Biamp or bridge?
October 28, 2003
Dear Wes,
I currently own two NAD S200 power amps. These are fed by
an NAD S500 CD player via an NAD S100 preamp. Speakers are Paradigm Studio 100s. Ever
since I bought the second S200 amp I have been planning on buying new interconnects and
speaker cables.
With this gear would you recommend vertical biamping,
horizontal biamping, or running the amps as bridged monoblocks? I know it would be ideal
to try all the various options, but I don't have access to enough suitable cables. Also
any suggestions on cables that would suit this gear would also be appreciated.
Mark
I've tried all three and I know what I like and have
found most convenient, but sometimes "best-sounding" and "works best for
logistical reasons" are at odds with one another. Your final choice may be based on
something other than sound.
That said, I have always found that bridging an amp tends
to change its sound -- and never for the better. (It's possible, I suppose, but that has
never been my experience.) Why do it then? Sometimes it's the only way -- or the cheapest
way -- to get scads of power. Some speakers don't sound good unless they get kicked in the
butt by a powerful amp -- in those cases, the sound of the bridged amps might be better
than the sound of a pair of amps biamping those particular speakers.
However, in most cases, biamping can sound better. Vertical
biamping uses a single stereo amp for each channel -- typically using one channel to drive
the woofer and the other to driver the midrange/tweeter. Horizontal biamping uses both
channels on one stereo amp to drive the woofers of both speakers and both channels of the
other to drive the two midrange/tweeter arrays.
I have always had better luck with vertical biamping. It
requires less cable expenditure (you can run a single cable out of the preamp for each
channel and use a "Y" connector to split the signal at the amp) and it allows
you to run a long interconnect and short speaker cables, which is generally preferable. It
also seems to simplify hum problems (or maybe I've just been lucky in vertical biamping).
However, I would ignore any of these generalizations if
one method turns out to be appreciably cheaper or simpler to set up.
Impressed with Amphion
October 23, 2003
Dear Wes,
I have to say that I always derive the utmost pleasure
reading your articles and equipment reviews. I enjoy the great marriage of your sheer
honesty and your vast professional experience.
I read with very high interest your review of the
Amphion Xenon and was very interested (although I am going to take my time before
making a decision). I know you have also been exposed to the Wilson Audio Sophia and the
Dynaudio Temptation -- at a much higher prices, of course, and out of reach for most music
lovers. I have always believed in having a dream, having something on your shopping list
that you aspire to purchase, once you finally get the chance -- should you win the lottery
or just make a success in your business.
I am quite impressed with the Xenon being able to elicit
such an amazing sound from such a small box and light-weight design. They obviously are up
to something. In fact, I have a great suspicion that if they build a flagship speaker in a
larger box without abandoning their current design principles (and keeping the same
cabinet width), they may be able to outperform everything else out there. No, I haven't
heard them yet, but your comparison to other much more expensive designs got the point
across.
Have you found the Xenons to possess any positive
characteristics that the Sophias or Temptations didn't have?
Also, any experience with the Amati Homage or Legacy
Whispers?
Eric
Well, other than affordability, you mean? No, that's the
big one, in my opinion.
I have heard the Amati Homage, which I liked very much, but
I have to say that I think of all the Sonus Faber speakers the same way I do musical
instruments -- they have a sound and a personality and you'll either click with it or you
won't.
I do.
I have a friend who has a Fender Custom Shop Telecaster
made of 100-year-old barnwood. It's a work of art and far, far heavier than mine. He's a
working pro and he says it’s the finest guitar he has ever laid hands on -- and it
holds tune for years. I hate it. My blonde swamp ash Tele weighs less than half as much,
but feels completely alive to me -- his feels like dead weight. Now my buddy's ten times
the guitarist I'll ever be, and he's more attuned to the subtleties of intonation and
action than I can even dream of being, but I know what I like and I like my geetar better.
'Course, he's got an early '70s SG he calls a POS that I've
wanted for years, so go figure.
My point is that these are all incredibly fine distinctions
that are transferable only to a point. You could hear the Amati Homages and just not
cotton to 'em.
I was very impressed with the Legacy Whispers, but I only
heard them briefly. They are on my list of speakers to revisit -- maybe even review.
As to the potential of a no-holds-barred Amphion design,
like you I'm eager to hear that one. That's a company to keep an eye on, for sure.
Preamp advice
October 21, 2003
Hi Wes,
I'd like to have your opinion about my next step upgrading
my stereo.
Currently, I have the Electrocompaniet CD 24/192 CD player,
Electrocompaniet 4.7 preamp, Krell FPB-300c amp, and a pair of MartinLogan Prodigy
speakers. The upgrade this time around is for the preamp. I think it has become the
weakest link now (oldest component).
I have the choice of trying at home the Audio Research LS25
Mk II and Reference Two Mk II, and the Krell KCT. Any other preamps I should listen to?
Should I get tubes or not? Please give me your thoughts.
Marcelo
I like the CAST connection between the KCT and FPB-300c.
It simplifies matters and sounds fantastic, so I'd probably opt for that, if it were my
decision to make.
Should you get tubes? That's a matter of personal
preference, of course, but be aware that Krell's warranty is very specific on this point
"The user is responsible for notifying his or her Krell dealer, distributor, or Krell
that a tube preamplifier will be used with the Full Power Balanced amplifier, so that the
Krell dealer, distributor, or Krell can activate the coupling capacitors. If the user does
not notify the Krell dealer, distributor, or Krell and uses a tube preamplifier without
the Full Power Balanced amplifier's coupling capacitor engaged, Krell reserves the right
to refuse warranty related service due to DC-related damage."
