Comparison of amps and preamps is tough. I would suspect the 12.1 may be a better stereo amp but it may be more a matter of taste (different not necessarily better). The evo stuff is so good and very neutral which I like. I believe my friend considers the esoteric gear an improvement over his previous evo equipment but it is also more expensive (he is also running 2 of the new stereo amps in a biamp arrangement). Another buddy felt his system with sonus faber stradavari speaker never sounded better. Is this more a matter of synergy? I have heard comments on the brightness of Valhalla but I have no issues with this and felt it is more of a synergy issue and perhaps revealing something else going on in the chain. If you are able to sample a valhalla I think it might be worth a try, you might be very pleased. I have found with Valhalla in particular there is a synergy that takes place when your whole system is wired the same. I am very anxious to replace my Valkyrie speaker cable with Valhalla but have been looking for a good price. The burmester dealer here is also a nordost, focal etc dealer and he has already had a number of customers trade in a 1st gen for the new series 2. Unfortunately he would not accept mine on trade ( he usually does) so I may place on audiogon. It might be worth trying one or two at a time given the cost perhaps with a key interconnect. I have heard and believe that power cords are the most important followed by the interconnect. You may be very surprised what one will do for the esoteric cd. When I replaced my tyr and brahma I was startled by the improvement (you may be able to locate trade ins given the new series for a good price). As to placement of speakers I have no choice and have always liked my system in the living room. Mine is 12ft by 19ft.I am having more of a bass issue with some music although that has been minimized with proper set up and I know it would improve greatly if I got them up on their spike particularly with my floating bamboo floors. It gets tons of use and living in a condo makes it very difficult to have a decent dedicated sound room. The new 800Diamond is an improved version and lighter. I bet it would be an amazing match with your gear. Best wishes.
Your system looks fantastic. Ive heard wonderful things about Edge gear, but since I live in Mexico City, most high end brands are usually unavailable for audition down here. In your experience, how do Edge amps and preamps compare to the Sim Evo gear?
As for those B&W speakers, my Brother also has 800Ds, driven by a Burmester 911mk3 amp: pretty sweet, indeed! B&Ws are available in Mexico, so they may represent a logical upgrade path, once I am ready to let go of my vintage Thiels.
Thanks for your comments on cables. I am a big Nordost fan. When I purchased the Tyrs, my Dealer in San Francisco advised me against getting Valhallas, as they may be too bright a match for the Thiels: these are truly unforgiving speakers and mask absolutely nothing.
However, as the Esoteric transport and DAC are recent additions to my rig, I find myself hunting for digital and analog interconnects that will complement and enhance the performance of the P-03 and D-03, which so far have proven to be razor-sharp. There is actually a local Dealer of Crystal Cables, so I will give them a try.
Last, but not least, I see that you also have your speakers placed right in front of your window. I have no other option myself, but I understand this may be having a big effect on system brightness. Are you dealing with this issue in some particular way?
Love your system. I am using an esoteric cd/sacd player and have a friend who is running an all esoteric system-amps run in bi amp mode, pre, top one box cd/sacd with outboard clock (he did own the moon gear as well). I see you are running nordost tyr which I also use to run. Have moved up to Valhalla and I am very pleased. That would be a good upgrade given the quality of your gear and you will notice a significant improvement. With Valhalla2 now available there are some good deals on the original series (trade in, demo and new price deals). My buddy with the esoteric gear is running Crystal Ultra cables and this is not only a very good performer but also visually attractive and because of it minimal design is very easy to route behind your gear with a much cleaner look.(I am in this section of opinions please under-It Has Taken Years). Best wishes
