Current setup 20 Nov 2011

As of tonight...

CAL Delta CD transport
Nuforce DAC 9
Adcom GFP-750 preamplifier
Channel Islands Audio D-100 power amplifiers
Polk Audio LSi-15 loudspeakers

ohlins shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there,

ohlins just shared an Instagram photo with you:

view full image

"Current arrangement..."

Thanks,
The Instagram Team

RR-77 and partners

Between the 2 black boxes are 3 TAOC SBL-13 .... and there's a Sound Mechanics cone on top of the RR-77....

I think I need a piece of crystal though....

Sticky tape

I was surprised by the effect that 2 pieces of damping sheets have on the sound...

So I have to get another 2 sets ..!!!

That will bring my AS rack to AS-R specs.....

turbo juice.....

when i read the thread about improving the RR-77, i was skeptical.....

how much more performance can one squeeze from the generator???

to put things in perspective, the 2 power supply from kingrex are not exactly cheap and cheerful...... one is less than half the cost of a RR-77 while the higher end unit is more than $400 list price....

in the end, i decided to bite the bullet and opted for the PSU Mk2....

and WOW!! the extra juice and current woke up the sleeping giant.....

the RR-77 is now even more effective and obvious.....

good stuff....

tiny bit....

within each shelf unit are 4 tiny little spikes that enables the owner to level the insulator boards.......

i kinda like the look of TAOC AS racks.....

Sticky tape

I got this a couple of weeks ago ..... And I am thinking to get it done on an auspicious day haha

Actually it's only a 1-minute job.....

back in action..... TAOC 3 !!

looking good and sounding good......

so i am very contented at the moment....

but i think i need to work on dressing the cables to keep them apart.... that will surely help to improve the results....

back in action..... TAOC 2 !!

after powering the system for more than 24 hours, everything has settled in nicely.....

and so on the 2nd night, the improvements are even more obvious....

it's quite unbelievable what a good audio rack and support can do ......

one gotta try to understand what it's all about, i guess.....

most significant.....

ok.... it's getting late and i'd just came down from the listening room.......

too bad i'd gotta work tomorrow so i need to go to bed... if not i might carry on till .....errr not sure of the time haha....

so what's so good about the TAOC AS rack......??

well the benefits are many.... but to me, the most significant step forward is the better dynamic contrast ...........

now one can easily discern the minute differences between e.g. very very soft and very soft ....... and that makes the music more realistic and enjoyable.....

other than that i also hear more silence between the notes, more thumping bass, improved details and layering, a much larger soundstage and just better music all around.......

of cos it's not exactly cheap but to me, the improvement brought on by the AS rack is more than what their footers can give you......

goodnite...!

back in action..... TAOC.!!

after some perspiring and a little bit of back-breaking work, i managed to balance everything out.....

and bit by bit, i pieced everything together......

finally music fills the room.... again.....

now i need to take a shower to wash myself clean...... and then i need to squeeze out more time to listen before going to bed....

i am running out of time so pardon this short update......... if not i would wanna share with you how amazing this TAOC rack is giving the music a boost in performance.... but still i must find time to pen down my observations cos u really need to know what this is about if you are in the midst of looking for a rack to support your audio stuff.....

AWESOME...... that's all i can now......

and if anyone thinks that i am getting this free or is getting a big discount off the purchase price, dun worry cos i'd paid for it with my own money ..... and at a discount regular customers get from x-audio.....

no preferential treatment and no conflict of interests haha.....

torn down 2...

taken on sunday afternoon.....

right now it's downright MESSY..!!

i shall continue only after dinner..... haha

stay tuned....

metal knobs....

right now the knobs are doing their best.... and they are also working great to make wonderful music....

but good things dun last forever cos the TAOC rack is still inside my car boot haha...... so i gotta find some precious time to install and get things ready....

GO GO GO.>!!!

what do u want..???

sometimes i dun quite understand myself......

and right now i have to ask myself, what do i want..???

errr.... i think my current possible wish list is not too long...

car

kw variant 2 coilover suspension $2700... or

tein superstreet coilover suspension $1850......

maybe fujitsubo exhaust system maybe S$1100..??

audio system

TAOC audio rack x 2 about S$3000

a new DAC maybe $2500

some acoustic revive accessories maybe S$1000

a new turntable $3000 (seriously optional)

watch

nothing at the moment ...

cos i have another "almost-impossible" wish list for that haha

so what should i get first..???

swop the footers....

the weather is abit haywire this afternoon..... NUTS!!

when i was walking over for lunch, it was SOOOO SUNNY ... so much so that while waiting for my chicken cutlet i was already perspirating ....... but within 15 mins and before i could finish, the skies turned gray and it was drizzling.......... absolutely NUTS.... !!

