Takes awhile (500-1000 hours) to break-in this amp so be patient. It can sound not so great for the first 150 hours.
Simon is good to work with for audio equipment. |
I second that opinion. John,Toni,and Simon will bend over backwards to make sure you are happy.
I upgraded my Musician III SE to MK.2 status with the V-cap upgrade using the new CuFT caps.
Need more hours on them, but the sound so far is much fuller with nice tone.The highs are more articulate with better seperation. The sound is very natural without losing the speed and effortless power this amp produces.
Very happy with the upgrade!
Joe |
I have the Spectron Musician III Mk2 with the Bybee filters and V-Caps and it is by far the best amp I've had in my system.
Last week, I finally had Simon send me a set of the Remote Sense RS Signature speaker cables to audition. That audition lasted two days, actually out of the box they were really good, the next morning they were a keeper without a doubt. Extending the feedback loop is something special.
I can't be more grateful to Simon for all of his help.
Chuck |
Hi,
I have to agree. Simon has been patient, professional, and extremely helpful. I have Spectron Musician 3 Mk 2 monoblocks with Bybee, upgraded fuses, the works. I have to say they are impressive and get better every day. I'm only using one right now (my system is in a state of flux) and will hook the other shortly. I briefly hooked up both using rca's. The monoblocks are not twice as good, they are ten times better. The sound stage becomes bigger and better. It really is amazing.
Joe |
after the wonderful support i've received so far, i'm not surprised to hear that others are also equally impressed with spectron.
i'm really looking forward to hearing the amp - thanks for the heads-up on the break-in, bostonbean.
the amp is basically stock, but i'm already thinking about VCaps or Bybees as a next step. from what i've read here on a'gon, both are worthwhile, but the bybees add a little more. |
I have had my Spectron Musician III Mk2 with the Bybee filters and V-Caps a little over a month. I was looking for an amp to upgrade from a Bryston multi-channel. I wanted more power...must be in a small package and run cool...as it was going in a cabinet. My first intention was to get a SS amp to power my bass module and later add tubes up top. I ran across Spectron and saw they were selling direct...now they fit in my budget. After getting one and reading about mono's...the tubes are now out and I am saving for another Spectron. I knew this amp was more powerful than the Bryston...I did not expect what I heard immediately. A wider deeper sound stage...tons of detail even at low volumes. Not at all any sharpness..even when pushed. I just added a Joule Electra La150se tubed pre...what a match these two are to my VSA vr4-jr's. |
I love sound of Spectron amplifiers !!!
Rafael |
The people there are very customer support oriented. I need once small repair and it was done "overnight!!!"
Also, the quality of equipment is superb. I still cannot undertsand why it is not praised as most expensive and best audio equipment we have on the market. I wish once to compare them tyo $50k Mark Levinson flagship, No 53..
I believe it is because Spectron is "digital" amp as all of us know "digital = bright" and other bulls...t
Their cables(both speaker cables and power cords) are also suberb, simply superb and cost 2-3 times less then similar in performance from traditional cables companies.
Matched with Joule-Electra preamp it is "audio heaven"
Mike |
I don't believe all those dealers that got dicked by Spectron when the company decided to sell direct to the public at a more favourable price point would have any praise for Spectron. |
class d who cares,nobody that likes decent sound anyway |
Praise for who? LOL.. LOL... LOL my only reaction. Looks like the annual kick back has been received by some. Markwatkiss.. I'm with u Bro. |
Why did you replace the Atma-Sphere amps? Which model and version did you have?
I had both Spectron 3 Mk II and Atma-Sphere (M-60's and MA-1's) in my system and it was a very easy decision to send the Spectron back and keep the Atma-Sphere amps.
Of course that is just my opinion and experience.
I truly hope that the Specton amp is more to your liking than it was for me.
