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Positive Shout-Out for Music Reference/Ram Labs - Excellent Product/Superb Cust Service

Recently acquired an RM-9 MK2...very, very, nice amp, exudes quality, sounds fabulous. I called and left a message ...had some questions, and wanted to have it gone over, tubes tested/sorted, and ultimately, some minor upgrades. I received a call back that same evening, after their business hours. Roger and Tony were very communicative and kept me updated the whole way.

I guess that kind of service should be taken for granted...but, unfortunately, it’s rare that I experience it these days.

I wish I had known about these guys earlier in my journey...businesses like these with excellent products and service deserve our patronage.

(OK we can go back to talking about Synergistic Red Fuses now ; )
ml8764ag
bradf's avatar
bradf
288 posts
 
@ml8764ag

What preamp have you chosen to mate with your RM-9 MK2?


Thanks
Brad



ml8764ag's avatar
ml8764ag OP
199 posts
 
Brad, Right now using cj et3....love that pre-amp..... I know that many advocate the best pre is no pre (can run my dac directly if I chose)....but my ears disagree ...I think a nice pre can really make a big difference.

bradf's avatar
bradf
288 posts
 
Thank You,  ml8764ag. I will retain the info. Down the road I may go with the Music Reference amp., but its really hard to say for sure. Every time I come up with a set of components I may consider for my next system, I come up with another set of workable synergy and technicaly compatible components that I like. 
jafant's avatar
jafant
10,525 posts
 
Another +vote for Conrad Johnson gear.  Happy Listening!
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

Yup knghifi, Roger Mojeski is one of my favorite hi-fi designers (a few others being Richard Vandersteen, Jim Winey, and Bruce Thigpen---guys whose products offer very high performance at their price points). I met Roger when he did a seminar at Brooks Berdans shop, during which he discussed the design of his then-new RM-10 amp. After the talk I asked him if he recommended that amp or his RM9 (nice score ml8764ag! Assuming the RM-9 Mk.2 you just acquired is the one that was here on Audiogon last week.) for use with my old Quads. He asked me what I was currently using, and when I responded a pair of Quad II originals and a Bedini 25/25, he asked me why I thought I needed a new amp for the Quads, that the model II was a real good one for those speakers. A manufacturer discouraging the purchase of one of his products?!

I really respect how Roger works on the design of his products for years before bringing them to market, fine tuning their circuits so as to make subsequent updates/mods very rare (not to mention repairs), their ownership therefore not a constant drain on ones bank account. He also designs for long tube life, running them very conservatively. The RM-9, still competitive with contemporary offerings from other designers, went through only one design change in over twenty years, from the original to the Mk.2. Same with his current RM-200 Mk.2 (a really creative piece of engineering which achieves around 10,000 hours of life from it’s two KT-88/KT-120/6550 output tubes per channel, creating over 100 watts per!) which has resided in the Class A/Tube category in Stereophiles Recommended list since Fremer reviewed it 2011. The original RM-200 had also been there during it’s time, gaining an underground reputation of being an over-achiever at it’s modest price. The Music Reference amps, especially the RM-10 and RM-200, also have a look of understated elegance that really appeals to me.

I wish I still lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, and could therefore enroll in the Audio Engineering course he teaches there!

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