this episode convinced me that i should just stay home and listen to music .....which is just the right time for me to play around with the oyaide insulator....

before introducing new variables into the system, i'd better rearrange what i have.....since i have a few extra TAOC SBL-13MT lying around why not just put a couple under the MTB-6?? ..... so it's about the onboard spikes vs TAOC footers..... so is there any difference? errr... too busy enjoying the music to bother haha......

right now as i am listening, i'm still thinking of where to put the oyaide insulators.... haha.... a case of too many options????

latest arrangement......... oyaide

after selling my shunyata hydra 6, i thought of going for the acoustic revive RTP.... 

however that's an expensive beast of a power distributor........ even though it is supremely well-made, the price alone gives me the shivers....... i think most ppl would faint just by knowing how much it costs haha..... 

my friends used to joke about my hydra but IF they know about the RTP, haha..... wait till they know.....

anyway i needed something in the interim.... something which is good but not TOO expensive...............

which is why i turned to the oyaide MTB-6.... very affordable and a masterpiece in its own right, this is worthy of service in any audio system .... unless if your budget allows you to get a acoustic revive RTP......

right now this is how the distributor looks in my setup........... mostly acrolink p4030 power cables and oyaide plugs........ 046/079 and also 004.............

transparent is the word that often crops up in my mind when i listen nowadays...... the little puck is the TAOC SBL-13

i was fortunate to get a used piece........ and now i understand why used pieces are so rare.........cos there's no reason to sell unless the owner plans to get a acoustic revive RTP....... 

which is exactly why the owner let this go....

a little indulgence..... for a sunday

too much of a good thing is harmful .......

i realised that shopping is fun but yet addictive...... knowing the temptation, i still made my way there....... and ended up picking these up yesterday........... most notably my first acoustic revive product



being so diminutive, the channel islands audio d-100 has proved to be a headache ....... cos i always face a problem looking for suitable isolation feet for the pair of amplifiers....... earlier in the year, i bought 2 sets of sbl-13 and the combination worked very well........

after knowing the tite-25sp has been discontinued......... i thought at the current price, they are a steal .......... so i didnt waste any time to snap this up........ maybe the d-100 might feel happier sitting on the bigger isolaters? maybe......... cos the only way to find out is to try......



a little snake-oil can prove to be source of intrigue ......... which is why acoustic revive is causing such a reception in the industry.......... seems like their products work.... plain and simple but at a price........

to give myself a challenge, i decided to jump onto the bandwagon.......... since the quartz resonators are still quite affordable....... let's just try..... ok?...... i was tempted to try the rd-77 but that's 500 a pop....... next time maybe

i'll let u know whether they work..........

TAOC quickie..

i was at x audio recently...........

as i cannot remember when was the last time i bought an audio accessory, i decide to make a trip there......... itchy fingers i guess haha....... always on the look out for shopping ideas....

the latest models of TAOC products featured on their webpage have yet to arrive........ with the rising yen, the current inventory is a good buy........ the price for the new range is significantly higher........ double whammy and impact on consumers in time to come....

so if you can, buy now rather than later.......

more TAOC

although there's always a limit to good things but right now i think another set of tite-46pin wont hurt right.....?? haha


i have gone thru my fair share of isolation products but these TAOC stuffs are really good...... not only effective and well-made but also very reasonably priced...... harmonix combak footers also look good but they are for ppl with much deeper pockets......

the first set is under the cd transport and this set is destined for the preamp..........

instead of more good years....... now i look forward to more good sound.....

TAOC: some observations....

i first used the taoc sbl-13 audio stabilisers as tuning devices, which i placed on top of my preamp, power amps and the hydra 6....... the effect was at best minor ...... and of cos i was a little disappointed........ after experiencing the tite-46pin, i was salivating for more.......

recently, i did a little re-arrangement and placed them under the power amps as isolation feet............ the channel islands audio d-100 power amplifiers are too small to accomodate any bigger feet and the sbl-13 was quite the perfect size for it......

turned everything on and even without any warm-up........ i could hear A DIFFERENCE....... WOWOWWWWWWWWW........ damn damn so this is what the sbl-13 is about?????????? so amazing cos for weeks i was wondering it didnt work as it shd...... now i know, its effect is so much more pronounced when placed under components......

now i could only not HEAR but also FEEL more bass..... quality bass......... the gains in the lower frequencies are now deeper in reach, more extension, more power...... well-defined when it should be and yet has the bloom that i like....

transparency of the soundstage is also up a notch ..... followed by good treble extension and harmonics....... notes start and stop faster too.... hehe