If the Soulution 725 has the expected characteristics of--
incredible dynamics
- amazing bass
- 8k resolution
- musical,
Then Yes to all your questions--"Will it best my Gryphon? Can this preamp make my Gryphon amps sound better than their own preamp?
Can constellation Audio sound better with this?"
Why? 8k resolution means clarity, which makes everything sound better=more clarity. After a while, once you understand this basic principle, you won't have to keep spending big bucks to verify all this again and again in many systems. Unless you keep trying to flavor your sound according to taste, which can change all the time.
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I know you had mentioned this 725 before. Well, the Pandora, soulution 725 and 2 more linestages are set to enter my room in the next 2 weeks!
Four linestages at once and only ONE will remain when the dust clears. Which will it be? Stay tuned and you'll find out. |
Congrats on the 725! This is the fun of being on this journey with you WC - getting to hear equipment that I otherwise would never have a chance to hear.
Dave
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My brother has the 720 and it's fantastic. The 725 should be a great addition to what you have. |
Coming soon...
My new linestage:
Soulution 725.
Will it best my Gryphon Pandora?
We shall find out !
I have huge expectations for this preamp. Feedback I've received from those who have owned it:
- incredible dynamics
- amazing bass
- 8k resolution
- musical
Will it best my Gryphon? Can this preamp make my Gryphon amps sound better than their own preamp?
Can constellation Audio sound better with this ?
I'm extremely excited to find out. |
Jay
Totally understand that is why i mentioned on YT it can be difficult.
Just asking to mix it up a bit. How about Spiritual Connection from Babe Roots as an example. I believe it could broaden your YT base. |
Totally correct. Reference songs are needed, so we can judge the objective quality of the system, not the beauty of the song. In a way, the music shouldn't be too enjoyable, because then we would get distracted from the purpose of A/B'ing. Good music can be enjoyed on a mediocre system, which is not the purpose of the A/B.
Jay, I'll be a little contradictory and ask you to play the same songs from the video from ricevs, of the Lil Audio Silver 8. I reposted it on the previous page 334. The next video of the smaller Lil Audio is veiled and rolled off compared to Alexx on the song, "Liberty." However, the Silver 8 seems to be outstanding, far superior to the smaller Lil Audio. How it objectively compares to your XLF system is unknown. Both are superb in different ways. That's the value of A/B'ing on the same songs. Thanks. |
I can't discuss used prices here.
No clue on the old threshold since i never owned it. |
what in your opinion would be the "a steal of a deal" for Pass labs 350.8 ?
also how does the Threshold S550e stands against Pass 250.5 or 8 ?
do you have opinion on S550e verse S500 ? |
I agree but if i play different music then 5,500 people could say the opposite of what you are saying. If i embark on playing requests then:
1. I become a dj that doesn’t get paid what dj Tiesto gets paid while taking music requests from the entire world
2. People continue to forget that YouTube blocks songs that have copyrights. I’ve said this many times.
You realize how many times I’ve tried to upload Fleetwood Mac?
3. Most people want the same songs so they can compare to previous versions of my system .
4. Playing new songs means people need to familiarize themselves with it or else they judge the system based on how poor or imperfect the song might sound. A perfect example would be one of the last videos i posted with constellation Audio. The mids on that song are projected and at times not the purest but then people think it's the system lol. Yet, they haven't actually heard that song before. See my point?
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I know it can be difficult on YT but i would like to hear a larger selection of music. Most on YT seem to have the same cherry picked playlist same genre ect. Even none audiophile recordings can have Easter eggs in them.
I was at the audio show a couple weeks ago and it was amazing and boring at how many rooms were playing the same music. |
Looking forward to your new pieces Jay!
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Thanks for that bit of info about your speakers Kren! |
Let us know the customs rates from whichever country. I'm waiting for my Rouge Audio amp from Italy. |
Alright,
Well another preamp is getting on a plane tomorrow and headed my way this week after it clears customs.
This will be the most expensive linestage (Msrp that is) that I've owned. It is a current model and no i don't have the matching amps.
