New integrated amplifier to drive Magico S3 mk2

[walesi]

+1 for the internal DAC. And congrats, Diablo seems to convert a lot of Devialet owners!

And it helps a lot when you keep your eyes shut while listening... seriously, the looks of the Diablo still puzzle me. As a whole, I still don't like it, but I love some of the details in it. You really can see there is a professional industrial designer behind the looks.

[kzhtoo]

+1 for the internal DAC. And congrats, Diablo seems to convert a lot of Devialet owners!

And it helps a lot when you keep your eyes shut while listening... seriously, the looks of the Diablo still puzzle me. As a whole, I still don't like it, but I love some of the details in it. You really can see there is a professional industrial designer behind the looks.

I think Diablo 300 looks great and the build quality is top notch.

[Randy Myers]

Awesome, it sounds like one heck of a piece. Congratulations!

[Siltech]

Now the New Magico A3 Speakers. WOW

[AJR]

A further update:

I bought a Lumin T1 today. I was expecting to buy a Lumin D1 or D2 as a temporary solution. I blind-auditioned the D1 and T1 and it only took a couple of tracks which I listened to multiple times to realise the T1 is a big step up. The D1 was fantastic and is amazing value for money, but the T1 just produced a spatially deeper sound.

And further to my concern about the aesthetic of the Diablo - my oh my, how beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what a difference ‘personality’ can make! The sound is so damn good I now see it in a completelt different light and I am now in love with the aesthetic! So a total 180, in the space of 24 hours. Wasn’t expecting that!

A very happy music lover right now.

Next rabbit hole excursion: cables and power.

[AJR]

Another observation: the whole sound spectrum is a huge step up from my previous amp. Every single metric or adjective we all use to describe sound is off the charts. It seems like each note is more ‘rounded’ and transitions into the next note effortlessly and seamlessly, with warmth, richness, speed, and punch.

[AJR]

The internal DAC in the Diablo is quite good and a great value. I was very skeptical and didn't order it at first but went ahead and got it after the great things that Mike said about it. I'm really glad I did. It's great!

Wish I could have auditioned (and had the budget for) the Diablo DAC and the Lumin U1 which you have. Might be a future upgrade option

[the professor]

Although I have never heard it - I have owned a D1 and A1 and I'm sure that the T1 will work great with the Diablo.

[AJR]

Although after reading Kuoppis’s reports on his Brinkmann Nyquist... The Nyquist, the Berkeley, the S1, the MSB Analogue, and maybe even the Kalliope (?) are all contenders, and no doubt by the time I have a war chest there will be others. Let the war games continue.

[AJR]

Next purchase is an XLR to connect the T1 to the Diablo and also speaker cables.

Am thinking MIT SL Matrix 39 speaker interface and MIT SL Matrix 26 XLR.

Givem my system and that budget, does anyone think I can do better? My MIT dealer doesn’t sell the EVOs.

[the professor]

I would definitely try different cables before you buy. They are very personal.

[AJR]

Yep. Am testing 3 different XLRs at the moment and a massive difference between the 3. Interestingly, the $3k cable sounds much better than the $10k (!) cable and the $1k cable. Will try to home demo the MIT to compare. My budget for XLR cable is $2k.

[the professor]

Awesome

[the professor]

Being devils advocate.

You do know that between a $3K XLR and the T1 you basically have the price of the internal DAC.

[AJR]

Would love to home demo the Diablo 300 DAC. The Gryphon 300 and DAC is apparently selling like hotcakes. My dealer ordered 5 in, received 3, and his next shipment is May!

BTW - I head that Vitus is releasing a new integrated amp in 2018 at a price and spec point to compete with the Diablo. Gryphon is moving the market.

[Kuoppis]

Yep. Am testing 3 different XLRs at the moment and a massive difference between the 3. Interestingly, the $3k cable sounds much better than the $10k (!) cable and the $1k cable. Will try to home demo the MIT to compare. My budget for XLR cable is $2k.

This is great, interested to hear what you find out.


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[kzhtoo]

Next purchase is an XLR to connect the T1 to the Diablo and also speaker cables.

Am thinking MIT SL Matrix 39 speaker interface and MIT SL Matrix 26 XLR.

Givem my system and that budget, does anyone think I can do better? My MIT dealer doesn’t sell the EVOs.

I use MIT EVO1 XLR and SC. They are great with Magico and Gryphon, esp. the SC.

