Randy's sound system

[Randy Myers]

Thank you Michael. I am happy with the progress and where it has taken me. Obvious I am always limited by what I can afford and what is available to me at the time. I have been able to move forward with keeping with my main theme of little flash, industrial looks, performance first!

[chessman]

Randy, I bet that your pure class A amp feeding your passive preamp is going to be your long term keeper. In golf we drive for show, but putt for dough. In audio we brag about power, but we mostly listen to that first amp. Congrats!

[Randy Myers]

Thank you sir. I agree, power is just a number and the First Watt is simply amazing. I actual just got back from visiting EJ and getting a set of his C2 cables to feed it! The problem with these new metal racks is they are hard to get behind for wiring

[2fastdriving]

You need tube preamp. Ima stop here . Stop tickling the edges. Randy, go in all the way

[Randy Myers]

Hehe... you are a funny guy Marc ... How many outputs do the ARC have? I currently have 1x XLR (to ARC amp) and 2x RCA (to the subs and the First Watt) in use right now with 1x XLR still unused on my STP-SE.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by Randy Myers

Hehe... you are a funny guy Marc ... How many outputs do the ARC have? I currently have 1x XLR (to ARC amp) and 2x RCA (to the subs and the First Watt) in use right now with 1x XLR still unused on my STP-SE.

I believe they have 3 outputs, in both SE and balanced.

[Randy Myers]

Very cool... so at least they would work going forward... down the road if I decide to look at one ....

[JMD]

Randy

I think you are good for now with the STP-SE and might be better served by upgrading it rather than buying a 6H30 based preamp. If you want a classic tube sound there are other options. Just my opinion and others are surely different.

[Randy Myers]

Thank you... yea I am cut off from buying anything right now... but next on list might be a new W4S DAC ...

[Randy Myers]

A couple friends from our audio club were over yesterday comparing the First Watt and Audio Research amplifiers. Well one preferred the FW and the other the ARC. I am neutral although maybe leaning towards the FW. The one who liked the ARC better is an Audio Research fan/owner from way back, so his heart was with ARC from the get go... and he really liked the VT50.

We all came to a definitely consensuses however that they are both pretty spectacular and fairly close. The ARC may have a little more "air" around it, especially in the highs while the FW probably has a fuller mid range and female vocals especially are startling good. Mid base very much favored the FW. Especially on a Fiona Joy SACD where the lower piano notes just had a more solid bottom residence. And the FW has probably a better and more stable image. Both are extremely good in this regards.

The ARC definitely has more power, but both are able to drive my MC's (which should be a very hard to drive speaker, 85 db, 4 ohm) to very high levels. Honestly, it is a really good problem to have, and a very nice change of pace in amplifiers...