Limiscate: the Hegel should be left on... it does not consume a ton of power just left on unlike pass labs amps. It also does not run hot at all. I hope you like it’s muscular presentation.
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!
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!
6,105 responses Add your response
Hello Whitecamaross... And the funny thing is that, with your M925 monos, you haven't heard anything yet... Just let 'em steep for a spell until they reach full bloom *Grins!* And then give them both the gift of Cardas Clear Beyond XL power cords.... Wait for few more days while the Cardas bloom and stabilize, and hold on to your seat... I am afraid that your musical intoxication will get a lot worse than what you are experiencing now. Saluti, G.
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The rest of my solid state amps sound like a music video from the 80s sounds on YouTube... the Rowland’s 925s are like listening in 4k and the other amps a good 1080p signal. I left them playing music while I’m out all day today and will return tonight with cardas clear audio speaker cables. I’ve yet to use the ref10 but the luxman seems to have tremendous synergy with the Rowland amps. I also don’t really think it’s smart for me to use a tube pre when the amps sound like tubes already. I want to slowly enjoy this time around. I don’t want to rush through my music even though I listened to 5 hours of music last night. I keep digging old music just to see what things I’ve missed before in all of the music I thought I knew. I will say to you that the Rowland’s make you hear your music in a way that you haven’t before which is with more detail, space and oh the instrument separation is just crazy... they are like the luxman set up on steroids... very similar with tremendous finesse |
I have owned the JR Continuum S2 integrated. It provides the Rowland house sound and pushes considerable power. IMO It is a great way to obtain the Rowland sound without breaking the bank. BTW I'm not saying $9.5K isn't a lot of money. It is, period. @whitecamaross I run a full Cardas loom of PCs and balanced ICs with my Rowland set up. I highly recommend this path. Importantly, there is a discernible difference between the Clear line and the Clear Beyond line. If you can lay your hands on CB cable you will be rewarded. I also changed out CCB PCs for CCB XL PCs on my 925s. There was a positive improvement in resolution, but IMO didn't justify the price differential between CCB and CCB XL enough for me to consider changing out the whole loom. I have communicated with another Cardas CB owner who changed out his whole PC loom from CBs to CB XLs. He heard an uptick in resolution too, but not a dramatic difference between CCB PCs and CCB XL PCs. |
Yes, M925 is an expensive amp. Yet, the entry point to the Rowland house sound is quite reasonable a smidjin below $3K for the M125 bridgeable amp, $6K range for the new M535 bridgeable, and $9.5K for the Continuum S2 integrated. I might be evaluating M535 before long, and I will post my observations to Audiogon. Saluti, G. |
Grey9hound, You think Gryphon is expensive? Compared to what? The OP is playing with Rowland 925's at the moment and the Retail on those is 60K....you can buy almost 4 Gryphon Diablo 300's for that amount!!! You might want to check out the Steve Hoffman Forum to get opinions on gear for people on a limited budget. Hardly anybody on that page has reference gear. OP...Surprised you started using the LUX Pre instead of the REF 10. Im sure you will swap at some point. Dont forget to try out the DAG 400's and compare to the 925's. At least those 2 would be a fair fight in the 60K Range. Cant bash Hegel, Luxman etc who are in the $10K-15K range going up against a 60K monster. The Rowland should blow them away at that price point. |
Hello WhiteCameraSS.... Yes, intoxicating is the operative word when it comes to the Rowland M925 amps, even when fed through their stock power cords, isn't it?! Just a reminder that if the amps have been in transit for several days, and have been stone cold for a few weeks/months before that, it is highly likely that you haven't heard anything yet from them... If you feel somewhat intoxicated already, you might be in danger of a little overdosing by the time rebreak-in is complete *Grins!*
... Be patient, and give them a good couple weeks of settling in with 24/7 operation before doing anything else with them, such as upgrading from their stock PCs to a loom of Cardas. Concerning Cardas PCs, yes, there is profound synergy between Rowland electronics and Cardas cables. I have just installed a complete loom of Cardas cables in my system... Including the newest statement Clear Beyond XL PCs on Rowland M925 monos, Rowland Aeris DAC + PSU, and Esoteric X-01 CDp... Clear Reflection XLR and speaker wires, and Clear SPDIF coax. After a mere 48 hours of crunching signals, The result is quite simply STUNNING! I will be posting a detailed review very soon. Saluti, Guido |
