My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
fastfreight, As I read you, you found the Tambaqui DAC a small, but significant improvement over the Auralic Vega DAC. Did you try the Chord DAVE? I like cathedral ceilings, which turn an ordinary low ceiling room into a concert hall with more free spaciousness, sort of like a horn speaker. I would think you might prefer the upstairs to the downstairs system with the same components? Easy to try. |
Jay, I just watched your video where at the end you say you don't have the time to tweak vinyl. From all your business activities, I get your priorities. But just like you made an about-face with the Boulder 3060 in favor of the new $200K+ amp based on the sound, you could easily get smitten with Oz's TT setup. Then you will want to tweak it on some simple level just as you have tweaked your other components. Even if you don't tinker with Oz's setup, you will find it rewarding to experiment with the Boulder phono stage loading options. Oz likes tubes and mellow Koetsu cartridges, and might prefer a loading of 100 ohms or so, but for your desire for neutrality and speed, you probably will prefer 1000 ohms, the highest setting on the Boulder. Haha, I have seen this movie before!! |
Hi @viber6, both rooms are great. I know what you mean about the cathedral ceilings. Some recordings just go sky high. My upstairs system is no slouch it just doesn’t have the better streamer. It’s the lugging of the speakers up and down that’s a huge problem. I know I tried the salon 2’s downstairs and they were just too tall. I like both rooms I like sitting and listening critical in each room for the differences to appreciate. I am very fortunate. I didn’t think the Tambaqui was a small improvement over my Vega. It was very significant. I had tried the DAVE in-house in between . I was not so impressed. The upstairs room is also livelier. It has glass on one side and should have reflective issues but it does not seem to cause any. Downstairs is more cocoon like and I like that also. I wish you could come visit. when I brought by maxes upstairs to see how they sounded versus the Kaluga‘s I was so impressed I immediately called Bill and ordered another pair. They were of course supposed to be here in three or four weeks. I believe her like four months. So I had no amplification downstairs. I bought a pair of Parasound JC1+. So disappointing they went right back. |
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Wow! I mean WOW! I just saw the three-tier price list for membership on Jay's youtube site. I was pretty shocked. I'm not making any judgements as to the value of these offerings, but as your average poor audiophile, I am curious about how many here are actually members, and if so, what tier you are subscribing to. Show of hands? |
The same could be said about my half a million dollar monos...why should I bring them when poor audiophiles (this is what you stated above, not me) can’t afford them ? Also, why are you worried who else signed up? If 5,000 people came forward to say they did, will that make you feel amazing or piss poor because you can’t afford it? There is ZERO point in you asking this, but since i know my members, here’s a fun fact for you: Most of the memberships sold are in the Mid-Fi and Ultra-Hi Fi tier groups... The least memberships sold are under the Low-fi group... And yes there are more than 2 total memberships sold. Jay |
I asked the question out of pure curiosity Jay, and in the nicest way possible; and it is my right to do so. I didn't criticize or defame you in any way, so there's no need for you to get so defensive. I'm sure that you have your subscribers as you said. I was just wondering who from Audiogon might be among them; and I still await their responses. I wasn't speaking to you, but you chose to respond anyway. |
fwiw I am in the mid-tier and am enjoying the extra videos, rankings etc. Everyone has their own budgets, of course, for me it is absolutely worth it as I enjoy Jay's commentary and opinions - and I am getting more of that from the subscription. As like I mentioned before, I really like providing some monetary support for all the work Jay puts in every day. For me, I feel it is the least I can do given the 5+ years of info, knowledge sharing and entertainment on this thread, youtube and now on his website. just imho |
