I have tried it once when I had the neoliths and I wasn't like wowed by it. However, it's better if I brought it here again.
Give it time. It will happen in the future. I grab things based on availability to me. I'm sure that cable will come back to me eventually and I'll do the shootout. Maybe you are right that it is better than Odin 1 but keep in mind that I'm talking about Odin 2 here. Different cable |
Shootout of Odin 1 vs 2 PC happening right now.
Stay tuned for my impressions. |
Viber
That’s pretty much the same feeling I have about shunyata pcs cables in general. They do tend to rob a little bit of the sparkle of the music.
That said , I might be headed into full nordost Odin 2 next year. Odin 1 is still incredible.
I’ll give my take on powercords later next week and what powercords to get based on the speakers you own. Many of you will find it interesting. |
Hopefully one of them reads my thread so they can send me one of them. |
Odin 2 powercord:
- faster sounding with great sense of urgency than Odin 1
- bigger soundstage that goes wall to wall
- mids are no contest here. This PC adds more articulation here. It makes Odin 1 feel as if the mids have been turned down a few clicks
- 3d effect is insane that you almost feel like wearing your 3d glasses
- more relaxed and smoother. No edginess or brightness
- bass is just layered better.
- not a hint of floor noise
-speakers create a disappearing act
- tonality is different than Odin 1. It is just easier to listen to at any volume level
- Odin 2 is like a calibrated display where all the colors are the right balance, perfect combination of brightness and contrast along with the proper level of edge enhancement while the Odin 1 is this same display but prior to calibration.
Overall the Odin 2 easily bested the Odin 1. It made the Odin 1 show its age and that there is a new kid on the block. No ifs, no buts, no doubt of any kind. This PC is superior to its ancestor which more than justifies its additional cost. Make no mistake, this cable delivers all the goods and serves them on a platter. If I were to quantify how much of an improvement, which it is hard to do by the way since it’s system dependent, i would say it is at least a 30% improvement from Odin 1 which is huge in my book. Don’t think for s second that you can get an odin 1 for cheap and pretty much pretend you own the Odin 2. Your ears will show you that it is not true. It’s either you own the Odin 2 or you don’t.
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@ron17.
Because Odin 1 was probably a tiny bright with my focals and Wilson audios. When I do the full Odin 1 pc and powercords I have a tremendous amount of detail with some brightness sprinkled in it. I did try Valhalla 2 briefly this year and I wasn't exactly impressed when I did but maybe who knows what I'd hear now?
This is exactly what Odin 2 has fixed (brightness)plus it added many other benefits well. I actually love what cardas xlr have been doing. Today I received a brand new set of cardas clear beyond xlr which I will be introducing in the system next week. Lastly, keep in mind you listen at very low volume levels which I can see why it would work for you but I like to listen at all volume levels and cardas xlr allows me to do this.
One more thing , I am not going to do more nordost Odin 1 in my system than what I already own. I have my eyes on Odin 2 for next year.
If I listened at the volume levels you listen at, I’d do it but I can’t due to ear fatigue over extended listening sessions when using too much silver in my system. I like to fine tune it. |
Ladies and gentlemen,
Because I am such a desperate individual I decided to bust open the cardas clear beyond xlr and compare to the cardas clear audio xlr which is what I have been using in my review of the Odin PCs. OMG I didn't expect it to be such a drastic change. Things just flesh out of the tweeters EVEN at low volume levels. The soundstage is taller and deeper and it has unbelievable smoothness. These are NOT EVEN broken in because they are just fresh out of the box. More to come.
