Just picked up the audio research reference 6 again and I’m blown by it once again. As bad as I want to keep my luxman pieces, I just don’t think the outcome will change for the better once my panel is replaced. I am starting to feel slowly wrapped around by the sound of this ref6 preamp. I’m using the Hegel 30 and krell 403e as my amps and I’m switching between both for now using the reference 6 to see what I feel happens in terms of sound. Panels love juice without a doubt. They need high voltage.
Luxman 900u amp And preamp are beyond gorgeous. Far better construction than anything else I’ve owned including pass labs. The sound is ridiculously engaging and smooth throughout. It’s possibly the best preamp an amp combo I’ve ever heard. That said, with panels, I simply would need another 900u to run both in mono mode. My panels need more voltage than what the single 900u amp can give. Right now, I will probably part ways with my luxman pieces. I hope I don’t regret down the road because they are beyond hard to come by. |
Luxman pre and pass pre: hard comparison. The pass xp30 is outstanding. It comes down to what amplifiers you are using and what do you listen to. Luxman c900u preamp has a larger soundstage, tube like highs, excellent mids. It’s truly a musical preamp.
The pass labs has lots of detail, slam, dynamics but it can get edgy at times if not using the proper electronics.
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Depends on what you are trying to achieve. Don’t know what your goal is and why you want to change your amps.
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The no585 sounds amazing when you consider the money you are spending. Is it better than the luxman combo or hegel/arc 6 combo? no it is not, but you can't expect it to be when you consider the prices of each. That said, it is the best all in one box i have ever owned. I feel like it gives me about 80-85% of what the luxman or hegel combo gives me. That is A HELL OF A LOT of return on your money. The only reason why i can hear that it is 80%-85% is because of my MASSIVE ELECTROSTATIC PANELS that allow me to clearly hear the differences. That said, if you had more "normal" speakers then it makes no sense to spend the kind of money that separate components are when the you probably won't hear a big difference if your speakers are not of this caliber. Yes, i totally feel like the 585 would the the integrated that someone can own for the next 5 years and be perfectly happy with it. |
Leo, if you are looking for the best highs and mids, the luxman 900u is really all you need. You can use 2 of these in mono configuration if you wish and you will have all the power you need. |
My wife and i did some listening between the 900u amp and hegel h30 a few nights ago. On one night, she had the luxman as the better amp and i had the hegel h30 so then we decided to try again another night and she chose the hegel the next night and said something very interesting to me which was that she felt like the luxman sounded amazing with certain songs and the hegel with others. I find this comment very true and i can really understand where she is coming from. The one thing i love about the hegel is that it runs cool as cucumber and it is very powerful. The luxman runs warm after extended listening sessions and it sounds best when left on all the time. |
Hi,
it is tough for me to hear any hiss because i own electrostatics. i might try a pair of small dynaudio bookshelf speakers and report back to you. Yes the amp runs hot, but so does pass labs, plinius, etc and any other exceptional amp i have owned. i wouldnt worry about it. I still love the luxman combo and will report back once my speakers are 100%.
The hegel is no slouch though and sounds amazing with the audio research reference 6. Incredible sonics to say the least. |
i just tried the amp with the audio research preamp and a pair of dynaudio speakers and i don't hear any hissing out of my tweeters. i suspect your issue might be the preamp. Try using high quality power cords and connect both, the amp and the preamp to different outlets. |
No I won’t try those. The 900u is superior in every regard. |
It’s been here and gone. Great preamp but I think the luxman preamp is more tube like. |
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alright ladies and gentleman,
i have sold my ref10, hegel h30 amps so my next amp/preamp will be shipping on monday. Gryphon, here we go..... :) |
we shall see what this is all about... It will take ONE HELL of a combination to best my rowland set up. Right now, it is at the top of everything i have owned. I love everything and yes i could nit pick and say things that i wish it did do, but there is no real reason for that. Nothing is really perfect. The rowland capri s2 is surprisingly good with the 925s. We will what Gryphon has. :) |
No. The luxman 900u pre with Rowland is amazing. Far better. However the Rowland Capri sounds good but a different sound. Not as tube like |
yes, i have owned anthem p5. Excellent workhorse and very heavy. It is up there in terms of quality, but nothing close to the plinius odeon.
