Indeed Charles, very helpful and very true. |
I did read the review Charles. Very insightful and through as is the review of the ML 518i. I sensed much the same in Brownsfan's and Mikirob's impressions as well. It makes me want to purchase the amp just to HEAR it particularly at that price. It seems quite remarkable that a product obviously so well made and attractive to boot could be made in Canada, not China, at such a great price. It makes me more curious about Coincident's other offerings. |
I'm sure it is Brownsfan. As a matter of interest Charles and Brownsfan this past Saturday I attended an audio meeting where one of the members told me of another fellow audiophile that purchased a pair of Lamm ML 2.2 SETs to replace his Franks. He is now considering selling the Lamm as he can't justify the price/performance difference. Now that is saying something. The Lamm amplifiers at 37k and the Franks at 5.9K. I would really love to hear the Franks but the praise on the value/performance of Coincident products seems universal. The Turbo 845 Integrated looks interesting as well but at 100 lbs, not so much! |
"But I feel pretty confident at this point that either the Decware or the Coincident will be a step up from my Manley gear."
Rebbi I don't mean to rain on your parade but if you CAN'T because of finances, listen first you are gambling. I'm sure there are many aspects of the SET sound you will love but on the other hand there may be compromises that you have not completely considered to the extent that they may be present. I really love the things SETs excel at particularly the rich, organic natural timbre of instruments that eludes most amplifiers, you can just relax into the music in a way that is most compelling. It's your money and I wouldn't comment other than you are accepting what others say without the benefit of listening first to be sure. Then on the other hand, maybe you need a change. If at all possible I would look at an 845 based SET that has more power that won't compromise the great aspects of the Manley, dynamics and drive with the magic of SET. It seems to me the Magnetic Line would be a GREAT choice although a bit more than you are willing to spend. Remember, 8 watts would be better suited with a more efficient speaker. I'm not too sure the DeCapo's are efficient enough for long term satisfaction. Since Brownfan is the only one in the know in this matter and his listening choices for THAT set-up is primarily in a bedroom for primarily string quartets, I'm sure the Franks will be, without question, his ultimate choice, you may wait until he puts up the Dynamo for sale or save your dough for the Magenetic Line 518i, which looks like a real bargain for all it offers. 22 watts vs 8. A 1.3K amp is not going to provide EVERYTHING and then some over your Manleys. Maybe you can borrow one to listen first? |
Thanks for clarifying Brownsfan, my comment about your selling off the Dynamo was meant tongue in cheek. |
Keep us posted on your new amp Rebbi, I'd be most interested in your impressions with the Decapos. |
Charles the only reason I brought up the Magenetic Line, as an example, was power. 8 watts with the Decapo is a big gamble regardless of how great those 8 watts are for the money. It seemed Rebbi had made up his mind to sell his amps and buy either a Dynamo or Decware. I think it great that he buy either amp outright BUT not before listening should he sell the Manley. This isn't a slam dunk decision as he seemed to suggest in his last post.
btw, I have throughly enjoyed all the input on this thread. It has been a most interesting read with lots of great info for all that might be interested in SET amplifiers. |
my impressions mirror yours Mapman. |
Charles the gentleman owns Coincident speakers, I'm not sure which model but that might help put things in perspective. Of course this is second hand hearsay testimony but I would add from a very reliable and trustworthy source. |
Indeed they are high value amplifiers Charles. Unfortunately they are a bit too large and heavy and I would be inclined more towards mono blocks of more managable size if I were to consider an SET. I have an audio buddy with a Mastersound integrated 845 SET with 2 845s per channel, which I've listened to many times. It weighs in the neighborhood of 130 lbs and puts out about 35 watts, a real beast. As I have previously stated, as much as I love the wonderful things that SETs do so well I do note their limitations, at least for me and in the set-ups I've heard. Like Mapman said it would probably take a very large full range efficient system to realize the potential, particularly in the bass but it seems you have the right formula with your speaker choice and amps. Though an SET might work satisfactorly for some in a main system for my musical taste and listening biases, I'm not so certain, at least with the Decapos. I would have to go in a different direction. As it stands now I have no desire or intention to do so but would just love to hear, maybe I would change my mind. As things stand now I am VERY satisfied, but one never knows what turns are in store in the future. |
As to which one to get without the opportunity to listen to any of them with the Decapos and your budget constraints, I would look at the ones with the heftiest transformers. As has been pointed out, one of the biggest factor in SET designs, what separates the budget from the pricier ones, is the power supply and transformer. This will manifest itself in better dynamics and improved low frequency performance. Over time this may be the area where by going budget you will recognize the sacrifice of performance in these areas. This is MY impression having listened to numerous SET amps in different set-ups, there is no free lunch unless you go with a more efficient speaker. The fact that you listen primarily to small scale music in a small room may mitigate this to some degree. |
"I truly regret selling my Golden Tube 300B."
Funny you mention THAT amp Mikirob. After all the discussion on this thread I started looking around for a 300B DHT amp just to see how it might fare with the Decapos. There was a Golden tube 300b amp for sale recently on Agon. When I decided to buy it, it was gone, one day, snooze and lose! I had the same thing in mind, upgrading some of the parts to see what could be gotten. For 1K no risk and probably a lot of fun as well. |
Hi Smctiguel
I too am looking at the Audio Mirror. What I find interesting is the fact that it uses the 6c33 tube, has some serious power and the reasonable price. Unfortunately I couldn't find any details or reviews beyond what is on their website. I was also a bit concerned about the heat output using those tubes. Could you kindly provide a bit more detail? The build quality and heft appear to be quite substantial as well. Thanks for your input.
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The 10.2 ohm source impedance is the thing to REALLY pay attention to when matching this amp to the appropriate speakers as Charles notes. That is a VERY high source impedance and would seriously limit the speakers it might be used with optimally. I can certainly imagine some compromises in performance when used with the wrong speaker. It seems designed with Coincident speakers in mind with their very high output impedance. I also totally agree with Charles that the quality of tubes used can make a HUGE difference in performance beyond the critical amp/speaker interface. One can't expect the best tubes in a 1.2K integrated amplifier. I would expect this amp could sound exceptional with the right speaker and some tube rolling. Dick Olsher is very technically oriented but could have been a bit more through in the why of what he heard. I agree that using a DIY speaker is not useful to most folks reading the review. He should have requested a pair of Coincident speakers or had on hand a speaker with a high enough output impedance to offer a fairer idea of what is possible with the Dynamo. What the reader is left with after the review is more questions than answers, at least I was. Dick has been at this long enough, he should have known better going into the review.
Maybe Al might chime in here with more technical insight. |
I hear you Schubert. What agon must realize is that cyber attacks are a real and present danger to our credit card security and they aren't immune although not a likely target but again, who knows? I have made it a point going forward that I am NOT giving out my CC info on line until security is more fail safe, at least in my mind. Agon is certainly not immune although most likely off the radar of these criminal hackers.
I know this isn't relevant to the thread but as a collective group I feel it imperative that we let agon know that their pay model and conditions are unacceptable. I'll pay as I see fit or I won't perform transactions on this site. Other alternatives for buying/selling are happening as we speak and more palatable without the unacceptable conditions, at least to me and Schubert. This needed to be stated if on the inappropriate forum. |
