My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

I think I may have found it. I need to live with it some more. 

The presentation above is still missing a good powercord on the music server, calibration of the transparent cables, more burn in on the master preamp. You are hearing rawness but the immediate potential is quite obvious. Big big things coming. 

Too many variables to say. What i can share is that i had some people come over yesterday to hear these amps and everyone loved the brute power, control and soundstage. I am starting to understand music more and more now because of these amps, but i still need to fully accomodate them in my system (not there yet).

I am also using the VAC preamp which might not necessarily be the very best match for it ( i wont know until i try other preamps). However, even with these challenges, i can feel the untapped potential.

The QKORE was a mind-blowing experience with them too. If i remove it from the system, there is less bass and the intense imaging is lost. I spent nearly 3 hours yesterday trying to figure out why the system was not sounding great when the day prior it was incredible. Long story short, i had the ground cable unplugged from the back of the Master preamp. As soon as i plugged it, it was as if someone turned the lights on within the presentation. 

Mystery amp/preamp are now packed up and ready to ship out next week. I did take enough video footage and pictures of both pieces for when i decide to reveal what it is. I plan to buy another set of both pieces at some point in 2022. I sold them because i needed to make a move when opportunity knocked at my door in order for me to move into these monos that are now in the room. I have zero control on what is available to me and i need to be ready to make moves when things come my way that i am interested in. If someone called me tomorrow offering me a pair of XVX, i would also pack up the XLF and ship them out without notice. If i was offered a pair of relentess or boulder 3050 monos, etc, etc... the same thing would apply. The more i am exposed to, the more i get to understand what each brand does or doesn't. This is extremely value to me and my understanding of the different approaches to sound reproduction from each manufacturer. 

How about...there might be a conflict of interest with dealers that carry the mystery gear and until that gets cleared up I don't want to step on toes. 

I am not, but that doesn’t mean i may not be interested in a specific product that i could potentially import and become a dealer for IF I FEEL IT IS AMAZING on all counts.

If i haven’t mentioned it, it is because i prefer to stay neutral in order to avoid the confusion even though I don’t represent any brands at this time. If i ever decide to do so, i will be front and center and be completely transparent as well.

This week I will reveal the music server. Bear with me. 

Having a brand that i might believe in does not mean that the rest of the brands I've owned are no good. I can stay in my lane and continue to give my input on other products in my room. I wouldn't be with a cheerleader outfit cheering for whichever brand i may decide to represent some day. 

A dealer will push what they sell and that's never my approach. 

I can give my opinion on anything I've owned without having to force any brand on anyone. Also, who said that this brand is priced around most people's budgets? It may not be...

Thanks for that video. Much appreciated and it truly touched me. 

My phone with a shure mic. 

Understood and people can see me as a dealer and I’m ok with it. I can’t let that affect me or I’ll be in the same pond for the rest of my life and these folks aren’t fishing right next to me to comprehend what it feels like. Opinions will be part of life no matter what. You can give away everything you own today and someone will still complain. It's the nature of us human beings. 

Time is of the essence. I gotta push forward and i can’t sit still doing this for the next 8-10 years: still in a small rabbit hole.

Everything needs to move forward. It’s no different than holding a job. Who wants to keep doing the same job with zero aspirations of becoming a manager or director or whatever is considered the next step up ladder from where you are today?

I’ve done 5 years of this folks. I can’t keep throwing the same fish hook in the same pond. It would be nice to eventually go into deeper waters. I’m naturally a person that needs change and never feel comfortable doing the same thing for too long.

A close friend of mine told me something that I’d never forget and which he practices successfully: if you are at a job doing the same thing for 3 years with zero promotion of any kind, you are wasting your time and are falling behind.

Arnold Schwarzenegger claims one of the recipes for his success was to never sleep more than 6 hours or else you are already behind in your day to day.

I started this thread in my 30s and now I’m in my 40s and i don’t and won’t be doing this exact same thing when I’m in my 50s or i failed myself. Bigger things need to happen or I’m not doing something right. This is NOTHING ELSE other than me wanting more FOR ME because I’ve put in 5 years - not 5 months or 5 weeks. I could have finished a few masters degrees during this time. Finding ways to move up are quite limited but i can’t let this take me out. It is all on ME how i can improve content, diversify into other things and find better ways to be productive. 

Amazon started selling books and look at them now? What would have happened if they only stuck to selling books?

Jay

Never...i tried to acquire them but efforts were not successful

Dealers should talk about what they carry because that is why they are in business for. Imagine if you walked into a bmw dealer and asked about audi? What do you think would happen?

It’s the same thing... I don’t think they are wrong for praising what they sell. It is the buyers responsibility to do their homework.

I also feel that they provide the opportunity for you all to hear the system before you buy it. I am the only mad man 😅 who buys blind folded but i think that is also starting to slowly change. 

Meet my new music server!

Video drops in 30 min!

I think that would be a question for WBF... just make sure you ask an actual user and not a dealer or distributor..I don't think many folks here roll with that caliber of gear although there might be exceptions i am sure.  

The Taiko is awesome indeed, but the break-in is indeed painful. Some days i love what i hear and others not so much. 