Will this preamp sing with my constellation or gryphon amps?
We will soon find out! |
I prefer three 20a. One for both monos and then that leaves you 2 more for the rest.
Remember that some components don’t sound great into a power conditioner. Having spare outlets is a must. Two 20a outlets will easily be used up.
Gryphon stereo amps do not sound great when plugged into 2 different outlets. The bass doesn’t sound right and there is a light that turns on that says "phase" indicating an issue with the phase. It needs to be plugged into one outlet. |
WC,
You said three 20A circuits are ideal. Is that because you like one for each monoblock amp and the third for everything else (preamp, sources)?
Or were you talking about two circuits for audio (one for amps, other for everything else) and the third for your home theater system? |
Jay,
Your last video has something for everyone, good job. You know how the last few words are the punch line? You said if someone is looking for a forward dac, go for the Chord DAVE. Bingo! |
Hi Jay,
Would you be so kind as to list favorite albums from which you pull demo cuts.
Star sound is interesting for boxed components.
I use SRA platforms. Believe them to be best. |
kw6,
Right. Stats have great purity so you can get nice subtle punch and crispness with low SPL. I am happy with string quartets played at average levels of 50-60 dB and peaks of 80 dB. The high efficiency of hybrid Logans gives great satisfaction for higher SPL's in classical and jazz music, but for loud rock, dynamic speakers are better. Sanders Sound Systems uses hybrids with straight panels, also good efficiency. Very reasonable prices due to sales direct. 30 day free trial, and Roger Sanders is a nice guy to talk to. He started out using curved panels, and switched to flat panels. His white paper on the subject is informative. Unfortunately, he is a small company, so doesn't get good rooms at shows. I heard one in a customer's large room at his home and was impressed, but at a NY show it was demonstrated in a tiny room and sounded mediocre. |
kw6,
Also, for the violin I prefer ultimate HF extension which gives the bite and attack. The miracle of the live violin or any other brilliant instrument is the marriage of sweetness with bite/attack, which no system quite manages to do. One day a fabulous transducer will be available, driven by the sweetness of tubes. I heard the Alan Hill-designed Plasmatronics speaker which used the plasma gas above 500 Hz. Very natural and sweet HF. Some electrostatics were driven directly by tubes, such as the original Beveridge, Acoustat X. I heard that Beveridge, but it was a little rolled off in HF, still with a wonderful midrange and spatial effect. A later Beveridge was a conventional stat able to be used with any amp, which I never heard. |
Yes Viber6 I agree that on stats flat panel is better but Martin Logan was just an example that is efficient enough to go with 40 watts of tube push pull. I never heard the top of the line Wilson’s only their lower models like Sabrina old model and Sasha. Maybe next yr Audio shows will be back in full swing and I can have a listen. But I have listened to me many so called high end speakers where you get the force of the acoustic instrument but sounds hard and grating and want to turn it down. With stats it’s there in the room with the force and brilliant tone of of the violin. But since you are a musician I trust your ears 😁 |
i have received many emails throughout the year asking how they go about building their system. Many channels don't really address this so i decided to use my personal trials and experience with different components in order to go over best practices to build a system: 1130 am ET today https://youtu.be/0lYJFmcRNBEHope you all enjoy |
@grey9hound
i have read about those stands, but never got around to trying them. Maybe i will to see if they indeed make a significant change with speakers. i just dont know how am i supposed to put a 700 lb speaker on top of the stands lol |
kw6,
Thanks for your input, but in my experience Martin Logans with their curved panels have less clarity in HF than the few straight panels like my Audiostatic 240. The original Kingsound King was the best of that company. Sanders Sound Systems are decent straight panels. ML designs yield a large sweet spot, but due to multipath distortion and rolloff of HF off axis, are not as revealing as straight panels, which have to be carefully angled to face the listener's ears. Narrow sweet spot, but worth it for a single listener.
Curved panels have multipath HF smearing, and Jay actually demonstrated that a Wilson had better clarity than Martin Logan 13. I love the HF on Jay's XLF, finding them more revealing than most electrostatics, which are curved.
