Thanks everyone. I will likely stick with NAD then but I plan to look into the other brands mentioned to gain a bit of knowledge.
A friend of mine owns a NAD M3. He loves it but he's had to send it out for repairs 2 or 3 times and was not terribly impressed with their service department. Can anyone comment on that? |
Quite the discussion I have sparked!
I'm looking at a budget of around $2000 CDN but if I find a smoking hot deal on a Pass Labs piece I could see myself breaking the bank perhaps up to $4000 or so.
My speakers are Monitor Audio RX6's and before those I had some Axiom M80's. I replaced my Bryston 7B SST2's with the NAD C355bee but I still use my BP25 as a preamp. My transport is a Cambridge 751BD and my DAC is a Bryston BDA-1.
The reason for switching up my amps and speakers was because I moved across the country and downsizing was ultimately inevitable- though I quite welcomed the opportunity to try something different.
I absolutely love the RX6's and for that reason I can see myself moving further up the line to the Gold GX300's in the somewhat near future. So, I should definitely take that into consideration when selecting an amp. Thanks for all the feedback! |
Slaw,
Can I call you Cole? Anyway, I'm not sure if you've been reading through the rest of this thread but Bombaywalla already left some feedback relatively similar to this and I have addressed it.
I've been at this hobby for the better part of 15 years but perhaps only seriously for the past 5 years or so when my career began to take off. I have more money than some people but by no means am I wealthy. I do agree with you on some points that you make but at the same time I see no reason not to ask others to share their knowledge and experiences over the web to help others make more educated decisions.
Is that not the whole point of a forum? I can guarantee you that they do not exist solely for the purpose of condemning the curiosity and ignorance of perfect strangers to perhaps validate your own. But like you said, I should disregard the feedback of people I have never met. Yourself included.
I would not envy myself if I were to walk into a retailer and have a biased sales person make recommendations to me without having done any homework for myself before hand. I do have a LOT to learn but it would be asinine to suggest that one person knows everything. |
Bombaywalla,
You are absolutely correct. Everyone's experience is going to be completely unique for any number of reasons or variables and because of that I always take the council of others with an open minded grain of salt, if you will.
In regards to warmth, sweetness and pleasant sound I am using those terms to describe the qualities of a higher musical experience that incites a stronger emotional connection to the material.
To be more specific, when I think of "warmth" I think of lower midrange frequencies that have extra lushness and bloom. When I think of "sweetness" I think of upper midrange and lower highs that speak with a sort of ring or resonance. If one were to describe it in the form of distortion I suppose that they would say that those frequencies are louder or exaggerated in some form or another. That is my very personal take on how I describe these perceived, abstract qualities of sound that I felt my Bryston equipment was lacking.
To further build on your feedback, I paid a visit today to Canada's exclusive Pass Labs dealership - Toronto Home of Audiophile. Even though I knew Pass Labs gear is a little outside of my budget (for the time being) I wanted to take the opportunity to hear for myself rather than go by the general consensus and rhetoric of others. That way I could at least establish some kind of reference point in my mind as to what I am looking for in terms of the qualities I just spoke of.
During my visit I auditioned the XA60.5 monoblocks (60 w/ch pure Class A) and the X250.5 stereo amp (250 w/ch Class A/B) with a PS Audio CD player, Pass Labs preamp and Gershman Acoustics Grand Avant Garde speakers.
In short, it was immediately obvious that the Pass Labs equipment had many of the desirable qualities that I was looking for. It was very lively and enjoyable. The pure Class A amps were the most musical in terms of "warmth" and "sweetness" but the Class A/B offered a more dynamic presentation and wider sound stage yet still very musical. Since I like to listen to lots of symphonic music and rock and roll it seems that a Class A/B amp might be better suited for my tastes. Also a bit more affordable than pure Class A.
I spoke with the sales rep in terms of my equipment, my budget and what I'm looking for and his reccommendation was a Cambridge Audio 851W. He did not recommend an M series NAD. When I get a chance I would love to audition the 851W but I fear I may have spoiled myself! If that is the case then I might just wait a bit longer and save up for a Class A/B Pass Labs. |
Zd542
Synergy of components is critical. And your room is always the biggest component! |
On the Canuckaudiomart there is a deal on for a Musical Fidelity A308 for $1300 CDN. I've been in contact with the seller but I feel like I'd be making too much of an impulse purchase. The few reviews I've found suggest that it is (as its brand name suggests) quite musical.
Can anyone add to or comment on that? Seems like a decent price but I know it's also an older unit and I don't know what the service is like with MF. I have heard many positive things in general about Musical Fidelity. |
Thanks again folks. The Threshold amps appear to show up at a lower price points on the used markets. Seems worth while to check out! If I'm lucky I might find a seller in Southern Ontario. There's one for sale in Alberta but freighting heavy and expensive things across Canada is somewhat of a costly hassle.
As for Luxman amps I tend to see a lot of the more vintage models for sale. |
Thank you as well, Blackcloud. That is very helpful information. |
Just a quick update for anyone who has been following...
I have secured a deal on a Musical Fidelity A308 integrated amplifier for $1300 CDN. That model dates back to 2003 (I think ?) but it was manufactured in Great Britain before MF moved the bulk of their manufacturing operations to Asia. It is a dual mono design with 150 watts/ch and gets many good reviews and is said to be very "musical". I look forward to picking it up next week!
