2. amps-preamps
  3. 126624-10101

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!


128x128jays_audio_lab
20,890 responses 
shannere
82 posts
 
+1 4425   To all you criticizing the man's choices and methods remember this is his show.  I don't see any of you doing anything similar or starting your own thread.  WC is having the time of his life let him enjoy and be glad he invited you along for the ride
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Thanks @4425
Thanks @shannere

I’m not quite sure why some people keep beating the horse with the same stick. I will, however, take this opportunity to thank and applaud those of you who used to do that in the past and have now stopped doing so.
Lastly, remember that if I find the "perfect " or the "right " system, then this show is over. Don’t forget that. Take my curiosity for new gear as a PLUS rather than a CON. This is gear that most people won’t ever compare and yes my opinion isn’t Gospel because we all might have different outcomes in our space but look at my opinion as a point of reference, or an anecdote about something you might be interested in buying in the future. I never said I’m the final word on anything. I’m just another person who luckily tries more gear than 90% of the people out there. Nobody wants to hear about the dude playing the same rowland Amplifiers  with monitor audio speakers (both of which I've owned) 24/7 for the last 10 years. Let’s keep it real.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Anyhow, the issue is i am having a buzzing sound coming from my left speaker (left binding post only on the gryphon colosseum amp) anytime i connect cardas clear audio speaker cables and into my wilson audio sasha DAW speakers.

Here is what i have tried and i am still unsuccessful (still getting buzzing on the left channel of the amp which is manifested through the left speaker or the right if I connect the right speaker on the left binding post):
  • powering the amp on with nothing else connected to it but the speakers (no xlr connected)
  • tried a different outlet outside my room
  • tried turning off the ac in my room
  • tried turning off the led lights in my room
  • tried different power cords
  • Tried 3 different dedicated outlets in my room.
  • Tried getting the amp off the floor and place on a stand.


Nothing on the bullets above makes the buzzing sound leave the left channel of the amp. That said, here are things that have worked without issues related to buzzing or anything:
  • removing wilson speakers and using dynaudio platinum c4 speakers (no issues with buzzing using the same amp and cardas speaker cables)
  • removing gryphon colosseum power amplifier and using luxman 900u power amplifier with wilson sasha daw and cardas speaker cables)
  • Using any other type of speaker cable except cardas clear audio

Not sure what else I can try. My amp seems to be perfect (this thing has a ton of protection circuits). Gryphon said that if I send the amp then they can’t guarantee they can find an issue because this means they need to have a Wilson and cardas clear audio speaker cable to duplicate the issue which they don’t. They also said if the amp had an issue then it would have it with any speaker and any speaker cable all the time which isn’t the case.
Wilson said they haven’t had an issue with cardas ever but that they haven’t used gryphon and cardas together. I received a technical explanation from an engineer who said if one board of the amp is sitting closer to the left binding post than the one on the right , this could create an imbalance that the cable doesn’t like. So he said it might be just the design of the amp not being what cardas was designing their cables for .I was also told that I need a big powerful amp with a huge transformer to try this again because my Gryphon has far more capacitance and a much bigger transformer than luxman . The gryphon is providing far more voltage and current on those cables so my luxman isn't the best plan B. I'd need a big krell, big pass labs xs, plinius etc. Something along those lines. 
rsf507
2,302 posts
 
So what's the next plan WC?
techno__dude
511 posts
 
Dag Momentums getting spanked by the Luxman sure did get chazzy ´s attention. 😂

Remember WC uses state of the art DcS Vivaldi straight into the Luxman to the all new upgraded Wilson DAWS. And he also has the fully upgraded ARC Ref 6 SE at hand.
My point is chazzy’s experience with the Luxman sure has been bottlenecked by a subpar dac, preamp , older Wilson models, or most probably all them...
gallus
45 posts
 