I do appreciate the uniform coherence of most electrostatic panels in their range, but HF is their shortcoming. In fact, way back, the Koss 1A was a large stat panel with a large dome tweeter for HF. At the time, I didn't understand their rationale for using an "inferior" dynamic tweeter. But the overall sound of that Koss was excellent--the dynamic tweeter had excellent HF extension which complemented the midrange and bass transparency of the stat panel.
No doubt that your Logan does a good job with the saxophone, which is mainly a midrange instrument. But for the HF bite of the sax, I like straight panels better. |
@jays_audio_lab I would like to see you try out the Starsound Technologies http://starsoundtechnologies.com/ComponentPlatformsDetail.php?SP-SA-XL-2This for speaker platforms http://starsoundtechnologies.com/ComponentPlatformsDetail.php?SP-SA-XL-28I think this is kind of impressive . The list of people at the company and their Education and background
Mission Statement: The mission of Star Sound Technologies, LLC is to promote and advance fact-based research and consumer education surrounding vibration in musical reproduction through the promotion of Live-Vibe Technology™. Adapting this technology to improve the sound from audio and video related products, listening and recording structural environments as well as musical instruments. Enriching the world with higher levels of musical dynamics and harmonic structure maximizing the human emotional and physical experience through listening. Meet our Personell: . Mr. Robert MaicksPresident
Mr. Robert Maicks has over forty years experience including the areas of the recording sciences, sound reinforcement engineering, stage development and concert production. Throughout his career he has attained additional experience in product development, manufacturing and many additional facets of business such as marketing, retail operations and professional sales training. In the audio/video and music related fields, Mr. Maicks has developed an honest reputation as an open minded, well informed industry reference for both consumers and manufacturers alike. His ability to merge public demand with industry-first concepts and products has provided a solid yet extremely versatile foundation for the success of Star Sound Technologies, LLC.
Mr. Locke Tiffin Highleyman
Executive Vice President
A Lehigh University graduate, Mr. Locke Highleyman has accrued extensive experience with the mechanical and electrical engineering arenas. A founding father of Star Sound Technologies, LLC, he not only participates in multiple research and development capacities but is also heavily involved with hands on prototyping new designs. He continues to expand our product suite and is heavily involved in developing test plans for third party product research and performance validation.
Attorney David E. Roberts
Material Science Engineering & Development
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardGraduate of Indiana University Robert McKinney School of Law Graduate of Lehigh University - Materials Science & Engineering Mr. David Roberts has held diverse roles including serving as CEO for EnerDel, a Board member of a Chinese joint venture with Wanxiang, IP counsel for Caterpillar, an engineer with Lockheed Martin and is a patent & business attorney in private practice with Gutwein Law. Mr. Roberts now serves as President of BIC - Battery Innovation Center, a public-private partnership catalyzing next generation energy storage solutions by incorporating leadership from academia, industry, and government to quickly build, develop, and test safe, reliable, low-cost, and lightweight energy storage systems.
Mr. Todd C. Zimmer
Mechanical Engineering & Development
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardGraduate of Lehigh University - Mechanical Engineering & Computer Sciences Mr. Todd Zimmer specializes in static and dynamic mechanical systems analysis, and is actively involved in overseeing all in-house engineering projects, including CAD design and CNC development. Mr. Zimmer holds the position of senior managing engineer at Sargent Manufacturing Company | ASSA ABLOY
Mr. Peter IsraelsonElectrical
Engineering & Development
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardGraduate of AMU Technical University Hedemora , Sweden - Electrical Engineering While in Sweden, Mr. Peter Israelson worked for over a quarter century years designing and engineering state-of-the-art amplification. Along with his formal education, Mr. Israelson has an innate ability for merging the concepts of electrical design theory with the stimulating emotion of auditory perception. He is well known for his ability to carefully match components to maximize musical sound quality in any design. Mr. Israelson is currently building State-Of-The-Art amplifiers using Magnetic Conduction Technology developed and patented by Magnetic Innovations LLC working with our dear friend and innovator, Rick Schultz of High Fidelity Cables. Magnets are used to conduct signal compared to copper wire and the results deserve an audition - amazing is an understatement.
