The One and Only Big D Thread

Discussion in 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' started by Big D Design, Feb 14, 2017.

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  1. powermatic

    powermatic Friend

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    Can't decide: start taking acid, or be very glad I don't.
     
  2. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    shorts, shoes, short sleeve tee. wise ass

    If you look at the latest trends.... Phillips has the "Hue" program of mood lighting. It costs about $500 to implement in your room and your can change colors from your smart phone. Take a look into it. Before any of that horse manure came out..... I liked the blue mood lighting you see in some high end bars. The blue mood lighting extends to all types of lifestyle living and environments. I have been a car stereo nut case since day one and have built so many mood lighting designs. It's just part of my DNA. Some like it.... some think it's tacky.... oh well. My daily driver car has green mood lighting in the interior, underneath and in the engine bay. For a red car.... it looks the part. Not anyone who sees it in the afterdark says it doesn't match. Sure some say...... that's so the last decade....... when do I care about what yu think? This is for me and my slightly inflated ego that doesn't protrude past my desk. Eat me. Lighting is a part of making the conditions a better place to listen.

    As I swear on a Bible.... the sound in my Livingroom exceeds money spent. SBAF is here to help get users into affordable systems for regular people. I understand that my system might seem too much money for most.

    Let's go back..... I spent $800.00/speaker, instead of $1,250.00...... savings $800.00
    Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 sub...I spent $625.00 instead of $1,000.00...... savings $375.00
    Just waited and waited and one day refurbished units came in.... took almost a year of watching
    That's almost $2,000.00 worth of savings for speakers and sub. Had to wait for long time with scratch in bank. Sucks... but this is how you do it.....

    More on how I got there to come..... Counterstrike is calling and it is my birthday. I get to make the call tonight.

    I like the blue mood lighting the best. I bought the other RGB system to test and show others what was possible. I am a blue guy in livingroom. Green in my Daily Driver Red Scion FRS.

    Oh. Let's get to this addition of the Mercury Magnetics Heavy Duty 10' Power Cord..... No lights dimming when I turn on the Krell. What?? That's right..... It seems like a copper deficiency. The quality of the copper seems to mean something in wiring. Not the explanations from a $500.00 power wire company that want you to buy their 6' long $500.00 power wire. Not sure about some things.... but I might have some advice. Good copper is all you need from power outlet to amplifier for good transgender of power. Must be the news lately. I get things confused.
     
  3. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    @Big D Design , Happy Birthday, glad you are enjoying your dream system and that SBAF helped out.
     
  4. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Blue light - brings back memories. In my late teens and twenties, my friends would come over and listen to records. I had a pole light with blue incandescent bulbs in it. Between the blue light (and maybe something else), it set a mood. No talking, no thinking (at least for me) just experiencing music. When I see some of my friends from those days, they still bring it up.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2017
  5. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    @Dino , did much the same when I was the same age. I think music sounded better back then. The years ended up cluttering up my mind.
     
  6. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Just got my credit from stuff I sent back to a company in New York City. I have ordered the Tascam CD-200 CD Transport. Only had to add a couple of dollars to my credit. Nice. I have an AudioQuest Digital Coax cable coming that I paid $20 for. This will hold me over till I get my Morrow Audio Reference 3 cable built, that I have already ordered. The Tascam CD-200 will be here by Friday.

    I tell you what. It's really hard to imagine the sound getting any better at this point. I do like a little rolloff of highs compared to some other audiophiles. Maybe that's why I like Modi Multibit so much. It's just butter smooth at the top. When I go to a live event.... the highs are not over the top either, they are real. I think that what bothers some about digital instead of vinyl since it's inception.

    At some point I hope to get to test other DACs in my system without having to spend the money first. At least that is my desire.
    :)

