AudioLog

Bye 2nd TLC-1, hello Meridian 518

Yesterday I bought a factory refurbished meridian 518 digital audio processor off ebay from Meridian America with a 1 year warranty for $481 + $22 for shipping and insurance. Price isn't bad considering the warranty. I also posted the other TLC-1 (not the revision A) last night on audiogon for $450 and it sold in about 5 minutes. I mailed it out today. I had about 5 offers in the first 1/2 hour, making me wonder how much more I could have gotten :). So again it was another almost even trade, the TLC-1 for a meridian 518. I am excited to try the digital preamp, I think I'll hook the dac up directly to the amp using the 518 into the dac and see how that sounds. I may need yet another aes/ebu cable and I know it'll be hard to find a good price on an mit proline again. I may temporarily use the straightwire since I don't think it's going to sell.

Kimber experiments

I got a kimber silver streak .5 meter interconnect and have been trying it for a couple of weeks between the dac and preamp. It is pretty clean and smooth in the upper registers, but the low end is lacking compared to the MIT. The high end is smoother and ringing bells are really clean and clear, but it's lacking in the deep bass. I also replaced the other MIT between the preamp and amp with a kimber hero, so now it's mostly kimber with the exception of the speaker cables. It isn't bad, but I don't know what's going on with the bass. I like the high end a lot, I just wish the bass was better.

Peter Rowan and Ralph Stanley

Saw a great concert which opened with a Peter Rowan and Tony Rice quartet (2 guitars, stand-up bass, mandolin). They opened with Panama Red and then Hobo Song and closed with Midnight Moonlight. Awesome. They also played a neat Cold Rain and Snow cover with nice harmonies. Peter Rowan still sounds great, though Tony Rice is a little too stiff and all his riffs sound the same in every song. He doesn't add any feeling to any songs which annoys me, just a lot of technical guitar playing and really fast flat picking riffs. He's a great technical guitarist for sure, but is devoid of style which clashes with Peter Rowan for me. I never really put it together that Peter Rowan has been so awesome, and now I'm going to have to get a bunch of his cds.
Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain boys were funny and he still sounds great. It was great to see him since he probably won't be around for too much longer. He was with his son and grandson and they were all entertaining, good ole appalachian boys.

New Specs

Amplification:
McCormack DNA-125 (Cardas posts) (stereo)
NAD 925THX (5 channel)

Pre-amp:
McCormack TLC-1 Rev. A (stereo)
Acurus Act-III (theater)

Speakers:
Monitor Audio Silver 7 (main)
Monitor Audio Silver 3 (rear)
Monitor Audio Silver 10 (center)
Monitor Audio ASW-210 (powered sub)

Digital:
Meridian 500 CD Transport
MSB Nelson Link III DAC
MSB Digital Director
MSB ADD-1 (A/D converter)
Panasonic A120 DVD

AC:
MSB PowerBase 1000 (LinkIII)
Acurus RPC-120 (DNA-125, 925THX, PM-8)
Furman PM-8 (everything else, including PowerBase and SS6B)
Furman SS6B Plugs (Digital Director, TV)

Speaker Cables:
MIT AVT-1 biwire speaker (DNA-125 to silver 7)
MIT Terminator 2 speaker (NAD 925THX bi-amping silver 10 center channel)
Audioquest copper flat wire (Silver 3 rears)

Digital Cables:
MIT Proline Digital AES/EBU (Meridian 500 to Link III)
Audioquest VDM-5 digital coax (Digital Director to ActIII)
Audioquest VDM-3 digital coax (ADD-1 to Digital Director)
MIT Terminator 3 digital coax (DVD to Digital Director)
MIT Digital toslink optical (Digital Director to Act III)
AudioQuest VDM-2 digital coax (6m run from computer to Digital Director, 6m in reverse too)

Interconnects:
MIT AVT-1 rca (Link III to TLC-1 and TLC-1 to DNA-125)
MIT Terminator 3 rca (Act III to ASW-210 stereo)
Audioquest Turquoise rca (Act III to NAD925THX, rears)
Kimber Hero rca (VCR to ADD-1)

Power Cables:
MIT Z-Cord II (MSB PowerBase and Meridian 500)
MIT Z-Cord I (DNA-125 and TLC-1)
Audioquest NRG-2 (Act III)
Revelation Audio Labs power umbilical (Link III to PowerBase)

Video Cables:
Audioquest SA S-Video (Act III to TV)
Monster S-Video crapola (VCR to ActIII and DVD to ActIII)

Cassette:
NAD 613

VCR:
Panasonic SVHS PV-S6470

TV:
27" RCA stereo monitor

PC:
P4 2.8Ghz, 1Gb RAM
WinXP
250Gb dedicated media drive
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum

MIT update

Heard back from MIT that the new Proline Digital AES/EBU has been updated with better cable construction, networks and other things, darn.

