Bummer on the JRDG M625 S2; Stay frosty gents!
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
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Hello PAC996, I suspect that Rowland M625 S2 might not be the most desirable amp for WC. While it is to all reports a wonderful amp, and relatively powerful at about 330W and some 22A peak current supported by a 1200W SMPS, it might not be the optimal choice to generate the club-like SPL and overall experience that WC seeks with his system. As for comparisons with Luxman gear, friend RicRed1 owns M625 S2... I believe he might have compared it with Luxman, and last I heard, he kept M625 S2... RicRed1 can correct me on this. Regards, Guido
for |
Yeah dealer shilling isn’t needed. Fine, the dealer stated his case. Once was enough (and I know it’s more than once). We don’t need to hear about those speakers any more ON THIS THREAD unless or until WC actually decides to test them. If he does, then by all means. But so far he hasn’t despite too many suggestions he should. So move on. Beyond that it’s just bothersome noise. That’s my opinion anyway. Go start another thread on those speakers and have at it! |
Whatever you resist.....persists. The resistors have made Faxers point even more emphatically. Maybe you guys are faxer shills....he he. If you do not like what someone posts then don't read their posts.....why resist?......whatever you feed....keeps coming back for more. If you do not like what I or anyone says, it is best to not reply......that way the conversation does not continue....it just dies. The only thing that persists (forever) and is worth keeping your constant attention on is Love, Joy, Bliss, fun, beauty, creativity, peace, compassion, light, wisdom and the Power to do good things....bringing the above qualities to everyone. May all be blessed. |
Ok let’s get this back on track. Here is the video of the focal scala Evo versus Wilson audio Sasha DAW part 2. In this video, I’ve measured every single aspect of their set up. Here are the cables used: Odin 1 speaker cables Odin 1 powercord on upsampler Odin 2 powercord on dac Audioquest hurricane on preamp Audioquest dragon HC on amplifier. I used a sound decibel meter to level the volume as best as possible. Break out your headphones or systems and enjoy ! PS: listen to it several times before you decide on which presentation you like best ! https://youtu.be/EEcV5nns_kk |
As fate would have it, I’m awaiting delivery of my second go with the m900; the same dealer was very positive on the 625 s2; When I had the m900 the first time, it was with my Dynaudio Confidence 30’s; I have since upgraded to the Cf50’s and re acquired the C900 preamp. I was a hair trigger away from buying Pass Labs X260.8 monos but a deal popped for the M900; I love Pass Labs in general, but I have to try the M900 once more with these larger speakers. If it sticks great, if not I will, God willing, try the 625. Stay inside and be safe my fellow audio brethren. WCSS congrats to you for your energy after all these years. This post is quite informative and the wake it has generated, equally disruptive, which I hold as a good thing. To the folks going to battle on this forum, please stop. You solve and help nothing. Dave |
The Focal is clearly (pun intended) the winner. When the Focal comes on, the voice is immediately more intimate, closer and more nuanced. This is due to the superior Be tweeter as implemented. Articulation is way better in mid/HF. With the Focal, the girl is whispering sweet nothings into your ear, whereas with the Wilson she is more distant, veiled and emotionally detached. Keep the Focal as a reference, until you get the GTA for that comparison. Don't try to save money by buying used. You will get an unknown older model. Even at retail of $20K, you will get updates by dealing directly with Steve. You might even prefer an earlier version of the retrofittable diaphragm, so you could have it your way, or accept the latest version. To make this really fun, you could have a few different diaphragms on hand, so you could install each yourself and compare diaphragms. I don't think Greg or Steve have made comparative videos like this, so if you did so, they would appreciate your creativity and give you great deals in return. |
Guido, in terms of your statement, regarding the " the club - like SPL’s " that WC seeks for his system, it is my professional opinion, that neither speaker he currently has ( the particular Wilsons or Focals ), can truly do " club " like...as they will quickly, and horribly, exhibit compression and distortion, with whatever amp (s ) he uses. Yes, wc plays loud, but not " club " loud. I know club loud, very well....Best Regards, MrD. |