    I have been a fan of Mark Levinson amplifiers. They have driven many a system design with just great sound. They are the competition to Krell back in the day when I was a system designer. Quad ESL-63 seemed to go better with Mark Levinson in the audio salon. And they were a great choice to drive just about any speaker that went into the $4,000.00 or more a pair zone. I have always wanted to own one. But owning a Krell was always the biggest dream. Now that I have a Krell KST-100, and it is producing just what the NuPrime could not, I am happier than most of you will ever know. The sound of the system is without flaw. Simply as I have heard in equipment costing thousands more. Anyway I come across one of the best portrayals of the Mark Levinson amplifier. This amplifier was built in 2009. My Krell was built in 1993. The Mark Levinson just had it's capacitors changed out with new ones and proof that it was done. My mind is jumping. There will be not much opportunity ever again to get one of the best amplifiers ever made. $1,850.00 is the price of admission. For reference I have a collectable car. It is normal for me to acquire something that is a collectable. But what about a DAC upgrade you say. Oh my. I say, but what about once in a lifetime opportunity to have an amplifier that is a pure legend. I want to show you a picture of it. I am going to contact the owner and discuss with him for more details.
    112lbs of 100 watts/ch 8 ohms and 200 watts/ch 4 ohms and 400 watts/ch 2ohms. Same stuff as my Krell KST-100. These amp companies so underscore the power of these things that it's ridiculous. This Mark Levinson draws 4 amps running at idle. Thow music thru it.... 18 amps. It's a bigger monster than my Krell. I would not even consider this amp if it wasn't this model. But this is the pinnacle. I would have this as my backup amplifier for now and sell my NuPrime STA-9 and Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 sub to get back 65% of the cost. So I would be out about $800.00 to have a Mark Levinson backup amp or it could be the main amp, I have another room that eventually will have a 2 channel stereo system. I am talking down the line. It is a very large room. But right now it is occupied with other uses. There is promise in the room size to produce good sound. But I have interest in the Mark Levinson for collector reasons and to have my "Bucket List" checked off. Owner hasn't contacted me yet and it's been 8 hours. It might not happen. Usually someone that sells something watches it on the first day of posting it. Here is a pic.......

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2017
  7. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    Ahhh, Wall of Text! Don't go all Phil Spector on us, Big D.
     
  8. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Yeah, when power cables get so expensive, there are other things that need consideration. $500 power cable, but what about the actual wiring in your wall?
     
  9. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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  10. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Good news! I have secured the Mark Levinson amplifier. I will be the new owner of a classic. Weeeeee
     
  11. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Sounds like we may be getting a second system adventure sometime in the future.
     
  12. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Hey guys. I spent $32.00 shipped to my door for a power cable. I was saying that it is a waste to spend $500.00 on a power cable. All you need is good grade copper and proper gauge. How this got confused is beyond me. I spent the money on interconnects and coax cable. I already have good speaker cables, but am considering Morrow Speaker cables.

    @Dino
    I actually want the Mark Levinson 331 for a backup or use it as the main amp for now. The next sound room is occupied right now, but sometime down the line it is going to be a place where I put a very large TV 65" to 80" and have a soundbar system with subwoofer. Then also in the room with be a 2 channel stereo system separate from the TV to have killer sound. I expect to go with conventional dynamic tower speakers like Legacy Audio. But this could be a few years away. My buying this is because the Mark Levinson 331 is one of the best made of that brand at 100 watts/ch Class A. It works out that I got it cheaper than stated. Great deal with brand new capacitors, and docs to prove it. I am selling my NuPrime STA-9 and my Martin Logan Dynamo 1000 sub to help pay for the Mark Levinson. I like to have a backup for the vintage Krell. These are vintage amps, and backup is my middle name.

    My next project that I have had the equipment for over 2 years is Pioneer Stage 4 subwoofers going into my Scion FRS crossed over at a strange 200hz. These subs are designed to run that way and my Scion FRS don't really have but small back speakers. The premium head unit that came with the car for an extra $1,000.00 have 3 sets of preamp outputs and a dedicated sub output with adjustment built into the head unit. The head unit is a special unit built by Pioneer for the car. Very cool. Guess what? I bought a brand new backup head unit on Ebay of this exact model. That how I roll, with a backup of things. I got the Toyota guy that was selling the brand new Pioneer Scion unit to sell it to me for $220.00. Great deal, and now if anything goes wrong with my 1200 watt RMS sub system with giant cap and extra battery with subs sitting in the back seat of the car, I will have a backup head unit to instantly replace. Instead Toyota would charge me $999.00 for a new unit. I have had all the equipment sitting. I'm still planning placement of a couple of things and plexiglass design. I love plexiglass.

    Gotta go eat lunch. I'm so excited to get a true classic Mark Levinson made in 2009. Guy selling it to me is very aware of my Krell KST-100 and says the Levinson with sound much different than the Krell. Cool Huh?

    Here is the Stereophine review of the Mark Levinson No.331
    http://www.stereophile.com/solidpow...ower_amplifier/index.html#DCij00aOW81QieJO.97
     
  13. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I don't think it did. I was agreeing with you about the point you made about $500 power cables.
    $32 is very reasonable, and I could see that making an improvement.
     