Stock TLC-1 Deluxe

Just for comparison...

Excellence

I am in awe at how good this preamp sounds. There is no volume level that reduces the sound quality or tracking to any significant degree and I don't think I've ever heard anything so distinctly clear, uncluttered, and pure. I should also add that Steve McCormack is a rare gem in the industry, personally and professionally. I can only hope that more people exhibit the same genuine concern and personal pride in their work.

I should probably also mention that a comparison of the non-revised TLC-1 Deluxe to this rev. A is really no comparison at all. This one is simply a completely different preamp in a totally different class. I couldn't even begin to describe the differences, except that this one is far better in every conceivable way (and even ways I didn't even realize before hearing it).

2-channel setup is now:

Meridian 500 (MIT Z-Cord II) -> (MIT Proline Digital AES/EBU)
MSB Nelson Link III DAC (Revelation Audio Labs power umbilical) w/PowerBase 1000 (MIT Z-Cord II) -> (MIT AVT-1)
McCormack TLC-1 rev. A (MIT Z-Cord I) -> (MIT AVT-1)
McCormack DNA-125 (MIT Z-Cord I) -> (MIT AVT-1 BiWire)
Monitor Audio Silver 7

Everything except amp plugged into a Furman PM-8 Line Conditioner which is plugged into an Acurus RPC-120 Power Controller along with the amp.

TLC-1 Deluxe Revision A

Clear acrylic top, how cool is that?

Steve McCormack's "full monty" rebuild of the TLC-1, awesome! TKD 40-step attenuator, WBT and Cardas jacks, Tamura transformer, Caddock film resistors, Black Gate and Muse caps and lots more.

TLC-1 Deluxe RC Rev. A

Got the TLC-1 Deluxe Rev. A today which I discovered was also a remote control (RC) version, though the remote control doesn't work after the revision A upgrade. It sounds fantastic - silky smooth, and so detailed it's almost scary. Any lack (or subtlety) in the high end that I noticed after upgrading to the MIT digital cable is now completely gone and detail is amazing from top to bottom. It is most notably smooth throughout, and the volume control (TKD stepped attenuator) sounds great even at really low levels. The smoothness is really a sense of clean accuracy that noticeably reduced harsh, gritty sounding, edges around the notes (that I never really noticed until they disappeared) which makes all the notes, especially high ones, seem really glossy and clear. It also tightened up everything evenly and separation is greatly improved - I seem to be able to hear each instrument, voice, or sound, individually with much greater clarity, even when there are many at once.
It doesn't seem to be as loud as the other TLC-1, but that's no big deal since I never turn it up past 3/4 (which is well above 100db) anyway. It works and appears exactly as advertised so I am pleased, the clear acrylic top is just a really cool bonus. I cleaned off all the rca jacks with de-oxyt since they seemed pretty dirty, and now they're sparkling clean. I'm in audio nirvana again for the time being.

I also got confirmation from Steve McCormack that the other TLC-1 *is* a deluxe model that somehow didn't get the deluxe badge on the front. Steve checked out some pics and confirmed. I also got confirmation about the remote control not being available on the upgraded models, because they are meant for best performance and he hadn't found a remote volume control good enough. He did mention he has found a pure electronic volume control that is remote capable, probably similar or same as the one in his RLD-1, which he could install in the TLC-1 for $400. I'm satisifed with this excellent attenuator though, so no hurry for the remote right now.

older version

I discovered that the MIT Proline digital aes/ebu is actually an older, discontinued version thanks to the discontinued section of the mit website:

http://www.mitcables.com/products/discontinued/audio/refdig.asp

The only noticeable difference is that the networks on the new cables aren't attached to the XLR connectors, but are farther down on the cable. I'm not sure if the new networks or cable are any different, the descriptions sound similar. I'm curious what the new one sounds like...

