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

Based upon what I'm reading about the Wadax, it seems to be a game changer, so it definitely fits WC's description.

Dave

Shout outs to Gryphon for acknowledging my work:

12pm Eastern Time today. Let's have a chat 

Hey bulldogger,

Yes, that's my neck of the woods here in Phoenix - that place has two locations - one in Tempe and one in Scottsdale.   Really nice stores.

Dave

It's time to get serious...PART 1

Yeah gotta be Wadax dac. You guys who guessed that win. Hats off to ya

Jay, Curious about your choice of power cables with Gryphon Mephisto? For quite sometime You were adamant on using Audioquest Dragon HC on Mephisto. I was sent a pair to demo and I didn't think these power cables were ever meant for this amp. I believe you have stopped using AQ, but find it difficult to think you ever thought these cables complemented this amp. Maybe it was my Furutech Rhodium Outlets, the silver and rhodium didn't meld? The Mephisto is too neutral and transparent. Went back to my Furutech and that extension/silkiness returned. I run each channel on its own dedicated 20amp circuit. Unnatural, brittle, edgy, and the extension was just not there. Don't misunderstand, I think these cables would complement many other amps, but not Gryphon Mephisto.

I ended up with shunyata omega PCs with the Mephisto monos. 

Everything is system dependent....who would have thought that focals sound as good as what you heard on my last video?

Nobody did... But now I believe i have proved that it's about system matching. There is a reason why boulder uses focal in their sound room. 

Agreed many different denominators. I'm actually looking at Shunyata Omega USB. I have a Taiko on order. Had an interesting conversation with Richard in regards to Omega Power Cables.

Find out what component this is today at 230pm Eastern time!

Find out today:

MSB Select2 / Boulder 2110 / Boulder 3060 / Focal Maestro Utopia Evo to my ears and through YouTube has been the best sound you've had in your room....by far.

As for your question about which component is the most important in one's system, I think it has to do a lot with the level of your system.  At the level you are at, I wouldn't argue about the DAC being the most important component.  At a lesser level I think it might be the speakers.  Definitely up for debate.

Thanks for an unbelievable ride.

MSB Select 11 DAC is a superb DAC, when I first heard it I was surprised at how close it came to good analog. That was about five plus years ago! Times have changed, now there are DAC's that I think can compete, and maybe even better it. The Wadax, as mentioned, would be my first choice--if money was no object. 

BUT if you really want to go forward, IME the best source is still tape ( no contest) and then great analog, digital is still not at these levels. ( although getting very good, as in the MSB Select 11 and the Wadax etc).

Many folks are stunned by the system. If you look at the comments, 90% of people are floored with this combination. 

@jays_audio_lab  k...

Agree with @daveyf tape or analog still will beat digital when done right.

I wish I could comment but i don't know too much about analog. I don't have time to mess with it. 

With all due respect it might be worth your time to experience some analog sources and expand your horizons. After all music is an analog signal, and digital recordings are a method of sampling the analog signal at various points in time and storing that info digitally only to then be converted back to analog for playback. You've described your best digital gear as sounding more like analog, so why not get some experience with true analog sources. Just something to consider as you optimize your electronics and speakers and may want to consider exploring other sources.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!

Today marks a special day for me. I have finally hit 10,000 subscribers on Youtube which makes me a Micro Influencer

• 452 videos
• 2 years, 3 months, 4 days to achieve this milestone
• Lots of grinding, miles traveled, (probably over a million dollars in equipment purchases)  have finally got me here.

Something you might not know, I almost quit doing Youtube last year because it did add "extra pressure" which ended up in me getting diagnosed with anxiety last year. The constant "hustle" needed to do this is something that has FOR SURE taken a toll on me because I am EXTREMELY hard on myself.

You know, people have always asked me: "How do you afford all of this?"

Well today I have an answer: With A TON WORK and working multiple jobs at the same time and all of which have indeed taken a toll on my health due to ALWAYS ALWAYS having to be on the go. I do not have the "normal" audiophile life that some of you do: Come home after a day at work, turn on my system, listen to music for hours and go to bed.

My life is more like this:

• Work my 9-5
• Maybe go to the gym (I have been slacking lately)
• Open up my phone, read/respond to youtube comment
• Respond to people here
• Think of my next youtube videos
• Search for used audio gear online
• Build relationships with dealers
• Ship product that i might have sold
• Unpack new equipment
• Shoot and edit new video
• Evaluate new equipment
• Do Audio Consultations
• If there is time, relax and enjoy my system (if there is time left)
• Repeat all of the above the next day

Notice, the above does not include show coverage, travel preparations, etc, etc.