Also, I have secured a deal on a beautiful pair of Monitor Audio Gold GX300's. I probably should have opted for the GX200's because of their easier room placement but we'll see how it all works out. Very excited! :) |
It will still be yet another week or so but I'm very excited to finally introduce myself to the Musical Fidelity brand. If I enjoy their sound signature I could see myself moving up to the M6 series. I want to simplify my rig a bit more and get a CD player with a good DAC rather than use a separate one. So the M6 CD player is also on my radar. |
Yes, that's right. An excellent point. From what I understand they still manufacture their higher models in the UK still. Anyway that's very distant on my "radar" I shouldn't really entertain that notion until I have had a good amount of time to listen to the A308 and the GX300's. |
Quite likely! The seller is a gentleman in Southern Ontario. It's like it was waiting there for me! ;) |
Sorry for the wait but I have finally picked up the A308 and the GX 300's.
The A308 integrated is a wonderful amp! In a nutshell, it is more on the neutral side of the spectrum but it is very musical. After a 15 to 20 minute warm up it really comes to life.
Compared to the NAD C355BEE it is much more dynamic and unstrained. The sound doesn't come apart at higher intensities and volumes. The bass is also much tighter and controlled. Very solid build quality. Produces a lot more heat than the NAD.
The preamp section is excellent but I still prefer my Bryston BP25 preamp as I find it to be more dynamic, articulated and a lower noise floor. However, I do find the A308's phono stage to be warmer and more musical than the BP25's phono stage. That makes my turntable very happy! :)
The GX 300's are also fantastic speakers. Compared to the Silver RX6's they have more natural sounding highs, very clear mids and deeper bass extension. Superior sound stage as well. Overall more refined sound. Lot's of finesse! Oh... and did I mention how purdy they are? Terrific craftsmanship that makes for some pleasant eye candy for any hi-fi enthusiast!
The only glaring issue is my room size and speaker placement. For the time being I only have a 10 x 12 bedroom to work with. The GX 200's would probably have been a better option. The speakers are off center and approximately 1 foot from the wall. My equipment is somewhat stacked up in between the speakers, my head is right up against the rear wall and there is a queen sized mattress between me and the speakers.
For a bedroom music system it seriously rocks but for a proper hi-fi setup there is much room for improvement. I'm in the process of negotiating some space in the living room but it is plagued with animals and toddlers.
Thanks to everyone who has been following and contributing to the thread! :) |
The journey continues...
I have purchased a Threshold T400 power amp. Like the MF A308 it is a dual mono design but the Threshold is pure Class A, as most of you probably know already.
It will be arriving at my house tomorrow and I am looking forward to comparing it to the A308. The A308 is an excellent, musical sounding piece though it is not "warm" and lush sounding like the Pass Labs amps I auditioned a few weeks ago. Threshold was suggested earlier in this thread and I figured I would sieze the opportunity once I found one at a reasonable price.
Stay tuned for more! |
A bit of a long overdue update on this discussion.
I definitely didn't realize the can of worms that I was about to open before I began the discussion but it has been highly enlightening.
Earlier in the thread I accused Bryston amps of sounding too neutral and sterile and I wanted something different. Among the Bryston amps I own and have owned are the 7B ST's, 7B THX's, 7B SST2's, 4B THX and some old 4B pros.
I bought a Threshold T-400 in the summer of 2015. When it first arrived at my door I had to send it out for repairs immediately. The repairs were done by an independent tech and the repairs were seemingly successful. The sound was sweet and smooth but the only thing about it that was "warm" was the unit itself. Because of it's 300 watt idling current the damn thing is like a small furnace. Not very ideal in the summer time and also a drag on the electric bills. Listening sessions would be cut short due to the excessive temperature build up in my 2nd floor listening room.
I finally had enough and I pulled the trigger last week on a Bryston 4B THX. Having previously owned a pair of 7B THX's I was very certain of what I was getting myself into. The day after I had committed myself to the 4B THX my friend Murphy paid me a random visit. He's a lawyer and whenever he shows up, things seem to go sideways. In this case the right channel of my Threshold started to distort significantly. After a quick round of trouble shooting it was obvious that it needed to go back to the shop - Again. And this time, to a different shop.
The Threshold is still in the shop but I will wait to "Pass" my final judgement until it has a clean bill of health from my new tech. The T-400 is a highly esteemed amp with somewhat of a cult status to it. Many describe it as one of Nelson's best sounding amps. I found it to be sweet and smooth but even with silver speaker wire (Audioquest Comet) the midrange seemed a little too laid back and the bass always seemed shy or muted through my Monitor Audio Gold GX 300's. Until I plugged in the 4B THX I wasn't really sure if those issues were because of the speakers or the amp.
The 4B THX brought my system to life again. The bass had the weight, depth and control that you can expect from a Bryston amp. The midrange had a forward sounding presence. The soundstage was big and wide and overall very dynamic. I had to change the speaker wire to my Audioquest CV-8 (all copper) to get the right balance but overall I found the Bryston to offer a more musical experience.
I will be fair and re-audition the Threshold once again after it comes back from the shop but it is very likely that the Bryston will stay in my system!
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