Playing beyond it's price point

My Magnepan 1.6's and MMG's. My Martin Logan original dynamo subs. All the Van Alstine gear that I own but don't use any more.

I had 5 friends over the other night and we swapped in my Magnepan 1.6's for my PSB T3's and all preferred the 1.6's. Yikes!

A $2K speaker sounding better than a $7500 one. The Maggies were more musical, had better mid bass thump, had a taller and wider sound stage and believe it or not, was more forgiving than the T3's. The T3's had them beat on clarity, resolution and smoothness though but they can sound flat or dull on some music, for example we put on Pink Floyd "The Wall" remastered edition and it sounded great with the Mags and flat and boring with the T3's which are definitely more accurate but less musical.
 
Mechnutt said:
My Magnepan 1.6's and MMG's. My Martin Logan original dynamo subs. All the Van Alstine gear that I own but don't use any more.

I had 5 friends over the other night and we swapped in my Magnepan 1.6's for my PSB T3's and all preferred the 1.6's. Yikes!

A $2K speaker sounding better than a $7500 one. The Maggies were more musical, had better mid bass thump, had a taller and wider sound stage and believe it or not, was more forgiving than the T3's. The T3's had them beat on clarity, resolution and smoothness though but they can sound flat or dull on some music, for example we put on Pink Floyd "The Wall" remastered edition and it sounded great with the Mags and flat and boring with the T3's which are definitely more accurate but less musical.
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I have to try Magnepan one day. Need real amps for that. Or shall I say, powerful amps.
 
audio quest niagara 1000. got from Mike. IMMEDIATE difference easily heard. instant sound stage appeared magically. anyone could hear the difference. bob
 
Old Bob said:
audio quest niagara 1000. got from Mike. IMMEDIATE difference easily heard. instant sound stage appeared magically. anyone could hear the difference. bob
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I agree, it is a very nice unit. In the new issue of The Absolute Sound they gave it an award for the best power solution of the year!
 
Big B said:
For me Job 225 was a nice surprise.
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The Goldmund Job 225 is a very nice amp. Great value.... I had one, twice actually :). Excellent sounding for what you pay. The T+A AMP 8 has a similar performance envelope but everything is taken to a much higher level, what the Job does well the T+A does better, etc. Also, quality of construction is very much in the T+A favor!
 
I only do 2-channel listening with my system. I never have been a fan of surround sound so I keep music and TV in separate rooms :).
 
Peachtree NOVA 150 and NOVA 300.

Integrated amp with ICE power. Sabre32 DAC, MM phono stage and first rate headphone amplifier.
 
Mike said:
Chord Hugo M Scaler -takes the DAVE to a whole new level
ISOAcoustics GAIA
AudioQuest Hurricane PC. This power cord pounds the Ansuz DTC at 1/10 the price.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I always get suspicious when a dealer says this. I hope you don't take it personal Mike.
 
Mordante said:
I always get suspicious when a dealer says this. I hope you don't take it personal Mike.
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No offense taken. Everyone has to do their own listening and decide for themselves. I like what I like and others like what they like. Just remember, I have to BUY everything I sell. Nobody gives me any product for free (although that would be nice!). If I don’t like it, I don’t carry it. You have to feel passionate about a product or you just won’t sell it through body language, etc. There are a lot of products I like, just like a lot of cars I like. Then there are some I just don’t care for. Some products are REALLY hard for you not to like. They look great, they have great build quality, but you may not connect with the sound. Another is when the manufacturer are great guys, but you just don’t jive with their sound or philosophy.
 
Mike said:
No offense taken. Everyone has to do their own listening and decide for themselves. I like what I like and others like what they like. Just remember, I have to BUY everything I sell. Nobody gives me any product for free (although that would be nice!). If I don’t like it, I don’t carry it. You have to feel passionate about a product or you just won’t sell it through body language, etc. There are a lot of products I like, just like a lot of cars I like. Then there are some I just don’t care for. Some products are REALLY hard for you not to like. They look great, they have great build quality, but you may not connect with the sound. Another is when the manufacturer are great guys, but you just don’t jive with their sound or philosophy.
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The other thing that separates Mike versus other dealers is that he was a fanatic before he was a dealer. He also only recently evolved to opening a store. I think this gives him a different perspective then many other dealers.

I have worked for stores in the past (ok, distant past) where the owners really were not enthusiasts; to them it was only a business and all that matter was whatever they could make more money on. To me that was always silly because in the long run you were not building customer relationships and trust. It is quite a different perspective when a dealer has clients not customers!
 
I don't know if it plays beyond it's price, I will say I think it's the new benchmark in "super" integrated amps as it is noticeably better than those I've heard in the $10k to $12k range.

I'm talking about the Hegel H590, it's really good. The resolution and detail really makes the unit stand out. It's still very neutral with fast transents and dynamic. So it's for a truth seeker and probably not for those wanting warm and lush. Although I find the 590 has more PRAT than the lower units in the line.
 
I think the Schitt Yggdrasil is one of those playing above it’s price point. It stayed in my system over 4 years.....an eternity in Dac years lol.
 
I agree with Oly about OPPO's (unfortunately discontinued) audio and video products, and I'd add miniDSP's Dirac products, as providing outstanding value by most anyone's definition.
 
Dguitarnut said:
I think the Schitt Yggdrasil is one of those playing above it’s price point. It stayed in my system over 4 years.....an eternity in Dac years lol.
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Yes, I still have mine, but it's in my system only since one and a half years ;)

A friend of mine sold his dCS Vivaldi for it. No schiit. We both preferred the Yggdrasil in his system.
 
Al M. said:
Yes, I still have mine, but it's in my system only since one and a half years ;)

A friend of mine sold his dCS Vivaldi for it. No schiit.
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The new Schiit Audio Yggdrasil DAC with the analog 2 and USB gen 5 upgrades is a center field over the wall home run. I am thrilled with the performance of mine. It definitely punches well beyond its price point by a wide margin.
 
I regret selling my yggy. Will buy one back just to keep it in rotation.
 
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