@ricky64 , not sure if you’ve read the same, but I’ve read quite a few articles stating why DAC’s with digital volume controls going direct to amplifiers will lack dynamics, depth, and body, while being “edgy”. Christiaan from HiFi Advice has an article on this topic (a reviewer I respect quite a bit), as do others. Apparently has to do with software manipulation of the source signal prior to converting to analog, when a digital volume control is used.
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@kennyc yes the Mola Mola gear all looks to be top notch. I was only willing to take a gamble on the preamp based on my experiences having owned the standalone Tambaqui which has been fantastic, feeding my Diablo 300 as a standalone DAC and without it using its digital volume control. The reviews led me to believe the sound signature (or lack thereof) to be the same with the preamp. The Mola class D amplifiers look very interesting but have not had the opportunity to hear. These don’t seem to be anywhere as popular as the Tambaqui, likely due to people’s preconceived notions around Class D, however, from the reviews which I have no reason to doubt (as they all have similar comments), it seems Mola’s amps may be quite special. The build quality and software is also truly unique in terms of how well done it is, and the quality of life type of convenience and flexibility features the software offers is just fantastic. Given how bare bones the front face of the unit is (which I love), it’s unexpected to see how fully fleshed out the configurability options are from the app. You can tell they really cared about this in the design and that their products are the result of a labour of love. Same with the Gryphon, but IMO I think Mola has a slight lead on build and physical design (I have never been a fan of Gryphon’s use of acrylic on their front faces), and also with how truly flexible their products are through the very slick app.
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How goes everything these days? I’m intrigued to hear what your latest thoughts and experiences are. Also, have you tried hooking your Essence up to your Torus RM 20? I have been reading up on that piece and see lots of people actually get positive results with not just their low-current gear, but also amplifiers. I know you had originally liked the 300 on the RM 20 but after your recent gear changes, went back to the wall for your 300 (prior to bringing in the Essence).
Thanks in advance!
I still am loving the 333. I moved up to A5’s, and added Tyr 2 speaker cables. Loving everything so far. |
Hi @62truck, great to hear from you and congrats on the A5’s! I am enjoying my Mola Mola Makua and Gryphon Essence immensely as well. I ended up moving to a Puritan PSM-156 instead of the Torus. They both were quite good and the Torus may have provided a hair more resolution but I found the Puritan just a hair more free-flowing with bigger and bolder mids. I do feel like there are some benefits hooking the amp up to either device. But ultimately I prefer it just slightly more when the amp is connected directly to its own dedicated 20A AC circuit. Just sounds a bit more natural to me. The change that really blew me away is when I got a Townshend platform under my Gryphon amplifier. Everything opened up, the soundstages became bigger and grander, and imaging improved. I’ve used IsoAcoustics and Herbie’s products in the past but this goes way further, and the best part is it doesn’t impart a tonal signature of its own like other vibration control products do. I have a second platform on the way for the Makua preamp and I will be purchasing others as well. Finally, one other tweak - I had my Audiovector R6 Arrete’s on their spikes sitting in Herbie’s spike decoupling gliders and this worked quite well. However I tried putting 1.5” thick granite pedestals under each speaker and this really improved things further. Under the granite I put 5 Herbie’s fat dots to interface the granite with the hardwood floor. Where there were slight levelling issues I stuffed a cut up sheet of paper under the foot and that seemed to work well. In the end I have better clarity, more nuanced detail in the upper registers, and like with the Townshends, a bit bigger soundstage and better imaging. Things are sounding fantastic now! |
@nyev That is great to hear your system is providing you so much sonic enjoyment! That is interesting to learn about your experiences with the isolation products under both components and the speakers. When I added Magico pods to my speakers they improved in clarity and cohesion. I should look into the Townshe d platform for my Gryphon. Although the 333 does have spikes (with discs) pre-installed by default. I have an HRS platform but it is currently configured for a lower weight so I would need to have it re-calibrated by HRS or dealer. That is interesting to hear about the Puritan. Other than the Torus, that is the power product I have been interested in learning more about. I’ve definitely seen people talking about plugging bigger amps into the RM but I’m happy to hear you like the Essence into the Puritan, too. It sounds like the mids are better with the Puritan but resolution is better with the RM. Are there any other details you can think of? Many thanks. May I ask what prompted you to trade the RM for the Puritan? |
