Klipschorn Cornwall Marantz CDA94 Timbre TT1 VAS 103 Cinemag

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Virtual Home Visit (4): The Mighty Klipschorns!

Ten years ago I reported our visit to Jeff, after yumcha. Things haven't changed that much. Of course, when you have a good pair of horns, you don't think about other loudspeakers!

In the Interim, Jeff also got a pair of Klipsch Cornwall, which he placed  along the long wall, left of the equipment racks. I have enjoyed it but didn't write about it for some reason.

Jeff is an avid music listener and enjoys streaming, including the NPR concerts Eric L wrote about.

Analog: VPI Scout, JMW arm, VAS Shenmu 103 Cartridge [Footnote 1]
Step Up Transformer:  Cinemeg [Footnote 2]
Phonoamp: Rogue Triton
Digital Transport: Pure music MU20
DACs: Timbre TT1, Schiit Yaggdrasil, Marantz CDA94 [Footnote 3]
Preamp: McIntosh MA 6900 Integrated Amp used as Preamp
Power Amps: Schiit Aegir, Rogue M120
Speaker: Klispchorn

Editor's Footnotes: 1) except for the wood shell, it is the same cartridge as the VAS Ebony I wrote about here; 2) see here; 3) That's 3 very different DAC's! Of course for myself the 16-bit Marantz reigns supreme. I loaned my CD94/CDA94 set to my friend Hoi in HK. My experience was, yes, addition of the CDA94 made the sound better. The strangest thing is that the CD player uses dual TDA1541 chips, whereas the upgraded DAC uses only one! These are among Marantz's most feted products and you can still find many reviews online (this Stereophile review is interesting in that two reviewers have different views of it; this Stereomono is also good for its many inside pics). When it comes to Timbre, I don't have personal experience, but my interest tends to lean away from Delta-Sigma types. Again, Stereophile has an interesting review as the reviewers compared it to several other DACs, including one of my favorites, the Sonic Frontier SFD-2.

Center Rack, from Top, cheap Chinese Digital Transport, Timbre, Schiit and Marantz.
Magnum Dynalab Tuner. Right Rack, from Top, 2 Schiit's, McIntosh, Rogue.