THANK YOU RON for the analysis above. That was well articulated and you did an awesome job explaining what you heard. You have given me a lot to think about !
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 jays_audio_lab
@sciencecop I try to stay away from measurements because I feel they put a thought in our heads. It's like if i told you, becareful with your new employee. He worked for me before and he's lazy. What will you do? You will now keep an eye on him to see if it's that is true instead of just judging the person for who they are with you. |
Having lived with both here, the stella tweeter is WAAAAAAY smoother than the m3. Not once did I get bite at all from the Stella regardless of how loud i played music and i blasted it hard. The music just got bigger and bigger with the stella. One last thing, the stella tweeter IS NOT the same tweeter internally as the Scala or maestro. I hope you are not referring to the focal tweeter in the stella or grande Utopia. |
@sciencecop There is partial truth to what you said about me not putting them on mpods but i also didn't use spikes on wilson or focal so i guess you have to take that into account. All speakers could have benefited from spikes or mpods. Additionally, the stella were the speaker with no break-in time. Alexia 2 and m3 were one year old so they did have the proper break in period. If anything, the stella IS/ WAS with the biggest disadvantage out of the 3. As far as brightness, if you can refer back to the videos with the stellas you can easily hear that they were never bright for me. Actually, the m3 was a tad brighter at times, but not often. The Alexia 2 got a little bright or shouty when pushed hard. |
Let me be clear, I’m not dissing the m3. It is one hell of a speaker by all means. I am just saying that I have heard both here, in my room with the same gear which I hope you have done with the stella and m3. If you haven’t actually done that with BOTH speakers then I think I am a little closer to understanding both speakers? You are right, i haven’t lived with the m3 long, but i have heard both speakers here so one could argue i have more "exposure" to both with the same electronics than someone who has only had the m3 and heard the stella at dealer? IF this was indeed a stella because I know that MOST dealers DO NOT display the stella EVO so i am probably going to go out on a limb and say you heard a maestro or Scala Evo and NOT a stella EVO and to be clear here, i owned the Scala Evo and stella evo and the tweeters are NOT the same internally nor do they sound the same. Not even close. The Stella and Grande utopia are miles ahead of their baby brothers (maestro and Scala) With that said, if what you are comparing from the focal line is the maestro or Scala then what you are saying could very well be the truth. |
@kren: i love the analogies thrown in there. Nothing wrong with how you feel about Wilson - IT IS A GREAT SPEAKER. Every speaker i have had over the last 4 weeks (i think) really boils down to PREFERENCE. Nobody can argue anyone as to why their speaker is superior to the other because some might have different boxes that need to be checked off first. In your case, you like the dynamics and muscle which i also like. I will be giving my personal view based on ownership and of course this is my opinion - nothing else. |
that is the plan @dasign but it is rough man... i did not think this could be possible. |
i couldn’t have done the analogies you did, but I challenge you to doing car analogies next time you give your opinion on more of my future components? :) Speaking of future components... aghhhhh i want to open my mouth and tell you all, but for now you all should EXPECT 2 surprises that will be COMPLETE opposites.... It is 7:12AM ET right now, i am getting ready to leave my house to get my hands on my next component. For now, i will leave you all with a video (it will release today at noon E.T.) where i will be calling out Magico and Wilson on my issues with them. You don’t wanna miss it. It is a 38-minute-long video where i go over the Magnepan 20.7, Wilson Alexia 2, Magico M3 and Focal Stella EVO. While you all watch that video, i will be working on the next great thing! Talk to you all soon! |
Well, I’ve said it before, Gryphon continues to be king in my stable of current and former Amplifiers. The gryphon essence mono has been reviewed by stereophile and here is the recently reviewed gryphon essence! You all considering amps should take a hard look at gryphon. https://www.stereophile.com/content/gryphon-essence-mono-power-amplifier "How does one ... ... put into words that which is beyond words? For this, we have poetry, music, and, if I may be so bold, electronics on the refined level of Gryphon Essence Mono power amplifiers. Although fully capable of conveying the entire frequency range, even through speakers that bring some modestly powered amplifiers to their knees, they cannot convey the huge dynamic swings and minute details that some more powerful beasts command. But on music that touches the heart, they can transport to a realm where few components know to go. Magic awaits those with the means to audition them at home, especially with their modest BlackSpike upgrade. "Highly recommended" is an understatement." Stop looking at other amps.... :-) |
Looks are all subjective. I'm focused on the sonic attritubes right now. As far as looks, would you believe if i told you that the 3 people who have seen it in person in my room said the speaker fits perfect in my room and they liked the color? The color wasnt what i wanted but now that I have lived with it for two days, it grew on me. It doesn't get dirty, it's not a loud color and it looks better in person than on pics. |