You are not alone WC: the Luxman m900u is a very successful design and some guys I know had already acknowledged its superiority compared to much more expensive ss units. 
From the Gryphon line, the Antileon Evo has the most addictive tubey midrange. Sounds superb and I would happily live with it forever. 
I see you would love to listen to the Vitus Signature and Masterpiece amps. They don’t get as warm as the Gryphon - better temperature regulation perhaps - and  sound superbly, with punchy bass and illuminating awe inspiring   highs plus all the class a goodness in the mids.
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook's avatar
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebook
981 posts
 
Not sure whats Chazzy’s problem. The OP stated Luxman is the best bang for the buck. List Price on Dag Momentums is MORE than 4X The price of the Luxman. Used the Dags sell in the high 20’s/Low 30's...the Luxman can be had for 7500-8000. Are the Dag’s worth 4X the price of the Lux? Guess one has to answer that question based on their own personal needs and preferences.
4425
861 posts
 
wc.. you’re trying a new integrated model? 
viber6
2,445 posts
 
Never mind the money for Dag vs Luxman.  My interpretation of Chazzy's findings is that he likes the greater accuracy of the Dag, but WC seems to be in love with the specific euphonic flavor of the Lux 900.

Please stop the nonsense that just because something is more expensive then it must be better, whatever "better" means to someone.  More expensive means better parts, more weight, etc.  But the most important criterion for sound quality is the thinking behind the product.  At the moment, I am intrigued by the latest Stereophile review of the $3500 Primare A35.2 stereo amp, which has proprietary class D tech.  Herb Reichert the reviewer claims that it is more accurate than my beloved Mytek Brooklyn Amp, which I have found to be more accurate than all much more expensive amps I have heard at home.  I don't take Herb's views as gospel, but I think I will let a dealer run the Primare for a long time and then try it, according to the great advice of Guido Corona.
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
And V please stop the nonsense that clarity even at the possible expense of emotional engagement is "better." For you and a minority of listeners, perhaps (and that’s fine - I won’t try to dissuade you from what you like). The problem comes when you try to project that view onto everyone, or belittle views that do not align with it.

I submit that most audiophiles want a sound quality that makes them forget everything and provides the best enjoyment of the music; that they can listen to for hours on end at the volume they prefer without fatigue or loss of engagement. You throw the word "euphonic" around as a pejorative, again and again.

I’ll say it again. Your descriptions of what WC likes (or should like) are themselves EUPHONIC to his actual reviews, in the truest sense of the word. Your attempted colorations, yes colorations, (see above for just one example: "WC seems to be in love with the specific euphonic flavor of the Lux 900") contaminate, yes contaminate, WC’s reviews in a bothersome and tedious way. Let his reviews speak for themselves, without characterizing them to meet your sense of what is "best." We are all smart enough to make our own judgments about what he says and how to interpret what he says as it pertains to our preferences.

To be clear, my suggestion is not personal - I’m sure you’re a fine chap, and you often post interesting observations. You were doing so well since the turning of the yearly calendar page.... Don’t stop posting; just please stop putting down or making snide comments like the above quoted re those whose views on sound don’t align with yours.
rsf507
2,302 posts
 
Well said kren.
chazzzy007
540 posts
 

viber61,035 posts04-15-2020 6:45amNever mind the money for Dag vs Luxman. My interpretation of Chazzy’s findings is that he likes the greater accuracy of the Dag, but WC seems to be in love with the specific euphonic flavor of the Lux 900.
The Momentum is vastly superior in virtually every sense.
Soundstage depth, detail, front to back layering, transparency, naturalness. The list could go on and on. I’m not saying the Luxman is bad but the Momentums are in another category altogether several rungs up the ladder.


4425
861 posts
 
My time with the Luxman duo never displayed a euphonic tonal balance but rather neutrality. My experience with Dag indicates more warmth than the Luxman with the most edgeless presentation that I’ve ever heard. Zero pronounced sibilants. Both amps are superlative but considerably different in my opinion. 
chazzzy007
540 posts
 

4425704 posts
04-15-2020 10:24amMy time with the Luxman duo never displayed a euphonic tonal balance but rather neutrality. My experience with Dag indicates more warmth than the Luxman with the most edgeless presentation that I’ve ever heard. Zero pronounced sibilants. Both amps are superlative but considerably different in my opinion.
I absolutely agree with your description of the Momentum being "edgeless". I would describe it as effortless and natural. Quite sublime IMO.
viber6
2,445 posts
 
kren0006,
My last post is merely a statement of several facts.  Chazzzy just re-confirmed that he found the Dag superior to the Lux in every way, INCLUDING clarity.  WC won't disagree that he likes the certain euphonic flavor of the Lux.  This has enabled him to enjoy the DCS direct without the softening of a preamp.