Interesting revelation about the Boulder 3050 vs 3060. Of course, 1500W class A gives you more power than you can handle. I am puzzled about how the huge class A power doesn't feel hot. Usually pure class A is hot even putting out low power. Even the G Essence 50W pure class A runs hot. Even the 3060 has more power than you need with the S7. How do the amps compare at low levels for their tonal signatures? Even at 82 dB, the amps are not drawing much power. If the 3050 sounds round and smooth, and the 3060 sounds more speedy with more snap, then you can't say that one is superior to the other. That is just your current preference. Time will tell. For certain music, you will want speedy, and for other music, relaxed and smooth. This reminds me of your experience with ARC ref 10 vs ref 6 preamps, where the flagship 10 is smooth like a yacht (your same words then and now), and the 6 is like a speedboat (same words again). I recall you liked the 10 sometimes, and the 6 other times. Preferences and superiority have nothing to do with MSRP. |
@roxy54 "so there's no need for you to get so defensive. " |
The real audio revolution is on the Peachtree Gan 1 Beta thread.......this $2K pure digital amp already beat $15K of world class electronics......It’s only just begun. Imagine a tweaked version running off the worlds best steamer, digial cable and running off an inverter/Puritan....you would die and go to heaven. Thank you God. No DAC, no Preamp, no analog cables, no Analog circuits and amplifiers with feedback.....just very pure sound. This thing weighs 10lbs.!!!!!!! over 150 watts a channel. The possiblities are endless. You could use a stereo amp per channel and use a digital xover like the minidsp and you could run a two way speaker without analog xovers....getting even more pure sound. The manufacturer of the boards (Elegant Audio Solutions) have boards with 4 channels on them.......so you could quad amp a 3 or 4 way speaker without analog xovers.......the revolution is here! |
I’m surprised yet not surprised that the big guy went with Boulder. I’ve been a fan of his content here and on YouTube so I know what he’s had in the lab but I can’t help but wonder why Jay limits himself to Boulder and Gryphon when there some serious players in the uber amp game, quite possibly superior to his new heavyweight champion. |
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I don’t have control over what comes my way. Some brands are highly protected and are scared to be in the spotlight in my room because if i expose them by comparing them with gryphon or Boulder, it wouldn’t be good for business. That said, didn’t i just do a 3 way amp shootout which includes other amp brands ? I’m surprised you feel this way after seeing the amount of work i embarked on to put together that shootout..which by the way it wasn’t for me... that was for you all...
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Yes Sir, I throughly enjoyed the $30K. shootout, thank you for making that happen. Just to be clear, when I commented about Boulder/Gryphon I was referring specifically about the tier one heavyweights of amplification. Nevertheless, Thanks for clarifying, I recall you mentioning in your vids that resale is taken into account when acquiring new uber level gear. Makes sense. |
Man I just don't get how people complain here that you are too defensive when they snipe about your new membership tiers being pricey, as if they expect you to continue to do all the work and spend all that cash for nothing but their titillation. Almost everyone on the internet seems to think everything should be free - until they try to monetize something as well. Sorta reminds me of my university profs who bitched all the time about evil capitalism but who were only too willing to stab each other in the back for cushy tenure gigs only made possible by evil capitalists who endowed the "Chairs" of their department... as my WW2 vet grandpa liked to say when I bugged him to tell me war stories after about his 4th or 5th Scotch, "you don't get bacon at the grocery store without the pigs first getting murdered at the slaughterhouse." |
You freaking NAILED IT!! Thank you for this. Most people want me to do a public service and do this for free. They want to pick the gear i should buy next WITH MY MONEY, they want to manipulate the way i conduct business because five years ago i was doing this for free so for them it should continue to be free and there should be ZERO vision of turning this hard work, financial investment AND TIME into a prosperous future. The truth is that i take all the risk because i don't have business partners who are invested in this. Here's a personal fact: MY WIFE doesn't EVER EVER tell me what to buy even if it's not audio related yet she has full rights to do so! One reason WHY i decided to not make the membership $1.99 is because i don't want "curious georges" in there who's only intention is to come back to the forums to complain about the content or whatever else they feel itches them. I planned the pricing with my wife and a few people from the industry and we all knew that pricing like this would mean less memberships but we protect my work from curious personalities that only seek to destroy. |
