Wilson Alexia and D'Agostino demo at Fidelis AV on Sat June 22 for those interested...

[cmalak]

For those in the greater New England area and who are interested, Fidelis AV of Derry, NH (1 hr north of Boston) will be hosting Peter McGrath from Wilson demoing the Alexias with Dan D'Agostino, who will be demoing his preamp and mono amps. Also Brett D'Agostino will be there to demo his new Class A amp and his preamp. For those in the New England Area who are interested, the event is this coming Sat Jun 22 from 1-6pm. You can email them at store@fidelisav.com if you are interested in attending.

Here's a link to Fidelis' website: Directory

[joeinid]

Cyril,

I have to tell you the D'Agostino amp and preamp together are absolutely amazing. The synergy is undeniable. I can not believe how good my TADs are sounding. I reserve judgement to let the excitement subside, but I may need to correct some past statements about declaring a winner. I think my priorities are changing.

That Alexia demo will be awesome.

[VT Skier]

Why don't you come up for it? Bring Mike with you from JFK. Or he can fly to Boston and meet both of us. Or to Burlington and I'll bring him with me.

Fidelis is about 2 1/2 hours south of me, just outside Boston.

[Mike]

Why don't you come up for it? Bring Mike with you from JFK. Or he can fly to Boston and meet both of us. Or to Burlington and I'll bring him with me.

Fidelis is about 2 1/2 hours south of me, just outside Boston.

In all seriousness, if Joe goes, I will go. I have NOTHING planned for Saturday.

[still-one]

Cyril,

I have to tell you the D'Agostino amp and preamp together are absolutely amazing. The synergy is undeniable. I can not believe how good my TADs are sounding. I reserve judgement to let the excitement subside, but I may need to correct some past statements about declaring a winner. I think my priorities are changing.

That Alexia demo will be awesome.

Joe
It sounds like you have hooked up Dan's pre-amp and amp is that correct? As I noted in my mini review the two were made for each other. 1 + 1 is > 2

The guys are in for a treat when they hear them with the Alexia's. It is bettered only by the same gear with the X2's or XLF's.

[joeinid]

Joe
It sounds like you have hooked up Dan's pre-amp and amp is that correct? As I noted in my mini review the two were made for each other. 1 + 1 is > 2

The guys are in for a treat when they hear them with the Alexia's. It is bettered only by the same gear with the X2's or XLF's.

I did and the combo is so much better than I expected. I'm a little surprised, although by now with all the gear I've gone through, you'd think I'd know better. The amp was cold from several weeks on non-use and the preamp was not even broken in yet, plus I added a different speaker cable into the mix. After an hour or so everything was opening up nicely and I was speechless. It's only getting better from here. I caught myself several times turning my head to the door to my room thinking I heard something coming the back left and right of me. It took me a little while to realize what I heard was in the music and the sound stage was well beyond the left and right speaker and filled the room in front of me. Holy Cow! There's no way. But, yes it's true. You, Serge and a few others were well ahead of the curve on this gear and I have to hand it to you. I took the long way around but it was fun! I realize this is the real deal.

[still-one]

I did and the combo is so much better than I expected. I'm a little surprised, although by now with all the gear I've gone through, you'd think I'd know better. The amp was cold from several weeks on non-use and the preamp was not even broken in yet, plus I added a different speaker cable into the mix. After an hour or so everything was opening up nicely and I was speechless. It's only getting better from here. I caught myself several times turning my head to the door to my room thinking I heard something coming the back left and right of me. It took me a little while to realize what I heard was in the music and the sound stage was well beyond the left and right speaker and filled the room in front of me. Holy Cow! There's no way. But, yes it's true. You, Serge and a few others were well ahead of the curve on this gear and I have to hand it to you. I took the long way around but it was fun! I realize this is the real deal.

This is a crazy hobby we are involved in. There is a lot of great gear from different manufacturers and you never know what will catch your ear. I was never a big proponent of having a pre-amp as long as your digital player handled the job well (and my Meridian really does). That was until I had the chance to listen to Dan's pre-amp in my system. There was just something right about the sound that I never missed or noticed was absent. I am still saving my nickels.

[joeinid]

Jim,

I always been a fan of preamps and I always felt they were necessary to get maximum enjoyment. I started realizing that certain amps were MUCH better with their companion preamps. Sure there seems to be more detail without a preamp but there is also less musicality. I feel the sound is somewhat more sterile without a preamp. The synergy with the D'Agostino combo is off the chart great. Sorry, you can't have mine Stick a fork in me. I'm ALMOST done

[the professor]

I'm glad your are enjoying Dan's preamp. It is also nice to hear from somebody else just to make sure I'm not senile on my thoughts. I've found that it takes about 3 days to warm up completely.

