Very nice sounds great, anyway you can let us know the song and artist of tracks you will be playing.
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
This is the original techno dud. He hasn’t posted on this thread since Feb 2019. The original Tech dud also has 382 posts. The original Dud devoted his life to trolling this thread for about a year before he figured out there’s better things to do with his time. https://forum.audiogon.com/users/techno_dude |
Very informative video 2. When you get a chance, it would be most interesting to do side by side A/B's of various components with a brief musical selection. Most videos just play something without comparison to anything else, so the mediocre sound doesn't tell you anything about the real sound in the room. But even with your compromised recording device, an A/B would be much more meaningful. Of course, keep your recording device on a stand about at ear level from your sweet spot reference listening position. When recording, the most critical component is the quality of the microphones. Top condenser mikes are about $1000/pair. My Neumann KM184 is ultra detailed, but the top Shure is cheaper and smoother yet still professional grade. You don't need to spend big bucks for mikes from Schoeps, B&K (now another name I forgot). With great mikes, you probably would be able to demonstrate differences in cables, amps, preamps, but with your present setup it may be possible to only show gross differences with speakers. |
@whitecamaross some thoughts on your videos... overall, I really like the way you speak. You’re not talking like you’re coming from a place of authority. You talk about your experiences. Right now, the videos mainly come across like podcasts. It’s just a picture of your system, with an occasional close up of some component, but mostly speaking over a still image. Consider showing something moving sometimes if you don’t personally want to be on camera. As for the camera, it kind of looks like an Pixel or iPhone in a very dark setting. Do have any more lights you can add to the space? How about a nicer camera that shoots in 4K? I’d be happy to make specific suggestions if you like. Also, a tripod if the camera if the shot isn’t going to move for a while. For audio recording, you could consider something like the industry standard H4N which allows you to add external mics if you want to even further improve sound. I hope you keep doing the videos, as I think your insights are really great! Thanks! |
https://shunyata.com/products/power-cables/qr-series-power-cables/omega-qr/ You Odin powercords ´ kryptonite has arrived. |
I felt the 1st video was a bit " show offy ". " Look what I spent my money on ". The 2nd video looked like a sales pitch for the Dyna's. Sorry, I am being honest. I do not believe, wc, you are a reviewer, but, an entertainer, as the fun you can have with new, expensive audio toys. I have always felt this, but the videos make it more apparent, to me. Do not take any of this as a negative, as this is only one person's ( mine ) interpretation. Enjoy !, and great success. MrD. |
Yes he is kind of show offy and his love for the big expensive prestigious is getting through unfiltered on yt. But it’s all fine. He ´s human , we all are, our passion transpires raw sometimes. As long as we don’t take this too seriously, knowing the gear is moving and gets resale and the ´´ reviews ´´ ( entertainment ? maybe not that far) are filtered not to offend... We do get to learn about the ultra high end. WC do have some kind of an open mind, for example he listened to the advice with some music playing in the second video... |
Cool. I appreciate the feedback. Can’t always please everybody and I’m alright with that especially when I’m in no shape or form being compensated at this time so if it’s free advise then hey someone will be thankful and thats all I care about. There are plenty of other YouTube channels that could give you what you are looking for mrdecibel or anyone else for that matter. You don’t have to buy my advise because it’s free and if it’s free then you should happy with what you get. You can block it, delete it or keep watching it which is probably what youll end up doing anyhow. Something that’s quite interesting to me is that a normal person who is looking for a tv show on Netflix will browse and watch something for a few episodes to see if it catches their attention to keep watching the show. If it doesn’t hook you then you move on and begin to watch another show right? So why not do this with my channel or this thread ? I mean do you keep watching a show you hate ? Who does that ? Why not change the channel ? . I’m seeking constructive and not destructive criticism. If you have destructive criticism then save it. Just don’t watch it and move on to the next video. For those that want to keep watching then please follow me so we can see how far we can go.. One last thing, since when is a hobby such as this or any hobby AT ALL not supposed to be entertaining?. Isn’t that the point? Also, a reviewer gets paid , I don’t so I guess you are partially correct that this is fun me. It isn’t my job and so since this isn’t my job I feel like I can approach it anyway I want and go whatever I feel like saying. |
I didn’t feel the review of the Dynaudio C4 Platinums were a sales pitch at all. I thought you presented them as a pair of speakers that you liked, especially for the price. You didn’t rave about them or say they were the best ever. You simply presented them as a very good value in my opinion. In fact, I was surprised it took so much power to wake them up. Even though the audio quality of my IPad is terrible, I was still able to tell that they are a good sounding speaker although that could be that I’m very familiar with that sound after personally owning C1 and C2’s. I also learned from you that the bass is far better on the C4’s. This is the kind of information that will make this channel successful. Continue to evaluate components like this. Talk about the positive and negatives of each piece you review. Any potential compatibility issues. I don’t recommend trying to cover too many components in each segment. One or two would be good. You could do an entire segment on power cords alone. Personally, I would like to see you standing up front and center. It would be much more personal. There was a huge improvement just from the first to second episode. I’m sure they will keep improving with each new episode. By the way, could you tell us the song and artist you played? I really liked it. |
