BAT to BAT - What's Best?

Just emphasizing the point that a remote is not a compromise in a well designed preamp, it will not audibly mask anything important and it offers one to slowly dial in just the right setting for a great performance from the listening chair..where it matters most! My experience and those of my friends has been that passive remoteless systems are problematic or tweaky at best with great inconvenience..but some will always enjoy the cult of old technology. Stupid is as stupid does I geuss...I apologise for the strong feelings..I prefer emotion and passion to passive politeness..did I say that..my bad.

Just out of curiousity Dave_b, have you tried say a Placette passive with a tube amp? Or ar you simply judging the passive's performance with a solid state amp?

I ask because system synergy is everything. I'm glad you are happy with your system now, it's a wonderful thing, being happy. I also prefer an active preamp with remote. However, I would never insinuate that those who choose differently from me are stupid. I would be a fool to do so. I've heard SET amps sound glorious, even though they are not my choice. I've heard passive controls sound incredible with the right source and amp. I've heard silver cables sound fantasitic in some systems, no small feat, I haven't heard this until the last couple of years.

I've also heard active preamps w/ or w/o remotes sound bad.

So what's the point of calling names? TALKING LOUDER or throwing insults doesn't make you more right. It may show a lack of experience on your end, but that's all.

John

Blindjim,

Sorry to hijack this thread, but can you recall as to why it's a "No" to the Shunyata Aries? I seek what in you seek in your original post.

Thanks.

You might want to send him an email Ryder. I would be curious to why also.

Yes. Actually I can. The Aries I used was (according to a shunyata official), not burned in properly. in fact it was 'overburned'. the resultant sonic complextion was one of a lack luster presentation. The detail and resolution depicting the SS was so smooth as to be remarkably uninvolving. One good thing was you could play your worst Cd, the one with the most sibilence, and it would sound fine... er.

so my experience with the Aries was by and large skewed at the onset, given the info from Shunyata. I should also add that the next step up, the Altair, could well have been a keeper in my system, had I not mere days previous made a committment to the synergistic res Ref x2.... The other top contenders were in order; Nirvana SX Ltd, and the Voodoo ultralinear. Both as main ICs, and in XLR style.

The RR x2 won out by degrees and prefs. it did not have the harmonic sweetness the Altair did, nor did it have the amazing sonic envelopment of the SS or timberal naturalness as did the Nirvana SX Ltd.

I chose the Synergistic RR X2 active because it had a slight but noticeable prominence in the mid band area, better bass impact and depiction than either of the aforementioned, save the VooDoo ultralinear which was on par with the RR X2 in the bottom regions, and the presence or immediacy it gave to those items displayed as soloists or featured players, along with the well laid out SS.

Save some degrees of lesser naturalness or organic representation of the musical elements, and i do mean 'by mere degrees only', the RR x2 active ICs account more than well of themselves in that system.

I've since changed out both amp and preamp.... though no wires... and the same attributes can be accounted there as well in so far as the Synergistic cable. I no longer have access to the others.

Additionally, I used the Nirvana SL, not the SX as a main IC... the SX was employed solely as a main source IC from the xa 777 to the VK 5i. I found the SL more akin to the poorly burned in Aries, save the SL had far greater detail and presence, but was surely the warmest cable I've heard yet. A bit too warm even for me. it would have been very nice on my Krell KAV 250, for example, an amp I consider agressive and bright... prehaps.

One point I should make as to the VooDoo Ultrlinear, it possessed almost exactly the timber of the Altair, though better bass... though as I had it for only a brief time after it seemed to quit changing, I can't be sure of the overall once well run in. RMV.

it's all in what one wants or needs for synergy or prefference. I've found I have to usually, trade off one thing for another somewhere along the line. I went off for the presentation as a whole. Timberal accuracy, bass impact, imaging, and SS development. Not quite the ambience retrival of the SX, not quite the harmonic honesty of the Shunyata Altair, but it bettered both in warmth, bass, and a touch better view to the midband than either of the above. Price played a smaller part, to the point of being only slightly significant.

truth be told here... I could well live with either of these three RR, Altair, or SX very well indeed. In fact I'm considering one of the Altair or SX as a source IC to replce the venerable MIT Magnum on the xa777.

Hope that lessens the murkyness. More descriptive info on these cables can be had by reading my reviews of the ten or so cables I auditioned in my system prior to picking the Synergistic RR x2 active, in the reviews here on Audiogone.