Magico Q1 versus ...

Drumiha, that's pretty much the same boat I was in ... wanted the romance of music, and still hear every detail in an immersive soundstage. The Utopia Be, looking back on it was a worse speaker than I thought while owning it. Maybe I liked it because it was a contrast with the Harbeths that I also had. But no, I'd have to say the Focal never really connected with me personally.

I bet the Cayin would be a nice match. I currently have an Ayon Triton II, previously had an Orion but wanted a bit more oomph in Triode mode. Both were a fantastic match with the Cirrus. Even with only 30wpc the Cirrus gets moving pretty good.

That looks like a very very nice amp, Doc77 ; do you have Treasure tubes on it ? they say that Shuguang Treasure are the best KT88 tubes, you also can try Tung-Sol KT120 if you want more power and better dynamics, but you have to make sure that your amp can handle the KT120 properly, since the KT120 tube draws between 100mA (.1A) and 300mA (.3A) more filament current than a standard KT88.

Regarding the Utopia Be, I'm not that convinced anymore, since thou it has his share of qualities, the sounds is a bit on the artificial side.. it doesn't sound as natural as it should and it can be sometimes bright and fatiguing...

Now regarding your speakers, tell me please if you have the standard version of the Cirrus or upgraded. The Cirrus is on my short list, along with the Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne and I am waiting for reviews on the Micro1, to see how does it sound on some relatively unexpensive gear, since when it was presented at audio shows it was driven by 40k worth of equipment and I don't have that. Did Evolution Acoustics MMMicroOne seemed sweet and natural sounding to your ears ? Did it have the same character as the Cirrus ?

PS: I hope I made myself understood properly, if not, don't hold it against me, english is not my native language :)

how is the Q1 sounding compared to the Raidho C1.1

Hey Drumiha, your English is excellent ... I'd say you type more coherently than most Americans :)

Yes, the Triton II has Ayon branded Black Treasures. They are excellent tubes, very sweet and refined sounding. I also have a set of Psvane's which I find a bit more engaging, more lively. Between the two of them, they make for a nice contrast. I've thought about KT-120's, but the Cirrus doesn't need any more power. With my old Utopia Be's though there were many times I thought it could use a bit more drive.

My problem with the Focals wasn't tonal balance problems, just that it never felt refined. I always knew I was listening to a speaker, never felt like real music. And with the Harbeth SHL5's they were just too slow, like maple syrup on a cold day. And there was a tonal balance issue with the Harbeth's, at least for my taste, just too much mid bass emphasis.

My opinion, the MicroOne's having heard them at 2 shows now - they want to be like the Cirrus. They're somewhere inbetween the Cirrus and the Utopia Be's. They're a bit more refined than the Be's, but nowhere near as resolving or able to completely disappear like the Cirrus can. For the price if it ever actually ships the MicroOne should be a good buy. But then again I haven't heard the Vapor Breeze, but from what Ryan tells me about it, I bet it would match or beat the Micro's for a lot less money still.

Oh, and my Cirrus has Clarity MR caps, Dueland resistors, and Amorphous core RAAL tweeter.

Hey Doc,

Thanks for the remark regarding my englis, much apprish.. lol

Very wise decision regarding the upgrades, from what I've read about them over the Internet, they do a bit of a diference when it comes to microdetails over the standard caps and RAAL tweeter. No wonder it beats the microutopia BE also in this chapter.

If you have computer-based system I really really recommend you to use AudioGate player, IMHO it is better than foobar and JRiver when it comes to details and instrument separation and it's free, you just have to link a tweeter account to it and you can start using it. And if you received your pair of Breeze speakers please let us all know how much of the magic of the Cirrus does the Breeze have.