I see at the Spectron site that they have released a Mark 2 edition of the Musician III SE. But there isn't any discussion of what has actually changed in the amp besides the price, which is now $7195 up from $6495. If anyone knows what the new changes are, I would really love to know.
"I have no question that Spectron can handle the technical issues involved."
I agree completely. Virtually all comments from individuals who have dealt directly with Spectron are very positive. Quirky and puzzling forum posts do not equate to poor support and should not reflect on anything about the company other than perhaps their possible uncomfortable online personna. Did I raise my eyebrows and scratch my head a bit? Yeah, but I would not hesitate to purchase their product based upon any information contained in this thread.
Enough with these ruffeled feathers and rabid wolf attacks from all sides.
Is there really any side but what changed for the Mark 2? How does it sound? What is the upgrade path? Is the flippant remark really characteristic of customer service experience? Answers given.
More questions?
Do what works; e-mail Simon or call him regarding more questions or needs, if that is what you want, but let's return to the topic; if I may say so.
Maybe this is a ploy to draw more attention to the company and product. I mean if he hadnt have responded this way..how far would this thread have really gone? As I mentioned before, i dont think he meant any harm. He is a musician/engineer/audiophile. He is not the best customer service rep who speaks in a forum. But when i talked to him on the phone, he didnt seem to be short with his answers. I mean i don't think its right to burn someone at the stake over 1 reply in a forum even though it was kinda dry. We all have said something we should have responded differently about. Look at our politicians. They make verbal blunders all the time. It doesnt mean they arent good for the job or can or cant run our country. We are still going to vote for one of them.
I gues i can leave this that subject up for another thread. Eiether way, hopefully we all can learn something from this. Including Spectron.
Audvidsvs, you been told by Simon that he joint company only after original Musician III was designed. (He designed, probably nearly 100% of the Signature and did a lot for Mk2 along with John and others in company). He DOES NOT KNOW Musician II - except design which when compared to Signature is indeed in stone age.
I am sure he told you, as he told me that Musician II has order of magnitude more distortions then Musician III and one of the reasons many lovers of this amplifier love it because its euphonic (due to very high degree of 2nd harmonics). Musician II has tremendous control, exceptional bass etc. Its "tube amp in steroids". While very pleasant for your ears it has no fidelity to the true acoustic music. He is professional musician (and so am I ) and he is right.
Instead of being thankful for his time and his willingness to answer phone even during weekends or late evenings and explaining all of these and surely your alternatives - you are ...complaining.
Musician II is fully supported and if you will have a problem it will be fixed in no time so this product is fully supported
Yet, Tvad's states, here in this thread, in writing that Spectron shows no support for older products!
Most interesting is that company looks after its customers and Musician II can be brought to 80% - 85% percent of Musician III SE Mk2 performance for very reasonable $1,295 (as of few minutes ago when I spoke with him). Considering that original Musician cost $3k - $3.5k and Musician III Mk2 $7.2k - its a BARGAIN !!! .
No, Rkmcv - these are not wolves, these are jackals, hyenas and vultures - they smell and see dying and decaying flesh and here they are with all these outrageous lies.
Regarding complain that they are busy with OEM - its preposterous: Let me quote from their web site:
"Spectron is one of very few companies that develop their own class D proprietary modules, digital and analog. John Ulrick has been awarded 6 patents in class D amplification, including a digital input/all digital implementation. Other team members have also multiple patents, awards and more then 300 peer-review publications.
...Spectron designs....a highly reliable continuous output 8000 watt power compact digital amplifier... The highly innovative design includes very high level power factor corrected switching power supplies using the latest PFC conversion technology and resonant mode DC:DC converters.
Spectron has found one its major strengths to be the cross-pollenization of audiophile and professional audio designs. The design under development will, potentially, revolutionize audiophile sound reproduction"
You don't like it? - buy amplifier with mass produced ICE modules and inferior switching power supplies, ask modifier to " to refresh colors" for a thousand dollars or more and enjoy!
A while ago, this country was.... you what it was. Today, only Spectron and NuForce do original R&D in digital amplification.
I was not complaining.Clearly you tried to find this in my post and misinterpreted.
I am simply sharing my experience dealing with Spectron through Simon. He was eager to help if needed reasonable service but unable to comment on certain aspects of the amplifier and it ended there. I realize the II is before his time and I clearly said that already.
I agree that being able to contact the representative directly is nice,in fact Simon has repeatedly called me too about some other related matters.
Like I said,if the product were not so appealing this would not even have my interest.
This is the first I have heard of any product having "no fidelity to the true acoustic music" That is some endorsement.
Pass judgement on yourself if you need to pass it at all.
This whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Talk about a tempest in a teapot.
I don't own a Spectron, but I would like to try one. Simon's attempt at humor or sarcasm, whichever, wouldn't affect my decision to buy a Spectron one bit. From the many posts on audio forums all over the internet, it seems that Spectron's customer service is outstanding. And apparently the Musician III SE is incredible sounding.
I can think of numerous audio companies that truly deserve the scorn and condemnation that has been bandied about here, but I don't think Spectron is one of them.
Simon's post was smug and sarcastic. His poor attempt at humor was unfortunate and perhaps a ghostwriter at Spectron should "edit" his submissions.
