Initially started as two channel, transformed to MCH system for some times, and now back to two channel only. I'm about 95% of where I want to be as far as the sound is concerned. The music from the system is articulate and dynamic with well fleshed out midrange and excellent harmonics and PRAT.
It has been a long journey. Here's the list of the gears that I had pleasure owning:
PASS Labs XA-30.5
First Watt F5
Rotel RMB1085
Levinson No 335
Pass Labs X3
Aragon 8002
EAD PM2000
Proceed HPA3
Theta Intrepid
Jeff Rowland Model 2
Citation 7.1
Krell KAV-300iL
Classe CAP-151
Parasound JC-2
Conrad Johnson 16LS series 2
McCormack MAP1
Sony TA-P9000ES
Proceed AVP2+6
Meridian G68XXV
Meridian G98DH
Linn Unidisk SC
Bel Canto PL-1A
NAD M55
Denon DVD3910
Marantz SA-15S1
CAL CL2500
CAL CL15
Accustic Arts DAC1 mk3
Musical Fidelity A3 24 DAC
MSB Link DAC iii
B&W Nautilus 804
Revel M20
Bohlender Graebener Radia X
Infinity Interlude IL60
Updates:
6-8-2009
Added Sony SCD-XA5400ES.
7-7-2009
Added Herbie's Iso-Cups.
7-22-2009
Added VTL TL-5.5 preamp.
9-8-2009
Replaced F5 with XA-30.5
9-26-2009
Added Beogram 8000 turntable and EAR 834P phono stage.
10-28-2009
Added Sound Smith SMMC 20CL cartridge.
6-7-2010
Replaced VTL TL-5.5 with Parasound JC-2.
9-15-2010
Added Ayre QB-9 USB DAC. Replaced the amps with ARC VSi60 integrated.
XA-30.5 is kind of like Dirty Harry of the amps. F5 and the Mask? not so much. ;)
What I liked from F5 is smooth, transparent, and delicate presentation of music. It's the most beautiful sounding amp I've ever heard.
XA-30.5 is one small over achiever that can control six 7" woofers in JM Labs 1037BE with aplomb. I absolutely loved the top to bottom balance and I had no idea my Electras have such a good bass extension.
After 3 weeks of auditioning, at first I was going to go back to F5, as I liked more transparent and more delicate presentation of F5. But when I put F5 back in the system, I was underwhelmed with the smaller dynamics. After getting used to the superb dynamics of XA-30.5, I couldn't go back to F5 any more.
That's not to say that XA-30.5 is not a sweet sounding amp. As much as sweet sounding XA-30.5 was, F5 was a little sweeter. For my large Electras I think XA-30.5 is a better match. If I had a set of monitors in a smaller room, I would have picked F5.
One other benefit with XA-30.5 was that I didn't need my Velodyne subwoofer any more since the bass extension and output was more than enough with my mains alone. Now that I don't need to integrate the subwoofer to main, the system is somewhat simpler.
F5 and XA-30.5 are both wonderful amps. There are more differences than similarities than I have expected though. F5 benefits from a simple design and the sound is more natural and less processed. XA-30.5 sounds rich and robust and smooth. It was a tough decision between two.
Mjcmt, I'm really interested in your comparison of the Pass amps as I have been thinking about trying one. How is the bass better on the 30.5 vs the F5? Is it a faster amp? Are you any closer to making a decision?
I can see both Clint and Jim deliver the line. Clint is a classic but "The Mask" was worth several times the price of admission for Carrey's antics and Cameron DIaz beauty.
Man, Cameron sure was perfect back in 1994. Enough to make you forget about high end audio :^).
Alberporter, Good question! The Clint version send a shiver, the Jim version makes me crack a smile (only because I know the original) so I guess Clint wins.
I like the sound of XA5400ES a lot. Compared to Unidisk it does red book better, but Unidisk edges Sony on SACD. Unidisk sounds airier, and Sony sounds richer and fuller. Treble on Unidisk is more open and extended, and bass on Sony is tighter and more defined. The presentation of two players are very different, and they are both pleasant to listen to. I have ultimately chose Sony because I've been using Unidisk and I want to try something different now.