Suggest shorter vids and more of them. 20 mins or 30 mins is too long I think. I started watching vid 2 but got interrupted and haven't made it back yet. Shoot for under 10 minutes would be my suggestion - enough time to cover a lot of ground but still a bite sized chunk folks can watch in a spare block of time without having to majorly plan around it. |
@whitecamaross The second video was a step in the right direction. I would not worry, and I don't think you do, but if so, please don't worry about the "show off" comments or those saying you just want to brag about your expensive equipment. I did not hear that at all. I heard someone that simply wants to share his experiences with others. That is why your thread has been so popular. People like to share with one another but not so much on the bragging. In the end, any particular viewer can choose to watch or simply move on if they don't like it. It's what makes our country great. I agree. Videos should be shorter in the 5-10 minute range. Power cord video would be great. I'm very interested in that. Also, having more movement on camera would be great. Finally, I do hope you have a ton of fun doing this and if you make a little or even a lot of scratch, then all the better. |
Still no news about the Magico M3 ? Let me guess, they lack bass compared to the Alexia 1... ( this will happen to any speaker that doesn’t have overblown bass like this older discontinued Wilson model). The Magico beryllium tweeter should be better resolute than the soft dome of the Alexia 1. It’s always the case with cymbals decay. The tradoff is normally the beryllium which can be hot at high volumes reproding some instruments. This is why Magico puts a very thin layer of diamond on their beryllium dome. B&W have the best dome imho, all diamond. Now Viber can write about HF clarity. 😉 |
@whitecamaross You ask people to give you their opinions on your videos. When you get negative feedback or criticism, you tell them to move on if they do not like it. It sounds like you really do not want advice. This attitude is kind of arrogant of you . If you really wanted advice,you want the negative too so you can at least see what people do not like about it. |
Ask yourselves this. Why does WC does not hang on whatsbestforum with audiophiles like him who possesses sota gear like he does, from whom he could learn and discuss. With experienced guys who also own ultra high end gear... Because WC doesn’t like advice ? Because he can’t sell something there? Because they are pretty much rational up there and do not not fall into the ´´ the more expensive it is , the better it is’´ camp ? Who knows ? |
Ive asked the same question to WC regarding WhatsBestFoum and Audioaficionado a couple of times where he could at least learn from guys that have systems at his level and beyond and how to tweak his gear to the max. The only weakness I see in WC approach is he doesn't hold on to the gear long enough to have it settle/break in and learn to tweak what he has before declaring its the best and then two weeks later its gone or dethroned by another best. In fact the only thread WC contributes to is his own which is a bit strange to say the least and makes you wonder why he doesn't contribute to any other thread or audio site. Whatsbestforum is all about just that' whatsbest regardless of price and the best usually is more expensive by alot. Im not sure why he doesn't but I think alot of you are bashing him way too much the last few weeks. WC doing his best just like all of us' give him a break and if you don't like what he's doing stop following the thread. |
@techno__dude Probably for the same reasons others hang on Audiogon who might actually belong at Audiocircle. In all seriousness, why get bent out of shape by whatever WC happens to be doing? He will eventually find his apex or run out of money but I appreciate that he is chronicling the journey. The Youtube channel will probably be a fun endeavor for him and while I’m no particle physicist, if he reaches critical mass it may drive enough revenue for him to eventually purchase a power cable. C’mon everyone, its just stereo gear. Follow the thread or don’t but lay off WC and the rest of the community who happen to take the time to share their experience. Its just one more data point, nothing more nothing less. It unlikely most of the gear even gets to operating temps. |
I am just one more data point is perfect. I agree with that statement. If my way of talking about gear doesn't suit your taste buds then try something else that will. I don't contribute to other threads because of the following reasons: 1. I have a family that needs my attention 2. I have a full time job that needs my attention 3. I don't want to cause drama by going into other people's thread as some of you like to do 4. I am not concerned with whatever others are doing. See , when I was younger I was always trying to see what the person next to me was doing or I was looking as to whether they got paid more than me even though I did more work, etc. That did NOTHING for me other than piss me off and want to be less productive. Now days, I am worried about me and making sure I am improving on my last version of me. Ive learned that if you concentrate on you and only you then better things happen to you. How do you think I've gotten this far with audio ? I mean I must be doing something right if I'm able to support a family and be blessed to own this level of gear right ? And no this isn't bragging but only facts of my current situation. |
