Matt
I curious why you eliminated the Vandy Sevens. Seems like the three you have chosen are not in the same league as the Sevens. |
Matt
You are so right in getting the room right. As you know the Sevens can be dialed in to take care of most room issues. I also wanted to mention to take a look at the Synergistic Research family of room treatment products. Some of them seem far out there. I can assure you the ART System FEQ and HFT's are no joke. Are barely noticeable in your room and in my high end system are a game changer
Jeff |
Matt
Make sure the M1 is the latest Version 1.22 with the linear power supply or it wouldn't be worth you time and for sure is not a true idea of what the M1 sounds like. It is a major sound upgrade over the older version.
Jeff |
Matt
Make sure the M1 is the latest Version 1.22 with the linear power supply or it wouldn't be worth you time and for sure is not a true idea of what the M1 sounds like. It is a major sound upgrade over the older version.
Jeff |
Matt
Make sure the M1 is the latest Version 1.22 with the linear power supply or it wouldn't be worth you time and for sure is not a true idea of what the M1 sounds like. It is a major sound upgrade over the older version.
Jeff |
If your prepared to spend the kinda of money the Sevens are and it sounds like you are, You would make the biggest mistake of your life if you don't give them your highest consideration in this decision. Just last night I was in MD at a dealer where Peter Mcgraff was using his hard drive to play tunes on a $500+k system including the Wilson XLF's, DCS Vilvaldi stack, Boulder latest amps and preamp and high end Nordost cabeling. I came home after the show and listenened to some of the same cuts of music albeit not on his HD and the Sevens are some much more dynamic,rich, full bodied with better timbre its not even close IMHO. If the only way you have heard them is in a hotel room at a show that is not properly set up. Come to Pa to my house and listen you will not be disapointed. Only a two hour drive from Newark. |
Matt
Richard Vandersteen designs and builds his own amp for the speakers as far as I know. I understand your comment about the powered speakers. However I can tell you for sure whatever amp, preamp, cable etc you change in your system does make a change on the Sevens even though they are self powered. I changed the Caps in my BAT VK 600 SE to the new caps from the 655SE and heard even that difference in the bottome end from the amp. So don't let that be a concern of yours. The Sevens bass is incredible and the ability to tune the bass to your room your listening tastes is something that is not only unique but in my opinion necessary in a high end speaker. The placement of the speaker in the room for the best imaging and soundstage and then tuning it to your tastes and the best seemless integration with the midrange is so important in the reproduction of music. No other speaker has the ability and then have the timbre qualities of the drivers that Richard uses. See my review on Agon of the Sevens I posted a few weeks ago.
Jeff |
A hotel room is no indication of how they sound in a properly set up listening room. Like you said thats why we have choices. We each like have different opinions and likes and dislikes. For my money there is no comparison. |
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Matt
How are you making out on the Bricasti M1 shootout with your ODSE?
Jeff |
Matt
Go down to John at Audio Connection in Verona NJ and listen to his Vandy Sevens and then deciide if they are to much for your room. His room is about that same size and they sound great there. It will be the best decison you every made to make the trip and buy the Sevens you won't be dissapointed. |
Matt
I am not aware of many except Vandersteen that meet that list of criteria. I think you are thinking in the right direction of the technologies etc that you should be evaluating. I also think there is no substitue for being able to tune the bass to your room and them place the speakrs where the imaging and soundstage are the best. BTW your new room looks great and I love the Burmester gear you have selected. IMHO a speaker must look like a piece of it blends into a home not belongs in a studio somewhere. To be able to place the speaker in a appealing location in the room that images the best and looks the best and then not need to totally fill your room with lots of room treatment is a huge plus. I was at a dealer recently that built a new sound room and there were 71 pieces of room treatment in the room. When I asked about it they said that is what it took to get there World Class speaker to sound there best. Not many of our spouses will allow that in our houses and fewer yet can afford that much room treatment.
Jeff |
Great perspective Matt. It truly is a gift |
Josh
I downloaded the Yale firmware in my DS over the weekend and let it burn in for a few days and have listened for a few hours. I had stop using the DS with PP for a month or more since I purchased the Bricasti M1 to try. The DS with either PP or Yale is a few steps behind the Bricasti in every way. I haven't compared the PP to the Yale directly but as some has said on the PS Audio forums the Yale is lacking in the inner level details on cymbolls and lacks the natural bite on say a sax or trumpet. It seems like the tried to warm the sound up and remove some of the edge people didn't like on PP and they went to far.