Mr. Thomas DeVuono
Product Development Specialist
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardMr. Thomas DeVuono worked in the music and audio fields since 1972. Moving forward as a sales and technical trainer for Ovation Audio where he met and trained with industry personalities as Nelson Pass, John Dunlavy and Tomlinson Holman, Mr. DeVuono joined the team at Star Sound Technologies, LLC in 2000 and participated in the development of Sistrum Platforms, the Caravelle Loudspeaker System and the STAGE Platforms Project. In 2000 Mr. DeVuono began the research and development of a brass endpin designed to enhance the sound of a cello. We initiated production seventeen years later. The Tone Acoustics Enpin replacements are recognized as one of the finest upgrades for cello and upright bass ever manufactured and are being sold on a global basis. Currently Mr. DeVuono and Star Sound Engineers are applying Live-Vibe Technology to tympany, vibes, marimba and drum kits with the goal of developing a standard system for the concert grand piano.
Mr. Dale Humphrey
Corporate Development Officer
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardGraduate of The University of Wisconsin – Madison. Holds undergraduate degrees in business administration & economics and an MBA degree in marketing. Mr. Dale Humphrey has been involved with many aspects of the audio business for over thirty years spanning retail sales experience, distribution and business strategy. His primary vocation is in financial services and he has leveraged this background to advice a number of audio-focused organizations to refine their competitive positioning, set product development and manage sales channels. Mr. Humphrey began working with Star Sound Technologies in 2012 and assists in a number of projects including financial management, factoring product development and sales strategy.
Mr. Jeff Whetstone Electrical Engineering & Program Specialist
Star Sound Technologies Research & Development BoardGraduate of Lehigh University - Electrical Engineering Mr. Jeff Whetstone, as an Electrical Engineer for AMETEK Aerospace and Defense, currently designs instrumentation including active capacitance-based fluid level sensors and fuel gauging systems. As a talented musician, Mr. Whetstone's passion for electronically reproducing the "live performance" fuels his involvement in the refinement of our product circuitry build and function.
Dr. Wilbur Highleyman
Engineering & Technical Advisor
Graduate of Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (D.E.E.)
Graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.M.E.E.)
Graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (B.E.E.) Dr. Wilbur Highleyman holds fourteen U.S. patents and has been published extensively. He has been responsible for implementing dozens of real-time mission-critical systems for companies such as Amtrak, Dow Jones, Time, McGraw Hill, Tandem, Federal Express, Chemical Bank, SIAC, Smith Kline, G. E. Credit, Southeast Bank, Harris Satellite, A. C. Nielson, and Harris Satellite. He has published extensively on availability, performance, testing, middleware, and other technical topics. He is the author of Performance Analysis of Transaction Processing Systems, published by Prentice-Hall, and is co-author of the three-volume series, Breaking the Availability Barrier. These books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Dr. Highleyman is co-inventor of "Method of increasing system availability by splitting a system," U. S. Patent No. 7,113,938; "Asynchronous coordinated commit replication and dual write with replication transmission and locking of target database on updates only," U. S. Patent No. 7,177,866; and "Split processing system for providing increased system availability," U. S. Patent No. 7,194,488. He is also co-inventor on several other patents and patent applications in the fields of continuous- and high-availability technologies. He is past chairman of ITUG, the HP NonStop Users' Group, and is active in presenting availability seminars and providing availability consulting. Dr. Highleyman is also a sought-after technical writer and researcher on a wide variety of technical subjects. Dr. Highleyman focuses on development of test plans for third party product research and performance validation.
They call it "Vibration Management for Superior Sound" That is what their platforms are designed to do They Good thing is they do not cost 5-10k. I cannot fathom why any of these devices should. just make sure to buy the Audio points (spikes) and the coupling discs . They are sold separately. One set of Audio Points goes on the bottom of the platform and with your Carpet , you doo not need coupling discs for the bottom( only for hardwood and such on the bottom). Then for the topside of each platform you need a set of the Audio Points
(they come in different heights) AND the coupling discs . they go between the spikes and the speaker bottom side , so that you do not scratch the hell out of the bottom of the speakers like dummy me.
