My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
That's a double edged sword. If you rave about it many will think you are being a "Shill" just like a magazine reviewer in order to keep receiving more product down the road... and if you trash it you will be worried no other company will ever send you a "free trial" piece of gear to review again. Tough spot to be impartial given your already on a waiting list for another one of their products. I fully expect Viber to exaggerate every single positive thing you have to say about it.....endlessly. |
Update: Merril Audio has just sent me their Christine Reference Preamp for me to review. I want to thank them for being the first manufacturer of amp/preamps to send me a component they believe in. I plan to give this preamp a fair shot once the room is built in about 3 weeks. I am also on the waiting list for their element 116 amps. Ill keep you all posted. |
Seems like a nice review. Not sure about the introduction though, where Rafe talks about Sinatra and the way he's supposed to sound and being played back "right" - the basis of which seems to be his parents turntable. Of course, I don't know the turntable the parents had, but I'm guessing it was nothing special. My parents had a turntable too, but I definitely would not base my audio preferences on the sound coming from my parents turntable. Anyway, aside from that, the DAC sounds like one that I would prefer. Dave |
Ok guys, this review of the lampizator pacific came out yesterday. Enjoy ! https://www.audiostream.com/content/lampizator-pacific-balanced-dac-review |
@whitecamaross im kind of the same boat at moment. Im searching for the ideal stereo freindly home. Debating on homes with a big garage to make a big speaker stereo haven because im huge speaker loaded. Ideal Location non flooding and safe area are important. But also need at least two rooms that can accomodate the big speakers on main floor or one floor in basement. I was also thinking of setting them all in a big garage but then will the be safe in there? I feel if they are a prized item do they belong in a garage or should they be part of a home? |
I've been checking in on this thread since about page 25-30 because it's great to read honest feedback about gear that is tough get info about, but if someone were just happening upon this thread, I could see how it might seem insurmountable. It would be really cool if one could sort the thread and just show whitecamaross's content to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. That isn't possible, is it? |
Vinny, I don’t want to say I recommend this to you today and then you say I recommended something else before. This is why everyone is asking you to not skip chapters or you’ll get lost. The evolution of how things came to be what they are today is important. Right now my updates will be less because I’m running around trying to figure out what I need for the room that is being built. |
Ok Vinny, don't derail the thread, yes there is alot of reading that will take awhile, I know because it took me just over a week of reading after I got home from work 5:30pm until I went to bed around 10pm. I didn't jump to the last page because I wanted to have a enjoyable, informative experience with what WC is trying to accomplish. There is a whole host of great information in this thread. It reads like a book documenting ones journey to his audio nirvana that few if any have ever done in the past. I would highly recommend that you spend the time I have done in respect to WC and all the hard work and long hours he put into this for our enjoyment it is really quite a feat he has done and continues to do. Now please back to our regular scheduled program. |
@vinny55 @tecknik is right, the thread is very informative and though long, to find the nuggets, you will be required to peruse the thread at your own convenience. I'm sure WC doesn't know where all the items you are asking for are located, though he was pretty kind answering a number or your questions. Hope you enjoy the read, cheers. |
Thread statistics... Inaugural post 10/16/16 7220 total posts as of this morning In only 13 months of a thread that is 31 months old, one person, despite repeated requests for restraint, has now made: 10% of all posts, nearly 1/7 of posts in last 13 months and 1/4 (55 out of last 225 posts) over most recent 2-1/2 weeks. |
Hey Vinny, Isnt the Ops fault you came late to the party (Or entrance into the Asylum might be more appropriate). You can thank a certain individual for posting 700+ posts on the thread in the past year for making this page so difficult and daunting to navigate for somebody just discovering the thread. Just IGNORE those posts which represent about 1/3 of the entire length of this thread....that might be a low estimate. |
Thanks..Ive tried to read everything but so many distracting comments you do realize theres over 7000 comments on this post and 146 pages it would take me hours to get thru it all. Few years ago a listened to a Luxman 4000a power amp playing a cd through Marantz cd73 connected to Tannoy Autographs. You have never heard mids and depth until you hear Tannoy Autographs. They are very efficient over 100db . My suggestion dont limit yourself to one type of speaker |
