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  #61  
Old 03-04-2017, 06:13 PM
jpgr4blu jpgr4blu is offline
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When I compared Dag to ARC with Wilson Sashas in my system, I decided that I could not give up the slightly more natural sound of ARC for the transparency and grip of the DAGs. It was a close call for me and I went back and forth on the decision, but I stayed with ARC and vowed to someday buy the DAG stereo amp as a second amp. Then new pcs and ics and a new Spectral cd player got in the way. I may still get there someday.
I will say that the similarities between the 2 amps were more striking than the differences.
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  #62  
Old 03-05-2017, 05:33 AM
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The right high end tube pre coupled with the right (match wise) high end solid state amplification is a killer combo. End of story

Congrats on all here that found that sweet spot we all either cherish or continue to chase.
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  #63  
Old 03-05-2017, 06:53 AM
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Originally Posted by essjay View Post
The right high end tube pre coupled with the right (match wise) high end solid state amplification is a killer combo. End of story

Congrats on all here that found that sweet spot we all either cherish or continue to chase.
I totally agree with your statement. I own the Vandersteen Model 7 Mk2 speakers and I'm running the ARC Reference 10 preamp and Vandersteen M7-HPA mono amps with them with great success. Essentially all of the voltage gain in the preamp and the input stage of the amps is being handled by valves. The current gain in the output stage of the amps is handled by bipolar transistors. The icing on the cake is the rectification in the preamp's power supply is also handled by valves with a dual mono design. I couldn't be happier with the results.

Best,
Ken
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  #64  
Old 03-05-2017, 08:54 AM
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Originally Posted by PlanarSpeakerFan View Post
I totally agree with your statement. I own the Vandersteen Model 7 Mk2 speakers and I'm running the ARC Reference 10 preamp and Vandersteen M7-HPA mono amps with them with great success. Essentially all of the voltage gain in the preamp and the input stage of the amps is being handled by valves. The current gain in the output stage of the amps is handled by bipolar transistors. The icing on the cake is the rectification in the preamp's power supply is also handled by valves with a dual mono design. I couldn't be happier with the results.



Best,

Ken


Lots of ways to skin that cat. But tubes somewhere in the signal chain seem to be a key element.

Congratulations on finding your yellow brick road Ken!

Kindest regards,
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  #65  
Old 03-05-2017, 09:36 AM
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Lots of ways to skin that cat. But tubes somewhere in the signal chain seem to be a key element.

Congratulations on finding your yellow brick road Ken!

Kindest regards,
Thanks Carlos! I agree there are many different paths to success to gain your favorite sound. I can see from your signature line and my conversations with Le Roy that you have found your yellow brick road too. I admire your relentless pursuit of the best sound possible.

All the best,
Ken
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  #66  
Old 03-05-2017, 10:53 AM
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Ahhh ....yes that elusive yellow brick road...full of lions, tigers and bears. Oh my!
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  #67  
Old 03-30-2017, 06:05 AM
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Originally Posted by enatai252 View Post
Congrats to all for your D'ag momentums...they are great amps. I may be the outlier here but I listened to both the momentums and the Ref 250's on Sasha's at my dealer and prefer the Ref 250s. I did actually consider buying both as the amps also serve home theater duty and solid state amplification works better there. In the end..I bought Ayre MX-Rs for normal setup with movies and TV and for 2 channel listening I hook up the Ref 250s. The momentums win in the solidity and speed of the lower registers but I felt the 250s did a better job bringing me into the musical event...and provided slightly more air and space around each performer. I could live happily with any of them. I am looking forward to my Alexia's which ship out this week...and the new Vivaldi stack which arrived last week is just downright amazing. While I am doubtful I will ever buy the D'ag preamp...the amps are still something I stop by my dealer to listen to from time to time...variety is good...
Do switch between the two amplifiers via the same pre/pro or run seperate stack on both sides?
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  #68  
Old 03-30-2017, 08:00 AM
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Originally Posted by audiohippo View Post
Do switch between the two amplifiers via the same pre/pro or run seperate stack on both sides?


My system has changed since that post, I now use just the MXR20s-but when I had both amps...I had two separate balanced IC runs from the preamp- 1 set to each amp pair. I also had two separate speaker runs going to each speaker. So to swap from the Ayre to the ARC I would power down the Ayre, swap the speaker connectors at speaker end....power up the ARC

I still stop by and listen to the M400s occasionally
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  #69  
Old 03-30-2017, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by enatai252 View Post
My system has changed since that post, I now use just the MXR20s-but when I had both amps...I had two separate balanced IC runs from the preamp- 1 set to each amp pair. I also had two separate speaker runs going to each speaker. So to swap from the Ayre to the ARC I would power down the Ayre, swap the speaker connectors at speaker end....power up the ARC

I still stop by and listen to the M400s occasionally
Wow, that's the same scenario I was thinking, or having both cables wired up, but using the P10 with zones disabling the power to the unused system. Though there is always a risk of having both powered on.

Having the same amplifier for the L/R does make it easier, even if you two seperate preamps.

Got the hots for the M400s uh?
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