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[Masterlu]

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[Masterlu]

A bit of History...

[Still-One]

I will be posting my initial impressions of my Momentum's here a bit later this evening.

Jim

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Still-One

I will be posting my initial impressions of my Momentum's here a bit later this evening.

Jim

Looking forward to it Jim!

[Still-One]

Well I guess it is time to provide an update on my Momentum amplifiers. As most of you know they replaced a pair of McIntosh 1.2k amps in my system. I have had them for several weeks now and the break-in is proceeding rather nicely.

I first saw and heard the Momentum’s in early October when Dan D’Agostino showed them at Paragon Sight and Sound paired with Wilson Maxx 3’s and Wadia’s System 9 front end. The entire system was very impressive and as I noted then photos do these amps no justice.

I again heard the amps about a week later playing in a couple of rooms at RMAF. They sounded okay but surely not good enough to warrant me to consider a purchase.
Then last month I stopped by Paragon around the time I was thinking about purchasing a pair of Luxman Class A amps. The Momentum’s had just arrived and they looked so darn good just sitting there. On my way home I started running thru options where I would trade/sell my 1,2k’s and C-1000 and pick up the Momentum’s and a pre-amp that might visually pair up with them (Ayre KX-R or Esoteric C-03). I returned the next day and listened to the amps with some quality speakers and a couple of different pre-amps and kept thinking, this does not sound as good as what I currently have. Larry said take them home and see what they sound like in your room.
I didn’t want to wait for them to bring them to my house so we loaded them up I was able to handle get them out of the car and to the lower level so about an hour after I decided to try the out the amps were sitting atop my 1.2ks. all ready to fire up. (Thank goodness for flight cases and 100 pound amps.)

It only required a couple of tracks to alleviate any concerns I may have had related to dropping from 1200wpc to 300wpc (actually about 600 since my MBL’s are 4 ohm nominal). The Momentums just control the low end of my 111f’s so much better than the 1.2ks did. The third track of Maeve O’Boyle’s “All My Sins” begins with a beat that made me jump. I now feel bass notes vibrate lightly around my feet and that is carpet over a concrete floor. The cello’s on the rock CD “2 Cello’s” are deep yet musical. The notes seem to start and stop much faster on DD’s amps, yet seem to linger when that is what was recorded on the disc. While listening the Clint Eastwood’s soundtrack for “The Changeling” I can feel my chair vibrating ever so slightly as the bow is pulled across the strings on Track 10.

Vocals present themselves a bit cleaner via the Momentum’s. Examples would include the vocals on Jennifer Warnes “The Well” , Holly Coles, “Greatest Hits” Richard Hawley’s “Trueloves Gutter” , Brandi Carlile’s “Give Up The Ghost” and Dire Straits “Greatest Hits” to name just a few.

Not every CD sounds better through the Momentum’s. Sugarland’s “Incredible Machine” seems brighter than I remember. There are other discs that sound edgier in the upper range than before though it does seem that some of this is disappearing as the amps continue to break in.

The one issue I am dealing with is a bit of what I believe is transformer noise that on occasion is more pronounced from one amp. I have tried swapping power cords, swapping which circuit each amp is plugged into, and removing the interconnects to the amps, yet the noisier of the two remains the same amp. I have spoken with the dealer who has been in contact with D’Agostino and there will be no issue if I want to send it back for a check-up while I am on vacation towards the end of the month.

I was so happy with the new set-up I decided to sell my REL G1 and for the time being continue to use the C-1000. Although I don’t spend much time listening to vinyl I like having a decent phono stage built into my pre-amp. I will continue to research options while waiting for Dan’s pre-amp to come to market and see how it compares to my current McItnosh unit.

Bottom line. Even at the big jump in cost, it was a worthwhile purchase.

Jim

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Well I guess it is time to provide an update on my Momentum amplifiers. As most of you know they replaced a pair of McIntosh 1.2k amps in my system. I have had them for several weeks now and the break-in is proceeding rather nicely.

I first saw and heard the Momentum’s in early October when Dan D’Agostino showed them at Paragon Sight and Sound paired with Wilson Maxx 3’s and Wadia’s System 9 front end. The entire system was very impressive and as I noted then photos do these amps no justice.

I again heard the amps about a week later playing in a couple of rooms at RMAF. They sounded okay but surely not good enough to warrant me to consider a purchase.
Then last month I stopped by Paragon around the time I was thinking about purchasing a pair of Luxman Class A amps. The Momentum’s had just arrived and they looked so darn good just sitting there. On my way home I started running thru options where I would trade/sell my 1,2k’s and C-1000 and pick up the Momentum’s and a pre-amp that might visually pair up with them (Ayre KX-R or Esoteric C-03). I returned the next day and listened to the amps with some quality speakers and a couple of different pre-amps and kept thinking, this does not sound as good as what I currently have. Larry said take them home and see what they sound like in your room.
I didn’t want to wait for them to bring them to my house so we loaded them up I was able to handle get them out of the car and to the lower level so about an hour after I decided to try the out the amps were sitting atop my 1.2ks. all ready to fire up. (Thank goodness for flight cases and 100 pound amps.)