Please note, i will be giving a shot to the simaudio mc8 in the near future. I just need to figure out how i am going to do it since this is a 220v unit. They never built it 110v. |
ok guys, sorry for the long Hiatus here. I have since my last update used and auditioned the following amps:
Belcanto Ref600 monoblocks
Simaudio 860A stereo amplifier
ok, so with that said, here is my update:
Belcanto Ref600 monoblocks: Amazing bass control and massive power. These amps really are the steal of the century and as good as my 2301 tube monoblocks were, i ended up parting ways with them after i heard these class d amplifiers. I did tons of a/b comparisons and i was extremely impressed with the amount of detail and smoothness that these class d amps have. I will go on record and say that these are the best class d amps i have ever heard and really made me question why we need to spend more money on other more pricy amplifiers. The highs were smooth, midrange was good and great bass. The music never fell apart when driven hard. It remained really composed without any strain of any kind. Nothing really bad to say here. It runs cool, weighs very little, can be put anywhere in your room. I will say that this is a sign of where we are headed in years to come. More efficient amps, more power, less heat and less weight.
Great amp for the money!!
Simaudio 860A: This amp was a rare opportunity for me. However, i bought my renaissance speakers when i first them being pushed by a simaudio 860a with the 850p reference preamp (amazing synergy).
when i first plugged in this amp it sounded a bit cold, sterile, lifeless, not much bass and punch. I was very disappointed to say the least, but i proceeded to leave it on for about 4 days and later came back to audition. It was now a different animal. It had gobbs of bass attack, and a level of detailed high frequency that i can only remember hearing from a class A power amplifier. I had approximately 5 days of play time and listened at low and high volume levels and i must say this amp possessed the finesse and punch that the bel canto did not have for me. It contained some of the silkiest highs i have ever heard with zero listening fatigue even after hours of listening. It never made me cringe or want to turn it down. I will say, this amp is perhaps the biggest competition to the pass labs 250.5 or 250.8 or even the 350.5. If you have speakers that need more detail and OOMPH on the low end, do not look any further than this amp. It runs extremely cool to the touch even after hours of listening and it is perhaps one of the most visually appealing amps i have ever owned. If pass labs amplifiers are too much heat for your current room, THIS IS your amp. It is really a reference power amplifier with the bass that i probably can't recall ever hearing. I would say in terms of bass punch, it is as punchy as a pass labs 350.5, but with a better midrange. The only thing the pass labs 350.5 has over it is the extra horsepower, but that is it.
In my opinion, this is damn close to a pass labs power amp in terms of sound but without the crazy amount of heat. Highly recommended! |
alright guys, i have updated above the last 2 amps and my impressions. I am currently auditioning my most expensive purchase and let me tell you, it isn't cheap, but my ears are just not believing what they are hearing. Stay tuned, i will come back and let you all know what amp this is.... The only thing i will say is that it weighs 250 lbs per mono! |
very interesting observation. I will have to try those some day. yes. i do believe class d will eventually be the future and at a much cheaper price point. That said, i know some of you are probably wondering what these monster amps i am playing with right now are... Well, they are a 2 chassis monoblock which makes the total weight of 250 lbs per mono. Monstrous sound which has everyone who has come to listen to them this past weekend leave my house with their jaws on the floor. It is by far the most complete sound i have ever heard in my room. |
OK guys, so i have decided to disclose the amps that i have been using for the past 2 days... i was not looking for these amps, but i came up on a great deal and decided to give them a shot and let me say that yesterday i sat down at 3pm and listened to music until 3am this morning.. i couldn't get off the couch. It was just impossible to leave my room because of how amazing these amps sound. With that said, i am now the proud owner of pass labs XS150 mono blocks!! :)
I am just on another planet now in terms of sound. It feels as if i got brand new ears and i am learning to enjoy every single cd, mp3, dsd file that i own. It is really an impressive amplifier and i don't see anything that can come close to its sound quality.
Here are a few things i can already say:
1. Mouth-watering high frequencies. These are smooth, silky and with a level of detail and organic feeling that is almost impossible to believe.
