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!
The momentums have been with Critical Mass footers for about 10 days now. I will wait 4 more days for a total of 2 weeks and let them sing in front of you all. We will do the before and after test once again too without you all knowing which presentation has footers. I am now only a few days away from deciding which amp will be sold out of the 3 i own. I can’t keep them all especially now that i have a 4th set of amps in the room. My gut tells me to keep the momentum (i will share my reasons why later on) and sell either Boulder or Mephisto. The issue is that selling the Boulders means i have to also sell the linestage because most people who would entertain buying my Boulder 2150s would also want the matching 2110 and i am not wanting to sell the linestage at all. The linestage is an excellent component that can be part of many future amplifiers going forward.
My logic is this: I can use the 2110 with just about any amplifier out there and for the most part i will get excellent results. I am getting great results with Momentum, Gryphon, and other amps i can’t remember now. This linestage seems to get along with many amps out there (my 4th set of amps will be yet another test). Here are brief notes about each amp:
The 2150 monos are the most detailed and ultra-resolving amps i have had that make you say "holy sh@t"
The Mephisto has the most tremendous control over the Alexx and makes the woofers feel as if a mule was kicking them from behind which is amazing for a lot of music that needs this extra body on the low registers (great imaging too)
Momentum sound just right all the time with just about any song. They arent as highly resolving as Mephisto or Boulder, but they have a way of drawing you in that is like a "voodoo" effect.
Hard to pick when they are all great amps and bring different qualities to the table. Scotch/vodka/tequila are all good, but hard to choose one over the other.
Just found out that Boulder will have the following price increases:
Boulder 2150 new price = $112k/PAIR Boulder 2110 new price = $65k
Effective March 1st
Magico is also raising the prices effective March 1st. i know of 4 other companies also jacking up their prices in March and in June. Expect price increases guys...we can thank Covid for this.. If you all are now thinking of buying something and have been playing with the idea for quite sometime, you might want to pull the trigger before the price increase...
@whitecamaross do you think opus power cord on boulder is better than SR galileo and AQ dragon. also i agree with zaks and i think you should remove the momentum from top of the boulder.
Let me just delete what I was typing. It doesn’t serve me well to start bickering back and forth. I always end up losing no matter because I am the one showing my gear. If I type what I had in mind, it would have started a new episode of "holy $h@t" here we go again.. Feel free to take your mask off and come see me when there is a new show and we are out of the pandemic. I'd still shake your hand. Let's move on and keep sailing!
I'll tell you Jay, I don't normally watch your videos to determine the ultimate quality of whatever you're using, but the Boulders with the Transparent power cords did sound VERY good.
@chayro So the transparent cables are certainly doing something to the presentation of the 2150. The thing is I can’t let this feeling confuse me. I need to let the Powercords settle in for another week and then go back to the stock Powercords. I think the biggest thing here is that Boulder has such a neutral sound that makes it clear and easy for you to know if the new added component or tweak actually elevated or took away from the naturalness of the boulders. The linestage for instance, i am getting the feeling that it sounds FAR BETTER with the stock powercord. I keep trying other powercords but for some reason I almost always prefer the stock powercord. There is more imaging and separation and clarity with stock powercord on the 2110.
Cool! It’s been forever since you had Pass monoblocks - since the XS300’s I think, which way back when were your #1 favorite amp you had owned to that point.
Last Pass you had was the INT250 I think that only lasted a couple days - you seemed to be disappointed that the $9k Luxman L590AXii beat the INT250 (according to what you told us) which was 33% higher msrp than the Luxman.
Maybe the 60.8 will beat out the Momentums in some areas ?? Should be fun. Good work!
As a pass labs dealer we have been selling the most 60.8’s as compared to any of their other models due to what they bring to the table at that particular price point. We do get the best sound by replacing the stock fuses with the Synergistic Research 5 amp Orange Fuse.
Gentlemen - I wasn’t going to say anything but this just begs me to. When Jay commented on the character of the different amplifiers;
The 2150 monos are the most detailed and ultra-resolving amps i have had that make you say "holy sh@t"
The Mephisto has the most tremendous control over the Alexx and makes the woofers feel as if a mule was kicking them from behind which is amazing for a lot of music that needs this extra body on the low registers (great imaging too)
Momentum sound just right all the time with just about any song. They arent as highly resolving as Mephisto or Boulder, but they have a way of drawing you in that is like a "voodoo" effect.
