Edginess is not necessarily always a simple sign of high resolution.... It can be a warning sign that intermodulative distortions mioght be creeping into the treble region.
THis does not mean that intermodulation is generated by the speakers though... It might very well be that the origin is somewhere else in the audio chain.... Components, cabling, or even the AC line.
WCSS, I know that classical might not be your sup of tea.... But some classical cuts can easily reveal if treble intermodulation is in the works.... Typicall where high strings are playing 7th chords on the dominant, preparatory to resolution of cadenzas onto the tonic... An excellent example is found in the intorduction of the first movement of Dvorak's string sextet with string bass... If there is no intermodulation, the 7th chord comes out as pure, complex, and highly resolved.... But if somewhere in the chain treble frequencies are artificially intermodulated, those chords become horridly schreechy and unlistenable.
Saluti, G. are
|
Mind you, there is bad intermodulation, and then there is good intermodulation....
Bad intermodulation is the artificial harshness that you hear clearly from the speakers, whenever it occurs....
Good intermodulation is instead a psychoacoustic effect that you will hear from... the middle of your head... It is relatively rare... It happens only when there very little distortion in the system.... You will perceive it on occasion, when two high frequency notes seem to generate a third ghost note coming not from the speakers, but seemingly faintly ringing bell-like from the middle of your cranium. It does sound eerie, and is a sign of tonal purity of your system.
G.
|
T'is a real nailbiter of a thread *Grins!*
G.
|
In addition to MikePaul's excellent recommendation, to put Neoliths through their paces I recommend The Rite Of Spring by Igor Strvinsky, Or any of the incredible symphonies by Gustav Mahler... If these works can't tell the men from the boys, little else will.
And for the lovers of that old black monolyth in the Kubrick movie, try also the works by Georgy Ligeti complementing the same production... Atmospheres, and Requiem.
G. |
eThe Magicos, as well as the Focals might benefit from a revisit of the Rowland M925.... With 450W/8 some 850/4, 45A peak current, and a 2500W supply per side they are bound to feed these speakers without breaking a sweat.
One more top flight device of the Rowland line more than worth considering is the $38.8K Daemon integrated... 1500W/8 going to 2500W/4... No, I have not heard this one yet, but sure would like to.
Another SS brand worth seriously considering is Soulution.
G.
|
Hi WCSS, are you installing independent circuits for each 30A outlet, including a circuit breaker in the electric panel for each new outlet?
Saluti, G. |
By themselves, sockets in 20A outlets might yield marginally better electric contacts with the AC connectors on cables.
However, this is not the main benefit... Typically, 20A outlets are installed together with dedicated electric lines... Which means that the electric line from the 20A circuit breaker is not shared with any other outlet.... Hence a component connected to a dedicated 20A outlet will not be subected to pollution from any electric device connected to that breaker, nor from any grundge that could theoretically be picked up from unused outlets on the circuit.
Reality or placebo effect? I do not know, but empirically, I do prefer the sound of my system now that I am using three didicated outlets for it, vs one dedicated and one shared outlet in my old home.
G.
|
Hello Viber, while I have not listened to the M625 S2 yet, I have personal experience with a number of Rowland amps in my own system, including my current M925 monos.
Definitely, the tone of current rowland amps is far from being dark/dry, nor on the other hand is it "warm"... At least if warm implies a preferential treatment to mid bass up to midrange.... "Neutral" might apply, in the meaning of the original Latin word "neuter", meaning "neither of the two", in that Rowland seems to give even treatment to the full audible frequency spectrum.... On the other hand, seems that "neutral" for many has come to imply blanched, having a paucity of mid harmonics, mixed with some etched treble frequencies.
So I would rather characterize Rowland as linear across the frequency spectrum, with well defined first harmonics extending from the lower bass up to the high treble... But at the same time they exhibit a high degree of harmonic complexity and exposure. This means that for a partial synesthese like me, acoustic instruments are bristling with harmonic barbules... I can hear with most any instrument.... From double bass to violin, piano, harpsichord, low to high brass, woodwinds, etc...