If you are able to sustain what I have outlined above 24 hours a day, 7 days a week then you should be able to do what I do and easily be able to afford everything you see on my channel in a few years.

Folks, thank you for the support and the love - You have played a major role in my early success. I can’t thank you enough!

Jay

Congrats Jay. Tremendous accomplishment.

I admire your discipline and honesty....

This is the ONLY reason i listen to you...

Congratulations!

Congratulations Jay.  Glad I was able to be one of the low numbers as a subscriber as I have watched everything mature to the current excellent presentations.  I appreciate all the effort, time, and investment and believe we have all benefited from in our lives.  (Still loving the Gryphon cables by the way…) Thank you!

Rick

Hi Jay,

I don't want to claim any special knowledge... but when I was around 6 years old in 1972, Ivor Tiefenbrun launched a product that is still in production:  Linn Sondek LP12.  The prevailing wisdom of the time was that "speakers were the most important component of an audio system."  Ivor, much to the ridicule of just about the entire industry, challenged that presumption by claiming that "the source (i.e. turntable) was the most important part of a high-end audio system.  

Over 100,000 turntables later, maybe he was right...

For all of you that may interpret this as a slam on digital, it is not.  I am saying that once a signal is degraded, it can never be recovered so the better the source, the better the rest of the system has the opportunity to perform.  So whether your choice is vinyl, digital, R2R or 2" masters (if you're lucky enough to have heard some of them) the ultimate high-end audio requires the best source you can buy.

I agree with @ron17:  The less expensive your system is, the more likely you are to have to spend a disproportionate amount of money on speakers.  Once you are into the moderate high-end audio range (maybe a $50K system) the balance skews away from speakers towards source, pre-amp (if you are using one), amp and as dramatically towards cabling and accessories.  In my system, almost all of my components are msrp <$10,000 and my speakers slightly more, (I bought them used for only $4K).  If you add up my cables/accessories (power chords, ethernet, interconnects, speaker cables, usb, isolation, power distribution), these have an msrp of around $50K!  But if someone told me I had pick one component to "skimp" on reduce the value in my system.  I'm sure I could be satisfied with an $8,000 pair of speakers.  

I do not completely agree with Ivor.  For me, a balanced system is the most important "component".  It makes no sense to have anything disproportionately more  or less expensive than the rest of the system.  I'm sure the MSB Select would improve my system, but it would be just as silly to add it as it would be to add $100K speakers, unless I was upgrading the whole rest of the system commensurately. But as you go up to the "cost no object" system, I think law of diminishing returns hits speakers harder and faster than the other components so at Jays level, it comes as no surprise to me that the DAC is of primal importance.

Good job WC. Well deserved milestone 
 

when you get a chance, please rank the Krell integrated amp as it compares to the other integrateds you’ve had (Luxman 590axii, Pass int 60, Sim Audio, Gryphon, etc). 

Yes Source are important...

But degradation comes ALSO from non treated and acoustically uncontrolled room acoustic..

In high end system these 2 degradations SEEMS on par at best and the acoustic factor SEEMS to be less determinant than the source factor...

In lower cost system the acoustic factor APPEAR way more important than the choice between turntable or 2 different dacs for example... Why?

The source or speakers, these two pieces of gear can only "speak" through a room acoustic....

The acoustic factor is forgotten most of the times by reviewers or considered a secondary addition...

Then saying that a lost of signal cannot be recovered is a common place fact that will not replace this less common fact : what we hear come from the interaction of the system with the room to an extent which is not fully understood by most people...

Comparing different pieces of gear in the same room is not the same thing that comparing the same piece of gear in two different rooms... Especially if one room is nude and the other treated and mechanically controlled... Try that and you will discover that acoustic is the most important factor GENERALLY not the choice between two good dacs at 2 different price ...

There is more to timbre perception than what is encoded by a dac or a turntable, the speakers /room relation will determine your perception more powerfully than a change between dac and turntable so great it is...

Then your claim is not wrong it is an half truth, but this half truth is everywhere in audio magazine... Guess why? 😁😊

For all of you that may interpret this as a slam on digital, it is not. I am saying that once a signal is degraded, it can never be recovered so the better the source, the better the rest of the system has the opportunity to perform.

Has anyone used Vandersteen amps

I agree with mahsister. I was following Jay before he went to video and then noticed that he paid no attention to room acoustic absorption and diffusion. For that reason alone I stopped tracking his progress or lack of. Circle back to a few days  ago I still see that he is void of any diffusion in the center back wall between the speakers. As well I doubt he has taken the time to analyze the room and seek out earl reflections and treat them .