McCormack TLC-1 Deluxe Rev. A

I won an auction on audiogon for another TLC-1, but this time it is the deluxe version with the "full monty" revision A upgrade from Steve McCormack at smcaudio. It should arrive in a week and I'm excited to hear it, it should sound much better due to a total rebuild with very high quality parts. Someone tried to snipe my bid, but I entered a much higher bid and won for $820 (started at $700), which is less than the cost of the upgrade. This is higher than I thought it would go (ended up being $841.21 with shipping), but still lower than I was willing to pay. The list for the TLC-1 Deluxe was $1400, and the list for the rev. A upgrade is $1300, so I think I got a great deal. I like audiogon's auction system since it prevents last second sniping by adding 5 minutes if the highest bid changes hands within 5 minutes of closing. Luckily my last bid was high enough that the sniper, raising it a minimal amount each bid, never caught up before the auction closed.

I'm beginning to think that posting my buying prices on this blog is not the best idea since I may want to turn around and sell some stuff, but oh well, it's not like I'm making any money off this stuff. If you're reading this about something I'm selling, I'm not ripping you off. Anyway, this blog is for my own purposes anyway so I'll post whatever the hell I want! :)

warmer

The MIT Proline is so much warmer and refined sounding it's starting to grow on me. It seems to have removed a really bright digital edge that I didn't realize was there. Sometimes I think the high is not as crisp and clear as the straightwire made it seem, but nothing is really lacking so I can only attribute that to the emphasized mid and much deeper and tighter bass. Overall the sound is much more delicate and dead quiet, making the little nuances stand out more. Roger Waters voice is amazing in detail and clarity, and bass that I thought was lacking due to the passive preamp is back again and really fast and tight.

Comparison

I did an A-B comparison of the StraighWire Info-Link vs. the MIT Proline. This shouldn't really be a fair comparison since their list prices are so different ($300 vs. $500), but it was interesting nonetheless. The MIT, to my surprise, was a lot warmer and had a lot more midrange and bass punch; I usually find MIT is more detailed and seemingly brighter. The MIT also extended a lot deeper in the low end, and was much more detailed in the low end. In Phish's Silent in the Morning (Rift), the fast bass riff that plays under nearly the whole song was pretty muddy and indistinguishable with the Straighwire, but every note was detailed and pronounced using the MIT. There didn't seem to be any loss in detail in the high end, though it didn't seem to be as pronounced with MIT due to the increase in mid to low end. In the end, I'm enjoying the warmer sound, I think the straightwire was a bit bright, which did seem to emphasize high end detail, but the MIT seems excellent so far and I'm not missing any real details, they're just more subtle next to the improved bass and low midrange. I'm starting to sound like a mag reviewer, so that's the end.

new cables

Ordered 2 cables from the audio pimp on audiogon. Another z-cord II for $85 shipped and an MIT Proline Digital AES/EBU, brand new for $195. Great deals from the pimp. The z-cord is not in the greatest condition, a little dusty and smells like cigarette butts, but no real flaws otherwise, so ok. The digital cable is really nice, came in the original wooden crate and listed for $500. May be slightly used, but it's in mint condition and sounds vastly better than the straightwire info-link which I didn't think would be possible. It is MIT's top digital reference cable which is awesome. I think it needs a bit of breaking in but low end is already much more filled out and punchy (in a good way), and overall range and dynamics seem improved.

I posted the straightwire info-link classified on audiogon today.

Stereo music setup is now:

Meridian 500 (MIT Z-Cord II) -> (MIT Proline Digital AES/EBU)
MSB Nelson DAC (Revelation Audio Labs 5pin DIN umbilical) w/PowerBase 1000 (MIT Z-Cord II) -> (MIT AVT-1)
McCormack TLC-1 (MIT Z-Cord I) -> (MIT AVT-1)
McCormack DNA-125 (MIT Z-Cord I) -> (MIT AVT-1 BiWire)
Monitor Audio Silver 7

This latest cord purchase has completed the complete MIT cabling setup of the music-only system. It is obvious I am a big MIT cable fan. I would like to try Magnans under Steve McCormack's recommendation, but I have yet to find recently made ones at a reasonable price (i.e. under $1k).

dissatisfaction

Apparantly the guy who bought the creek was dissatisfied with the scratch on the front, even though I clearly stated the fact that it was there in the ad description, and referred people to the scratch in the photos where it was plainly visible. I also told him about it specifically in our email exchanges. At least he didn't leave me any negative feedback. Some people are never satisfied.