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!
WC, My experience with the Shunyata Sigma HC PC (not the new NR series) matches yours. I settled with the cheap Shunyata Venom HC, which was a little clearer than the Sigma. But I did not think that either Shunyata gave me the blow away feeling that you have with the Nordost Odin PC. The obvious next thing to do would be to try the Block monos with Odins. One would think that high power amps would benefit the most from a PC, but the benefit to the DAC is harder to understand, because it is not an issue of power delivery. Perhaps the Odin is doing a revolutionary type of filtering noise, which doesn't subtract HF the way the Shunyata Sigma does. Even if Keithr is partially correct about how Nordost may change tonal balance, I say that if you enjoy the clarity of the music, go with it.
IMO, Nordost is superb. Odin and Valhalla are not treble boosted but they do have an amazingly clear open rich sound in that region. They are neutral and open and very nice. Only heard Odin 2 once, but Valhalla 2 many times including yesterday.
With Nordost Blue Heaven and Heimdahl 2 power cords, they have a pretty amazing effect on sound, like a component change, so the Odin must be a very very big component change. Yes, I've heard the Odin 2, and recently, but didn't compare to the Valhalla 2 that was in the system the week before. I guess I could probably say I've never heard that system sound better before the Odin2 loom.
Was at Excel Audio yesterday, as I am on many Sunday's. Listened to TAD R1s, ARC Ref 10 pre, Ref 10 phono, Ref 750 SE mono blocks with Valhalla 2 wire (mostly) and Clear Audio table. Wow is about all I can say. Very fleshed out mids and highs, textured bass where the recording had them, beautiful vocals and cymbals that were so perfect. Big big big sound just like you talk about. The ARC gear works well with the TADs and I can tell you that yes, there is that tube richness, but it is NOT euphonic or unnatural or anywhere near rolled off. The Ref10 preamp is one of the very best out there. And it has another significant level of competence over the Ref 6, having more ease and musicality.
BTW, not everyone is in agreement that the DAC is the best place to put your first high-quality power cord. At least some are of the opinion it is on power amp(s). In the end, try DAC, pre, amps, etc to find where you get the best results.
Hi whitecamaross, I’m glad you have got a taste of some good cable’s, to be clear here, I’m not going to base an opinion, but rather facts, some of the posters are correct about nordost, to much can result a thinner sound on some system’s, these cable’s are certainly system dependant, here is a list that I have lived with or listened to extensively that I know is the best, all other cable’s are non listenable to me, yes, they cost as much as a small house, here is the list, stage 3 concepts, Crystal cable, Tara Lab’s, nordost, purest audio design, siltech, jorma design. If you like the Nordost odin power cable, better not ever listen to the stage 3 concepts kracken power cord, or the proteus power cord, please don’t listen to the Leviathan power cord, all three will make the odin sound broken to say the least, I will say I do not believe in mixing cable brand’s within a given system, been there, done that, I call it chasing the dragon’s tale, Crystal cable model the absolute dream or the ultimate dream interconnect’s would take your breath away on your lampi dac, any of these brand’s here is the only state of the art cable’s these day’s, others give cable’s a bad reputation, thus cable na sayers lol!, btw, always remember this, once you indulge in such cable’s, best not to talk about them, most audiophiles do not react to well, the mass trolls will eat you alive if you tell them you have $60.000 retail in three or four cable’s, that is why my personal world wide friends talk by mostly emails, I hope this helps, cheers whitecamaross 🍷🍸🍹🍺
Shunyata Sigma NR failed WC, because he had a crappy powercord on the dac while doing his tests. Bottlenecked big time by the first piece in the chain. Odin does wonders now , because it is plugged on the dac where everything starts.
Please WC, just do the real test, Odin vs Sigma on the dac. We would all benefit from that huge matchup. Win or loose , we should learn a lot from that kind of test.