It only required a couple of tracks to alleviate any concerns I may have had related moving from 1200wpc to 300wpc (actually about 600 since my MBL’s are 4 ohm nominal). The Momentums just control the low end of my 111f’s so much better than the 1.2ks did. The third track of Maeve O’Boyle’s “All My Sins” begins with a beat that made me jump. I now feel bass notes vibrate lightly around my feet and that is carpet over a concrete floor. The cello’s on the rock CD “2 Cello’s” are deep yet musical. The notes seem to start and stop much faster on DD’s amps, yet seem to linger when that is what was recorded on the disc. While listening the Clint Eastwood’s soundtrack for “The Changeling” I can feel my chair vibrating ever so slightly as the bow is pulled across the strings on Track 10.

Vocals present themselves a bit cleaner via the Momentum’s. Examples would include the vocals on Jennifer Warnes “The Well” , Holly Coles, “Greatest Hits” Richard Hawley’s “Trueloves Gutter” , Brandi Carlile’s “Give Up The Ghost” and Dire Straits “Greatest Hits” to name just a few.

Not every CD sounds better through the Momentum’s. Sugarland’s “Incredible Machine” seems brighter than I remember. There are other discs that sound edgier in the upper range than before though it does seem that some of this is disappearing as the amps continue to break in.

The one issue I am dealing with is a bit of what I believe is transformer noise that on occasion is more pronounced from one amp. I have tried swapping power cords, swapping which circuit each amp is plugged into, and removing the interconnects to the amps, yet the noisier of the two remains the same amp. I have spoken with the dealer who has been in contact with D’Agostino and there will be no issue if I want to send it back for a check-up while I am on vacation towards the end of the month.

I was so happy with the new set-up I decided to sell my REL G1 and for the time being continue to use the C-1000. Although I don’t spend much time listening to vinyl I like having a decent phono stage built into my pre-amp. I will continue to research options while waiting for Dan’s pre-amp to come to market and see how it compares to my current McItnosh unit.

Bottom line. Even at the big jump in cost, it was a worthwhile purchase.

Jim

Nice write up Jim !
I'm happy if you found something that sounds better to you than the 1.2kWs. It is great to have the amps at home for an extended period of time before buying : the excitment thing has passed and your decision is much more rational. They must be terrific.
I'm very curious to see if the C1000P will also leave your room. From the review you just posted, my bet is that you will prefer it to the D'Agostino preamp.

Sent from my iPad using A.Aficionado

[jdebonth]

Jim, the transformer noise is almost certainly due to the presence of DC current in your mains. I had the same problem when I switched from a MC402 to a burmester 911mk3, the torroidal transformers in these types of amps are more sensitive to a DC offset and will mechanically hum as a result. It's possible that one of your momentum's is more sensitive to this than the other or that they are on different circuits with one containing more DC than the other.

Things like washing machines, fridges, dimmer switches all add DC offset to the mains; when the AC average is not at 0. There are several solutions available including the PS Audio humbuster and in my case the burmester 948. The 948 has a DC readout and keeps the DC offset lower than 0.02V when conditioning is activated. If I deactivate it will jump up to around +0.60 V and my 911 will start to hum loudly.

[1KW]

Nice write up Jim, congrats. they look terrific enjoy. Are you using them with your PPP ? Since the PPP regenerates AC I would think it would clean up the AC for you ? Incidentally I had a hum with my first Mcintosh MC207 and immediately exchanged it for a new amp. and the problem was solved. If I was spending this kind of money on a amp. I would expect a quiet transformer, don't except having it looked at ; ask for a new one .

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by jdebonth

Jim, the transformer noise is almost certainly due to the presence of DC current in your mains. I had the same problem when I switched from a MC402 to a burmester 911mk3, the torroidal transformers in these types of amps are more sensitive to a DC offset and will mechanically hum as a result. It's possible that one of your momentum's is more sensitive to this than the other or that they are on different circuits with one containing more DC than the other.

Things like washing machines, fridges, dimmer switches all add DC offset to the mains; when the AC average is not at 0. There are several solutions available including the PS Audio humbuster and in my case the burmester 948. The 948 has a DC readout and keeps the DC offset lower than 0.02V when conditioning is activated. If I deactivate it will jump up to around +0.60 V and my 911 will start to hum loudly.

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I have to deal with a lot of dimmer switches in my house. We have around 115 recessed lights, of which a good many are controlled by dimmer switches. (These lights are seldom used)

Yes, each amp is on its own individual 20 amp circuit. It doesn't matter which circuit I plug the noisier amp into, the louder noise moves with the amp.

I have discussed the issue with my dealer who has brought it to DD's attention. I am comfortable that if it an amplifier issue it will be addressed.

JIm

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by 1KW

Nice write up Jim, congrats. they look terrific enjoy. Are you using them with your PPP ? Since the PPP regenerates AC I would think it would clean up the AC for you ? Incidentally I had a hum with my first Mcintosh MC207 and immediately exchanged it for a new amp. and the problem was solved. If I was spending this kind of money on a amp. I would expect a quiet transformer, don't except having it looked at ; ask for a new one .

David
No, I have sold both of my PPP's. As I just posted in my response to jdebonth, the issue will be addressed at my convenience, probably when I go on vacation towards the end of the month.

Jim