[Siltech]

I use Siltech Royal Signature Princess XLR, and Siltech Royal Signature Prince SC, works GREAT. Siltech

[AJR]

So, after a solid few days of doing little else other than breaking in my Diablo 300 and Lumin T1, all I can say is that I am in audiophile heaven. Will not bore everyone with more adjectives to describe the sound, I will just say that my Magico’s are singing and forget about toe or finger tapping, I am knee slapping with a huge smile on my face

And this is without decent speaker cables or power...

[Kuoppis]

So, after a solid few days of doing little else other than breaking in my Diablo 300 and Lumin T1, all I can say is that I am in audiophile heaven. Will not bore everyone with more adjectives to describe the sound, I will just say that my Magico’s are singing and forget about toe or finger tapping, I am knee slapping with a huge smile on my face

And this is without decent speaker cables or power...

While the audiophile journey is the most painful at the beginning, when you need to essentially invest in everything at the same time, it is also the most rewarding as the improvements you get are the most significant.


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[AJR]

Spot on. Then the question is keep going or pace it out. Is driven significantly by budget of course, as well as patience and experimentation, and also a sense of delaying/drip feeding gratification. I think it is a well established test of intelligence (one marshmallow now or two later)!

[Kuoppis]

Spot on. Then the question is keep going or pace it out. Is driven significantly by budget of course, as well as patience and experimentation, and also a sense of delaying/drip feeding gratification. I think it is a well established test of intelligence (one marshmallow now or two later)!

Good luck trying to be smart about it .

I’m afraid this hobby goes beyond any human rationale. My typical answer to that would be I prefer three marshmallows now.


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[AJR]

Last comment a little cryptic. Am thinking ahead about cables and power. I will buy a decent XLR shortly but I am tempted to stick with my budget speaker cables and no power conditioner and wait until I have a war chest and buy something high end. Like the approach I have taken with the T1 (no disrespect to it - it is awesome value for money). Or buy something ‘decent’ now with a view to upgrading sometime in the future. Ignorance can be bliss (I haven’t auditioned good speaker cables or power solutions and am loving the sound now), so I am tempted to wait and skip the middle step. Much more financially efficient.

[AJR]

Good luck trying to be smart about it .

I’m afraid this hobby goes beyond any human rationale. My typical answer to that would be I prefer three marshmallows now.


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[AJR]

I took the Kuoppis 3 marshmallow now approach and after a long audition I bought the MIT SL Matrix 36 XLR interconnects and the SL Matrix 70 speaker cables. Great additions to the system. I noticed a 15-25% improvement at each level, but budget provides a natural handbrake. Very happy.

[AJR]

PS - a big ups to Mike who (with no financial incentive; I live in Singapore) has provided insightful direction as well as options and explanations/analysis of different options. At the end of the day you have to trust your own ears of course, but you also need to do your due diligence to educate yourself, narrow the range of options, and know what qualities (which can vary per person) to look for.

[Kuoppis]

I took the Kuoppis 3 marshmallow now approach and after a long audition I bought the MIT SL Matrix 36 XLR interconnects and the SL Matrix 70 speaker cables. Great additions to the system. I noticed a 15-25% improvement at each level, but budget provides a natural handbrake. Very happy.

Excellent! I love the three-Marshmallow-strategy - no regrets.

I am sure cables on par with you overall system performance will provide a major improvement. Congrats!


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[AJR]

Wow.

I experimented with the positioning of my speakers and have realised that previously I have had them angled in too much. I opened them up a few degrees and now the soundstage has completely opened up. So much better.

[Kuoppis]

Wow.

I experimented with the positioning of my speakers and have realised that previously I have had them angled in too much. I opened them up a few degrees and now the soundstage has completely opened up. So much better.

Yes, the S3 mk2s do not require that much angling-in.


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[walesi]

True, the soundstage responds well to different angles. Best to experiment, you might end up with smaller angle than Magico recommends.

Heard the MIT cables in Munich with S3Mk2, and it was spectacular. The Spectral front end might have helped a bit. too

[AJR]

So. I am at the end of a road. Not at the end the final road mind you. But my system is now sounding so damn good I am in a constant state of bliss. Will try to upload some photos. I have unfortunately an AV space so have not got into room acoustic treatment etc. But despite that, it still sounds good.

[AJR]

[AJR]

[Kuoppis]

Very nice system, congrats!


