Well, I have to get back from the business trip lol, I don’t have them fully set up yet
Oh the anticipation… I can feel it
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the midrange is even more addicting then the old Dynaudio midrange …super smooth but detailt
bass improves too but i will use my subwoofer
you also need to increase the listening distance… 40.2 don’t work well NF … Supers really need to be at least 4.6 feet away from each other to get decent driver integration
uhhh tubes and Harbeth love each other
but a lot of SS amps wort great too especially Accuphase
because of my limited budget i will go with Rega for the ultimate warm english midrange
I can only recommend trying different stands with Harbeth, for some reason they respond a lot to different types of stands.
Yeah for sure, talking about the p3esr when saying nearfield makes sense
I’m using rogue audio apollo dark monoblocks for the 40.2’s, how do you feel about that pairing? It’s prob not ideal but I got a really good deal on the monoblocks
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Use cables with 4 plugs on the speaker side and leave the bridges way
I have no experience your amplifiers because I am simply a solid state fan and do not deal with tubes.
Nevertheless they are certainly better than many normal SS Amps. Harbeth hardly need any power despite not being so efficient.
The best sound I have achieved by far at the dealer with a Class-A E-650. That thing has really melted my brain. But this amplifier also melts your wallet.
Sugden would be worth a try and even if I’m not a Naim fan I want to try one with Harbeth. Now I have to get the speakers fist and I will use my Rega Elex-R.
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Hmmm, I could sell those monoblocks and buy this and have a few grand left over… I always hear about accuphase but never heard any of their gear. I will also try them on my halo a21+ and see how that is
Sugden amps are pretty sweet, but I think I perfer my parasound in that range
Edit: I would also sell my RP-9 preamp then if I sold my monoblocks and have around 25k usd for an amp and preamp
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My local dealer is obsessed with Accuphase and has everything in his showroom. I would replace a lot of amplifiers with Accuphase stuff, If I had the money lol. I especially like their Preamps because they do tube like Soundstage.
Hmmm have you heard the E-800 50th anniversary? That would be something I could reasonably pick up
No but I know the A-75 is godlike.
Accuphase has a unique brand sound…
You should try one bevor buying. But the realizability and resell value does make buying Accuphase a good Investment.
Hmmm. I really don’t know tbh. I feel like if I wanted to really sell my current amps and upgrade, getting a matching aries cerat to match my dac would be something I would lean more towards
Tubes are cool, I can’t judge you.
Tubes not only warm your room but your heart too.
I mean I lean either way, more interested in how an amp sounds and less if it’s got tubes or not tbh. I just think a cerat stack would be pretty sweet (but prob way too much money lol, the dac was pricey enough)
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To you, how important do you think a preamp would be to the signal chain as I know this is pretty debated, as some say the preamp is the most important component, where some say that is not the case. I am looking at some matching gear and was wondering what you would say is reasonable. Do you think that spending the same amount on a preamp as your power amp is reasonable? Just curious to see what you think, as I already know my answer lol
You didn’t ask me but…
I don’t think there is a right answer to that.
I used a passive pre-amp for a while, but I run Valve Monoblocks all be it relatively dry ones, so my chain already has some color.
Preamps are probably the best place in a chain to add color.
I use a “vintage” Melos pre-amp now.
If I were still investing in my stereo, I’d probably get rid of the Valve Monoblocks, move to something relatively neutral and SS, and concentrate on finding the right Preamp for the sound I want.
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Interesting. With what I am looking at, a preamp will substantially drive up the cost and make it not as appealing to me. The reason I am interested in upgrading is because I got the rogue monoblocks and preamp at a very good price, and I have been talking to someone else I know who I can sell them for a profit for (of course I would still be giving him a good deal)
Here is the preamp I am looking at:
Here is the power amp to go along with it that I would consider:
Otherwise, there is this integrated (more affordable for sure):
For now this is all just thought and I don’t know if I will end up following through with any of it
As I said I don’t think there is a right answer.
On my system the preamp is providing the bulk of the color, and I think that’s the right place for Valves in a system.
Valve Monoblocks are expensive if they have reasonable power and most of the good ones don’t really add a ton of color, so you have to start questioning the value.
Mine are 130W/Channel (Class A) and have 2 input and 6 output tubes/amp, so your looking at $500-$1000 to re-tube every 3-5 years.
They also made my listening room (when I had a dedicated one) intolerably warm in the summer.
I’d prefer a bit more headroom on my speakers, the easiest way to get that is to go SS.
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Value is the biggest thing here at the moment. It really comes down to what I want to spend. I could sell off my other amps and a speaker setup and be able to get this stuff reasonably. To put it into perspective I found a price list (which they don’t really release lol), but of course I would be buying used because I now know someone who can handle this stuff
It really comes down to what I would be willing to do for better sound. And that I have to decide
Also sorry for hijacking your thread @StefanKamer , back to finding you a reasonable speaker you can get ahold of
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Yes this is always the case.
I never got up into those numbers, I had too many other hobbies.
But when I was spending real money on my stereo it was always about experimenting, and trying things as much as some target endgame. So I always prefer to change one component and listen, there is a huge difference between hearing something and living with it IME.
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Yes that is very true for sure. I was just so enthralled with the sound of the dac I got and the fact that it would pair extremely well with a matching preamp and power amp would be awesome for me.