2. amps-preamps
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Plinius or Mark Levinson for Grand Pianos?

Which one will yield better results with the Sonus Faber Grand Piano Concerto, the Plinius SA-100 MKIII or the Mark Levinson No. 27?

Currently running ARC D130 and found it lacked power to drive the GP's. Looking for more a more detailed and dynamic sound. I personally lean towards the Plinius but was afraid the 100W wouldn't be too sufficient to drive the GP's to optimum since the 130W ARC D130 didn't have the power either.

Any comments appreciated.
ryder
magnepanmike
57 posts
 
I am an ARC fan and I have owned the D-130. When compared to the ARC 100.2, the D-130 sounded lifeless. Either the 100.2 is really really good, or the D-130 is really lackluster. Just my two cents.....

magnepanmike
ryder OP
1,682 posts
 
Well Kops I don't have a preamp at the moment and currently running the amp straight into my XA7ES CD player. Will get a preamp once I get the Plinius SA100MkIII. Yet to sort out that one. My room is pretty huge so I need the power but will soon place my system in a smaller room to eradicate the problem.

At least now I know I'm not the only one who felt that the ARC D130 sounded lifeless. That's good. Now I can expect some improvements in my upgrade. I've nothing against ARC and I do know the 100.2 is a great amp, but I wanted to try something different and furthermore the aesthetics of the Plinius is very appealing to me.
ryder OP
1,682 posts
 
I have got the Plinius SA-100MkIII for my Grand Pianos. Despite running the amp cold in the first 30 minutes, I can verify that the Plinius is a huge step up from the ARC D130.

Jadem6 you are right I am very happy with the upgrade. Basically everything improved. The Grand Pianos are not too laid-back as I have thought of earlier -the ARC D130 is just purely lacklustre. (Please note that this is a comparison between the SA-100MkIII and the ARC D130)

The Plinius is very airy and dynamic. With the SA-100MkIII, dynamics and transient attack were improved by leaps and bounds. More detail at the top end and the bottom end was much firmer and full compared to the wooly bass of the ARC D130. Music sounded like music now, much more lively with a greater soundstage.

Bottom-line is that the Plinius is a much better amp than the ARC D130. Okay got to get back to my listening chair now since the system has more or less warmed up after more than an hour!
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