Jeff |
Matt
I applaud your efforts in this search to find a world class speaker that works in your room and is emotionally engaging to you. After all thats all that really matters. I think your totally in line with your approach to this purchase and was insulted too with the other comment suggesting otherwise. I have done some of the same exhaustive due diligience to achieve my end goal.
With the room node issues you mention I believe the Vandy Sevens give you the room tuning ability that no other speaker on your list of for that matter few in the world give you. With the issues you have been mentioning with your room this can't be overlooked as a VERY important factor in your final decision. Having said that as you know there is nothing like have the Sevens in your room for the audition. I would ask John to bring them over to you house for an audition and let me do his magic and set them up properly with the setting adjustments. I assume you have spent as much time and attention to making your whole system component choices and cables etc. so you want to know how the Sevens will sound at home. In my case I liked the Sevens at John's shop but am blown away by the sound of them in my room. If most of the other speakers you are deciding between have been in your room you need to have the Sevens there too. I know John will bring them over I already spoke to him about it for you. With your system in your room and tuned to your room and to your tastes I will be shocked if you don't fall in love with them and won't be able to stop listening to them.
Jeff |
CTSooner
Thanks for the Seven MkII review. This says it all as to how incredible these speakers are. |
Matt
I'm glad you had a chance to listen to the Sevens again today. I should have coordintated I was at John's yesterday. Just so your are aware the Sevens John has are the orginal ones not the MK II version. I'm not sure there is a big of enough difference to fundamentally change your impressions but just wanted to make sure you were aware. Having said that the review the CTSooner mentioned from Audio Beat on the Seven MKII did suggest the difference was very significant. I can't wait to hear you thoughts and also am curious on the comparison between the ODSE and the Bricasti M1 now that you have had some time to compare.
Jeff |
I'm not sure if discontinuity is the correct term your looking for but the Vandy Sevens in my room have no such thing. Its exactly the opposite. There is such a seemless blend of bass with the lower midrange and of course that can be adjusted if there is not the blend you desire due to your room. The bass on the Sevens is one of their many strong points and have such incredible pitch definition that I think Matt is looking for. I think the veiled sound in the upper regester you mentioned is due to the ARC transport and the Berkeley DAC2. The Berkely in my system also was not quite as dynamic and didn't have the quality of midrange timbre or treble extension that my Bricasti M1 has. |
Matt
Glad to hear you settled on a pair of speakers. I hope they sound as good in your room as they did for you during the demo. Now that you have had the Bricasti M1 for a while what are your impressions? I'm real curious on your thoughts compard to the Empirical and to the other DAC's that were part of the shoot out.
Jeff |
I'm going to NY Audio show tomorrow if anyone from the thread is going would love to connect |
Matt
This weekend Jim White from Aesthetic and the AMG turntable guys are at Audio Connection. Jim is showing his new lineup of Eclipse gear. I'll let you know what all he demos.