  14. Dino

    Dino Friend

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  15. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    Excited.... :)

    Freya is getting way too hot. :(

    I have to build something that rises above the Krell KST-100 amplifier enough to dissipate the heat. I had mentioned this earlier, and I thought it might not be necessary after the last few days of using the newly designed system. 7 hours of Krell amp on has created way too much heat for both the amp and the preamp. Right now there is only less than 2'' of space between the preamp (Freya) and the amp (Krell).

    Time for a bridge over the river Krell or maybe now a new baby has been hatched.... Mark Levinson No.331

    OMG. The heat tonight when I went to shut off the system was not what you want the Freya to be exposed to. It was Death Valley, when it should have been Florida. I worry just as much about the amplifier that it gets the ventilation needed as well.

    I have a solution, and I want to make it look my own. I don't want to put my amps on the floor like the others. I have a very sturdy table that will hold 300lbs. It will be the cornerstone of my design. I dare to be different. So I will build plexiglass above the amplifier and house the Preamp, CD Transport, DAC and anything else needed above the amplifier. Should I do rows of plexiglass? Maybe not. After careful review, I have a design that only goes one layer of plexiglass to hold the CD Transport, then Freya Preamp and then the DAC (Modi Multibit). I may put another layer behind higher up for lighting or some kind of statement. The color of plexiglass is not clear. It is closer to the glass color you see with furniture. It has a tint of green..... see pic below.....

    [​IMG]

    This is the thicker stuff. It is a 1/4'' thick. It looks like glass once you wet sand it where it has been cut. Then the thickness part of it shines like glass does.
    You can buy thinner for about $15.00 cheaper for the size I'm ordering. It's the color and the thickness that will make a statement. It's worth the extra money for aesthetics. I have worked with thinner most of the time. When talking about the Classics like Krell and Mark Levinson..... you go to what looks best.

    I usually have shut off the Krell and let it heat back up for 1/2 hour like instructions in manual. Today I left it on for 8 hours. All is fine in LaLa Land, but Freya is not going to be a happy camper with so much heat blowing up it's ass.

    Still deciding what type of structure will hold the plexiglass..... I have many ideas, and have not finalized the design. Mark Levinson is dropping by and I want to make sure that dimensions work out for both amplifiers. Both amplifiers will sit in the Livingroom. I will be keeping both on call. They will be called when I ask them to be called. I am the master of my livingroom, and one day it could be a 'K" (Krell KST-100) and another it could be a "M" (Mark Levinson No,331). Weight lifting is now in my routine. Please refer me to the insane asylum right away. There seems to be a constant here. Never think you have heard it all. Big D.

    DAC.....

    OK. It's the hot topic. Many feel that I have spent all this money and have a $250.00 DAC. Well, I like Modi Multibit. It is not harsh, and does what Schiit does with the Multi-Bit at the lowest level. It is the best portrayal of sound that I have come across in some time. I call it laid back, almost vinyl like filtering. I don't find things missing in the recordings, like some say.

    They say that if I upgrade.... I will find more. OK. I believe you. But at what cost? I have been hovering over DACs for at least 7 months now. From my review of what is good, and what is not...... Audio Alchemy is worth a look. There are a few settings and filters available and uses AKM not the ESS Sabre that is considered by the magazines the best. It is really some crazy stuff going on here. There is the Yiggy and then the Mytec Audio Brookyln that has the questionable "MQA" decoding. Chord Mojo is not in the running with me at all in this horse race. The 3 that I have mentioned are all about $2,000.00 price point. Times will change faster than I can cook an egg though. Please understand that the buys I have made is placing me where I can judge if the DAC is worth my SALT.

    When Absolute Sound or Stereophile reviews anything, they have a reference system to test the products. I will have the same tools as well. The DAC is changing faster than any other product. The music companies have committed (against my better judgement) to opening up their Masters to having MQA. With Tidal at the forefront of delivering these files to the consumer, we start to wonder what DAC is going to be the best choice. And I really don't believe that MQA is lossless like stated. Redbook is still the benchmark and I read so many websites that say they are listening to music that is on files so much better than Redbook. Higher sampling rates and all the horseshit that goes with it. I tell you what. If you could come over to my livingroom and listen for an hour, you would tell them all to "go to $%$#". Let's get real here. MQA or upsampled music is really not better. I wish that it was the case.

    Maybe the jugheads could find a way to make it sound as smooth as "vinyl". You could call it "VNL". It wouldn't be harsh and would have a fullness that was realistic. How's about dat?

    Anyway, I am not for one second, about to throw some serious cash at a DAC at this time. Too much will change by 2020. I am happy with getting Class A amplification and Martin Logan ESLs at their best, and subwoofer integration. This is what my goal was. Having 2 Class A amps to go back and forth with is just insane. Just the way I like it. I lift one off and put another one on. Me like. I hate to get old. But I am finding ways to make it not so bad. Modi Multibit will stay till Fat Lady tells me something. And she doesn't have to sing it to me.
     
