My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

Thank you Ron !

@jays_audio_lab Bumping a previous post here, how is the Furutech outlet playing in your system now, did burn in help and turn it around?

@divertiti 

So I think the furutech is broken in... It took roughly 500 hours. 

Very nice improvement for sure. 

Ok guys, the video of the vac preamp and Gryphon amp will be released tomorrow. I have 3 songs total but I will release one song tomorrow. I think you will like what you hear very much. 

here we go:

Is this presentation my all-time best? hmmm.. 

Jay, what bias setting did you use on the last video?

Thanks,

Aziz

LOW

Interesting, I often use Medium, especially late at night, which sounds quite good to my ears, but never tried Low. I think the manual says it is just for keeping the amp ready for listening without initial warm-up. Does it sound as good as Medium or High setting?

You can do excellent grounding and AC filtering for way less money than the Nordost stuff......Just doing the grounding stuff recommended in the below link would probably blow your mind.  The grounding stuff is a separate grounding rod you install just for your stereo, the Puritan Ground Master filter, and a bunch of wires to connect each component to the Puritan line filter.  All under $500 total.  The Puritan line filter......less than $2K for the 156 version is raved about in this thread and can be used in conjunction with all the above grounding thangs......my friend is doing all the above in his stereo but starts off with a 3000 watt battery powered low distortion inverter in front of it all......super dead quiet and transparent.....mind blowing.  The whole enchilada for the Puritan Line filter 256, the Ground master, the ground rod, installation (if you cannot put in a rod on your own)......would be less than $3K.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=173793.0

Thanks for pulling this together. Of seven-channel amps that you've tried and that are currently in production, would you say that the Krell Chorus 7200 is the best? Only other amp that seems in the running would be the ATI Signature Series 6007. Would like to avoid Class D. 

I note the Plinius Odeon has long since been discontinued.

Take 2!

Take 2 is much much better than take 1,I think it is the different on record way.

and this demonstrate that what we hear  largely depends on the record method.

Lots of great comments on the video itself. This has been well-received. 

It would be very difficult for me to let this grouping of components and speakers go....excellent system synergy.

Just plain fantastic!  Perhaps you will hold onto this system and use as a reference? Would be a worthy system!

Catching up and enjoyed the Qkore review as well. Been enjoying its impact on my system for awhile now but it sounds like it may be worth trying 2 premium cables over the standards. I have heard some Nordost dealers say it isn't necessarily worth the price, but as you say, if it gives you more of what the Qkore does....

I have opportunity to test Mark Levinson 536 against Krell FPB 600, Pass Lab X350.8, Benchmark AHB2, and NAD C298.

They are driving my B&W 802D3.

They all sounds good and each have their own signature.

ML 536 has the best dynamic, details and holographic soundstage for playing loud classical music

Krell FPB has the most bass weight, details and soundstage lacking compare to 536

Pass Lab X350.8 very similar to ML 536 but less dynamic and life like details...ML 536 will reproduce close mic recording of piano or trumpet as if you hear the real instrument with the "bite" that make you think you hear the real life instrument if you close your eyes.

AHB2 good overall value , lacking in bass punch and soundstage details by comparison

NAD C298 very good value, lacking in bass weight , soundstage and details transparency by comparison.

asin,

Thanks.  At low/moderate SPL, how do the ML 536 and AHB2 compare for detail, resolution and bite of classical music?   My experience with AHB2 is it is strong in subtleties but weak in power dynamics.

Though it’s a poor man’s system by comparison, I can absolutely agree the VAC Master preamp makes for an EPIC pairing to a clean SS amp. The VAC Master pre paired with matching VAC power amp (200iQ’s in my case) sounds more beautiful than any other combo I’ve tried on most music, but falls a bit short for high-adrenaline heavy metal and hard rock with a fast & heavy beat. But either VAC component, paired with another brand’s very clean sounding complementary component (e.g. ARC Ref 6 pre or Phison A2.120SE amp), does just fine with heavy metal! I’ve been driving myself crazy with amp swaps the past few months 😅

I see Jay chooses very NOT metal material for his videos :)

WC - I see what you mean, when you described the system in a previous video.   It does sound really good.

Dave

I plan to try that at some point. That said, I can't really evaluate amplifiers if I biamp speakers with different amps. In his system, it's good because he doesn't do what I do. He has a reference system that he has built by doing a lot of tweaks which includes a magnepan tweeter on his speakers. 

As you said Jay, these systems are on opposites of the spectrum, if not polar opposites.  Very cool u both had a chance to experience such incredible systems in their own right.

Mike has the speakers very very far apart (maybe like 12 feet?) and the adjustability of the entire system is great too. I liked the way things sounded which you will get to hear on the video i shot at this place. I can appreciate ANY SYSTEM that sounds great regardless of the money spent. I am sure that many of you have systems that kick ass and yet only cost about 10% of what i have in mine.

Hopefully this video with MIkey has shown you all that for me it is not about dumping a ton of money into a system and that this is the only way to get things to sound right. I am simply playing with components that yes, they are out of reach for many but i remain objective. I even voted the Joseph Audio room the best room at CAF 2021 and there were rooms with systems costing far more money there.