2. Midrange: very full bodied, not overblown, and it seems to be as big as the space between both front speakers.
3. Bass: OMG! It pressurizes the room. It almost feels as if the woofers extend far enough to touch my listening chair.
The separation is so big that you feel like you can walk in between the instruments. It is a really incredible and magical experience and it should be because these are $65,000 dollar mono blocks. That said, the improvement was MASSIVE in all regards. The only downfall would be that if you push these puppies hard then the temperature rises and they can get hot. It is important to have a room that is not tiny or else your lower legs will be sweating. You need to have enough ventilation in the room. That said, i am going to be selling the simaudio amp and bel canto ref600s in order to recuperate some of the money that i have invested into these Pass Labs XS150s. Let me know if anyone is interested :) |
thank you guys. i love these amps to say the least and they will be with me for as long as i can keep them. i want to just experiment with different speakers and preamps, etc. As a matter of fact, i used my sonus faber olympica 3s last night with these amps and it made those speakers sing like NEVER before. It was impressive to see what real quality watts can do to a speaker. |
That said, i have listed the simaudio 860a stereo amplifier (against my will). This amp is a giant killer in disguise. I felt it had more "quality watts" than my krell 402e, mark levinson 532h, krell duo 300, classe ctm600 monos, classe ca2200, bryston 4bsst3, 4bsst2, pass labs xa30.8, belcanto 600s. I have it at the top of my list in terms of overall sound. It lacks nothing and really uncovers all the hidden music that you don't hear through other amps. Very composed with iron fist bass control. I tried it with my sonus olympica 3s and the synergy is OUTSTANDING to say the least. |
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It's 6.5 times the price of the 250.8... so think of it as comparing a 20k Toyota Corolla against a 120k Porsche Panamera... far different and more powerful. It costs about 50 cents per hour to have these monoblocks turned on idling. That's equivalent to having 25 light bulbs turned on...
by comparing this amp to the xs, you skipped the 350.8, 600.8, xa100.8, 160.8, 200.8...
the bass is sledgehammered out of your woofers. The highs linger in the air much longer, the midrange is balanced without any howling of any kind. Comparing the 250.8 against the xs is not a good comparison. Totally unfair. |
The simaudio 860a is another pass Labs 250.8 but without the heat and the 10 year warranty doesn't hurt either. The simaudio is a real treat and probably the smoothest amp under 15k that I've owned. I would give the simaudio
860a the edge in terms of bass over the 250.8. |
The 860a simaudio is far superior to the w7. They may look alike but sound different. i keep saying it, the sim audio 860a is a giant killer. I'd take a simaudio 860a before i touch a mcintosh 452. To be totally honest, i would say that musically speaking the simaudio and pass labs are by far the most musical amps i have owned. Plinius would certainly be up there. The issue is that most of us get caught up with power ratings when in reality that does not tell the whole story. Hell, i am only pushing 150 watts per mono with these pass labs xs150 amps and they are the most engaging, pleasant watts i have had. These amps actually teach you that you don't have to blast your music to hear all the detail and punch. They do this at any volume level and to be very honest, these pass labs sound better at moderate to low volume than at loud levels. I see it as a pro because it keeps you from blowing your eardrums off. i love everything about them except the massive heat.
Right now, i picked up a krell duo 300 and have been playing with it today and i like what i hear. For a minute there, i was like holy crap this amp sounds good when connected to my mark levinson no52 preamp. i kept listening and i was very engaged in its sound so while i was listening to it, i had the pass labs turned on getting warmed up. I proceeded to connect them to my speakers and yes, the change in sound was quite obvious. The highs come crawling at you. The bass vibrates your chair and they don't have to be cranked up. That said, the reason why some people say they can't hear a difference in sound is because most people don't have another amp to do a direct a/b comparison. That is really the easiest way to hear a big change in sound if there is any. If i didnt own the pass labs, i would have been happy with the krell/levinson combination, but as soon as i A/B them, it is game over. |
Thank you. I believe this hobby would be much easier if we all shared information with each other. That said, the 532h has great detail. I remember that amp wowing me when I first owned it. Tons of background detail that I never knew was even there. However, the krell duo has more bass and it's built a lot more robust. This is a tricky question for me and I think both amps
are great but what will determine what is best for you is your application and speakers. Both have great detail and nice midrange but the bass is better with the krell. The midrange is a little better on the Levinson. The highs are detailed on both. |
Next up in the near future:
pass labs xa160.5
pass labs xa100.8
I would love to try the 200.5s but i can't justify the price jump from the 160.5s to the 200.5s. I am also looking into perhaps giving the paradigm personas a try although i am such an electrostatic head. I find every speaker i have owned sound narrow and not as HUGE as electrostatics panels. I am unfortunately poisoned by their big sound spread. I tried to replace my Renaissance speakers 3 different times and kept going back to them so it is fair to say that i am part of the electrostatic panel clan..
