Essentials Archive

One of the best little boxes I have ever bought has been the Auditorium 23 Hommage T2 step up transformer. This is designed to optimise the performance of the EMT series of cartridges, as well as the venerable Denon DL103. The scale and texture that comes from using this step up transformer is hard to describe. Keith Aschenbrenner has spent a lifetime experimenting and researching this stuff, allegedly dissecting Western Electric 618 transformers in the process, and it has all culminated in this masterpiece. I believe the Hommage series of transformers are no longer available as the material to make the special cores has become discontinued. A real shame as they truly are magical.

I also have a Silvercore MC step up transformer, which is superb as well. This is an upgrade from the One to Ten I had. Silver wired and with a ground lift switch it’s pretty nice. Primarily used on my Technics/Leak setup. I usually only use it when I have my Hana ML set up.

I have a Dynavector DV6X as well, although this doesn’t get much use these days. I should dig it out for some nostalgia.

I’ve also recently picked up a Fonolab Eqves SUT as well, which is really nice too.

For my power requirements I use a Shindo Mr T Power transformer. These seem to give a slightly more refined texture to  the sound. The noise floor of the Shindo stuff is so low that I don’t think it really does anything in that regard. Also our power here  is already pretty good. These are really cherry on the top type products that make the best difference after you have sorted out everything else.

Power cables are now all Supra LoRad 2.5, that I have put in a soft green nylon sleeve and terminated with some Furutech connectors. I’m a bit of a sceptic when it comes to power cables, but these were cheap to make, and shielding power away from signal cables makes sense. These are a great no nonsense shielded cable.

Everything sits on a custom sized Box Furniture Co rack, made by Anthony Abbate of Brooklyn, NY. Furniture grade finish and beautiful Sapele timber makes this ideal for putting any gear on.

Underneath my rack I have installed some Lignolab dampers, which have cured the footfall issues that plagued me, although thats not so much of an issue now with solid concrete floors. I’m sure they have done other positive things too.

All of my interconnect cables are either Shindo, Auditorium 23 or Kondo, and a pair of Belden 8402 home made ones for the Leak that come from my Oppo bluray player.

Speaker cables are the sublime Auditorium 23, in their familiar green sleeve. These just work. Nothing has even come close to doing what they do. If they were good enough for Ken Shindo to use in his studio, they’re good enough for me.

For the Leak I mostly use DNM Reson speaker cables, they’re really nice simple cables that work well. I terminated them with low mass Z-plugs.

I have a few acoustic treatments in the room, nothing too much, but I do have some Vicoustic DC-2 diffusors on the ceiling and intend to add a few more when I can. Latest addition is a pair of Vicoustic Wavewood absorbers on the back wall. They seem to help reduce a bit of the reverb time. I have some Acoustic Revive RWL-3 panels as well, which I am still playing around with. I will most likely end up with them behind the speakers, despite the speakers being fairly close to the rear wall.