  16. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    Make sure you leave a lot of clearance over the Krell. In general I'd advise putting anything at all over either amp, but if you must, at least make sure you won't be overheating your poweramp.
     
  17. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    I'm thinking that 5" to 6" will be enough clearance to have enough airfow between the amp and the plexiglass holding the equipment above after running the system all week. Home is at a temperature controlled 70 to 72 degrees.
     
  18. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    With all that gear throwing out heat... would a nice fan really be out of the question? Or perhaps a ceiling fan could do the trick; those are practically silent these days.
     
  19. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    So I pull in the driveway with Mom after her appointment and there is a box sitting there.....

    [​IMG]

    It's my Morrow Audio Cables fresh from the factory already buzzed on their wall and broken in for me. Eating lunch and will open the booty. The bag is pretty big and feels like a Pirate's Bounty. For real. Eyeee Matey :bow: You go Morrow...

    I don't usually leave on the Krell all day. Once it gets warmed up I can shut it off after a listening session and it holds its heat for quite a while. Standard warmup time is 30 minutes. Once warmed up during the day that time is halved and within 15 minutes the Krell is ready to rock again. So passive cooling will be just fine when I lift my equipment above it a few more inches to get better ventilation. Yesterday was a test to see how hot the Krell gets by running for 8 hours. Plenty hot! Krell says it is not necessary to have it on all day and it will not sound any better. So it is advised to shut it off and just have a warm up peroid for listening sessions. I assume when I get the Mark Levinson No.331 it will be the same thing. Regular listening sessions don't produce too much heat and I will be okay. And I would like to have that glass look above the amplifier holding the CD Transport, Preamp and DAC. The tinted plexiglass mimics what high quality glass looks like. I have a glass place by me that would make me a piece of glass as well. And probably for the same price. It is a thought, but plexiglass doesn't hold heat. Glass does and that is a no no.

    Morrow Audio MA4 Reference cables are hooked up to Modi Multibit to Freya. And from Freya to Krell. I have not put the new subwoofer cables on yet. Testing of those will come after initial testing of the MA4 Reference cables. Equipment is almost warmed up and ready for flight. It is now 24 runs of solid copper wire instead of 2 runs that my MA1 cables had. Should be good.
     
  20. Big D Design

    Big D Design RIP 2021

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    I was wondering how good are brass spade connectors compared to other types of spade connectors. I have bought both brass ones and I have bought gold plated ones, but I don't know the material underneath the gold plated spades. They would have said copper if it was. Wouldn't you think?

    [​IMG]

    The brass spades are on the left. They look like a better unit and design. The right spades seem strange with the ribs. That is a waste of useable area to connect. I usually use spades that I krimp. Not sure what gives inside the brass unit, but I ordered both. I think the gold plated crap on the right is going back. The other side of that spade may be smooth and it would be enough surface. I'm using 8 guage OFC copper for speaker wire, and I had to cut my rings into spades and I don't like the amount of surface area left after cutting them. I want to redo the spade connections to the amplifier.

    Edit: I wanted to put this in my build section but I thought that I wouldn't get a response. Who would want to look at some old man build of someone that has a $250 DAC?

    Initial impressions of new Morrow Audio MA4 Reference cables (2 sets) are extremely positive. I would have to say that they are worth every penny. Sound has improved so much. I can honestly say that this is a major upgrade to the system. With the new MA4 Reference cables, many things have changed about the sound.
    More detail... check
    Sound fuller with body dramatically increased.... check
    Instrument placement and realism increased 3 notches..... check
    Male Voice stands out like he's here in room (not kidding).... check
    Overall transient snap is different. Hard to explain. Music is more realistic and when a piano plays, it's so much different than before. Hard to quantify. Things are just so much more in a different sound plane than they were before. It's almost like I bought another couple of equipment pieces for the system. I can't say that I didn't see this coming. I'm sure after a couple of hundred hours of break-in the sound will be even smoother. It was very nice of them to break-in the cables for me for free. It was a special that they were running that was I guess just for phone orders. Who knows. But it's nice to hook something up and go WOW. I have the subwoofers to do the new Morrow Audio cable upgrade with yet. Tomorrow for dat. Just happy that the investment has garnered such pleasure and worth the cash, for sure. HUGE..... as Trump would say.

    No one knows about the conductivity of brass? I always thought brass was for boats.
     

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