Do you all remember how a few months ago i had rated the Gryphon Essence as the second best amplifier from the Gryphon lineup? Well... stereophile just rated it as the best amplifier of 2021... My perception of this amp was SPOT ON and theirs seems to also align with me. If they had reviewed the Mephisto then I’m sure it would have won the best amp of 2021.

The level of exposure I’ve been through with regards to amplifiers has allowed me to easily identify when something is special. This is unfortunately something that is only developed with experience. Reading a magazine will never give you the full scoop of what an amplifier is capable of.

It’s important that you all communicate with people who have owned and lived with the component you are considering to buy. Forget reading opinions from those who simply read but don’t buy. I’m not saying that my opinion will be the same as yours but if i tell you something is special, you can bet that you will  probably will be impressed by it 9 times out of 10.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/stereophiles-products-2021-amplification-component-year

I need to make a video today about what i am hearing with local files. WOW WOW WOW. I can’t believe the difference in sound quality between streaming and playing local files. I don’t even want to stream more music from Tidal or Qobuz.

Greyhound sent me a hard drive over a year ago and i have begun to slowly drop these files into the Taiko server and i just can not believe the sound quality.

More to come!

I had told Emile that there was barely any difference but then i returned 3 hours later and it was quite apparent i was wrong. 

Mike at Suncoast audio also did this exercise and he also said the same thing. The gentleman who sold me the vac monos has Rockport Lyra, full Odin 2 cables, 4 chassis ch precision linestage and he said the difference is drastic. He was the one who told me to try to play local music and find out for myself and yep...he was correct

Impossible... I wish i was wrong... The density of the music and impact is so much better with local files. 

@henry201

Not sure what you mean by "now that i finally have a good front end" as if i haven’t had a good one before 😂

Take 2:

It was great. If you don't own a music server and have been using a laptop or something like it, i highly recommend it. There's no doubt that the improvements will be substantial. 

I didn't know there was a timeline for things? 

In my current state, with my equipment and maybe due to the taiko's transparent sound, i am hearing the big difference between both formats. Also, it has been quite a while since i revisited my local music collection. 

It's all a learning process. It doesn't matter how long it took. What matters is the fact that we all learn. 

Yes, if you can upgrade to the n20, it will be a marked improvement. It's almost impossible to go back once you've owned a music server. 

I just don't have the bandwidth to sustain all the work i do here plus doing the tweaking/ fine tuning needed with Vinyl but i might do that some day. I like the convenience of streaming and that is really the main reason why i am still doing it. Imagine doing all the work i already do with my digital front end and then having to buy vinyl and change cartridges, tone arms, etc etc...i would never finish...

I will be releasing the very first interview that Emile - (Taiko Audio's founder) has ever done on Youtube. I am glad to be the first person to interview him and i hope you all enjoy this. 

I plan to release the video around 215pm Easter Time today. We went over a bunch of interesting topics which include his take on power cords, isolation devices, future plans, and if there will be a new more affordable music server in the future!

Heads up:

If you own a magico S series and have been thinking about selling it, now is the time to do so. The new S series is releasing next year.  

Here's my new cable system!

https://youtu.be/4g2-__sD1AE

This is a very interesting discussion. You must.watch! 

Here are the Shunyata omega PCs for the first time in the system. These have no miles on them. 

https://youtu.be/gYVLEh8Hpck

Shunyata Omega QRs added to the music server

https://youtu.be/us7uYc1B7-g

Are we getting ripped off with the ultra high end? Are we overpaying? What is our responsibility as buyers? 

On my next video i plan to talk about certain areas that are often not talked about. Don't miss it 

we are about to find out my thoughts on this 2 part video series. 

video will drop in 30 minutes. Do not miss it!

here is the video !!!

I still feel that monoblocks costing 200k should NOT be scared to drive any load. I have owned several sets of monos that wouldn’t melt trying to run the Alexx. Mephisto and Boulder laughed at my Alexx speakers. It was no problem for them to drive that speaker. You could have a point in terms of the difficult load the Alexx V presents but that should be a concern ONLY if you plan to use amps that are incapable.

A 200k amp should never run and hide. To me, this is a straight up rip off. Oh and guess what? These 200k monos were replaced by the Mephisto monoblocks! Isn't that interesting?

Wait until you all watch part 2 of this video.

Interesting posts! 

OCD Mikey visits my lab!

I feel that no amp costing 200k should run and hide from any speaker. Mephisto mauls speakers for a living. 

@david_ten 

No I wouldn't say the more power the better the amp. For instance, the Gryphon Essence has less power than the Luxman 900u and in my opinion it beats the Luxman all day long. 

@pokey77

You nailed this with your comment above.

The XLF is easy to drive and make it LOUD but this doesnt mean it will be displaying its full capabilities. That is far from the truth.

Making a speaker play loud IS NOT the entire picture. I’ve heard my Xlf play loud and sound directional like a panel speaker but then you add a serious amp and wings come out the back of the speakers and now the speaker isn’t in the room anymore.

I have a video coming soon in which i will be talking about THE IMPORTANCE of selecting the component you want to build your system around. This holds THE KEY that many often times fail to see.

Let the games begin! 

Don't miss this!

Yes I agree. However, it's hard to even assume that magazine reviews aren't doing the same we did of swapping stuff in and out. 

We plan to give our impressions of the playback design 22k DAC versus my MSB Reference soon. 

Not possible unfortunately