Treble intermodulation is limited to the benign type which is created by psychoacoustic effect... Those eery third notes that one can sometimes perceive with live instruments on certain treble chords which seem to be emanating from the middle of our head... Lots of those in good recordings of Bach Sonatas and Partitas for violin, for example, and by the interaction of flute and clarinet towards the end of the first section of the 2nd movement in Dvorak 9th under Bernstein and the Israel Phil. Conversely, these Rowland components typically do not generate audible levels of distortive and harsh intermodulation at perceivable levels.
But I will let Richard comment on his M625 S2 in particular.
G.
|
Hello Viber, in WC's case, he might not be able to bypass the linestage.... Esoteric, in its masterful lack of wisdom, has not implemented a gain attenuator on K1's analog output.
G. |
Sure, if the unity gain point on WC's REF10 is clearly identified, he could then choose a few musical selection that are not going to blast his ears at that level.... But I fear that relying on the conjecture of a "in most cases" approach, might end in some unpleasant circumstances... Risky behavior in my audiophilic book.
G. |
Hi @Viber6, a raw comparison of the Merrill veritas monos and Mola Mola Kaluga versus the Rowland M925 monos would be misleading. The former two amps were designed to serve markets between $12K and $17K, while M925 is essentially a complex implementation for the $55K+ market. Even so, the three amps have much in common... And their common NCore NC1200 parentage emerges.... Telling is the even treatment of audible frequencies and their resistance to intermodulative artifacts. All of them are "sink in your seat and get lost in the music" amps, and in one form or another, they give you those barbules or bristles of exposed harmonics in acoustic instruments that I love so much. I should like to point out that I heard Mola Mola Kaluga only at RMAF... At the time the device seemed to show a little bit of excessive exhuberance in the treble... But apparently the unit had only 200 hours on it, which is woefully insufficient to complete break-in of an NC1200-based amp. Veritas and Mola Mola are simple implementations of NC1200 power conversion module + NC1200/700 non regulated SMPS.. Nothing wrong with that. In Rowland M925 instead, the NC1200 is an important minority player of the entire design. Admittedly, there is a definite difference and a clear audible advantage for M925 in terms of overall resolution, transparency, authority, and background noise, although not linearly proportional to the price difference. A more interesting comparison would be that of Rowland M925 against the newest Merrill Element 118 400W/8 800W/4 1200W/2 monoblocks ($36K/pair), or of the Rowland 1500W/8 2500W/4 Daemon integrated ($38.8K) with the combination of Merrill Element 118 + Merrill Christina pre. Element 118, and its less powerful 116 and 114 siblings are class D amps where no third party power conversion modules are used. The output stage is entirely designed by Merrill and utilizes GaN (Gallium Nitrite) transistors. I had a preproduction Element 118 pair in my system for a few days during this spring. I found the units to be extremely promising, in spite of the devices not having final circuitry and assembly, and appearing to be far from having been broken in sufficiently... How could I tell? Because the audible behavior was evolving rapidly over the five days or so that I exercised them. G.
|
Hello @mitch2 Viber6, I believe that Technics might have introduced an amp based on GaN transistor a year ago or so. GaN transistors have been around for a spell, but only recently they have come to the attention of amplifier designers.
GaN transistors lend themselves to designing class D circuit that do not suffer of the dead states that are alleged to be responsible for some of the brittleness in the tone of some older class D amps. Be this true or false, GaN transistors are just one of many "arrows" which are potentially available in the part components "quiver" of current designers... Worth pointing out though, that GaN transistors are just a component part of the complex Merrill Oganessom topology..... If the work, they do so because they happen to be synergistic with everything else that goes into the particular devices.
Very much like NC1200 in the Rowland M925 or the Pascal X2-Pro are small parts of the Rowland M925 and the Rowland Daemon, respectively.... It's the synergistic interaction of a myriad of large and small component parts that make the behavior of the whole.
Besides, I am always reminded of Igor Stravinsky's cautionary note:
“Judge
the tree by its fruit then, and do not meddle with its roots.
