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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!
20,890 responses
I'm not embarking on buying crazy expensive powercords unless the offer makes sense. Right now the odds that another cable will come here and kill the Odin PCs are very slim which means I'll end up selling them and I'm not about to take that kind of risk on cables unfortunately. Why ? Well because not many people will spend crazy money on a PC. We gotta keep it real about this. |
Without further delays , here are my initial impressions of the Odin 2 PC on the dcs dac after 8 hours of playtime: - a feeling of "rightness" in the overall sound presentation - more relaxed than I remember the Odin 1 being ( still need to compare later ) - super bowl size soundstage - bass appears leaner with certain tracks but then you switch to the next track and it punches you in the gut. This is simply me understanding that the cable is letting me hear the song exactly as it was intended to be heard - super low floor noise - mids are literally dead center as if someone had them chained and locked in between the speakers - transparency is world class but this will punish you with bright recordings - cardas clear audio xl PC has more bass but it leads me to believe that this is what cardas intended to do with this cable and perhaps not true to the material being heard - voices are beyond articulate. I no longer need to to look up lyrics so I can understand what is being sung - freaky 3d sound - decays have a "lightbulb" behind them that makes it easy for you to follow them until they fade Overall, this is simply world class. This is miles ahead of any other powercord I've had with the exception of it being the Odin 1. I actually don't think the Odin 1 will equal it but it will be interesting to know how close they are in performance. Will it be a 10% , 20% , 30% difference? Stay tuned to find out. Five star rating all the way ***** |
Of course. We can all also compete against usain bolt too by lining up next to him and try to outrun him. Does this mean we are neck to neck with him to the finish line ? Competing doesn’t mean nor does it imply that you actually kept up or hung in there. You are correct that the sigma would compete though. Remember what I said , I want to best my Odin PCs but that hasn't happened. |
Isn’t it akward that your vast dealer contacts and gear availability never have given you the opportunity to compare the Sigma NR to the Odin PCs. Only one reason, they don’t want you to. Sigma NR doesnt need to be pushed to sell, as it’s price point is much lower. It ´s not a big buck maker for them. |
I have tried it once when I had the neoliths and I wasn't like wowed by it. However, it's better if I brought it here again. Give it time. It will happen in the future. I grab things based on availability to me. I'm sure that cable will come back to me eventually and I'll do the shootout. Maybe you are right that it is better than Odin 1 but keep in mind that I'm talking about Odin 2 here. Different cable |
I tried the Shunyata Sigma HC power cord (the version just prior to the NR series) and wasn't impressed at all. Although it was SUPPOSED to be better than the introductory Venom HC because it had noise reduction and was 10x the price of the Venom, I found it laid back, not to my taste. I am happily using the Venom. I am now looking for the Valhalla 1 or Odin 1 power cords. Today, an AG offer for Odin (1 or 2?) for $2950 was snapped up within hours. How do you tell if any Nordost is authentic? Certificates? |
Viber That’s pretty much the same feeling I have about shunyata pcs cables in general. They do tend to rob a little bit of the sparkle of the music. That said , I might be headed into full nordost Odin 2 next year. Odin 1 is still incredible. I’ll give my take on powercords later next week and what powercords to get based on the speakers you own. Many of you will find it interesting. |
Ok so here are my impressions of the Odin 1: - gobbs of detail - good soundstage, but what calls your attention is the level of resolution in between the speakers - brighter than Odin 2 - good bottom end but Odin 2 added more layers - mids are great but they are little darker in comparison to Odin 2. - slower than Odin 2 - dynamics , detail and pace is here |
Odin 2 powercord: - faster sounding with great sense of urgency than Odin 1 - bigger soundstage that goes wall to wall - mids are no contest here. This PC adds more articulation here. It makes Odin 1 feel as if the mids have been turned down a few clicks - 3d effect is insane that you almost feel like wearing your 3d glasses - more relaxed and smoother. No edginess or brightness - bass is just layered better. - not a hint of floor noise -speakers create a disappearing act - tonality is different than Odin 1. It is just easier to listen to at any volume level - Odin 2 is like a calibrated display where all the colors are the right balance, perfect combination of brightness and contrast along with the proper level of edge enhancement while the Odin 1 is this same display but prior to calibration. Overall the Odin 2 easily bested the Odin 1. It made the Odin 1 show its age and that there is a new kid on the block. No ifs, no buts, no doubt of any kind. This PC is superior to its ancestor which more than justifies its additional cost. Make no mistake, this cable delivers all the goods and serves them on a platter. If I were to quantify how much of an improvement, which it is hard to do by the way since it’s system dependent, i would say it is at least a 30% improvement from Odin 1 which is huge in my book. Don’t think for s second that you can get an odin 1 for cheap and pretty much pretend you own the Odin 2. Your ears will show you that it is not true. It’s either you own the Odin 2 or you don’t. |
