SDA-2B-TL & Recap Completed
Comments
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If you can get that Dared you will be extremely happy(had one shouldn't have let it go). That tube pre and the Carver or maybe the Emo will sound so much better. It will give you that Marantz warmth with better clarity and non of the sloppiness you are hearing now.
Total immersion.
I hope your happy with the Emo, I doubt it considering what you have said here but hopeful for your sake.
I missed out on that Dared, but I pretty much convinced myself I need a nice Tube Pre in the chain. I'll save that search for a few months
I'm sure the Emo amp is going to work out just fine. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »
I'm sure the Emo amp is going to work out just fine.
What makes you think that? I'm not being flippant at all, I really want to know why you think it's going to get you back into a "groove"? It's sonic characteristics are far from what you describe you are looking for.
What has got you so jazzed about an entry level amp that you've never heard? Again, not picking on you, but I was wondering what your thought process was.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
My suggestion, for what it's worth....
Instead of just limiting yourself to a straight pre-amp, check out some headphone amps on head-fi.org. There are a lot of tube headphone amps on the market that also have pre-amp outs. If you were keen on something like the Dared, you might find a headphone amp gives you the same functionality, plus gives you the ability to get a nice pair of cans and have them sound minty nice. Head-fi has a great flea market as well, there are tons of used ones for sale all the time.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »I missed out on that Dared, but I pretty much convinced myself I need a nice Tube Pre in the chain. I'll save that search for a few months
I'm sure the Emo amp is going to work out just fine.
you need to just let it happen..these things cant be rushed....you seem to react with needing to post your impressions...if you take this journey the right way, your impressions will change, more than once...all the cool looking amps, sexy names and gotta have features, don't mean squat till you've given them time in your room...time is more than a weekend, too
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What makes you think that? I'm not being flippant at all, I really want to know why you think it's going to get you back into a "groove"? It's sonic characteristics are far from what you describe you are looking for.
What has got you so jazzed about an entry level amp that you've never heard? Again, not picking on you, but I was wondering what your thought process was.
H9
Thanks Nspindel. I'll look into that dude.
Mr. Brock, I know you're a nay sayer but I've done a good amount of research, and not just over at the Emotiva forum. I also have a good friend who highly recommends them. When I was searching for an amp for my Maggie 1.7's, XPA-2 came up over and over again with many reporting good news. It's aesthetically pleasing. Along with the overwhelming amount of people who report good news, Emotiva has a decent warranty and great customer service if anything goes south. -
you need to just let it happen..these things cant be rushed....you seem to react with needing to post your impressions...if you take this journey the right way, your impressions will change, more than once...all the cool looking amps, sexy names and gotta have features, don't mean squat till you've given them time in your room...time is more than a weekend, too
Totally understand that, and you're right although I started the thread saying that I will give my impressions often for the sake of looking back on the changes. -
That's cool, but they are about the least musical amp I've laid ears on and all your ramblings about how great and lush and laid back the Marantz is and it puts you in the music, the Emo will be the exact opposite.
I would never, ever recommend Emo for Maggies, get the ice pik out.
Anyway, that's my opinion FWIW, I hope it works out for you and you just don't settle because you run out of gas or $$$ or both.
H9
P.s. I await your first hour impressions :biggrin:"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
audiocr381ve wrote: »Totally understand that, and you're right although I started the thread saying that I will give my impressions often for the sake of looking back on the changes.
oh yeah, i remember! but weren't you going to report on the Xover upgrade?
let those Xovers soak in for a good long time..remember the 2 most important items in your rig: your room and your EARS!
mike -
That's cool, but they are about the least musical amp I've laid ears on and all your ramblings about how great and lush and laid back the Marantz is and it puts you in the music, the Emo will be the exact opposite.
I would never, ever recommend Emo for Maggies, get the ice pik out.
Anyway, that's my opinion FWIW, I hope it works out for you and you just don't settle because you run out of gas or $$$ or both.
H9
P.s. I await your first hour impressions :biggrin:
If you didn't hear my first hour impressions then how will you know what changed when I chime in for hour two!!!
I'm more entertained by this thread than any of you are. I feel like a little kid just trying to make friends with the bullies! -
audiocr381ve wrote: »I feel like a little kid just trying to make friends with the bullies!
Never going to happen get over it:biggrin: we'll just beat you down AND take your gear :rolleyes: -
We are not trying to bully, we are actually trying to help you.
