verdantaudio
Responses from verdantaudio
| Pre Amp comparisons Other than Dave Matthews, love your taste in music. I would add two products to your list:I am going to throw out an option because I think it was interesting and was just putting together a quote for a customer on it. Have you looked at the AVM... | |
| Speakers which always sound good For the money, I would look seriously at the Revel Performa3 line (not the BEs, I don't quite understand those) as a great speaker for general public. I had a pair for years and it was only when I tried to go beyond them that I discovered how lim... | |
| Best 300B tube My understanding (I have no firsthand experience with Audion) is that they have a flatter frequency response than a lot of 300B amps and in general sound a bit more analytic rather than lush. This is from a customer who had a pair of their mono-bl... | |
| New speakers but old Rotel Amp I think Rogue would be a wonderful choice. The Stereo 100 is a nice amp for pure tube. Countless great reviews and it is a first rate company. The Hydra is spectacular for a hybrid but the stock tubes leave something to be desired. If you opte... | |
| Upgrade DAC recommendation Given your price range and system, you could look at a Chord Hugo TT2. Nice DAC that has filters which give you a little flex in terms of sound profile. Alternatively, the PS Audio DSD is a nice unit that could be down in your price range with a... | |
| Marantz vs Musical Fidelity Marantz is going to be a hair warm of neutral while Musical Fidelity is going to be a hair bright vs. neutral. Which sounds better is strictly a matter of taste. The MF also has a bit more power than both the Marantz units so if the speaker is h... | |
| PS Audio Direct Stream DAC w/Roon Nucleus + vs. Auralic Vega G1 So...I had a DSD for a few years and ran it with a Nucleus+. It is very good but I cannot say that every software change is an improvement. It is an excellent unit and given that software can be updated, it is less likely to become outdated. De... | |
| Upgrading from B&W CM5s I am generally a huge fan of ribbons. You will see that I am probably the single biggest (and repetitive) advocate for Scansonic/Raidho in the forum here and am a big fan of Carver speaker design and Infinity. I am not the biggest fan of that El... | |
| Wife opened door to build my best ever system...ideas for what it should be? God I love Hawaii! I went there on my first honeymoon and a second vacation with my first wife and I still love the state. Given it was with the first wife, that is saying a lot!If it was me and you are thinking about consolidating down to one s... | |
| Alternative speaker suggestion to B&W 805d3 You can go in one of two directions...warmer amp or different speakers. The Cronus is wonderful but it is not known for its warmth. Rogue gear is brilliant (I own a Hydra) but the relatively linear nature of its sound means if will leave the 805... | |
| Speaker suggestions for Levinson Superb choice for your taste in music! Congratulations and you are right, your Levinson gear will be brilliant. | |
| Magico A3, suggested integrated amp. I would suggest you look at AVM. I heard the A3s at NY Audio Show driven by AVM gear in 2018 and it was spectacular. The Evoluton A5.2 would be an excellent choice. 185w and price point is $5995 without the optional DAC and Phonostage. Full di... | |
| Upgrading from B&W CM5s If you like the CM5s you are going to LOVE the 804 D3s. They would be my first choice if I were you. It may not to be to my taste, but my taste is pretty irrelevant. IMO, the 804 D3 is better than the Revel BE line. I prefer the sound of the F... | |
| $5k or less speakers (used or new)? Check out Scansonic. The MB3.5 B has a side firing woofer and delivers bass response below 30hz. The ribbon tweeter provides wonderful detail and integrates with the other drivers brilliantly but is not going to forward like Paradigm. Full disc... | |
| Speaker Choices For My System Based on the description of the sound profile you like, I stand by my recco. I think you may find B&W and Focal might drift from detailed and revealing to bright and fatiguing with your amplification. Otherwise, I think you are on the right ... |