I actually do enjoy the presentation occasionally at loud levels (90db) but I do it mainly to see if I can get the holy s@hit feeling from any speaker if it is indeed a speaker capable of it. if I ever said "club levels" I didn't mean it literally. I don’t really love doing it all the time but i do it. As far as amps, my preference in amplifiers has always been class A but there are a few class ab amps that blow my mind and tubes are special but I can’t say I would choose over a solid state amp. I love panels and I am sure I will go back at some point but I can’t say it will happen anytime soon given that I have 3 pairs of speakers in my room right now and also things aren’t exactly great to be making speaker purchases unless I end up selling one of the 3 pairs of speakers I have here. I am running out of space. |
Chazzzy007- I asked you nicely to refrain from your negative bashing of our company- but you insist to impose your opinion as reflective of everyone on this thread- which incidentally is not true. As long as their is full disclosure that I represent GT Audio Works there is nothing you can do to ban my posts. |
@ricevs "5. Get off the grid using low distortion sine wave inverters run off batteries. Way better sound.....way less harsh and more organic and better space, etc." Can you elaborate on this? Any specific sine wave inverters that are made for hifi & can not restrict the massive power amps being used in this thread? |
Here is a review by Tom Lyle on the $445 Goal Zero 400 watt inverter. I know someone who talked to Tom recently and he now has the 1400 watt Goal Zero jobbie on his Pass X250,8 and still uses the 400 watter on his front end. http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0119/Goal_Zero_Yeti_400_Lithium_Portable_Power_Station_R... The above review has some mistakes.....Tom actually bought and tested the regular Goal Zero 400 (list price is $450)....not the more expensive Lithium jobbie (list price $600). All the pics in the review are of the regular one. My friend in Marin uses the Goal Zero 3000 for his whole system which also uses the same Pass X250.8 (400watts at idle). He hears no compression of dynamics in his good sized room playing his Kef Blade 2 speakers over 100db. The reason he got the Goal Zero (battery and inverter in one box) is that he wants to be able to use the same toy to power his home when the electricity is shut off. Here is CA....PG&E shuts off your power when the wind gets too high (they had a lot of law suits because of the fires and now they are switch pulling happy)...sometimes for days. You can buy separate low distortion sine wave inverters, separate batteries and chargers on Amazon, Ebay, etc.....for very little money. No doubt, all brands and sizes of inverters will sound different......however, everyone I know has loved what they bought. You could buy a couple of inverters and run your whole system.....using a smaller one for the front end and a large one for your amp....no doubt, having a larger inverter will give lower impedance and better dynamics for your Super amp. You can run any number of inverters off one battery or set of batteries. Using separate inverters on different thangs.....naturally reduces interaction. You can buy 2000 watt (4000 watt peak) low distortion sine wave inverters for $400, buy a 100ah AGM battery for $150 and a good 20 amp car battery charger for around $100......You can parallel batteries for more run time and you can run the charger while listening (with slight sound reduction). Fun stuff! |
We run a 220v line in our showroom which in turn is hooked up to a 5kw isolation transformer the transformer has 110 v outlets so your equipment can be plugged into it. This gives the equipment a constant 5,000 watts. What this does is separates you from Sharing the same transformer that is on the electrical pole with everyone else in the neighborhood. By not sharing this transformer you remove all electrical noise (emi/rfi) from polluting your electrical signal. What you get is increased dynamics (due to the constant on tap available power of 5,000 watts)and zero noise floor. |
My friend in Marin uses an isolation transformer (3000 watt Topaz medical jobbie with super wires and jacks) after his Goal Zero inverter to run the front end. He runs the amp straight from the inverter....way better sound using the Goal Zero and transformer than using the transformer by itself for everything. Using an Inverter means you are completely off the grid.....the same sound all the time....no noise from the house lines. However, all inverters make some noise.....everything makes noise......he he. Isolation transformers do NOT block all the line noise....no fricking way. An isolation transformer does not give constant on tap instant power......in fact, because it is a passive device it has to "squeeze" its power through its core and windings.....it is not a class A amp that is on all the time. All transformers suffer from compression....obviously, the bigger it is the less compression there will be. If I were making a dedicated listening room the smallest isolation tranny I would use is 10K. But with inverters....you are simply off the grid.....no super heavy thangs needed.....ha ha....except the giant batteries. By the way, the only reason my friend uses the isolation tranny is that it has several super jacks hardwired to it that he can use for all his gear. The Goal Zero does not have very many outlets. So, he cannot plug everything directly into the Goal Zero. Maybe it would sound even better without the trannie? If you buy a separate inverter you can buy one with several outlets or hardwire a strip out of it. The all in one units like the Goal Zero do not allow for easy modding. The big inverters are easy to open and you could remove the cheap jacks and hardwire a super wire out into Furutech outlets. |
