Centaur Stereo Amp

[joeinid]

If that happens, his head will explode. Tough call .....

Mark...very cool. What happens if you also like the S3s will you replace both speaker and amp at same time or will it have to be one or the other at first?

[Dpod4]

Well, Jock came today and picked up the Constellation Centaur stereo amp. He left me a couple of other amps to play with, but I already miss the Constellation !

I will be doing a in-home demo of the Magico S3's in the next week or so, thanks to David Baskin and a certain one of our members.
If the S3's don't better the Salon 2's, I will most likely be buying a Constellation stereo amp. It's hands down the best solid state amp I've ever heard in my system.
And here is the list of amps I've heard with the Salon 2's;

Mc 402
Mc 501 monos
Anthem D1 monos
Accuphase 6100
D'Agostino stereo
Mark Levinson No.53's
Bryston 14b SST
Solution 710
ARC 450 class D
Classe' CA M600's
I'm probably forgetting a few more, along with some good tube amps.

The Centaur is without a doubt, the best amplifier I've ever heard on the Revel speakers !! If I'm honest, I simply cannot find fault with it. That's not to say it's perfect , it's not. But it's as perfect,to me, as anything else I've heard.
I reminds me of the Lumin music streamer, it doesn't play music, music just flows out of it in the most beautiful and natural way. Its really quite hard to explain it.
I think that I read that they design their circuits a little differently than others, I don't know if that matters, but I do know that I miss it already.

Glad you enjoyed it. I agree it is the best solid state amp I have heard and I cycled through a number of them too. Its ability to drive the woofers with grunt and the treble/midrange with set like delicacy is unique. With S3s that would be a killer combo.

[joeinid]

Darrin,

You were way ahead of the curve on the Magico/Constellation combo. Look at all the aggravation we could have saved if we had only followed your lead. Thank you for showing us the light.

Glad you enjoyed it. I agree it is the best solid state amp I have heard and I cycled through a number of them too. Its ability to drive the woofers with grunt and the treble/midrange with set like delicacy is unique. With S3s that would be a killer combo.

[MDP]

Mark...very cool. What happens if you also like the S3s will you replace both speaker and amp at same time or will it have to be one or the other at first?

Cyril, I don't know if I can pull off getting both at the same time, we'll see !

[Dpod4]

Darrin,

You were way ahead of the curve on the Magico/Constellation combo. Look at all the aggravation we could have saved if we had only followed your lead. Thank you for showing us the light.

Thanks, Joe. Wouldn't have gotten there without your encouragement and example! Darrin

[MDP]

Darrin,

You were way ahead of the curve on the Magico/Constellation combo. Look at all the aggravation we could have saved if we had only followed your lead. Thank you for showing us the light.

You're right Joe, Darrin had it from the get go. I wish Darrin would give us his opinion again after owning them for so long !

[mdkim]

Great news Mark! Maybe it was a self-preservation safety mechanism to split the two auditions apart to keep your head from exploding

[joeinid]

Great news Mark! Maybe it was a self-preservation safety mechanism to split the two auditions apart to keep your head from exploding

[Dpod4]

You're right Joe, Darrin had it from the get go. I wish Darrin would give us his opinion again after owning them for so long !

Will do. And will compare constellation/Arc to my air tight gear driving the S5s.

[Mike]

Mark - the classe CAM600's (Stereophile Class A rated) have been the champ in your system for a while now. In what ways do you feel the Constellation stereo betters the classe monos? Lastly, in Fremer's review, he talks about the lack of slam of the Constellation. Have you noticed this or do you think this is perhaps a characteristic of the Constellation amp and Constellation preamp when run in direct mode rather than balanced?

[Dpod4]

Mark - the classe CAM600's (Stereophile Class A rated) have been the champ in your system for a while now. In what ways do you feel the Constellation stereo betters the classe monos? Lastly, in Fremer's review, he talks about the lack of slam of the Constellation. Have you noticed this or do you think this is perhaps a characteristic of the Constellation amp and Constellation preamp when run in direct mode rather than balanced?

I noticed more texture and dynamics when centaur was run from a tube preamp versus the constellation preamp (which I demoed). Constellation preamp won on low volume presentation - ARC ref 40 tube amp won on slam and texture. Also - did Fremer listen to it with Magicos? My S5s never had such slam as with the constellation amp. Synergy of amp and speakers is everything.

[Mike]

Darrin - I don't have the review handy, but I wonder what preamp he was using. DartZeel perhaps? I have never heard the Constellation amp with anything but a Constellation preamp. I look forward to hearing it with some other brand of preamp.