Function justifies an organ, no matter how strange the organ may appear in the
eyes of those who are not accustomed to see it functioning”
Igor Stravinsky – Poetic Of Music [Oxford
University Press, p. 49]
G.
|
I have listened to a variety of VAC amps in stores and RMAF. I have not been able to like them. No matter the model, they seemed to be prone to intermodulating in the treble, resulting in stridency.... Particularly on complex passages of high strings, piano, and orchestral tutti.
This however may not be a problem perceivable with music which does not use much sostenuto and is more percussive.
My preference this far has remained on the house sound of Soulution, Rowland, Merrill, ARC, and VTL.
As I mentioned earlier, the Element 118 prototype I had in my system had high potential. I had slight concerns about some exhuberance in the treble, but it was at the time not possible to determine if this was due to incomplete break-in, or the relative incompleteness of the prototype, or a characteristic that would persist in the the final product. An in depth evaluation of a production unit would be required.
It is also worth pointing out that the slight treble exhuberance that I perceived as an excess might be found to be a perfect tonal balance by some other music lover.
For some pricing context, the Element 118 monos are priced only about $4K above the Rowland M825 two-chassis stereo amp, which has very similar power rating.
G.
|
My apologies @Viber6, I have been distracted during the last little while because of the Florence evac.... Now, back home, I am buried in work that accumulated.... Never the less, I will try to address your questions tonight.
Regards, G. |
Hello Viber6, we were fortunate... The eye passed some 60 miles North of us when Florence had already been downgraded to a tropical storm... Thankfully no material damage... Only lots of anxiety before and during evac.
Now, back to our beloved topic...
The Element 118 prototype, even in its state of incomplete break-in, comfortably exceeded the performance of the original Merrill Veritas... THis is not surprising... Veritas was an excellent "entry level" NCore NC1200 amp designed to exceed the expected performance for its $12K price several years ago. It did that splendidly.
On the other hand, Element 118 is far from being an entry level device. Its design is complex and features a lot of "moving" parts, each contributing to the synergy of the whole. In that GAN transistors are one of many technologies that contribute to the whole, but neither GaN nor any other component parts or circuit features are the sole contributors to the result..... It's the synergy of the whole that counts... Or in other words, "'Tis all in the handle!"
If I compare the two devices in my mind, I find some obvious differences.... Element 118 is significantly quieter than Veritas, has larger staging in the three dimensions, clearer images, greater resolution of very low level detail revealing/exposing harmonics.... And comfortably greater authority.
However, the relative immaturity of break-in and the fact that Element 118 was a prototype may have introduced some artifacts.... As I mentioned, treble might have been a little overpressured... This does not necessarily reveal low level tonal components like harmonics... Rather, treble overpressure can dampen the perception of low level harmonics. Similarly, there were still faint traces of intermodulation... You could hear them mostly on ff orchestral or string cadenzas... Typical on 7th chords built on the dominant... A byproduct of faint treble intermodulation was also a bit of over-punchiness in transients. But as I said already several times, what I heard was only a prototype with incomplete break-in... And yet, once this was factored in, ELement 118 was alredy extremely promising.
When I reluctantly sent back Element 118 to Merril, the amps were still evolving significantly. So, Because of the likely temporary/transitory nature of the artifacts I detected, it would be completely meaningless for me to attempt to contrast the Element 118 with the Rowland M925, which I have had in my system for several years and, once nicely warmed up, is totally stable. Saluti, G.
|
Viber, our friends raise a very valid point. If you wish to discuss further about issues tangential to WC's quest, please open a new thread.
Regards, G. |
Hello Viber, I would not classify the ppl who are patient with our tangential discussions as "better" ppl.... Rather, exceedingly patient and polite they have been for sure with our obsessions. Why don’t you PM me, then we can continue offline, and so let this fine electronic watering hold return to its topical quest.