[joeinid]

I'm glad your are enjoying Dan's preamp. It is also nice to hear from somebody else just to make sure I'm not senile on my thoughts. I've found that it takes about 3 days to warm up completely.

Jock,

I am blown away with how good they sound. You had to peel me off the ceiling last night and I had to change my Depends twice

[cmalak]

Joe...did I tell you to wait for the D'Ag pre before deciding on the TADs or what?

[joeinid]

Joe...did I tell you to wait for the D'Ag pre before deciding on the TADs or what?

Yes you did. I am glad I did and even more ecstatic I actually hooked it up. OMG!

[cmalak]

Yes you did. I am glad I did and even more ecstatic I actually hooked it up. OMG!

THat's awesome! Glad it's working out for you so nicely.

[cmalak]

Why don't you come up for it? Bring Mike with you from JFK. Or he can fly to Boston and meet both of us. Or to Burlington and I'll bring him with me.

Fidelis is about 2 1/2 hours south of me, just outside Boston.

Jon...are you going?

[VT Skier]

I told Mike I would go if he did, so I think we're all waiting on Joe. As much as I like Walter and Peter, it's unlikely I'll drive down otherwise since I'm very happy with my system.

[joeinid]

I'm sorry. I am not going to be able to make it this weekend. I'd love to hear the demo. I'm sure it will be wonderful,

[cmalak]

Alright gents. Sounds like I am the only one going. I will let you know what my thoughts are.

[johnthomas]

For those in the greater New England area and who are interested, Fidelis AV of Derry, NH (1 hr north of Boston) will be hosting Peter McGrath from Wilson demoing the Alexias with Dan D'Agostino, who will be demoing his preamp and mono amps. Also Brett D'Agostino will be there to demo his new Class A amp and his preamp. For those in the New England Area who are interested, the event is this coming Sat Jun 22 from 1-6pm. You can email them at store@fidelisav.com if you are interested in attending.

Here's a link to Fidelis' website: Directory

Cyril,

Walter the owners is a wonderful gentlemen. He sold me a pair of Hansen Prince Speakers a few years back and was an awesome dealer. He carriers a lot different and interesting gear. I was talking to him about doing a Alexia D'Agostino combo but ended up going in a different direction.
Tell John from Pittsburgh says hi.
John

[cmalak]

Cyril,

Walter the owners is a wonderful gentlemen. He sold me a pair of Hansen Prince Speakers a few years back and was an awesome dealer. He carriers a lot different and interesting gear. I was talking to him about doing a Alexia D'Agostino combo but ended up going in a different direction.
Tell John from Pittsburgh says hi.
John

I have been to Fidelis once or twice but I haven't bought anything from them. I have dealt primarily with the folks at Goodwins in building my system (except for my speakers). The guys at Fidelis seem very nice. Will pass along your hellos to Walter John.

[VT Skier]

Walter is a very nice guy, doesn't follow the crowd and carries some unique brands. He helped with our movie room a few years back -- acoustic panels, etc. I'm sorry I won't make it Cyril, but if you feel like continuing to drive north, come on up for a visit.

[cmalak]

Walter is a very nice guy, doesn't follow the crowd and carries some unique brands. He helped with our movie room a few years back -- acoustic panels, etc. I'm sorry I won't make it Cyril, but if you feel like continuing to drive north, come on up for a visit.

Jon...no probs and thanks for the invite. I will share my thoughts in this post once I get back. Have a great weekend every one.

[cmalak]

Well folks, I just got back from this demo and I can see what all the fuss is about. The caveats are that I was not sitting in the sweet spot and the room was a bit small for the Alexias (I believe) but the D'Agostino stereo amp and preamp with a Bricasti front end and Transparent cabling all terminating in the Alexias was quite a combo. There were 20 people or so smushed in a small room so that and not being in the sweet spot prevented me from being emotionally engaged with the music. Plus it was Peter McGrath of Wilson playing samples of his excellent recordings but pieces of music not familiar to me that also kept me from being really swept away. But here's what I heard and it was all very impressive:

1. Crystal clear/transparent midrange. Resolution on these babies was out of bounds
2. Pristine and extended highs (in contrast to earlier Wilsons which were a bit peaky for my taste, the soft dome tweeters on the Alexias were just right)
3. Bass was extended and punchy. I think there was a bit too much bass-room interaction because I think on bass heavy music, the bass was not as tight as I would have expected and maybe a tad blurring of resolution as a result
4. When you add all of the above, musical timbres were spot on (vocals, piano, horns, percussion, etc... all sounded natural and accurate)
5. These speakers are dynamic as hell. And I am sure the D'Ag stereo amp had a good hand in the delivery of macro dynamics as well
6. The speakers definitely presented images within the stage that were full bodied (3D in the sense of meat on the bones)
7. Overall staging I did not get to fully experience properly again because I was not sitting in the sweet spot

Overall very impressive combo. Fit and finish on both the Wilson and the D'Ag gear is right up there with the best.

For any Alexia owners on AS congrats. For all you D'Ag owners (Joe and Shane and others ), congrats as well.

Both Dan D'Agostino and Peter McGrath were super nice guys and they know their sh*te that's for sure

Hope this gives you a decent sense of what it was like being there. Here's a crappy iPhone pic of the set-up:

photo.JPG

And finally, for anyone in the New England area who has not dealt with Fidelis, Walter Swanbon (founder/owner) is a very good guy and eventhough I have not had any dealings with them (yet ), I would heartily recommend him and his team at Fidelis.

[cmalak]

Cyril,

Walter the owners is a wonderful gentlemen. He sold me a pair of Hansen Prince Speakers a few years back and was an awesome dealer. He carriers a lot different and interesting gear. I was talking to him about doing a Alexia D'Agostino combo but ended up going in a different direction.
Tell John from Pittsburgh says hi.
John

John...I passed along your hellos. At first I said John Thomas and he looked perplexed and then he said well I know a John (so and so...I am assuming you would like to keep your last name anonymous) and I said yes, you sold him a pair of Hansen Prince speakers and he came back with and now he has TADs . I said, yep that's him. In any case, he says hello.

[Mike]

Well folks, I just got back from this demo and I can see what all the fuss is about. The caveats are that I was not sitting in the sweet spot and the room was a bit small for the Alexias (I believe) but the D'Agostino stereo amp and preamp with a Bricasti front end and Transparent cabling all terminating in the Alexias was quite a combo. There were 20 people or so smushed in a small room so that and not being in the sweet spot prevented me from being emotionally engaged with the music. Plus it was Peter McGrath of Wilson playing samples of his excellent recordings but pieces of music not familiar to me that also kept me from being really swept away. But here's what I heard and it was all very impressive:

1. Crystal clear/transparent midrange. Resolution on these babies was out of bounds
2. Pristine and extended highs (in contrast to earlier Wilsons which were a bit peaky for my taste, the soft dome tweeters on the Alexias were just right)
3. Bass was extended and punchy. I think there was a bit too much bass-room interaction because I think on bass heavy music, the bass was not as tight as I would have expected and maybe a tad blurring of resolution as a result
4. When you add all of the above, musical timbres were spot on (vocals, piano, horns, percussion, etc... all sounded natural and accurate)
5. These speakers are dynamic as hell. And I am sure the D'Ag stereo amp had a good hand in the delivery of macro dynamics as well
6. The speakers definitely presented images within the stage that were full bodied (3D in the sense of meat on the bones)
7. Overall staging I did not get to fully experience properly again because I was not sitting in the sweet spot

Overall very impressive combo. Fit and finish on both the Wilson and the D'Ag gear is right up there with the best.

For any Alexia owners on AS congrats. For all you D'Ag owners (Joe and Shane and others ), congrats as well.

Both Dan D'Agostino and Peter McGrath were super nice guys and they know their sh*te that's for sure

Hope this gives you a decent sense of what it was like being there. Here's a crappy iPhone pic of the set-up:

photo.JPG

And finally, for anyone in the New England area who has not dealt with Fidelis, Walter Swanbon (founder/owner) is a very good guy and eventhough I have not had any dealings with them (yet ), I would heartily recommend him and his team at Fidelis.

Great write up Cyril! Thanks!!

[joeinid]

Cyril,

Thank you for your thoughts. I appreciate your efforts. Taken individually the Dagostino gear and the Wilson speakers are really nice. Put them together and it gets even better.

[socfan12]

Great writeup, Cyril, thanks for taking the time to write it!