You all forget that i can’t just bring stuff on the fly like that ESPECIALLY when it comes to cables. Most dealers WILL make you buy it if you want to try it. When it comes to the mainstream brands, no dealer is going to order a cable for you and let you try to see if you like it in your system. However, i would be MORE THAN HAPPY to test drive any cable you have. Techno, if you have this cable then send it to me and i will pay shipping both ways or if ANYONE here has a cable that you believe would floor me more than the Nordost Odin then shoot me a pm and i can send you a shipping label with insurance so i can try it here in my own home. i have been hearing from people who swear by the new expensive Audioquest power cords (dealers) and i ask them to send it my way if they believe it is THAT GOOD but all i hear are crickets and zero action. Remember, at the level where i am currently sitting, things are CRAZY EXPENSIVE. I need to be very selective to say the least. Could you imagine if i bought every cable you all recommend? With cables, i plan on going about it in a very VERY different way. I will test drive as much as i can without having to pay upfront and if a 300 dollar power cable kills my Odin powercord, I WILL POST IT HERE.
The real question is why does your dealer doesn’t want to let you borrow a single 15 A Shunyata Sigma to try on your dac...a top tier customer like you.
First logical answer to that question is... to be able to sell to a very deep pocket customer a 6 times more expensive Nordost Odin.
Second logical answer is... your dealer does not want the readers to know that we can equal or best an Odin with a far less expensive Sigma. And you don’t want to offend that dealer in doing so.
Good morning whitecamaross, ok, you got a deal!, I will pm you specifics today, warning, you know if you listen to some cable's I will negotiate to be sent to you, there could be a possibility you would re-finance your house, lol!
Techno, the dealer that let me borrow the shunyata is not the same dealer that lent me the nordost.... he doesn’t carry nordost. in addition to that, he doesn’t carry a 15a shunyata on hand so he would have to order it which means I have to buy it.
Fsmithjack, i would take the musical fidelity titan over the 160.8 and Mark Levinson 536. The Mark Levinson 536 was decent but bass was not there and the 160.8 won’t have any bass either and as you all know the magico s5 mk2 need an amp with outstanding bass control or each time a bass note hits, you’ll hear crickets instead of bass. I wish I had the s5 mk2 with my musical fidelity titan. When I owned the s5 mk2 I was looking for monster power with bass control and that is what the musical fidelity titan has in spades.
When it comes to the mainstream brands, no dealer is going to order a cable for you and let you try to see if you like it in your system. However, i would be MORE THAN HAPPY to test drive any cable you have.
That's why I posted about Sablon. You can try it and return it for a refund direct to Sablon if you don't like it.
160.8 won’t have any bass either
When I owned xa60.8s, they had plenty of bass for my 91db speakers
audiolabyrinth, Thanks for your list of expensive cables, but what sonic characteristics make them preferable to you? To your ears, how does the Odin sound broken?
I don’t have a clue about audioquest because most dealers praise it but don’t have it lol. Imagine if I was to go by what people recommend to me? You all have any idea how many people reach out to me asking me to try x, y, and z?
I agree with you WC - you can't try everything, especially mega buck stuff. I like your offer to pay shipping both ways. That way, if someone really wants you to try something they can share the wealth and purchase the cable and send it to you. I have a 15 amp 2 meter Audioquest Hurricane that I might send to you. I'll need another few weeks to evaluate it. Dave
Viber6, I love nordost upper echelon model cable's, I use to own the odin, great stuff, like I said in my previous post, most cable's are system dependant, that said, the Tara Lab's discontinued zero gold interconnect's and omega gold speaker cable's had a most engaging beautiful sound that I preferred on my system, I also listened to a lamm system and nordost sounded better in that position , I listened to the stage 3 concepts top three model power cable's against the odin, check them out on the internet, an incredible amount of science and best quality parts used, made in USA 🎶🎼
Atownkeep, you got me brother, that was what I was going to do, the Grandmaster by Tara Lab's is the end of the road. However, spoke to the vice president of Tara Lab's , sadly, he said they don't do the Grandmaster on the loaner program, but I'm working on the situation, not sure if I can pull that rabbit out of the hat🤓😀
Agreed, one can get the same performance as Odin for much less money.