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Jay, The membership pricing is fair, so that only serious contributors are entitled to extra content and closer interaction with you. My only reservation is the naming of the three tiers. "Low-fi" and "mid-fi" are insulting terms that imply that those members are seeking low and mid fidelity systems. The truth is that they are all working hard within their budgets to obtain the best possible system. I suggested alternative names, such as good, better, best, or simply tier 1, 2, 3. |
smodtactical, Thanks for your explanation of the sliding class A technique used in the Boulder 3050. Long ago, I had the JVC M-7050, based on a sliding class A technique called Super A. Krell Duo series utilizes a similar technique. I don't know why Boulder does this in its top flagship amp. Marketing people may believe that very powerful 1500W class A sells better than 300W of pure class A, but 300W doubling to 600/4, 1200/2 and 2400/1 in pure class A probably offers any sensible listener plenty of quantity with the highest quality. |
yyz, An amp that doubles power capability as the impedance halves means that its power supply is good, by maintaining the same voltage capability. Similarly, pure class A offers the highest linearity and avoidance of notch distortion. BUT BUT-- Pure class A maintained all the time at any power level and load runs HOT. I have had negative experiences with hot electronics. The most famous of pure class A amps was the Mark Levinson ML2, 25 watt mono. It weighed 65 lbs, perhaps the highest weight/watt ratio. In the late 70's, MSRP was about $2000/mono, or $4000 for a measly 25 watts stereo. It put Levinson on the map as the most expensive amp by far. I bought it used around 1980. Initially, it was wonderfully neutral and revealing, so I worshipped the man Levinson. But after a few hundred hours of use, the sound melted into a syrupy morass. I began to think that its excessive heat also melted the sound. I had a similar experience with the stereo Bedini 25W class A which ran hot. The Bedini was even a more syrupy puddle of molasses. I owned a few tube amps like Grant Lumley and ARC which had much more neutral sound than Levinson and Bedini. Similar experiences with 2" high Spectral and Goldmund Mimesis amps which ran hot. I believe that heat stability is a major factor for circuits. Transistors change characteristics with temperature. Whatever the circuit, it performs best at a certain, stable temperature. But I intuitively believe that very high temps are bad. So I believe that buzzword phrases like "power doubles with halving of impedance" and "pure class A that runs hot" are misleading goals for purity of sound. Boulder is undoubtedly aware of the risks of hot amps, and cleverly offers class A operation to some degree, but maintains the temperature at a sensible level for best sound and long term stability. There are many factors that contribute to great sounding amps. The two I have mentioned--power doubling and pure class A cannot be the sole criteria, any more than very low THD. So I hope Jay can get the opportunity to A/B the comparably modest priced Boulder 1161 class AB against Gryphon Essence class A. |
Hi @viber6 Damn you. really. Now I am looking at a nice streamer upstairs to feed my makua w tambaqui. Thoughts? I will keep my Nucleus, so oly need a streamer w USB output. |
@viber6 Yup well said. Many are against bias circuits as they feel it degrades sound quality. People like Nelson Pass don't like this. I know Jay talks shit about Nelson but thats fine... I will continue to enjoy his products. Oh and the 'lo-fi' tier for people who don't pay Jay enough is hilarious. LOL. Don't be Lo fi bro... pay Jay more. smh |
Just wanted to add that Jay has so much shit in the middle of his speakers hes probably seriously screwing up his staging and overall performance. Get that gear off to the side or pushed to the back... open up the space in the middle dude. And get rid of S7 and at least go back to M6. M series owns S series. And you HAD IT! The day you sold it I facepalmed so hard. I heard M2 vs S7 and found M2 better in almost all regards except bass extension and spl. |
The chances of WC comparing Gryphon Essence with Boulder 1160 seem low for at least three reasons. 1. Gryphon Essence has already lost head to head versus Luxman M10x per WC. Ie, that was WC’s assessment, plus the overwhelming consensus of those who voted - 3 to 1. Therefore, why would he go back to a losing (in shootout, per him) amp?
