My Long List of Amplifiers and My Personal Review of Each!
Watch some of his videos and read some of his Youtube comments, it's quickly apparent that's his entire MO, attack brands he doesn't sell to push brands that he does, and then attack people who either disagrees or calls him out. |
@Belpat, I have owned the Spendor D9.2, they are great speakers. They are very high resolution so you will want amplification that has a continuous quality and add body to the sound if that makes sense. The Luxman 590 AXII is a great SS choice. The Line Magnetic 805IA is a great tube choice. If you can up your budget, a used Gryphon Diablo 300 would be the ticket. |
@Belpat In that case since you only want SS, your choices become simpler, home audition each of the following and pick one: Luxman 590 AXII - Lots of bloom and body, not as tight or grippy on bass control Accuphase - I haven’t heard this, but usually people say it’s more bloomy and lush than Luxman Gryphon Diablo 300 - Very dynamic and bold sound, but lack a bit of refinement, sometimes can be very raw and brash but huge bass slam Boulder 866 - A good balance between dynamics, speed, authority and refinement, great everywhere but it doesn’t add artificial bloom or body, so cable matching might be important to make sure it’s not too lean on the Spendor which is already super fast. And yes, 30W class A is enough for the Spendor, the Luxman will output higher into AB anyway. |
I would agree Jay. Your commentary on gear is based on a wide set of experiences, and those of us who don't have as many reference points really appreciate those experiences coming through your commentary. Your neutrality and honesty is also very refreshing. On the other hand, typically the interviews are with the representative of a single brand who have good intentions but invariably also some biases and commercial interests. This is doubly true if it's an interview with a brand that haven't gotten much exposure on your channel first, like Krell, which will end up a bit disjointed. I imagine it might have done better if it was Shunyata or MSB which were recent topics of conversation. What might be more interesting is more collaborations and conversations with other prolific Youtube audiophiles or reviewers, those would do numbers. |
This whole butt kicking argument is utterly pointless. On one hand, 60/40 is by no means a butt kicking, especially if you take price into consideration. On the other hand, this is over Youtube. What you hear on a Youtube video is not remotely the same as what you would hear a component do in the room. You are not going to hear the difference in refinement, depth, layering, speed, and whatever else. So that 60/40 score is not even valid in the first place. Again, it's a pointless argument. |
@melbguyone, all good questions. I think I'm considering a power amp. I have some Dynaudio Focus 380s, Benchmark DAC2, Mcintosh MC7270 and A 6SN7 tube preamp from Aric Audio. I listen to all genres, electronic/house, acoustic guitars, modern classical, jazz, old big band music, mostly streamed from Tidal. My room is small and not ideal. It's only 12' front wall to back wall, but 15' wide, with one side being glass double doors, the other side open to a kitchen area. My couch has its back right against the back wall. I have some treatment coming, but pretty much not conducive to good sound. I've heard 802 D3s and Revel Salons in demo systems that really had incredible sound stage, clarity with musicality, and most of all the emotional (music in the room) connection, and have been looking at different things to chase that. The tube preamp helped A LOT, and now I'm wondering if a different power amp will get me closer... |
Jay, love your content on the Youtube channel, especially the long form discussions sharing your thoughts on the components. A future video that I'm looking forward to is the Wilson video you teased earlier where you would go through the entire family line and share your thoughts and sweet spots. Another very interesting video idea could be talking through your journey and learnings on room treatment in your room, and how you made it work with a home theatre setup as well. Keep up the good work! |
Jay, I have a Boulder 1110 preamp and just tried the stock power cord for the first time tonight, and I’m a bit dumbfounded by how good it sounds. I compared it with Audioquest Firebird Source cable and dare I say I slightly prefer the stock one. The AQ cable has a very huge soundstage but loses some transparency and focus as a trade-off, almost like it’s adding reverb to the soundstage. I remember you also experienced really good sound with the stock cord on the 2110. What power cable are you using on the line stage now? Have you found one that bests the stock cable? |
Jay, I recently tried the Audioquest Dragon Zero in my Boulder 1110 + Boulder 1160 system (big mistake). The sound is absolutely incredible, the solidity, purity, grain free yet dynamic presentation. I can't spend $20K plus on speaker cables at the moment, in your experience, what's a speaker cable for the Boulder setup that can compete at a more reasonable price say $5K MSRP? |
Jay, you mentioned that you were thinking of MBL but are put off by possible electronics matching. I wouldn't be put off by that, I've heard the big 101s and small 126s with the Boulder 1110 + 1160 combo, and they had amazing synergy. Myself and others all thought MBL with Boulder sounded better than with MBL's own electronics. Boulder brings a level of incisiveness and authority that was missing with an all MBL system. |
I have heard quite a few MBL systems, with racks between the speakers, with subs in the back, they all sounded fantastic. Also as I mentioned before, they don't need MBL electronics. The Boulder helped MBL be more focused and image better, but it's true they are omni directional so imaging will never be as precise as dynamic box speakers. Speaking of which, a few recommendations on speakers I have heard that have jumped out as very special: Joseph Audio Pearl 3 - incredible bass and sound stage for relative small stature, heard the back to back with some Wilson Alexx and they were not embarrassed by any means. Amazing midrange timber with dynamics. PMC Fenestria or MB2 - $60K flagship PMC speaker heard in a London show with AVM monoblocks, easily bested B&W 800 D3 and Focal Grand Utopia at the same show. Also better than big Wilsons I heard at a dealer’s dedicated room the day before. It’s the combination of cohesiveness, incredible dynamic contrast, effortless detail and scale, incredibly balanced yet has that special something. Vivid B1 Decade (and Giya) - Listened to these with Jadis amps, was floored by the tonality and timbre, instruments sounded like the material they are made from, the emotion and intention of the singers were like I’ve never heard and effortless articulate bass from such a small cabinet. |
@kps25sc I have heard the same MBL setups in the same room with different electronics, both large and small MBL setups at that. Also compared them to the MBL 101 Extreme at the same time. I would say I have a wider set of experience than someone who has just owned one pair of MBL in their homes, maybe not as in depth. |
@whitecamaross, I have the same experience with stock power cords on my Boulder setup, they're so good that I only worry about power cords on my DAC and streamer now. It's very odd because they look just like normal cheap computer power cords. As for MBL with other electronics, I've only heard them with Boulder but not Gryphon. They were a wonderful match with Boulder, which brought out the sparkle and definition in the sound without being bright or etched. Also from what I've heard and read, the bigger MBLs are more prone to brightness than the smaller ones. @kps25sc Fair point on the A/B of the gear location within the same setup. That I have not done, so very well might be much better with an optimal room setup. |
@jays_audio_lab Bumping a previous post here, how is the Furutech outlet playing in your system now, did burn in help and turn it around? |
Inna, everything in audio is a compromise and trade-off, every single part from the chassis panel to binding post to the feet the amp stands on. It makes no sense to draw the line at mono vs. stereo as if it's some unsurmountable gulf in performance or a singular deterministic attribute. In reality everything is on a spectrum, plenty of people use SOTA speakers with stereo amps that perform much better for their taste than some monos will. |