[johnthomas]

John...I passed along your hellos. At first I said John Thomas and he looked perplexed and then he said well I know a John (so and so...I am assuming you would like to keep your last name anonymous) and I said yes, you sold him a pair of Hansen Prince speakers and he came back with and now he has TADs . I said, yep that's him. In any case, he says hello.

Cyril thanks man. It's amazing how many dealers I've dealt with know that I bought the TAD'S and I've never even told them that I did. A small audio world. Nice writeup on the speakers/amp. In the picture of the room it doesn't look that wide.

John

[cmalak]

Cyril thanks man. It's amazing how many dealers I've dealt with know that I bought the TAD'S and I've never even told them that I did. A small audio world. Nice writeup on the speakers/amp. In the picture of the room it doesn't look that wide.

John

John...it certainly is a small world. On the room, yep they had the speakers set-up on the narrow wall to accomodate four rows of chairs for the customers to sit in. Had they set them up on the long wall, there would have been no way to have more than one row of chairs because the width of the room was probably 12-14 feet if I had to guess. I do think the room was a bit too small for the Alexias and as a result there were some room modes that were being excited in the low frequency range that overpowered the room a bit at times. This is despite Peter McGrath's meticulous set up. He did call out that it was tough getting them positioned in that room. An enjoyable audition although for a serious demo one would have to go back alone and bring along your own music to really be able to audition them properly.

[radioactive]

Nice write-up Cyril. Peter puts on a good show doesn't he? Sometimes he gets a little hellbent on playing classical (opera too), but when he mixes it up, he has a helluva collection. One that caught me by surprise was a band/group called "Dubxanne" (it's a dub/reggae reinterpretation of the Police) song "Roxanne". Didn't expect Peter to play that one, but it sounded crazy good on the Alexia's and Dag pre/stereo amp. The dynamics were just something to make you wonder if it ever even sounded that good in the studio. Then again, it was played back on a full Vivaldi stack as the source.

Well folks, I just got back from this demo and I can see what all the fuss is about. The caveats are that I was not sitting in the sweet spot and the room was a bit small for the Alexias (I believe) but the D'Agostino stereo amp and preamp with a Bricasti front end and Transparent cabling all terminating in the Alexias was quite a combo. There were 20 people or so smushed in a small room so that and not being in the sweet spot prevented me from being emotionally engaged with the music. Plus it was Peter McGrath of Wilson playing samples of his excellent recordings but pieces of music not familiar to me that also kept me from being really swept away. But here's what I heard and it was all very impressive:

1. Crystal clear/transparent midrange. Resolution on these babies was out of bounds
2. Pristine and extended highs (in contrast to earlier Wilsons which were a bit peaky for my taste, the soft dome tweeters on the Alexias were just right)
3. Bass was extended and punchy. I think there was a bit too much bass-room interaction because I think on bass heavy music, the bass was not as tight as I would have expected and maybe a tad blurring of resolution as a result
4. When you add all of the above, musical timbres were spot on (vocals, piano, horns, percussion, etc... all sounded natural and accurate)
5. These speakers are dynamic as hell. And I am sure the D'Ag stereo amp had a good hand in the delivery of macro dynamics as well
6. The speakers definitely presented images within the stage that were full bodied (3D in the sense of meat on the bones)
7. Overall staging I did not get to fully experience properly again because I was not sitting in the sweet spot

Overall very impressive combo. Fit and finish on both the Wilson and the D'Ag gear is right up there with the best.

For any Alexia owners on AS congrats. For all you D'Ag owners (Joe and Shane and others ), congrats as well.

Both Dan D'Agostino and Peter McGrath were super nice guys and they know their sh*te that's for sure

Hope this gives you a decent sense of what it was like being there. Here's a crappy iPhone pic of the set-up:

photo.JPG

And finally, for anyone in the New England area who has not dealt with Fidelis, Walter Swanbon (founder/owner) is a very good guy and eventhough I have not had any dealings with them (yet ), I would heartily recommend him and his team at Fidelis.

[Mike]

This is my favorite 1-2 punch I've heard under $100,000+. Heard this combo a week ago with two other audiophiles and all of us were amazed. It was our "best of day"!

The Dag amps on their own are good. The Alexia's on their own are good. Together? Incredible.

[LL21]

Mike is that a Boulder amp in the middle? How did it compare?

[Mike]

Mike is that a Boulder amp in the middle? How did it compare?

I'm not sure if I should be honest or nice....

It wasn't my cup of tea (or any of the other guys). I'm sure the new Boulder gear will be really nice, but this was just not a good fit with the Alexia. It was warmed up too (4 hours).