Treating the room goes hand in hand as soon as anyone gets serious about audio and a bit of toe in and a few bass traps is the starting point.   

Why i am happy with my low cost system? And not envious at all of superior component... And they are superior no doubt in my mind...

All my component are well under the quality component of this site and even if it is the case, my soundscape in my 2 listening position is so good, that i dont give a damn about any products presented here... I like Jay personnality yes... It is the reason i listen...He is not only honest but know how to keep our interest...

But i dont need his 100,000 bucks dac..

Why?

Because we can be happy with a ratio S.Q. /price which is over the roof...

Why over the roof?

Because the real and only MULTIPLIER of the basic design quality of all piece of gear at any price is acoustic and psycho-acoustic method...Acoustic is not a mere addition it is a huge multiplier...

I dont mind anymore about my sound... He is good and my system cost is ridiculous...

my 8 headphones are not good enough for my room... 😁😊

But my actual room is unesthetical, and seems a mess with 100 Helmholtz resonators and diffusers... No one will do that save a nut... 😁 Each one must be tuned...But it cost me nothing save many many months of tuning....A pro acoustician will have charged a fortune...

But an optimal classical room treatment with this very high designed component here will help much for sure...At not too high cost...

But we must all remember that the goal of the OP is CHANGING each part of his system to explore new offer in a very high end niche...

And acoustic optimization CANNOT be done the same for different system ... Acoustic is not only a change for a specific room but also for all specfic components...

Then all the acoustic Jay need is minimal and classical room treatment.... An optimal better balance between reflection/absorption/diffusion...It can be applied to all system...

The goal of Jay are at the opposite of the goal of most people... He dont want to live with one system but to explore many new offering each year...

Then we must be conscious of that...

This is the reason why my criticism is useless for him here...But useful for many...

For sure the truth to reach hi fi at an optimal S.Q./price ratio will not change , it is acoustic method... But this truth is useful for an audio system which does not change each month...

But who present so much interesting hifi ultrra high end products with experience and honesty?

Dont look anywhere else...

it is here....

@gtaphile

Thank you for following me although you claim to not follow my progress or lack thereof. That said, responding here is contradictory to your statement.

Everyone loves to be a mentor yet very few walk the the walk the way I do publicly. I’d love to see your system and room. Any chance you can send me some pics?

There is nothing but God loving itself. So, if you are not treating everyone as your mother, lover, son, daughter, husband, and yes....God (whatever form you think that is).....then you are on a "withhold"....ie: You are withholding your beauty and love from them. When you feel your own intrinsic worth....then you also know that everyone is YOU........So, you love everyone.....as you love yourself.

There are many ways up the audio nirvana mountain. The way shown here is to spend upwards of $400,000 on stuff anyone can buy in a showroom. It certainly works for those with lots of money and don’t have the creative inclinations to look anywhere else. However, the average audiophile has maybe a $20,000+ stereo and there is not one single product they would use that is shown/promoted here....except maybe the Furutech outlets.

Here is an idea I have mentioned....but will share it again. Get a great full range driver (Lii Audio Silver 10s are $1200 a pair)......more than likely better would be the 10 inch Neo driver from Cube ($6500 the pair). Mount them on a damped open baffle with wings going back so you get bass to 40hz. On top, mount a super tweeter and xover with a single copper foil cap bypassed by smaller copper foil cap. Hardwire the wire from the amp directly to the voice coil wire of the full range driver (never been done in a commercial speaker) and directly to a mono block amp sitting direclty behind the speaker. The wire from the speaker voice coll to the amp (bare wire end for best sound.....no connector is best) would be better wire than what is inside the Focal speaker. You would not need to buy $27K speaker wires!!!!! The amps would be some super special 25 or more watts.......but not necessarily super expensive (see Cube Nenuphar thread for possiblilites). You would put a Bybee Quantum clarifier on the back of the magnet of the driver, use my Ground Enhancer on the negative pole of the driver and use my rf filter across the hot and ground (yes, I know.... a shameful plug.....we are talking $165 here for both items.....I am rolling in mulah selling these things....he he). The amps and wood and drivers and goodies.....would be way less than $20K (much, much less if you use the Lii Audio drivers). This combo would sound at least as good as the $140K Boulder amp, $20K Gryphon Cables and $70?K Focal speakers....from 100hz on up......of course, you could add woofers for a few thousand and have at least as good of bass as the almost $200K system.

If someone bullt such a system (my friend has one but is not so inclined) then they could start a thread and even a YouTube channel about their discoveries and the YouTube channel would have 100K subscibers within a month after they showed off how good it sounds.....because this is something that the average Audiophile would be interested in.