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I don’t see why it wouldn’t be? unless of course you listen at ear bleeding levels.
Guys, what i have learned over the past week with these xs150 pass labs is that you don’t have to listen at mind blowing levels in order to get everything from them. As a matter of fact, i find these xs150 pass labs a tad bright when pushed hard. However, that could also be my cables or maybe the source so i can’t say for sure that it is just the amps. The more i listen, the more i realize i need to go away from blowing my eardrums off. No need to do that any longer if i want to keep enjoying this journey with amps. What some of you need to do is determine HOW LOUD do you listen to your music. I keep my music right at 88-92db and after that it gets a bit too loud for me and i stop enjoying the music at that point. The challenge is that some amps will not sound great when listening at low volumes because they fall flat on their faces. The simaudio is excellent at any volume level, but yes if you want to blow the doors off your house to impress your friends then no this is not the amp for you. I said it above, quality watts is what this amp is all about which is the same as a class A amp. |
Hi guys,
what you all need to remember is that I praised the ref10 with my salon 2s and quite frankly if I still had those speakers, I’d still have the ref10. That said, I don’t feel Wilson audio sounds the best when using tube preamps. I feel it might sound good if it was a full tube set up but not with tube preamp and solid state amp. This makes sense because Wilson is displayed quite often with dan Agostino components.
I am moving forward and have not decided 100% if I want to sell my luxman preamp. Why ? Because I will be trying more speakers at some point and having different components on hand will be fun to try.
Speaking of speakers, anyone tried Magnepan 20.7? I am contemplating a pair but I don’t know just yet... I heard a pair like 2 years ago at a dealer and I thought they sounded dull. That said, the components used weren’t at the level of what I own so may be thats why ?
I am really really getting an itch to try those even though I was told to go for the 30.7 but those are just too big for my room.
Anyone care to give me their feedback on them? Reviews are stellar but you all know how I feel about them... I rather ask you all here what your opinion is. Are they like electrostatics? Small sweet spot? Difficult to place? What do they do best ? What are their weaknesses other than not enough oomph? Looking forward to all your comments.
Lastly, I can’t say what gryphon piece or pieces are coming to me until they are here. I know gryphon monitors my thread and reads it. They keep tight control of their equipment which is actually a great thing. I want to only disclose what I got once it’s at my door. Dealers DO NOT give discounts on new gryphon product so don’t even try... I’ve tried and tried lol and you all know I TRY and I failed. If you want gryphon, prepare to pay full price unless you buy from Europe. That is like the Louie Vuitton brand. When did you ever see any on sale in their store? Never... just doesn’t happen
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Ok guys,
my Clx are at the Martinlogan factory getting a full refresh. That said I can’t sit around and wait 3 weeks for them to come back so I bought a pair of Dynaudio c1s and a pair of c2s Platinums. What an amazing sound with the luxman. Wow. Insane sound.
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Hi,
i have never heard Lamm amps. |
Hi littletommy531,
Mark levinson amps have tons of detail, but no slam. They are more for midrange and a lot of background detail. Bass is not their strength by any means. That said, if you are looking for massive slam as far as bass, you can't go wrong with the new Krell duo 300. I have not dealt with Reno, but i hear great things about them. As far as the 28.8, i am not sure what that is? |
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Alright guys,
Here is an update on the Krell duo 300:
The last time i owned this amp, i was using a classe cp800 preamp and i feel like i didn't really do the krell any justice. They had no synergy together, but now with my Mark Levinson no 52 reference preamp things are totally different. This Mark Levinson has tremendous smoothness and a beautiful low end punch. The krell duo 300 has now really showed me more of what it can do. It has nice bass (more than the mark levinson), great highs and can be pushed very far without really clipping it. I am sincerely enjoying this amp more than before and could go as far as saying that it is one great amp for the money. If your budget is around $5,000 for a quality stereo amp, this amp should be at the top of your list. |
Today, i am again a proud owner of a pass labs x350.5. I had bought this amp last year and of course, i did not have the best preamp for it (classe cp800) but i still really thought this amp was excellent. Well, today i have been playing with it again and now connected to the no52 Mark Levinson preamp. This is a special amplifier. I REALLY love the big midrange although some might say it is a bit too much. However, with electrostatic speakers you'd be rewarded huge. I also like its bass, slam and dynamics that it has. If i were to knit pick, i would say it is not a transparent amplifier. It has its own flavor and some of you may or may not like it. I personally love it, but everything sounds good through it. That said, system sinergy is important so it is very crucial that you match it with a true high end preamp to really make it shine.