In other words, if you don't use the coupling capacitors,
you run the risk of having a woofer propelled into your lap in the event of a tube burp,
and it will come out of your pocket. Sure, that's not likely, but it's worth thinking
about, by which I mean, have the capacitors activated -- not give up entirely on the idea
of using a tube preamp.
Cleaning inside
October 16, 2003
Hi Wes,
I have an Adcom GFP-565 preamp and an Adcom GCD-575 CD
player. From the model numbers you can see that they are old. I have never opened them to
clean the insides. I am experiencing an intermittent problem with the CD player. At times
I put in a disc and when I press play the right channel will be gone. I have found that if
I rotate through the source selector on the preamp the right channel will often come back.
Sometimes I just have to start the CD again. I suspect that perhaps there is some
oxidation taking place in the preamp. I'm hoping a good cleaning will solve my problem.
Can you point me to an article that will tell me how to
best clean the "insides" of the components? Any advice would be most welcome.
Paul
First, I suggest that you just change the cables,
especially if you're still using the "gimme" cables that came with the Adcoms.
There may indeed be some oxidation between the interconnect connectors and the jacks on
the components -- or there could even be some kind of stress fracture within the cable
itself, caused by its decade-old flex points.
Or it could be oxidation within the source selector switch.
There are spray solvents available that clean switches, but I don't recommend that you pop
the top of your components and try to clean up in there if you don't know what you're
doing. It probably won't help, and you could cause a bigger problem that could be
dangerous.
It could also be a worn belt or stress cable within the CD
player's laser sled -- which would be too fiddly for you to fix and on a ten-year-old CD
player, and probably too expensive to have repaired considering what a few hundred bucks
can buy today.
Ten years isn't a bad run for a CD player -- if you do have
to replace the Adcom, it has certainly earned its retirement.
Cable advice
October 13, 2003
Hi Wes,
I want to thank you for all the help you've provided me so
far, through your reviews, in choosing my audio system.
CD player: Linn Mimik
Electronics: McIntosh MA6900
Speakers: JMlab Electra 936
Now, here is the tricky part. What brand of wire would
maximize the warm sound of the McIntosh and the clarity of the JMlab speakers? I presently
have Linn interconnects and speaker cables. Living in a small town, there are no real
hi-fi stores where I could sit down and take time to listen to different brands. And when
I talk to salesmen over the phone, they tell me that their cables are the best, and that I
should not look further -- but none of them will let me borrow them for a couple of days.
So if you could give me some direction, I could finally see the light at the end of the
tunnel. My budget is $1500.
Serge
I like the Shunyata
Research cables, of course, but the Lyra and Aries are a little rich for your budget.
However, Shunyata makes other models, so I'd check 'em out. I have also relied on Kimber
Kable and AudioQuest over the years.
But the real question is why would anyone patronize an
audio store that won't extend the courtesy of in-home trial on a high-mark-up item like
audio cable? I'm not saying that retailers don't deserve to make a profit -- I'm just
saying that they should earn it. If your retailer won't provide in-home trial or some
other form of purchase-on-approval, there are alternatives.
I've never purchased anything from the company, but The Cable Company maintains a cable-loan
library and also a feedback library from its customers that correlates customers'
experiences with specific components and cables. Those are services that merit
consideration -- and possibly your patronage.
The whole point of trading wampum for trade goods is that
both parties need to be satisfied with the exchange. If a store won't treat you the way
you want to be treated, move on brother, move on.
By the same token, when you find a retailer or webtailer
that does treat you properly, reward 'em with your business.
Ayre or Pass Labs preamps
October 8, 2003
Hi Wes,
I am casting about for ideas on upgrading my Musical
Fidelity A3 preamp. I mainly listen to rock with my analog front-end and driving
Dynaudio Contour 3.3s. I had changed out the MF A3 power amp for a Simaudio W-5 to provide
more grunt, which has worked well, but I am worried that adding the Simaudio P-5 will
reduce the vitality of the midrange -- which I like.
Do I have to go all the way to an Ayre K-1x to do better?
How about the Pass Labs X-1?
Thanks for any thoughts you have.
Robert
I'm a huge fan of the Pass products, so I think you
could do a lot worse than the X-1. But I'm also a great admirer of Ayre's products, so why
not consider the K-5x? It forgoes a lot of the Rube Goldberg-like mechanical ingenuity of
the K-1x, which makes it a lot simpler to make (and presumably less expensive). Simplicity
frequently correlates with great sound, in my experience.
And don't forget to check out the used offerings in your
area. High-end audio products are usually pretty well cared for -- maybe that K-1x isn't
as out of reach as you think.
Buying vinyl online
October 6, 2003
Wes,
Recently I purchased a new turntable, and now I'm marveling
at the wonderful sound of my old LPs. Where can I buy vinyl records online?
Dean
I've always had good experiences at www.redtrumpet.com and www.acousticsounds.com, but if
you live in Europe, you should check the ads in the rear of Mojo for something
closer to home.
Modifying a Denon
October 2, 2003
Hi Wes,
I am thinking about modifying my Denon 2900 universal
player to improve the SACD sound. I have been reading about a mod for this player that
folks have found worthwhile. I was wondering what your opinion is on modifying a unit
versus trading up.
Joe
It all depends on how proficient you are at electronics
basics and whether or not you intend to run the player into the ground or if you wish to
resell it.
If you aren't comfortable with DIY electronics, don't even
think about modifying your player. You won't have any fun, and you might even destroy your
Denon. But if you like working with your hands and you know what you're doing, go for it.
But keep in mind that modified units almost always sell for
less on the used market, even when they have demonstrably better sound. Yeah, I know it
doesn't make sense, but there it is.
|