@techno_dude. You know, now that i come to think about it, you of all people have been the one person who keeps bashing me lately (one of a few) about my videos or my practices in general and yet you don’t look in the mirror to analyze what you said above. You don’t realize that you pretty much want me to mislead a manufacturer into thinking that i really want to buy something when deep down i want nothing else other than to review it and then toss it back to them (pretty much unethical behavior) which i don’t do. Next time you are tempted to make a negative comment, make sure you look in the mirror because i will call you out (and so will others) on this over and over and over again. Remain cool and so will I. |
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@WC - dammed if you do and dammed if you don't...(respectfully) i ask you, why do you respond?? do the best of you and no need for apologies. I have to agree, however, if you ask for opinions, be ready for the good and the BAD. I joined this site to read and hopefully gain a better understanding of gear better than mine; I was trying to duplicate high-end sound on a shoe-string budget. there are threads on this site where people are ridiculed for their stereo gear, not being "high-end" enough. You are ridiculed because your gear is high-end and should hang around "what's best"...you "show off". Keep up the good work and enjoy!! with kind regards, Jose |
Thanks Jose and those of you who have messaged me privately to ignore the non sense that's been coming my way over the last few weeks. There isn't a hair in me that has to do with me being a show off. Remember, I came from polk audio speakers, Onkyo receiver, etc etc. I know what it is like to own audio equipment of different budgets. Anyhow enough said. Let's switch gears. If there's anything at all that you guys want me to talk about on my next videos then please mention it here or via pm . |
@WC, Unfortunate that are having to justify your journey. I think that, for some folks, if you are not doing it "their" way, then they feel the need to let you know about it. And, some do it over and over and over again. On top of that, you have folks that don't understand that your journey is about trying out equipment and the joy that comes from that. It's like a single guy who enjoys dating one gal after another. Yeah, this one or that one would make for a seemingly perfect marriage, but then, he'd always be wondering - what would it be like with that other gal? Maybe I should go out with one of them again? So much freedom in being single. Of course, there's those folks who tell you that you should get married, since (according to them) you found the perfect gal. Hey, some guys just enjoy the single life! :-) Dave |
Any manufacturer would be bless by the fact you review and compare their much less expensive dac to big guns like the Esoteric Grandioso and dCs Vivaldi. They won’t loose anything. It would only up their sales. What are you afraid of...Would it offend your close relations in the high end business... My father always said the truth hurts. WC, don’t be hurt by my critics, it’s just audio after all. Drop the ´´ultra high end ego ´´ just a bit. I’ m not the only one saying this. Remember, without us , this thread would be a 1 post 1 user discussion... |
I haven’t posted in this thread for quite some time, as I haven’t had anything relevant to contribute. But I’ve been enjoying following WC’s journey, and I think his reports here are now being very nicely complemented by the videos. And by what I consider to be the excellent narration he provides in them. My only suggestion at this point is for him to consider purchasing a tripod, and a phone holder that can be mounted on it. B&H Photo Video is a great source for such things, and pretty much all things related to pro video and pro audio. (I have no affiliation, other than as a customer). Regarding the visual quality of the videos, while I’m sure most here realize this I’ll mention that viewers should check the playback format under the gear-shaped icon at the lower right corner of the playback window, and make sure it is set to the highest quality setting that is offered. At my location, with a very high speed Internet connection, the highest setting that is listed is 2160p for the first video and 1080p for the second video. Regarding the possibility that was suggested of obtaining a 4K camera, I’ve done a good bit of editing of 4K material for amateur purposes, and I can say that in addition to the camera a very powerful (and likely expensive) computer is necessary to edit 4K material in a reasonable manner. And that is only somewhat less true if low quality "proxy files," generated either by the editing software or by some cameras, are used for most of the editing process. Of course, if the video and audio file captured by the phone or by a camera is directly uploaded to YouTube that issue is avoided, as is the extensive learning curve that good editing software usually entails (I use Vegas Pro). But if WC were to improve the sound capture by utilizing mics and a recorder that is separate from whatever is capturing the video that in itself would necessitate editing, to combine the video with the separate sound capture. (Video cameras of course can usually accept external audio inputs, but the audio quality they provide is usually inferior to what a quality sound recorder would provide). And regarding sound recorders I have no experience with the Zoom H4n that was suggested (ca. $200). But at a considerably higher price I can say that a Sound Devices MixPre3ii or MixPre6ii, coupled with a pair of good quality condenser mics would provide great results. I’ve been very pleased with the Audio Technica AT-4051b mic, costing about $600 each, and I’m sure the somewhat more expensive Neumanns mentioned by Viber6 are excellent as well. Unfortunately, though, two of those mics plus a MixPre, mic stands, memory card, batteries, cables etc. would run well over $2K. WC, keep up the good work! Thanks and regards, -- Al |
