Fidelity Audio

Home of the worlds greatest Marantz SA-11S2!

 

Here are details of Brents system that is sometimes used to assess possible upgrades and comprises of the following:

• Marantz SA-11S2 Extremely modified - List of modifications
• ATC SIA2-150 (Main L/R Bi-amp for Treble and Midrange)
• ATC P1 Power amp (Main L/R Bi-amp for bass)
• ATC P1 Power amp (Centre amp)
• 2X Marantz MA500 Monoblock power amps (rear)(modded)
• Heavily modified Yamaha DSP-E800 (5.1 processor)
• ATC SCM40 (L/R Bi-amped)
• ATC C3C (Centre)
• Mission 753F (rear)
• Fidelity Audio NEXUS mains block
• Fidelity Audio mains filtering (approx total of 380uF L-N)
• Audio Wire 12TP Mains Lead
• Kimber Signature & Reference power cables
• Kimber 8Ag and Crystal Ag interconnects
• Fidelity Audio NN Z (x10)
• Custom oak rack with Torlyte shelving
• Modified SKY HD receiver
• Acoustic foam bass traps

 

System Overview

 

Marantz SA-11S2	ATC SIA-150 L/R Treble and Mids

ATC P1 L/R Bass	ATC P1 Centre channel

Marantz MA500 Rear Right channel	Marantz MA500 Rear Left channel

ATC SCM-40 Main / L,R	ATC C3C Center speaker

Mission 753F Rear speakers	Yamaha DSP-E800 5.1 Processor

Mains filters / purifiers	Mains Block

 

 

 

Marantz SA-11S2 - List of modifications

 

 

 

The Marantz SA-11S2 was chosen for it's ability to respond well to upgrades. It may be the little brother to the SA-7S1 but shares all of its internals (apart from transformer which is slightly smaller). With the upgrades applied to this player we have yet to hear anything below £20K compete with it!

 

 

 

 

ATC SIA2-150 MAIN L/R Treble and Midrange amp (Bi-amped) - List of modifications

 

 

ATC SIA2-150 Integrated Amplifier wins What HiFi shoot out: What HiFi magazine has just judged the ATC Integrated amplifier the winner in a shoot out between it, the Cyrus Pre XPd/8 Power, the Naim NAC 152xs/NAP155xs and the Unision Research Preludio, describing it as 'sublime; no other amp can boast the same connection and bond with the listener'. Couldn't agree more. So nice when the magazines get it right for a change.

 

 

 

 

 

"Clarity, insight and control; clean presentation; plenty of power; solid build"

 

The SIA2-150 has now been upgraded - list of modifications

 

The sound is now that little bit cleaner , smoother and more analogue with a slight improvement in the upper treble.

 

 

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. Both channels driven. 150W (Class A up to 100W then AB to 150W)
• 4 ohm. Both channels driven. 200W

ATC P1 MAIN L/R Bass amp (Bi-amped)

 

 

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. Both channels driven. 150W (Class A up to 100W then AB to 150W)
• 4 ohm. Both channels driven. 200W

 

 

ATC P1 CENTRE CHANNEL AMP

 

 

This power amp is basically the same as the SIA2-150 with the pre amp section removed. Sonically and power wise they are the same. This amp is used to drive the ATC C3C centre speaker with the Left channel driving the bass and the Right channel the treble. The scale of impact the centre speaker now offers is superb.

 

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. Both channels driven. 150W (Class A up to 100W then AB to 150W)
• 4 ohm. Both channels driven. 200W

 

2x MARANTZ MA-500 THX MONOBLOCK POWER AMPS (rear channel)

 

 

Output Power:

• 8 ohm. 125W
• 4 ohm. 180W

 

 

 

These amplifiers have been added to the system to offer more in the way of slam and dynamics. A few tweaks have been made which include an complete rewire of the mains internally by ripping out approx 2m of cheap cable and adding 15" of Kimber cable + adding an IEC socket. The main smoothing capacitors have been improved to offer more grip and control. Signal input has been improved by adding a Mundorf Supreme capacitor, silver wire and CMC Ag Cu RCA socket. Idle bias has been increase using multi turn pots. Each fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

 

 

ATC SCM40 with Fidelity Audio NN Z

 

 

 

 

These terrific speakers were chosen for their ability to reveal changes upstream as their sound is very transparent and revealing. The huge power available from the ATC SIA2-150 amp does not go to waste as these speakers have rather low sensitivity. Low distortion across the sound spectrum is particularly noticeable with vocals and piano. Extremely neutral and enjoyable. Tri-wired Kimber 8TC & 4TC. Adding the 6x NN Z RFI devices allowed greater seperation of vocals, instruments and aided stereo width.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATC C3C with Fidelity Audio NN Z

 

Weighing in at 30Kg this superb speaker was chosen for its ability to produce terrific bass and remarkable transparency, revealing fantastc detail to on screen dialogue. The speaker is wired using a bi-amped setup with the L channel for bass/mid and R channel for the treble. Movies spring to life with very low distortion across the sound spectrum. Extremely neutral and enjoyable. Connected with Kimber 8TC. Adding the 2x NN Z RFI devices allowed greater seperation of vocal and instruments.