Viber would say, Odin boost the high frequencies so that it’s waking up the rolled off Ref10 and Neoliths...
It is well known that Nordost is very fast , and a bit tilted up in the highs. They also cut a bit on lower midrange richness density. Articulate fast bass though.
Techno, you are avoiding my proposition.... I’ve asked you to send me your cable so I can compare. As a matter of fact, I’m willing to send shipping labels to anyone willing to send me their cable so I can do a shootout here in my home. Any takers??????? If you believe in your cables being better then speak up and let’s do this. Let’s stop assuming stuff by reading specs or magazine reviews. You all know my opinion is based on gear I have my hands on.
I will send you my Alpha NR , if and only if you return the Odin to your dealer so that you are not biased by a the fact you just purchased a much pricier powercord...
I've owned Nordost cables for over 15 years and have gone through almost every model. I found the original series (version 1) cables lean in the lower midrange upper bass area, but paired with a warm, laid back system they were a hard combo to beat. I had an all BAT (tube preamp and tubed monos) system with original Valhalla's 15 years ago that was such a great combo. I don't think the original Valhalla's paired with a forward, bright or lean system would be a good match. As with everything in audio it's all about synergy and proper matching.
I now have a mix of Valhalla 2's and Odin 1's in my system. They are warm, rich, detailed, refined and have a 'reach out and touch the vocalist' feel/sound to them. As far as being a bit tilted up in the highs and cut a bit on lower midrange richness density I'd have to say that poster has not heard them.
I think WCSS' offer to pay round trip shipping to anyone willing to send their cable for a comparison is a great idea. Would love to see that happen and I know if WC found your cable more to his liking (in his system) he would be honest and report it.
There are so many great sounding cables out there....so difficult to try them all.
I wish I still had my Purist Audio Dominus Fluid XLR interconnects and Dominus Fluid Power cord , but unfortunately, I do not .or I would send them for WC to try . The Dominus is a blend of Copper ,Silver and Gold. . The Nordost Odin interconnect is 24 copper Ribbons,(each 20 gauge) with silver plating. I am betting that the Odin sound a lot like the Verastarr Grand Illusion. which were very detailed ,big soundstage , up close presentation , but lacked bass IMO.... maybe the Odins have the bass.. ??? That would be my main concern with them.
casually following this thread may mean i’ve missed something so my comments may not have much meaning., with cable swapping now in full gear i have to assume a permanent amp and preamp are now selected. otherwise adding these cable variables just mucks it up. if i was actually contemplating spending odin kind of money i would think long and hard about spending the funds on an even higher level of gear, if possible. you have to have great cables at this level but the rig comes first. if one can chase cables at the odin level then said person can afford to keep ARC’s best mono blocks in tubes. the tube amp will make a much greater impact than any high end cable and provide a much more exciting listening experience. i do it with a great solid state preamp that has the features i want into a tube amp. it’s fundamentally different than lateral solid state amp choices. that said i’m still all SS at a high level but when i insert an ARC amp its a new sound altogether and frankly a more exciting one. regardless of the type of preamp used the amp is the last link before the speaker. i think ss first to tube last makes great sense, at least to me. FWIW
if i was actually contemplating spending odin kind of money i would think long and hard about spending the funds on an even higher level of gear, if possible.
The popular Cable Company lending library has lots of stuff, although maybe not many of the top level products discussed here. So far, this thread's members offer the best prospects for WC. Still, I don't know why dealers can't have in stock at least 1 sample of every cable from the company they represent. Cables are durable, and it actually makes more sense to buy used than new. Burned in gives stable sound, not the uncertainty of a new one. And even Odin is cheaper than many Wilson speakers, so a dealer can be happy charging a little rent for a portable cable, whereas he couldn't rent out a heavy speaker. Light electronics are loaned all the time. Is a Nordost dealer worried that unlike WC, most of his customers will think its price/performance ratio is not good?