You all will be bored waiting...while the YouTube crowd sees what I have coming next. You will be left in limbo for sure. YouTube also at least pays me a small amount a month to which you seem to not want to be a part of which is fine - it is your right , just don’t expect me to follow your wishes. I didn’t post but one video here of my trip to AXPONA this past weekend. You don’t expect me to type all my visits to each room do you? My YouTube channel is of the utmost importance to me. It is what has helped build relationships faster than anything else. My website will launch soon and naturally i will abandon this journey here and take my future journeys to my own forum section within my website. That is the next phase for me this year. It is taking me time because I’m doing 95% of all the work but i will eventually hire part time help to build out the forum section and moderate the site plus create members only sections. I am at the point now where I need to hire people to help me expand and grow exponentially ( video editors, moderators, etc etc). I’m focusing on the bigger picture now and although this thread has served me well, it is becoming outdated. This is no different than what night clubs do here in Miami Beach: They open doors to a new club, hire popular DJs, make the place really nice inside, attract good looking people but after about 3 years, they shut doors because a new place had opened up and so everyone begins to go to the new place. The only night clubs that survive here are those that remodel the place every few years and keep things changing. EVOLUTION AND RE-INVENTING YOURSELF IS KEY.
Absolute Sound and Stereophile WILL OBEY and follow the trend of social media. They can’t fight the trends (nobody can) and I promise you it is a matter of time before they build their own YouTube channel. Either follow the trends and adapt to change or get left behind and be forever forgotten about. My biggest regret is not having started my channel 5 years ago... I would have 70k-100k subscribers by now. That is one thing that makes me mad. |
Michael Fremer said the following to the critics of the ALEXX: "judging how a speaker sounds at a hi-fi show hotel room is a fool’s errand. It’s funny how people who like a certain brand will say "oh it didn’t sound good, but it’s a hotel room". And for brands they don’t like, they leave out the "but"....and just say what you said" "The comments here from people who have never heard these speakers and from one who heard them in a hotel room at a hi-fi show. I have never met any of these people but they are all really butt ugly" "Do not listen. You are too foolish a person to let your ears tell you anything" "There's no wood involved. Please never listen to these speakers. Look at the measurements and decide. That's your best bet here" The man WENT OFF on critics!! LMAO! |
The "boomy" factor is discovered once I try the better wilson offerings. How do you think most people know if what they have is really all that great? Only by comparing it directly to something else...for example, i know how good Alexx is right now but how do I identify what its weaknesses and strengths are? Simple, get another speaker in its price bracket here that I can compare against it. That is the only way I can really evaluate its pluses and minuses without forming a narrative. The Alexia is a killer speaker but the Alexx is in a different league. |
The Alexx IS NOT going to have the same bass signature as alexia or even daw. I threw them exactly in the same position where I had my Alexia and also the daw and the bass is less. Think about it, WHY would the bass be less if the woofers are bigger ? That’s like you replacing your 10 inch home theater subwoofers with 15 inch subwoofers and keeping everything identical. It’s a bigger subwoofer with a bigger enclosures. The ALEXX does not respond the same and this could be due to the rear port being located on the lower portion of the speaker as opposed to the middle of the cabinet as seen on the Alexia and daw. When I replaced the daw with the Alexia, i got far more bottom end without doing anything else. Same spot, same electronics. I’ve been working on the positioning for the last 2 days and have marked 4 different positions on the floor so I can move them from one position to another relatively quick. However, relatively quick here doesn’t exist because the time alignment needs to be done each time you move the speaker farther or closer to you and that time alignment takes a good 20 min to do. It’s a ton of fun though and no I’m not complaining 😅 I welcome the challenge to dial these suckers in. Some of you mentioned that I should use the REW software to see how they measure and use that to dial them in. Here’s my issue: I DO NOT like to use software to dial in speakers unless it’s home theater. For 2 channel, i like using my ear, blue tape, laser tape measurer and my back to move these monsters. I feel like using a software to set up 2 channels doesn’t really mean I will like the results. If this were the case then wilson would be using this software to dial in their speakers. Lastly, I'm getting excellent sound here so don't think that I am not. I'm just playing with them to see how they interact with the room. I have also learned that LOVE to be no more than 10ft away from each speaker I've owned. Once I place them too far, i lose the wow and submersive feeling. Speakers lose their magic. This applies to ALL speakers I've owned - not just Alexx. |
Interesting conversation above. I don’t really know why it sounds so unrefined only a few hours after it was sounding phenomenal. What I can say is that today it has gone through changes and got quite better earlier this afternoon. I also decided to use my simaudio 860v2 a few hours ago and this amp still shows the lack of finesse in the presentation but to a lesser degree than the Mephistos do. I think we all can certainly learn from this experiment and it will benefit many of you guys since I’m sure most of you have no problem buying this outlet. I actually replaced 2 more outlets with shunyata units which haven’t been released yet and unfortunately I need all my outlets to power my system: 2 inlets for monos 2 for msb 1 for taiko One for soulution preamp Then on the spare outlet I’m running my home theater components. I’m pretty much running enough outlets which handle everything quite well but I cant run my 2 channel off of 2 outlets unfortunately.