Hi guys, i have not connected the platinum usb, or the wireworld silver 7 speaker cables or even using upgraded power cords and yet it’s intoxicating how good they sound. I want to enjoy it as what they are now and then bring cardas clear audio speaker cables since it’s what matches very good with Rowland, then use the platinum 7 usb cable, then the luxman d08u arrives next week and then the Rowland Capri s2 preamp the week after that. A lot of more tweaks I have in mind for this. I just want to enjoy it as it is right this second. Lastly, I had a bit of bass boominess with the Wilsons and Hegel, simaudio and with the Rowland’s that has now vanished. Sounds as if I ran room correction and fixed the bass. Very incredible. |
I had an opportunity a few years ago to hear the Pass Labs XS 300/XS preamplifier driving the Marten Coltrane Supreme speakers. Impressive in an audiophile Hifi sort of way. I'm familiar with the Rowland "house sound". If the 925 is the ultimate example of this sound I'd personally choose the Luxman/Rowland combination. Obviously we all appreciate it's a matter of individual taste between two highly regarded choices. In my opinion I believe that the Luxman/Rowland will be more natural sounding and emotionally/musically involving (higher capacity to keep one deeply and fully engaged in the in the music). Whitecamaross it will be interesting to read your listening impressions and which component combination you prefer. Charles |
Your exuberance for the Rowland’s is admirable, but your long history of churning what was so recently the “best thing ever” tells me they’ll be traded out for something else in a few weeks. Hope to be proven wrong though. I’ll like to see you settle down with a reference for awhile to get the true measure of an amp over a longer term in your system. |
Ok men and women... the Jeff Rowland’s 925s are unpacked, set up, and powered on using my luxman 900u preamp. Preliminary update: from a dead cold start, after traveling for over a week, they are THE BEST SOUNDING AMPLIFIER IVE OWNED. I’m shocked how clean, clear, accurate, detailed, smooth, and with a huge amount of detail and detail ive never heard before.... this is incredible.... I’m in shock to say be least. Well done Jeff Rowland. Incredible is an understatement. Pass labs, simaudio, Bryston, audio research, McIntosh, Hegel, ati, theta digital, Classe audio, krell, luxman, boulder, nad, Cary audio, Plinius, Parasound, bhk ps audio, Mark Levinson, Belcanto: YOU ALL NEED TO PAY JEFF ROWLAND A VISIT AND TAKE A FEW COURSES FROM HIS BOOK. You all have been SMOKED. You all know by now I’m the harshest critic here but I’ll be the first to say when I’m impressed and these amps have beyond impressed me. I should close this thread now... |
Every Component that i have ever heard that used the Ess 9018 Sabre Chip, seemed to have a slight Glare in the upper mids , It seems that this was apparent in the Marantz A/V processor the Eastern electric mini max DAC, or the Wyred for sound DAC. In my setup , it seemed to always be present . Therefore , I am NOT a fan of anything that uses that chip. I know everyone will say that it is more about the use and implementation of that chip that contributes more to the sound ,than the chip[ itself, BUT, this has unfortunately been my findings.. |
Wc, as good as the Lumin S1 is , it is still based on Sabre 9018 chip...wich is very good but in my experience is beaten by top dacs out there. The reason I gave you the APL DSd-SR hint, is because that dac has been compared to DCS Vivaldi, MSB select, Ayon S5, and it was clear the APL was the better dac...more analog...the nearest sound to vinyl. So I can be pretty sure it will best your S1 and the Dave. |
Wc, maybe you need to try something better than both the Lumin and the Dave. I have a feeling this would spank the A1 cute little butt: http://aplhifi.com/products/digital/dsd-sr/ |
I don't know if all reviews are suspect or not. My view is reviews are only opinions based on the reviewer's experience, room, and preferences. It's no difference than you or I posting what we prefer based on our own experience and preferences. I'm I suspect if I talk about a component I love and you hear it and hate it? I would hope not. After all we're just providing our opinions. |
Adv fees aside, all Reviews are bullshit becos it’s cast in stone a basic rule that all pricier models must sound better than cheaper models. I failed to understand this logic as far as sound quality is concerned. For products such as cars its logical but for electronic products ? I doubt so. Would you hv believed me if i tell you that a 10k preamp sounded much worst than a 2k one ? Or that a lower model sounded better than a higher model of the same brand? This would never happen in reviews but i encountered so many times already. And everyone assumed that a product must sound better after breakin or warmed up. Ever occured to u that it will sound worst? And why not? It can be the other way around |
