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My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!

So I have been in a long journey looking to find the best amplifiers for my martin logan montis. As you know, the match between an amplifier and speakers has to be a good "marriage" and needs to be blend exquisitely. Right now, I think I might have found the best sounding amplifier for martin logan. I have gone through approximately 34-36 amplifiers in the past 12 months. Some of these are:

Bryston ST, SST, SST2 series
NAD M25
PARASOUND HALO
PARASOUND CLASSIC
KRELL TAS
KRELL KAV 500
KRELL CHORUS
ROTEL RMB 1095
CLASSE CT 5300
CLASSE CA 2200
CLASSE CA 5200
MCINTOSH MC 205
CARY AUDIO CINEMA 7
OUTLAW AUDIO 755
LEXICON RX7
PASS LABS XA 30.8
BUTLER AUDIO 5150
ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005

With all that said, the amplifiers I mentioned above are the ones that in my opinion are worth mentioning. To make a long story short, there is NO 5 CHANNEL POWER AMP that sounds as good as a 3ch and 2ch amplifier combination. i have done both experiments and the truth is that YOU DO lose details and more channel separation,etc when you select a 5 channel power amplifier of any manufacturer.
My recollection of what each amp sounded like is as follows:

ATI SIGNATURE SERIES 6005 (great power and amazing soundstage. Very low noise floor, BUT this amplifiers NEEDS TO BE cranked up in order to fully enjoy it. If you like listening at low volume levels or somewhat moderate, you are wasting your time here. This amp won’t sound any different than many other brands out there at this volume. The bass is great, good highs although they are a bit bright for my taste)

NAD M25 (very smooth, powerful, but somewhat thin sounding as far as bass goes)
Bryston sst2(detailed, good soundstage, good power, but can be a little forward with certain speakers which could make them ear fatiguing at loud volumes)

Krell (fast sounding, nice bass attack, nice highs, but some detail does get lost with certain speakers)

rotel (good amp for the money, but too bright in my opinion)

cary audio (good sound overall, very musical, but it didn’t have enough oomph)

parasound halo (good detail, great bass, but it still holds back some background detail that i can hear in others)

lexicon (very laid back and smooth. huge power, but if you like more detail or crisper highs, this amp will disappoint you)

McIntosh mc205 (probably the worst multichannel amp given its price point. it was too thin sounding, had detail but lacked bass.

butler audio (good amplifier. very warm and smooth sweet sounding. i think for the money, this is a better amp than the parasound a51)

pass labs (very VERY musical with excellent bass control. You can listen to this for hours and hours without getting ear fatigue. however, it DOES NOT do well in home theater applications if all you have is a 2 channel set up for movies. The midrange gets somewhat "muddy" or very weak sounding that you find yourself trying to turn it up.

classe audio (best amplifier for multi channel applications. i simply COULDNT FIND a better multi channel amplifier PERIOD. IT has amazing smoothness, amazing power and good bass control although i would say krell has much better bass control)

Update: The reviews above were done in January 2015. Below is my newest update as of October 2016:



PS AUDIO BHK 300 MONOBLOCKS: Amazing amps. Tons of detail and really amazing midrange. the bass is amazing too, but the one thing i will say is that those of you with speakers efficiency of 87db and below you will not have all the "loudness" that you may want from time to time. These amps go into protection mode when using a speaker such as the Salon, but only at very loud levels. Maybe 97db and above. If you don’t listen to extreme crazy levels, these amps will please you in every way.
Plinius Odeon 7 channel amp: This is THE BEST multichannel amp i have ever owned. Far , but FAR SUPERIOR to any other multichannel amp i have owned. In my opinion it destroyed all of the multichannel amps i mentioned above and below. The Odeon is an amp that is in a different tier group and it is in a league of its own. Amazing bass, treble and it made my center channel sound more articulate than ever before. The voices where never scrambled with the action scenes. It just separated everything very nicely.
Theta Dreadnaught D: Good detailed amp. Looks very elegant, has a pleasant sound, but i found it a tad too bright for my taste. I thought it was also somewhat "thin" sounding lacking body to the music. could be that it is because it is class d?
Krell Duo 300: Good amp. Nice and detailed with enough power to handle most speakers out there. I found that it does have a very nice "3d" sound through my electrostatics. Nothing to fault here on this amp.
Mark Levinson 532H: Great 2 channel amp. Lots of detail, amazing midrange which is what Mark Levinson is known for. It sounds very holographic and will please those of you looking for more detail and a better midrange. As far as bass, it is there, but it is not going to give you the slam of a pass labs 350.5 or JC1s for example. It is great for those that appreciate classical music, instrumental, etc, but not those of you who love tons of deep bass. It is articulate sounding too
Krell 7200: Plenty of detail and enough power for most people. i found that my rear speakers contained more information after installed this amp. One thing that i hated is that you must use xlr cables with this amp or else you lose most of its sound performance when using RCA’s.
Krell 402e: Great amp. Very powerful and will handle any speaker you wish. Power is incredible and with great detail. That said, i didn’t get all the bass that most reviewers mentioned. I thought it was "ok" in regards to bass. It was there, but it didn’t slam me to my listening chair.
Bryston 4B3: Good amp with a complete sound. I think this amp is more laid back than the SST2 version. I think those of you who found the SST2 version of this amp a little too forward with your speakers will definitely benefit from this amp’s warmth. Bryston has gone towards the "warm" side in my opinion with their new SST3 series. As always, they are built like tanks. I wouldn’t call this amp tube-like, but rather closer to what the classe audio delta 2 series sound like which is on the warm side of things.
Parasound JC1s: Good powerful amps. Amazing low end punch (far superior bass than the 402e). This amp is the amp that i consider complete from top to bottom in regards to sound. Nothing is lacking other than perhaps a nicer chassis. Parasound needs to rework their external appearance when they introduce new amps. This amp would sell much more if it had a revised external appearance because the sound is a great bang for the money. It made my 800 Nautilus scream and slam. Again, amazing low end punch.
Simaudio W7: Good detailed amp. This amp reminds me a lot of the Mark Levinson 532h. Great detail and very articulate. I think this amp will go well with bookshelves that are ported in order to compensate for what it lacks when it comes to the bass. That doesn’t mean it has no bass, but when it is no Parasound JC1 either.
Pass labs 350.5: Wow, where do i begin? maybe my first time around with the xa30.8 wasn’t as special as it was with this monster 350.5. It is just SPECTACULAR sounding with my electrostatics. The bass was THE BEST BASS i have ever heard from ANY amp period. The only amp that comes close would be the jC1s. It made me check my settings to make sure the bass was not boosted and kept making my jaw drop each time i heard it. It totally destroyed the krell 402e in every regard. The krell sounded too "flat" when compared to this amp. This amp had amazing mirange with great detail up top. In my opinion, this amp is the best bang for the money. i loved this amp so much that i ended up buying the amp that follows below.
Pass labs 250.8: What can i say here. This is THE BEST STEREO AMP i have ever heard. This amp destroys all the amps i have listed above today to include the pass labs 350.5. It is a refined 350.5 amp. It has more 3d sound which is something the 350.5 lacked. It has a level of detail that i really have never experienced before and the bass was amazing as well. I really thought it was the most complete power amplifier i have ever heard HANDS DOWN. To me, this is a benchmark of an amplifier. This is the amp that others should be judged by. NOTHING is lacking and right now it is the #1 amplifier that i have ever owned.
My current amps are Mcintosh MC601s: i decided to give these 601s a try and they don’t disappoint. They have great detail, HUGE soundstage, MASSIVE power and great midrange/highs. The bass is great, but it is no pass labs 250.8 or 350.5. As far as looks, these are the best looking amps i have ever owned. No contest there. i gotta be honest with you all, i never bought mcintosh monos before because i wasn’t really "wowed" by the mc452, but it could have been also because at that time i was using a processor as a preamp which i no longer do. Today, i own the Mcintosh C1100 2 chassis tube preamp which sounds unbelievable. All the amps i just described above have been amps that i auditioned with the C1100 as a preamp. The MC601s sound great without a doubt, but i will say that if you are looking for THE BEST sound for the money, these would not be it. However, Mcintosh remains UNMATCHED when it comes to looks and also resale value. Every other amp above depreciates much faster than Mcintosh.

