I just sold my entire Mcintosh/B&W/Classe system. I heard a BAT system up in Illinois with Wilson Sasha and had to have it. The one thing I left out but Geoff Poor wouldn't let me ignore was the Critical Mass Systems racks. I just got them in to. For now the Racks are breaking in but the system is sounding absolutely incredible and I'm more than happy with the change.
SHUNYATA ANDROMEDA ARE HAND WOVEN AND A BEAUTEY TO LISTEN TO AND LOOK AT.
SHUNYATA PYTHON HELIX
PYTHONS WITH HELIX TECHNOLOGY WILL BE USED THRU-OUT MY SYSTEM. THIS IS THE CABLE WHICH MADE ME A BELIEVER IN POWER CORDS AND CABLE'S. IF YOU HAVEN'T TRIED THEM, WOW, YOU NEED TO. I HAVE THREE DEDICATED 20 AMP CIRCUITS.
ESOTERIC XO1-LE
SACD/CD PLAYER
Balanced Audio REX
REX IS BAT'S TOP OF THE LINE PRE-AMP. TWO PIECE PRE-AMP WITH THE NEED OF TWO POWER CORDS. BELIEVE IT OR NOT BOTH UNITS HAVE MULTIPLE TUBES IN THEM AND EACH HAS ITS OWN POWER CORD. THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PHASE ARE KEPT SEPARATE SO ONE UNIT HAS + AND ONE UNIT HAS THE - PHASE. THIS PRE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE ONE OF THE BEST IF NOT THE BEST PRE-AMP IN THE WORLD AT ANY PRICE. I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO AGREE.
Balanced Audio VK600M-SE
BAT'S TOP OF THE LINE 600 WATT MONO-BLOCKS. WHAT STRIKES YOU FIRST IS THIS AMPS ENDLESS SUPPLY OF POWER EVEN IN THE MOST DIFFICULT OF CONDITIONS. IT HAS A DOUBLE ROW OF HUGE CAPACITORS ACROSS THE TOP WHICH YOU CAN SEE THROUGH THE VENT HOLES AND IS A STRIKING SITE TO SEE. ALLS I CAN SAY ABOUT THESE AMPS IS WOW, WOW, WOW!!
Wilson Audio SASHA WP
THIS IS THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE LEGENDARY WATT PUPPY. THIS SPEAKER HAS BEEN SAID TO POSSIBLY BE THE BEST SPEAKER EVER BUILT BY DAVE WILSON. IT HAS THAT PIN POINT ACCURACY YOU EXPECT IN THE STAGE OUT OF THE WILSON BUT IT IS ALSO MORE MUSICAL AND NOT AS HYPER IN THE TWEETER AS SOME SAY THE OLDER WILSONS TEND TO BE.
SHUNYATA STRATOS BALANCED
ENTIRELY HAND BRAIDED HELIX TECHNOLOGY.
CRITICAL MASS SYSTEMS PLATINUM SERIES
CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST RACKS IN THE BUSINESS. THESE RACKS DO WHAT NO OTHER RACK MADE DOES. THEY CALL IT SEQUENTIAL FREQUENCY CANCELING. ITS NOT JUST A RACK BUT MORE A COMPONENT THAT HAS LAYERS OF NOISE CANCELING MATERIAL UNDER YOUR COMPONENTS WHICH YOU CAN'T SEE. IT RIDS OF FLOOR VIBRATIONS AS WELL AS AIR BORN VIBRATIONS FROM YOUR MUSIC PLAYING AND WALLS SHAKING. IT DOES THIS BY SETTLING IN TO EQUALIBRIUM WITH YOUR EQUIPMENT AFTER A 300 HOUR BREAK IN IN WHICH WEIRD THINGS HAPPEN TO THE SOUND THROUGH-OUT THIS PROCESS. THEN ONCE IT SETTLES IN IT RIDS OF ANY EXCESS ENERGY IN YOUR COMPONENT BY HEATING THE ENERGY AT AN EXCELERATED RATE WHICH KEEPS IT FROM AFFECTING YOUR PLAY BACK.
Very cool, a little note on the new Rex tube amp. I only heard it in prototype stage. The feeling I got was it was supposed to just replace the vk150se and be the vk160se but the cost to build it by the time they were done was substantially more than what they expected. Also the fact that it stood alone in the class of tube amps the put the REX tag on it, as does the rex IMO in the class of tube pre's. They most likely made some changes to what I heard but man it was fantastic. I've never heard a tube amp at any power level perform like that thing did. It was just as quick and effortless as my 600 watt mono blocks which everyone knows the Vk600's are very quick and powerful. This tube amp was like that at only 80 wpc and just magnificent. If it had been available when I bought I would have two of them now but because it wasn't I opted for the 600's.
