Difficult Choice


HI,
choosing a HI-FI from scrathc is a difficult exercise.
I'm asking for help.

I might get Lamm2.1 amps or Tenor 75i
i tried the hybrid amp from tenor and was very disappointed
I found it not as full and "real" than the 75i (kind of normal) but it was on the top "messy", lacking precision.
I was using a EMM Labs transport + Dac directly plugged in the amp + Kharma Grand Midi Ceramique
Very disappointing
I have to say that those EMM Labs did not impress me that much and I wonder if it is not better to use a preamp with them.

Kharma exquisite Midi seem to be a good choice even if it lacks some guts with the Tenor
A sub could be a solution but i did not try
I'm wondering if those VR9 Von S. are that much better than the Kharma
I'm interested to know as well what people think of
Sonus Faber Stradivari (do they work with SET)
Dynaudio Temptation (do they work with SET)
Pipedeams model 18
Audio Physics Caldera ?

More over, what preamp to use ?
There is a Audio Note on the offer but does it go well with
Lamm ?
What about the new ARC reference3 ?

Concerning the source, is the DCS suite that good ? I was not that impressed by the EMM Labs.

Thank you
dck

Showing 2 responses by branimir

Avantgarde or Acapella? Do you like horn sound? To me at least they sound very different than good cone speakers(Aerial,Avalon,Audio Physic,ProAc,Sonus Faber,Wilson,Kharma etc.)...
ProAc Response D80 or bigger D100 will work with your Lamm as well as most Kharma models. Wilson Watt/Puppy 7 and Maxx2 should also work. As a matter of fact Jonathan Valin said in TAS issue 153 that he was most impressed with Lamm exhibit with Maxx2. So, different opinion than from M.Framer. Some of the members here own same Lamm amps as you and some of the speakers mentioned above. Maybe they could help?
Well, IMO Kharma Exquisite Reference Midi 1A is more Human choice( and better one,too )...
Also, they are easier to sell on the second hand market( If you will upgrade in future.. ). Regarding preamp-Lamm L2 Reference is natural partner with your M1.2 but, if you need remote there are also few other options as well.