lowrider nailed it
My system has been essentially the same for a couple years; Marantz HD CD- 1 used as a transport, Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 (preamp/dac), WireWorld cabling, and Emerald Physics KC II speakers with WW wire loom upgrade and Clarity Caps). Amp was Audio Alchemy DPA-1 (both AA pieces got a fabulous review in TAS just 3 years ago) but at 125w was not able to create an adequate spl in my large room.
I then tried PS Audio M700s, which, at ~ 2.5xs the wattage did much better job in my room, but fortunately, I got wind of Ric Schultz’s new EVS 1200 class D (as were the other amps) but Ric uses the newest IcePower 600w modules (2 per amp= true dual mono) with lots of tweaks to the modules and elsewhere. All this for $2200 sounds too good to be true, He offers a money back guarantee, so with nothing to loose I dug deep into my bug out money and took the plunge, knowing I would sell the DPA-1 if the 1200 brought the goods.
Rics 1200 is not an off the shelf amp. It takes him a good bit of time to do the mods, and each is built to order, though he does so in small batches. It took almost 2 full months to get it. While it sounded good from the get- go, the transformation from ~50-80 hours play time was jaw dropping. The music sounds intimate/delicate when it is, and brash and bold when it is. When properly recorded, the music is EXTREMELY life-like, still catching me off guard.
For me, the analog v digital debate is no longer an issue, but I will try a 'better" dac
My system has been essentially the same for a couple years; Marantz HD CD- 1 used as a transport, Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5 (preamp/dac), WireWorld cabling, and Emerald Physics KC II speakers with WW wire loom upgrade and Clarity Caps). Amp was Audio Alchemy DPA-1 (both AA pieces got a fabulous review in TAS just 3 years ago) but at 125w was not able to create an adequate spl in my large room.
I then tried PS Audio M700s, which, at ~ 2.5xs the wattage did much better job in my room, but fortunately, I got wind of Ric Schultz’s new EVS 1200 class D (as were the other amps) but Ric uses the newest IcePower 600w modules (2 per amp= true dual mono) with lots of tweaks to the modules and elsewhere. All this for $2200 sounds too good to be true, He offers a money back guarantee, so with nothing to loose I dug deep into my bug out money and took the plunge, knowing I would sell the DPA-1 if the 1200 brought the goods.
Rics 1200 is not an off the shelf amp. It takes him a good bit of time to do the mods, and each is built to order, though he does so in small batches. It took almost 2 full months to get it. While it sounded good from the get- go, the transformation from ~50-80 hours play time was jaw dropping. The music sounds intimate/delicate when it is, and brash and bold when it is. When properly recorded, the music is EXTREMELY life-like, still catching me off guard.
For me, the analog v digital debate is no longer an issue, but I will try a 'better" dac