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Sasha and models above it have resistors which can be adjusted. Wilson does not recommend adjustment of resistors unless there are serious room flaws. They said to first explore with positioning and time alignment before touching resistors. Stella evo has more adjustments than Alexx. (bass adjustments via jumpers as well as the electromagnetic Power supply adjustments). An interesting find from yesterday: i was blasting some reggae yesterday and i decided to remove the woofer grilles. I noticed that the woofers were BARELY moving. With the sasha and alexia i had the woofers mangled and totally flexing in and out (full excursion) but not with Alexx. Will 1,000 watts class a fix that ? We shall find out soon ... |
Actually I am different....i don't get paid ..this is FREE information...i don't get price accomodations just like stereophile reviewers do on any gear they want...i don't get a check each time I write a review...i don't get a damn thing... HUUUUUGE difference...that RIGHT THERE, .makes it totally different... Don't worry, i don't expect you to understand this... |
Ladies & Gentlemen: i feel like announcing it here and not making anyone wait: Boulder 2150 monoblocks are coming and they will be battling the Mephisto. WHERE, WHO has ever done this? FULL BOULDER SET UP VERSUS FULL GRYPHON?????? On video, for the entire world to see?????. Only at Jay’s Audio Lab... 2020 will go down and out with a BANG! and i expect this shoot out to beat any other shoot out i have ever done HANDS DOWN! Will the Danish manufacturer beat one of America’s best ultra high-end manufacturers? yes it is happening, and it will go down. I wish we were not in the pandemic so i can have EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU come in to my room to hear both giants battle it out for bragging rights ! |
i agree with your comment above. Well guys, as i sit there, listening to "simply man by Lynyrd Skynyrd" i wonder HOW CAN THINGS GET ANY BETTER?? HOW??? The Mephisto is INSANE. I really don’t know how Boulder 2150s can come in here and do anything better? it is one of those questions that you can’t answer until you are doing the experiment. I don’t know WHAT will be different or how the Alexx will respond to 1,000 wats of class A, but that is why i keep doing what i am doing; To find out for myself. The battle of the 2 biggest amp manufacturers with their respective linestages and with an incredible speaker that will do justice to both presentations. I am very THANKFUL to be able to share this with you all and i am happy that I can bring this into your own home. i really don’t know which setup i will end up staying with because i need to really live with each and decide. What i can say, is that by the end of December i will have selected my reference system to begin 2021. Will i choose the Boulder and send the Mephisto/Pandora to a new home? or will i send the Boulder 2150/2110 away? One thing is for sure, whichever system i choose will be mostly based on my personal preference and the one that checks more boxes for me rather than one being better than the other. Apparently Wilson is aware of my channel (was told today) and they are wanting to put someone here in my room to set up my speakers. I have requested for Peter Mcgrath to come in here to do the set up. Will it become a reality? We will find out :-) Who would have known that what started for me as simple boredom a few years ago is now where it is today? One day i will share a few more anecdotes about my early beginnings in this hobby. Maybe some of you are walking the same path i walked years ago and not know? wouldn’t that be something else? Regardless of where we go next, as long as i am healthy and life permits, i promise you all i will keep bringing what is not being done by anyone else. |
@speedbump6: man you nailed it with your wishes!! I agree, the Mephisto is going to be fighting on 6 cylinders instead of 12. That said, what if we discover that the mephisto is a V6 twin turbo? that is what is beautiful about this entire thing... A couple of friends already said that the result will be simple: the winner will be based on my preference and not one beating the other. |
What do ya know !! Interesting article that just came out ! https://www.soundstageultra.com/index.php/features-menu/opinion-menu/1000-luxury-and-performance-the... 😃 |