All isolation transformers Vary from one company to another The one we use is a Richard Gray RM 400 which weighs about 150lbs. According to the manufacturer they maintain it does have up to 5,000 watt availability. I neglected to mention that the Synergistic UEF 12 SE is plugged into the transformer as which does contribute to the lower noise floor as well. It is really not one size fits all in our situation this has given us the best results even over ac regenerators. |
Yes, I have played with isolation transformers and they all sound different.....just like everything else. I am sure your combo gives great sound. Also, according to the above review....Tom Lyle found the $450 Goal Zero better than the $10,000 PS Audio regenerator. There is no ultimate anything. Everything can be improved. What is so cool about these inverters is they cost fractions of what other line conditioners cost and they get you completely off the grid........and they improve your stereo pleasure.......a big WIN. There is a thread on the Cable forum (Get rid of your power cords, or some such) about all this including several people describing their experience with inverters....esp Goal Zero jobbies. |
It’s entertainment, nothing more. Something to pass the time in these crazy times. What’s the harm? Don’t take it for more than it is. Arguably a better gauge of one's personal preference for sound than blindly relying solely on a mag or website reviewer’s personal perceptions, without hearing at all oneself, right, or at least no less "bizarre?" |
i think it’s a fine idea for fun and quite a lot of work. i just wanted to be sure i understood. that said, you guys hearing differences in cables using this manner are way better audiophiles than me. as another example i think that someone actually dissed DAW’s based on this method. no one has any idea how they sound until you hear them in your own living room. i think, without knowledge, that what you’re really judging is your computer speakers. imo |
also i very much like the poster’s non biased opinions. they are hard to find. this assumes that his suppliers are not either giving hot deals or expecting him to plug their products. i personally have no problem with that other than it would inject some bias into the situation. he seems straight up to me and obviously thick skinned to have to listen to so much BS. like mine.... |
I read this thread, but try not to post anymore. When I read post like, "You spam: We will never buy or recommend your products. Make your mind up. Do you want to alienate potential buyers? If so, continue spamming." In my opinion this thread has turned into a big clique. Who's "we". Personally anyone that identifies who they are isn't being unethical and has a right to post whatever they want. I understand faxer has a clear financial incentive, but anyone that post on Audiogon that eventually sells something has a financial incentive. I submit most people have enough sense to take everything they read, rather on Audiogon or a magazine with a large grain of salt. So, I support faxer's right to post and I would gladly recommend his speakers. |
Guys, I don’t think anyone here is dissing GT Audio speakers. What I perceive is that people want for ME to give input on them if I ever decide to buy them and actually own them. For instance and s perfect example, Sasha DAW. I didn’t know about the speaker but now I can talk at length about its pros and cons. I have said it on my last video, I can live with either speaker and not care so I don’t win a thing by selling one over the other. Tonight I will try to post a short video of my impressions of both speakers and my pick as the speaker that best behaves in my room. That said, the issue I sense is that what some of you don’t want is the constant advertising or praising of GT AUDIO and yet you all don’t own the speakers? If it is so good , why is that Speaker not sitting in your room? And just to clear on something, some of you who recommend the speaker all the time HAVE good jobs and the financial means to buy. So why aren’t ya with them in your room? Again, this is what I perceive is the general feeling about the entire situation. |
"For instance and s perfect example, Sasha DAW. I didn’t know about the speaker but now I can talk at length about its pros and cons." You can talk at length on your opinion about the pros and cons of each speaker. Let 10 people hear the same speakers, in the same room, with the same equipment, and there will be different opinions about the pros and cons of each. I don't have to own something to praise it. My friend has Absolare components and I absolutely love it. I'm very familiar with the system, so the fact that I don't own it, doesn't invalidate my opinion. Anymore than because I own a component validates my opinion. It's subjective, not absolute. |