100% Total and Complete Guarantee .Star Sound Technologies, LLC is committed to 100% Total and Complete Customer Satisfaction throughout all of our product offerings. Sorry to paste so much info about the people at the company. At least you do not have to pay for WebSpace. and I kind of figured that most people here would not even click on the link, if i put one up. At least it shows that there products are based on or developed from SCIENCE, |
Hey Viber6 check out electrostats like Martin Logan, plus tube amp for sweet tone of violin! Let me know if you agree. Great for saxophone too which I use to play!
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Tomorrow’s video will be about my own trials and the steps i feel are important when it comes to building your next system. 1130 AM ET https://youtu.be/0lYJFmcRNBE |
chazzzy,
The recording is on the laid back, mellow side, then all of a sudden near the end, the higher pitched flute surprises with its loudness. I didn't hear much HF from the flute, but it is brighter than the preceding instruments, so appears to stick out on this veiled recording. The ear is most sensitive at 3-4 kHz, so we are hearing high energy in this upper midrange/lower HF region. Sibilance is usually at 6 kHz, and is usually heard with consonants of the voice especially since singers often put their lips on the mike. Processing effects exaggerate this.
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Yup I get it.
In my 2 channel system I don’t experience that same kind of listening fatigue because I listen at lower volumes than you. I’m my headphone rig though subtle changes in that near field presentation can make my rig almost unbearable. In the same breath done right, the subtleties of detail and textures in a properly tuned headphone rig are incredible and one of the reasons I enjoy them so much.
In my headphone system the difference In tonal signature between both is surprisingly small. Just a tad bit of warmth/richness or dryness one way or the other. |
Yes you need the bullets. It’s not good to remove them but can be done.
You should know that this song does have vocals that project out into the room. This is why I said for people to hear this song before they listen to the video. The song does not have the best vocals but i shot the video to let you all hear the overall feeling of what happened to the speaker.
Remember one thing, excessive detail and clarity will lead to short listening sessions if played loud enough. I can’t sit in front of something that has too much of either for longer than 30-45 min. My ears begin to tap out. My ears seek resolution with some warmth in the mix. I can't even drink too much coffee or else i feel "off" all day long.
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The Constellation/Rossini combo sounds quite good. Very natural but also tonally rich.
I went back and listened to the Evo video again after the Constellation video. There is just something about the Evo’s presentation that is so luscious that it makes me want to hear more.
Jay there was one thing about the Constellation
video. The flute at the end was on the verge of sibilance in my headphone system. TBH I’ve never heard a flute being sibilant. The bullets maybe? Are they exaggerating the highs a bit much? Do you really need them in this kind of revealing speaker?
Food for thought.
Thanks for sharing these tidbits and tweaks.
I find them just as interesting as the shootouts bud... 🍻🍻🍻
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Here is a quick Sunday video: https://youtu.be/YkJpQFRasgEConstellation Audio Centaur monos Footers removed Notice the "attitude" of the speaker. Not as "agitated" as you heard before. Please familiarize yourself with this song beforehand so you can understand the vocals and what they sound like. If you use headphones, the bass should be quite obvious more than ever before. |
Yes some reviews are BS indeed... |
opm,
Reverb magnifies and scatters all frequencies. I found when playing my violin is that it sounds darker in a very reverberant room than in a room with the right mixture of bare floors and a little carpet, etc. My friend observed this when he listened to me play. Of course, the other extreme of completely carpeted yields dull sound because of absorption at all freq. In reverberant concert halls, this effect is exaggerated--midhall sounds totally veiled because of all the multi path effects. I don't have a technical explanation of what I hear. Room treatments have the most benefits in reducing smear from low freq, but bad reverberant rooms smear HF as well, resulting in darker sound.