WC, Almarg presents useful info. I can't remember any youtube video with great sound quality, so you could make a splash by presenting great sound quality. For me, your video quality is good enough, so I would spend most of the money on condenser mikes and a better recorder. I got lots of help from B&H like Almarg, but there may be a Sam Ash store near you which is also dedicated to pro audio and video. |
I'm not quite sure that my video quality isn't good though. I shot it with the Galaxy note 10 which does 4k hdr videos. Someone above posted that my first video came in 4k but you all need to also select this setting on youtube. It is not automatically selected by default so be sure to select the 4k quality. Ask far as the audio, I will look into this further. |
@viber6 Lot's of great live video on other reviewers with similar channels to @whitecamaross 's. That's why we suggested the mic and camera upgrades. Lots of people are gonna watch in hi-def on their systems including me. There are surprisingly good recordings and audio from the most popular audio/video channels. |
Check out this video from @AVshowreports. Video is crystal clear as well as the audio. https://youtu.be/FGPqyqZRu-4?t=132 I thought I was watching 480P on yours WCSS when it was actually 1080P. |
Here’s another from @pursuitperfectsystems. https://youtu.be/WeY59YE0fZk?t=1148 He’s even walking around a bit later in the video and never loses focus once. Even outside of the sweet spot and moving around the audio is pretty pristine, especially if you listen to it through a nice system. Appreciate your efforts WCSS, but just making you aware of the competitors you will be trying to pull some viewership from. |
Keep in mind that I’m being thrown in the fire against big time players. For instance: OCD GUY: he’s a seller and a manufacturer and well Steve Guttenberg: writer of magazines with tremendous network AVshowreports: well the name speaks for itself Pursuitperfectsystems: similar to AVshowreports As of right now, I am nowhere near close to stand on the ground the walk on. They travel to shows , (Munich, axpona , CES, etc ), they write on certain publications plus they do this FULL TIME. I’m a one man operation with no free happy meals from McDonald’s. If I want to try it, I gotta buy it. Simple as that. It is not as easy for me to keep up with others who do this around the clock plus the massive amounts of gear they have access to which for me is probably 20% of what they have access to. They can pick up the phone and call Jeff Rowland and have a product delivered at their door for next to nothing. Your guy, WSS here gets a brick in the mail instead. Let’s keep it all in perspective here. I am a goalkeeper in a soccer match and have zero offense or defense to help me stop the other 11 players from scoring. I’ve got both feet planted on the ground and as of right now I need to slowly ramp things up as long as finances allow. I’ve got zero problem walking into best buy and buying a mic and tripod and whatever else I need to get but I need to see a decent amount of followers for me to step up my game. It will come but be patient as well. My wife is a graphic designer, video editor, website designer etc. She can easily edit some cool videos for me but I don’t want to bring her on board until I see enough of a supporting cast (meaning all of you ). The only way you all can help me bring more gear that you guys want to see is by subscribing. That’s it. That’s the biggest lending hand you all can give me. Subscribe and ask your friends to subscribe as well. If you do your part, you got my word I will do mine and we will get something different than what’s out there. Something more personal where you can feel like the component you are thinking of buying is just around the corner from getting reviewed by me. That you can message me and have a personal relationship with me , etc. I want to do live Q&A sessions where we can all talk and learn. Maybe even give you more of a raw answer about certain components you want to spend your hard earned money on ? My point is, I want to eventually bring more and more clarity and shorten your path to audio Nirvana while still staying true to myself which by the way it is extremely hard to balance the truth and reality of something while minimizing the backlash that might come if you don’t deliver the message correctly. |
Cheer up, WC. In 1995, I got into recording my small orchestra and ensembles of young pros I knew. I wanted to prove to myself that I could capture more immediate sound than the big record companies. I rented top microphones and microphone preamps over several weekends from Dream Hire in NYC. I made a demo tape of my own violin playing at home using all this equipment plus my DAT recorder. I listened to my tape to be sure that the Neumann KM184 and the Bryston mike preamp gave me the crispest sound I wanted. Most important, when I did the actual live recording of ensembles, I had a simple modified ORTF configuration for the mikes, which were very close to the musicians. No fancy mixing of many mikes or sound processing, except for my simple Rane EQ instead of the usual complex mixing board. I spent just a few thousand bucks on the critical stuff, and achieved my goal. You have the opportunity to do the recording your own way, just as I did. The big boys went to audio engineering school which teaches standardized procedures but doesn't teach the kind of experimenting and tweaking that we do. My recordings are more exciting than commercial recordings of the same piece, which I demonstrated to a friend on his system. |