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All I can say is that the improvement is all there. It turns digital files into music. |
Ok guys, so it seems that one of my thread followers and i are about to do business soon. There is going to be the most obscene, crazy amplifier shootout EVER done by ANYONE including me. My Pass Labs XS300s are about to enter their first real battle against a tremendous pair of world class monoblocks. It will be a week or two before this happens, but this you WON'T want to miss. |
So a lot has been said today on here. Hmm... where do i begin? 1. i can not go into too much depth when comparing the 3.7i to the 20.7 anymore than what i have already said on the video. What i can add is that the sound is "different" than conventional woofer/tweeter. It takes time for your ears to adjust to the new sound before you begin to discover the neat things a planar design does that a woofer/tweeter does not. Is the 20.7 better than the 3.7i? yes... i think a deaf person can hear the difference if i am being honest. 2. Merrill Audio 118s vs 116s: i can’t speak about the 116s because i have not owned them. I can speak about the 118s by saying these few things: - Much faster sounding than the Dag S250
- I detect more bass articulation than the Dag S250
- Smooth, NEVER EVER EVER BRIGHT. I have to try HARD to make this amp sound bright.
3. Merrill combo vs Dag Combo will be an eye opener for some of you. I don’t believe there is any bryston amp that can top a pair of element 118s except for maybe power output. 4. I don’t believe ANYONE has ever used full nordost odin & dragon powercords on a full Merrill set up (if you know of anyone, please share this). I plan to show you all what this set up can do with top end cables. 5. Full Merrill set up with Wilson sounds AMAZING AMAZING. I am not not kidding either. i will try to video this before i am "Wilsonless" 6. I can admit that YES, i like the dynamics, slam and huge sound from wilson audio, but i also liked the Neoliths and Vivid Audio G1s. 7. If i am being honest with you all, i probably prefer Wilson over Magico. This isn’t a knock on Magico, but i feel Wilson is probably more "me". 8. As far as me needing big ass speakers and amps, there is only some truth to that, but not really the case each and every time. However, there is something that some of you don’t understand: Once you own a big speaker with dynamics and huge soundstage, it is HARD AS HELL to go back to a smaller speaker. I tested this when i owned the Neoliths. The speakers that followed my Neoliths sounded like bookshelf speakers in comparison. 9. I am totally enjoying the 20.7s and i totally dig the idea of having a woofer/tweeter speaker and a planar as well because they just don’t sound alike. It is truly amazing to be able to change the flavor of the presentation on the fly so you never ever get bored. That said, i don’t want to buy subwoofers for the magnepans. I don’t have the time or energy to dive into the world of dialing subs and crossovers. I am sure it would be so much better for the 20.7s if i did that, but at some point i need to draw a line with how far i need to take this. Anyhow, today i could not upload a video because i had a ton of things to do. I will try to have the final video of my Sasha DAW this week. I am going to let you all hear the Daw with Merrill Audio. It is EXTREMELY HARD for me to part ways with the DAW, but i can’t keep 3 pairs of speakers. |
I personally can say that there's no snake oil with cardas clear beyond xlr. I actually feel thrilled by what I am hearing at all levels. I don't need validation from anyone as to whether they are snake oil or not. I hear and then state my findings. However, as I've always said it, if your system is subpar then don't expect for any cable to turn it into world class. You can polish a turd but in the end it is still a piece of $h!t..... |
They are reviewers.... They should know better... They get stuff for free so I'm not sure why they don't have a good music server. |
@psnyder
Thanks for the response to his question. |
@rocray.
That'd be nice. ! |
So, i dont remember when i took delivery of my Gryphon, but after it arrived, there has not been one amplifier that i rather own AFTER it landed here. This means, every amplifier that has come through my room after the Gryphon arrived has not been an amplifier that i feel could replace my Gryphon. As a matter of fact, i feel like only another Gryphon can unseat my Gryphon.
That said, i dont want anyone to think that this means the other amps i have owned are no good - that is not the case. I simply prefer THE GRYPHON and it keeps being the one amp that simply sounds superb with ANY speaker. Hell, i almost bought the Antileon EVO last month, but there are rumors that the Antileon, Colosseum & Mephisto sound very different and i am a bit nervous about spending big money on a Antileon or Mephisto and somehow still prefer the tonality of the Colosseum. |
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I'm trying to listen at 70-80db. It will take me time to get comfortable there. It feels like I need to learn how to sleep on my back when I've been sleeping on my stomach my entire life. |
@mayoradamwest.