fantastic WC. Thank you for sharing those observations. Unfortunate news in some ways ;) Would you roughly say the O2 speaker cable also gave a 30% boost compared to the O1? or greater? Btw, your finding re: the cardas clear xl PC seems to match mine when compared to a O1 PC. I found while it may have added bass (which also felt less layered) it gave up too many other attributes in comparison especially dynamics and detail. |
@WCSS I can't figure out why you would upgrade your power cords from O1 to O2 before getting O1 interconnects. For me in my system the most important cable (that made the biggest improvement in SQ) was power cords followed by interconnects then speaker cables....jumper cables and USB were not too far behind speaker cables. I understand the desire to mix cable brands (for tuning purposes) but since you are so taken with Nordost (as I am) why not try a full loom? |
@ron17. Because Odin 1 was probably a tiny bright with my focals and Wilson audios. When I do the full Odin 1 pc and powercords I have a tremendous amount of detail with some brightness sprinkled in it. I did try Valhalla 2 briefly this year and I wasn't exactly impressed when I did but maybe who knows what I'd hear now? This is exactly what Odin 2 has fixed (brightness)plus it added many other benefits well. I actually love what cardas xlr have been doing. Today I received a brand new set of cardas clear beyond xlr which I will be introducing in the system next week. Lastly, keep in mind you listen at very low volume levels which I can see why it would work for you but I like to listen at all volume levels and cardas xlr allows me to do this. One more thing , I am not going to do more nordost Odin 1 in my system than what I already own. I have my eyes on Odin 2 for next year. If I listened at the volume levels you listen at, I’d do it but I can’t due to ear fatigue over extended listening sessions when using too much silver in my system. I like to fine tune it. |
Ladies and gentlemen, Because I am such a desperate individual I decided to bust open the cardas clear beyond xlr and compare to the cardas clear audio xlr which is what I have been using in my review of the Odin PCs. OMG I didn't expect it to be such a drastic change. Things just flesh out of the tweeters EVEN at low volume levels. The soundstage is taller and deeper and it has unbelievable smoothness. These are NOT EVEN broken in because they are just fresh out of the box. More to come. |
That is an all copper cable , which to me is more natural sounding and more fleshed out than silver or silver coated copper . There is a lot going on in the geometry and dielectric, and winding etc etc. Cardas has been doing it for a long time. A lot of people do not understand all of the technology and science that goes into a cable like the Cardas Clear Beyond . and because people do not understand ,they call B.S. or snake oil. To be honest you won’t know about the technology, measurements, winding, or twists (how tight or loose ) dielectric , etc.etc of a cable like that because the company does not want to explain all of what it involves because they do not want others to be able to duplicate it The silver and silver coated copper are much faster sounding cables, but the speed and sparkle to me becomes too much and does not sound natural . Silver or silver coated copper can sound better with warm equipment or a warm tube amp, where a little speed and sparkle may be needed ...IMO At least hat has been my experience . Just look at this pic of the Cardas Clear Beyond cable . Looks pretty technologically advanced when you look at it. No snake oil in there anywhere http://www.cardas.com/clear_beyond_ic.php |
Ok guys, so it seems that one of my thread followers and i are about to do business soon. There is going to be the most obscene, crazy amplifier shootout EVER done by ANYONE including me. My Pass Labs XS300s are about to enter their first real battle against a tremendous pair of world class monoblocks. It will be a week or two before this happens, but this you WON'T want to miss. |
Grey9hound Cardas has been doing it for a long time. A lot of people do not understand all of the technology and science that goes into a cable like the Cardas Clear Beyond . and because people do not understand ,they call B.S. or snake oil. To be honest you won’t know about the technology, measurements, winding, or twists (how tight or loose ) dielectric , etc.etc of a cable like that because the company does not want to explain all of what it involves because they do not want others to be able to duplicate it. >>>>>I’m sure. 🙄 |
I personally can say that there's no snake oil with cardas clear beyond xlr. I actually feel thrilled by what I am hearing at all levels. I don't need validation from anyone as to whether they are snake oil or not. I hear and then state my findings. However, as I've always said it, if your system is subpar then don't expect for any cable to turn it into world class. You can polish a turd but in the end it is still a piece of $h!t..... |
Hello WC, as I have mentioned a couple of times, I have been a am a total fan of Cardas wiring for a while.... My current loom, Cardas Clear Beyond XL PCs on Rowland M925 amps and Rowland PSU, Clear (original) PC on Esoteric X-01 player, Clear digital coax, as well as Clear Reflection XLR ICS and speaker wires, are easily the most musically complete and satisfying set of wires that have ever graced my system, even though the Clear Reflection line is at least a couple of levels below your new Clear Beyond... All I can say is that my loom is extraordinary. I can just imagine how replacing the Reflection signal wires wih Clear Beyond would enhance my own musical experience even further.
