@kren0006 - Agreed.
I've heard the Alexx V and it was nice, but I didn't think it was a lot better than the Alexx.
I've heard the Alexx V and it was nice, but I didn't think it was a lot better than the Alexx.
My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:
Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005
With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)
NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)
Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)
rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)
cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)
parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)
lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)
McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.
butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)
pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.
classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)
Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:
PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.
Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.
Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?
Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.
It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.
Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.
Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.
Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.
Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.
Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.
My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.
That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!
Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005
With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)
NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)
Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)
rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)
cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)
parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)
lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)
McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.
butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)
pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.
classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)
Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:
PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.
Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.
Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?
Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass.
It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.
Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.
Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.
Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.
Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.
Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.
My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.
That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!
Showing 50 responses by pokey77
@viber6 "The question of preferences is nebulous and not the whole story. As children, we liked different sounds and wanted to study different instruments and types of music." Your preferences are your "whole story", so why can't they be ours? I didn't build my system for you, I built it for me. And to say that preferences are childish is inane. There is no one correct reference sound, it is only our preferences. |
@rh67 "It helps to think young and to stay active it's all you can do." Couldn't agree with you more. Jay, you missed Luxman, though that doesn't fit in the ultra-high end gear. It is hard to hear many of these brands unless you live in a large metro area, and then still hard because they are interspersed at many different dealers. I've heard a lot of what Jay has had, but still have never heard Gryphon, Constellation, or Solution. Would like to, but I've basically stopped auditioning since I purchased my current system around three years ago. BTW, brand I thought very good is DarTZeel - I heard it at the 2017 LA Show. Absolutely fabulous, but also very expensive. @jmeyers As I mentioned above, I live in a metro area that has allowed me to hear many different brands. Yet I've heard more at the Newport Beach and LA shows over the years and I'd advise you go to a show so you can get an idea of what different brands sound like - that is how I decided on the many trips I made to audition gear. Just understand that some brands may not be well presented (lack luster sound in a hotel room), but I've heard plenty of rooms sing; it is possible to get good sound in a hotel, very possible. And for you, sounds like you maybe aren't in a metro area. So the costs to go to a show would offset all of your long drives and hotel rooms. My focus was on speakers and the amps/preamps/integrateds that made the speakers I loved sing. If you don't have a good speaker/amp interface, your system will never sing. Good luck in your journey. |
Around 4 years ago I heard the Nagra Classic line amp + preamp along with Wilson Sabrina's, Aurender W20, dCS Bartok I think, plus Transparent power cables and I forget what other wire. It was very good. My impression was different than Jays, but mine was from a 3-4 hour audition, I did not hear it in my home. |