The bass of the Alexia 1 is killer (if you have the right amp) and they are not as good as the Alexia 2. I think you will love the boulder 1160 with the Alexia 2. One thing I like is that you can listen to the Alexia at low volume and you still hear the bass thump. It doesn’t disappear at low volumes like most speakers. This is extremely appealing to me. HOWEVER, I have the amplification for them. I don’t recommend any Alexia model if you aren’t planning to buy serious amps. I’ve heard the Alexia 2 with ref160m and it made me yawn. I am believer that Alexia sounds best with solid state and you seem to have one great amp.
One last thing , they need room to breathe. You can’t tuck them in the corner or against a wall or you won’t be able to tame the bass. Be prepared for long listening sessions at loud volumes because it is easy to get caught listening at loud volumes without even realizing it. I have to begin to learn how to enjoy music at lower volumes or I won’t be hearing a thing 10 years from now. It is a hard thing to do with Wilson because they are so dynamic and explosive that you simply are impressed by them but this comes at a cost which could be hearing damage if you’re not careful. Other than that , they are one hell of a fun speaker. |
Yes those 200.5 are awesome amps. They really hold a special place for me. Just get a pass xp30 preamp and start there. You'll be very happy with that combo. Those amps have tremendous juice and musicality and they won't have an issue with Alexia 1. |
I can't argue with that recommendation but the Alexia 1 or 2 is a superior speaker to the Daw if you do your homework. If you don't have the money for the right amps and a room big enough then yes go with DAW. However, don't assume the Daw will outperform Alexia with the right set up. |
Tomorrow I will give my personal opinion on the biggest letdown of an amplifier with MY SYSTEM for 2019 which coincidentally also ended up being a big letdown for the person I sold these to. |
@golfnutz.
Interesting findings.
I will say that I've also noticed that some have praised the Sasha models over Alexia but there's also one interesting fact about this: NONE of them have owned Alexia !
So now it becomes a matter of how credible are their comments when they haven't really owned both speakers ?
As far as magazines, I take all reviews with a grain of salt and use them ONLY as means for preliminary feedback. I don't take them as gospel.
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The DAW does indeed lack the "meat on the bones " of the Alexia. I actually know the guy that was selling his DAW here on audiogon a few weeks ago. He dumped them because of the lack of oomph and is now looking to get the Alexia 2.
He wanted to keep his DAW but he also did not want to get subwoofers for them. |
Yes, the reason is called "preference " due to lack of space or serious amplification.
As far as the Sasha 1, that has the metal dome tweeter which was harsh and this is why it was replaced with a soft dome. Trust me, I’m no Wilson expert but I have owned 2 different Wilsons so I guess I do have some experience with it. Magico is probably about to make a return into my home next month so I can see how it does vs focal and Wilson.
With that said , today I looked at my spreadsheet and have pretty much come to realize that there are only 2 amplifiers left that I am interested in bringing home : gryphon mephisto and dag momentum m400s. Anything else outside of those power amps are really of no interest to me. The way I see it, either the pass labs xs300, dag momentum m400s or a gryphon mephisto / colloseum is probably what I will end up with. I’m finding myself less and less interested in other current offerings at this time. To be sincere with you all, most new amplifier offerings aren’t really impressive or groundbreaking and in my honest opinion I feel like the field is STILL dominated by the top amplifiers from yesterday and not anything new.
I’m getting near the top of the list of everything I’ve wanted to try in terms of amplification.