However, if one looks at the product reviews and owner's comments, it would be disingenuous not to consider Spectron. I have never auditioned any of the products but would welcome the opportunity.
For a potential buyer to eliminate Spectron based solely on Simon's gaff, is an extremely thin skinned reaction IMO.
Hi Bill, I believe at least a while ago Spectron had a 30 days money back guarantee. . . that was used to enable audiophiles to try out Spectron amps without making a irrevocable commitment. You can give Spectron a buzz at 818-435-2090 and find out if the offer is still available.
Audiofeils' comment is probably the most succinct and accurate and I would have to count myself amongst the thin-skinned over-reactionaries. Fair and balanced summary, Bill. If you do hear the Spectron and are impressed - i.e. if it sounds vastly better than the other underwhelming D-class amps I've heard, be sure to let us know!
30 days is better then 15,thats what Bel Canto switched to,and believe me 15 days isnt even close to enough days to make a decision.Not when it comes to digital.
30 days should yield about 720 hrs of activity for the amp. . . perhaps not a full break-in, but it should be enough to form an educated opinion of the Spectron Mk.2. . . . or of the monos.
I was wondering the same thing,I guess this one is just talked out.
On a related note,I tried posting a new topic regarding the use of the remote sense cables but it seems to have not made it through the moderator or something.Many posts seem to end that way ??????
Anyway,I have been experimenting on my own with Remote sense cables and I am wondering if anyone else is or if anyone else has even tried them?
Ed, I have tried the remote sense with good results. Unfortunately if you plan to use two M III SE's or two SE MK 2s for monobloc balanced configuration then you can't use the remote sense cables.
I used the Remote Sense cable when I had a single M III SE. It is a great cable. It's comparable with cables costing a lot more. There is simply more control (which is what this cable is supposed to do) and there is more detail and nuance with this cable. I have the Eichmann silver bananas and it was a great improvement over the regular termination.
Unfortunately as Bbro pointed out, I cannot use this cable now as I have two M III SE's in balanced configuration.
What kind of connectors are you using? I've compared the regular connectors to Eichmann banana plugs. The Eichmann connectors were simply superior IMHO.
A warm hello to all my crazy audiophile buddies.I first listen to a Spectron Amp. driving a pair of Gallo's about 6 years ago and they made a huge impression. My problem lies in the fact that I've been burnt way to often in my pursuit for audio bliss.
Isanchez; I am using giant StraightWire Spades into the posts under my Thiels. There is not a lot of room under there and Bananas would not make it. Also the spades were what I had when making the cables. I am able to make a very tight connection also which I like.
I used the same spades with the Canary cables and I used bare wire with the DNM's.
Has anyone done a Capacitor upgrade on their M3? I ordered mine with the upgrade, and I was wondering what the improvement was over the original version.
Yes, I have had my Musician III back from Spectron now for over a week, maybe going on two. I went from Musician III to M III SE Mk2.
Differences are: Bass is more controlled than before. I know this doesn't seem possible but as the amp is burning in I am finding the bass to be more extended, and articulate.
Speaking of articulate, voices, speaking and singing, are more clear by a magnitude. Easier to understand, even background singers and massed choral singers are not just understandable but clearly so.
I use a horn based speaker system to cover the mids to low treble. I never really gave the horns much thought. They were always clean and present, but now they are, like the bass, more controlled and faster sounding. Cymbals are shimmering in decay in a better way. Pianos are reverberating in a better, more focused way. Also the integration between my horns and ribbon super tweeter is better integrated. It is as if the horns have speed up to near the same speed as the ribbons. It is a pleasure.
Also, there are some physical differences. The two huge capacitors are replaced by banks of smaller, quicker ones. The output wiring is JPS Aluminata, and the binding posts are Cardas Patented ones. Now I use a bare wire connection and still these binding posts are better--better grip and easier to use. I also think they may sound better, but there is no way of distinguishing this with all the interior changes to the output section. Also, the fuses are different. Using upscale ceramic fuses have always made a change for the better, and I am sure in this case, too.
The SE Mk2 is in every way a better amp than the stock Musician III. I am damn happy I spent the money.
Often audiophiles are getting to concerned witn modifications. It's as if without the modifications they can't live any longer with their unmodified gear. This is ridiculous: an audio unit, be it an amplifier, CD-player or speaker should sound good or not very good from the beginning and they should remain that way, with or without modifications. If you are only satisfied with the sound after the unit has been modified, what is the reason for buying it in the first place then? I think it's weird if someone is buying a piece of audio just to let it modified first prior to listening. Or don't you agree with this?
Dazzdax--I agree. Though I did substantially improve a Marantz SA-8001 SACD player with mods from RAM. By and large though, The unit should be the engineering statement from the company as is. If they felt it needed improvement, it should be included.
"I think it's weird if someone is buying a piece of audio just to let it modified first prior to listening. Or don't you agree with this?"
Dazzdax, I think "weird" is a little strong but I do see your point. That said, I think there are some component/modification pairings that are so widely hailed as exceptional that a pre-mod audition is unnecessary. I just cant imagine my Sony 9100ES performing at its current level without the Modwright Truth Mods.
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