With all this said, i am contemplating the purchase of a pair of pass labs 200.5 monos and do a real world A/B comparison against the pass labs xs150 and see what happens. Some say that you can't hear a difference and that the only way to really tell them apart is if you have gigantic speakers with crazy power demands, but those of you who don't, there may not be much of a difference.
I will say that walking into my living room and seeing these xs150s really makes you be like wow... It is a true piece of engineering that makes you feel proud, yes cocky as well, but only because it really is something that not even dealers carry in my instances because of the enormous investment. This weekend i will be doing a great shootout once again but will have the x350.5 in the mix. One thing i did not mention to you all before was that the class a and class ab amps from pass labs sound very different. They also need to be carefully planned and selected based on these 3 things:
1. type of speaker
2. type of music
3. the level at which you listen to music.
Pass lab class A amps tend to sound very liquid, clean, detailed, but they do lack the slam that their class ab versions have. The class AB amps have massive punch, slam, dynamics, deep bass, don't run as hot, but they are not as accurate sounding as the class A versions. If you are a person who likes to listen to Jazz at night in a cozy environment where there is minimal noise, you are probably a candidate for their Class A amps. however, if you have friends over, like to showcase the horsepower hidden under the hood of these monster chassis, feel the bass in your chest, and you like to put the pedal to the metal in terms of loudness, then you need to consider Class AB.
The XS series has the best of both worlds which is why they are so much more $. |
Update on the xs150: i was listening to these amps over the weekend and i must say that they don’t hit their stride until about the 3rd hour of playtime. That is when they really open up and begin to sound more liquid. That said, my room begins to get warm at that point and it can get somewhat uncomfortable so the a/c needs to be running more. You can’t get too close to these chassis either because it is very hot near them.
An additional note is the fact that they let you hear EVERYTHING. I am talking things such as having one plugged into an outlet and the other one plugged into a power conditioner will let you hear that each amp sounds different. I had issues with the midrange not being dead center and when i plugged in both amps directly into the wall, the problem was solved. These amps have amazing detail transparency and cutting corners here is not an option. They deserve the very best you can give them in terms of cabling, sources, and preampfification. Think of it as buying a ferrari; You will need expensive tires, brakes, oil changes, etc. It is the nature of the beast and this amp is no exception.
What i find annoying is all the things you need to pay attention to with an amp like this. Everything affects the sound, but with the x350.5 things are totally different. That amp sounds the same with a good power cord, or stock power cord, plugged in anywhere, etc. It sounds good no matter what and the midrange remains dead center as well so there is a lot less of a headache with it.
For now, i am 50/50 as far as what i will be doing with the xs150s. i don't know if i will keep them or will part ways with them. They are a true reference component that deserves special attention and plenty of space. They sound phenomenal and even at low volume levels they really give you everything the music has. They teach you that you don't need to blow your eardrums off by cranking up you music which is cool if you ask me. I don't believe they are meant to be cranked up to ear bleeding levels either because in my opinion they sound best a low to moderate levels. That is their sweet spot. |
Comparing the x350.5 vs xs150:
x350.5: Lovely midrange. Big power and dynamics with slam. Great detail, Sounds extremely organized and composed even at loud levels. The highs are good, but they are not xs150 smooth. The bass is good, but not xs150 bass
xs150.5: Good midrange, but less pronounced than on the x350.5 ( i would say this is a negative in my personal opinion). Awesome detailed highs that are smooth (after a few hours of playtime). The most powerful bass i have ever experienced. Think of it as bass on steroids with tightness, quickness, zero boominess, and really fast sounding.
