2. speakers
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I think I've made up my mind

After having auditioned the following :

1. Avantgarde Uno G2 + Audio Note SET amp/Pathos Twin Towers integrated amp
2. Magico V2 + Soulution 720 pre + 710 power amps
3. Sonus Faber Elipsa/Wilson Sasha + ARC Ref 3 + Ref 110
4. Thiel CS3.7 + Parasound JC1 pre + JC2 power amps

...and after weighing all factors like room interaction, degree of difficulty of setting-up, value for money, magazine reviews, and comments posted here and AVguide.com....

...the winner is: Thiel CS3.7 + Parasound JC1/JC2!

Now for the cables. MF and JA of Stereophile noted that the specs of Parasound show ultra-wide bandwidth and high-current capability which reminds me of Spectral amps. Therefore, would MIT Magnum MA speaker cables and interconnects be a good match? Anyone has any other suggestion? Thanks.
jtein

Showing 7 responses by pubul57

pubul57
3,712 posts
 
They said that? Great marketing if your looking for an unstable amp.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
"Extremely dull" sounds extremely extreme.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Tomorrow might be a good day to buy a used Ref3:)
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Did you mean it is not dynamic or that it does not have high frequency presence?
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
John, that would cause a high frequency roll-off, no? I'm not sure if that is what is meant here by dull, but the Ref 3 certainly sounded dynamic as heck, but that was into a 100kohm load, I think Pass amps need SS preamps or tube pre with 500ohm or less Zout.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Well, I guess we can say the ARC Ref3 may be dull and bland with Pass XA.4 amps, and that might very well be true with that combination. I've just heard the preamp sound anything but dull and bland which makes me think it is not an inherent quality, but like much else a question of matching components.
pubul57
3,712 posts
 
Since higher input impedance always appears to be better, why don't SS desingers provide 100kohm input impedances. I would think the problem is that to do so requires a tradeoff they are not willing to make, but I don't know what that might be -- anyone?
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