Vinny, Tecknik is right. You gotta read in order to hopefully get your questions answered. The jc1 and 250.8 were good UP UNTIL that point. I eventually reviewed more amps which are better and about the same money. For instance, the simaudio 860 amp is a better amp than the 250.8. It can be bought for about 1500 dollars more than the 250.8 on the used market. It adds better bass control and a much bigger presentation with silky highs. Jc1s are beasts with bass control but they don’t have the best highs. They are a little unrefined when compared to the simaudio. Hope this helps. |
Thanks @whitecamaross for your updated list but i never read why your highly touted parasound jc1 and pass 250.8 were left out of that final amp list since at an earlier time you touted those as the best overrall sound especially depth width mids and great bass slam. Curious at What made you change your mind? Were you using the Mcintosh mc1100 preamp? |
WC, Since I believe you can't afford to keep both the 925 and Centaur, other factors might help with your decision, but be patient. The 32 dB gain of the 925 will make it possible to eliminate the preamp, enhancing the clarity further as well as saving more money by eliminating another set of interconnects. As I recall, the lower 26 dB (as I recall) of the Centaur may require the preamp. At present, which amp is warmer in tone quality in midrange and HF? I have the impression that the Centaur is more bass oriented and less detailed than the 925, which is perhaps a little more truthful in midrange and HF. But the 925 is no wimpy low powered amp, and more break in as advised by Guido and others is appropriate. Don't discard this gem for the 5th time, literally. |
@whitecamaross At the beginning of your shootout 3years ago you mentioned pass 250.8 and parasound jt1 as your absolute fav all around and bass amplifiers. Do they still stand or have they been trumped since? How about those luxman amps? Multi channel amp? Classe audio? What was the absolute best sounding amp under 10k or 5k you ever auditioned? |
Centaur 2 Monos back in the mix after a 3 day hiatus. Here are my impressions: - massive stadium size soundstage making the Rowlands sound small in comparison. - bottom end that is perhaps 3 times deeper than the Rowland 925s - tons of detail and clarity - when pushed hard, they sound like an airplane taking off. Big, bold, deep, wide, huge, no fatigue. This added a boat load of confusion for me now. Going back to the constellation amps just made me fall back in love with them. They are reminding me WHY I chose them at AXPONA. If I listen at low volume, I’d probably take the Rowland 925s just because they sound really detailed and liquid but when pushed hard they simply can’t hang with the constellation centaur 2s. They begin to “thin out” just a little bit. I guess we don’t realize what we have until it is gone but I’m glad I’m my case the amps aren’t gone :) |
WC, Since I am not a professional recording/mastering engineer, I listen for enjoyment of the music rather than critiquing the recording quality. Classical music is very complex and I need any component to reveal more of the music. I can easily ignore recording flaws if the volume is not too loud. There is more revealed musical beauty, so for me beauty is directly correlated with clarity. As for our favorite analogy, women are usually more beautiful when seen live up close, compared to untouched pictures where resolution is not quite as good as live. |
WC, I am not surprised the dCS Vivaldi 2.0 DAC did not outshine the Lampizator DAC directly to the amps. As an owner of a partial dCS Vivaldi stack I never liked the sound going directly to my amps and get better sound going through my preamp. I do agree the MQA capability of the dCS DAC is insane and gives my vinyl setup a run for the money. I am familiar with all of your cables and use a Nordost Valhalla V2 USB cable (upgraded from WW Platinum 7) which allows for a bigger soundstage and greater detail. I don’t have a problem with image height but I am going from a Vivaldi DAC to their Vivaldi 2.0 Upsampler, which takes the sound to another level. Love your journey and can relate to many of your changes or auditions, i.e. My audition of the ARC M160 led me to the same conclusion...they don’t have the juice to drive my speakers and left me wanting more. Keep the assessments coming, enjoying the journey. |
WC, Comparing 925 with Centaur, does the Centaur have less accuracy but more warmth of tone along with more space? How do 535 and 925 compare in these criteria? If you prefer the 925 over the Centaur for most important criteria, is the 32 dB of gain enough for you to not need the Virgo for volume? That would be nice, because bypassing the Virgo or any other preamp gives you more transparency/clarity. Does MQA sacrifice fine detail in the process of creating bigness? |
Ricred1, So I think right now I am getting a balanced soundstage but I don’t know how this will be impacted once I am in the dedicated room. The centaur 2 monos definitely Throw a larger picture so maybe it might be better for a larger space? It is tough with components of this caliber guys. It is not simple and easy to gauge. It becomes a matter of WHAT you like best. Accuracy is indeed important but if I find myself analyzing the recording rather than enjoying it then that is a problem FOR ME. I am also a huge believer that about 90% of well designed dacs pretty much provide the same picture from redbook files with differences being more having to do with system synergy. If your system can’t let you hear what else a certain dac brings to the table then it doesn’t make sense to spend more. MQA sounded HUGE, more volume, more body, IMAX like presentation. It was as if the music was on steroids but in a good way. |
