When you judge an AR Ref5se on all parts you judge highend for, you will find out how limited this pre amp is.
- the stage depth and width is not that big as the best ones.
- In resolution you miss a lot of details.
- in speed and dynamics it is not that special.
- also in individual focus of instruments and voices
it is not that sharp and apparent.
- Also the lack of blacklevel this pre amp does not give
you the 3d apperance of voices and instruments
- when you focus on the diversity in the middle freq, you
will miss the realism in sound. It sound like every
instrument sounds the same. Like you have a warm low end
, mid freq and high freq.
Many highend brands are kept alive with written reviews. It is a pitty that openness and reality is missing in the world of audio. And that is a shame! |
Naim is even worse. You need to begin with live music.
One of my best friends had a small concert room with a Steinway wing for 65 people. Here I learend how small and direct voices and instruments sound in real.
I wa slike magic, the intimate sound was what I sill use in all my sets I create for clients.
The second part what influenced me a lot was also jazz live music. I was sitting in the middle and in front of the stage. You could hear all the instruments and stage depth and width. Also the heights of the instruments.
That is why we create a 3 dimensional intimate stage. We test and compare all audio on 9 different parts you judge audio for.
Naim has nothing to do with realism in sound and music. I only can buy it when you don't know a lot about music and how it sounds in real.
I can explain why?
Naim is 2 dimensional, we even call it often 1 dimensional ( mono) because beside there is not stage depth instruments do not have an intimate apparence like in real.
What does audio need?
first of all; education in music. I spend about 3-4 hours every week for the search of new music. I am an music addict.
In 8 years of time I did many shootouts for clients between 2 and 3 dimensional sound. This is the most effective way of getting people exited about music and audio. Even women get exited when you demo 3 dimensional sound. Many women of men who bought a system from us use the set independently.
In 2009 I did a 3 dimensional demo for a person who recently bought a naim set of 14000 euro. He said; I never experienced music this way. When I would have heard this at the time I bought the Naim set, I would have bought this set for sure.
The problem is that the knowledge and insight in sound is getting less every single year. This problem we see and hear at shops, distributers and even at manufacturers.
There is one thing needed; it has to change. This way audio will become a smaller market every single year. |
I owned the XP-20 in the past, this one I prefer also.
a client of mine owns a AR Ref 5SE, and we did a shootout
at my house. I was amazed how low the quality was
We used Audioquest Wel Signature XLR 2015 cables, and the
Purist Audio Limited Edition powercables.
We have developed our own roomacoustic system and adapted
it it to a pre amp what is not for sale yet. It
outperformed the 5SE on all parts. The owner could go back
home crying for his mother. We really felt sorry for him.
a new client owns the AR 100SE poweramp, again the same
kind of limitations. We test and compare all the time.
Because we only focus on those products which are the best
for the money. Every brand and tool what is less we never
will sell.
Pass Labs outperforms AR in many parts you judge highend
for. I sold AR for over 6 years of time. When I should
sell it again, it would be time to look for another job.
In our world inferior audio doesn't make sense. For some
it may sound hard. But we use this to protect all our
clients. So they will get the best endresults in sound
quality. The best and most convincing sound always will
win. This is how we compete againt our competitors. We
love the competition a lot. We always want to win. Second
best doesn't count in our world! |
Audio is listening and comparing as much as possible. At the end the best is the one who is the most interesting.
The differences in quality is huge and often there are many who can create a much lower endresult. We always compare the same way and use the same parts during shootouts.
Each single tool we test we take serious and the brand doesn't garantee anything.
We use Total Sound all the time during tests. When all these parts are there, the level of emotion and excitement is higher.
Parts of Total Sound:
- Soundrealism: you want and need an instrument to sound
like in real. I use Pass labs amps to the max for this. It
is the focus on sound of each different instrument and
voice. For example: you want to hear the difference
between 2 acoustic guitars of a recording. I always want
to hear the full palette in the mid freq. The timbre is an
essential part of listening to music
- 3 dimensional soundstage: this is the most exiting part
of audio in general. This sets your beloved music in full
3Din front of you. During listening you can focus on each
individual part of a recording.The best sets can even give
instruments the shape as in real.
- Intimate sound:instruments and voices are very small in
dimension and very direct in sound. You want a realistic
proportion of instruments and voices. Intimate sound has
a very big influence on our emotion. During many acoustic
classical live concerts I learned how small a vice and
instruments were in proportion.
- Blacks: The space between the instruments and voices
with their acoustic information during the recording. This
is the level of physical appearance. You want to touch
every single instrument and voice of the recording.
Germans use the word'darstellung'.
- timing and speed: it is a very important part for
authorityand control of the overall sound. Better timing
will give you less acoustic limitaions. But also a more
natural sound.Biside this you also can reveal more layers
of the low freq.
- Resolution: you want to hear all details of the
recording.And it needs to be physical apparent.
- Air: This part gives the instruments and voices the
freedom during listening. Separation makes your music so
much more appealing.
- A big freq. response: When your system goes deeper in
freq.response you will hear more information of a
recoding. Thisalso has a big influence on our emotion.
People can heartill maximum 20 khz. But...the freq.
response above it still influences our brains.
- articulation of voices: how clear you can hear word
endings, breathing of singers and moving lips.
- heights: When I received 2 sets of the Audioquest Wel
Signature xlr's it became more clear than ever. It makes
listening to music different and even more appealing. |
When you are aware of what is possible in the world of
highend, you understand the differences in quality.