Saluti, G.
|
Hello Viber, I have sent you an email. Saluti, G.
|
Yep, the review does not give the faintest idea of the exceptional capabilities of the Merrill Element 118.... "The device is exceptionally capable, and deserves a review that describes at some length what the device "does for living". Element 118 is far from being a simple musclebound brute without sublety. The fact that it does not slide into facile euphony does not mean that it has no heart or delicacy... On the contrary!
I'm starting to think that I might want to review the production level 118 after all.
Saluti, G.
does not |
Hello @rsf507, actually no... I am not implying at all that the unit under review is a pre-production unit. The physical description seems to suggest a production unit.. Rather, the reviewer is writing a lot but saying little, except for stating in a couple of places that the device uses GaN transistors with negligible recovery time, does not use feedback, is a powerhouse "brute, sounds matter of fact, is very expensive, and may be best used with companion devices that come a smidjin short of statement level.
Had I not heard an already excellent 118 prototype in my own system, and thus know better than to trusting the article, I might end up dismissing 118 as a middling device... And rest assured, middling is far from the sonic/music experience that 118 delivers.
Saluti, G.
e |
Hello @wym2, yes I will likely follow up... One of the issues is the duration of a review project.... I like to take devices stone cold from the factory floor and break them in completely.
G.
|
Viber, Merrill Element series are not based on NCore technology. Their class D output stage is entirelly designed by Merrill. The older Merrill Veritas instead, is based on NCore NC1200 modules. BTW, my review of Element 118 or 116 is purely hypothetical. G.
|
Ahem, "Black helicopters", anyone? *Grins! |
Ah yes dguitarnut, I shall never deny that I hold preferences for a small handful of brands that I am intimately familiar with.... Nor do I apologize for not being apologetic about it.
While I will never assert that what I like is "the best", I will persist in asserting my right (be it Constitutional or otherwise) to outline my preferences, and the rationale behind it.
On the other hand, my nightly sleep is not remotely disturbed if you, or anyone else, for that matters, prefers, defends, or otherwise listen to any other brand, model, class of operation, or even media.... And ignores anything I scribble on this or any other board, on any topic.... be it audio, high or low brass instruments, music interpretation and phylosophy, accessibility technologies, or... Pizza.
It's just that, I dwelling in a liberal democracy last I checked, self-appointed zampolitiks of any vintage I cheerily ignore.
Best regards, Guido
|
Just logged on... Watching out for nube self-appointed zampolitiks.... Ah, me thinks I just found one who returned to frolick and splash with abandon around this fine audiophilic watering hole *grins!*
G. |
Hello @viber6.... I have auditioned Boulder 2060 at length a few times. It is not a good example of accurate/neutral amp. To my ears, its tone is instead wan, blanched, and sterile, rather than neutral and accurate. WC's impression of it matches mine closely. G.
G.
|
In descending order of preference for the three systems:
#3 -- Greatest harmonic complexity in guitar. Greatest clarity in enunciation of lyrics. Also the most emotionally involving... Seems to have more microdynamics than the other ones, and greatest sense of space.
#1 -- Nice harmonics and atmosphere, but lyrics are not quite as crisp as #3.
#2 -- Nice sense of the droning bass note, but overall I found that my attention was wandering... It sounded smooth, but not emotionally involving.
Saluti, Guido
|
Do not get discouraged MrD... There is enormous value to everyone in reading your opinions in this thread.
My question to WCSS,,, How many hours of break-in do the Neos have... My concern is that right now you might potentially not be hearing what they are really capable of... And by prematurely fiddling with various components and cables in the audio chain you might be overcompensating for temporary Neo artifacts that will abate with time.
Saluti, MrG |
Hello WCSS, with 5 days of use on them, the Neos are likely pretty tongue-tied... No wonder they seem to be treble-shy... Let 'em cook for some three or 4 weeks on end... I'm pretty confident they will bloom. Once they stabilize, that might be the time to find them ideal equipment matching, if any alternatives were required at all.... Before stabilization, you'd be chasing an ever moving target.
G. |
Hello wesc, so happy that the Masterset speaker setup process is bringing your system to new hights... Not at all surprised!