I was frustrated. Then when the comments about the Pass XA-60.8’s were made - I had to post. For me, our systems are not about the character of the components but rather the fidelity which the performance is recreated. Now, unless we attend live performances and / or are very familiar with the performance - there’s no way for us to know how the performance "sounded / sounds" While I attend orchestra and small natural acoustic performances (unamplified) I certainly can’t confirm all of our recordings. How I compare them is hearing the individual instruments played live in our room. I forget which established editor at Stereophile called the Pass XA-60.5’s the best amplifier he’s ever heard! He used the live performance as his reference. And - he should know because he recorded the performance! Did it have the best bass - no, but it sounded most like the live performance. This is what I strive for and what I think a quality system should obtain. This is the point of difficulty I’ve had selling cables. Cables are supposed to transfer the signal while doing the least harm. That is - with the most fidelity. How can this be determined? Live performances is the ultimate reference but other things can be used as indicators - coherence is one. Specifically meaning - when music is played back, is it easy to distinguish what sounds are coming from where. Like - instead of applause as background noise, you distinctly hear it in front of the performers, clearly defined and imaged in specific location(s). Just like it occurred in the live performance when recorded. I could go on, but this is why I stopped selling cables. Because not everyone looks to build a system that sounds most like the live performance(s). Oh - they say they do because they select attributes they think / like best, but that doesn’t always equal the actual live performance. A memorable experience (I had) with a quality amplifier was with the Lamm 1.2 Ref mono’s - these had a slight emphasis in the bass. Please don’t take this as me criticizing - that’s not my intention. I’m just venting my frustration, because I don’t understand how we spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment by selecting what we think sounds best instead of making direct comparisons to live music. If we make direct comparisons with live music, determining which component(s) sounds most like live music becomes dramatically easier.
@tjassoc2 the arguments of comparing music either being true to source in recorded music or in live music is completely fallable and inconsistent. this is the same thing articulated by harry pearson of TAS which i dont agree with do all concerts hall of same music, sound the same.i would say no.depends on type of instrument, orchestra, auditorium etc.does any violins or two different instruments of any type sound the same.answer is no same in the recorded music world.depends on the mic, mixing and the speakers the engineer listened. i would say many would even prefer the sound of a properly mastered track rather than plain simple unamplified instrument. there are simply so many variables no reference or base to compare.
we already know the cable as much as we want to think of straight wire of gain is far away from that and is the least transparent component among all others. the point iam coming to is , that we all have to build systems with the sound signature we tend to like rather than chasing some reference live music bcoz it simply is not possible. as long as jay is able to describe the sound clearly and coherently on what is listening to iam fine with that.
That’s your opinion which you’re entitled to. Like I stated in my post, I use both naturally performed acoustic performances (performed in different venues) and single instruments played unamplified in our listening room as a reference. And, of course the performance environment will have a signature character for that recording. Also true - variables in the recording chain make a difference. Experience shows better quality recordings sound very very similar to real music. Much more so than different. But stating music cannot be reproduced to sound convincingly like it’s live performance? It’s apparent what you state is theory - you haven’t tried listening to live music in your room. Granted, the prerequisites require a very high fidelity (not necessarily very expensive - ours is ~ $250k) system and a well designed and acoustically treated room. If you did you’d know empirical / actual results. Still disagree? You’re welcome to visit my home and listen for yourself. I live in the central NJ area. Bring your own music if you like. Wire too for that matter. Just agree to post here your experiences. Everyone who’s visited easily identified differences when wires were changed. This includes MIT Oracle MAX-SHD speaker cable (retailed for $50k) and MIT Oracle MAX-2 balanced interconnect (we’re not considering low end merchandise). I use these for demonstration comparison. The few dozen people I’ve shared with came away with a completely different perspective. But like I’ve stated before in this forum, I’ve given up on trying to share knowledge with individuals. Instead of being a forum where individuals can share experiences and learn from each other, it becomes a "you’re wrong and I’m right" urinating match. Still not convinced? The editor at Stereophile who has recorded countless audiophile recordings (I forget his name) who reviewed and claimed the Pass XA-60.5’s were the best amplifier he heard at that time because they sounded most realistic. And in that review he confirmed other amplifiers had more realistic bass. Maybe he got it wrong? Pass paid him off - yes, that must be it. Or any one of countless other conspiracy theories. You can be fine with whatever sound you like (and Jay, I respect what you describe and have defended your position in the past). But goodsource, that doesn’t mean your conjecture is accurate / real. You know what - you’re 100% right and I’m 100% wrong. Let’s leave it at that. Really - it’s just not worth the time or effort. Jay - forgive me. I didn’t mean to cause a disagreement in your thread. You have an entertaining and revealing thread and I sincerely wish you the best with it continuing as such.
