Analog system
Two Mcintosh MC30s (SED 6L6GCs, Telfunken 12AU7s, RCA blackcaps, etc.). Refurbed by DeWick Repairs.
JuicyMusic Audio Tercel phono stage with Cream (LOMC option), AuriCaps, and Xtreme power supply upgrade. I bought the kit pre-built, but boy is this thing good.
JuicyMusic Audio Peach with a cryo’d ElectroHarmonix 6922 with a Herbie Halo on it, two Jan-Phillips 6922s and 12X4, silicone ring dampers on all tubes. This is a wonderful preamp.
Dynaco ST70 with SDS Labs capacitor board from Triode Electronics and JJ EL34s. This amp is for sale — you can see pictures of it here.
SOLD: Wright-Sound WPL11V. It was cool, but I needed two phono inputs.
Solid state system
McIntosh MC-2505 amplifier. Refurbed by DeWick Repairs.
McIntosh MR-74 tuner. Refurbed by DeWick Repairs.
McIntosh C-28 preamplifier. Refurbed by DeWick Repairs.
McIntosh MI-3 Maximum Performance Indicator.
Speakers
1977 Klipsch Cornwalls, rewired with DNM Reson cable straight to terminal board and damped with plumber’s caulk. Installed Bob Crite’s rebuilt crossovers. Rebuilt the tweeters.
Cabling
Speaker wires: Blue Jeans cables between amps and speakers. Surprisingly good for the money, and the best I’ve had in my system. They beat DNM Reson by a mile, and they don’t break if you sneeze on them.
Interconnects: Hand-made silver cables made by a guy in England (I don’t want to let my secret out). I keep Nordost Black Knights, Zu Oxyfuels, and AudioQuest Coral as spares.
Phono: Zu Cable Xaus.
Power: Zu Cable Birth power cord on Tercel, PS Audio PowerPunch on Oppo 970.
Digital: Zu Cable Ash digital coax.
Video: Component video cables from cablesforless.com.
Digital sources
Oppo BDP-83 with Special Edition mod. A giant killer.
Zhaolu D2.5C DAC, dampened. Does a very nice job with the output from my DVR via Toslink.
Analog sources
Stereo playback: VPI Scout turntable, with JMW9 Signature tonearm and Zu Audio DL-103R moving-coil cart (it’s like buttah!), with a Dynavector 10×5 as back up.
Mono playback: Technics SL1200MK2 with Grado MC+ mono cartridge, KAB tonearm fluid damper, M5G tonearm, PC-1200 phono interconnect mount and LTD gold wire leads. Its rubber feet were replaced with brass cones, whose feet sit on Herbie’s Grungebusters. Click here to read about the upgrade.
Tweaks and isolation
Herbie’s Tenderfeet under damn near every component. These replaced a bunch of Isoblocks and ceramic cones and provided far, far better low-level detail and air, especially in the CDP. Herbie’s Big Fat Dots under the Cornwalls made an incredible improvement on focus and imaging. Various Herbie’s Ultrasonic rings on tubes.
Hi-fi dealer and online sources
Brick-and-mortar: Concert Sound, in Austin, Texas.
Online: AudioAsylum, AudioKarma, and Steve Hoffman’s sites.