Meantime, for anyone interested... I am preparing a writeup of the new Rowland M535 bridgeable amps... I have bridged a pair delivering 700W per chassis into my relatively wilding Vienna Acoustics Die Muzik. Stunning for the musical resolution and the sheer proportions and transparency of the stage... At just below $12K for the pair they are delivering music in a way that I would have only expected from amps several times their price... Much more to come in the scribblings that I will post on Agon... But so much of M535 remind me of the M925 monos... They definitely are creations of the same mind.
Might still be a couple weeks to complete my project... I have one more week of real work to do (Sighs!) before 25 days of Christmas vacations... Will complete the scribblings during my vacations.
Saluti, G. |
Hello Viber, as I might have mentioned a few months ago, the only exposure I have had to the Merrill Oganessom series has been a 1188 engineering prototype for a few days during last Spring... As I did not have the time to conduct a proper break-in, I am not in a position to comment about performance of the final product. Even more so, I will not venture conjectures about Element 116 and Element 114... I try to limit comments on devices of which I have no direct experience.
Concerning Rowland M535 in bridged versus stereo mode.... I have given priority to breaking in the devices in bridged mode so to ensure that both chassis would reach optimum conditions at the same time. Once I have concluded my observations in bridged mode, I will connect one of the chassis in stereo mode. The good news is that M535 seems to be evolving and maturing quite a bit faster than most amps I have had in my system.
In the mean time, The degree of transparent resolution, harmonic exposure, and essential lack of artifacts makes me not be terribly concerned about theoretical shortcomings of bridged operations... Yet, the proof shall be in the proverbial pudding... That is when I eventually connect a unit in stereo mode I'll have an idea of any performance difference.
Worth pointing out though that Jeff Rowland is extremely conservative... He told me that he has implemented M535 as easy bridged-ready amps because he had verified that their high prformance level in bridged mode warrants such implementation.... I am conjecturing that this might have to do with he having designed for M535 distortion minimization circuitry evolved from what he first developed for the M625 S2 stereo amp. Connection into bridge mode is as simple as connecting the mono line level source to the XLR input instead of the two stereo XLR inputs... Connecting a speaker cable to the mono output terminal instead of the two stereo terminals... And flipping a single toggle switch in the back of the amp to bridged operations. By the way, M535 has been design in such a way that gain structure in bridged mode is identical to stereo mode... According to the designer, you can leave preamp volume at identical levels for stereo and bridged operations.
Regards, G.
|
Hello Viber, I do not have sufficient listening experience to concur or not to concur with bridged amps being inferior to pure mono amps in one form or another.
All I can tell you is that right now, without having tested M535 in stereo mode, I am not able to identify parameters that I can point out to be inherently inferior to a monoblock amplifier.
There are also two things to bear in mind:
* Technology is evolving... What has been historically a valid concern, may not be as valid a concern today. * Beware of the false induction step... The property found in a sample does not automatically extend to the class. Hence, generalizing is a prickly path that I usually avoid.
Saluti, G.
|
Hello Viber, you are right... A test of production level Merrill Element 114 would be very interesting. G. |
@Ron17, no need to smack the poor horse beyond unconsciousness... 'Tis sufficient to hold on firmly to its... Rane! G.
Besides, there are indications by examining the preprints of the original libretto of My Fair Lady -- before politically motivated revisions were applied -- that Rane might be harvested and not manufactured... The result of an unusual meteorological phenomenon occurring only in certain Hiberic lowlands, because...
"The Rane, in Spain, falls mostly in the plains!"