That said, my future purchase (when i can find a steal of a deal) will be the Pass labs 350.8. I am tempted to make a preliminary statement which is that i feel this amp could be THE BEST stereo amp under 30k dollars. Again, i will be able to say more and confirm once i own it. I hope this update can help you all in your buying decisions!


whitecamaross

Showing 50 responses by whitecamaross

whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Ok guys, 
the boulder 2060 will be picked up Friday. Here we go again!!
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Jafox: i Haven’t really had time to evaluate the cables. I’m going to be doing that as soon as the dust settles with my speakers. 
As far as magicos, I was told constellation amplifiers is what I need to get. I was already in talks with my connection in regards to the centaur II 500 stereo amp which retails for a whopping 55k. 
Not sure if I’ll go that route or just get the Taurus Monos instead which are 39k. 
For now I need to try both speakers with my ref10/simaudio 860a and the diablo 300. If the magico beats the focals then I’ll begin to think about constellation amps next but if I end up with focals then I’ll stay with my current front end. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Thanks techno. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everyone here. 
The vivid audio g1 is incredible and huge sounding. That said, I’m going to try and see if the next 2 speakers will be satisfactory in my room and what compromises I have to make. 
Sopra 3 is supposed to be outstanding and I suspect more forward sounding than the magico. This could in fact lead anyone to believe that the sopra will have more detail than the magico and magico may sound warm in comparison. That said, I am going to listen for hours on end to both and then choose. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
So the s5 mk2 will be the first time I own magico. Don’t know what to expect and don’t know if I’ll find it better than Wilson in my room. That said, I’m not just looking for bass in my room. I’m specifically looking for a huge soundstage, detail, holographic imaging which can be done in my room. Even if the magico fails to deliver all the bass id want to have, it doesn’t mean it loses. It has to present a larger picture with far more information than I have ever heard before for me to consider it a winner in my room. 
i favor holographic imaging, detail, soundstage size over bass. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Thanks mrdecibel. Appreciate your words. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
4b3 would be closer to a classe 2200. The new bryston units have laid back highs now as opposed to their sst2 series. Great amps with great reliability. If I were building a serious home theater that played movies all day long, bryston would be the amps I choose. They just work like horses and hardly ever break. 
As far as music, I think they're good but they're not at the pass labs, krell evolution, bhk level. I find them not as refined but this doesn't mean they're not good. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Alright guys, the boulder has been playing since 11pm and it is 145am right now.
Before i begin, please know this session was done at about 85db in loudness which is a little too low in volume for me, but the baby is asleep so i gotta try to do what i can for tonight. Anyhow, my initial impressions were so so. I was not really like holy sh@t wow. I felt like the sound was dull, bland, non exciting. I was using the audio research ref6 as a preamp and i wasn’t really impressed. I then switched to the luxman preamp and the feeling was even worse unless i used the loudness button on it. So i decided to go back to the luxman combo and yes there was noticeably more detail and sparkle happening. I felt as if the treble knob had been turned to the right. Anyhow, i went back to the audio research ref6/boulder combo and again i felt as if the detail lost a few ounces of sparkle. So i sat down, let music flow through the system with the boulder/ arc combo and i started to notice that the words to certain songs were more articulate. I felt as if the words were easier to understand. There were songs that i couldn’t ever know what they were saying and with the boulder i can actually make out what these words are. I thought that was very interesting. So i kept playing and playing more music and started to realize that some songs sound good (at 85 decibels still which sucks) and some other songs not so much. In essence, the boulder is not forgiving. It does not give a damn to present you with the raw truth of your material. If it sucks, it will let you hear it. For instance, try to watch a youtube video from any show from the 90s on your 4k tv right now and notice how crappy it looks? Same thing goes for this amp. It does the same with your music.
Here is the compromise, do you want ALL YOUR MUSIC to sound good? the luxman has the edge here, but it may not be the true definition of transparency because it is "coating" the sound with its flavor. That said, do you want to hear what your system sounds like as it is? the clables, the source, the material, the preamp, etc? the boulder shows you this.
Lastly, i noticed that my ears don’t get fatigued nor do i want to turn the sound down after hours of listening. Is it because i am listening at 85 decibels or because the boulder is not bright or forward, but rather dead neutral? I am leaning towards the latter.
One more thing, let's not forget system synergy is key so maybe this amp needs a boulder preamp to really shine? who knows... 
Next session will be over the weekend when the wife and kid are out of the house. I prepare to do full throttle sessions of 100 decibels or more and hear what these 250 lbs are all about.
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Right now, i plan to keep my luxman set up and begin to get acquainted with the boulder sound. This is new to me in terms of what true neutral amps are. I will say that this boulder amp is VERY VERY FAST SOUNDING. The music almost sounds as if it was on fast forward through it. Really interesting how it just pushes the music out. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
My boulder isn’t new. It’s 5 years old. It has been off for about 3 months though. Yes you are correct that my judgement is preliminary which is why I am going to playing it for a few weeks to get used to it’s sound. Right now all I’m doing is what I am perceiving which could or could not change as time passes. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Ok, i have been listening for about 3 hours today. Here are a couple of things:

1. Huge, but HUUUUUUUUUUGE control of the speakers when you crank it up. I dare to find a speaker that this amp does not drive. It is just ridiculous how it handles loud passages. 