I have the Dave and love it, but we have different systems. I had a home audition prior to purchase and it sounds fantastic in my system. I had the PS Audio DS, Bricasti M1, and Jeff Rowland Aeris prior to the Dave. I have no desire to try anything else. No absolutes, only preferences! As far as reviews go, I've read several very positive reviews about the Lumin S1. As a matter of fact 6MOONS gave it the Blue Moon Award. |
You’re right. I’m just shocked. I refuse to spend another dolllar to make the chord better. It has rave reviews and should have been easily capable of beating my Lumin. I don’t want to spend more money like a renderer for the Dave or the chord CD player. It’s ridiculous to have to spend even more money on it. It should have walked in here and beat my Lumin even if it was just by a little bit. The chord Dave has rave reviews that give it more press than the Lumin. If you read reviews for both, you’d come away with thinking the chord Dave kills the Lumin and guess what... nope. See WHY reviews are so much bs? Take them with a grain of salt... |
I have posted this before ( as well as in other threads ). Everything in audio requires break in. The more revealing of the system ( includes room acoustics ), the more obvious the breakin becomes.+1 Evaluating component is a marathon NOT a sprint. I will add if moved, requires time to settle. Patience, and ones ears ( and mood ) plays a huge part of the break in process. Just sayin.Some gets confused with mood at the moment to requiring additional hours of breakin. Sounds like crap when tired, sleepy ... dependent on my mood. Usually couple hundred hours max of breakin from my experience on any component. Happy Listening and Keep ME Posted!!! |
I don't know how you have the Dave connected, but the preferred method is via USB. If you are using a USB cable, what cable are you using? I've tried several different USB cables and it makes a difference. The Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 works best in my system, yours my differ. Digital is at a point that relatively small differences cost a lot of money and for some the additional money isn't worth it. Unfortunately, for me if it's in my budget it's worth it. |
WhiteCamaroSS, no CD player should be no issue for facilitating breakin of components.... I am positive you can find some atmospheric tracks of breaking beach surf, crashing waves, rainshowers, etc.... Not too far from white noise. Besides, I am sure you can find some online tracks of noise for breaking-in equipment.... From Purist and others. Worst case... Turn on your car radio... Tune to FM in between stations.... Record several minutes of the hash on your mobile phone.... Load the recording on your music server.... And voila! G.
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Adding the Chord Blu Mk.2 upscaler to your Chord Dave will take it to a whole new level. It is not even close, you have a whole new source with the Dave/Blu Mk.2, according to several reports. Even the Hugo2/Blu Mk.2 outperforms easily the Dave alone, according again to these reports. Price of the Hugo2 is around 1/5 of the Dave! To find out I am arranging now a home session with the Hugo2/Dave and the Blu Mk.2 upscaler. Nevertheless the Lumin S1 remains a fantastic performer. My Audio Research Ref 5SE was already very good just out of the box and improved considerable further in the first 600 hrs, breakin time according to the manual. Even with low hours however basic characters were already shown up. |
Up next: Jeff Rowland 925s will arrive either this Friday or Monday. I will leave them on playing music and occasionally sit down to listen here and there. Meanwhile, I will be working on a deal on a pair of one of the following: dag momentum m400s gryphon colloseum pass labs xa200.8 yes, I will do my best to bring a real dog fight into this arena. I will take all things into account in order to select my personal winner. |
Anytime you have something unplugged and moved, there will be a settling in process for the equipment to sound it's best again. If an amp is brand new, there is a process that usually lasts at least a couple hundred hours or more for the amp to settle in and the sound-stage to open up and the amp to sound it's best. |
Update: I’ve been playing chord Dave dac for an hour and comparing it to the lumin s1. If this is how this chord Dave will sound then it’s no better than the lumin s1. I’d say it’s probably 5% better ? If that’s all this thing will do over the next few days, I’d go on the record and say it’s not worth the extra money over the lumin s1. This is a demo chord dac so it’s not new or just fresh. It’s already got some hours of playtime. Again, preliminary feeling is that the lumin s1 is crazy good for the money plus it does mqa which the chord Dave does not do. Jeff Rowland 925s... hmmm. Sigh... will i slaughter you or keep you longer than any other amp I’ve owned? I’ve pretty much realized one thing which is the whole new thing of “breakin in” gear is somewhat ridiculous. Why can’t it be like a car engine? You don’t rev it past 4,000 rpm for the first 3,000 Miles while it breaks in and soon after you hit 3,000 Miles on the odometer then you are free to connect a 225hp shot of nitrous or a twin turbo set up or a supercharger and have fun ? |