Good news I flipped the switch from 6h30 to 6c45. I got this unit used so not sure which is the factory setting but I will try the 6c45 for a bit. Will leave playing for today then give a listen tonight or tomorrow. I had the unit powered down and was easily able to flip the switch using a butter knife. So the butter knife is my new little tweak toy I suppose. I will only do this with unit powered down though.
Actually the fact that when I bought the REX tube amp wasn't available yet made my decision easy. I was trying to decide on the VK150SE in mono or the VK600SE. The room I listened in was slightly smaller than mine. The stereo amp was playing at very large volume levels in that room. I was just surprised how I could easily hit 80 to 90 on the volume which goes to 140 and it was still so clean, clear, and quick and the amp never seemed to bog down or run out of power. My 2301's after 50% volume just never seemed to accomplish much in large presentations of music but would be very loud on certain frequency above that. That amp in stereo at 80 wpc never seemed to be bothered by turning it up and it was so quick unlike any tube amp I've ever heard. If it had been available for sure I would've gone with them in mono because I had never heard the VK600SE at that point and that amp blew me away in stereo. The mono version would've made up for my room being larger. My room is 19'x33'... The room up there was maybe 17'x24' I would guess. I do think it drove the sasha's very well. I've heard other tube amps 75 to 150 watts per and I was very worried about this demo with only 80 per but once I heard it I was floored, period..
Interesting communication from two proud rex owners it looks like here. I love this pre!!! Also of note the system I heard in Chicago was at Glenn Poors Audio. The amp wasn't even the VK600's it was the new REX tube amp and at the time it was a proto-type. I listened to it on the Sasha at 80 watts a channel. I nearly bought two of those for mono in this process but figured I needed the power. funny thing about power is these bat amps seem to be under-rated or other amps seem over-rated. Geoff Poor said its because of the no feedback and minimum gain stages that his amps are so powerful and will outperform amps with more power. For instance I heard this amp at 80 watts per and it was IMO more powerful than the mc275 and even IMO more powerful and quick than the 275 in mono. That said these rex tubes are I think $15k each, but I would've gone to them in mono over the 2301's. Its hard to believe that when you are use to 300 watts a channel that you would even be taken by something at 80 watts a channel but that amp is special. Just imagine 4 of them bridged for 320 watts a side.
Also Rtnl, I'm not familiar with any switching. I most likely won't mess with it as my stuff is on the CMS racks and the surface the equipment sits on is a filter and is very delicate so taking a piece off unless you absolutely have to for me is a chore. On my old racks if I wanted to do something I would just slide the unit across the shelf but you can't do that on these and then they have little footers to that the feet of the equipment have to sit on so getting it off isn't the issue but back on properly. It really needs two patient people to do this although I have done it once alone.
The 2301 was a very good amp but it isn't missed. This BAT amp is just as liquid and has a more natural air to it but when it comes to delivery, there is no comparison. Thats not saying the 2301 was not a good amp but just my opinion I didn't lose any sonic flavor that I like and when you start talking about delivery and quickness and power it is a whole nother ball game here. Putting the solid state amps on the critical mass racks also helped tremendously.
Interesting on the footers. I still have the casters on them for now which I measured is like having the spikes plus the two spacers on them so I have all my mid range spikes to match that two spacer set up. I will spike for sure once the break in is done on my racks and I get know I ain't moving.
WELL FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SEEN MY OLD SYSTEM I JUST LAUNCHED AN "ALL OUT ASSAULT" ON CHANGING IT AND HERE IT IS. I'M LOVING IT OTHER THAN THE FACT I JUST ADDED THE RACKS AND THEY TAKE 300 HOURS TO BREAK IN AND IN THAT TIME IT'LL NOT BE VERY LISTENABLE MOST OF THE TIME.
System edited: I FIGURE THE ALL OUT ASSAULT IS THE SECTION FOR THIS SINCE I LITERALLY SOLD MY ENTIRE SYSTEM AT PRETTY MUCH ONE TIME AND CHANGED EVERYTHING BUT SPEAKER CABLES AND POWER CABLES. LOVING IT NOW, LOVED THE ONE I GOT RID OF, LIFE IS GOOD.
