Spectron Musician III SE Mk.2? What Changed?

Hello,

Sorry could not get not back earlier. I will post information describing the changes we made in Mk2 in a few day as I am very busy at the moment.

My reply to BR who is asking "what am I paying more money for" is that most definitely its not for three capacitors, four resistors, two inductors and additional half pound of the power supply.

In general when you intend to pay any money for an amplifier I strongly suggest to look on two things:

First, as engineer, I want to know "the edge of the envelope" that this amplifier can reach. I wonder how wide is its bandwidth, I wonder if its peak current is "staggering" 100 A then for how long - 10 msec or 500 msec because I know in one case its real ability to deliver current and in other is just marketing.
I want to know distortion level and not at meaningless 10 watts but AT FULL OUTPUT, I want to know not only at 1 kHz but at 20 kHz as well. I want know its ability to be stable at difficult loads etc.

Second, knowing what this amplifier is capable of, as a pianist and music lover - I don't care about technical details, I want to listen to it and have experience close as possible to that I have during the live concert; I want my heart to beat rapidly and my knees to shake, I want to feel dizzy....

Next, I would like to know what is the service policy of the company if something goes wrong. What its history, its warranty: on the product, as it should be, or for "original owner" only etc.

Finally, I would see if I can afford this amplifier, does it too heavy, does it appearance meets my requirement and any other thing important to me.

As I said I will post the info regarding the Mk2 in a few days.

Simon

P.S. I know what out users were looking for when they were searching for their amplifiers. I would LOVE to see discussion among audiophile what kind of amplifier you are looking for ( beside one you can afford - this I understand too well when I search for my speakers and front end)?

As Simon stated, non audiophile engineers (which is most of them) are only interested in measurements and schematics and there is only one answer to one question they want to know: does it work? That's why those people have portable radios, ghetto blasters and other cheap (or antique) crap at home for hearing some music: they are not interested in high quality sound/music reproduction.
audiophiles are people who are not technique oriented (well, most of them are truly electronic nitwits like me) but they seem to be interested in some kind of high quality music reproduction. They even believe in unmeasurable things like musicality, warmth and "soundstage".
Simon is both an engineer and audiophile, so that makes his position a bit unique among the regular Audiogon forum participators :)

Chris

Geez, I truly did not want to start a hornets nest of criticism. Mostly I thought this would be just the forum for a discussion of the improvements to an already fantastic product. I felt that the Spectron site had made the point of making a difference and then not getting into the details. A discussion of features and benefits of a product's improvement on their website would only enhance their sales and reduce questions and distractions.

And my answer to to Audiphile1 is unequivocal--YES, I am still interested in Spectron and its products.

Look, Simon is a talented man and obviously is busy. The tone of his first response may be rooted in there somewhere. Spectron's products seem to be in a constant state of improvement and acceptance. I know reviews of their products and discussions about the products both here and at AA are mostly positive and impressive.

Anyway, Spectron and Simon have my admiration for seeing their product development through the eyes of science AND the ears of musicians. They offer upgrades to ttheir amps and thorough support of their products even when difficulties arise, like in the initial release of the Musician II. And I may add that Spectron is not a large company with a PR department. Just a small group of dedicated people, mostly engineers, I think. Uniformly the Spectron product in most any iteration is regarded as a colossal bargain.

They make impressive products. The points Simon makes in his second answer is absolutely on target. Well sorted out sound IS what we are after in the final analysis. And responsive service back up is definitely high on the list.

What kind of amplifier am I looking for, Simon? Just the kind you describe in your second answer. I don't really care how it looks. I care how it sounds. I care if it is efficient in its use of power. I really care if it backed up with service and if the company has made provisions to be around a while. I care that a company cares enough about its product to continually improve it. You all do this in spades, and I care about Spectron. I own one.

this is amazing.

I have found, in my discussions with Simon, that he is scrupulously ethical,honest and fair with a bitingly dry sense of humor.

He does weigh development and upgrading of the amp with
a musical ear and engineering savvy.

There are trade secrets that may need to be interpreted
for public disclosure, I am sure he will be forth coming.

I have asked him what changed to make the newest iteration
of the M3 SE better and he would launch into a monologue of what I could only hear a part of and understand a part of and so I have waited for others to ask too.

A short term wait is all it takes.