Spectral/MIT

I heard a Spectral/MIT/Avalon Eidelon system at Progressive Audio in Columbus, Ohio, and it was definitely the best system I have ever heard. Granted, I have only heard the Avalons once before, but the Spectral electronics seemed to be far more neutral, quick and balanced than the Krell electronics that I have also heard with the Avalons. If I could afford Spectral electronics, I would buy them myself, but you just can't replace one item at a time with Spectral. Since their amps, wires and preamps require the correct matching components, I guess I'll have to wait a few years. Oh, well...

Kurt

kurt: if you really want to hear what avalon eidolons sound like, try 'em with fim cables/ic's on boulder electronics. side-by-side comparisons with a spectral/mit combo will make you think that you are taking off a several layer sheet of heavy gauze when you replace the mit/spectral with fim/boulder. yes, I have made these direct comparisons. more than once. (I own eidolons and have been listening to them in various systems since before their “official” introduction in 1998.) BTW, you need not use “all boulder” or “all accuphase,” etc. electronics with the fim wire.

in response to the original query: i have nothing against either spectral or mit. IMO, tho, there is much better stuff available at the price point of that combo. and if you're considering spectral, it is, indeed, an inextricable combo. that, i think, is why most rational objections to it arise. -kelly

as always YMMV ! the room matters, the speakers matter - the type of cable matters. i have had the best experience of my entire audiophile product career matching spectral pre (dmc20 Mk II) with the SDR2000 and SDR3000Pro with a krell FPB600c, MIT 350 Ref Balanced ICs and MIT Oracle V1 cable. sheets of heavy gauze ? not here. this system is fast, delicate and nuanced with amazing bass and incredible mid-treble and mid balance for voice and strings. the boulder amps i listened to ( in another room) were flat and lifeless through the same sonus faber speakers..

Thanks for all the posts so far! Kelly, could you please clarify, what do you mean by "inextricable" ? What cannot you get out of? Did you have the "forced marriage" of gear and cables in mind? Any experience of Spectral with other than MIT cables around? Thanks.

katharina: spectral and its dealer network recommend the use ONLY of mit cable with their electronics. the use of any other wire is strongly discouraged, since it may (presumably) cause frequency oscillations that will damage the gear and even void the warranties. for additional information, you may wish to do a few searches on audio asylum and read some of the other threads on this site, if you haven't already. good hunting. -kelly