There is nothing wrong with $400,000 systems......anyone with the money can buy one. But it is not creative or innovative in any way.....expensive heavy toys....most of us cannot afford or lift. Most people who come here are window shoppers.....wishing they could afford such a thing.......However, you can afford the sound quality.....but you will not find the way up that mountain on this thread......maybe my hints will help you.

Be well and may peace be in your hearts.

@ricevs

I’m not sure if I should respond to your last post or not but here's my 2 cents:

It's no secret by now that my channel and journey has been using the extreme of the audio world. You've known this as well and guess what? It is not going to change. If you feel your knowledge can lead to 100k subscribers in no time, why haven't you started your channel? You can teach the masses your knowledge of how to acquire Gryphon and Boulder sound for pennies on the dollar. Who wouldn't want to see that? Hell, I'd be watching you everyday. 

The truth is that the typing on forums is a skill that anyone has but try to transfer this skill into YouTube and you'll soon find out it is an ENTIRE different world. 

I keep reading a lot of commentary all over the place from the different "audio crusaders" who seem to have an answer as to how to achieve sonic nirvana yet no real hard evidence on YouTube or anywhere comparing the ultra high end to their DIY systems. 

At some point, there is only so much talking that can be done before people realize it's just pure talk. 

I do what I do with incredible passion and put my money where my mouth is. I've started from nothing and where am I today? 

If I wasnt doing something right then i wouldn't be where I am today. 

Either way, thanks for following me.

@gtaphile

Sounds like you missed Jay's video showing the Vicoustic room treatments he had installed.  He has 'tunable' (first and second reflection) traps and an entire wall of treatments behind the listener.  Because Jay also uses his room as a HT room he is unable to treat the wall between the speakers.  BTW not every room needs diffusion on the front wall between the speakers.  Some rooms need absorption in that area, in fact I have heard rooms where the speakers are moved so far into the room that no treatment (front wall) was needed, every room is different.  I would love to see how your room is optimized for sound reproduction. Perhaps starting a virtual page with photos would be an education for us all.

Exactly my point...some pictures of HIS system and room would  be amazing....

There are very few people who have the time/money/desire to start a YouTube channel. My friend, who has the system I just mentioned does not have the inclination. You have to have big passion and big "balls" to want to do this.....you have both......good on you. My friend goes to shows and he has only heard two systems that he likes maybe better than his (and this was before he changed amps ,etc.:......the Alsyvox panels and the Borreson babys. He is using the Lii Audio 10 inch drivers ($1200) the pair.

This is a hobby of "every man for himself". There is no way to compare a DIY tweaked out thing to a $100,000 commercial speaker......People who are DIY......do not generally buy expensive stuff that they can beat for fractions of the money......why would they. Once you know as much as us tweakers....you cannot take standard speakers very seriously....at least for the money. Most Audiophiles know nothing of what is inside a speaker or how it works....pretty simple really. But you have to WANT to know. Once you know, you can never go back. It is so much fun to make your own speakers, etc....and you get sound that is crazy good and cannot be dupicated unless you spend 10 or more times the money.....even then...maybe not.

But, it is those that have played with things that know. You know about expensive toys you can buy at a store....that is all you know. You do not know that the binding posts on your speakers are wrecking the sound....and the same with the spades on your expensive speaker cables. You do not know that the parts in the Focal xover are not the best in the world. You do not know that they do not wire directly to the voice coil wire on the woofers or midranges so they are not getting all the sound that is possible. You do not know what Ground Enhancers do, what speaker rf filters do or what Bybee Quantum clarifiers do when mounted on the back of a magnet. You simply do not know these things because you have not listened to them.

We each do our thing. You are doing a great thing. It serves those that it serves. But, yes, you can get the kind of sound you have for way, way, way less money and have your creative juices flowing way more than just "buying things". You will never know what you are missing unless you try.......or as Yoda would say......no try....DO.....................unless you come out of your comfort zone.....you will not learn anything new. Life is infinite.....infinite possibilities.

I keep coming here thinking maybe I will learn something or you will show me something I do not know.....but it has not happened yet.......but, since my mission on this planet is to help people feel better about themselves and to help them in any way I can.......then I comment occasionally to help shine a light on a "different way of looking".....that will touch those that are so inclined. Most that come to this forum cannot "hear" what I say......but a few will be touched......and it will make a difference in their stereo.....but mostly in their lives.......because what we really want to be.....is to be happy. And happiness comes when you know "you are enough"......right now and forever. You do not need to prove anything....you do not need to have anything. You can drink the love and joy of life with every breath.....you are infinite joy. Be a smile millionaire......its free! Enjoy every moment.....yes, I give you permission....the universe has always given you permission........will you take it? Will you breath in the love and joy that is ever present? You choose. I hope you choose love.