It is you who injects a negative tone to what I really said.
techno__dude
511 posts
 
Chazzy absolutely did not have the same level of source, speakers, preamp and cables that WC has coupled with the Luxman M-900u. We are talking THE LATEST TECH Wilson DAWs , a fully optimized DcS Vivaldi powered by an Odin 2 pc.........

This is why chazzy thinks the Dag Momentums are better. Different and more to his taste ,sure, but better absolutely NOT. Msrp playing tricks with his mind...
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
My current set up with luxman:

  1. DCS VIVALDI DAC
  2. DCS VIVALDI UPSAMPLER
  3. AURENDER N10 MUSIC SERVER
  4. VALHALLA 2 AES (DUAL) DIGITAL CABLES
  5. STILL POINT ULTRA SS UNDER DAC AND PREAMP
  6. ODIN 2 PC ON DAC
  7. ODIN 1 PC ON UPSAMPLER
  8. ODIN 1 XLR ON LUXMAN
  9. ODIN 1 PC ON LUXMAN 
  10. DEDICATED 20A AND 30A OUTLETS
  11. MERRILL AUDIO SPEAKER CABLES (WAS USING ODIN 1 BEFORE)
  12. CARDAS CLEAR AUDIO BEYOND XLR WHEN USING PREAMP
  13. WILSON AUDIO DAW

That said, there is no way the Dag m400s are 4 times or 3 times better than the luxman. Also, please keep in mind i am only using A SINGLE LUXMAN AMP and not 2 in mono configuration which could close the gap significantly. 
I still stand by my previous comments on the luxman 900U: it is a giant killer and can easily make most people out there feel embarrassed for spending far more money for their amps. 
I will be releasing a video of the luxman 900u this week connected to the components above so you can all hear it in its full glory (except for the speaker cables, but it is STILL IMPRESSIVE with these cables). 
I will also give a nice discovery on WHAT made a huge change on the luxman set up which will give you all luxman owners want to grab your checkbooks to chose what i will suggest you should buy. 

Lastly, i know this is not the amp for everyone because there is no such amp in my opinion. however, if you want to just enjoy, relax, forget about knit picking and analyzing everything single thing about the presentation and you just want to fee seduced by music, THIS IS YOUR AMP.  On the other hand, if you are the type that has serious OCD, knit picks on every single thing (for instance, you criticize a woman when she has different color of nail polish on her toes and fingernails) then this is not your amp. This is the amp you can turn on, let it warm up (by the way i have had mine on 24/7 since i got it) and forget about the rest. 




chazzzy007
540 posts
 

viber61,036 posts
04-15-2020 12:58pmkren0006,
My last post is merely a statement of several facts.  Chazzzy just re-confirmed that he found the Dag superior to the Lux in every way, INCLUDING clarity.  WC won't disagree that he likes the certain euphonic flavor of the Lux.  This has enabled him to enjoy the DCS direct without the softening of a preamp.

It is you who injects a negative tone to what I really said.
Although it is also more transparent, the Mometum's overall presentation is on a whole other level tcompared to the Luxman 900. Refined, edge-less, effortless and natural...
rsf507
2,302 posts
 
WC you really have to get other speaker cable the Merrill is nothing special doesn't have the extension at top and no presence in the midrange. (Yes I've used it.)
Post removed 
chazzzy007
540 posts
 
That said, there is no way the Dag m400s are 4 times or 3 times better than the luxman. Also, please keep in mind i am only using A SINGLE LUXMAN AMP and not 2 in mono configuration which could close the gap significantly.
I still stand by my previous comments on the luxman 900U: it is a giant killer and can easily make most people out there feel embarrassed for spending far more money for their amps.
As I said before IMO, the Luxman is nice at it’s price point, but it isn’t close to the Momentum. Is the Momentum 4x better? Obviously not, but it is in another league entirely. For you to infer it competes with the Momentum sounds like a sales pitch...but upon re-reading through your last post it probably is.

give you all luxman owners want to grab your checkbooks to chose what i will suggest you should buy.


