It’s really amazing how much of a difference it made.
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I have modified Dalquist DQ 20 speakers and a modified Conrad-Johnson PV11 preamp. Listening room is about 23’x23’.
The system sounded great with the solid state 160W per channel NuForce monoblocks and also worked well with the inexpensive 80W per channel NuForce Optima Goldman amp (but didn’t sound quite as good.)
I’m open to either solid state or tube.
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Noble100,
It’s a sad story.
The original NuForce Company is out of business. I’ve been dealing with a former technician from the company and have poured a lot of cash into him for repairs already ( it’s a long story.) I just got both amps back from him last week.
He has warranted them for a year. So I’m sending the bad one back, but I have little hope of it not going bad again as he tells me there’s a design problem with the older amps.
So, I’m getting a new one. |
Noble100,
Based on your recommendation, I just ordered the Red Dragon M-500 monos.
i understand they have a 45 day try-out policy.
They do get great reviews.
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Tim,
I was anxious to get something decent after suffering through the the repairs of the NuForce. I’m hoping the technician will buy them back from me. He’ll be able to use them more than me. I won’t hold my breath though.
Thanks again for the recommendation.
Thats exactly what I’m looking for, a neutral amp.
I do have excellent upstream components, so hopefully this will be a great match.
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80 watt per channel that is. |
gammajo,
Let me know how to PM and I’ll do it. |
Audioman58
My speaker’s are able to be driven by an 80w amplifier.
Have no preference for tube or solid state. |
Never mind. I figured it out.
|
JohnnyR,
The Belles Aria monoblocks are a little out of my price range,
Thanks for the recommendation though. |
With all the recommendations for Odyssey Audio, I finally found the page with all their amps listed and am now interested.
Red Dragon doesn’t answer emails or phone calls.
May cancel with them. |
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Schubert and noble100,
Just before I got your posts, I got a return phone call from Klaus at Odyssey Audio. I ordered an amp from him and canceled the Red Dragon.
He said he matched up the amp to my current system. We’ll see when I get it.
schubert: I’m sorry to hear you rejected Odyssey in favor of Belles, but since I already made the commitment, I think I’ll try the amp out. I have a 30 day trial period.
noble100: Very interesting about NuPrime. Again, I’m going to wait and see how much I like the Odyssey. If I do, there’s no point in searching further.
Thank both of you for your help
Richard |
Ironically, the Dragon is arriving tomorrow.
They didn’t contact me until just now due to a death in the family.
Crazy Business!
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Tim,
I have canceled the Odyssey for now. May consider looking into the Belles Aria amp on Audiogram that Schubert referred to. Problem is, it’s over ten years old.
What do you think? |
Tim,
I have canceled the Odyssey for now. May consider looking into the Belles Aria amp on Audiogram that Schubert referred to. Problem is, it’s over ten years old.
What do you think?
Richard |
Tim,
Thank you very much for your input. I’m in a quandary now.
Based on your and Schubert’s statements, I’m considering canceling the Odyssey until I do some more research. |
Evidently Red Dragon dispatched the amps as soon as I put the order in but didn’t inform me because they had a death in the family. So, fortuitously, when I wrote them that I changed my mind and told them I wanted them, they emailed me to say they had already been sent.
Interestingly, Klaus from Odyssey is giving me a hard time about canceling his amp, even though I canceled only hours after I bought it.
I’m definitely trying out the Red Dragons. Hopefully, they’ll sound at least as good as my NuForce and I’ll keep them. I really don’t like playing musical chairs with equipment. |
IMO the NuForce sta 200 for $500 is amazing. It was very close to my NuForce monoblocks, which I loved, that were four times the price. Of course my preamp and downstream components had something to do with the final result.
As far as the Red Dragons are concerned, I just got them and can’t make an informed judgement. They’re very promising but not ready for prime time yet.
I would have no absolutely no hesitation in recommending the sta 200 though.