@tjassoc haha. don't get worked up for no reason. who is talking about right and wrong. iam just putting up my point of view. and having disagreements is fine sure when i get a chance to listen to your system i will share what i hear then. i have my fair share of owning high end systems,listening to concerts and listening a lot of high end systems in diff rooms and comparing tons of high end cables. you are assuming my experiences to be conjecture and yours to be fact.lol. not sure how u came to an apparent conclusion that what i stated is theory. so what if your system is 250k and mine is 350k plus.does not mean or infer anything. you are sharing your experiences and iam sharing mine. lets leave it at that. and btw jay does not mind any disagreements.disagrements and different points of view is what consitutes a healthy discussion.
sounds like time for a virtual group hug. i for one appreciate everyone’s passion and discourse on this thread. and of course WC’s relentless efforts that keep us engaged
Gentlemen, This is good and healthy discussion. @tjassoc I liked what you said to be honest. I have no reason to not believe that you have a lot of experience with live music. If I lived in NJ, I'd certainly come over with an open mind and listen to your system. I will add that i think "most of us" dial in our systems to our preference. Some like more bass and some don't. All the system combinations I've had are pretty much different and all had something special. Thank you for the great points noted above.
Jay, I was excited when you mentioned earlier that Peter McGrath might be willing to help you setup the Alexx speakers at your place. As most people know, he's also a recording engineer and would have been able to give you some insights on what amp (Boulder vs Mephisto - you didn't have M400 then) was closer to the truth. I'm sure he would have given you some tips on what to listen for as well. In this article about Peter, it's mentioned he has the Momentum 400 with Alexia in his system. https://www.stereophile.com/content/capturing-it-live-peter-mcgrath
"forget which established editor at Stereophile called the Pass XA-60.5’s the best amplifier he’s ever heard! He used the live performance as his reference."
Well, I have heard a lot of live performances that SUCK ! Large venues , especially outdoors are almost impossible to make sound good. I would say that a live performance at a Jazz or Blues club would be much better. Have you ever listened to the NPR tiny desk concerts? That is the type of Live performance that would be a Good Reference IMO. but that argument is ..that while it may have been live when recorded, but, unless you were there listening in person , it is really not live , but recorded Live. I think sounding real is a better term than live . I think that everyone can agree that Live concerts, performances,etc do not always sound better than a studio recording. The size of the venue ,and your seating position will make more difference on the sound than a lot of other things. Hell , it is next to impossible to make it sound good for all. I did hear that the "US" concert sounded good almost everywhere. Of course Steve Jobs spared no expense when it came to all of that. Yopu will not see that again. BTW if you ever get the chance, what the "US" Concert Video that shows the behind the Scenes making of it . very interesting and COOL
grey9hound - I wasn't going to continue within this forum, but the good nature of the people involved compelled me to respond :-). I agree that large hall venues usually provide poor acoustics - at least that's my (unfortunate) experience. Heck - the best acoustics of an orchestral concert I attended was merely fair (NJPAC) and how I was so disappointed when I attended for the first time (and took our oldest son too) our local Count Basie Center (in Red Bank, NJ). Terrible acoustic - ugg! Smaller, naturally performed acoustic venues are much nicer - restaurants, bars, etc. Yes - I know - sounds real classy (not!) but this is what I found sounds best (honest). Contemporary Jazz is my favorite - especially with good bands. I respect that we all want something different - I strive to recreate the music as it was performed within it's venue. When accomplished (with exceptional recordings) - the experience is unmatched. Thanks guys for your responses.