35 years ago, TAS had a review of top world concert halls. They rated the Vienna Musikverein as #1, and said that any seat sounded excellent. So I went, and tried the 3rd, 12th and 25th rows. That hall is fairly reverberant with its wooden floor, chairs and walls. The 3rd row was clear, but the 12th was rolled off, and the 25th was so badly smeared that I moved closer because it was intolerable.
What a BS review from TAS.
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reverberant rooms don't sound dark, they sound bright
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chazzzy,
Thanks for the violin video, which I saw before. In the opening, you see Daniel Hope, a prominent violinist talking and playing. Unfortunately, he is playing in a very reverberant large room with wood floors and no furniture. No good audiophile would put his system in such a room. One time I went to a leading London dealer and was considering two great 18th century violins. His showroom was small but very reverberant. My favorite was violin A. I went back to the hotel and played in the wall-to-wall carpeted cafeteria. This time I preferred violin B. I was confused and didn’t buy either one. I found that in reverberant rooms the sound is darker in sound, with more low freq emphasis. The best rooms for playing, as with audio systems, are some magical combination of bare floors, carpets and other room treatments.
I tried my Beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones into the headphone jack of the iMac. No question that the headphones better reveal the full range sound and spatial qualities than just the stock audio coming out of the mediocre speakers on the back. But the closet-like headphone effect is a disadvantage compared with the openness of even mediocre speakers in a room. These 880’s were the top choice of Headroom, a now defunct company for headphone amps and headphones. They have a gentle, tasteful HF rise which is good for detail. But I found that the crummy Beats phones sold by Apple produces inferior sound to listening to just the computer system without Beats.
More in a PM to you.
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@ricevs
Thanks for the Smalley Springs link. Ive been using Machina Dynamica springs for many years, though not under my speakers, where instead I have el cheapo Harbor Freight dollys, but the Smalley Wave Springs look like an upgrade for under my components. Any thoughts or comparisons?
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Chazzy, since you and Viber were both interested, here’s a short paragraph I copied from one of the reviews of the more recent SA1 that provides more context on that 1970s rivalry I mentioned:
zstereo review, zstereo.co.uk, review from 2014
The original Spendor SA1 was launched just before the BBC LS3/5a surfaced back in the early nineteen seventies, and many thought it was a better sounding loudspeaker than its more popular rival. But the SA1 you see here is a distant cousin, and has evolved a lot since then. Only its dimensions (305x165x190mm) are shared – which coincidentally are exactly the same as the LS3/5a, but rotated through ninety degrees – along with the use of an infinite baffle cabinet design
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Correction to my above post. The 8 inch Lii drivers ($500 a pair delivered) would get 50hz in room on the baffle I described......my friend in Pocoima has the 99 db 10 inch drivers on his baffle and they measure flat to 40hz. A pair of the 10 inch drivers are $1300 delivered (less than one quarter the cost of one Jay interconnect).
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My sense is Darryl Wilson will be even better than Dave. Every model so far he has led has just gotten rave reviews, with almost zero criticism other than I suppose the massive escalation in price, which criticism is warranted probably (though I have no idea of the cost to build and I don’t think that’s new with Darryl it’s been a trademark since the founding).
Some of stuff Dave did had plenty of detractors (like the watt puppy tweeters for example or really any of the speakers with the metal dome tweeters).
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Correction to something I said above. I actually am very interested in hearing what others like and why. Once, not a thousand times.
What I have zero interest in, or don’t give a ___ about, is trying to convert them to what I like or change their minds. When I re-read what I had written I realized that didn’t come out right. |
So cool that Viber thinks the $3500 system that I showed using a pair of $500 drivers mounted in home made boxes might be as good as Jay’s $400,000 system......he he. And the drivers were not even hooked up in the most transparent way.
With a full range driver you have perfect time and near perfect phase alignment.....better than any Wilson. And, if mounted on an open baffle.....no box sound........and cheap as heck.