2. He doesn’t own the Essence and borrowed Carlos’. Carlos isn’t going to bring it again to have it compete in the loser’s bracket.
3. WC made pretty clear he was doing that low end (for him) shootout not for his enjoyment. He does about one per year, max, and then reverts to hi end where he plays. so I don’t think you’ll see it.
But the affordable dac shootout should be great. Interested to hear the candidates |
Folks - The essence may never comeback here. I don’t own it and i don’t plan on owning it again unless someone trades it into me for something i am selling. With regards to the 3050s being in the middle of my floor, yes they need to be moved back but remember, this is a production to move them. I am a one man show and these amps require your local movers to be removed. I certainly have to accommodate them better but it takes planning - don’t forget that. Did you say "at least go back to M6? LoL 😂 That’s a $172k speaker.... You are acting like it’s pocket change or a "whatever " speaker. The M6 has open doors in here but it isn’t knocking at my door so we shall see. One thing to note is that yes, my electronics outgrew my speakers but to be sincere i don’t want to spend 6 figures on speakers. It is FREAKING HARD to sell expensive speakers and the logistics are insane. If i bring another speaker which will probably happen next year, it won’t be some weird brand or small no name European company. FACT: it is HARD TO SELL OR GET RID OF expensive speakers and If they are European then it is EVEN HARDER. Most American audiophiles DO NOT want European speakers and if these are expensive speakers then they better be Magico or Wilson. NO OTHER SPEAKER BRANDS sell better on the used market thank those two. YOU CAN TRUST ME. If i buy a more expensive speaker, more than likely it will be another magico or Wilson. Rockport has been on my mind but they keep escaping me. If you end up seeing another Wilson or Magico, you now know WHY. If i get stuck with a speaker nobody wants, Jay won’t be happy and this means I’ll be kicking the hell out of this speaker behind closed doors 😂 I have to be strategic with expensive purchases. The brand name MATTERS because it is one selling point when you want to get rid of it. Here’s something i didn’t disclose before: l almost bought vivid audio g1 spirit a few weeks ago to replace my s7 and someone beat me to it. Now that i look back, I’m kinda happy i didn’t buy them. I think that is a phenomenal speaker and could have been insane with my 3050s. I had also considered Gamut Zodiacs months ago but again, i need to write my will and find a casket to be buried with it. Remember, i have to have an exit plan because nothing is here forever and buying something that i know will challenge me to move on from it, is very counterproductive to my efforts and my channel. Ps: i am ok being buried with the 3050, 3060, 3010 😁 They pretty much trash everything you’ve seen on my channel and they make me look at the rest of the amps i have in my room as if they were puppies or toys... The 3000 series from Boulder makes me have zero motivation to buy anything else. My mind is like " dude do we have to buy another amp ? We know how that movie will end..." There's one thing that sucks about the 3050... That is that they make you unrelatable because you won't know of anyone else who owns them. You don't have anyone else to share feedback with. You are playing alone and you have to be ok with that.