If you’re on a tight budget I’d definitely try it. On Amazon you have months to return it, and If you’re on Amazon Prime, it costs nothing to return it. |
I meant cable between transport and DAC.
|
First impressions of the Red Dragon:
At this point, very bright and revealing; Excellent definition and soundstaging,
Good bass control.
I just hope it calms down to a more subdued presentation.
So far, not as pleasing as my former amps.
Whether it’s just too revealing or it’s not broken in yet, I don’t know.
I have 45 days to decide what to do. |
One more thing about the Red Dragons,
Records display none of the problems of CDs.
They sound very natural!
Maybe a different cable between DAC and preamp would do the trick.
But we’ll wait and see.
|
All of a sudden, after playing the unit for several hours, the amp seems to have kicked in. Sounds much better.
Who new?
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Alfau7,
As you can see from the above post, the brightness did not go away.
A deal breaker for me.
The NuForce sta 200 has none of that brightness. It just doesn’t have quite the level of definition as my old NuForce. Otherwise I would have kept it.
However, I regard it as a terrific unit, regardless of price.
|
After using the Red Dragons for two days virtually non-stop,
I’ve come to some conclusions. I know it’s much too soon to make a really informed evaluation, but I think I know the basic character of the amp.
Even though it “kicked in” from it’s original cold start, it seems to have a brightness that I find impossible to listen to. It’s not because it’s a class D amp. The amps I’ve had for several years (NuForce Reference 9 monoblocks) are also Class D and they have just the right character to my taste. The Red Dragons would have to go a very long way to reach that level.
I’m now considering a Belles Hot Rod amp available on Audiogon recommended by Schubert and Johnny from Audio Connection. |
JohnnyR
Thank you for your input.
I’m pretty sure I’m going in that direction now.
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Btw, I ordered the Belles150, not the 350.
The 350 was a 6 out of ten rating, and the price was suspiciously low. |
I pretty much made up my mind about the Dragons, so I don’t want to start experimenting with power cords and cables.
I made a bid for the Belles Amp on Audiogon and it was accepted.
So, I will try that amp and see what happens.
Hopefully, it will be the last tryout.
They have a 30 day return policy
The Red Dragons actually sound quite good in Soft Rock and the like, but not so much in Classical. So, until the Belles come, it’s other than Classical for me for me to listen to. |
Kalali,
Whats the significance of tektondesign?
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Didn’t sound too promising to me.
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Tim,
I had to leave the house for a few days but left the amp on.
When I came back, it was much better.
I guess I’ll give it the full 45 days before deciding.
Thanks for your interest in this endeavor.
Richard
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JohnnyR,
Not having a voltmeter, I just reversed the plug of my older CJ preamp in the socket and the sound improved.
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What’s really amazing is how delicate a balance there is in high-end HiFi that just switching a plug around can make such a marked difference. |
The Belles amp is arriving tomorrow, but the bad news is I am leaving on a 10 day trip the next day! So, I’ll get only a few hours at best to hear it until I get back. The good news is I’ll have a couple of weeks to try it out.
I still have some problems with the Red Dragons.
They’ve gotten a lot better with time. But there’s something missing.
I really loved my NuForce monoblocks, and have decided to pay more to have them fixed properly.
Ultimately, It’ll be a choice between the Belles amp and the NuForce. If the Belles sounds best I’ll keep it and hold on to the NuForce as back-up.
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Schubert,
In this frigid weather, I’ll do that, even though I don’t have much time to audition.
Thanks for your good wishes |
Well, it didn’t take long! As Johnny said, LESS than 4 minutes told the story.
The Belles is now my amp.
Just about night and day is the difference between the Dragons and the Belles.
In about every parameter it excels: clarity, bass, definition, sound staging....
Need I go on?
BIG THANKS to Schubert and Johnny for their input.
Would never have picked it without them both.
Gotta go now. Got some listening to do. |
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My version is the “hot rod,” not the Reference. |
