OK, received the speakers, running them from s Sonos zp120 amp (which sucks), waiting for my amp to arrive.
What, in your experience, is burn-in period for NEW Shahinians?
What, in your experience, is burn-in period for NEW Shahinians?
Amplification for Shahinian Obelisks?
Hello there!
I just had my newly-bought second-hand Obelisks overhauled at Shahinian, and now they are on my way to me.
At this stage I am thinking of amplification for them.
I listen mostly to acoustical musiс (Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, and the like), jazz of all sorts, mostly modern ECM-style, also some older Blue Note, and pop music (a lot less). Almost no rock, although it is gaining on me (in the car, though).
I have had several Macs (integrteds and separates), loved their sound, but I want to move forward: Macs' sound is a bit too relaxed for me (although I don't like the sound to be overly crisp). The most important thing for me is musicality and space: I like to listen to music, not sounds.
I want as few boxes as possible, so I want a DAC with an amp in one box. It will be fed through coax or optical from an upgraded 24/96 Sonos.
The contestants at this stage are
1. Electrocompaniet ECI 6 DS
2. Hegel H300
3. Plinius Inspire 980
4. Devialet 120
I am currently leaning towards the Electrocompaniet or Hegel.
Would appreciate your comments on these. Or, maybe, I am missing something here, and there are more choices?
I dont have an opportunity to audition them in my home town, unfortunately, so it will be more or less a blind buy.
Comments from Shahinian owners are more than welcome.
Thanks a lot for your comments!
I just had my newly-bought second-hand Obelisks overhauled at Shahinian, and now they are on my way to me.
At this stage I am thinking of amplification for them.
I listen mostly to acoustical musiс (Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, and the like), jazz of all sorts, mostly modern ECM-style, also some older Blue Note, and pop music (a lot less). Almost no rock, although it is gaining on me (in the car, though).
I have had several Macs (integrteds and separates), loved their sound, but I want to move forward: Macs' sound is a bit too relaxed for me (although I don't like the sound to be overly crisp). The most important thing for me is musicality and space: I like to listen to music, not sounds.
I want as few boxes as possible, so I want a DAC with an amp in one box. It will be fed through coax or optical from an upgraded 24/96 Sonos.
The contestants at this stage are
1. Electrocompaniet ECI 6 DS
2. Hegel H300
3. Plinius Inspire 980
4. Devialet 120
I am currently leaning towards the Electrocompaniet or Hegel.
Would appreciate your comments on these. Or, maybe, I am missing something here, and there are more choices?
I dont have an opportunity to audition them in my home town, unfortunately, so it will be more or less a blind buy.
Comments from Shahinian owners are more than welcome.
Thanks a lot for your comments!
22 responses Add your response
10-14-15: Ja_zz*That*'s what we're talking about--high power (250/430 wpc into 8/4 ohms), high current (comfortable driving low impedances), wide bandwidth (which means fast risetime to move those dynamic drivers, and *very* high damping factor (>1000), important to keep the woofers plus that weighted passive radiator tightly controlled. I think you'll like that combo. |
Well, I have finally opted for a second-hand Hegel H300. http://www.hegel.com/products/integrated/h300 Will keep you posted on how happy I am with this combo. Thanks for your input. PS On a sidenote some people on another audio forum have recommended a Krell Digital Vanguard. What do you say on that one? |
That's true, Mapman. The best traits of good Class D are a lot like high-current, low output impedance A/B amps--speed, fast and copious current delivery, stability into fluctuating loads, and high damping factor. I have had a pair of Mirage M5si's in daily use for 19 years. They and their larger brothers (M3si and M1si) thrive on amps of these sorts, and one HFC-er particularly mentioned that his M1si's really sang with some Class D amps. Rowland is another major Class D maker. For a more economical approach, some Red Dragon monoblocks or the S500 Stereo amp might be an easy way to bring life to these Shahinians if Red Dragon ships to Russia. |