We work and think by Total Sound. When you can compare
audio tools by their properties it becomes a lot more easy
to compare and understand how good or worse it is.
I miss too many qualities with AR what other tools do a
lot better. These parts are very easy to be heard and
understood.
The only thing you need is comparing and a frame of
reference. Shootouts are one of the most fun parts in
audio. I am addicted to it for over 17 years of time. I
have done thousends of tests form mid level till highend.
It is all about collecting information of each tool we
test. When you focus on the properties a tool owns, you
can create a much higher endresult.
When you are aware of all the properties, you want to use
them all. When we listen to sets of new clients, at shows
or at distributers almost all sets are incomplete. We
always try to explain what is missing. |
When you compare and test brands, in almost all situations
you will find out the same properties. For example when
you compare and test AR power and pre amp you will find
the same properties. Read the next review. Here you read
the same things I wrote. I did find this today.
http://hometheaterreview.com/pass-labs-x2508-stereo-
amplifier-reviewed/
"The Audio Research Reference 75, even though it is a
tube-based amplifier, actually sounded drier and somewhat
washed out in its overall tonal colors compared with the
X250.8. Another notable difference between the Audio
Research Reference 75 and the X250.8 was that the X250.8
created a much more three-dimensional soundstage then the
Reference 75--to the point that the 75's soundstage
sounded flat/shallow and lacked air/space around the
individual players."
Audio is comparing and testing; believe me AR is by far
not the best student of the class.
Our focus is only based on the best students of each
class. We always suggest the other students to stop and
look for another study. |
I give another example; a cello has a very wide palette in diversity in sound. Pass labs poweramps can give you a very natural palette in the mid freq.
When you listen to many tube amps and pre amps you create often a pleasant sound. People discribe it as warm and musical.
But is it very natural and realsitic? In many situations it is not. Don't see this as negative. People are still free to prefer a more warm sound.
When we listen to tube amps and pre amps we ofen audition that the low, mid and highe freq. sound pleasant and but all the same. So when you test and compare it on deversity of the middle freq it is less complete and natural.
This part you will understand when you owned and tested many Pass Labs power amps.
There is a test of the new Pass Labs XS-300. The person who writes it says: it is better than any tube power amp. The reason why he writes this, is that it is more complete.
When I give a demo with a set what is more complete, people get exited about the sound a lot more. Because all the different parts influences our emotion.
Music is all about emotion. So audio is! |
The thing in audio is; when you focus and test many different tools at different price levels you will find out that over 95% of all products in audio is not that special or worth it's money.
When you fully focus on quality there are many products which are inferior compared to the best. These products are still being sold. I always have been amazed about all those products which are just average. |
When you prefer a more tube sound, I would use A tube pre amp with a Pass Labs power.
Why?
Because the Pass labs will give you more control, speed, details and more deversity in the middle freq.
When we audition tube amps it is always very easy to hear shortcomings. I always say; I would never choose for shortcomings when I can get a more complete sound.
Audio magazines get money from manufacturers so they can exist. Ever person understands this. But....there is a big but.....
They will not tell you which tools are superior to tools which they also reviewd. This is the thing we don't like. We prefer shootouts of the best students of the class.
I am not here to say which products and brands are inferior. This is not up to me. But in 17 years of time I auditioned hundreds of sets. In many situations the endresults are not that good.
This is based on the fact that they often use inferior products. Beside this they use tools which do not own all the parts of what we call; Total Sound. Incomplete sound is less involving and less exiting.
When you are aware of properties you will understand better how the stage and sound of your set is being build! |
I am not against tubes, I used tubes as well in the past. I auditioned many sets with tubes what I liked a lot.
The only remark I made is that when the sound becomes more complete the quality and even the emotion in music can reach a higher level.
Our focus is more on sound and image. We use the properties of brands and products to create 'our' sound.
We create 'our' sound by Total Sound. This means that we collect and combine all the different properties togheter.
So what is 'our'sound?
Our sound is an intimate 3 dimensional image what is build from a black center with a very involving and diverse middle freq.
You also can use tubes for the way we work. I think you create a better end result in sound when you use SS and tubes togheter! |
There is a new company who owns AR these days. They are responsible for the cheaper parts they use. Beside this the reliability is also not of the same quality anymore.
These things are more common these days, and that is not a good thing in the world of audio. We see it at all price ranges.
Audio is getting a hard time since 2008. It is a lot more difficult to compete these days. Beside this we see that the youth is less interested in better audio quality.
The positive thing is however that techniques improve and in some ways you get a higher level for less money than in the past. |
There are many these days. It's a sad thing. It is in different price ranges.
The thing I don't like is that they use their name from the past. I can name a lot more. These days the words honesty and respect are hard to find in the world of audio.
The focus is only based on money and personal benefit. In Munic during the higend show we saw how worse the level of highend is these days.
And in the mid level it ain't different. It will influence the future of audio a lot. I think many people are not aware of it now. At the end they will, and then it is too late.
They need to focus more on the youth, the quality does not affect them. And you can't blame them.
In 5-10 years the world of audio will be a lot different than today. |
Good is often based on a persons frame of Reference. |
If AR would be a stunning brand and would be able to show all the parts what makes highend unique and impressive it would be a different story.
The people who own AR will not be happy abouth the things I said. I can understand that.
But what would you prefer to hear? The truth or the things you would like to hear.
A name or brand does not garantee you anyything. But the best sound and quality by research and shootouts does. This is how we work.
Foccusing on the best possible instead of a brand. |