G.
|
grey9hound @goeffkait (sic) I think rolling your eyes at those pretty rocks you sell would be much more appropriate! I see the snake oil dripping from them. As a matter of fact, the snake oil is what gives them their luster and color. >>>I don’t know why everybody’s so down on my pebbles. They literally put me on the map. Why they put me on the map of North Dakota is anybody’s guess. |
Quite simply, it is because general computers (either desktop or laptop) are good at many things but are not great at creating the best signal (whether it be via usb or Ethernet) for transmitting a quiet (without interference) or stable (without jitter or timing errors) for DACs to convert to analog. For an excellent technical discussion of the challenges presented in an understandable way for novices, listen to the interview below between the technical designer for Innuos and Darko audio. Innuos makes some of the best purpose built severs in high end audio. https://soundcloud.com/johnhdarko/why-digital-audio-isnt-just-ones-and-zeroes |
My question to many here on A’gon is, why get a good music server (really a computer) to hook up to your DAC, when you can use a cheap internally noisy and multi-purpose computer connected to the brilliant Sonore xxxRendu’s? The Rendu’s are Ethernet-2-USB converters or streamers (also called Digital-2-Digital converters) and are Roon Ready. The computer can be kept far from the stereo, such as a different floor of your house. Now that ability to by-pass RJ45 Ethernet cable in the stereo streaming setup is starting to show up in DAC’s like the Lumin X1 (I expect many more in the future). Sonore is again leading the way for the new Fiber Optic road map with the SystemOptique. Baby steps to move from RJ45 to Fiber Optical. Fiber cannot carry noise like the RJ45 Ethernet that we use in our home networks. https://www.sonore.us/index.html https://www.sonore.us/systemoptique.html I will be buying this one, https://www.sonore.us/Signature-Rendu-SE.html. Computer Audiophiles Product of the Decade. I own the mircoRendu and another Sonore streamer whose name escapes me now. |
@mayoradamwest. The bass of the Alexia 1 is killer (if you have the right amp) and they are not as good as the Alexia 2. I think you will love the boulder 1160 with the Alexia 2. One thing I like is that you can listen to the Alexia at low volume and you still hear the bass thump. It doesn’t disappear at low volumes like most speakers. This is extremely appealing to me. HOWEVER, I have the amplification for them. I don’t recommend any Alexia model if you aren’t planning to buy serious amps. I’ve heard the Alexia 2 with ref160m and it made me yawn. I am believer that Alexia sounds best with solid state and you seem to have one great amp. One last thing , they need room to breathe. You can’t tuck them in the corner or against a wall or you won’t be able to tame the bass. Be prepared for long listening sessions at loud volumes because it is easy to get caught listening at loud volumes without even realizing it. I have to begin to learn how to enjoy music at lower volumes or I won’t be hearing a thing 10 years from now. It is a hard thing to do with Wilson because they are so dynamic and explosive that you simply are impressed by them but this comes at a cost which could be hearing damage if you’re not careful. Other than that , they are one hell of a fun speaker. |
whitecamaross - would a pair of Pass XA-200.5's be enough for the Alexia I's? It seems like I continue to sabotage myself by getting other components first. Most recent acquisitions include 2 power conditioners and a pair of interconnects - before that it was upgrading our Meridian 800 series digital front end components. I find myself with opportunities too good to pass up - and I don't! But I've been wanting to get a pair of Alexia I's. I'm just not able at this time to upgrade our amp's if they don't have enough juice. PS - I would really appreciate your feedback on the best pre-amp's you've had, specifically the Boulder, the Lampizator and the Audio Research Ref 10. |
I do not consider myself especially knowledgeable about the various Innuos products. I have spent the most time with the Zenith MK II SE and have heard it compared to Aurender N100 and dedicated iMac mini which I have owned for several years. I have spent a little time with Zenith MK III and Statement. I was first introduced to the SE at Axpona 2 years ago when I strongly encouraged a friend to upgrade from his N100 to the SE, which he did at my recommendation. The primary driver of this decision was for Roon compatibility but we have both been pleasantly surprised at the significant improvements in detail and musicality, 3 dimensionality without any identifiable downsides. This being said, I found the interview with Nuno to be exceptionally informative and I look forward to adding an Innuos to my system when financials permit. There are several contributors on this thread (and a few other AG threads) that have extensive experience with SE and Statement partnered with dCS and other DACs and their published descriptions has matched my limited experiences. |
