Usher Mini Dancer 2 or Q Acoustics Concept 500 - Marantz PM Ki Ruby

@soix Well, I have moved to a larger condo. so looking for more presence, better bass response.  Prefer new but open to a good deal on used.

Hi everyone, @soix @audiotroy 

Apologies for the radio silence, and thanks for all the useful responses.  I really appreciate everyone's input.

I am happy to inform that I ended up buying the Usher MD 2s.  I have had them for a week or so with about 12 hours of listening so far.  Initial impressions that that these are much more revealing speakers than the Dyn Special 40s.  The mid range is much more forward and engaging, a lot of sparkle and details in the highs (perhaps a bit much on some recordings).. Love when I hear new sounds and instruments in songs that I never knew existed.  and the soundstage and sense of scale is massive with much better imaging.

Based on what I've read, they take 200 hours to burn in?  I love how they sound right now but it will be heavenly if they become a tiny bit less bright.  Do they really evolve and change with time?  Any tweaks or tricks? Thank you!

@soix thank you.  Here’s my entire system.  I use Silnote Cables Classic RCA interconnect and Blue Jeans Cable Canare 4311 speaker cables.  

Unfortunately, acoustic treatment is not an option. Wifey will kick me out lol.. Its a living room setup in a condo.

So my only options are time and minor tweaks in gear :)

@steve59 thank you so much!

@soix Thanks for checking in.  I've had the Ushers for roughly 2 months now. Haven't clocked as many hours yet..  Probably 40-60 hours of listening in total. 

Also, I took your advise and bought the Pontus 2 12th anniversary and boy, its amazing.  Huge upgrade from the RME. Much wider and deeper sound stage, better imaging and way way more musical.  Added that touch of warmth I badly needed.

Back to the Ushers. Its been a weird experience so far.  You're gonna think that I am crazy but it sounds very different on different days.. Some days, they sound like a dream.. extremely natural, magical and musical..  I'm not good at describing sound.  but another days, it can go from harsh/ bright to dull sounding.  Strangest pair of speakers I've ever heard.  Overall. i think they're extremely detailed (I'm hearing stuff that I never heard with my Dynaudio Special 40s).. very good imaging and huge/massive sound stage.. Anyway, I'm just patiently waiting for those 200 hours to see how it evolves. I'm sorry if none of this makes any sense.. lol

I am also going back and forth between OS w/Slow filter and NOS on my Pontus. I see myself returning to the former (OS with Slow) as Nos sucks the life out of some recordings. Also, i'm not sure if the Phase setting on Pontus affects the sound?  Should I leave it on or off?

@soix Thanks, and I hope the Ushers cooperate too.  The fact is that most days they sound beautiful.  As for leaving them on for break in, do they have to be at a certain volume? I can't have it playing at usual listening volume.. we work from home.  So does volume matter?

@vthokie83 thanks in advance for your help.  

@steve59 i think you might have addressed my problem. I recently increased the gap between the speakers (taking them closer to the side walls) with the hope that it would improve the soundstage and imaging.  Maybe that's what has caused them to be sound a bit brighter recently.   I'm gonna pull them closer to each other (away from the side walls) and see if it helps. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers

@vthokie83 hey, hope you enjoyed your vacation. Thanks for the detailed response. I am going to look into the I2S. I am still not familiar with the concept and what exactly it does. Sounds like I need a streamer with USB out and a DDC in order to utilize the I2S input in Pontus. Do I understand this correct? The other problem is that I want to get into Vinyl. Saving up to buy my first TT, so getting a new streamer and DDC will be challenging in the near term..lol

One last question, what do you recommend for Phase setting on the Pontus? Leave it on (light on) or off? I go back and forth and can’t tell much of a difference. I’m not sure what it does to be honest.

@doni Interesting.  Thank you so much. I'll take a look!