This would also explain the very reasonable cost of this miraculous device... Like the mythical Mannah in the Bible, Rane appears to be... Falling from Heaven! Apologies, friend Viber... Just could not resist one (Ahem... I meant two) of my own *Smiles!*
G. |
Without knowing what #1 and #2 represent, and using my Plantronic USB headset connected to an HP Zbook.... And with the premise that my observations might be different if I played back on my stereo... I felt that #2 is downright boring... Relatively little low level information, ranging from dampened natural/artificial treble harmonics, little microdynamics, almost inexistent ambient cues... I’d call this pretty dull. By contrast, I felt that #1 shimmers with delicate inner detail wherever/whenever #2 falls flat on its face.... Immersive, emotional, crisp, and almost mesmeric in the rendering of the artificial harmonics towards the end of the track, and not a hint of roughness anywhere. . If I can make a general observation common to the two... There seems to be a general paucity of presence in the bass drone. Please note however that while in the track the drone ostinato represents the bass line, in reality it fits in the lower midrange. For grins, it would be interesting if WC could also utilize some very broad frequency/dynamic spectrum tracks... For example, the first movement of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Yep, ’tis classical... But no it ain’t your granma’s classical, for sure it ain’t! G.
|
Friend @dguitarnut, I should have cautioned you "not to rouse a sleeping Rane"... Now "the Rane is out of the bag"... Again *Grins!*
Hello friend Viber :)
G.
|
Hello @MikePaul, you and I seem to be of one mind regarding excruciatingly long equipment break-in... I’m getting a feeling the WC might be getting himself on our same slippery slope of Breakophilia Obsessiva... Before long he will push break-in amps and speakers to 1K hours plus... I might need to send him my break-in tracker Excell template to manage his burgeoning break-in anxieties *Grins!*
G.
|
Hi WC, you are right.... ROwland uses relatively hefty PCs for amps... But they are morelike those that I see on some high current appliances that still can be plugged into 15A sockets... Like larger microwave ovens, or refrigerators, for example.
At shows, Rowland seems to be using a lot of Cardas wires.... I believe that lately they have been using Cardas Clear Beyond XL power cords on amps.... Which are the PCs that I am using and truly love on my M925s and on the M535 bridgeables.
Saluti, G.
Saluti, G.
|
Just a clarification.... All Rowland products, including M925 monoblocks amps, are shipped with an accessory box inside each ship carton. Amongst other things, the box contains a starter power cord for the device. For amplifiers, this power cord is somewhat heavier gage than ordinary household power cords, although it does not pretend to equal in performance many after market cords. It is possible that if a Rowland device was previously owned, the stock cord might have been omitted by the seller.
For each M925 mono amp, the accessory box should also contain 3 screw-in delrin ball footers to fit under the power supply chassis, and four smaller Delrin balls to act as separators between the power supply chassis and the audio chassis.... Once the power supply is in place, you drop each ball into a divet milled in the top of the power supply chassis, and then gently place the audio chassis on top... The balls will fit into corresponding divets milled in the bottom of the audio chassis.
Saluti, G. a for
|
Hello WC, have you everr contacted The Cable Company? They have a substantive lending library for PCs, signal cables, etc... You will find all info:
https://www.thecableco.com/lending-library
Optionally, you can call Cable Company at:
800-328-9973
Saluti, Guido
|
Hello WC, I freely admit that I love Shunyata products.... In the past I have had a few series of Shunyata PCs in my system, including King Cobra CX series and Anaconda ZTron.... My experience is that they have reached 80% of their performance potential in my own system after about 350 hours of carrying currunt, and close to 100% at about 600 hours... When first I deployed them, they showed the typical limitations and restrictions of new cables.... Their behavior during break-in showed relatively significant performance fluctuations, with each cycle pointing higher, and cycling gradually smoothing out after the 200 hours mark. Like with so many audio products, patience proved to be golden with Shunyatas.
Saluti, G. |
Wc, BigDDesign, and all, I am glad to take the minority view.... Unfortunately, I can only talk about my own ears, what they have told me since I have being involved in music.
Whether its audio gear, pianos, cellos, bows, or steel strings for cellos.... I have experienced break-in time of various length, sometimes not too bad, sometimes excruciatingly long... Interestingly, I have not observed the phenomenon on Brass musical instruments such as my euphonium, flugelhorn, and cornets.
Do keep us posted, WC!!! G.
|
Hello WC, my guess that after 3 to 5 days, the Sigmas won't sink.... May be not swimming powerfully either, but they will be happily paddling through musical waters.