The problem is you don't or can't listen. You are like a little kid that can't be satisfied. I want, I want, I want. We are trying to slow you down before you make anymore crazy moves.
Like reading Emo is good on the Emo site. I would expect nothing else. It's like saying Polk's are good on the Polk site. Except I have never heard much wrong with Polk's but have heard plenty wrong with Emo stuff.
So what is done is done. Except if you really wanted to get out of the Emo you could. But that is a different story.
Like Brock said they are good for HT not music. I know others on hear will say different but I am into the same kind of sound you are and the Emo's don;t have it. Iknow first hand after drinking the Emo CoolAid. I gave an Emo pre and amp plenty of time (6months) to win me over and they never did. Lost money on that mistake.
I would steer you to a nice B&K or Rotel or Parasound way before Emo stuff or any receiver. -
We are not trying to bully, we are actually trying to help you.
The problem is you don't or can't listen. You are like a little kid that can't be satisfied. I want, I want, I want. We are trying to slow you down before you make anymore crazy moves.
Like reading Emo is good on the Emo site. I would expect nothing else. It's like saying Polk's are good on the Polk site. Except I have never heard much wrong with Polk's but have heard plenty wrong with Emo stuff.
So what is done is done. Except if you really wanted to get out of the Emo you could. But that is a different story.
Like Brock said they are good for HT not music. I know others on hear will say different but I am into the same kind of sound you are and the Emo's don;t have it. Iknow first hand after drinking the Emo CoolAid. I gave an Emo pre and amp plenty of time (6months) to win me over and they never did. Lost money on that mistake.
I would steer you to a nice B&K or Rotel or Parasound way before Emo stuff or any receiver.
My last post was very light hearted my brotha. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »Thanks Nspindel. I'll look into that dude./QUOTE]
I used to have one of these, it worked out great for me:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/556573/little-dot-mkiv-se-w-upgrades
Mine was in stock form, this one has had some upgrades done.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »Thanks Nspindel. I'll look into that dude./QUOTE]
I used to have one of these, it worked out great for me:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/556573/little-dot-mkiv-se-w-upgrades
Mine was in stock form, this one has had some upgrades done.
I hope that thing sounds better than it looks! I've heard of Little Dot before. I was looking into a CD Transport sometime last year. Gonna look into it more, thanks for the suggestion.
BTW, I've been letting my ears burn in for the last few days with the Carver. I'm realllly starting to warm up to it's sound. Anyway, I decided to switch it out and see how the Marantz sounded. All I have to say is whoooaaaa. Where did the cajones go? Along with bass, I absolutely lost a ton of detail in the upper midrange. I hate this hobby (or maybe I hate being WRONG)... -
With Little Dot, you're generally getting good value for the money, with Chinese manufacturing in a generic chassis that they reuse for numerous products. As you mention, their cd transport is well reviewed, and I owned their DAC as well. All three use that same chassis. May not be the prettiest gear in the world, but it's good quality for the price point (especially the DAC!!!) and their customer service is outstanding.
Not making any statement about value/quality of the modded unit, you'll have to make a subjective judgement call there vs. buying a stock unit. But in general their stuff is well reviewed and on the lower end of the cost spectrum.
I've owned two of their amps, and although I've since graduated to higher price points on the flagpole, I would recommend them.
If you can spend more, Woo Audio is a great name as well. Check this piece out:
http://wooaudio.com/products/wa2.html
These also show up on headfi fairly often.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »
I hope that thing sounds better than it looks! I've heard of Little Dot before. I was looking into a CD Transport sometime last year. Gonna look into it more, thanks for the suggestion.
BTW, I've been letting my ears burn in for the last few days with the Carver. I'm realllly starting to warm up to it's sound. Anyway, I decided to switch it out and see how the Marantz sounded. All I have to say is whoooaaaa. Where did the cajones go? Along with bass, I absolutely lost a ton of detail in the upper midrange. I hate this hobby (or maybe I hate being WRONG)...
it's called CURRENT! the marantz is great...your 2BTL's require more juice -
audiocr381ve wrote: »
All I have to say is whoooaaaa. Where did the cajones go? Along with bass, I absolutely lost a ton of detail in the upper midrange. I hate this hobby (or maybe I hate being WRONG)...