I've scrapped the plan to upgrade the cables. Instead I'm auditioning Pass XA-30.5 this month. Because of rather large price difference between XA-30.5 and First Watt F5 that I'm currently using, and also because F5 sounds excellent in my system, I was reluctant to plunge to XA amps sight unseen and sound unheard. I've received XA-30.5 only last week and the difference is not subtle. One thing that stands out with XA-30.5 is the phenomenal bass. A mere 30wpc rated amp grips six woofers on JM Labs 1037BE like no others. It's way early to come to any judgement, and I don't know if XA-30.5 is better than F5 in all aspect, but this superb bass handling needs to be commended immediately. What a great amp.
A couple of updates. I've sent my Unidisk in for a service. It'll come back with updated firmware and new transport. Then I'll compare Linn with Sony again, and keep one and sell the other. So far Sony is holding up very well. I do miss the DVD audio capability that Sony lacks.
I have replaced the preamp to VTL. VTL is not as seductive in the midrange as Conrad Johnson. However it makes up in the dynamics and frequency extension. The sound is also noticeably fuller, which is what I was searching for a long time.
I've bought a set of three Herbie's Iso-Cup isolation devices following the recommendation from some of the members here. I've been using them under my preamp for a couple of weeks, and I'm amazed at the result. The sound has transformed in a way that's hard to believe is a result of adding just three footers. Basically the sound has cleaned up. It's sharper and more focused. As a result it sounds a tad leaner than before, which in my system is not too desirable as I was trying to get fuller sound. I guess you can't have it both ways, sharp and full at the same time. Anyways this device really works. I don't always hear the effect of such tweaks, but this one is substantial enough and even I could hear it right away. Highly recommended.
System edited: Updated the system description. Multi channel gears are put on the back burner until I can get satisfactory two channel performance. I feel I'm almost there. But last couple of adjustments are harder to make. Acquired Sony XA5400ES last month. Still burning in for 300+ hours. The initial impression was very good.
System edited: Changed the system title. ;) Shadorne, thanks for visiting. Recently I have fallen in love with Hilary Hahn, in a Platonic way. She's currently playing Beethoven Violin Concerto, and it's awesome. I'll be her fan for life!
System edited: Installed Nordost Valkyrja interconnects between Unidisk and preamp, and I have immediately noticed extra level of transparency. Very nice interconnects.
Yes, F5 is a push-pull class A design. You are right about the speakers (and myself) enjoying class A power. :) I have new respect for small powered class A amplifiers.
Reposted the previous comment as audiogon software strips off the line breaks on the comments posted for system updates. I should remember not to post the comment at the same time updating the system.
Many many updates.
First change was replacing McCormack MAP-1 preamp with Conrad Johnson 16LS2. I always wanted to try tubed preamp, and I was always intrigued by C-J. I like what the new tubed preamp brought in to my system, liquid and smooth midrange with slight warmth in the music. However, I have a small seller's remorse on MAP-1. I realize it was an excellent preamp, especially for the price. More on that later.
Levinson amp broke down just when I purchased the new preamp. It was the common capacitor failure with $1000+ repair cost. I scrapped the amp and sold it as is instead of repairing it myself. While I was really impressed with the Levinson sound, I am terribly disappointed by the level of service and attitude from Harman International, the current owner of Madrigal/Levinson. I will probably never purchase another Levinson product again.
I always had a warm and fuzzy feeling about Pass Labs amps since I have heard X-150.5 in my system a few years ago. I have purchased First Watt F5 on a whim, and I'm very happy with it. First Watt amps are designed and built by Nelson Pass himself. All his First Watt amps are minimalistic design with one or two gain stages with no or little negative feedback. F5 especially has wide bandwidth up to 500KHz (!), no capacitors in signal path, and very high input impedance. It mates very well with tube amps, and with my CJ LS162. It is the most musical sounding amp I have ever had. It has great midrange, faultless treble, and excellent grip on the bass. It defies the 50W rating (25Wpc!) with SPL reaching at 80-90dB from the listening chair.
