jeffreyw
Responses from jeffreyw
| Which Would You Choose? I auditioned the S5 against a Luxman M10x. The Luxman was clearly better, as it should be for $20K. However, the Michi was very impressive for its price. It's definitely a great value in this crazy, high-end world. However, depending on your liste... | |
| Integrated power for KEF R3 Meta @chenry My apologies; I interpreted as the KEF Reference series. My opinion was directed solely to the Reference series. The more power KEFs get, the better they sound. | |
| Integrated power for KEF R3 Meta @audioman58 I agree; we all can't like everything! However, regardless of construction, KEF has some of the most innovative engineering in the audio industry, which warrants some slack. They are definitely not my endgame speaker, but I'm happy w... | |
| Integrated power for KEF R3 Meta @chenry A 2W flea-powered amp will drive the KEFs but not drive them adequately. KEF specifies 15-180W to drive. So....my McIntosh 600W amps can not drive them? My point is that the wattage ratings are basically a marketing ploy to reach the mos... | |
| Integrated power for KEF R3 Meta @caslon 70W will not drive them properly. I have a pair of Ref 1 Metas powered by a pair of McIntosh MC 611s. I made an $8500 mistake trying to power the KEFs with a Luxman 590AXII. The bass output was nonexistent. With the higher power amps, I ... | |
| Higher-End Class A/B vs. Class A Integrateds @nicktheknife I would caution you on the pure Class A Luxman integrateds (20W & 30W) driving a difficult load/ low sensitivity speaker. They will produce very little bass to the extent that you would think a component is broken. I tried to p... | |
| Cardas Clear Beyond XL PC vs The Rest @kennyc I have always been interested in the Cardas, especially because the Clear Beyond interconnects are so highly praised. I do prefer a warmer presentation. Yet the XL PC's do not appear to have a big following. I would love to hear the AQ D... | |
| BW 801 D4 or BW 802 D4 + 2 subs 801D4....Also, the McIntosh has plenty of power to drive them. You can always add subs later if you are not happy with the bass output. I had a pair of 802D3s and powered them with a Naim Uniti Star in a large room. The bass was adequate but then ... | |
| Focal Sopra 1 Bookshelves (with subs) or Focal Kanta 2s towers instead? @dman777 Speaker to speaker without subs, the Kantas might be more pleasing because of the bass response. However, the Sopra's will be more accurate. When you add dual subs, then the magic begins with the Sopras (assuming everything is dialed in... | |
| Focal Sopra 1 Bookshelves (with subs) or Focal Kanta 2s towers instead? @dman777 Sopra 1s with dual REL subs will smoke a pair of Kantas. Focal's are bright, and the McIntosh would be a nice combo. Luxman is pretty neutral or a tad south of neutral. The presentation from both integrateds would be quite different. Cl... | |
| Are cable “upgrades” just as likely to make your system sound worse? @wester17 I have had a similar experience. I needed a little more sparkle at my top end, and the obvious choice was a Nordost Valhalla II. It did exactly that, but they took a little warmth from the midrange, albeit the midrange is now clearer. ... | |
| How to make the Focal Kanta No. 2 speakers sing? @soix +1 | |
| How to make the Focal Kanta No. 2 speakers sing? Simple fact: Kanta's are bright sounding and thin as you hear. Don't waste your money on room improvements. If you want more drive and warmth in the system, it will be your amp. I would dump your speakers prior to spending that kind of cash, it wi... | |
| Is a McIntosh MA12000 a good fit for a Sonus Farber Amati Tradition? Absolutely! Mac and Sonus Faber play very well together. The MA 12000 is a real gem in the McIntosh lineup. Check out some videos on YouTube of the Sound Sommelier, there you will find some great Mac/Sonus pairings. | |
| dCS Bartok Apex vs any similar priced DAC Aries Cerat Helene, 40 Kg of sonic nirvana. I was only able to compare to non-Apex DCS. FWIW, DCS was very clinical and digital sounding. The AC Helene sounds like a $50K analog rig—two DACs at the opposite ends of the spectrum. |