Since there is nothing but God loving itself.....then, it is always God talking to itself. So, when I write something here......it is for me, as well. If I am not walking the talk then it is just words.....more and more I commit each day to living the truth of my soul....to be the best person I can......to appreciate, be inspired by and to bless every single person on the planet.....and on other planets.....he he....as Buzz says....to infinity and beyond.

Hi Jay = Have you had Emile do a “checkup” to make sure your Taiko Extreme is properly dialed in given the driver updates, etc?

Best, Michael

rbach I have only checked in a few times so have not seen anything from Jay on acoustics. I'd be happy to send pics and have asked where to send.

I don't believe I have heard a room that added absorption, diffusion or a combination of both on the front wall that did not significantly improve the listening experience. 

I am not aware of how important HD video is to Jay but if it is a second choice I would remove the projection screen altogether experiment with a large surface area of absorption/diffusion and get the image focus and image size dialed in. I would then replace the screen with a ceiling mount tab tensioned screen and enjoy both systems. 

Again I have seen the early portion of Jays journey and not much else so these may be moog points.  

With all that you do, you must have a loving wife and family who understands your journey.  You are a lucky man.  

@willgolf

That is correct. I do have her support.

@gtaphile

I can’t remove the screen because I also use the room as a movie room. I have to watch Disney flicks with my daughter. When i built the room, it was also for us to spend family time together.

I am going to be partnering with a company who will assist me remotely with more room treatments. I will remove my old rectangular GIK Acoustics panels and insert something better. The room will get a lot better but always keeping in mind that movie nights have to be a part of its functionality.

Once you go with a projector, you can’t watch TV in a small screen anymore. It’s impossible. There is no going back.

Tonight, i won't be listening to music. I'm a little tired and want to sit back and watch a good movie. 

@gtaphile

Thank you for your response.  Like I said, I have heard systems in medium - large rooms with the speakers 8-10' into the room where no treatment was necessary on the front wall.  As long as first and second reflections are absorbed or diffused and bass is controlled.  I have also heard rooms that were overtreated and either sounded dead or too lively.  Every room is unique and every listener has their own preferences.

No need to send photos.  Simply go to Audiogon's homepage and click on the 'down arrow tab'.  Select Virtual Systems ~ Create System.  From there you can upload photos of your system along with listing your equipment.  

Looking forward to seeing your system and room treatments.  

Acoustic is not simple matter and a bunch of recipes... Nope...

For example my screen computer is BETWEEN my speakers on my desk creating a situation ressembling Jay’s situation...The ratio between our two rooms, speakers, and the screen is near one another probably ... 😁😊

Yes it can be bad... But acoustic is NEVER only a recipe...

The way some front reflection RATIO to back and side reflections can work for the worst or for the better is related to a ratio which is properly determined by the timing of these waves and the listener position... This precise ratio will determine greatly imaging...Front reflection are not bad in itself only the ratio could be...

Then no one room is similar and no recipe is universal...

Only listenings experiments and tuning time works universally...

Timing event point reflections in psycho acoustic are in fraction of one hundred milliseconds...

I am not an acoustician by the way i only learned how to play with my room...And i succeeded...

This is why i can say that for most people who already own relatively good gear to live by  they must adress acoustic...

It makes no sense to upgradse a 25,000 bucks dac to a 100,000 bucks one BEFORE adressing acoustic for most people especially those for whose money is counted...

My best to all...

Pilium Audio Gear best period ? 

Pilium Audio DAC best period ?

Sure 

"I can’t remove the screen because I also use the room as a movie room. I have to watch Disney flicks with my daughter. When i built the room, it was also for us to spend family time together." Jay, consider a retractable screen. Mount it from the ceiling. Move it forward enough to put acoustical treatments behind the screen. As the screen retracts, you will hear an immediate difference in the audio.

I notice you have your speakers pulled well forward of the screen. That's mitigating most the effect of the screen but not totally. 

That isn't an option. My speakers are in wall speakers. I don't use my 2 channel for movies. My entire home theater is with in walls.

Jay,

Did you mention in your latest video what your newest dealer product is? Looking forward to learning about that.

edit: I just finished the video and think I remember you making comment about the next brand you will rep but no naming it yet. Like I said, I'm looking forward to learning about that as I'm sure many others are too.