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Unico vs. ASL AQ1003DT

Hi everyone,

I've currently re-entered the market for an integrated amp.

I was put into a situation where i was forced to sell most of my gear: Sold a Unison Research Unico, Neat Mystiques, MSB Link DACIII w/ upsampling...

I'm now looking to put together another little system on a budget.

I picked up a used pair of NHT 1.5, which I used to own eons ago and which sounded quite nice with my Unico when i'd swap them in place of the Neats (just for testing purposes, of course).

Still have the NHT's and I remember hearing them w/ an ASL amp way back in the day...sounded quite good, from what I can recall.

Now, the Unico is about double the price of the ASL retail, but I'm wondering if anyone has compared the two strictly from a performance standpoint. Further, would the 30wpc ASL be able to drive the NHT's to decent volumes? the NHT's are rated at 86db/w/m, but apparently, despite that rating, are easy to drive.

Thoughts? help? advice?

anything would be appreciated.

current setup:

NHT 1.5
Rotel RCD 971
Ecosse Cables

Thanks everyone!
loose

Showing 1 response by gbmcleod

gbmcleod
427 posts
 
I have an ASL AQ1003. Earlier model. I drive Usher 718s with them, and except for the loudest crescendos, they seem to do quite well. Ushers, by the way are rated at 87db, but are most likely 85db as I have several other 87db speakers that require less volume on the same amp. That said, thd 1003s are wonderful at providing a musical experience that affects you emotionally. They image well, but are slightly dark. They have good bass, but are not exceptionally tight down there. sound best on plucked bass instruments, great on tubas, woodwinds, brass. Probably do not separate strings as well as other instruments due to a small amount of grain in the upper midrange (compared to the Hurricanes, which I also have). Soundstaging is pretty tall, deep and wide, but not so much beyond the speakers in the front, although the back of the stage seems wider.
I wish I knew about the Unico, but I do not.
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