System is Odin 2 cables/Valhalla 2XLR/Ref10.Momemtum Pre-pro/Wilson Alexia2/Alexandria/Sasha DAW
pokey77
1,265 posts
 
@kren0006 

X2.
techno__dude
511 posts
 
WC is backed by a lot of audiophiles who are basically saying the same thing about the Luxman M-900u being second to none.

Chazzy is the only audiophile I know who`s saying the Dag Momentums are in a WHOLE ( yeah right..) different league.

Objectively, dear readers, make your choice as to whom is right...


chazzzy007
540 posts
 
@techno__dude
Once again a bit of sage advice.
I truly hope you don't take this the wrong way.
Your posting much less will affect a more informed and intelligent view of you by all those here.

pokey77
1,265 posts
 
I don't have a dog in this fight. I own TAD Class D amplification.

That said, I've heard both the Luxman M-900u and Dag Momentums many times in the same room. Yes, they are my dealers amps, but as Charles is saying, the Momentums are significantly better than the M-900u, whether with digital or analog. Don't get me wrong, the Luxman stuff is really good and the Momentums are not 3-4 times better, but I don't know anyone who thinks that the Luxman is better. In fact, I know one person who had the Luxman pre/pro combo for a year, maybe two, that moved to the Momentum integrated 2-3 months ago. YMMV.

Also, I've never read or heard that the Luxman M-900u is euphonic. IMHO, it is nowhere near.

WC, I haven't had the chance to hear the M-900u in mono configuration. Could bring it closer, maybe even much closer to the Dag Momentum. Would be interested to hear them in mono.

Finally, it would be nice if the bickering would stop. I'm sure WC would appreciate that. This is HIS show, let's be respectful and thankful he is sharing it with us.
mrdecibel
3,062 posts
 
I removed my last post, where folks here thought I was being negative. WC, I apologize. Continue your journey, as you see ( hear, lol ), fit. 
techno__dude
511 posts
 
One guy and his best buddy saying DAG monos bested a single stereo Luxman M-900u... A pretty much unfair orange to apple shootout.

WC who owned Momentums and Pass Labs XS300 ( add to that Constellation monos), with proof in pictures and video in an optimized room , saying the Luxman is second to none.

I trust WC on that matter. Easy objective decision.


jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
This is all a great discussion guys. I like the input from everyone even if we agree to disagree. Nobody is wrong or right. Why don’t some of you live near me so we can do some real shootouts? Drinks all on me afterwards. No beer though... :)
Mrdecibel: glad you are back in here man. 

Techno: thanks for the props above. 

Chazzy: man I love your dag 400s. Those are some amazing amps and will always hold a special place in my heart. I can't and won't say anything bad about them because they are incredible. 

I would like to do a 900u mono set up and throw it up against the m400s though. 

chazzzy007
540 posts
 
@whitecamaross

Once quarantine is over’ish we are probably gonna do some stuff here in So-Cal with Ron who’s on the thread. We talked about it a little before the lockdown. We’ll set up a meet somewhere here in So-Cal.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Chazzy
For sure. I actually thought of doing a live video chat with those of you who are having some down time. We can talk Audio, cars and yes I’ll be open to sharing more interesting stuff that I can’t post for obvious reasons.
If you all are open to doing this one of these evenings like a Friday, or a Saturday night then let’s coordinate it. We can all plan it in advance to block our calendars for an hour or two.
chazzzy007
540 posts
 
@whitecamaross 

That would be pretty cool.
Why don't you ask who would be in???
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Who would be in ??? 
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
I also wanted to say that if we do this, everyone is invited to be part of it. I don't hold grudges of any kind. Maybe it is a chance to see each other and get a better feel for each other on camera. I think it would help develop more chemistry (no homo) since all we do is type all day long. Thoughts? 
chazzzy007
540 posts
 
