" arrangement, or even the new mcintosh MT10 precision turntable ...

but, that's pricey, and listening to lps means flipping records over every 20 minutes, cleaning them, worrying about the tiny, delicate stylus, and so on and so on ...

now i remember why i like using cds better.  we'll leave the whole religious question of what sounds better, lp or cd, completely aside, though i will say this: the one i like better can be abbreviated into two letters.

see grado lab's home page for more details about the cartridge.  united audio, the makers of dual turntables, do not have a website - they've gone out of business!   but, there is a site for dual turntable information - see the dual reference website for more details.

(these components purchased: mcintosh dealership)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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Headphones

these are sennheiser rs-40 wireless headphones.  i use headphones only when my sweetheart is sleeping.  since they're wireless, i can walk around the house, make coffee, maintain this webpage, etc., and not be tethered to the stereo system by a four foot cord!

these headphones provide a range of about 100 meters, and will operate for about 4 hours on a full battery charge.  they're lightweight and comfortable.  the base (which is also the transmitter) holds the headphones when not in use, and charges up the battery automatically.  there's an additional charging bay on the base for a second battery.

sennheiser gear has a well-deserved reputation for high quality sound reproduction.  i'm more than pleased with the sound quality of these headphones.  though the rs-40 is the, ahem, bottom of the wireless model line, they still sound really good!

see sennheiser's home page for more details.

(this component purchased: online)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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Portable Music Player

the rio karma was the only player i found that supported the playback of FLAC files.  so, for me, this player was a no-brainer.  it doesn't hurt that it consistently receives rave reviews about the audio quality, and has a 20 gigabyte internal hard drive.

the karma also comes with a dock, allowing an ethernet connection to your home network.  with easy-to-use software, downloading files from a music server to the karma is a piece of cake.  operating the karma itself is the height of simplicity, and it even allows a number of random types of playback.  it's very cool.

despite all the positives, it wasn't an ipod, and didn't do well in the market.  as a matter of fact, rio audio doesn't make the karma anymore.  their largest hard drive model only has a 6 gigabyte internal disc.  :-(  worse, there's no longer support for FLAC files!  that explains the smaller internal hard drives - mp3 and wma files are quite a bit smaller than their FLAC counterparts.

i'm still glad i got a karma when they were available, and just hope the hard drive lasts a very long time.  i'm quite pleased with the audio quality, especially when using sennheiser ear buds!  :-)  i take the portable player on vacations, and often listen through a pair of small, battery-powered radio shack speakers.  even this simple set-up kicks ass!

see rio audio's home page for more details.

(this component purchased: online)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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Audio Interconnect Cables

SCA-100 Unbalanced Cable (RCA-style Interconnects)	SCA-200 Balanced Cables (XLR Interconnects)	Tributaries Speaker Cables

last but not least, there are the cables that hook all these pieces of equipment together.  i use "Tributaries" brand of audio cable.   tributaries cables are produced by the wife of Gordon Gow, the late founder of mcintosh.  they are reasonably priced, and of very good quality.

between every two pieces of audio gear, there is some kind of cable.   it pays to use quality cable (i.e., not the 39¢ patch cord that comes with most electronic gear), but one must beware.   the cost for cable can get out of hand if you believe the claims of cable manufacturers ("unless you're using our $1,000 interconnects with atomic recrystalization purifiers, all the sound is being drained out of your system blah blah blah ...").  don't believe it for a minute.

i've found that there is a point of diminishing returns with interconnects:   as long as you use good quality cable, you'll get highly acceptable performance out of your system.  past a certain point, no matter how expensive the cable, and no matter how much the manufacturer hypes the cable's properties, you'll only notice the difference with your bank account - not with your ears!

tributaries unbalanced audio cables range from about $50 (1 meter standard cable) to around $250 (1 meter high-end cable).  balanced cables go for about $200/meter.  while this might seem like it's still expensive, consider these factors:

* the wire used in quality audio cables is often pure silver - if not, then it's oxygen-free copper

* the connectors are usually machined from solid brass, gold-plated, and built to make maximum and permanent electrical contact with the jacks they plug into

* soldering is done using silver solder (where appropriate)

* each cable is hand-assembled and thoroughly tested to meet critical electrical and mechanical tolerances

i use three types of tributaries cables (all shown above):

1. SCA-100 (high-end unbalanced cable) to connect the squeezebox2 and the tuner to the preamp, and the subwoofer to the active crossover

2. SCA-200 (balanced XLR cable) to connect the single cd player to the preamp, and to connect the preamp to the power amps

3. SP2 speaker cable to connect the power amps to the speakers

see tributaries home page for more details.

(these components purchased: mcintosh dealership)

(repair record:  no repairs needed)

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