2. I decided to bi wire the amp to the monitor audio platinums and left it on all night as well. It sounds very different from last night. It now has more of what i lacked. It has more detail than yesterday, more background detail are now more forward. The midrange continues to blow me away. 

3. No fatigue with it. It just comes in and gets the job done. 

I am starting to slowly like it. That said, i have not used the luxman amp today so i haven't done any comparison at all. i am trying to only focus on the boulder right now and then after a few days i will jump back to the luxman and see what i lost and what i gained. So far, the boulder is showing me its strengths I am also finding myself listening to music that i had not listened to in a long time (Tracy Chapman for instance, sounds incredible with this amp). 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Focals have arrived. They have not been opened and I still don’t know if i will crack them open. Magicos will be here Saturday 11am 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
hi guys, i have been listening to everything you can imagine in order to figure out which set up i want to keep:

1. Luxman 900u amp & pre
2. Pass labs  amp & Audio research preamp

Both are awesome at what they do and yes they present everything very differently. The pass labs / audio research combo sounds big, with great bass, nice sparkling highs and does not disappoint. 
The luxman set up sounds different. It brings more depth from front to back with anything you play. It gives you a sense of the space where the recording took place. It also gives you amazing silkiness with great midrange. Although the soundstage isn't as big as the pass labs / audio research combo, it presents it in an amazing way. I could live happily with either set up. 

i also wanted to update everyone about the 536 Mark Levinson monos: I simply did not like them with b&w d3s. I found them too relaxed sounding, too laid back and i was using the audio research reference 6 preamp which has amazing highs, but i just couldn't get into the levinsons. I had different people come by to listen and every time i went from the levinsons to either the pass labs or the luxman, people chose the luxman or pass labs. They all said the same thing which was that it seems as if the levisons lose the sparkle up top. 
im not saying they are bad amplifiers, but they just do not fight well against the pass labs or luxman. however, you wouldn't know this unless you had another amp to compare it to right away... 
I have the levinsons in 3rd place, luxman and pass labs very close in sound with the edge going to pass labs because of the added horsepower, but not because of anything else. 

whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I have to wait to first try the magicos. If they blow me away, then I won’t mess with the sopras but if something is missing then I’m opening the sopras. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Guys,
i can easily sell the sopra 3s. They are the hottest color available (Audi blue) and yes maybe I open them, then put the magicos next to them and do comparisons for a few weeks. The issue here is that if I were to say the sopra killed the magicos s5 mk2, people will assume the magico is no good and the sopra is the one to get. That’s not how this works. Lastly, you all need to remember that my front end isn’t exactly cheap so just because a speaker sounds awesome here doesn’t mean you’ll get the same results unless you have the same cables, components and room.
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Techno: you know where the problem lies with your thinking? That the one I end up keeping gets replaced yet again by something else so then what do you do ? If I keep the magico and sell the sopras then you’ll get magicos but what If i fly out to Chicago and listen to YG speakers and bring them home and murder the magico? Now what ? You’re stuck with the inferior
speaker right ??? So you see how your way of thinking isn’t really 100% accurate :)
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Viber6: you’re right about that. I like how you explained it. Although I like slam and dynamics, I realize I won’t trade it for 3D holographic sound that makes you feel as if you had surround sound speakers. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I have heard horns but they’re too shouty for me and they won’t win a fashion show
anytime soon. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I’m glad you got the 900u amp. It’s an amazing amp. People keep messaging me a lot about the 350.8 and Hegel h30 etc and I keep saying the same thing: the 900u smokes both. I have parted ways with the 900u only because luxman is working on the reference Monos which are going to be more than twice the money of the 900u. That said, I am and will continue trying luxman as they release more products in the future. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Mrdecibel: the vivid audio speakers look far but far better in person than on pictures. They look like an exotic piece of furniture in the living room
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Room is about 14-15ft wide. 

