https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2F1ddS_08I
Yes, same system, my very ‘simple’ 3-box system … but it is already an endgame 3-box system indeed - unless a Cascade will eventually find its way in lol (but without forgetting that the Reference is an absolute TOP DAC, what a stunning piece of audio engineering it is …), yet, without changing a single component, a simple re-placement of the hifi rack has dramatically improved my listening experience - and that’s not easy feat considering how good it all already sounded before!
THE STORY: I was almost about to book an ear suction cleaning session because I thought my left ear was not working properly … reason being, when listening to my system from my usual near field sweet spot, and despite the system sounding great pretty much regardless, I could often get the impression to “hear” the right speaker “closer”, as if for some reason more in focus and ever slightly louder than the left. At times it was actually so noticeable that I have had to stand up and get close to the left speaker to check if it was working properly… oh well, it turns out that my hifi rack, placed at the side of the right speaker (in order to fit my book shelf in between the speakers for quiet family living and difficult access to a different space) was causing the issue reflecting and bouncing the sound around.
So, after an experienced audiophile friend visited and noticed the same issue and suggested, rightly so, that the rack position was the very likely cause of the problem, I decided to finally move the book shelf some place else, dismantle the system (hard work!), and re-position it with the rack now in between the speakers. What a result. Not only the issue disappeared, but imaging and soundstage have both considerably improved, as it has clarity and even bass response. It is actually as if everything has suddenly moved on to a next level.
Room acoustics, once again the real deal indeed.
System:
Bayz Courante 2.0 omnidirectional speakers
MSB Reference DAC
Pink Faun 2.16 streamer
MSB S202 power amp
MSB Premier headphone amp & Focal Utopia Mk1 headphones
Townshend Fractal F1 speaker cables and speaker podiums
A few other decent cables