I’ve heard these at the dealer with Primaluna separates and they sounded really, really good. One of my favorite speakers I haven’t owned! For comparison, I brought in my Rowland Continuum S2 which I owned at the time, and they sounded lifeless with that amp.
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@soix I’ve only had the Rhumba Extreme 1.4 for a couple weeks. I picked it up at Bob Backert’s home. Previously I had a CJ PV-12 line stage that over the years Bob had worked on several times to improve its performance. After 31 years with the CJ and a worn out selector knob I decided it was time to get a genuine Bob Backert design. The Rhumba Extreme is built like a proverbial tank. Since Bob runs in all his gear prior to sale it sounded great out of the box. Texturally smooth, incredibly dynamic both micro and macro with a boundless soundstage. With the right speaker placement, sounds can seem to emanate beyond the speakers. The biggest thing however, is it allows an envelope of air to envelop each instrument yet it is still part of the whole…it makes following a particular instrument much easier to do. This is particularly fun when listening to jazz and symphonic music. |
@hifiman5 That sounds sweet! Love the tube/ss combo. Nice pre. How’s the Rhumba sound? I have an SMcAudio amp as well. I know in the past Vandy frequently teamed up with McCormack at shows so there’s obvious synergy there. |
@referee1 A family member uses this combo set for streaming and CD Playback: Preamp - Benchmark LA4 Power Amp - Two of this McIntosh MC830 Monoblock |