Guys so out of my 4 connections, they are at a split decision right now. 2 say the magicos will be better and the other 2 the sopras. Hahah. It’s interesting indeed !
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Right now, i have a big battle in my hands. The Luxman combo vs the pass labs and audio research combo is by far the hardest decision i have had to make.
The luxman is superb in may ways and one thing i like about the preamp is that the volume increases little by little which allows you to set it exactly where you want it and with the audio research it is harder because it increases/decreases in larger steps. I also like the fact that the luxman has the bass and treble knobs which nowadays are a rarity to find on most preamps. The value i find on these knobs is that sometimes we have speakers that need more oomph and so it is great to be able to add a little more bottom end.
Lastly, the "loudness" feature on the preamp is AMAZING to say the least. I know some of you have the wife that complains that the music is too loud at night and so having to turn it down really sucks because you lose alot of the detail and bottom end. Well, with the loudness feature it actually " resuscitates" the sound at low volumes. You get all the detail and bass at low volumes.

whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
alright guys, 
i will try to post pictures of what i have had although i don't know if i have pictures of every single thing, but you might catch glimpses of stuff throughout time. Send me a link where i can begin to upload pictures. 
Lastly, the magicos arrive tomorrow at 11am est. I don't expect to have them up and running until about 1pm or so. I will give my listening impressions and then at some point bring out the Focals unless i change my mind tomorrow for some reason. 
Lastly, here are a couple of things i want to address in the event that i do decide to do a shootout:

1. If Focal loses: Let's keep in mind the Magico is twice the money. Also, Magico is a sealed design so maybe my room likes it better? 

2. If Magico loses: Is it the fact that the  tweeter is too high relative to my ears?  yes, the focal tweeter would be almost at my ear height. Is it the down firing port that my room prefers? 
There is no real 100% clear answer. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
It’s incredible how many people are waiting on my report of the magico s5 mk2. 4 dealers, you, and a bunch of other people
that have messaged me. As matter of fact, I had one of my connections ask me to bet $5,000 dollars against his pick which are the magico. He said he’ll be happy as hell to take my money.

One last thing, I was told I need to wheel
them in the House but they can’t be on wheels to audition them which means spikes will be needed and then once they are into place, guess what ? I can’t move them on my own...220 lbs each and I was advised not to move them forward because all the weight is in front so they can easily tip over. 2 people already damaged theirs  by moving them alone. This could present a big challenge if I plan on listening to the sopras. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Soooo... you all ready for my initial impressions?
First comment is that my room feels like I added room correction after I fired up the magicos...
also sounds as if someone opened the door to another layer of instruments within the music. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
4. Best bass i have ever heard from any of my amplifiers ever. Clean, tight, fast, zero bloating. It just swings the bass notes with precision and without feeling taxed or compressed regardless of volume level.

5. Luxman amp runs hotter than this boulder.
6. The longest decays i remember hearing. Instruments seem to linger in the air longer before fading out.
7. Instrument separation is better than i have heard in the past. In a couple of songs i can hear the guitarist playing off to the left when before i thought it was in the middle of the stage.
8. Although i can see WHY some may prefer the luxman due to its liquidity and musicality, the reality is that the boulder is a true window to your music. This can in fact come off as a cold sounding amp or dull, lacking excitement. however, this couldn’t be farther than the truth.
9. 107 decibels and still zero compressions, zero fatigue, huge attack,dynamics and immense pace. Bass is so tight and deep that it feels as if my 77 inch OLED tv is about to come off the wall where it is hanging.

10. This is the amp that you can throw a party in your house and let it loose and not one single person will say to turn it down because it doesn’t scream. It doesn’t sound harsh. The music just gets louder and louder without making you want to turn it down. Very interesting effect to say the least.

11. One downfall i have found is that this amp seems to fall apart at low volume. It seems to lose its magic. This could be perhaps the audio research preamp and not really the amp? who knows, i would have to buy the matching boulder 2010 preamp to really see what this amp can do. That will give me a very close idea of what it can do.