Nordost has cable loaner kits all the way up to Valhalla 2. As far as loaning out Odin 1&2, that would be up to the dealer to loan out their own demo cables. Usually Odin 1&2 are used in their top systems. Depends on the size and stock of the dealer....I have taken home an Odin 1 PC for 2 days and 1 night when the dealer was closed for their days off.
whitecamaross, I've pm'd you and offered to mail you at no cost a power cord which I found to have the most fidelity of ANY power cord I myself and multiple colleges have experienced. While our system isn't at the level of your system, it has stunning fidelity and easily reveals component changes. Our system is: the same brand power cords I'm offering but one tier below their top power cord, Meridian 861v8 and 800, Pass 200.5's, Sasha I's, Sound Application RLS power conditioner (for front end components only), and the previous iteration of top tier MIT Oracle interconnects and speaker cables (well over $60,000 retail). I would eventually like to get our speaker cables and interconnects to be the same brand as our power cords (at the top tier) but don't have the funds at the moment (and our oldest will be going to college next year). I did compare the next tier down interconnects with our MIT Oracle balanced interconnects and our MIT's didn't compare. As a matter of fact, this was the post I made earlier here about a component switch I made with 3 other individuals - it wasn't a piece of "equipment" but rather the interconnect! My offer includes: 1 - you return the power cord with insured shipping (at cables actual cost) at your own expense. You are also welcome to purchase it (terms I addressed in my pm to you). 2 - you not identify the cable (independent of results) until I clear it with the manufacturer (I stated I'm a dealer and need to clear things for multiple reasons). 3 - you not disclose the arrangement specifics with anyone. After all is said and done, and I confirm things with my manufacturer (independent of results) you can share your findings on this post. Please respect my reasons - especially if you don't understand them. I'm merely asking you to delay posting the results. I offered this so I could get your feedback on how this power cable compares to the Odin power cord you have. I want another respected opinion (I would also ask that you switch out each power cable on the same piece of equipment - for the most meaningful, insightful comparison). I also stated that this is the cable I found with the most fidelity (truth to the original performance) and may not be the one you like best because you define sweetness (very well I might add) as something you liked. So now I've posted this for everyone to see, and I hope everyone will respect my offer. Most sincerely, Thomas.
I would like to invite you to come to Chicago, IL, specifically to the suburb of Morton Grove, to visit a retailer named Quintessence Audio. For the record, I have no special relationship with them other than having been a relatively insignificant but loyal customer for approximately 30 years.
When you come, you can have the opportunity to hear the ARC ref 10 fed by DCS digital into 3 different Wilson speakers, or Sonus Fabre Aida $125k speakers, Focal, Dynaudio speakers or Pass Labs or any of SimAudio equipment or a host of other choices. While you are there, you might also listen to the Kubala Sosna cable loom or Cardas cables. You will then be able to experience first hand how inaccurate and “Euphonic” the ARC is compared to other top end solid state equipment. When I heard this system, I “only” got to hear DCS, ARC 10, SF Aida combination through an all Valhalla 2 loom. It was a $400k system and was absolutely stunning.
Normally, that system would have had an Odin 2 loom, but the entire $75k loom was out on loan to a customer. You know, it’s quite amazing that Quintessence sells any Odin cables in spite of having all those others to choose from in the store, or to take home and audition. I know that many reputable dealers offer home auditions so people can try within their own system in their own familiar environment. It is just normal. Your Nordost dealer slam was just plain ignorant.