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@jays_audio_lab it is telling that almost all manufacturers don't want to send you gear for evaluation, that you have to buy the gear is proof to me that the magicos and boulders of the world are so confident of their brands and their clients that they don't need to do anything more, perhaps gryphon and pilium as well, and the rest are simply avoiding comparison because they know they'll come up short. |
kren0006, I understand your reasoning-- "1. Gryphon Essence has already lost head to head versus Luxman M10x per WC. Ie, that was WC’s assessment, plus the overwhelming consensus of those who voted - 3 to 1. Therefore, why would he go back to a losing (in shootout, per him) amp?" In terms of popularity contests, you are right. As for me, I am not a groupie, but I seek some objective truth about what components sound like in the context of a whole system. I believe that most readers who are here or on other threads want some objective assessment of any component. To say that listener A prefers X and listener B prefers Y is nearly meaningless to listener C who wants some objective assessment. For the sake of simplified communication, we often have binary criteria such as neutral vs warm, but the reality is that there are subtle differences and nuances. In a simplified discussion, Jay and I might say that the neutral camp includes Simaudio, G Essence, Boulder 1161 at that price level, and the warm camp includes Luxman, Constellation. But go deeper. From my listening to the video, Luxman is warmer than Constellation. So Constellation could be classified in the neutral camp, compared to Luxman. But we don't know whether G Essence is more neutral than Constellation, because they weren't directly compared in the same video or with the same music. From Jay's and Carlos' comments, we know that the G Essence is more neutral than Luxman. I speculate that Boulder 1161 vs G Essence would be a challenging fight for the award of detail/neutrality at a similar price. Even though the prevailing taste on this thread is for warmth, and I do see your point that many listeners who seek warmth wouldn't be interested in this comparison, there are still lots of people who seek neutrality/detail, and they would be interested. Jay, I respect your efforts and the difficulty of obtaining any product at an attractive price. On the other hand, it seems like Carlos is an asset to you. He values some degree of neutrality/detail, and might be interested in whether Boulder 1161 gives him more of what he wants than G Essence. Mike of Suncoast might be willing to let you borrow his 1161 or even 1160, so you could take it to Carlos' place. You have given Mike lots of business yourself, and given him more public recognition as a high quality dealer. Of course, listening at Carlos' place is not as revealing as your system, but when you make good recordings they are useful for comparison purposes. |
It looks like Jay has locked up all discussion here. A polite, friendly, thoughtful poster mentioned a problem with how Jay has his components stacked between speakers and the comment is deleted it is the same as when we pointed out some of the problems Jay has with his electrical system that led him to promote expensive battery solutions to AC power and things got nasty fast. I guess if you pay $50 USD monthly to Jay for audio advise you don't want any challenges and that is very strange why have a forum if others are not allowed to contribute? |
I didn’t read your whole post because it is way too long and I lost interest. I explained why WC will likely not test Gryphon Essence versus Boulder, and immediately thereafter WC confirmed that what I said is correct (that the comparison you wish for will not happen). So all of the wishing is probably meaningless, which is what I assume the rest of your post was about. |
fastfreight, I have no experience with streaming. I don't have wifi and internet for audio, since I have electrosensitivity, which affects a small % of people with ill health effects. I only have CD for digital, so I can't answer your question, sorry. Can your answer my question about what are the sonic qualities you heard from the DAVE vs Tambaqui? My tastes are neutrality/detail/clarity, which might be somewhat different than yours, but I would still appreciate your objective findings. Thanks. |
@clearthink +1 |
no clue what you are referring to by saying i deleted a post. I think you forget that people can delete their own posts and there is no way of knowing... It doesn’t say "post deleted by user "... As far as my power, you assume too much... But let’s just say if you think i have electrical issues then feel free to fly into town and I’ll pick you up at the airport and let you diagnose my problem and fix it for me and I’ll compensate you? You seem to be so sure of what you are saying so it should be no issue for you to figure out the "mess" i have in here. If you can’t do that then there is no point in going on and on and on. My invite is SERIOUSLY REAL and if you are real then come on in and i will even say it in front of the camera that my power was bad and that you fixed it ? Deal ? it's clear to me you doubt my knowledge which is ABSOLUTELY FINE with me. You made this remark on a separate thread so then WHY ARE YOU HERE listening to me? Why are you wasting your time ? It's like i am BAFFLED by this ... I'm a waste of time and paying for my advice is questionable so WHY BE HERE? Because it's a free forum and you can post wherever you want ? (Lame answer ) I wasn't going to answer this because i ALWAYS look like the asshole.... But whatever.. |
