It's been some time since I made any significant changes to my system. I have listened to the Prima Luna Dialogue HP amps multiple times and have been intrigued but, my business was still recovering from the recession so I had to be patient. Not one of my strong points.
Yesterday I had some time and was in the neighborhood near Upscale Audio's new store. Talked to Kevin Deal for awhile and decided to take the plunge. I traded in my Modwright KWA100SE, LS100 with Phono and my Rogue Audio M150 Mono Blocks today and brought home a new pair of Prima Luna Dialogue Premium HP Mono Blocks, new Dialogue Premium Preamp, Manley Chinook SE and some Nordost cables.
I also recently purchased an OPPO 205, Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies with WA7 Tube Power supply and a pair of Audio-Technica ATH W5000 headphones.
Just unpacked and hooked up the new PL gear. The difference is really amazing. i realize it will be sometime before the amps are broken in but, I just listened to Kind of Blue (since it's an album I'm very familiar with) and I can say with confidence that the Nola Vipers have never sounded this good in my system.
I've been running the Primaluna amps and pre for three days now. Spent some time with the Manley last night. Definitely can hear more of the defects and dirt on the vinyl! The amps are starting to really open up. The glow of all those tubes is very cool!!
FYI, I am running an Aesthetix Atlas hybrid amp on my Nola Ref speakers and the match is killer. Best of tubes and SS all in one refined amp that seems made for the Nola.
OK, changes coming soon. Bought a Sherbourn 7/2100 here on AGon to replace my Sony that powers the center and surrounds. Have a new Marantz AV7005 coming to replace the current Cary processor and last but certainly not least (actually most importantly since I mostly listen to two channel) I just ordered a new ModWright KWA-100SE to replace athe Rogues. Haven't tweaked anything in a little over a year so the itch has been building up. Can't wait to SE how it all sounds!
hai i still like the levinsons a lot , i doubt i would ever need another amp if i had a 432 . It has control warmth /dynamics . I will probably be left out by the majority of the high end community saying this , but i see it as the " penny" stock of audio.
I am thinking about trying a solid state amp (or a pair of monos). Any suggestions to match with the Modwright and Nolas? Something on the warmer side I would think. I am tempted to try the Modwright KWA 150SE but I haven't had a chance to listen to it. Probably looking to buy used to keep the cost down.
Documentroom, Thanks for the kind words. I am really enjoying the Nola speakers. By far the best speaker I've ever owned.
Looking to move to solid state amplification next. I am in a "just want to turn it on and listen" mode and don't seem to have the time to deal with the tube amps. The Rogues have been pretty easy but still require some attention for biasing etc. Just don't seem to have the time right now. Thinking about Pass Labs. Any suggestions for synergy with the ModWright and Nolas is always appreciated.
Looking good.. And sounding insane I bet... I've been blown away by the Nola speakers at the show.. We only live once and your living it. Enjoy and good listening.
System edited: The recent upgrades, pre-amp, turntable, speakers, cables, have made a huge difference. Now that the work of setting it all up is essentially done I'm just enjoying the music. The new turntable is particularly satisfying. It's been a long time since I listened to more vinyl than any other source.
System edited: Really enjoying the the new LS 100 pre-amp. It has made a huge difference in my system. I was "living with" the Cary Cinema 11 as my two channel pre for sometime. While the Cary is OK as a HT processor it never really did it for me in my system for two channel listening. Added the turntable this weekend and it's been great fun. I know it will take a while for everything to break in but, it's obviously a major upgrade already that even the wife and the teenagers immediately noticed and appreciated. The offsetting jewelry purchase is going to hurt though!
Just picked up a ModWright LS 100 with the phono-pre at The Show in Newport. Pick it up tomorrow after they break down the display. Really looking forward to hooking it up! I haven't had a decent 2 channel pre in awhile. I think speakers are next. The ModWright equipment and the Daedalus Athena speakers at The Show really sounded great.
Very nice system and congrats on the Rogue mon blocks! The one thing that you could do that would take your system to another level is, upgrading your speaker xover networks. No doubt that it would make a big improvement in the overall sound of your system and speakers.