 

 

Yamaha DSP-E800 (5.1 pre amp)

 

Surround sound processing is performed by a Yamaha DSP-E800 feeding the 2 ATC and 2 modded Marantz MA-500 monoblocks. The Yamahas soundstage is explicit, large and three-dimentional, a sense of effortlessness and system resolution is ever-present. The Yamaha is also dynamically impeccable and capable of agile sublety. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

 

Mission 753 Freedom with Fidelity Audio NN Z

 

 

These speakers have been chosen for the rear channel to add dynamics and slam. Lower bass frequencies match the ATC equipment up front superbly. Powered by the Marantz MA500 mono blocks. Adding the 2x NN Z RFI devices allowed greater seperation of vocals, instruments and aided stereo width delving deeper into the recordings of movies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomson DSI-8215 HD receiver

 

Sky HD receiver for high definition viewing and 5.1 Surround sound. The few tweaks have sharpened up the picture giving brilliant whites, crisper more detailed images and superb colour balance. The sound is crisper with a larger sound stage. Added to this are finer details and excellent sound presentation. The optical output is connected to the Yamaha DSP-E800 via a Cable Talk medical grade optical lead. The TV is fed via a Kimber HD-19 HDMI lead. Mains is fed in via a Russ Andrews Classic mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

 

Infrastructure

 

Mains setup

 

 

Fidelity Audio mains filters (NNU X REF & NNU X PRO) used to reject mains born noise and spikes, you hear a more three dimensional and rich sound with a really low noise floor. Good quality mains leads (Russ Andrews Reference cord - with fuses shorted using copper rods) added to lower the mains impedance and reject air born noise. The mains block is the Fidelity Audio NEXUS mains block made from oak and fitted with a No Noise Ultra mains filter for added space and dimentiality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See set up schematic here.

 

 

Interconnects and Rack

 

 

The cd to amp interconnect is a top quality custom made Russ Andrews Kimber 8Ag silver interconnect with silver WBT nextgen plugs and Cryo treatment. The centre channel uses a Russ Andrews Crystal-Ag on bullets with a Kimber Hero on the rear channel all providing optimum signal coupling for a fully detailed and balanced sound.The custom oak and Torlyte rack helps to minimise time-smear caused by acoustic feedback and reveals every tiny detail on the recording. The sense of precise, musical timing is aided by using a light and stiff rack such as this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The monitor is a 50" HD 3D Panasonic plasma.
• Xbox 360 Elite with QED Quinex HDMI cable
• The LFE for movies is in the guise of a 'Butt Kicker'. A mono Cyrus amp and 800W 12" have been fitted into the bottom of the settee offering realistic punch , kick and realism where the director intended it be, you really feel the intensity of movies. The Cyrus amp has been tweaked with larger smoothing caps and burr brown opamps.

• Dining room speakers are Mission 752F with improved x-over components and Kimber 4VS internal wiring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marantz CD63KI deceased - List of modifications - This was a hard choice but I have stripped out the 63 to use the SPower regs in the SA-11S2

 

 

 

Not much of this player is original. It features 20x SPower HC low noise regulators, 5x SPower D discrete low noise regulators with 10 additional mains transformers crammed in (272VA). Most capacitors are Black Gate FK or Standard. The output stage is discrete using MOSFETs operating in class A, Holco precision resistors and silver mica capacitors. The DAC and servo sections have been re-clocked, each using the C3 precision clocks. Needless to say the detail and naturalness of this player are shocking. Fed by Russ Andrews Kimber Signature mains lead.

 

 

 

List of modifications -

 

 

 

 

 

 

MARANTZ PM66KI (WAS SECOND REAR CHANNEL AMP) - SOLD

 

This already good amplifier has been treated to a 2nd mains transformer connected in parallel with the original, doubling the current capacity and halving the impedance. The smoothing caps have been upgraded to Elna Silmic 22,000uF & bypassed with 4700uF Mundorf HC capacitors. Output devices were uprated and bias current was increased to reduce distortion + the heatsinks were replaced with much larger ones. Mundorf Supreme are used for audio input coupling. Other signal and PSU caps have been replaced with Black Gates and silver mica. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated

 

 

MARANTZ PM66KI (WAS REAR CHANNEL AMP) - SOLD

 

The second KI amp used for powering the rear speakers and has undergone an extensive upgrade. I have treated it to a 2nd mains transformer connected in parallel with the original, doubling the current capacity and halving the impedance. The smoothing caps have been upgraded to BHC AEROVOX 15,000uF. Signal and PSU caps have been replaced with Black Gates, Silmics and silver mica. Mundorf MKP and BG N capacitors were used for signal coupling. Bias current was also increased to reduce distortion. Fed by Russ Andrews Reference mains lead.

List of modifications (PDF) often updated