@grey9hound9 well said.completely agree with you.main problem with concert hall is the rolled off highs.because you are sitting so far and HF wavelengths are much smaller.. thats where recorded music and listening in smaller spaces are much better especially for HF.
"I think sounding real is a better term than live. I think that everyone can agree that live concerts, performances, etc do not always sound better than a studio recording."
I can relate to this very much. I’ve been to hundreds of shows and some are great SQ but many are not and I’d prefer that my system not sound like many of the shows I’ve been to that did not sound good. In the end, I think that a lot of us strive for our own idea of good sound. I’m not looking for live but real. And like Jay said "I will add that I think "most of us" dial in our systems to our preference", that’s where I’m at.
@tjassoc
I appreciate your POV and that we all have different goals. But the conversation is stimulating and interesting to read what people shoot for in their systems.
There is no "right" sound, but there is a sound that is right for each of us and so that is what each of us strives for.
The reality is that even if i brought each and everyone of you to come listen to my system, some of you might not like it. I think it is that we all hear different and we look for different qualities in the presentation. For me, i think I have already crossed the "neutrality" zone many times. I have found gear that isn’t neutral that made me perfectly happy. For instance, i love luxman, constellation etc. Are they dead neutral? Nope. But when I’m not looking to be critical, this gear takes me to different places and makes me forget that there isn’t enough bass or mids or dynamics.
In addition to that, there is one additional factor that has BARELY BARELY come up in our discussions: OUR MINDS Our mind plays tricks with us all the time. How many times have you all listened to your system and are completely blown away and to only return the next day and now you don’t like what you hear so you start to change things... Part of the reason WHY new components are always being released to us consumers is because we get tired of everything INCLUDING outstanding products. I wish there was a way for me to avoid ending the "honeymoon" phase that exists with new components. It would save me a ton of money. Anyway, i don’t think there is a perfect presentation which includes live music. I’ve heard live music and I was searching for paper napkins to stuff my ears with (not kidding either). I don’t believe for one second that there is anyone here who doesn’t have any common sense, but what I TRULY BELIEVE is that we have major differences of opinion when it comes to what sounds natural or unnatural.
justmetoo, There's been folks on this thread who have harped on WC for his changes in equipment - they can't seem to understand that he's not trying to get the best sound and then be done - at least, not right now. That German saying you shared is perfectly applicable for this thread - the journey is the goal. Thanks for sharing that. Dave
I would like to throw in my two cents on the "Live" versus heard in your room discussion.
While expensive systems can recreate many things, they cannot recreate all live performances. I have heard the Allman Brothers "Live at the Fillmore from every possible source, i.e. CD, SACD, R2R in 2 and 4 channel, vinyl and cassette. The over/under is 3,000 on how many times I have listened to that album (take the Over).
I also saw them on that tour in a concert hall in the fall of 1971. That sound cannot be recreated in your home. It can be really really good, but not the same.
Now I so believe you can make Eva Cassidy or Dave Brubeck sound like they are in the room, but it is a different sound.
As I wait for the boulders/transparent and Momentum/critical mass to fully break in or "synergize" , i have been writing down my thoughts on the worst components, cables etc that i have owned looking back 3 years so I'll be putting out a video on this.
Anyway, i want to also address a few things that have to do with equipment break-in or settling which has been something that has been a pain point over the last few weeks.
For starters, it is extremely EXTREMELY difficult for me to wait 1,000 hours or 60 days or 10 weeks, etc, etc for a component to break in. Remember, most of my components are pre-owned so they aren't exactly new. Also, please remember that if i let a component "settle in" for 1000 hours then this means I shouldn't unplug it or remove it or else the magic begins to vanish. This begs the question, then how can I continue with the show? If i can't remove cable x or y or any component then I can't quite present you all with different videos of different presentations. Remember, the expectation from many of you is to be able to listen to many of my components and for me to keep mixing things up and to keep moving along to the next new thing. In my time with high end audio, i have hardly ever ever ever met a component that didn't give me MOST of what it has to offer me right out of the gate (specially if it is used). Most things (most) will give you the big chunk of the "performance upgrade" within the first week.