As for manufacturers, unfortunately they do not have the financial bandwidth to afford immobilizing product for one month and a half before shipping.... They have not acquired yet the enormously patient wine maker's frame of mind.
I suspect that I might be a little bit resistive to mass self deception.... Several audio products that I have evaluated do not seem to have passed muster, no matter how long I have broken them in, in spite of my initial great hopes for them Regardless, keep us posted on Sigmas... I have read so many good things about them.
Saluti, G.
|
Hello Thezacks, in my system, cables seemed to break in a little faster than components... Typically breakin time has ranged from 350 hours to about 600 hours.
Would be nice if cable manufacturers were able to break-in their cables before shipping.... But I do not know how realistic it is. Let's say thata manufacturer committed to break-in all its power cords.... Let's say that they ship an average of 20 PCs per day and the committed to break them for two weeks. To maintain shipping throughput they would need 20x15=300 PC Break-in circuits... And then there are balanced and single ended ICS, digital cables, speaker wires, and so on..... The infrastructure would become enormous. Furthermore, this company would not be able to uptik production and maintain policy without adding break-in capacity.
Definitely, prices of their cables would have to go up to cover the additional equipment, real estate, and the cost of immobilizing product slated for break-in.
Of course, this manufacturer could offer the break-in as a premium service.... But I do not know what percentage of customers would be willing to spend more for the product while having to wait longer for delivery. I know that cable cookers can be used to accellerate break-in.... But I have heard mixed opinion on their effectiveness.
Regards, G.
|
Hello MrD.... No, you are not launching torpedos.... yours are more like signal flairs, meant to point things out.... Yet, our friend WC is the ultimate explorer, as I pointed out several weeks ago.... His quest is not that to discover that idyllic valley where to settle and build his homestead... His quest is for the qquest itself.... To discover what's behind the next hill.... And there always is a mysterious and ever alluring next hill beckoning in front of him.
Saluti, G. |
WC, your manifestation of audiophilia nervosa may be little different from mine -- Actually we might be at opposite but equally frantic ends of our shared obsession.... Yet, our Nirvanas are equal sources of great joy to us.... Continue on your path, friend WC... All Steam Ahead... Damn The [verbal] Torpedos!!! G. |
Hello WC, I would not suggest that you replace your standard test tracks with something like The Rite Of Spring.... For one thing, the first movement is about 15 minutes long all together. I rather suggest that you add on occasion a broad-spectrum track, or a snoically significant fragment of it, in some of your more crucial shootouts.
Concerning copyright, You will find actually entire performances of the Rite Of Spring with a variety of conductors already on the Internet, suggesting that it should not be a problem for you to download one of these performances/recordings directly from your music service.... The issue for any "classical" music work is that one needs to find the one that you prefer.... Usually there are lots of performances of the same work, recorded sometime over the last 110 years or so. Like with all genres of music, the trick is then to select the one that for you is most sonically and artistically satisfying.
G.
|
Hello
@Viber6, glad you liked the lovely Mola Mola Kaluga, so did I, when I heard it
extensively at RMAF, listening to much the same repertoire as you would. I also
agree that at $16K for the mono pair, Kaluga might be a relatively stiff
proposition for many audiophiles, even though it is worth every penny of its
retail price.
If
you enjoyed Kaluga, you may love the new Rowland M535 bridgeable that I am evaluating,
and for which I am preparing a detailed scribbling that I will post on
Audiogon… Below are some preliminary thoughts.
Over
the years, I have found few amps that not only deliver the main content of the
music with authority, resolution and precision, but have enough subtlety to let
me experience the thought and emotion of the composer and the performing artist....
And even fewer that let me glimpse into the hesitations and misgivings that the
performer might be having about the music.
Funny
thing is that this rare magic can happen with amps of any class and topology....
Be they tubed, such as the AudioResearch Reference series amps, SS like the Soulution amps, or certain class
D amps like the Mola Mola, Merrill Element 118, the Rowland M535 bridgeable and
the M925 monos. Soulution, ARC, and Mola Mola
amps I have very much enjoyed during long listening sessions at RMAF.