Without further delays, here are my top 5 amps of 2019 in no particular order:
Pass labs xs300
Constelation Centaur 2 monos
Merrill audio 118s
Block audio
ARC 160s
Those are the amps that really made the biggest impressions on me over the last 12-14 months. I will continue to keep trying other amps going forward and measure them against whichever amp I end up choosing to stay with. My recommendation at this time is that if you are in the market for a serious amplifier to not overlook world class amps from the last 8-10 years. They still are serious contenders today and way better than most offerings out there.
If you are looking for a great amplifier from yesterday, consider these:
Pass labs xa200.5
Gryphon colloseum (now discontinued)
Plinius sa103 (mono configuration)
Simaudio 860a
Simaudio 870a (never owned it )
Krell evolution one
And others I can't think of right now...
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no i have not listened to the DAW and Alexia side by side, but i have owned Sasha 2’s AND Alexia 1s and NO SASHA model can scale in the same fashion as the Alexia. Keep in mind, i don’t have a horse in this race because at the end of the day i am more than capable to bring a Sasha DAW if i wanted to, but i am not about to make that kind of investment just to prove a point. I am also still trying to figure out what speaker sounds best in my dedicated room and this means i need to try other offerings this year and because i now have Wilson Alexia, it would only make sense to go UP the ladder and not down the ladder which is where i perceive the Sasha DAW to be.
Although i want a large speaker, i don’t want to deal with the logistics anymore. |
Let’s keep things civil. It’s 2020 and I think this year we should all try to contribute positive things for this thread to keep rising. It’s clear we can disagree on some things, but why not TRY TO RESPECTFULLY disagree ?
I take the most heat out of anyone here and it’s even through private messages believe it or not. That said, I can’t let that get to me or take me out of my own element or else this thread would go nowhere.
If ANY OF YOU were in my neck of the woods , I would open my doors for you to come and have drink with me and listen to some tunes.
In 2019, I was scammed 12,500 dollars by 2 separate dealers. That's money I could have used to pay my daughter’s tuition when she is in college some day (I won’t mention their names because it can back fire on me) and yet I am STILL here continuing this journey to entertain you all. Think for a minute if you lost 12,500 from your bank account right now how that would feel? Yes , I am that guy that lost that money and so when some of you come here to bash me because I might be able to make a dollar here or there not knowing my full story is something that upsets me, but I gotta carry on.
I’ve learned that when someone does you wrong, life will make sure it comes back to make them pay. I haven’t ever shafted anyone here from anything I’ve sold and I plan to keep my reputation intact as best as I can.
Sure, i welcome all sort of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. i don't mind if i am corrected because i am also human and still learning.
I keep in touch with a lot of you through email, pm's, texts, phone calls, etc and you all know i am a very stand-up type of man. I haven't been here to take anything from any of you at all. In fact, i have only been here to share with you whatever my findings are about anything i buy. That is it.
Keep it positive, clean, simple, raise your hand if you have question, pm me, text me, etc. I am always available to lend a hand. |
You send a check to a dealer in a different state for an item they are supposed to ship and they dont.How do you go about getting your money back if they tell you they are facing financial hardship or other unexpected expenses that pretty much "swallowed " the money of the check you sent to them which they also deposited ? Yes you can go there and show up in person and what's that going to do ? They can call the cops on you if you show up. You need lawyers in the middle and those don't come for free... By the time you end up paying lawyers, flying in and out of state to go to court , take time off work , plane tickets , hotels etc etc. That 10k became almost nothing plus all the drama you need to face. I advise you all, be very careful out there. I could push things the legal way but I was told that the total dollar amount I aim to recuperate Is probably going to be a wash after all the legal expenses. If it was a larger amount then it is worth it but 10k -12k is still considered low.... And if I fly into their locations, I am afraid of losing it and knocking someone the hell out and then I end up having to bail myself. |
Biggest letdown of the year will be disclosed soon.
Alexx - I can say it is on my radar but it is a lot of money which means I'd have to sacrifice a lot of things in order to acquire it. It is not impossible down the road, but a lot needs to align for me to make this purchase.