I respectfully disagree. To me, and in life in general, I listen more closely to those who have experience or do the job. For example, if I was interested in becoming an astronaut, why would I go get feedback from someone who hasn’t done the job ? Why would I go get feedback from a car dealership about how reliable a car is rather than asking either the mechanic or an actual owner ? This is no different. That said, I’m not trying to argue but we clearly have opposite views. I believe you own the Jeff Rowland 625 s2 and have lived with it for quite sometime ? (I am not sure ) so if I wanted to get feedback on that amp then I’m coming to you and not Viber or anyone else who hasn’t even seen it in person. In short , I believe in "qualifed " feedback. This is another reason WHY I asked @ron17 about nordost Odin before I got it. He’s owned that Cable for quite sometime and look ? I’ve never looked back. This doesn’t mean I will live with it forever since I might want to change direction at some point. Remember, just because you’ve heard something doesn’t mean you know it. Especially when you’re listening at shows. When you live with it, thats when I know you really know it. You never know a woman OR A MAN until you live with him/her under the same roof. FACT |
" (I am not sure ) so if I wanted to get feedback on that amp then I’m coming to you and not Viber or anyone else who hasn’t even seen it in person. In short , I believe in "qualifed " feedback." I don’t know where you got that from, because I didn’t say anything about someone providing an opinion on something they’ve never seen. Nor did I say anything about listening at shows. Qualified feedback, is just an opinion. It doesn’t make a difference how much equipment I’ve owned or listened to. My opinion will never be an absolute; therefore anytime someone ask me about a component I own, I simply tell them to listen with their own ears. Sure I’ll tell them how it sounds to me in my system/room, but I always say they can easily come to a different conclusion. I will never be so arrogant to think my opinion about a particular component is the "holly grail". |
This is all entertainment. Very few people are learning anything really serious about equipment that they are interested in......just a bunch of dudes talking. Every single person reading this wants something different and has a different system, tastes and budgets. We are all one....and also completely different. There are tons of pieces of gear in the price range that WCSS is playing in that he could also try....but because of money, time and opinion constraints.....he will not do it. So, it is just one guys journey we are watching and other peoples opinion about it......nothing more, nothing less. Just another channel on the tube. But, it is fun...enjoy the channel, enjoy the opinions and maybe we will all learn something. Maybe we can learn to let everyone have an opinion and not care what it is? Maybe we can actually learn something about listening, tweaking, not getting burned and growing as human beings. This time we have been given right now is for reflecting. Do I really want to go back to that job I was laid off from? What do I value? Maybe I don't have to run around all day making money and being unhappy. Maybe caring about people is more important than toys.....maybe when I share my heart we are all happy. How do I get along with my family, my world? What would I like to change about myself?.....I only have control over me......not anyone else. Transformation and growth is not always fun and laughter.......there are growing pains.....but out of the darkness comes new light.....for all. May all be blessed, happy and free from suffering in this moment and always. |
My personal problem here is back-stabbing. Some of you don’t realize that this audio thing we all go crazy about is a small industry. Everyone talks and communicates and yes, if you’ve talked bad about me behind my back , TRUST ME i most likely know about it. As a matter of fact, quite a few people here are very tight with me who are very loyal to me and share with me who is who and who says what behind closed doors. I’ve been warned about some of you a few times who I honestly thought were cool with me and with whom I spoke on the phone or texted more than once which isn’t cool in my book because I’m not exactly damaging any of you or talking and bad mouthing any of you. I don’t hold grudges , and yes I have to take the good with the bad because life comes at us with both. Just remember, I don’t personally hate ANY OF YOU because you all haven’t done anything bad to me EVEN if you have bad-mouthed me. This is supposed to be a journey or a reality show if you want to call it this way. There’s zero point in getting mad and angry at a reality show. What do you gain ? Why be pissed off ? Trust me there will be REAL reasons to be mad about in life in general. Don’t let this be one. Not worth it. Let's switch gears. I'll try to post a video tonight giving my opinion. |