I've updated my system quite a bit in the last year. I had a Rega P5, Dynavector 20x2L, Musical Surroundings Nova Phonomena, Rogue Audio Cronus and DeVore Fidelity Gibbon 8 speakers.
Now I have a Well Tempered Amadeus GTA, an EMT TSD-15N SFL, Dynavector P75 mk.3, Line Magnetic 216IA and DeVore Fidelity 3XL speakers. It was quite a leap over the last system. I'm on my way towards the end game and I'm enjoying the ride.
It has better clarity and resolution. It also has more extended highs and a much better grip on the bass. The Rogue was more of a silky mids type amp, which is not really my preference. The Line Magnetic just seems to make instruments sound more natural and the better low end makes it much more dynamic.
The Tektons I had were the 6.5s, which I don't think are made anymore. I'm guessing they'd sound very different from the Lore models that are currently available.
I'm also looking to hear the new 88s. I want to see how much an improvement they are on the original 8s that I have.
It's a very different presentation than the Rogue. Being 125 watts vs. the 55 watts of the Rogue, means there's a lot more head room. While not as smooth and full bodied as the Rogue, the extra power has given the low end a little more weight. Though, if I dare say so, it may be a little too much power for the DeVore's, as I can't really turn the volume knob past 9 o'clock without it being extremely loud. It has been fun using it though. I think it will be interesting when I switch back to the Rogue and note the differences.
Thanks for the compliments, guys. Afranta, the tuner is actually a Sansui 9090DB. I actually have been using it as my amp this summer, as my apartment gets extremely hot. The tubes were just adding to the heat, so I'd thought I'd give it some time off.
Jimbojrjb, the Well Tempered is light years ahead of the P5. This is not a slight on the Rega, just an ode to how good the Amadeus truly is. The blackest backgrounds you'll ever hear coupled with amazing imaging and liquid highs and lows. It's been my most favorite audio purchase yet.
At the time, I had a pair of single driver Tekton speakers. They were good, but I needed more extension in both directions. I came across some articles about the DeVores and started to research them even more. Being that they are made in Brooklyn (where I live) I became even more intrigued. It so happens that I wound up speaking with John DeVore himself, and he happened to have this pair just traded in to him. Long story short, that is how I wound up with the DeVores. I guess I wasn't really looking at other speakers at that time, but I was totally satisfied with the Gibbon 8s.