In
robbyg
30 posts
 
Where do you abide in FL?
dpac996's avatar
dpac996
690 posts
 
sounds like a good idea WCSS; Zoom is a great online "venue" that handles multiple channels very well; Better than Google Meet on the audio side;

klh007
621 posts
 
I'll Zoom with WCSS and friends!

jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Awesome. I know ron17 is in too. If we can gather enough people then we can make this happen. 
chazzzy007
540 posts
 
dpac996584 posts04-16-2020 7:57amsounds like a good idea WCSS; Zoom is a great online "venue" that handles multiple channels very well; Better than Google Meet on the audio side;
Zoom was hacked. There are lots of accounts at risk and there was even a new exploit that was just discovered. Also the calls have been routed through China servers at times placing additonal risk to participants.

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/over-500k-zoom-accounts-being-sold-on-dark-web-researchers-find

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qjdqgv/hackers-selling-critical-zoom-zero-day-exploit-for-500000

https://www.businessinsider.com/foreign-intelligence-agents-china-spying-on-americans-zoom-2020-4

https://www.pcmag.com/news/zooms-encryption-keys-are-sometimes-being-sent-to-china-report-finds

Too many problems with Zoom.
If Zoom is used I will not participate.
thenewguy007
38 posts
 
@whitecamaross

Did you think of trying a Emotiva CMX-2 for DC offset or a Ebtech Hum-X for ground loop isolation. Just to be sure to eliminate those two problems as being the source of the hum?
Both of those are cheap & they are specifically made for DC offset & ground loops, something most expensive power conditioners don't fix.


techno__dude
511 posts
 
I remember the Dag Momentums vs Pass Labs XS 300 shootout posted on yt by WC. Clearly if you listen again, the Pass Labs monos have a fuller sound with more midrange richness... a more organic denser sound. Yes they are more expensive than the Momentums.
The Luxman M-900u also has this lushness in the midrange. A lot of meat on the bone. At a much lower msrp than both.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Here it is: my personal opinion.

https://youtu.be/6uTUnXe-Rp0
viber6
2,445 posts
 
pokey77,
Which TAD class D do you own?  What is its sound character?  I am amazed at the sound quality and value offered by class D.  The debate goes on about whether it is SOTA.
snafujg
34 posts
 
WC, I see you have an ATI amp in the video. Is it a 4002 or a 6002 by chance? Would love your opinion on those. I’m looking to mate one of them with my Revel Salon 2s, BAT VK33SE preamp and Denafrips Terminator DAC.
Post removed 
adri2005's avatar
adri2005
39 posts
 
viber6 Buen día, me presenté hace unas semanas ! ¡Tengo varios de los equipos que pruebo! y quería participar en vivo en Argentina, donde es mucho más difícil acceder a equipos de categorías que en los EE. UU. ¡Y sobre todo mucho pero mucho más caro!
Con respecto al cable de la misma calidad, un cable RCA ofrece el mismo rendimiento que un cable XLR. ¡Depende mucho del diseño del equipo si su circuito está realmente equilibrado o no! ¡en ese caso no estoy de acuerdo con que sean iguales! Siempre pero siempre, el XLR superó el RCA en mis vastas pruebas con equipos de alto nivel
Post removed 
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
Interesting adri.
Not sure he understands but in a nutshell, what adri is telling viber is that there’s no way a RCA cable beats an xlr if it is a well designed component that it is being used on. He also is saying he lives in Argentina and has access to superior equipment where he has tested this extensively.
kren0006
1,859 posts
 
WC, which integrated is that in the video?  Lux's numbers are all so similar.  I think you said 509 but 30w class A seems closer to the current 590 int than the current 509???  Just want to be sure I know what that is in the video.  Thx!  I have no familiarity with Lux and they all look very similar too.
jays_audio_lab's avatar
jays_audio_lab OP
5,381 posts
 
My apologies
It is the luxman 590ax mk2. 
This discussion is closed
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