WC, Thanks, very informative. What specific tonal qualities distinguish MQA vs non-MQA versions of the same recording, whether redbook or high rez original recordings? Any pros and cons? Now see if higher resolution/clarity of the 925 is associated with less beautiful sound than the Centaur. If the 925 still has the beauty along with more clarity, than you might want to try the Rowland Aeris dac, which Guido loves. Slightly off topic, yesterday in a theater I saw the new movie, Alladin in the 3D version. I found the 3D effect artificial, like 2D paper cutouts suspended from the ceiling at various distances. Of course, natural 3D shows objects in 3D at various locations right to left and front and back. I got used to the movie 3D as it was, and would admit that sometimes it works. But a big disadvantage is that the 3D glasses you wear cut out the light by probably 75% or so. The 3D effect is there, but the overall ambiance is darker. So the analogy with audio systems is that reduced light illumination is like reduced clarity in audio, and the artificiality of 3D video is somewhat like bloated and indistinct images of perceived 3D of electronics. |
WC, In my experience super high-end systems produce everything(details, tonality, bass, clarity, musicality), but what really separates them is their ability to provide a soundstage that is both, wide and tall where images are still proportional. Have you found that to be the case through your journey? |
1:22 AM right now. I’m getting off the couch. I am extremely impressed with the Rowland 925/lampizator pacific combo. My overall level of satisfaction is extremely high. Having the constellation centaur 2s off to the side reminds me that I might have to do one last shootout before I decide what’s staying and what’s going to be leaving my system. Thanks everyone. Good night |
@whitecamaross great work thanks very much. You had asked about tubes. I would get nos tested vintage and newer repros so then you could compare. Make sure both are broken in before compare. Side note I have Sansui 2020 tube integrated from the 50s. I can tell the bass and mid coming out of that little guy is soo deep its limitless. Beats any other amp ss included ive ever heard. Even on cheap made in china 15$ speaker. As a suggestion Listen to the biggest baddest Altec or Western Electric Tube Amps from the 20s and 40s with those 205 tennis ball tubes or those big vintage 2a3 245 845 211 300bs or the Telefunken RS241 prewar tubes. Audition them with Altec Votts, EV Patricians 4s or 700s with the big 30inch woofers or Jensen triaxial 610 imperials, Vitavox korners, Jbl 3way Hartsfields, Tannoy Autographs, Goodmans 615, Thanks again |
Ok guys, i played mainly redbook files and I played with the filters on the dcs and settled on filter 5 which is what the manual recommends. Here are my main impressions in my system based on the set ups described above: DCS Vivaldi: PROS: - outstanding bass with tight, clean, punchy notes throughout all music played -Clear mids with an incredible level of articulation. - highs are clean and crisp with no edginess of any kind regardless of the content - MQA is insane. I’m now an mqa believer because of this machine. - amazing instrument separation - the best solid state dac I’ve had here CONS: - soundstage is big but not the tallest - lacks the 3d dimensionality of some of the best gear I’ve had here -lacks the emotion of tube equipment -although it has accuracy in spades, it can also rob you at times from connecting to with the music - Short decays Lampizator Pacific (KR 242 tubes) PROS: -Huge soundstage that is both, wide and tall - deep presentation where you can hear words echo in deeper layers - world class highs with outstanding decay - midrange is excellent as expected from a tube - insane amounts of emotion and feeling with the music you play through it - the best 3d sound I’ve ever heard through my Neoliths (Rowland & lampizator) CONS: - bass control could be tighter, deeper - Tubes aren’t cheap so there is a cost of ownership which is not the case with the DCS - Long listening sessions end up being until 2 am which makes you sleepy the following day. With that said, please remember I’m doing an instant A/B comparison. I’m not comparing things using my memory. This is being done RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. A few things that jump at me through the DCS is instrument separation and bass. They are so amazing and incredible and yes they do beat the lampizator’s own BUT I prefer the massive, musical and engaging presentation of the lampizator. I realize you can’t have it all with a component so I choose the musical & emotional presentation of the lampizator over the accuracy of the DCS. Of course, if the DCS was indeed the full system then I expect it to beat the lampizator but I’m trying to do an apples to apples here. Dac vs Dac. I also could have used the expensive powercord on the lampizator but I decided to use the cheaper wireworld silver 7 instead and the Odin 1 on tbe DCS and I still choose the lampizator over the DCS based on my own preference. I also wanted to say that the Virgo preamp DOES help the DCS become more romantic sounding with more 3D sound. If I were to keep the DCS, I’d have to keep the Virgo 3 preamp. |