Sorry, but the Marantz never had it to begin with, similar to what some of us have been saying. I'd say we're 2 for 2 and your 0 for 2:biggrin:
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Sorry, but the Marantz never had it to begin with, similar to what some of us have been saying. I'd say we're 2 for 2 and your 0 for 2:biggrin:
H9
It hurts, but it's true. I'm pretty much down for the count on this one. K.O.
How could my ears get so used to something? Now the freaking Marantz sounds thin. Where does it end? I guess I just fell in love with the Marantz right as the XO's finally settled in.
Entertainment factor of this thread has doubled. (:redface:) -
Sorry, but the Marantz never had it to begin with, similar to what some of us have been saying. I'd say we're 2 for 2 and your 0 for 2:biggrin:
H9
Ouch! True, but Ouch!
Audio, my post wasn't meant to be mean. I was just hoping to get through to you. Sorry to hear the Marantz doesn't have the goods like the Carver.
Back out on the EMO....... -
Ouch! True, but Ouch!
Audio, my post wasn't meant to be mean. I was just hoping to get through to you. Sorry to hear the Marantz doesn't have the goods like the Carver.
Back out on the EMO.......
Hahahaha, I'm committed bro, sorry! BTW, I'm not buying from Emotiva, I'm buying from a Polkie so I can't exactly return it. If I don't like it it will go for sale locally.
I MUST mention, the Marantz STILL has the ability to draw me in unlike anything I've ever heard. I'm listening now, and even with it's flaws I still stand by it tall n' proud. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »Entertainment factor of this thread has doubled. (:redface:)
At least you have a good sense of humor, I respect that. :cool:Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
How many hours do you have on those crossovers? Remember, you're going to see them pull back a bit and then open up again until you're at about the 200 hour point.Good music, a good source, and good power can make SDA's sing. Tubes make them dance.
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How many hours do you have on those crossovers? Remember, you're going to see them pull back a bit and then open up again until you're at about the 200 hour point.
I estimate about 315 hours, give or take 20. Did you continue to experience change past the 300 mark other than the refinement mentioned earlier? -
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my xovers have 14 months of listening and they're still evolving i believe don't give up on the marantz! use it for a 2nd setup somewhere...within it's design parameters, it's awesome...30+ years on that is all the proof you need..i still love my 2270...but for crystal clear, house-filling, enveloping sound, you need current...quality current.
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200 Major change in sound not perfect but can hear where it is headed.
300 pretty much there just needed a bit more time to help the highs blossom and the lows to fill a bit more.
4-500 all is well they sound better than when they were new. Solid bass, crystal clear highs and a warm midrange. Happiness!!!!1
That was my experience with the update. -
I've been following this tread closely to see what the outcome will be. I believe your problem would be solved if you would put spikes on the legs of your listening chair and give them about 300 hours to burn in. It worked great for me and saved me a ton of money. Seems the brass spikes with the points centered in an Indian head nickel worked the best. I believe the way it works is by decoupling you from the hardware and allows you to actually listen to the music for a while instead of the gear. :biggrin:audiocr381ve wrote: »I estimate about 315 hours, give or take 20. Did you continue to experience change past the 300 mark other than the refinement mentioned earlier?- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
- Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
- Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
- Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
- Pioneer DV-610AV DVD/CD player
- SDA CRS+ · Hidden away in the closet
- SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
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my xovers have 14 months of listening and they're still evolving i believe don't give up on the marantz! use it for a 2nd setup somewhere...within it's design parameters, it's awesome...30+ years on that is all the proof you need..i still love my 2270...but for crystal clear, house-filling, enveloping sound, you need current...quality current.
Ha ha, after 14 months! :biggrin:
So you get the sound of the Marantz. Have you tried to implement her into the main system lately? I decided I'm going to go the direction you went even though I love this receiver. The 2245 will go to a second system.
My plan after I get the Emo, is to find a nice tube pre. -
audiocr381ve wrote: »
My plan after I get the Emo, is to find a nice tube pre.
I predict your plan will be to sell the Emo and get a different amp and nice tube pre-amp. Don;t use the tube pre-amp as a band aid for a mediocre amp, I'm just saying............I can see the wheels spinning in your head about keeping a very average amp and trying to will it to sound like you want with tubes.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I predict your plan will be to sell the Emo and get a different amp and nice tube pre-amp. Don;t use the tube pre-amp as a band aid for a mediocre amp, I'm just saying............I can see the wheels spinning in your head about keeping a very average amp and trying to will it to sound like you want with tubes.
H9
You sir, must be mind reader! But what if it works :eek::eek::eek::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
