Spectral DMA 150 compares to Rowland Model 6 and 8

vtin: in my experience mit is NOT synergistic with jrdg and avalon. FWIW, just this past weekend, i listened to mit V1 oracle on eidolons driven by an accuohase a-50v. tara air 2, which costs a small fraction of the mit, sounded much more open and airy. as always, YMMV. -kelly

Vtin-
I have a spectral DMA 180/DMC 20 connnected to Avalon Opus with all Spectral/MIT Cables. This system was jointly designed to work together. In my experience, the Rowland amps tend to be much warmer than the Spectral, which has a much cleaner, more neutral sound.
Good Luck

You didn't say if you are using a Spectral preamp. The use of an all Spectral is critical in getting the total Spectral/MIT/Avalon package: detail, holographic imaging, the recording reproduced as it was recorded yet with warmth if the setup is comoplete(dedicated circuits, MIT line conditioning).

Using the Spectral digital system makes a huge difference as well. I was using a Theta Gev 5a with a Jade transport. Moving to the Spectral digital system was night and day. The synergy with the rest of the system really shows when the entire package is put together.

Those that regard Spectral as bright and forward are correct if the entire setup is not topnotch. It took me three years to get to that point.

Sorry to pontificate........

Tim

Tim
I completely agree. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go for the spectral front end (too $$$). I opted for the Accuphase DP-75V-which works well within this system.
Carl

Vtin:

Just a note. Spectral now has a 150 Studio Universal which has a small Spectral preamp circut inside. You can use it with a non-Spectral preamp. The sound is comparable to the 360 mono blocks at half the price. I am using it with a Theta Casa Nova and Spectral interconnects/speaker cables.

-Greg

I am thinking of connecting a Wadia 850 directly to a Spectral DMA 150 (without a preamp), would there be any matching problem? Do I need a Spectral pre-amp to go with it?

What is Spectral 150 Studio Universal? Is that the same as DMA 150 II?

Greg
Your post implies that the standard DMA 150 cannot be used without a Spectral Preamp. If that's the case, does this hold true for the DMA-180? I'm looking at a used DMA 180, but I have a preamp from another manufacturer. Does this mean I cannot use the DMA 180 with that preamp?
--Matt

Matt
Both the standard DMA-150, and DMA-180 require a Spectral preamp. Spectral also requires the use of MIT interconnects, and speaker cables to keep the warrantee in effect.
It does limit your options, but as stated above, the synergy is incredible.

Carl

The Spectral amp requires significant current for its input driver, something Spectral preamps provide while others *may* not. Spectral amps require MIT speaker cables since the wide bandwidth requires a low pass filter or Zobel network to prevent potential amplifier oscillation due to RF resulting from the Megahertz bandwidth. Spectral's approach is that the cable is part of the system, which makes sense when you think about it. I owned a Spectral DMC-20 preamp; incredible dynamics but a bit too brilliant. I also have a Rowland Model 2 amp and battery, which is very clear, a bit round and warm but with purity of timbre. Rowland M6/M8 also use input transformers, something I've found to be very beneficial and have added to other parts of my setup to break the ground noise from leakage current that's tied to the equipment chassis. TIs do this safely; lifting the safety ground on a plug is a dangerous way to float equipment. I'd say Rowland and Spectral are opposite approaches. Both are interesting. I'm considering adding a DMA150 myself for an alternative system. The difference is that you have to really go for a Spectral preamp/amp/speaker cable system to do it justice (why have a wide bandwidth amp if the input is rolled off? Defeats the purpose). Good luck.