Jeff |
So I was invited to a dinner at Audio Connection to an event featuring Jim White from Aesthetix demoing his new Eclipse series of components. He had the Atlas Stereo, Romulous CD/DAC, Calypso, and Rhea all Eclipse versions. Musical Surroundings was showing the AMG I think it was the Viola II with the Clear Audio Gold Finger cartridge and also a DS Audio Optical catridge which was really closet to the GF at a much better price point. I've never heard the system sound as good in Johns's main room with the Vandersteen Sevens. The sound was really open and relaxed with the right amount of detail without being lean and a nice blend of richness and dynamics were outstanding. The Vinyl sounded very very nice and the Digital with the new Romulus wasn't far behind. |
So I was invited to a dinner at Audio Connection to an event featuring Jim White from Aesthetix demoing his new Eclipse series of components. He had the Atlas Stereo, Romulous CD/DAC, Calypso, and Rhea all Eclipse versions. Musical Surroundings was showing the AMG I think it was the Viola II with the Clear Audio Gold Finger cartridge and also a DS Audio Optical catridge which was really closet to the GF at a much better price point. I've never heard the system sound as good in Johns's main room with the Vandersteen Sevens. The sound was really open and relaxed with the right amount of detail without being lean and a nice blend of richness and dynamics were outstanding. The Vinyl sounded very very nice and the Digital with the new Romulus wasn't far behind. |
So I was invited to a dinner at Audio Connection to an event featuring Jim White from Aesthetix demoing his new Eclipse series of components. He had the Atlas Stereo, Romulous CD/DAC, Calypso, and Rhea all Eclipse versions. Musical Surroundings was showing the AMG I think it was the Viola II with the Clear Audio Gold Finger cartridge and also a DS Audio Optical catridge which was really closet to the GF at a much better price point. I've never heard the system sound as good in Johns's main room with the Vandersteen Sevens. The sound was really open and relaxed with the right amount of detail without being lean and a nice blend of richness and dynamics were outstanding. The Vinyl sounded very very nice and the Digital with the new Romulus wasn't far behind. |
So I was invited to a dinner at Audio Connection to an event featuring Jim White from Aesthetix demoing his new Eclipse series of components. He had the Atlas Stereo, Romulous CD/DAC, Calypso, and Rhea all Eclipse versions. Musical Surroundings was showing the AMG I think it was the Viola II with the Clear Audio Gold Finger cartridge and also a DS Audio Optical catridge which was really closet to the GF at a much better price point. I've never heard the system sound as good in Johns's main room with the Vandersteen Sevens. The sound was really open and relaxed with the right amount of detail without being lean and a nice blend of richness and dynamics were outstanding. The Vinyl sounded very very nice and the Digital with the new Romulus wasn't far behind. |
Sorry guys. I'm not sure why this posted multiple times |
I have the Music Vault M7 and absolutley love the capability, quaility and most importantly the support I get from Neal. He is one of the nicest guys you will meet in audio. His vast experience in the world of computers bodes well to his continuing to improve the MV. He is working on some power supply improvements which will improve it even more. His prototype results he has achieved so far have provided a huge improvement according to Neal. I am going to receive the improved version once he is ready to update my M7. Bottom the MV is a great product with best in class product and technical support
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I'm not sure exactly which direction he is going. I will be getting and update from him in the next month or so and I will provide a update here or can send email directly to you.
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Steve
How did you go about finding and then making sure the ground loops in your system are gone?
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I had the opportunity to upgrade my Bricasti M1 to the new Special Edition version. This version is the is identical to the Limited Edition Gold version inside but has the original M1 exterior. You can read the particulars on the Bricasti website. The change involves stillpoints footer built into the feet, point to point wiring inside, more power supply changes and a few other items. Now the sound difference. I was small difference but am very pleased with what I'm hearing. First of all the dynamics are much more explosive and deeper more refined bass. I am noticing better decay and improved leading and trailing edge performance. Before the upgrade the M1 already outperformed the mighty Berkeley Reference in my system to my ears and now it wouldn't even be close. Brian and the Bricasti team are constantly looking for ways to improve the product and than they make the upgrades available at reasonable prices to all owners make this DAC one of the best on the market at any price.
Jeff
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I just demoed the Merging Technologies Nadac in my system for a few days. It's an Ethernet based DAC and sounds amazing. Very smooth and detailed with outstanding dynamics, great bottom end and absolutely no typical etched digital sound. Very analog like.
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I’ve been following this thread since it’s inception and have posted sporadically. Like Matt I have had many DAC’s in my system although haven’t participated at his level. Following his advice and listening preferences has led me to in the last six weeks purchase used both the LH Davinci 2 as well as a Aurender N10. All is I can say is WOW!!! The combination has elevated the digital in my system to heights I didn’t know were possible. I also have a relatively high level analog system and felt it was always smoother had more body and dynamics and just had better quality of timbre and realism. The Davinci and N10 combo have achieved this level of SQ.
I have to put a plug in here for the the Bricasti M1 SE and most recently the PS Audio DS with the new Red Cloud firmware which get closer to the Davinci in SQ than they ought to considering the price difference. Also the Music Vault M7 with AES connection is the equal of the N10 on PCM in my system and to my ears. But as Matt has pointed out many times on this journey he is looking for the BEST.
We all have to thank Matt that we can live vicariously through his ears and wallet (lol) to heed his advice and then decide on purchases new or even used here on Agon for the gear we decide to purchase.
This has been an incredible journey and through this threads guidance have reached the pinnacle of performance in my room to my ears with my chosen system.
Thank You Matt
Jeff
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