D’Agostino Integrateds

I am in an interesting position to comment on this. I used to own a pair of Atria II with the momentum HD pre and M400 monos. I also had a pair of JL F110 v2 subs. This was an incredible sounding system. I decided to upgrade to a pair of Cygnus which I do not own anymore for reasons that I don’t want to discuss here.
 

I ended up with a pair of Estelon XB Diamond MKII. I also sold off my D’Agostino gear and moved over to a complete MSB system with the S202 and Premier Dac. I sold the Momentum gear to get some cash but also out of fear that it may fail in the future. I had a progression integrated blow a board while I had that in for a trial before I went with the momentum separates (I bought them used at a great price). The MSB combo is so close to the Dan gear at a fraction of the price that I can not see spending the extra. I would much prefer a MSB Reference Dac and S500 amp at a lower price and you have an incredible Dac. 
 

As for the Atria at axpona with the Vinnie gear that was actually my old pair that I traded in. They were loaned out to Vinnie for the show. The Brama gear looks incredible but the V1 was lacking in many areas and was not close to D’Agostino. I have not heard the new V2 Brama gear but it seems strange to release a new version after only a little over one year. 
 

I would look into MSB if you are considering the MxV Integrated. 

@g9taylor That is a serious front end for a pair of YB MK II. Are the thinking of upgrading the speakers to larger Estelon?

@maxwave I am referring to the Brama gear in comparison to the D’Agostino. I have experienced the Brama separates not the integrated. I found them lacking bass and also bass control. The rest of the sound was really nice and I love the remote. I do think that it is called appt to all of the owners to release a new version so quickly. This also happened with previous Vinnie gear. It makes it hard to resell and upgrade. Maybe they will do an upgrade program like D’Agostino does. 
 

p.s. I would take the Brama gear over progression any day of the week. 

@maxwave With MSB dacs there is really no need for a preamp. This is especially true if you are using their amps. The dacs and amps are designed to work together with matched impedance. I do not have any analog sources so being completely digital is perfect for my use. If you go up to the Reference dac there is actually an analog preamp section as well for use with either xlr or rca inputs. The cascade dac now offers multiple analog inputs too. 
 

One advantage of their designs is that if you are using a digital input there are no amplifications stages after the dac section. Their dac modules output enough voltage that there is no need for op amps. The signal is only attenuated. 

@maxwave Unless I am mistaken the output section of these amps are solid state. The tube is only in the pre section. This should not affect bass output. Also there is a difference in power between the amps. The Dag were 400w into 8ohms and 800 into 4ohms. 
 

Again this is only my experience having owned the Atria II with the Momentum gear. We all hear things differently and have different preferences too. That is what makes this hobby great. 

@g9taylor I understand on the room size. I went from Atria II to Cygnus. I loved the Cygnus but had an issue with the pair that I got and decided to go with Estelon. My room is 15 X 17.  The XB diamond play really well n the room and are not bass light. They are not flat down to 20 but they play well below 30hz with great authority.