I have never asked how much inventory Quintessence has on the floor at any given time, but I’m going to make an educated guess at over $3 million. I don’t know how many retail outlets in this niche market can support this kind of inventory and stay in business for over 30 years but I would be shocked if it were many more than a few in the country. The answer to your question about dealers is that overhead is huge, margins are thin, sales are tough in an environment where everyone wants a deal and the market is relatively small. Dealers have to make the best decisions they can while tightly managing cash flow in an economy that can turn south on a dime. The answer is not that they are afraid their products are inferior.
Since you consider yourself such a well educated and knowledgeable audiophile with your endless and generally misinformed posts I firmly believe that you will resist further contributions of your mindless drivel until you can come to Chicago and hear for yourself just how misguided much of what you write is. I’m sure you have both the intellectual curiosity and honesty to admit that when you hear first hand how great some of the items you slam are you will come around full circle. Just FYI, I do not own any ARC nor Odin cables, they are way beyond my means, but I do appreciate that they are wonderful products as are many others.
Before you fire off your retort and justification, please go back and reread what you have written since your self imposed but too-short lived Christmas exile. Ask yourself, how much are your words really contributing to the collective knowledge?
I will point out something you are not likely aware of... This thread has been thriving for around 30 months, most of the time without you. It appears you first started following it on or around April 23... 9 months ago. In only 1/3 of the lifetime of the thread, you are approaching 500 posts (nearly all on this thread) out of 5900 total posts—nearly 10%. WC, the one person we are all really interested in, has only posted 1500 times. Other people are too polite to you, but many share the feelings I am expressing. I am going to go out on a limb and predict others will support what I am writing.
Start your own discussion thread, maybe even join forces with techno_dude, and when you’ve been going strong for more than 2 years with a significant following, come back and tell me how wrong I was. Don’t bother till then!
Hi techno, I posted the question below yesterday but you did not respond to it. You have been a direct contributor to this thread. It is only natural when someone contributes as much as you have that those reading your posts want to learn of your knowledge base. I repeat my earlier post:
"techno, in the past you have mentioned you are not a pro reviewer. How do you have such a vast knowledge of so much gear?"
Ditto. When a person brags about their lowly C47 and then has the audacity to trash some of the best gear in the hobby its just mind boggling. All the insecurities could not fit on a roll of toilet paper. Says his SPEAKERS are the component most in need of an upgrade....are you kidding me?? States he can afford the ARC/DAG's etc but would not waste his money....YET he cant come up with the meager scratch to get the Luxman 900U to go with his LUX 900 AMP. The LUX 900U is MUCH Cheaper than the other Pre's he says he can afford. Doesnt make any sense at all....hence the monikor TROLL.
I really like AQ and have a lot of their cables, but I do have to agree that their recent PCs and speaker cables are clouded in a mystery. Was talking to a dealer and he mentioned the AQ reps didn't have much insight on the cables either. Yet they can be purchased today.
For Nordost, I remember reading a forum member on Stereophile doing some interesting mods to their Valhalla v1 PC to get lower-level detail. Very old post, but could be an interesting read, not sure how valid his conclusions are though. Just google "Truth about Nordost Valhalla power cord." I have always been intrigued by Nordost, hope to try the newer Valhallas.
jetter, I am not a pro reviewer, just a dude who has seen a lot of audio gear pass in his living room.
ezzigi, agreed with that review, Nordost Valhalla or Odin for power cable NO ( much overpriced)
Shunyata for power cable YES. Nordost Valhalla 2 or Odin for speaker cables YES. Nordost top tier speaker cables are the best you can find. They are truly remarkable. Expensive yes, but the very best have a cost. Not their powercables though.
Yep there it is. "Lots of Gear" and yet after having SO MUCH experience we end up with Unknown Crappy speakers, A Luxman Amp paired with a Bottom of the Line McIntosh Pre-Amp. I AM IN AWE of the expertise and vast knowledge of synergy that put this impeccable system together. ALL HAIL THE TROLL...We're Not Worthy!!!
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.
