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So in my quest to get the most out of my CM-9s, i sold my Sansui AU-719 to try something different.. I already had a rotel rx-1057 and a RB-1080 in my HT setup ..
Source : rega apollo
Tracks: Eva Cassidy Songbird, Dire straits Brothers in arms, Opeth Hope Leaves, and some Fleetwood MAC
The Rotel combo sounded good, but didnt have the midrange and soundstage of the Sansui.. Without an immediate A&B comparo they both sounded good, the Rotel being a bit more forward... which i expected.
I was chasing Watts and big heavy amps, so i figured id get a used Mcintosh so i picked up a MA6200 with tone and loudness controls.. I was really expecting to be blown away but found the amp completely flat in its presentation. Its a bit hard to explain, but basically i had to mess with tone and loundness controls to get the amp to generate the same slam the Sansui could without messing with any of that stuff. At very low volumes this wasnt an issue.. but with louder gain it started to not sound clean and fluid. So i figured i must need more MCintosh Watts and picked up a MA6300 from my dealer for the weekend.. hmmm.. for about 4k, and A&B comparisons with my Sansui, again it simply was lacking in the mids and a bit harsh on the highs.. I was really baffled, how much amp do you need to better a 30 year old Sansui.. So i packed up the speakers, my CDP, the Mcintosh, the cables, etc and went for some serious auditioning to www.dejavuaudio.com .. These guys sell AudioNote, Parasound, Synthesis and and bunch of other brands. Very cool shop that is mostly into turntables and tubes. We hooked up a bunch of amps for A&B comparos..
In a nutshell, i ended up with a 30 wpc Synthesis Ensemble!
Pros -
1) I have never heard midrange like this before, it killed the Sansui
2) For the first time, i could isolate the midrange from that FST driver and feel the separation of instruments.. It was almost like being able to isolate what sound was coming from which driver.. wow..
Immediate A&B comparo's with the Mcintosh were a no brainer.
3) At 3/4 gain on the dual mono's, i had a higher SPL reading from my listening position than the MCintosh at 12'0 clock, after which the Mac started to clip. (btw... im not trying to be negative about the amp, im only comparing integrateds here, and not wanting to spend more than $4k for one).
4) regardless of the SPL reading, even the Synthesis Nimis at 15 wpc sounded just as powerfull as the Ensemble at 30.. The Watt chaser in me simply could resist not getting the higher powered version, but i dont think it would has made a discernable difference either way.
5) The musicality, power, warmth, separation, soundstage, imaging (im running out of the buzz words) of this tube amp are mesmerizing, if you havent heard one i strongly recommend an audition with B&W speakers.
6) It is the most beautifully built amp ( Ferrari red wood finish ) i have ever owned.
7) It is heavy, small footprint and hand made in Italy, built like a tank..
8) The wife loves the sound and the looks. A first.
Cons -
1)It generates some heat, need some clearance for components placed above it.
2)It isint exactly cheap but surprisingly less than the competition
3) Difficult to find dealers in North America
Source : rega apollo
Tracks: Eva Cassidy Songbird, Dire straits Brothers in arms, Opeth Hope Leaves, and some Fleetwood MAC
The Rotel combo sounded good, but didnt have the midrange and soundstage of the Sansui.. Without an immediate A&B comparo they both sounded good, the Rotel being a bit more forward... which i expected.
I was chasing Watts and big heavy amps, so i figured id get a used Mcintosh so i picked up a MA6200 with tone and loudness controls.. I was really expecting to be blown away but found the amp completely flat in its presentation. Its a bit hard to explain, but basically i had to mess with tone and loundness controls to get the amp to generate the same slam the Sansui could without messing with any of that stuff. At very low volumes this wasnt an issue.. but with louder gain it started to not sound clean and fluid. So i figured i must need more MCintosh Watts and picked up a MA6300 from my dealer for the weekend.. hmmm.. for about 4k, and A&B comparisons with my Sansui, again it simply was lacking in the mids and a bit harsh on the highs.. I was really baffled, how much amp do you need to better a 30 year old Sansui.. So i packed up the speakers, my CDP, the Mcintosh, the cables, etc and went for some serious auditioning to www.dejavuaudio.com .. These guys sell AudioNote, Parasound, Synthesis and and bunch of other brands. Very cool shop that is mostly into turntables and tubes. We hooked up a bunch of amps for A&B comparos..
In a nutshell, i ended up with a 30 wpc Synthesis Ensemble!
Pros -
1) I have never heard midrange like this before, it killed the Sansui
2) For the first time, i could isolate the midrange from that FST driver and feel the separation of instruments.. It was almost like being able to isolate what sound was coming from which driver.. wow..
Immediate A&B comparo's with the Mcintosh were a no brainer.
3) At 3/4 gain on the dual mono's, i had a higher SPL reading from my listening position than the MCintosh at 12'0 clock, after which the Mac started to clip. (btw... im not trying to be negative about the amp, im only comparing integrateds here, and not wanting to spend more than $4k for one).
4) regardless of the SPL reading, even the Synthesis Nimis at 15 wpc sounded just as powerfull as the Ensemble at 30.. The Watt chaser in me simply could resist not getting the higher powered version, but i dont think it would has made a discernable difference either way.
5) The musicality, power, warmth, separation, soundstage, imaging (im running out of the buzz words) of this tube amp are mesmerizing, if you havent heard one i strongly recommend an audition with B&W speakers.
6) It is the most beautifully built amp ( Ferrari red wood finish ) i have ever owned.
7) It is heavy, small footprint and hand made in Italy, built like a tank..
8) The wife loves the sound and the looks. A first.
Cons -
1)It generates some heat, need some clearance for components placed above it.
2)It isint exactly cheap but surprisingly less than the competition
3) Difficult to find dealers in North America
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