[Mike]

I was impressed with this though....

[LL21]

Honest but respectful. I respect that. I have heard the boulder 2060 but not the 1060 I think is between the d'agostinos on the photo? The 2060 was impressive. I prefer my gryphon, but the boulder surprised me.

[LL21]

I was impressed with this though....

I heard that with anat ref iis and ypsilon ref monos. Could not tell which component was doing what...but have heard stellar things about this piece.

[Mike]

Honest but respectful. I respect that. I have heard the boulder 2060 but not the 1060 I think is between the d'agostinos on the photo? The 2060 was impressive. I prefer my gryphon, but the boulder surprised me.

I bet the Boulder would be great with certain speakers. Maybe Sonus Faber?? Not sure.
Just like the D'Agostino might not work with certain speakers. It's all about that "S" word.

[VT Skier]

I can confirm that the Boulder 865 sounds terrific with the Amati Futura.

[joeinid]

I can confirm that the Boulder 865 sounds terrific with the Amati Futura.

Cool! Thanks Jon.

[socfan12]

I'm not sure if I should be honest or nice....

It wasn't my cup of tea (or any of the other guys). I'm sure the new Boulder gear will be really nice, but this was just not a good fit with the Alexia. It was warmed up too (4 hours).

I heard Boulder (2060) with the Max IIIs. Wasn't exactly my cup of tea either. Though it certainly did seem to control the drivers really well. Alexia's with Dag monos sounded really sweet, even though I was in a square room with boomy bass, it had potential.

[radioactive]

I love my 1060/1010 with Sasha's. I've heard quite a few different amps with them; from the Dag monos to the ARC REF 250's, to Ayre. My preference is the Boulder 1060 for Sasha's. I have not heard it with the Alexia, but the Alexia sounds quite different than the Sasha's. One thing I can say is that the 1060 is very neutral. It can sound very different with different cables and sources (just like the Sasha's, both are very chameleon-like). My only wish is that it had just a touch more power. It also doesn't need long to sound it's best (in terms of warmup), whereas the 2060 is a complete Class-A design and needs an hour or two. Also, FYI, the 1060 is a newer design than the 2060.

[LL21]

I heard Boulder (2060) with the Max IIIs. Wasn't exactly my cup of tea either. Though it certainly did seem to control the drivers really well. Alexia's with Dag monos sounded really sweet, even though I was in a square room with boomy bass, it had potential.

For my own personal taste, if i had the right source with the Boulder 2060 and Maxx IIIs, i bet i could be really happy...but the key with the Boulders is i would want something like a Zanden or a TotalDAC. Not an Esoteric player or an Emm or 'stereotypical' DCS. I would probably be skirting the edge, but could probably swing it. Personally, that is the reason i prefer my Gryphon which is just a touch to the organic side of Boulder.

[LL21]

I love my 1060/1010 with Sasha's. I've heard quite a few different amps with them; from the Dag monos to the ARC REF 250's, to Ayre. My preference is the Boulder 1060 for Sasha's. I have not heard it with the Alexia, but the Alexia sounds quite different than the Sasha's. One thing I can say is that the 1060 is very neutral. It can sound very different with different cables and sources (just like the Sasha's, both are very chameleon-like). My only wish is that it had just a touch more power. It also doesn't need long to sound it's best (in terms of warmup), whereas the 2060 is a complete Class-A design and needs an hour or two. Also, FYI, the 1060 is a newer design than the 2060.

Nice system! Love the fact that you've combined Sashas with sub...that must be cool. As for Sashas, i think they need/respond to unadulterated (high quality) power...so i could see why you like the Boulder with Sasha over some other options (like ARC Ref 250s). I have never heard the Bryston digital, but heard good things about it. When you say "incoming" for your Debussy and outgoing for Bryston are you not using DCS as the DAC under any circumstances?

[Audiolabyrinth]

Hi mike, I wanted to see what all the fuss was here with the Dan d Agistino equipment, this is audiolabyrinth, you invited me here from audiogon, cheers.

[Mike]

Hi mike, I wanted to see what all the fuss was here with the Dan d Agistino equipment, this is audiolabyrinth, you invited me here from audiogon, cheers.

Welcome!

[Ritmo]

Hi mike, I wanted to see what all the fuss was here with the Dan d Agistino equipment, this is audiolabyrinth, you invited me here from audiogon, cheers.

Welcome!