[Dpod4]

Darrin - I don't have the review handy, but I wonder what preamp he was using. DartZeel perhaps? I have never heard the Constellation amp with anything but a Constellation preamp. I look forward to hearing it with some other brand of preamp.

I thought the constellation preamp lost some of the magic the centaur is capable of.

[MDP]

Mark - the classe CAM600's (Stereophile Class A rated) have been the champ in your system for a while now. In what ways do you feel the Constellation stereo betters the classe monos? Lastly, in Fremer's review, he talks about the lack of slam of the Constellation. Have you noticed this or do you think this is perhaps a characteristic of the Constellation amp and Constellation preamp when run in direct mode rather than balanced?

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

[Mike]

I thought the constellation preamp lost some of the magic the centaur is capable of.

This is certainly seems to be the case. You've definitely been an early adopter Darrin and quite stealthy about it! . Was glad to read your earlier comments and look forward to more thoughts. From Mark's point of view you're sitting on a dynamite amp!

[socfan12]

Wow, Mark, congrats! Seems like you're wll on a path to upgrading your entire system! First the Linn, then likely the amps, and soon speakers! Woohoo!

Look forward to updates to your journey!!

[MDP]

Darrin, I'm running it with the Classe' Cp800. which I think is one of the best preamps I've heard regardless of price. It was a magic combination !!

[Mike]

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

Thanks Mark. It sure sounds like a special amp and one that must be auditioned at home. Will we have a Dag vs Constellation blind shootout? . We could sell tickets.

[socfan12]

Thanks Mark. It sure sounds like a special amp and one that must be auditioned at home. Will we have a Dag vs Constellation blind shootout? . We could sell tickets.

[Mike]

Darrin, I'm running it with the Classe' Cp800. which I think is one of the best preamps I've heard regardless of price. It was a magic combination !!

I totally agree. I've owned this preamp and it gets little to no respect. This is a world class preamp. As good as many of the $30k monsters out there....maybe better! .

[dlb2]

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

Sounds like it's right up your alley Mark. If the amps can make rock music sound the way you described, imagine how other genres would do. Nice!

[Dpod4]

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

Agree. My ultimate album is MoFi Supertramp "Crime of the Century". Totally can assess whether my system is working or not with that spinning.

[Dpod4]

Darrin, I'm running it with the Classe' Cp800. which I think is one of the best preamps I've heard regardless of price. It was a magic combination !!

I have read about the CP800 and I think John Atkinson and other reviewers bought it when they heard it and measured it. A true statement preamp

[MDP]

I have read about the CP800 and I think John Atkinson and other reviewers bought it when they heard it and measured it. A true statement preamp

Darrin, it's like the Lumin, it gets no respect because it's too inexpensive !

[MDP]

Sounds like it's right up your alley Mark. If the amps can make rock music sound the way you described, imagine how other genres would do. Nice!

Doug, you absolutely nailed my point !!

Trust me, if you find an amp that can play rock and classical, they will "Kill It" with stuff like Diana Krall !!

[Ritmo]

Mark - Glad you like the Constellation. Can't wait to listen to it with the Salon 2s at some point in the future.

[MDP]

Thanks Mike !

We will see where this journey ends up.

[Design Audio Video]

I needed to burn in a ML No52 preamp so I put it with the Centaur mono's and that's a very good combination.

[asiufy]

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

Well, from what I remember of Fremer's review, his opinion seemed to match mine, of the Constellations. They had bass, lots of it actually. It's just that they were delicate about it. It's not old school, monster amp bass. And that causes a little bit of dissociation, since you're looking at this gorgeous, big amp, expecting prodigious bass, and still it sounds delicate.

That could lead one to believe the amps lack slam, but I found the Constellations very laid back. They were actually the most laid back amps (gear, actually, since I had the preamp as well) I've ever heard! So, they were perfect for rock, specially badly transferred digital like early CDs, or recent, compressed recordings. And while they were laid back, even forgiving, they were also absolutely transparent and resolving, with perfect resolution.

Needless to say, I was very impressed My only caveat was the preamp, whose ergonomics were not to my liking.

Oh, my impressions were on a Magico Q3, so yeah, Magico/Constellation is one sure way to go!

alexandre

[MDP]

The Constellation is indeed revealing, but in a very different manner than other revealing types of amps. It never sounds anything other than sweet and natural sounding.

[MDP]

I noticed more texture and dynamics when centaur was run from a tube preamp versus the constellation preamp (which I demoed). Constellation preamp won on low volume presentation - ARC ref 40 tube amp won on slam and texture. Also - did Fremer listen to it with Magicos? My S5s never had such slam as with the constellation amp. Synergy of amp and speakers is everything.