All that said, i can say that the law of diminishing returns here is huge. We are comparing a 10k vs a 65k amplifier. Yes the 65k is superior, but it is not necessarily 6.5 times better. Also, after many hours of listening to music, you begin to have listening fatigue and so the difference between both amps is less and less and less. Your ears almost can't differentiate between both amps. However, that is just nature and there is nothing we can do about that.
Let's see what i will be doing in the next few days with the xs150. I really need to keep hearing them with fresh ears before i decide to part ways with them. I know it will be my last pair for a very long time. |
Remember one thing, when you go into a dealer and buy a car you just test drove, you'll be happy and thrilled to take it home with you. You really won't find what turns you off about the car until you've been driving it for a while. Maybe it rattles when you're on the highway at 75mph? Maybe the car isn't the quietest car at high speeds or the car wastes too much gas etc. It's all part of the game in terms of amplification. Yes I feel they sound amazing at all times but the listener fatigue I'm referring to is the fatigue that is coming from your ears being tired and not the kind that comes from overwhelming brightness or loudness.
That said, the xs is a wonderful amp but as I mentioned it is very picky with cables. This can be a con for some people.
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You are correct with what you said about being tired of hearing the sounds of music whether distorted or not. I was only saying that they both end up getting you "fatigued" after hours of listening. Think of it as you wearing headphones all day long listening to music. Wouldn't your ears be tired ? |
I own the 350.5 and the xs150 labs. Big different in power and bass slam than their class a counterparts.
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Very very different. I’d say they sound so big that they remind me a lot of electrostatics.
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So far, it is going to be difficult to let go of my Wilson Sasha 2s. i went to listen to a few different speakers today which included Magnepan, Kef, focals and i STILL prefer my sasha 2s over those. I was contemplating to bring a second pair of speakers to battle it out with my Wilsons and i just DO NOT SEE any speaker close in price to mine that i have the desire to purchase. I thought focal sopra 3s, focal scala, kef blade 2s, magnepan 20.7 and they did not improve on what i currently have. Everything was either worse or too close. i realize i would have to spend about -10k MORE dollars more in order to begin to hear any sort of improvement over my Wilson's.
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The decibel meter is reading peaks of 107 decibels right now. I am 8 feet away from the speakers. zero compression, zero distortion, zero shoutiness, zero anything. Impressive how dynamic the wilson audio speaker is. Massive slam, punch that knocks you in your chest cavity, and the rowlands are almost winking at me asking for more volume... |
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That’s my fear. I need to make sure I don’t go backwards. The Wilsons aren’t going anywhere unless a better speaker walks through my living room.
Ive thought of focal maestros, magico s5, etc. Nothing is concrete until I feel confident about the switch. To be honest the only speaker I’d like to bring back is the 15a or the clx. Those I know for a fact have a place in my heart.
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I just sat down after not listening to music for about 4 days and the luxman 900u with Rowland 925s is just insane. Buttery smooth, clean, detailed, glorious mids, nice soundstage, no fatigue. If I didn’t have the Rowland, one would think this is a Luxman set up because the Rowland amps transfer the sound signature of the Luxman preamp but in a bigger way than the single 900u amp. |
Just got done listening to the Luxman combo with Dynaudio c1s and it’s outstanding . a level of clarity that is almost unreal. That said, this wasn’t the case when i had the clx panels. I felt the arc ref6 hegel h30 had the edge in terms of slam. However, I’m about 2 days away from just buying another 900u amp and run them in mono mode... this has never been done by any reviewer or anyone at all. i am just also looking at the massive amount of money involved and that I could be tapping into xa200.8 territory in terms of dollars spent and i highly doubt that the Luxman 900us in mono mode could best the xa200.8s.
For right now, the Luxman and Dynaudio c1 is one hell of a combination. We will see once my clx speakers return in about 2 weeks. These monsters seemed to
benefit from the massive power of the Hegel which is why i thought the 900u In mono mode would be ideal.
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So I did a bit of listening last night with the C1 Dynaudios and the Luxman pieces along with the Hegel H30 and audio research ref 6.
