@rhyno beautiful system.. I have some of similar equipment. The C900U and the M10x. I recently swapped the 595ASE with a T+A 3100 HV.. In the next few weeks I'll be swapping the A3s with A5's. Your Magicos are beautiful..

rman9 June 26, 2023 17:21

Hi,

mglik November 10, 2021 19:01

updates for the destination reached

rhyno August 04, 2019 14:40

Very nice work, Rhyno!  You may dig (more than most) the covering on my own DIY 703 panels.  :-)

cymbop January 14, 2017 15:35

Knghifi, I enjoyed my time running a tube linestage with a ss amp & tube rolling. In fact, I debated keeping my Boulder 1060 and modded Ayon CD-5s when I moved to my current S5's, but settled on the SIA-025 as I loved its sound and also had a desire to reduce my box count, so the SIA-025 was a godsend. I don't think you can say full stop Magico sounds best with some tubes in the chain, as there are exceptions as i've found. VA (especially the Signature Series gear) offers the best of both worlds between tubes and solid state imho, and has an unusual synergy with Magico. Still I accept tube fans will likely dismiss such alternatives.

melbguy1 September 10, 2014 13:28

Melbguy1, my solution is I bought both a SS and tube amp. They are more different than much superior to one another. Depending on my mood, weather (tubes to heat up the house in the winter), occasion ... I just rotate them in the system.

BTW, I find Magicos sound best with some tubes in the chain.

knghifi September 10, 2014 03:40

@knghifi, I know Myles Astor is very happy with his CJ Gat/Art amps driving his S5's, though they are very good amps with a commensurate price tag. I rolled the output tubes of my modded Ayon CD-5s with DR's & got good results, so i'm sure Rhyno could achieve very good sound. It's all relative. For sure the Boulder 1060 & 1010 are quieter and faster than the Ref 150/Ref 5SE, then again the Boulder amps don't have the same tube virtues of warmth, harmonic richness & midrange bloom of the ARC amps. I recall Infinity recommended using solid state amps to drive the bass panels of their classic Infinity IRS speakers, and ARC tube amps to drive the midrange/tweeter panels. I went for Vitus amplification which gives me all the current/drive, speed & resolution I need, as well as many of the desirable qualities of a good SET 300B tube amp such as tonal purity, warmth, harmonic richness & a slight 'rounding' of vocals. Kind of best of both worlds. But as I said, at the end of the day you only have to please yourself.

melbguy1 September 09, 2014 02:30

Nice system.

thesaint519 September 08, 2014 03:03

The Ref 150 won't have the really deep bass of your Boulder, however if you're running subs that won't be an issue. The only reservation i'd have is i'm not sure your ARC gear will keep up with the S3's fast drivers. Upgraded NOS 6H30-P DR tubes would help a bit. In any case, you only have to please yourself :)

I have a friend that's driving his S5 with VAC SigMKIIa and VAC Phi200 mono and there's no problems keeping up with drivers. Before the VACs, he was running Ref 5SE pre & the Ref75 which is faster than the VAC. He wanted more power and switched to VAC instead upgrading to bigger ARC amp.

He rolled 6H30-DR in both ARC pre and amp and made a huge improvement.

knghifi September 07, 2014 04:05

Rhyno, congrats are in order for your new tube amp! Having previously run a 1060 with a tube linestage, I can understand the incongruence between the warm up time of the Boulder vs a valve linestage. There should be natural synergy between your Ref 5SE pre & the Ref 150. The Ref 150 won't have the really deep bass of your Boulder, however if you're running subs that won't be an issue. The only reservation i'd have is i'm not sure your ARC gear will keep up with the S3's fast drivers. Upgraded NOS 6H30-P DR tubes would help a bit. In any case, you only have to please yourself :)

melbguy1 September 06, 2014 21:48

System edited: swapped boulder 1060 for ARC Ref 150. really just got tired of duration required to get Boulder hot (ie sounding good) whereas Ref 150 is up to its peak in ~ 30min. and its peak is very very good...

rhyno September 06, 2014 12:37

You've certainly put together what I consider a very good "bang for the buck" high end system Rhyno! The Boulder 1060 & ARC Ref 5SE are a very good pairing. The Ref 5SE would add much needed tube virtues to the Boulder's excellent neutral ss sound. I actually considered this combo myself, but went with the matching 1010 pre instead in my system. The Modwright Oppo Sony is another great bang for the buck choice. I don't really have room on my rack for the external tube psu as i'm trying to keep my box count down.

The Magico S3's are great speakers in the right room. I heard the S3's recently in my Dealer's showroom & was impressed by the midrange and top end clarity and focus. In a small(ish) room they shouldn't require subs, especially being driven by your Boulder which has subterranean bass. Nice choice there! Good job also with your room treatments. The ASC products are tested and proven products. Overall great attention to detail & a really impressive setup you have there Rhyno!

melbguy1 August 17, 2014 11:19

System edited: updated to reflect latest gear. a few things left i'd like to hear, but no hurry.

rhyno August 17, 2014 01:22

System edited: have just reconfigured my layout to position main equipment racks (which were 2 shelves tall, as seen in the 'before' pic) from between the speakers to stage left, and maybe another 18" recessed from where they were before relative to front baffle of speakers. in short, this was a dramatic change, and convinces me that the difference between a good system and a great one is a favorable room...folks, get the gear out from between the speakers to get the most out of your rig (with a small room like mine, its more dramatic than a component change).

rhyno August 25, 2013 14:57

Rhyno,

good call!!! i have heard the 1060 and very much respect the Boulders. I also have heard your speakers which are sensational. I was just talking to a senior guy from Transparent Audio who has been to Rockport's place in Maine...tremendous respect is all i can say.