Darrin, Fremer reviewed the monos with a Dartzeel pre and Wilson Alexandria XLF's.

[MDP]

Wow, Mark, congrats! Seems like you're wll on a path to upgrading your entire system! First the Linn, then likely the amps, and soon speakers! Woohoo!

Look forward to updates to your journey!!

Thanks Allen !

[the professor]

I agree. In my short time to listen last night, The bass is definitely not lacking. It's there, very textured and revealing.

Mike, Fremer's review was the only one that mentioned a lack of bass. In my system the Constellation absolutely "Rocked" !! It really excelled at Rock music better than any other amp.
And before anyone says Rock music always sounds bad, let me tell you that Rock is one of the hardest genres to unravel !! An amp that can break down all the many instruments in Rock or Classical is what I want, it's very complex music. It's too easy for a lesser amp to just blend it all together rather than decipher it all.

As far as the Constellation preamp goes, when I heard it at David's on the S5's, it had tons of slam, even more when run in Balanced instead of Direct. But it sill had plenty no matter which way you ran it.

[Design Audio Video]

As soon as the stereo amp makes it's rounds it will be fun to compare it to the mono's. Murali, one of the owners, said they were very different from each other.

[Design Audio Video]

Maybe very different is an exaggeration but he did say they definitely did not sound exactly alike.

[the professor]

Interesting. I figured they would sound the same only more so on the mono's.

Fremer reviewed the Mono's. Are there any reviews on the Stereo amp?

Maybe very different is an exaggeration but he did say they definitely did not sound exactly alike.

[Dpod4]

Well, from what I remember of Fremer's review, his opinion seemed to match mine, of the Constellations. They had bass, lots of it actually. It's just that they were delicate about it. It's not old school, monster amp bass. And that causes a little bit of dissociation, since you're looking at this gorgeous, big amp, expecting prodigious bass, and still it sounds delicate.

That could lead one to believe the amps lack slam, but I found the Constellations very laid back. They were actually the most laid back amps (gear, actually, since I had the preamp as well) I've ever heard! So, they were perfect for rock, specially badly transferred digital like early CDs, or recent, compressed recordings. And while they were laid back, even forgiving, they were also absolutely transparent and resolving, with perfect resolution.

Needless to say, I was very impressed My only caveat was the preamp, whose ergonomics were not to my liking.

Oh, my impressions were on a Magico Q3, so yeah, Magico/Constellation is one sure way to go!

alexandre

Very good description.

[the professor]

After my relatively short time with the Centaur Stereo amp, I can absolutely say it is a great amp.

I didn't do a blind test with the D'Agostino Stereo but I did compare them.

My biggest recommendation is that if anybody is looking into a $25-30,000 amp then you HAVE to listen to both of these amps. Both are great - personal preference and speaker choice would be the difference.

The short of it is: tighter bass - Dag, vocals - tie/personal preference, cymbals - the Centaur has more texture. The Dag has better blacks when used with the Dag preamp. The Dag is better at low volumes, prob due to the blacker blacks.

My Accuphase preamp sounds better with the Centaur than the Dag preamp does.

I can't see anybody that has either switching to the other. Just too costly for not that much difference.

[socfan12]

Jock, thanks for the feedback.

Curious why you thought the Accuphase was better with the Centaur than the Dag pre? More body/warmth?

[the professor]

I don't know exactly. But, when I listened to the Dag/Centaur combo, my toe didn't tap like it did with the Dag/Dag or Accuphase/Constelation combos.

I want to also add that my system has been optimized for the Dag amps. They are also what I am used to. So even tho I preferred the Dag over the Centaur, they are close enough and with no glaring problems with either. I would bet that if I was used to the Centaur and had optimized my system for it, that I would feel the same (opposite?) way only preferring the Centaur instead.

[MDP]

Thanks Jock !

I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did !

[MDP]

I really, really miss the Constellation amp

[sharkmouth]

"really, really really?"

[joeinid]

"really, really really?"

Really!

[socfan12]

I really, really miss the Constellation amp

Only one way to fix that, Mark!

[dlb2]

Only one way to fix that, Mark!

Open the wallet...

[Design Audio Video]

That really stinks. Hopefully the S3's don't have the same effect on you. Hope to get those in next week. They have shipped so it won't be long.

[socfan12]

[dlb2]

That really stinks. Hopefully the S3's don't have the same effect on you. Hope to get those in next week. They have shipped so it won't be long.

David, did you ask Mark what his favorite color is and order the S3's accordingly...

[Design Audio Video]

I have an extra black and bronze pair coming. I wanting a candy red pair badly.