Pingmaster's Stereo

The STEREO

Early on in life, there was an obsession with audio equipment
that me and my gay brothers shared... it was our own little escape...

Today, we take pride in our toys with varying degrees of fanaticism.

For those of you who don't know what an audiophile is...

It's someone who:

1. spends a relatively obscene amount of money on audio equipment

2. is convinced that records can really sound just as good or better than CD's

3. owns a turntable

4. likes almost any kind of music as long as it's an excellent recording

5. knows that the "British" sound is better than the "Japanese" sound

6. knows what the word "sibilant" means

7. uses no tone controls or loudness

8. respects tube technology

9. experiences 3D stereo imaging using only 2 speakers

10. knows that cables can make or break a system

:::::::::: Here's the monster I've got ::::::::::

Turntable: REGA Planar 3 in black with MISSION 774 Tone Arm / SHURE Type V Cartridge
with MISSION sorbothane mat and Isoplat base.
- when I first got this used setup, it was bass shy...
...until I tightened all of the cartridge and tone arm screws. What a difference !
- due to recent upgrades, I am looking for aa phono preamp to use with my new equipment

CD Transport: ARCAM Delta 170 with custom Eichmann digital cable
- a little user unfriendly, but has a solid metal construction
- super clean digital output stage
- treated with vibration absorbtion sheeting on the chassis
- sits on 3 isolation "vibrapods" to reduce vibration
- Harmonic Technology AC-11 power cord

FM Tuner: CREEK AUDIO SYSTEMS CAS3140 Analog FM tuner
with TERK antenna
- needs an hour to warm up or else the channel drifts
- deep analog bass

Cassette Deck: SONY TC-K570 3 head deck
- records very close to the original source !
- I don't use this too much now-a-days, p; but I still listen to my old recordings once in a while

Pre-amplifier: BRYSTON SP-1.7
- very flexible pre-amp with digital or analog inputs
- 7 channel capable. THX Ultra EX, DTS ES, Dolby PLII
- the heaviest remote control I have ever coome across
- Harmonic Technology AC-11 power cord

Amplifier 1: BRYSTON 4B ST with ATLAS Navigator XLR interconnects
- produces a neutral but powerful sound
- leave turned on overnight for sinfully smooth midrange and bass !
- Silver Audio PowerBurst II power cord

Amplifier 2: BRYSTON 3B NRB with Audioquest Python XLR interconnect
- bridged mono mode to drive my center channel speaker

Speakers: B&W Matrix 804 with MIT Terminator II bi-wire cable and Eichmann plugs
- rock solid "matrix" cabinet and kevlar drivers that produce uncoloured sound
- sits on spikes and concrete slabs
- treated with antivibration absorbant sheeting on speaker baskets and interior walls
- no need for a subwoofer with these speakerrs. They produce really deep bass

B&W CC6 Center channel speaker
- 2 kevlar drivers with a 1" tweeter
- bi-wired to Bryston 3B amp
- treated with antivibration absorbant sheetting on speaker baskets and interior walls

Sharp - rear speakers
- 2 speakers from my LCD TV that I use for rear effect channels
- cast aluminum housing with metal foil grillles

DVD Player: Panasonic - S77
- Faroudja DCDi video processing chip
- upconverting 720p / 1080i output
- treated with vibration absorbtion sheetingg on the chassis
- tacky silver housing with blue lighted draawer

TV Monitor: SHARP Aquos - LC-32G4U
- 32 inches of amazing LCD flat screen technology. Only 2.5 inches thick
- energy efficient. Removable side speeakers. Separate input box
- hooked up to my computer video card for a really big desktop!

Power Conditioner:     Chang Lightspeed - HT1000
- 30 amp capacity. 12 power outlets for digital, analogue, and amplifier devices

Line Conditioners:     Audio Prism - Quiet Line Parallel Line Filters
- 3 outlet plug shunting filters to reduce line noise throughout the house

Power Outlet:     Oyaide
- cryogenically treated, copper with gold plating, purple 30 amp hospital-grade outet

Other Audio Tweeks:
Bedini Ultra Clarifier
- dual beam cd/dvd demagnitizer

ArtVanSpeak D-Mat
- rubber isolation cd cover to dampen vibrations and absorb stray laser light within the cd as it plays
- smooths out vocals and instruments and inccreases imaging depth

D-Magic Gold
- a warbling 4 minute tone that neutralizes residual magnetic build-up within audio electronics components

CAIG Contact Cleaners and Enhancers
- DeoxIT, ProGold, PreservIT, CaiLube - used in treating electrical contacts for maximum contact

" No ... I'm not obsessed ! "

Pingmaster's Music

I also love good music while I'm on the road

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