As far as 750, I don't think I'll be bringing those monsters. I want to keep exploring solid state for the most part in 2020. |
Biggest letdown of the year :
This amplifier was used very briefly and perhaps I’m being a little unfair with it but it is what it is.
I don’t recall it engaging me, seducing me, wowing me. The person that I sold it to also felt the same thing and ended up selling them as well. As a matter of fact I found the McIntosh 2301 monos more seductive and sweet.
So, the biggest disappointment was:
ARC 160M (MONOS)
HOWEVER, I want to say that the opposite was true with the 160s since it was one of my favorite amps because I truly believe that the 160s (STEREO) is a better amp. I believe that ARC fixed the 160m’s lack of emotion and drive when they created the 160s. Ive even confirmed with several dealers and they all agreed.
For some reason, there are amps that don’t sing well when in mono configuration. I think the Hegel h30 is another example. It sounded great in mono and had huge power but in stereo it sounded more coherent and harmonically right.
Again, these are my findings with my own gear.
In conclusion, the 160s is a better amp than the 160m to my ears. |
Yes...it's ok but I rather get a chord Dave for around 7k on the used market. Far better. |
Great final sentence there ! |
I'd recommend for you to try the pass labs xa25.
Low powered and it is suposed to be very musical. |
ok guys,
it is 1:06am here in Florida and today something clicked for me. I have been doing my thing on here for a few years now and this thread has become the #1 thread here on audiogon with over 8,000 posts. Today i felt like it was time to shift gears. I just finished wrapping up my first video which will go on my Youtube channel. Yes, you read that right.
I am beginning a new chapter soon which will present you with a much more "personal" approach to my journey. I have reviewed many other videos from other audio reviewers and i want to do something different. i want to review equipment from different levels: From Parasound & Bryston to Dan Agostino & Constellation. Most channels seem to focus on a particular segment/audience, but i want to switch things up a bit. I want to throw curveballs from time to time so that you can't guess what is next.
I plan to keep updating this thread in order to not leave anyone behind, but as you all know it will eventually come to an end. It has been an awesome journey that has helped me to build many great relationships and a huge amount of satisfaction because i got to share A LOT with you all.
Stay tuned as i will be disclosing more details soon. :) |
But then this should be even more fun. The fact that it is a speaker that most are not familiar with.
I personally don’t hear anything dry or sterile with the Merrill 118s and the ref6se.
I believe we are still hearing the ref6se sound a little "out of rhythm" because it needs break in time.
Well the next shootout will be with either the momentum HD or the dac direct. I will say that the dac direct Is good but it is BY NO MEANS the Vivaldi. |
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It's on my radar after I decide on which speaker I'll be buying from the 2 finalists I have selected. |
Well guys,
i have another speaker in my room that i have recently purchased. i will post my thoughts on this speaker on my youtube channel once it goes live.
I now own the Magico M3, Wilson Alexia 1, focal Scala Evo, Dynaudio Platinum C4. |
@techno:
You keep repeating the same thing over and over again. I own 4 pairs of speakers right now, I could live quite happy without any of them. Why? Because there are many options out there that I'd like to try. Wilson ALEXX, Focal maestro evo, Focal Stella Evo, maybe even horns ? Lots of options to try, but if you haven't noticed this is a marathon not a race so I'll wait until I am ready to part ways. |
@golfnutz....well now you can see that there are different opinions in regards to different wilson speakers. Some say the Alexia is sloppy, loose bass, etc and others say the opposite.
I need for everyone to realize one thing:
it is not the speaker's job to have bass control, but rather the partnering amplifier's job. Always has been, always will be... |
@techno.