One of you guys needs to buy a pair of these drivers and put it on a 4 foot high by 2 foot wide dead baffle with one foot by four foot wings on each side going straight back (flat in room to 40 hz). Will take you just a few hours to make a crude version.....if you burn it in hard for 200 hours and hook it up according to my instructions (soon to be posted on my site, as well as some accessories to make it happen easier).....you will have your mind completely blown......add a pair of ESS AMT super tweeters crossed over with a single copper foil cap and you have moved beyond heaven. Or would you would rather play with heavy expensive name brand boxes that are hard to drive and need heavy expensive amps....and get worse sound. Try it! What have you got to lose?....less than a grand. A few hours? These drivers are 97db.....you can drive them crazy with 10 watts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a friend with the above system and is now adding two 15 inch woofers on a same size baffle to add some serious slam on the bottom. He will drive the woofs with a solid state class A amp using an inexpensive electronic xover kit from Pass. I will have pics on my site when he has made the new baffles and installed everything. He lives in Pocoima, CA and I bet he would not mind people over to hear it in person. Of course, you can make your own very easily, anywhere in the world. |
Kren,
Your descriptions of the speaker rivalry is a cool little bit of info. Perfectly written for us to enjoy. In a sense even though not to Ricev's level we are all 'tweakers'. I love reading that kind of info and just storing it away. Thanks... 👍
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Very honest post above Jay.
Thank you... 👏👏👏
TBH, I think as you get a better feel for the XLF's you'll get them super dialed in and we'll really hear them sing. That setup syatwm they have seems pretty sophisticated so it may take some time. In the setup I hear them in they are magical. Very analog sounding with no hint of edges or glare and what I've described as an effortless presentation. Everything in that system though is set up to make those Alexandrias sound their best. Be patient and take your time. I think you'll find it's worth it. 🤙
Just an fyi, as I've been posting the last few hours, I've done so while enjoying a listening session I just can't seem to pull myself away from. Cheers... 🍻🍻🍻 |
This is exactly my feeling too. The speaker got "warmer" for lack of a better word - or better yet; it sounds more relaxed and engaging. The spikes almost feel as if i changed the dac for something more analog and removed all silver cabling. I never expected this drastic change because i never heard such change with all the other speakers I’ve owned. I kind knew what to expect once i changed the footers to spikes because of my previous experiences, but with this XLF? It’s a revelation.
When i first played the XLF i felt that the sound wasn’t anywhere near the more analog sound of the Alexx or even the Alexia or Sasha. I was thinking to myself: maybe this is what the flagship speaker was supposed to sound like? This ultimate resolution that isnt held back or kept at bay? maybe this is Dave Wilson’s idea of flagship and his son Daryl is something different?Maybe it’s my amps ? Should i go to Lamm amps or VTL? Maybe i need to buy transparent Opus cabling? Maybe this XLF has different requirements that the smaller siblings did not?
All these were questions i was cycling through while being patient because there are too many variables.
Anyhow, this took me to undo a lot in order to "undress" the speaker as much as possible and step one was to use stock spikes. My next step was to remove the critical mass footers from under the music server and ultimately remove all my powecords and start from scratch.
This is a PERFECT EXAMPLE for you all of what you have to do when something doesn’t seem to click. You gotta go back to basics and figure out what is adding the unwanted sonics.
My biggest help was that I’ve owned many Wilson speakers so i knew what i was looking for.
It should go without saying that changing speakers will often times result in you having to eliminate from your system something that did miracles with your previous speakers. Once you bring new speakers in, the rest of the supporting cast is on a 90 day probationary period. |
I’m glad you posted about the footers experience. On my admittedly lesser Wilsons, the casters were just “where’s the bass”, the various aftermarket footers gave me one or another nice quality (like smooth integration from mid bass on up), but the Wilson spikes did EVERYTHING right, all at once. |
While it’s all subjective I thought Boulder was much better on Alexx than was Mephisto (never really cared for that one) so I’d wager on same here |
^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^
IMO the the warmer Mephisto would be a better match with the XLF’s than the more neutral/dry Boulders.
Personally I can’t wait to hear the MSB/XLF with the Antileon. I think the MSB is going to match quite well with the Antileon sound signature. I think it will give the MSB a bit more of the tonal richness that we all heard thru the Rossini in the shootout.
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