Jay's Audio Journey

i have already tried cheap dacs. i did not start with DCS and MSB. i am clear on what the cheaper offerings bring. If you expect me to say that the Lumin is as good as a DCS or MSB, i wont because that is not the truth. That said, if you own dacs such as the msb, esoteric, dcs, etc and dacs of this level, then no it does not make sense to spend 30k on top to move up the ladder. It is a stupid move in my opinion as a DCS and MSB owner.

Find out which DAC i preferred on the video that drops today at 1130 am ET:

MSB versus DCS: And the winner is... - YouTube
 
Congrats on the new preamp, but you just got the Ref6SE and I don't remember you doing anything with it? Are you going to bring that back into the mix as well?
 
I know you explained why you wouldn't bring back the brought back the Ref160 monos in your Ref6SE unveiling video, but I urge you to reconsider if you can find a pair. I am using the Ref6SE/Ref160 monos with my Alexx and I feel it's a great combo. I don't know why you didn't like the monos in the past, but I just feel you should revisit if possible, because of the synergy with the Ref6SE and the Wilson XLF. I would bring mine over if I didn't live in Seattle :)
 
The 160m never measured up for me. As a matter of fact, the person i sold my first set of 160m told me they were trash and he traded them in back to me.
I did buy 160m with the ref6se and sold those. The alexx needs huge power. You're not close to realizing the potential of that speaker.
Lastly, keep in mind my reference point with regards to amps is quite high. Most people would be happy with 160m until they hear Mephisto and Boulder 2150...
 
Jay's Audio Lab said:
The 160m never measured up for me. As a matter of fact, the person i sold my first set of 160m told me they were trash and he traded them in back to me.
I did buy 160m with the ref6se and sold those. The alexx needs huge power. You're not close to realizing the potential of that speaker.
Lastly, keep in mind my reference point with regards to amps is quite high. Most people would be happy with 160m until they hear Mephisto and Boulder 2150...
Click to expand...

I believe you, I'll go solid-state one day, but I'm kind of locked in with these amps for a while. I simply can't afford to change very often.
 
2fastdriving said:
I believe you, I'll go solid-state one day, but I'm kind of locked in with these amps for a while. I simply can't afford to change very often.
Click to expand...

I ran the REF10 with REF160m for a couple years with my Alexias. I thought the pairing was very good, but 1) Alexia not what Alex or Alexandria are, and 2) Wilson speakers are not shy about power, they’ll gladly gobble as much as you can feed them, and get better with each dose. (I suppose there’s a limit of course.) No doubt Ref6se and 160m make sweet music. I had a Ref75 with my Alexia for a few years, the extra power of the 160m immediately made a huge difference (plus the 160s are better than ref75 in many other ways.)

I do agree with Jay your Alexx will improve with more power. And Wilson’s often present a challenging load at some combination of frequency and phase angle, so an amp that doesn’t flinch into a 2 or fewer ohm load will only help bring the most out of a Wilson speaker.
 
Bobvin said:
I ran the REF10 with REF160m for a couple years with my Alexias. I thought the pairing was very good, but 1) Alexia not what Alex or Alexandria are, and 2) Wilson speakers are not shy about power, they’ll gladly gobble as much as you can feed them, and get better with each dose. (I suppose there’s a limit of course.) No doubt Ref6se and 160m make sweet music. I had a Ref75 with my Alexia for a few years, the extra power of the 160m immediately made a huge difference (plus the 160s are better than ref75 in many other ways.)

I do agree with Jay your Alexx will improve with more power. And Wilson’s often present a challenging load at some combination of frequency and phase angle, so an amp that doesn’t flinch into a 2 or fewer ohm load will only help bring the most out of a Wilson speaker.
Click to expand...

Just a couple of comments.

The original Alexia is less sensitive by one dB and a more difficult load than is Marc's Alexx. The low point for Alexx is 1.5 ohms at 2850Hz, not nearly as demanding as a low impedance in the bass region. Alexia on the other hand is 2 ohms at 80Hz. That's much tougher for the amp.

Matching amplifiers to speakers seems to be one of the most misunderstood aspects at this level of audio. It is not power alone that improves a Wilson speaker's performance. If your goal is to replace the REF160M, then you need to find a more powerful amp that is comparable or better sonically. Many of the en vogue amplifiers across forums these days are at best a different version of presentation and at worst a change for change's sake. The bottom line is that while there are many different powerful amps, there are far fewer potentially "better" amps. In the context of replacing REF160M's in a full blown, properly tuned ARC system, the number one might consider becomes vanishingly small.

Fortunately, one of the hallmarks of Wilson designs is that they allow you to hear very clearly why you chose, and hopefully love, the amplifier you did.

As always, ymmv.
 
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