I just finished upgrading a fellow Candian's xover networks. Of course, I've upgraded all my speakers also. No doubt, upgrading the xover networks gave me more sonic improvement that any type of cable I've ever bought. The only two things that brought as much sonic improvement as upgrading my xover networks were my Audio Magic Stealth Matrix and my restored Eico HF-81 int. tube amp. The introduction to tube gear has been amazing, especially when you put in those great European vintage tubes.
System edited: System Edited: Added Rogue Audio M-150 Mono Block Amps. I received the Rogues for Christmas and hooked them up that same day. At first I was a bit disappointed but soon figured out that I had a bad driver tube. So today I went over to see Kevin at Upscale Audio. I replaced the stock driver tubes with some Mullard NOS 12AU7 platinum's and the input tubes with some rather pricey Mullard NOS 12AX7 platinum's. I have read many of the discussions re: what a difference changing tubes can make but never realized the huge difference swapping a few tubes can make. These amps sound incredible. The imaging, sound stage and detail is just amazing. And this is all with my older Rotel processor still handling the pre-amp duties. The search for a pre-amp is on. I was looking at a Cary at Upscale that was very tempting. Any thoughts or suggestions?
After much research and asking questions I went ahead and took the plunge. I purchased a set of Rogue M-150 Mono Block amps. Just patiently (yea right!) waiting for delivery now.
Now I need to start thinking about a either replacing the Rotel processor or do I insert a 2 channel pre-amp into the system? I am leaning towards a preamp but would also like to upgrade the rotel. Anyone have any experience with the Rogue's and the Paradigm Studio 100's?
I was thinking about an Audio Research sp 16 or LS 25 but, the person I bought the amps from didn't like the AR pre's with the Rogues. If I go with a two channel pre I would prefer one with a pass though for the wife so things don't get too complicated for watching a movie.
Ssvlaunch Keep us informed, I would love to hear what Kevin recommends. You are very fortunate that you live close enough to trade with Kevin he really is a pleasure to work with.
Thanks for the responses. I appreciate the input. I have looked at the Arc LS15 and was very impressed. Like I said though I am thinking that at this point the amp will make the biggest difference as a first step. Rwcmacc, I have looked at the AES sixpacks and the Prima Luna ProLogue 7. I took a friend of mine over to Upscale and he bought a pair of Sonus Faber Cremonas about 6 months ago. Kevin has more gear than I have ever seen in one place and was a pleasure to deal with. I have actually sent my wife an email with Kevin's email, phone number and a list of components in my system along with a suggestion that she discuss the PL and the AES amps with him just in case she wanted surprise me for Christmas. My biggest concern with both of those amps is how well they will power my not terribly efficient Paradigms.
Ssvlaunch, If you are looking for mono-bloc tube amps my first choice would be the Prima-Luna ProLogue Six or Seven, one of the reasons I pick these amps besides their wonderful sound is the self biasing feature, I had a power tube with a bad grid wire in mine and it did not hurt the amp at all, most tube amps that have a power tube fail will also damage some other part of the amp. I cannot say enough about these amps here is link for more info. http://www.upscaleaudio.com/view_category.asp?cat=36 Good luck.
I have a similar situation. My system consists of ARC LS 2 Mk 2 preamp and an Adcom (2 channel) 100 wpc amp, Rotel RCD 1070 and Rotel tuner. Speakers are B & W 603 S3, 600 S3 for the rears and LC60LCR. HT is powered by a cheap $400 Yamaha HT receiver. I've watched 3 movies in the last 8 weeks since my family pushed for a bigger TV (42 Plasma). My next move is better speakers although the 603 S3 are a great value. I am considering Vandersteen 2 ce Signature speakers for $1,775. (new). (I do have Magnepan SMGa's bought at the same time as the Adcom amp, in 1990, that still sound great; better than the 603 S3 except on jazz recording with substantial base like Gerald Albright, Bona Fide, Jeff Lorber or Art Porter). Back to you, if your preamp allows you to pass through to an amp I would go for a 2 channel amp (tube). If you must get a 2 channel preamp then the ARC LS15 tube preamp for $1,200 and ARC VT100 tube amp for $2,100 would be great for your stereo listening. If you need to save a few bucks try the ARC LS15 with a Rogue Stereo 90 amp. This amp is a little over half the cost of the ARC tube amp. After the speaker purchase I am going for a good (used) tube amp. Good luck, happy listening.
ssvlaunch on Ever Evolving