Last but not least, I bought Sony PS1 SCPH-1001 for $20 on eBay to use it as a CD player. This was back then when I was still using McCormack preamp and Levinson amp. I was quite surprised at the level of musicality and overall pleasant easy to listen to quality in the music. The hardness and glare often associated with redbook CD music were completely gone on PS1. Some might say it's a tubey or more analogue sounding than traditional CD players. However the treble didn't sound as extended, or the soundstage as deep compared to Linn, but those were small omissions compared to what it does better. I was very satisfied with PS1 - McCormack - Levinson combo. When I replaced McCormack with CJ tubed preamp, the sound from PS1 was not as impressive as before for some reason. CJ preamp elevated the sound from Unidisk with its rich midrange. In comparison PS1 does not sound much more impressive than Unidisk. McCormack was more transparent in passing the sound from the sources without editorializing or trying to transform the sound. And I realize McCormack was a rather good preamp. Seller's remorse big time!
In all, my system has never sounded better. It is more natural and musical sounding, and also sounds better at high volume level! Ever evolving it is.
System edited: Many many updates. First change was replacing McCormack MAP-1 preamp with Conrad Johnson 16LS2. I always wanted to try tubed preamp, and I was always intrigued by C-J. I like what the new tubed preamp brought in to my system, liquid and smooth midrange with slight warmth in the music. However, I have a small seller's remorse on MAP-1. I realize it was an excellent preamp, especially for the price. More on that later. Levinson amp broke down just when I purchased the new preamp. It was the common capacitor failure with $1000+ repair cost. I scrapped the amp and sold it as is instead of repairing it myself. While I was really impressed with the Levinson sound, I am terribly disappointed by the level of service and attitude from Harman International, the current owner of Madrigal/Levinson. I will probably never purchase another Levinson product again. I always had a warm and fuzzy feeling about Pass Labs amps since I have heard X-150.5 in my system a few years ago. I have purchased First Watt F5 on a whim, and I'm very happy with it. First Watt amps are designed and built by Nelson Pass himself. All his First Watt amps are minimalistic design with one or two gain stages with no or little negative feedback. F5 especially has wide bandwidth up to 500KHz (!), no capacitors in signal path, and very high input impedance. It mates very well with tube amps, and with my CJ LS162. It is the most musical sounding amp I have ever had. It has great midrange, faultless treble, and excellent grip on the bass. It defies the 50W rating (25Wpc!) with SPL reaching at 80-90dB from the listening chair. Last but not least, I bought Sony PS1 SCPH-1001 for $20 on eBay to use it as a CD player. This was back then when I was still using McCormack preamp and Levinson amp. I was quite surprised at the level of musicality and overall pleasant easy to listen to quality in the music. The hardness and glare often associated with redbook CD music were completely gone on PS1. Some might say it's a tubey or more analogue sounding than traditional CD players. However the treble didn't sound as extended, or the soundstage as deep compared to Linn, but those were small omissions compared to what it does better. I was very satisfied with PS1 - McCormack - Levinson combo. When I replaced McCormack with CJ tubed preamp, the sound from PS1 was not as impressive as before for some reason. CJ preamp elevated the sound from Unidisk with its rich midrange. In comparison PS1 does not sound much more impressive than Unidisk. McCormack was more transparent in passing the sound from the sources without editorializing or trying to transform the sound. And I realize McCormack was a rather good preamp. Seller's remorse big time! In all, my system has never sounded better. It is more natural and musical sounding, and also sounds better at high volume level! Ever evolving it is.
Dizzyizzid, With Accustic Arts DAC the signal path is Linn Unidisk -> Accustic Arts DAC -> McCormack MAP-1 -> Levinson. I did experiment briefly in a different topology using a different transport and Unidisk as preamp, and thought it sounded better with MAP-1 used as preamp.
