#31
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I have particular cuts that I have listened to over and over again over the years. I know them extremely well. They are demanding and show up deficiencies easily. But the difference between the 1.25 and 1.2 was not small. It was apparent on every well recorded album. One thing I forgot to mention was sibilants. I have one particular blue ray where the performers are doing some interviews between the songs of the live performance.With the Maxx3 setup they were quite annoying. Upgrading to the Alexx significantly reduced them. My Audioquest cable/pc upgrade even more so. All this with the 1.2's. They are virtually unnoticeable with the 1.25's. The sound is less intense much more relaxed and so much smoother. I'm very glad about this and not just for me but for all who can for a very reasonable price get a real slice of what a Dag, Accuphase, Boulder, etc. sounds like. While a fine amp the 1.2 is a very dated design being basically from a parts and circuit standpoint a 1201. It's in my opinion just not competitive anymore.
Last edited by Charles; 10-15-2018 at 08:40 PM. |
#32
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Charles, may have missed this, but what are your interconnects and Power Cables? You mentioned Audioquest? Which types?
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#33
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Here are some more pics that show up the rear. The Power cords are high current AQ Dragons (1) 1 meter and (1) 2 meter per channel (about 12,300.00 per channel total). Speaker cables the very latest Wel Signatures 3 meter per channel (about 15,000.00 per channel-- 9 gauge solid silver). IC's are AQ balanced Wel Signatures 24 feet per channel (14,2000.00 per channel--solid silver they dwarf in diameter my copper select KK IC going to my sub. Speaker cable to sub is KK copper select. Power cord to sub is KK Palladian PK10). In the final pic the "black box" at the bottom is an AQ Niagara 7000. Most of the power cords (not seen in this pic) are Dragon Source with the main cord powering the 7000 seen here a 1 meter HC Dragon going to a dedicated 20 amp wall outlet. I have 4 dedicated 20 amp lines total. In my cable upgrade I did not compromise. If I felt there could be a possibility of sonic improvement I did it but I did not waste money either.
Changing the subject totally, in a few days I'm going to be discussing in some detail on the Wilson forum the Michael Fremer "bass fart" if anyone might be interested. It's a very interesting bass note (an unusually heavy bass drum) 3:45 seconds into the final movement of Beethoven's 9th. Conductor: Sir Simon Rattle of Berliner Philharmoniker Orchestra. p.s And thank everyone for the compliments and comments. Not withstanding the cost I put a lot of thought into my new system. By making careful measurements I saved probably 15,000.00 on power cords by being able to go with 1 meter rather than 2 meter cords for the most part. What I couldn't change was the distance of the preamp to power amp (about 22 feet). I was also able to eliminate the typical analog preamp and go with the exclusively digital D1100. This also saved a chunk of change. All in all I feel I have achieved an extremely cost effective system. Frugality is very important to me. Last edited by Charles; 10-18-2018 at 09:26 AM. |
#34
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Thx Charles, Stunning. Break in time for power cables and interconnects?
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#35
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I don't know. While for example the new amps did seem to open up a little more to my ears 2 or 3 days after installation I have never been a "breakin person". Generally, if my ears are going to hear it (a difference), they do so rather immediately on pieces I am very familiar with. As I mentioned I have about 10 pieces that I am extremely familiar with that are quite demanding. What I can tell you is that in the midrange and treble silver is greatly superior to copper. I can't see much use in silver for a sub like my Thor which operates below 30 Hz exclusively. I asked a person in the know who I greatly respect about this and he said forget it. Don't spend the money.
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#36
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very nice amps
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#37
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And thank everyone for the compliments and comments. Not withstanding the cost I put a lot of thought into my new system. By making careful measurements I saved probably 15,000.00 on power cords by being able to go with 1 meter rather than 2 meter cords for the most part. What I couldn't change was the distance of the preamp to power amp (about 22 feet). I was also able to eliminate the typical analog preamp and go with the exclusively digital D1100. This also saved a chunk of change. All in all I feel I have achieved an extremely cost effective system. Frugality is very important to me.
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#38
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Looks fantastic Charles! I'm sure you will enjoy plenty of listening sessions.
BTW....I love the Nipper you have. I've been searching for one just like it for a very long time.
__________________
Paul Speakers: Von Schweikert VR-5 Anniversary MK II Front L/R, LCR-35 Center, VR-1 Rear L/R Sub: JL Audio F113 Amps: PS Audio BHK Signature 300 Mono, McIntosh MC207 Pre-Amp PS Audio BHK Signature and Gold Note PH-10 Phono Stage/PSU-10 Power Supply Turntable: VPI HR-X 12.7 TONEARM (2) and SDS, Stillpoints LPI Tape Deck Otari 5050B II2 Music Server: Aurender N100H Cartridges: Ortofon Cadenza Black, Lyra Helikon Mono Digital Source: Oppo UDP-205 DAC: Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE SSP: Marantz AV8801 Cables: Wireworld Electra 7 (P) Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7, Shunyata Delta NR (I) Wireworld Silver Eclipse 7 (S) Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7 (USB) AC Power Regeneration: PS Audio DirectStream P15 Power Plant and Shunyata Denali 6000s V2. |
#39
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Again, thank you all. This is truly the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work. Couple of things I'd like to say. I am very local dealer dependent. However, I really like the AQ/Mac/Wilson gear. I believe they are synergistic but having said that, I never have even touched these silver power cords or solid silver IC's or speaker cables or even the speakers. They are dealer installed and will stay that way. And how could I remotely get these huge amps up a fairly long flight of stairs and in and out. Un-boxing and boxing: forget it. These frontal pics are taken from my sitting position. When I look to my right I see my equipment rack just as you see in the pics. It is about 5' from my sitting position. Notice how the tweeters are pointed exactly at my left and right ears. The thing I like the most about Wilsons are their foolproof setup. Notice how you can just see the inside panel. It's because the tweeters are pointed at my ears not my face. With Wilson you get on axis listening. I don't know what the correct treble angle is for any speaker that does not specify it. You think your treble sounds good on a cut only to discover harshness on another. Wilson speakers provide very explicit setup instructions and the angles of the drivers change with the distance of the ears from your seat and ear height. I like this. It provides me with a reference. So my Alexx are setup at about 11'4" from my ears (the tweeters) exactly the same distance as my Maxx3's. The amount of base in absolute terms is probably a little more with my old Maxx3's but the bass quality is significantly superior (speed articulation detail) with my Alexxes and the integration with my Thor is superior, no question. With the Maxx3 you never wanted for bass but I always felt the bass slightly slow and undamped in absolute terms. The Alexx confirmed my suspicions. Alexx midrange and treble are also significantly superior to Maxx3. When I got my Alexxes it was painfully apparent they were head and shoulders better in terms of build quality than my other equipment most especially my cables which needed to be solid silver to match. So I had a choice. To keep what I had and live with it or do a truly massive upgrade. (The 24' silver Wel IC's were particularly painful.) I chose the latter. But now that it's over the financial hit has totally receded. I have found the money spent is quickly forgotten as one settles into the bliss of a truly high end system.
Last edited by Charles; 10-19-2018 at 04:29 AM. |
#40
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Wow...just a big WOW.
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