Rowland M925 I have owned and very much loved for several years. While Merrill
Model 118 was a promising early prototype when I had it in my system for far
too brief a time last spring…
Coming
to M535, as I mentioned previously on this thread, I have inserted a pair of
Rowland M535 bridgeable amplifiers in my system. With over 700 hours on them,
the devices seem by now to be fully broken in. I am absolutely stunned by the
coherence of their presentation, the musicality of the tembre, the vastness of
the stage, the concreteness of images,
the complexity of the harmonic exposure, the
abscence of distortive artifacts in complex and simple passiages alike, the
living silence between the notes, the majesty of their authority, the
tunefulness of the entire audible spectrum from deep bass to high treble, the
elegant luminosity of the overall presentation, their mesmerizing toe-tapping
drive, and last but not leas the sheer emotionality and immersiveness of what I
hear.
There certainly
is a family resemblance with my Rowland M925 monos, of which M535 achieves a
significant fraction of the performance level for most parameters. Yet, for
certin details, such as openness and resolution of the treble, I venture to say
that M535 may even graze a smidgeon above my M925. If M535 listed at $46K for
the pair I would merely call them splendid.... Yet, M535 lists at a smidgeon
below $6K per each 22Lbs chassis.... I scratch my head trying to find the right
word to define what I am experiencing.
It is clear to
me that in 2018 class D amplification has reached an audible level of maturity,
for which we can find fabulous and not so fabulous examples, with the same frequency
distribution of any other classes of amplification, and that can deliver at
least the same level of musical beauty.
What I find even
more interesting is that some class D amplifiers seem to rise well above the
performance level that I would expect for devices of the same price range. Thus
in my system, M535 is not simply being "Good for a class D amplifier", nor is it just a good
amplifier in its own right..... Rather, for me it is an astonishing instrument
for making music in absolute terms, regardless of its class of operation. Ah
yes, in case you wondered why M535 has no cooling side fins…. It runs as cool
as a proverbial cuke, as it appears to be approximately 97% efficient.
As my L-shaped listening
area is relatively large, consisting of about 19ft x 24 for the main area, with
an additional a 10x10 extension on the rear short side, and the Vienna Die
Muzik speakers are not particularly efficient, with an impedance curve somewhat
less than linear, I am running the bridged pair delivering 700W per side… I
will try a single M535 chassis in stereo mode in a few days… I am thinking
though that if your speakers were gentler to the amps than mine, a single M535
should fit you Viber quite nicely, with 250W/8, 500W/4, and 30A peak current.
Here is the M535
home page:
https://www.jeffrowlandgroup.com/model-535/
Saluti, Guido
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Hello Viber, an evaluation of Merrill Element 114 would make for a really interesting project... Would not be a shootout, though... I much prefer discussing merits of components in their own right, rather than pitting one against the other. I prefer not to use the term "rich" in audio... It reminds too much of heavy, buttery, and "rich" cuisine, which I am not particularly fond of. As I cannot hear anything buttery or heavy in the current Rowland house sound, I much prefer to use the terms complex, extended, and coherent, as well as immersive and emotionally involving. M535 does run in class D... But like with many top performing amplifiers, its class of operation is not an ostensibly audible factor of its performance. One could tell that M535 may possibly run in class D only from the lack of cooling fins while the unit essentially operates at room temperture. I’ll start an M535 thread before long, and we can then continue the specific discussion of this amp there. Saluti, G.
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I have not heard KII Audio speakers yet, but they are apparently very good stuff... KII was cofounded by Bruno Putzeys, the creator/designer of NCore power conversion modules.... Bruno is also the lead designer of the KII speakers. Like with all circuits containing NCore modules, the distributed amplifiers in the KIIs would need a fairly extended break-in.... As my friend Jeff Rowland is very impressed with KII performance, I wonder if the pair at GTT were perhaps semi-fresh out of the box.
Saluti, G. |