Enjoy!!!!!

lloydelee21 May 25, 2012 20:58

System edited: have replaced mac 501s with boulder 1060 on my rockports. lower specified power than macs, but clearly specs matter not..boulder has total control and ease, with rockports quite beguiling. amp has tremendous clarity without character, just telling you what else upstream is doing. staging and detail retrieval are world class. an amazing amp.

rhyno May 25, 2012 20:56

resolution is almost a push, maybe the CDSA is slightly better. MW has better dynamics and bass. CDSA is far more plug & play, whereas MW requires more work to coax out good sound (tubes, power cords, isolation). very happy w/ change overall, and MW is a great player...i bought several spare laser assemblies to the 5400, if that tells you anything.

rhyno February 23, 2012 01:11

I would be most curious to hear your opinion on the CDSA-SE versus the Modwright Sony 5400ES, and why the change?

sutts February 22, 2012 22:21

fair point...the Gryphon Antileon is 800 watts (full Class A) but it is stunning. Not sure about Vitus, but its also pure Class A. Ultraaudio.com (Jeff Fritz) has reviewed both Antileon Signature and the Vitus. He owned Wilson X2s at the time, but did end up with ARrakis at one time or another. Good luck and pls keep us posted...and enjoy!!!!!

lloydelee21 August 17, 2011 06:52

had pass XA.5 series in while i owned diff speakers, excellent amps, sweet up top and very natural tonally, but got the impression i'd have to go to 100.5s or higher to get enough current to control the sheritan, and i dont want 600W idle heat dissipation. and even then, the XA.5s are not what i'd consider a 'control your speakers' amp.

will have to look into gryphon & vitus. mahalo.

rhyno August 17, 2011 01:42

Yes, newer is not always better!

I have heard good things about the Herron. I wonder if you might consider Pass, Vitus, Gryphon...all SS amps with good power and the reputation for having extension while maintaining a natural tonality. Good luck and enjoy!!!

lloydelee21 August 16, 2011 06:28

Rhyno...congrats on the Rockport Meraks. Haven't heard them but I have heard the Miras, the Ankaas, the Aquilas and the Altairs and by far Andy makes my favorite speakers ever. Enjoy them in good health and for a very long time. Good luck with the amp search to do them justice.

cmalak August 16, 2011 04:08

thx lloyd. and you're right, the Merak is the last model to use the monocoque chassis until the Altairs, @ $90k. while the driver materials are a bit dated, they still have awesome motor assemblies, world class x-overs, and a SOTA cabinet.

i find it a bit amusing that folks are creaming in their jeans over the new magico Q series, as valin was waxing on about their non-resonant cabinet---ideal combo of mass, stiffness & damping, or things which andy @ rockport has been doing for 15yrs+....funny that no one else has gotten the memo!

i've changed the jumpers that came w/ the M/S setup, and its gotten appreciably better, far and away best sound i've had in my room, and certainly livable forever. but i will be auditioning amps..i'd love a high powered stereo amp that throws off little heat and sounds like a SET...the 501s never fail to satisfy, but they're the weak link at this point. treble attenuation, minor loss of clarity, shortened stage depth and a rollicking bass won't drive you from the room, but with these speakers, i just have to do them (& the music) justice.

the herron preamp is a remarkable overachiever. in direct A/B w/ the passive ypsilon, it was cut from the same cloth in almost all ways, but maybe down 5% in absolute terms. if you kept my eyes closed and told me one unit was Rev 1 and the other Rev 2, i'd have believed it in a heartbeat. and so would my buddy who owns the yp.

rhyno August 16, 2011 03:05

Hi Rhyno,

you've got awesome speakers...i've heard them before. You probably already know this, but the materials used in this speaker were not used in the subsequent high end models of Rockport---deemed too expensive and reserved for the super-high end models like the Arrakis.

I think you will find that if you choose to audition different amps, the sin of omission may not be much of any omission. the 501s are very good...there just may be a doubling up of treble treatment where it is getting more rounded off by both components. as you say, really not a bad thing at all, as both components are really excellent.

If you can find a piece of Gryphon gear, you also likely already know that much of Rockport gear is auditioned/tested/voiced and showcased with Gryphon...just check out the website and you'll see pictures of their electronics at Rockports HQ in Maine. Enjoy your system...stunning speakers!

lloydelee21 August 16, 2011 00:40

thanks. most expensive thing i've ever bought that didn't have a roof or a gas tank, but strike me as a good exit point to speaker hunting.

there is no music the rockports are not capable of reproducing very very accurately. fidelity to the source, freedom from coloration & congestion at any volume, a cabinet that gives rise to unheard of levels of staging and detail retrieval for a monkey coffin, and overall ease of listening, rockports are simply amazing.

sins of omission (top end extension per older esotar tweeter) are my biggest gripe, and its not nearly as objectionable as sins of commission---the rockports have none.
(i also have some more work to do on leading edge attack, but thats also my amps---501s have lots of power, but not much drive, per the autoformers).

i've known two folks who owned rockports. they died owning rockports. i suspect i will to...but at 38, i hope it will be a while...(and yes, i can easily envision owning these speakers for the rest of my life. they do not make errors which annoy).

rhyno July 24, 2011 14:36