I agree with Mapman...I am experiencing wonderful synergy with my Class D Audio 470C (300 W/ 8 ohms) and my Ohm 2/2000s, which are current-hungry beasts as well. The question is can you find an all-in-one integrated with DAC that has the power to drive the Obelisks (not sure 60W does it) that is not only class D, but also available in Russia....I used a W4S mINT (at 125 W) and it wasn't quite up for the task, IMO. YMMV, however. |
Don't rule out good Class D. You may be delighted in every way and even save some money in the end (on both amp and subsequnt power bills) if Shahinians's are anything like OHM Walsh speakers. I use only Class D with those these days and cannot see ever going in a different direction. I've been pleased as punch with both Bel Canto Class D amps I am using currently in my two systems (C5i integrated and ref1000m monoblocks). |
Does this look any good?ЖЖ Output power: 250W + 250W in 8 ohms, 430W + 430W in 4 ohms Minimum load: 2 ohms Analog Inputs: 1 balanced (XLR), 3 unbalanced (RCA) Fixed analog inputs: 1 unbalanced Home Theatre (RCA) Digital Inputs: 2 coaxial S/PDIF, 2 optical S/PDIF, 1 USB Line level output: Unbalanced Pre Out (RCA) Digital outputs: 1 coaxial S/PDIF Control inputs: IR direct input (3,5 mm jack), max 12V Speaker outputs: One pair of heavy duty gold plated terminals Input impedance: Balanced 10kohm, unbalanced 10kohm Output impedance pre out: 1kohm Frequency response: 5Hz-180kHz (+/- 3dB) Signal to noise ratio: More than 100dB Crosstalk: Less than -100dB Distortion: Less than 0,005% @ 100W 8 ohms 1kHz Intermodulation: Less than 0,01% (19kHz + 20kHz) Damping factor: More than 1000 (main output stage) Power Supply: 1000VA dual mono, 90 000uF capacitors Output stage: 20 pcs 15A 150W high speed bipolar transistors Power consumption: 60W in standby switched on |
You really need to go with a high powered, high current amp, period, and probably need to figure out your line stage needs separately. Plinius power amp would be a great match, as would Bryston (yeah, we know, we know), Perreaux, Rowland, etc. If you go integrated, you'd need *at least* 150 high current wpc, and I'm not confident that--as good as integrateds have gotten--you'd get the same low output impedance, high current, and high damping factor that a separate amp would deliver, and which the Obelisks definitely need. |
Sorry people, Thought Location would show somewhere here, but... My mistake. Apologies. I am in Russia. And I do appreciate all your help. As for brands, I mentioned that at this stage there are 4 amps I am looking at. Macs are great, and I used to have an M402 and C46 combo, but, firstly, Mac does not make the integrateds with the functionality I need, and, secondly, I want to step away from Mac sound - in my case they used to drive Vandees 3A Sig's, and the sound was great, but, alas, too laid back for me. Other brands. Mostly European (Linn, Naim, Cambridge, Arcam, Audionet, and the like), however they do sell Rowland, Macs and Manley. |
10-11-15: Ja_zzWell, instead of leading us on in a game of 20 Questions, would you care to mention WHERE you live and WHAT BRANDS are available locally to you? Also, I've heard some McIntosh amps really make omnidirectional, ported deep-bass speakers stand up and sing, better than with some likely competitors. Perhaps you need to try some Mac amps directly with your Shahinians. Musical they most definitely are. |
Dan Wright cut his teeth building mods for other manufacturer's products, but branched off to build his own in 2003. His products are stellar - musical and built like a tank. Here's a review of the integrated: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/modwright-instruments-kwi-200-integrated-amplifier/ |
Bryston 135 plays in that arena, with a ton of current delivery (which the Shahinians need, in spades). Haven't heard that model myself, but their products are generally well regarded, and they have a fabulous service and a 20(!) year warrantee. http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/bryston-b-135-sst2-integrated-amplifier/ I understand your desire for fewer boxes, but one thing to consider is the fact that DAC technology is still evolving, and the upgrade path on an all-in-one is limited...just something to think about. Good luck! |