Okay, the tube rolling is done for a bit. Got Mullards New stock in the pre amp all 8 of them are 12ax7. Got siemens ecc801s in the amps four of them and they are 12at7. then got the Genelax gold lion re-issue kt88's sixteen of them in the amps as well. Man this is much better now. I didn't have too many complaints before but now hearing it is like a totally new system. The bass is much better for sure, tighter, deeper, and no boomy sound at all. The mids, ha, like night and day from before and the hi's are very good and detailed but not brite at all. I didn't turn it up as much before due to some briteness but now I can get these meters pushing 300 watts plus and not a hint of briteness and man clear as a bell. I'm now a believer in tube rolling. I geuss I've come a long way from my SS amps previously.
Glad you like the cdp202, I run mine with Shunyata rca inter-connects. I intend on trying some shunyata xlr's in the near future but happy with this for now. I've not heard the mcd301, nor have I tryed seperate dac's. My buddy got the mcd301 and sais it is a huge step up from the mcd201, I'm assuming you are referring to the mcintosh cd players. Neal
Indeed, I have the kt88's warming up now for my first audition. I have 8 very close matched in one amp and 8 others very closely matched in the other amp. I've got the mullards new issue in the pre and waiting on some NOS siemens ECC801S 12AT7's for the amps which should be in tomorrow, can't wait for them these small tubes in the 2301's really are junk I'm finding out.
Okay, put some new tubes in. Just reissues on the Mullards 12AX7, accidentally put them in the amps to which I now know the amps us 12AT7. Any way put the AT's back in after finding that out. The Mullards really made this system much better for me. I had know idea how much a change getting rid of these stock tube could make. My bass got much better, also no problem with boominess which on a couple tracks I did have that problem. The mids really come to life much better and the hi's aren't as brite as they were I geuss due to the mids being so much better. Its an entirely different system now just because of tube, hard for me to believe. The biggest thing I notice is the stage got even better with many different levels of depth and wider. Listening to diana Krall "live in Paris", to hear the singing and piano on one layer, then the guitar and drums on another, then the precussion further behind, and then really impressive when the orchestra kicks in on even another layer of depth, this had me nearly in tears how beautiful it was. On another cd all together I heard the singer walking from right to left accross the stage in the image and I know I've personally never heard that in my system as noticeable as it is here. I've ordered genelax re-issue kt88's for the amps (16 of them), and a buddy of mine is going to sell me his Siemens 12AT7's for the amps and I'm just going to use the 8 12ax7's in the pre amp. Can't wait to get all the tubes changed from the factory now.
Arthur, it was a pleasure my friend. Thanks for the kind words on the draught sound machine. Oh yeah, and thanks for the cdp202 reccomendation, not sure if I would have it if not for you.
beerdraft Ha, here I am beerdraft and system called the draught sound machine, and I was out of Draught Beer the entire time you guys were here.
The classe cdp is AWESOME, man it has sound that I think compares with much more expensive players. I think it rivals most vinyl rigs I've heard. I've been very impressed with it and until mcintosh makes a player that can out-perform it, it'll remain the non matching piece in this system.
Mc group at GHT, ha, I'm new to mcintosh but yes, I'm there. Yes it is concrete under my carpet, is that good or bad?
Thanks for the thumbs up, and Tom, can't wait, we'll have a blast. Dan, glad you can get back to listening and glad the new placement is a success. Thanks to all for the kind words on the system. I'm really enjoying it.
Just my opinion and I did compare it to the mcd201. The only mcintosh cdp which may be able to replace it for the purpose of matching it is the mcd/mda1000. Its twice the money though so I hope it can outperform my classe. I'm curious to hear the mcd301 and will get a chance to do so soon. The 201 in my opinion couldn't be in the same room. I was thinking when I bought the rest of the system either match the classe cdp or the mcintosh tt, I already had these sources, tt first then the cdp then the rest. I'm catching some crap though from mc people to change it but in order to be replace it'll have to be out-performed at a cost which is the same or less
Thanks Mike, see you in a couple weeks. Will have it good and broke in by then. I've got a real problem here though, every freakin' disc I put in is all the sudden my favorite. This wasn't the case before. I've listened to more classical in the last few days than ever. If this keeps up I'm affraid I'll quit drinking beer and switch to fine wine, ha.
Thanks Pierre, I will break in power cords and conditioners on a fan or heater or something they can just run 24/7. I want to do this so they will be broke in once I install them. My system should be broke in and then I can really tell the difference. I will let you know for sure.
Also, I buy at Georgia Home Theater on Cobb pkwy.
Are you local, shoot me an email and you're welcome to drop by.
Hey thanks guys, this system is shocking to me. Everything I put in pretty much is a new favorite to me. I've only got a few days in now on it and my power conditioners and extra power cords aren't in yet, they should be here this week. I will probably break them in running a heater or fan or something so when I put them in they are ready and I can see the change if any. Can't wait. If you guys are near Atlanta, come on by.