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[myjazz123]

Hi Andrew, are you using your Gryphon Diablo direct to the wall or via some power conditioner/surge protector. I know that Gryphon says direct to the wall, but I'm reluctant to leave mine without any protection so I use Denalis 6000t HC outlet for Gryphon.
Thanks,

[AJR]

Hi myjazz. I bought an AudioQuest Niagara 5000 amd some AQ power cords - one from Niagara to the wall socket, one from Niagara to the Diablo and one from Niagara to the Lumin. Already I have noticed a small improvement in SQ. Is small but noticeable. But they need to be burnt in so I am hoping for some bigger SQ improvements soon.

I live in Singapore where there are a lot of electrical storms. A mate of mine lost his hard drive recently from a lightening strike. He bought a PurePower+ regenerator as in his view it provides the best protection against lightening strikes. My understanding is that good power conditioners like AQ, Shunyata etc also do that. For me, it came down to Mike’s recommendation (god bless Mike!) and a very good package discount that AQ gave me.

I think others on the forum recommend amp to wall socket.

[brodricj]

Krell says the same thing, but I'm with you on that, via power conditioner. My Halcro amps are the only thing not connected to a power conditioner.

[hifinutt]

so does the devialiat match your speakers ? you mentioned you wanted a better match . does just increasing the power make them sound better ?

pesonally i find them a bit sterile but some like them

[AJR]

so does the devialiat match your speakers ? you mentioned you wanted a better match . does just increasing the power make them sound better ?

pesonally i find them a bit sterile but some like them

The additional power definitely has helped but also the sound is different in a better way (IMO). The Devialet generated a very clean and precise sound. The Diablo produces a sound which is just as detailed but with a deeper soundstage and a richer, more musical sound. The sound coming out of my Magicos seems more energised and faster - better attack. I wish I had auditioned a Devialet 1000 to see how much of the SQ improvement is due to additional current/power. But I am fairly certain that it is not just the additional current from the Gryphon but also the different Class A/B sound it produces. The difference is stark even at low volumes.

I am not dissing the Devialet. I think it is excellent bang for buck and have decided to keep it for my 2nd home. Am starting to think about a speaker match for it.

[AJR]

Thinking about your question some more. The Devialet sounded fantastic with the Magicos. Better than with the Dynaudios. But the Magicos sounded amazing with the Soulutions in the studio. I loved the transparency, speed and fully balanced sound of the Magicos. Especially the mid range. I preferred them to the Dynaudio C60s and also the Focal Sopra No.3s, the other speaker I spent some serious listening time with. It took me a while to get used to the bass but once I realised how detailed it was I fell in love with them. But having heard Soulution with the Magicos I started thinking about other amplifiers. So I guess I ended up choosing the speaker sound I liked and then I better matched the amp.

[hifinutt]

thanks for the update , glad its sounding good

[Anatta]

[Kuoppis]

The combo does not sound bad.

That said, a typical mid-range output focussed demo track IMHO, which does not tell you anything about what the system really can do.


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[tkcha]

I listened T+ A System with Rockport tech Avior MK2 few month ago at the south korea dealer room wasnt that impressed either but Absolare Passion was very impressed. better sound stage, even less power still sound more dynamic and clearer top and better resolutions.

[runnin17]

I need to get around listening to some Devialet gear one of these days. I just purchased an Accuphase E-650 so it will be awhile before I do am more tweaking, but I keep hearing great things about Devialet in general.

[jussy1254]

I listened to the Soulution 530 with the Magic M3s and was astounded by the authority and the bass control... I can only imagine that the 530 with the S2 would be a match made in heaven!

[sksouri1456]

I own devialet200 since 2 years+,paired since 1year with w.a sabrina.
The sound is very impressing in the beginning, fast, details, clean, bass is impressive, soundstage..etc.....
I felt lately that i was missing smthg.
I have now an mbl c51 on my system, feeded by the same dev200 used as pre/dac/streamer, and the re s a big difference in sound in the better.
I see now what i was missing with devialet, my system is sounding more musical now, and i think is due to the lovely and silky mids of the mbl.
Thks


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[Mechnutt]

I would love to know what piece of music is playing. Magnifico!

[Mechnutt]

double post

[FDPDK]

Jöel Grare " Paris-Istanbul-Shanghai-Nihavent "

Can only recommend Shazam App as it will find out for you what the music and artist is.

Flemming