I listened to your comparison of D'Agostino and Gryphon power amps with D'Agostino preamp on youtube. It would've been better to compare full D'Agostino to full Gryphon set-up. As it was, to my ear D'Agostino was superior, great involving emotional sound. Gryphon might've been a bit more precise, not sure.
Checked it out. The impression remains. For my taste and to my ear D'Agostino is closer to how it should be than Gryphon. I don't listen to big orchestra, so perhaps with that kind of music Gryphon would have an advantage, maybe even more so with Gryphon big speakers. Flemming Rasmussen himself said that he liked large scale music.
I watched a few more of your videos. I did not like Luxman, either separates or the integrated. I did like Accuphase integrated, more correct and sophisticated sound than Luxman. Again, this is youtube listening, so.. As they say, for my money, if I had this kind of money for this, I would go for Gryphon and D'Agostino. Diablo 300 appears to be the best value but I would go for D'Agostino if I could. Used Accuphase would make sense too. There is something very special about D'Agostino sound.
Hi Jay - looks like you reached a crossroads in your path and need to make some decisions. Do you want to assemble the best-sounding system (to your ears) money can buy, and sit back for hours of enjoyment, or do you want to keep rotating thousands of pounds of equipment in and out to keep feeding the desires of your subscribers? Too bad that once we turn a hobby into a business it loses some of its pleasure. Or a lot of its pleasure, as the case may be.
Break in is another one of those highly controversial subjects in audio. For those who don't believe in break in, I'm jealous, because you don't have to go through the painstaking wait, the ups/downs, etc. I will never say to those who don't believe that they are wrong, I just say they are lucky. WC, with components that are used, my thought is that there really is not any need for a thousand hours of break in. Just a couple of days - a week at the most. For new components though, well, that does take a varied amount of time, depending upon the item.
If you were into this for your pleasure and not for the entertainment of this thread and/or your videos, then it wouldn't be as much of an issue. However, if you are here for the entertainment, then you need to be able to bounce around with different component, cables, etc. The pace needs to keep up.
The Consulting is yet another that can be impacted by this. Some folks will disqualify your credentials with regards to speaking about the sonics of different items, if according to them you did not break it in enough. Speaking of all of this break in - shouldn't we know about the CMS footers now? Dave
Jay - about the Accuphase. I’ve never owned one of their products, but I remember thinking that the E800 would be an unlikely match with big Wilsons, but it might be outstanding with Sonus Faber, Harbeth or something more like that. I mean, 50 watts into 8 ohms for Wilsons? But it is well-known that their US pricing is out of line.
I want to do one thing at a time. The Boulder/Transparent combo has been running for about 10 days straight so i want to finish with that first and do a a/b comparison of stock pcs vs transparent without letting you all know what is playing. Once that is done, i will circle back to the momentum/CM experiment which has been long enough now since the footers have been under the Momentum. So if all goes as planned, this weekend we will do the Boulder/Transparent/Stock powercord video and then next weekend the Momentum/CM video. This means that the Pass labs 60.8 will be shown playing music around the 26th of the this month.
Anyhow, there will be a video dropping today at 12pm ET showing the changes the system has gone through after having the transparent cables playing music for about 160-180 hours. I think this is as good as things will get so stay tuned for this video.
It is difficult to compare when different tunes are played. But this Boulder set sounds great. I would do side by side comparison, same melody. Seems that I still prefer D'Agostino, it's got soul. But those Boulders, oh yeah. I didn't say new Accuphase would make much sense, not to me at least.
Maybe it is youtube or maybe it is just me but I found Pass amps boring, and based only on your videos I would not even consider them. It's D'Agostino, Gryphon and Boulder. It would be interesting to me to hear how they all would sound with bigger Kharma speakers. I know that Lamm sounds excellent with them, that's Kharma sounds excellent with Lamm. Jay, I would like to thank you for the incredible work that you've been doing.
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