All manufacturers have to move forward. This is why the Alexia 1 was replaced just like other models. Common sense and sales numbers dictates when it’s time to release a new model or else it impact sales due to the amount of used gear available. |
@david_ten
excellent point. |
Yes,
The reason is BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT.... My gear...I can do as I wish ... |
Yawn... Sounds like a CD on repeat. How much longer will you play this song so the general public knows when to tune back in here ? Let us know and we will come back once you are done. |
Bingo..... Thank you to the last 3 people who posted ... |
hi,
both dacs have great attributes. I still own both and i am on the fence on which one is the one that i will part ways with.
The esoteric k1 grandioso has already been a world class dac since its release. It has construction that tops the DCS vivaldi in my opinion. It has a built in SACD player and it is a great single chassis solution for most of you.
On the other hand, the DCS Vivaldi has the preamp volume feature which is great. It has many different filters which i have not been able to play with as much as i’d like. It also does MQA and it is an ecosystem since it has 4 chassis that compliment each other.
If you want a one box solution, i’d say get the Esoteric K1 Grandioso, but if you are the type of person that likes "legos" and constantly tear things down and then build them up again then i’d say get the DCS since it allows for more tweaking than the Esoteric.
The Esoteric K1 Grandioso is pretty much the end of road with the only add-on being the external clock, but the DCS has a much longer path in order to have the best performance from it which should easily top the Esoteric's performance (as it should since it is over $100k for the full system). |
Pass labs xs300, Momentum , gryphon are all awesome amps. I love pass labs as a company because they are always willing to work with customers. I hate Gryphon’s distributor because they are lazy and don’t want to help much. Does that sound like conspiracy audio to you ?
Do I need to bash manufacturers with a sledge hammer in order to get people interested in my opinion?
Gryphon is amazing and I hope they end up hiring a new distributor once their contract is up with their current distributor. The only thing I applaud the distributor for is that they are always looking at the used market and run a tight ship with dealers by forbidding them to discount any current product. Again, CURRENT PRODUCTS...
Do you think it is coincidence that you don’t see mephistos and antileon evos show up on the used market here in the U.S. ? Most people just keep those amps because they sound good and because they paid quite a bit of money for it. For me, it’s an outstanding product and I can’t say a bad thing about the product itself.
When it comes to amplifiers, I really don't think owners go out looking to replace gryphon unless they are getting another gryphon. It is THAT GOOD. |
Qobuz is really stumping tidal right now. After buying my aurender n10 and ditching my laptop I can say that I reached new heights that I never ever thought were possible by doing such change. More to come on this subject. |
All-
I’ll make it simple , nice and easy: Toss your laptops and grab an aurender n10 or any model above. TRUST ME , if your system is well put together you’ll be FLOORED.
The brightness I was hearing which I constantly thought it was the Odin 1 at times or having too much silver or maybe even beryllium being too bright etc is now clear to me: it was the damn laptop doing that. I literally lifted my laptop and placed the aurender n10 and I can’t get off the couch. It added a massive amount of soundstage , bass, detail , resolution, separation and even old recordings sound unbelievable. No more harshness or brightness. This has been one of the best investments I’ve made in quite sometime now. |
viber,
don't wait on me. Please share your thoughts and i will drop mine once i get around to it. Don't worry, your impressions won't skew mine. If i agree with your assessment, i will be sure to say that. At the end of the day, we have different systems so there will always be some discrepancies . |
@ron17.
I added that because I was offered one Odin 2 PC locally And I jumped on it. The dealer let me borrow it and I was able to hear the differences so it made sense for me. I haven’t seen many Odin interconnects for sale either but when I come up on one that makes sense then I’ll most likely try it.
Often times I try stuff that I wasn’t even looking for but it comes knocking at my door and if it makes sense then I try it. For instance, I wasn’t looking for another dac to replace my esoteric but one came to me locally and now I have it. It’s the same for Wilson alexia 1, magico, etc.
I’m looking to buy the dcs upsampler right now but if you called me up and told me you have a gryphon mephisto at a great deal then I’d jump on it and forget the upsampler for the time being. |
