Special Spectral??

I auditioned at length a spectral amp DMA150(150Wx2) and preamp DMC12 with MIT Oracle V4 cables (the salesman said that MIT was required...?) pushing Wilson Sophia speakers (cost almost $12k) this past weekend and I was less than impressed. I thought the sound lacked body, was too bright, and not at all extended in the lows. I don't know which component in the system contributed most to these (IMO) deficiencies but I would suspect the Spectrals were since I have heard Sophias sound better with Classe 201. The cables cost $6k so the Spectrals were indeed the least costly (relatively speaking) items in the group. This does not mean that cheaper is worse since I vastly prefer the sound of my McIntosh/Paradigm Reference setup that cost less than half of the one mentioned here (btw, I use MIT cables and LOVE them). I really wanted to like the Spectral/Wilsons but couldn't. They just were not doing it for me eventhough their soundstage was excellent. In all fairness, it could have been the speakers I did not like but at any rate, it made me happy to return to my little setup at home. Whether you like Spectrals or not, I would get MIT cables anyway as I find them the finest sounding although they are ridiculously bulky and stiff.

Aball,

I own the newest Spectral, and run them with Souns Faber Amati Homage. While the Spectral gear is very neutral, some of the older stuff, such as the DMC-12, are on the lean side. The Wilsons I have heard with other, "warmer" solid state gear, sounds exactly as you described.

IMO, I feel that with the Amati's or Avalon's, the Spectral/MIT gear is some of the finest solid state available. Fast, clean, dynamic, with weight body, and low-end slam.

I also concur with the MIT comments. I've always wondered why people don't think of the cables outside the system (if they've been designed to work with that type) just as they would witht he cables "inside" the component or speaker, matching inputs and binding posts to drivers or gain stages, etc.

If you like the sound of the Spectral/MIT stuff, who cares?

The only reason I'm selling mine is that I'm downgrading to a small tube integrated. I'll be sad to see the Spectral go.

Happy listening.

Tom

I have used Spectral with other cables. I find the interconnects unnecessary, never heard the superiority of MIT there. I like Synergistic there. I don't believe that is necessay.

I have tried other cables against the MIT for speakers and have also preferred others. The MITs in my opinion, roll off the highs a bit and sound a bit unfocused. I use Walker Audio High definition links in parallel and these filter off the ultrasonic fequencies that might cause oscillation or harm to the speakers. You should use some kind of Zobel network when using non-Spectral cables though.

I hate to be a curmudgeon, but I find your description of the Sophia /Spectral system to describe pretty close my listening impressions of the Sophia's themselves.