First up: Luxman combo, amazing detail and great midrange. Highs are world class along with a level of depth that I simply haven’t heard before. Layer of detail
upon layer of detail. I can honestly say I could live extremely happy with this combination for a very long time. No real weakness in my opinion and by the way I LOVE LOOOOOOOVE the loudness button on the Preamp. It just makes things come to life when listening at low volume levels. I’m really digging tone controls on preamps. Yes I’m clear that it’s not for those of you that are purists. That said, I think the awesome thing is that you can change speakers and other things and make the adjustments on the Preamp. HUGE SOUNDSTAGE. JUST BEYOND BELIEF. This is an excellent combo for those of you wanting to hear female vocals with a level of a reslism that’s hard to believe. Adele, Sam Smith, Diana krall etc all sound as if they are in your living room.
Second: hegel h30/ Luxman 900u: great slam and dynamics. I still enjoy the big soundstage although it’s less than the Luxman amp.
If you want bottom end, this will fix all your issues. End of story. This combo has just about everything that the Luxman combo
has but it loses on the last ounce of detail and soundstage but we are splitting hairs here. For the money the Hegel H30 will kill many other amps out There. I find this combo better with music that has lots of swings and slam. It’s edcellent at that.
Coming up next: Luxman 900u with audio research ref 6 preamp.
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Keep your 5200. The 5300 is blah. Cold
sounding and very boring. I think the 5200 is one of the best multi channel amps.
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Alright guys, just wanted to report that my electric went up 45 dollars last month. I owned the xs150 for 2 weeks but I am not sure if they are the main reason why it shot up 45 dollars. If they are the reason then they can potentially cost about 100 dollars a month to use them about 3-5 hours per day. Just sharing this information with you all. Again, not sure if it's all their fault or if I had other things sucking power.
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Mike: the Sopra 3 are a good detailed speaker. They remind me a lot of the revel salon 2s in many ways. They don’t have the big soundstage depth that the Wilson Sasha’s have. They have balanced sound with pretty much just about everything you could ask given their price point. I think they are the best bang for the buck from focal if you ask me.
Guido: the Rowland’s sound incredible and I was using the Rowland Capri preamp! I cranked it up very loud and to my surprise they never felt compressed, or shouty. The sound just grew more and more and you almost don’t realize that it’s louder.
Bukirob: the 15a renaissance is an outstanding speaker when matched with audio research and pass labs. You don’t even have to listen to this combo. I can vouch for it. Anything with tubes will sound spectacular on Electrostatics.
Tonight: I plan on listening to the Rowland’s connected to the p20 only to see what happens to the sound. I also want to go back to cardas speaker cables and see what I hear aftern using wireworld silver 7 for the last 2 weeks.
Lastly, I will be getting my gryphon components next Wednesday so next week will be special !!
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Here we go again guys... things might change drastically this Thursday night if all goes well. Just to add a hint, I will have another pair of 30,000 dollar speakers. The only hint I can give you is that they are imported, stand about 6.5 feet tall and handle 500 Watts.
Any guesses ? |
Ok guys,
more components will be at my door for me to give my opinion on them:
simaudio 650d CD player /
simaudio 740p preamp
simaudio 700i integrated
these will be part of the new set up that I’ll be test driving. |
luxman 900u/ ARC 6: Excellent combination. I love everything about it and i really can't stop listening. That said, this combination sounds good really good on just about anything type of music, BUT there are times when the 900u amp/preamp combo hits one out the park with certain songs that leaves the arc 6/900u combo in the dust. So far, i can’t stress enough how important system synergy is. I loved the hegel with the CLX panels and the luxman not so much, but now that i have dynaudio c1 platinums, things have just turned around and now i find the luxman combo much more cohesive and "tuned" for these speakers.
In short, the amp you have today MAY NOT be the best amp for your next set of speakers. No amp/preamp combo works for every speaker out there. This is why i let go of my 350.8. I felt it didnt have much synergy with my sonus faber cremonese.
It is actually almost a rule of thumb to simply own 2 different amplifers at all times if you are changing speakers every 2 years or so.
If the deal goes through tomorrow without any hiccups, i will be posting about my new speakers, but if it falls through then the CLX speakers will make their way back to me.
One last thing, i have been listening to the luxman combo with the c1s for the past 3 hours straight at approximately 90-92 dbs and i have zero fatigue. i can sit there until dawn and i have zero desire to lower the volume. Incredible. |
