srama
Responses from srama
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks John Stronczer is an absolutely brilliant engineer. Bel Canto just hold back on performance to compete in different market segments. JA stated in Stereophile that the E1x was basically as good as it gets from a measurements perspective. I’ve had o... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks As far as I can tell as a lay person, the advantage of a passive preamp is transparency. With a preamp like the HPA-4 whose performance lies at the limits of measurement devices, this issue is moot. At any rate, one learns over time that there ar... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @seanheis1 I’m not a fan of passive preamps. And yes, I’ve had the Freya + in my system with a different power amp. I have also had a full Benchmark stack - dac3b, HPA-4 and AHB2. A quick look at my feedback history here and at USAM will reveal t... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @bcsy Thanks for your offer to chat! I have already ordered the Atma-Sphere MP-3. After having experienced just how good Ralph’s class d Mono Blocks are, it was a no-brainer to pair them with a preamplifier of his design . | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @soix, @vthokie83. Thank you, I will try and update my experience here once its all settled in. @hifinut, thanks for sharing your experience. I am glad I arrived at the right decision eventually! To quote from @acresverde: The fact that you... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @acresverde High praise indeed! I value your personal experience hearing the MP-3 in your friend’s system. I just placed an order for an MP-3 with the V-CAP and chassis damping upgrades - to say I’m delirious with anticipation is understating it... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @ddgtt, thanks for your suggestion. Going by their reputation alone, I have no doubt about its brilliance - unfortunately, it is more than twice my budget :) Thanks everyone for your suggestions and engaging discussion. I have decided to go with ... | |
| Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing The Class D monos arrived yesterday and are hooked up and have played for nearly 9 hours. System information: Auralic Aries G1.1 streamer > Bela Canto Dac2.8 AES/EBU input > A-S Class Ds. via XLR input. Interconnects are DH labs (DH-110 and... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @atmasphere Thank you, so it sounds like I can hook up my existing phono preamp to the Monitor 1 or 2 input on the "basic" line stage version. Understood, connecting a sub will require a Jensen transformer - a quick search did not reveal any xlr... | |
| Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing @docroasty Thank you, that's good to know. Weird, about the power meter led - it seems to be quite common, although I read somewhere that Carey did fix the issue back in 2018 or thereabouts. | |
| Atma-Sphere Class D… Amazing @docroasty - curious to know if you ever did connect your SLP-05 to the Class d monos, and if so, whether you could share your impressions? Are they the standard or the ultimate upgrade version? Thanks! | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @atmasphere, I just realized that the MP-3 comes with ONLY balanced inputs. My external phono stage only has single ended outputs - can I use a simple rca to xlr cable or do I have to select the version with optional single ended inputs? Also, do... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks The MP-3 has no problem driving the class D to clipping, if that's what you mean. It supports +4dBm which is far more Voltage than most power amps need. Thank you, that's all I needed to know! | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks In practice the 6SN7s of the line stage hold up quite well- we rarely replace them in warranty (which is a year on tubes). @atmasphere, Thank you, that is good to know. To reference @avanti1960’s post above, I assume there will be sufficient g... | |
| Preamp suggestions for Atma-Sphere Class D Monoblocks @avanti1960, thanks for your comment. I did notice the low gain on the A-S class D (compared to the 27 dB on my Bel Canto Ref501S). I can see how the high gain in the Cary can help offset the low gain in the A-S. I would think, however, that the M... |