Ultimately, i would like for all of you to understand that the fact that i am playing with this level of gear is EXACTLY what makes me valuable because if i came into your house TODAY, heard your affordable system that you have put together by working your @ss off and was blown away, wouldn’t that make you say: "wow, this compliment is coming from a guy who has had just about EVERYTHING and who plays with some of the best stuff out there and yet he is highly impressed by what i have put together in here".

Wouldn’t that feel good for you?  I want for the guy who owns the Ferraris and Lambos to praise my Turbo Honda Civic after he takes it for a test drive. You want people with greater reference points to be that extra set of ears because your goal should be to aspire to make things even better (assuming your budget allows). 

I have said it before, and i will repeat it again: If something sounds damn good, i will be vocal about how good it sounds regardless of price. Please, erase that idea from your head that if i came over to hear your system that I probably wouldn't like it because it is not as expensive as mine. This is BS and hopefully you all now have a greater appreciation for what I am doing. I am not doing this to be cheerleader for the ultra high end (although that is for the most part what i have been presenting on my channel). I am here to be vocal about ANYTHING that impresses me so next time I am in your neck of the woods and you want my honest opinion (yes i will be real with you about how i feel about your system), feel free to let me know.

Thanks guys for the love and the support !

Jay

WC,

Just wanted to add that I appreciate your honest impressions in the videos with Mikey, and your car comparison is a great analogy.  The discussion with you and Mikey about Consulting Services will hopefully be helpful going forward.   Consulting ends up costing less overall, because the money spent on consulting is much less than the money lost on the equipment merry go round - which most of the time is inevitable without an Expert.

Dave

Jay,

Hopefully you can discuss with Mikey why he has the bass cabinets in the middle and the panels on the extreme sides.  When I had the huge Maggie Tympani's, I placed the HF units in the center closer to each other than the bass panels which were on the outside.  I think I remember when you had the Maggie 3.7i and 20.7, you had the ribbon tweeters on the inside.  He has the panels very far apart, but it only takes a few feet to obtain excellent separation and spatiality.  The big disadvantage of very wide separation is blurring and bloating of most instruments in midrange/HF, although at first the huge soundstage is tantalizing.

Visually, his arrangement makes sense--otherwise the huge panels would destroy the beauty of the room.  If the bass cabinets were on the sides, the bass might be too loose and uncontrolled.

I guess Jay does a good job filming 😆

You don't wanna miss this!

Video drops shortly

McIntosh seems to elicit various responses with a’philes...some love it, some hate it...BUT their vintage tube gear is still very well thought of, and IMO for very good reason.

Jay states that McIntosh could come out with a SOTA product if they wanted to, they have the chops to do so. Then he asks that all manufacturer’s work towards pushing the envelope, except he already gave a perfectly good reason why McIntosh should not be doing that, and in fact does not/ will not do that. Hmm.😃

Part 3 of Mikey's system is superb.  From my computer, I can't judge soundstage, spatiality, but only tone quality.  The 2nd song, Dire Straits' Private Investigations I learned and heard many times on Jay's Wilsons and enjoyed it.  But these Arion ribbon speakers show what uncolored, lifelike tonal quality is all about.  The voice and soft guitar at the beginning are delicate, natural.  Although the XLF and Focal Maestro's are at the top of the dynamic speaker class, the colorations of dynamic box speakers are evident when compared to the Arion ribbon drivers.  Although the electronics are different, and Mikey is to be commended for his dedicated setup, the essential differences between dynamic and ribbon speakers are still there.   The GTA and Arion speakers rival each other for this special tonal quality.  

Good video Jay.  Never owned McIntosh gear but totally respect the brand.  Every reviewer has their own way of expressing their thoughts on products.  Never cared for reviewers that bash gear.   I appreciate the 'pros and cons, and room for improvement suggestions' style you have developed for reviewing gear.

Krell 300i Integrated has arrived today and it is going through the motions. Stay tuned to find out if this unit is any good. 

Correction to my last post about Mikey's system.  His main speakers are from Analysis Audio, not Arion.  I like his customized add-ons with the extra ribbon tweeter and Townshend Audio tweeter.  This restores the brilliance of the HF which I felt was missing from similar looking Apogee designs.  I considered the Townshend in place of my Enigmacoustics tweeter.  The advantage of the Townshend is much higher impedance than the Enigmacoustics, which doesn't strain the amp as much as my Enigma.  I use the Enigma time aligned with my main electrostatic panels, firing forward.

Great job with great sound, Mikey.

Hey that’s cool to have the little krell integrated. Will be interesting to hear how you rate it versus the Pass Labs Int 60 and Luxman integrateds that you’ve had.

yysantabarbara has this krell and likes it

i doubt you’ll get it but the 95th anniversary Luxman 595ase integrated is supposed to be a lot better than the 590axii that you rated the best amp under $12k earlier 

12pm EASTERN TIME TODAY

Grab an L509X and a Int 60 and an 866 and an Edge A and do a 5-way shootout!!