@kren0006 Agreed. It is always the same few that take this thread off course. If those posters want to go there, find, or create, a place/thread that appreciates that discussion. I, for one, have heard many many systems and I'd love to have just spent $3k, or even $10k. But I can tell you first hand that those systems, while OK, are no where near $50k, $100k+ systems. That's the primary reason higher price systems cost more - once you hear them you can't go back, unless one cannot afford them. I'd own the Mbl Extreme system if I had the house and capital for the system, but I don't. So I settled for what was in my particular budget. Higher priced gear is not just bling as so many posit, it is higher priced because it is just obviously sounds much better, in a different league, and sometimes, just on a different planet better. @jays_audio_lab - totally agree with you. You've been very responsive and cordial. It'd be nice to get this thread back on track. |
@logydoghan, Last I heard, nearly all WAMM systems were setup with Thors Hammer. I've heard those subs on both Alexx and XVX. They add a lot, but more air/ambience than pounding bass - Wilson uses a stereo crossover and the Wilson rep uses an app on their phone to set them up. Mbl play all genres very well. Heard streaming, CD, and 15 ips RTR; just killer. |
This thread always seems to devolve to this and that’s too bad. When a person does not have experience with the gear being discussed, it leaves them no room to validly comment nor credibility with others. That’s why I don’t chime in on gear I’ve never heard. -It'd sure be nice for this thread to get back on track. |
Jay, agree with you on your post above. It is most certainly not just about amps, its about all the gear and how it works together. Case in point, my neighborhood lost fiber service for a day early this week and when the internet was working again, my EtherREGEN would not connect. Sound is still quite good, but not 4-6 hours session good. Need to get that figured out, but it shows that it is about more than just a good amp or speakers, it is about the system as a whole. The EtherREGEN kind of does what the ARC Ref6SE does for the VAC amps, just takes the sound to a whole new and more pleasing level. |
The ARC Ref 10 preamp, for me, is a stunning preamp. Heard it many times and I have also heard the Ref6 SE plenty. I easily prefer the Ref 10. The Ref 10 lacks a little dynamics to the Ref6 SE, but is much smoother and has a huge sound stage and tonally is much more convincing. From a few conversations I've had with someone that deals ARC around 1.5 years ago, ARC are not able to get all the parts they need for the Ref 10 anymore. So it makes sense that a Ref 1X will be the next reference. Please don't shoot the messenger, this is just what I remember from those conversations. It may be/I think that, the Ref 10 products will not be built any longer and that is why the ARC employee is saying that the Ref6 SE is their top tier product (in production). |
Dave, My comments are based on plenty of experience with both preamps whereas musicmans are based on comments from one of ARCs employees. Chalk it up to different rooms and other supporting gear. When I say the Ref 10 is much smoother, I mean it has much more ease and sounds more natural. Really, with the separate power supply, the Ref 10 should have the edge. But in the end, it is all about personal choice. |
The Burmester stuff is really good. The 911 amp is fantastic, but the 909 is quite a bit better, but it is this big tower-like structure that won't fit in an audio rack, same kind of profile as the Gryphon Coliseum. Heard the 909 any number of times with the $15k (at that time) Burmester preamp about 3-4 years ago. It was stunning with great dynamics and astonishingly fantastic ease; very lifelike. |
Jay, glad to hear about where you are at right now. You wrote "NO NEED to blast the system either in order to get full satisfaction here folks. All the musicality, resolution, clarity, imaging, detail and vocals that hang in the air dead center between the speakers". I'm really glad you have made it to this place. I'm not saying my system is on your level, but that's what I hear. When I first got my system, I played it at around 50 to maybe 60 on the preamp display. Now I play it at 35 and the sound is just like you say, I don't need all that volume to get the system singing. Really enjoying the journey. Keep up the trial and error and all the fun, you've worked hard to get where you are. And thanks for continuing to take us along. |
@jays_audio_lab I wanted to revisit your comments and was surprised no one discussed this: " I did see the lack of deep bass comment from the reviewer. This is exactly what I also felt about my Alexx. I couldn’t get it to do OOMPH. however, I felt that the Alexia had monstrous bass in my room. I think it’s rear port being higher off the ground on the Alexia than on the Alexx. The XLF has more presence in the bass region and a bigger presentation but i have just discovered this past weekend that i prefer the port towards the rear than the front. It seems to have a bigger soundstage and more nuance even though if i do the front port i get more bass in my room. I never understood so clearly as i do now how much collateral damage takes place when your bass is just a tad overpowering. The clarity of the vocals and the high frequency extension get buried by the bass. If you see the XLf in person you expect club level bass because of its sheer size but then you hear it and you realize it doesn't do that. It plays very uniform without overemphasizing any particular frequency." Though never owning the Alexia II or Alexx, I've heard both a lot, especially the Alexx. For me, don't much care for the Alexia II; the Alexx is just so much better. I indeed did notice that the Alexx won't thump. They have good solid bass, but that don't really belt out the bass. The system that I'm familiar with uses DAG Momentum amp/pre and a host of other SOTA components. At some point the Thor's Hammer subs were added and were professionally