George |
I concur about Simon for Spectron and Joule Electra equipment. I bought a pair of monoblocks, Spectron Musician 3 MK2 with Vcaps and ByBee filters. He has been very helpful. I also scheduled an upgrade for my Joule Electra preamp and he has been very hepful with that also. Thanks to Simon. |
I can say only all the best for Simon, Spectron, Joule Electra and Elrod as I have now 4 fully upgraded Spectron monoblocks including Signature last Remote Sense speaker cables and JE LA-450ME on MG 20.1. You can read more on http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/frr.pl?rprea&1267466541&&&/Joule-Electra-LA-450ME (Reviews - preamps).
So, Simon did great job here and it is always pleasure to contact with him.
Best regards |
Hello Zybar,
OTL versus non OTL depends mainly on the speakers the amp is matched. I heard Joule-Electra OTL with Merlin and it was, indeed heavenly sound but OTL will not work well with my own speakers, W/P 8 due to sharp impedance drop and Spectron did spectacularly!!!
If you love your OTL amp with your speaker more then PASS, Spectron etc its great for you - nobody will argue! However, for others OTL amp may require more care then they are willing to provide, more heat then they are willing to tolerate, benign impedance speakers etc.
Mike |
i've only had the spectron playing for three days, but WOW, this is one amazing amplifier! truth be told, i was a bit doubtful of ALL the glowing reviews, but can see now why the press is so favorable - the praise is all well deserved. the musician 3 mk 2 is truly a special piece of equipment.
of course we all have different predilections - mr coffeey makes that case plainly - but this amp really works for me. sounds remarkable!! i'm not saying it's for everyone, but i definitely love what i'm hearing.
@ George: i had am S-30 Mk3.1. wonderful amplifier by all accounts, but i reluctantly had to sell it, as the glowing tubes were just too tempting for little fingers.
the S-30 was a brilliant piece - it did most everything right, but i don't feel like i've lost anything in moving to the spectron. in fact, in some areas, i feel things have improved.
the spectron is a great amp, and simon is simply peerless in his commitment to the consumer.
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In preparation for some new speakers I have on order I bought a pair of Spectron Musician III MK2 mono amps with V-cap and Bybee filters. These replace the Spectron Musician III MK2 stereo amp with V-cap and Bybee filters I have which is close to 3 years old.
I figured there would be some improvement with the mono amps but I am amazed as to how much. I have had the new amps for about six weeks now and they have around 600-700 hours of playing time on them. After the, to my ears what can be sometimes brutal (100-200 hours the highs can be sometimes harsh and the lows a little mushy), break-in period the new amps are starting to sound spectacular while still improving. The highs are more sweeping and the lows are more rock solid along with the mids which are much more detailed than the stereo Spectron amp. The soundstage is much more spacious while at the same time the imaging more exact and three dimensional.
On a side note has anyone else noticed more companies are offering switching amps. ARC has a couple now and Mark Levinsons new flagship mono amps ($50K/pair) use switching technology. I believe that it was the advent of the Spectron Musician III amps that showed these companies what possibilities switching amps held.
Finally, Simon was very helpful as usual giving me assistance as to how to setup the mono amp configuration. |
I'm glad to hear that the monoblock configuration is that much better than the stereo configuration. The Spectron Musician III MK2 is a fantastic amp. Enjoy them!
Chuck |
I have upgarded my preamplifier from Joule-Electra LA-300 to 450, I upgraded my speakers from W/P-8 to Sasha but I have no wish, desire to touch to my Musician III Mk2 monoblocks. Now, Simon describes "magic" effects to his own system by E-SS Still Points racks and I am tempted a bit.
Yes, I would add my praise for Spectron: both product and customer support (I do not mean repairs but their advices ) |
Hello from Spain. I have the Musician III with a faulty channel. It got in the protection mode and no way to reset it. I have tried to contact Spectron, sent mails but no reply after three weeks. Does anybody have a direct phone number where I can reach them?
Thanx in advance!
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