One thing i have learned to do throughout this journey is to NEVER EVER judge an amp from the get go. Alot of amps will blow you away when you first sit down and listen but CAN YOU LISTEN for extended periods of time without turning down the volume? that is the question that many of you need to ask yourselves. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
12. BEST BASS AND MIDRANGE I HAVE EVER HEARD. No contest here. That said, it could also be the REF6 giving me the spectacular midrange from those tubes and the boulder is doing an outstanding job at translating that information. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Guys,
im 50/50 on opening the focals. That said, people tend to love to assume that if i open focals and then sell them, that they suck etc. 
However, I may open them and see what happens. Not sure when I will open them
because I want to enjoy the magicos and get acquainted to the sound. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Ok guys,
I’ve been doing a few things around the house while the speakers are playing with the ref10 and simaudio. My brief impressions versus Wilson Sasha 2:

1. Better bass than Wilson Sasha 2 in my room.
2. Clean articulate sound that does not disappear even at low volume.
3. They need power. They sound good but I suspect they need more juice than what I’m feeding them.
4. Instrument decay is better than Wilson.
5. More sparkle than Wilson Sasha 2.
6. They can play loud and remain relaxed without compression
7. Nothing stands out in terms of sound. It’s very balanced and doesn’t want to give you more of any frequency.
8. Incredible build quality. It’s so perfectly finished from corner to corner.
9. The bass is there but isn’t the type of bass that will punch you in the gut for no reason. The music has to have those notes for the speaker to do that to you. I like bass but I gotta tell ya, I don’t need more than what these are giving me and I didn’t even try to position them for more bass. I just threw them in the room.
10. I will be honest and say this is not the speaker for those of you trying to buy emotiva amps, Parasound, rotel etc. You simply can not understand unless you had them in front of you. Looking at them make me want to go out and buy constellation Taurus Monos, expensive stillpoints, Etc. The speaker has this weird psychological effect on you that you just want to go out and buy even more expensive front end components. it feels as if I had a Porsche in the driveway and now I want to buy it expensive exhaust, wheels, etc. 

That said, yes I am declaring the s5 magico mk2 superior to the Wilson Sasha 2. This speaker is to go toe to toe against the Alexia.
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Will, which ones did you own and what was your set up?
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
It’s 3am eastern right now and I’m now going to bed... 5 hours straight of listening to the magico s5 mk2. 
I played from YouTube videos to dsd files, tidal, crappy mp3s etc. I tried a lot of different formats to see how the speaker behaved. I’ve got a few more things to update on which I found interesting. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I have about 280 hrs. It sounds great but my only complaint is that the volume does not increase in small Steps. I wish it increased or decreases on a smaller scale. 
It is an outstanding preamp though. I may bring out my classe cam600s and connect them to this preamp. 
One thing most people should realize is that I am doing direct a/b comparisons. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Magico is controlled. There’s no “jumping at you “ factor. It goes about its business with finesse and control.

That said, I had a little bit of edginess yesterday with my ref10 and simaudio. I believe it’s the toe in angle that I need to play with. The speakers are 4 feet off the back wall and 3 from side walls with the tweeters pointed at my shoulders.

Magico has the craziest amount of separation I’ve heard in my room. Yes, even more than three G1 but that is my room was too small for them.
The instrument separation is really jaw dropping. Things now appear in places that I never could tell where they were coming from. Drums that show up on the right speaker sounded as if they came from both speakers in other speakers. The mids are clean and clear like water. No muffling effect on these speakers of any kind. If you sense muffling, it’s the song you’re playing. I actually TRUST it enough to know it’s accurately playing the music exactly as it’s being fed to them.
lastly, I think I prefer the gryphon 300 with them over the ref10/simaudio.
Another interesting fact is that when you first sit down to listen to them, they don’t wow you immediately but once your ears lock in on them, things begin to happen that make you go wow. 


whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
From the center of the woofer. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Viber: i like your advice. I had them pointed directly at me but on certain cuts of music they got a little bright. Yesterday I tried toeing them out and it did get a little more mellow. Of course I have to play with the angle and positioning a bit more but overall the speaker is as honest as it gets. I love it and hate it at times. It’s kinda like when you have a friend that tells you the truth to your face.... you hate him but deep down you know he’s telling it like it is. 
Could I see me living with magico ? Absolutely. They are perfect size for my room, easy to place, etc. I need to let my ears get more and more acquainted. 

whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I don’t hate them enough to let them go. Their pros outweigh their cons. If I ever decide to open the sopras, it will be an exercise for me to know and that’s it. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Remember, many many people here sell equipment because they hate it, or because they want to move up the ladder or because they are downsizing. That said, anytime I sell something it’s assumed that it is Because it is no good which is ridiculous. This is why I’m thinking if I open the sopras, I’ll keep the impressions to myself and if I sell them then nobody will know if I even opened them or not. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Hi Guys, 
the Luxman amplifier has officially been sold and it is quite a spectacular amplifier. It is really insane and beyond beautiful. 
I still have the preamp, but i suspect it will also be gone soon enough. 
Anyhow, i decided to keep the Audio Research ref 6 & pass labs x350.8 combo. This does not mean it is superior than the luxman sound. It is just different sounding. Think of it as what exhaust sound do you prefer, the sound of a ferrari engine or a big block engine? 
Both sound amazing, but it is all subjective at this point. 