setup by a Wilson tech. Astonishingly, the system still did not thump, though the bass did seem to have better extension and better bass texture and color. What was really astonishing was that the air and ambience really were fleshed out. Once hearing it, you wouldn't want to go without the Hammers. I would agree with Jay that if the bass were to obscure other parts of the music, I'd rather not have an over abundance of bass. The new Alexx V was also recently mentioned. Though I've only heard them once, in the same room as the Alexx system I mentioned but with different electronics, I didn't really hear a speaker that I thought was substantially better than its predecessor. But I also didn't think the XLF was better than the Alexx (two different systems in different locations) and Jay has got his XLFs to sound much better than the Alexx. So, if I were Jay, I'd be staying with the XLF. I can't imagine what an XLF/Soulution or XLF/Boulder system would sound like, but I'd bet it is just phenomenal. |
@kren006 Wanted to address this post too (been busy with work). Again, weird that no one commented on this. "Unnatural and inauthentic brightness is neither detailed nor high clarity. It is distortion. Contrived, unnatural distortion. Don't be confused. That's it, that's the post." Agreed, it is distortion. Once you've moved from that "high clarity" to something with less distortion, it is quite apparent and also much more enjoyable. |
@viber6 Viber, as you can see, many have been patient and tried to help you understand that your comments are often abrasive. Those responding to you have been kind and helpful. But you see now how all this discussion detracts from the content of this thread and has resulted in over a page of discussion that's really not germane to the topic. Sharing what you like is great, telling others what they hear, or should want to hear, is not. Please let this thread get back on track. |
Jay, I had somehow missed your post at 11-15-2021 @ 12:04pm, but am glad I read it. First off, I just want to say I'm very thankful for this thread and all you've shard over the years. Like you, I've been playing in this pond for a long time and part of your experiences are shared in that I heard some of the same gear and my impressions are often very similar to yours. I spent five years going to the Newport and LA Shows and visiting lots of dealers. I had a lot of fun doing that and one day I woke up to the fact there is NO "best". It is just about what you like (and can afford). Around that time I came across TAD and I was struck at just how much it was what I wanted. I write all this to say that it is a journey and learning how gear interacts and the work that is required to get a system to sing - all things you are so happy to share with us. While I like to live long term with my gear, I know I'm not completely done. I want to upgrade my Aurender N10 and keep working on my digital front end; the power cords, UpTone ER + Paul Hynes LPS, network cables, etc. have made it better, but I know it can be even better. And so I'm excited to see and hear about your journey with the Taiko, especially knowing you've have the W20 and W20SE. So, like you, I too want to move forward and not stagnate. I look forward to where this thread, your YT channel, and all your other pursuits take you. I think that it is laudable that you want more for yourself, go get it! Good luck in whatever you do and blessings to you and your family this Thanksgiving and Christmas. |
I guess you've just maybe forgotten my setup, but I do have an N10 and use Supra Cat 8+ with an ER and Paul Hynes LPS; the rest of my system is very high resolution, so I'm sure a better server would yield excellent results. Anyway, just a friendly reminder. **I've heard the N20 is quite a bit better than the N10, but have not had the chance to demo the N20 or do a shoot out with the two. My dealer does not support Aurender anymore but I sure wish he did. The Taiko is probably out of my budget, but really wanting to learn all I can about it - thanks for sharing with us all. |
I’ve found that without a proper amp/speaker pairing, or what I call interface, no matter how good your upstream supporting gear is, your system will never truly sing. So with the example being batted around of the Alexx V, you must pair them with a/an amp/amps that can make them sing. Otherwise, don’t buy the Alexx V. Likewise, if you can afford to buy YG but don’t have the capital to purchase proper supporting amp/amps, then find something else that works. Purchasing audio gear should never be done in a vacuum; when you buy you are in essence agreeing with the designers work. This is not about designer fault, it is about proper pairing of gear. And this is on the buyer and their dealer or support network; do your due diligence well. |
@psnyder149 - Nice post @ron17 - I'm with you, I also disagree with Viber6s assertion that ""But take your favorite speaker, and any amp will produce decent sound from that speaker."" It simply does not work like that. |
Got a chance to hear Odin 2 Gold in a system with Alexx V, D'Agostino Momentum mono amps/HD pre, dCS Bartok or Rossini (no clock; both were warmed up and fully broken in). Bartok was on Gold power cord, just out of the flight case and it was OK. Moved to Rossini on Odin 2 and it was in a whole other league better. The system was very quiet and dynamic. Not overemphasized at all. I've heard this system with BAT Rex Monos/Pre before with the Rossini, and it wasn't even close. But that was a few months ago. Didn't get the chance to swap between O2 and O2Gold. The Odin 2 Gold was brought by the Nordost rep and will be here through tomorrow then off to NYC I believe for another demo. |