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Starting from Scratch -Please Help Pick 1 out of 3

Dear Friends,
Hope that all of you are well, in a moment of transitional evolutional state of mind i sold off my Rogue Cronus Integrated, my Tannoy Stirling Speakers ; well pretty much the spine of the entire system.

I wanted to start over, i listen to a lot of varied stuff ; usually very complex stuff ; i love the weight of solid state gear and the resolution of their baselines and the treble which intermittently sound "filled" ; i also love the midrange liquidity of tubes especially on vocals and the natural timbre of orchestras and drum snares.

So i had gone on a spree to audition some gears, some which couldn't be heard are also included as a part of the system (say, i listened to the power amp but not the pre) i couldn't get to some of these due to various difficulties but generally i've put a package of 4 different set ups - i hope learned pundits here can guide through this to build a good system which i will use for a long time.

I am not the type for frequent upgrades.
Thank you!

The Candidates

Group 1
------
Pre : Rennaisance Preamplifier MKIII by VAC (Valve Amplification Company)
Power : VAC Phi 200 Power Amplifiers (Valve Amplication Company)
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 [or] Devore Fidelity The Nines (Please Pick)

Just love the look of this system!

Group 2
------
Pre : Modwright LS 100 or Ls36.5
Power : Pass Labs XA 60.5 (Class A 60 wpc) but can take a few months to save
up for Pass Labs XA100.5 (Class A 100 wpc) if it really matters.
but evidence shows otherwise :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXGf3AonFCQ
Speakers : Magnepan 1.7
Which sounds great!

But Will the Modwright (semi-tube) impedance match with the pass'?

Group 3
-------
Pre : Leben RS28CX Premium Preamplifier
Power : CS-660P Separate Power Amplifier
Speakers : Harbeth SHL5 (or) Devore Fidelity The Nines (or) Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Group 4
-------
Pre : Modwright LS100
Power : Pass Labs XA30.5 Monoblocks (30 watts Class A)
Speakers : Devore Fidelity Orang Utan

Also Please Feel Free to Mix-Match and Advice.

Music will be fed from my MAC to my DAC and to these.

Thank You!
thegoodarcher
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
6,996 posts
 
Thegoodarcher,
I understand your circumstances and dilemma more clearly. In your case and given your desires, the Pass amp could be best for you(hard to say without actually hearing all this stuff).
I have a lot of experience with VAC components so I`m confident in suggesting them(with a tube friendly speaker). IMO this combination will play any and everything very well.It won`t do SS type bass'slam' if that is what you seek(you`ll get beautiful tube bass instead).Which do you prefer? Rogue is decent tube gear and value. However, VAC is simply on a higher sonic plane(and should be for the cost premium).

You`d likely be happy with any of the system choices you listed.
Best of Luck,
clio09
2,978 posts
 
I used Audikinesis Jazz Modules with my VAC setup. Kevin Hayes uses Kingsound speakers. I believe he paired the Phi 200 with them at one of the past RMAF shows. You could email him and ask for speaker suggestions. He is a great guy to deal with.
thegoodarcher OP
70 posts
 
My dealer in India, is approaching VAC - they are a very reputable company, and hopefully, they get the VAC in-fact and i am placing an opening order of their VAC Phi 200 and the Entry level Rennaisance Preamp MK3 after hearing the comments from you guys - hopefully they get this in - if their deal doesn't get through i'll take the XP60.5 Class A from Pass Labs from them and combine it with a tube amp so, i have the best of both worlds - in which case Modwright Ls36.5 or Aesthetix Calypso Signature...you see..clearly plunging into a complete SS system sounds rather stale hence not the XP Preamp from Pass - ill be missing the glow of the tubes.
Though;
I do not know, if matching the Modwright Ls36.5 or The Calypso with the Pass would work, but i guess it sounds good atleast on paper...

Keeping my fingers crossed for the VAC.
mbovaird
140 posts
 
Let me give you another idea (and just to further confuse you!) - Sonus Faber Anniversarios (there is a good looking pair for sale here on AG). Add in a pair of mint used McIntosh 2301's (call Mike at Audio Classics and mention my name). Add in a McIntosh 2300 Preamp (or C500T if your budget will allow). This would be a glorious sounding system IMO!

Mike
mbovaird
140 posts
 
GoodArcher - you will not get the bass response with the 1.7's. I've owned them. They need subs. Failing that, look at other speakers (some in your list are good) which will give you full range. It sounds like you have some incredible gear already, so why 1.7's?

Other options - based on your music preference, what about a pair of Sonus Faber Stradivari's? There's a mint condition used pair floating around for $24Kish from a guy in North Carolina (I actually know him...he's a good guy). Strads are my current speakers and I think I'm done shopping for speakers. What about a pair of Sonus Faber Futuras?

If your budget can't handle these options, then there are plenty of great speakers like the Triton two's/three's in a much lower price point.

A pair of used Revel Salon 2's is another option (in the $10K range). I've also owned these speakers, and they are incredible for the money. But they require GOBS of power. 750 watts into 4 ohms minimum. They really sing once you get over 1000 watts into 4 ohms (Bryston 28BSST2).

Devore and Harbeth are good speakers too (not my first picks, but good!). Did you get to RMAF this year or did you hear these at a dealer?

Anyway - I'm sure you already have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Mike
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