As far as the ml532h vs 4b3, i owned both and again they are quite different. If you are looking for a sledge hammer of an amp that can drive just about anything out there with plenty of control , the bryston fits the bill, but if you are looking for a lot of detail, sparkle at moderate to low volumes then the mark levinson. 


whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
well, right now i am working out a deal on a pair of speakers that would be the most expensive speakers i have ever owned. All i will say is that they retail at more than 40k. :) and they are current models that have been out in the market for about 1 year and a half.
This would indeed involve the mark levinson 536s monos so i think they will soon be gone too. I am stepping into unfamiliar territory, but i had to move a few pieces in order to gather the funds. Right now it is not official, but stay tuned...  
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
If I bought Emotiva amps for my magicos, do you realize the amount of bashing i would get here ? Lol 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I am going to say that I heard that magico and Luxman is insanely good.... 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Send the amp my way. I’ll gladly let you know my opinion. 

whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Mikepaul: right now, I am not planning on it but if I roll out of bed one day and decide to then I will. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
hi there, 
i had a chance to own a pair of rowland 925s, but i passed on the chance because i had pass labs xs150 monos. 
I still would like to try the momentums, but again i have not found a good deal through my multiple connections. 
Remember one thing, one of the ways that i am able to stay on top of this game is because of the huge network of dealers that i do business with. I've spent well over 100,000 dollars this year alone so yes i get deals that a lot of you will never see unless of course you are doing the same kind of business i do. 
With all that said, right now i am prepared to buy the most expensive speakers i have ever owned and so the pass labs 350.8 and audio research ref 6 will be my 2 pieces for the time being. 
As soon as i can get a deal on momentums, they will certainly make their way to me. 
I think pass labs is great stuff so i am a little shocked you didnt like the 250.8. however, i suppose we all have different flavors. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I've said it multiple times here, stop believing everything you read on the magazines. Marketing is a big business that taints the true facts about any particular product. You should only read to inform yourself and not buy thinking that the product will perform in your house exactly as the reviews stated. 
I used the Revel Salon 2s as an example because i thought they were really poor sounding in my room. The Dynaudio contour c4s demolished the revel salon 2s in my room. My buddy also hated the revel studio 2s and he also said they had no bass. 
Just my .02 cts
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
At low listening levels, say around 87 decibels and below, the Luxman is hard to best. Class a amps come really close but in my opinion the heat is too much to handle if you are only going to be listening at low volume. It's like buying a 800 horsepower mustang and only driving it at 30 mph... it's a waste of gas if you can't put the pedal to the metal. Some amps are built to be driven hard in order to hear what they're made of. 
That said, I'd still take the Luxman at low volume listening levels. However, I don't recommend only buying the amp and not the preamp. The Luxman amp sounds best with the matching preamp. However, the preamp sounds awesome with any amp. 
Pass labs are still  the best amps for the money. These amps can put up a fight to any amp regardless of price. I almost feel the need to always have a pass labs amp on hand just because they are an excellent benchmark. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
If you think revel salon 2s are awesome speakers, go listen to the dynaudio c4 platinum and then your perception of what a good speaker sounds like will change. Dynaudio c4 demolished my revel salon 2s and then the Martin Logan renaissance squashed both of them. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
I've owned the sa103. Excellent amp but it does not go well with electrostatics. It is very similar to pass Labs in terms of heat. Very nice highs too. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Well guys I opened the focals yesterday and they are getting broken in as we speak. Screw it, I need to see what this will turn into. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Thanks respected_ent. You may want to say that again so a few of those new comers don’t begin to whine about my practices here. 
whitecamaross's avatar
whitecamaross OP
1,499 posts
 
Ok, so here is a question for everyone here: 
Let's say you have 2 pairs of balanced cables of the same length and the same brand. One is 2 models below the other one which means one is entry level and the other one is higher level. 
where would you use the better cable, between the amplifier and the preamp or between the source and the preamp? what do you think would yield the best results? the answer will shock you :) 
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