d-Sonic M2-600M monoblocks & Pics.
pearsall001
Posts: 5,068
It's been about a month now since having the M2-600M mono's powering my mains, a pair of KEF Q900's. Now bear in mind these mono's are a Class D design (Class D does not mean digital) & they use a new topology module from a company called ABLETEC headquartered in Norway. They are not the same as the ICE powered Class D amps that are out there.
They have incredible power (600w/8ohm/1000w/4ohm) & massive peak power capabilities (2000w). Their performance is nothing short of amazing. The musical prowness that they convey is where it's at in my book. From top to bottom the music just flows unrestricted without any need for concern on the speaker load they are driving, my KEF's dip down into 2ohm territory. They have an airyness about them that just seems to suspend the music in front of you, uncanny is one way to describe it. Nothing brittle or harsh what so ever, I don't want to venture into the old addage of saying they sound "tube like" because they don't, at least not to any large degree. They simply get everything right without calling attention to them selves except in the power department. When it's needed, it's there...and boy oh boy is it ever.
I took them over today to Stephen's place (Quest for Sound, he was intrigued & wanted to hear them) for a listen in his rooms, these guys are big time "tube" lovers. Stephen in not a fan of Class D or ICE power at all. Neither is his associate Dan who was also there. We set them up in his middle room on a pair of KEF R500's & fired up the tunes. Stephen & Dan now have a new dilema on their hands, they both liked what they heard!!! They simply weren't expecting what they heard. Now they weren't just being nice to me at all. If you know Stephen & Dan you'd know what I mean. The session was cut short by a personal phone call I received right in the middle of it all (nothing serious) so we had to pack them up for my trip home. Both Stephen & Dan insisted I bring them back to mate them with other hi-end speakers & different SS & tube pre's he has. In his large room sits a pair of the KEF Blade speakers that they want to hear them with the mono's. That should be another fun day.
Take notice how the Rotel RMB-1095 dwarfs the mono's in size!! Too funny!
They have incredible power (600w/8ohm/1000w/4ohm) & massive peak power capabilities (2000w). Their performance is nothing short of amazing. The musical prowness that they convey is where it's at in my book. From top to bottom the music just flows unrestricted without any need for concern on the speaker load they are driving, my KEF's dip down into 2ohm territory. They have an airyness about them that just seems to suspend the music in front of you, uncanny is one way to describe it. Nothing brittle or harsh what so ever, I don't want to venture into the old addage of saying they sound "tube like" because they don't, at least not to any large degree. They simply get everything right without calling attention to them selves except in the power department. When it's needed, it's there...and boy oh boy is it ever.
I took them over today to Stephen's place (Quest for Sound, he was intrigued & wanted to hear them) for a listen in his rooms, these guys are big time "tube" lovers. Stephen in not a fan of Class D or ICE power at all. Neither is his associate Dan who was also there. We set them up in his middle room on a pair of KEF R500's & fired up the tunes. Stephen & Dan now have a new dilema on their hands, they both liked what they heard!!! They simply weren't expecting what they heard. Now they weren't just being nice to me at all. If you know Stephen & Dan you'd know what I mean. The session was cut short by a personal phone call I received right in the middle of it all (nothing serious) so we had to pack them up for my trip home. Both Stephen & Dan insisted I bring them back to mate them with other hi-end speakers & different SS & tube pre's he has. In his large room sits a pair of the KEF Blade speakers that they want to hear them with the mono's. That should be another fun day.
Take notice how the Rotel RMB-1095 dwarfs the mono's in size!! Too funny!
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
Post edited by pearsall001 on
Comments
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Did you get the best sound from your fronts by pulling them out that far? Have you tried running one of the mono blocks on your center? Just curious how big of a difference it made.
Thanks -
Excuse me while I go be alone with this thread for a little while... :redface:
"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Awesome! Nice set-up and review. Those d-Sonic's look tiny compared to the Rotel. Enjoy._____________________________________________________________________________________________
Ethernet Filter: GigaFOILv4 with Keces P3 LPS
Source: Roon via ethernet to DAC interface
DAC: Bricasti M1SE
Pre/Pro: Marantz AV8805
Tube Preamp Buffer: Tortuga TPB.V1
Amp1: Nord One NC1200DM Signature, Amp2: W4S MC-5, AMP3: W4S MMC-7
Front: Salk SoundScape 8's, Center: Salk SoundScape C7
Surround: Polk FXIA6, Surround Back: Polk RTIA9, Atmos: Polk 70-RT
Subs: 2 - Rythmik F25's
IC & Speaker Cables: Acoustic Zen, Wireworld, Signal Cable
Power Cables: Acoustic Zen, Wireworld, PS Audio
Room Treatments: GIK Acoustics -
Did you get the best sound from your fronts by pulling them out that far? Have you tried running one of the mono blocks on your center? Just curious how big of a difference it made.
Thanks
Where the mains are positioned is the perfect spot for my room layout, & yes they do sound best there. I haven't tried one of the mono's just yet on the center. Will be doing that shortly."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Well, now that the new mono's are well settled in & sounding fantastic, I figured I owe it to them to bring in a new pair of IC's. I'm going to try these IC's from Grover Huffman. I've read a lot about him & his designs & figured they are worth a go around. I'm also giving his digital cable a try to see how it fares against the Black Cat Veloce. http://www.groverhuffman.com/home"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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Very nice. I bet all that power really makes the speaker shine, maybe even disappear, leaving only the detailed realistic sound in it's place. Have you compared these mono's to anything other than Rotel? I'm curious about the sonic differences for music, like depth, realism, impact of the different instruments, etc. Is it a warm or a more mechanical sound more suited for HT?
I ask because as i kept improving amplification on my m70s (reciever to hca1000 to hca1500a), it kept becoming a better speaker. The hca1500a really makes the speaker almost disappear and leaves just beautiful, deep toned music in it's place. The different instruments have real impact, like live instruments would in your room. It's pretty cool, so I'm curious if you noticed any of that by adding these amps.Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
I want those front speakers, they look amazing.Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!
Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580 -
I want those front speakers, they look amazing.
They even sound better than they look!!! The whole KEF lineup is amazing."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Sorry...had to spend some more alone time with this thread.
Gorgeous set up man. Hoping to work my way up to something similar some day."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
We all start somewhere and most of us are constantly trying to upgrade or at least try new things. It can become a problem if you let it , or you do it for a living and chalk it up to Demoing as I do .Sorry...had to spend some more alone time with this thread.
Gorgeous set up man. Hoping to work my way up to something similar some day.Dan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
We all start somewhere and most of us are constantly trying to upgrade or at least try new things. It can become a problem if you let it , or you do it for a living and chalk it up to Demoing as I do .
Did it for a living for years...unfortunately, it was a big-box store that got more of my paycheck than my landlord at the time. Hehe.
I am at a point now where I *could* drop the coin to do similar but we have a townhouse currently and without dedicated room for audio enjoyment, it just doesn't make logistical sense yet. Although, I am doing one hell of a job pre-purchasing gear for the eventual build and move. LOL"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Lietuvis91 wrote: »Very nice. I bet all that power really makes the speaker shine, maybe even disappear, leaving only the detailed realistic sound in it's place. Have you compared these mono's to anything other than Rotel? I'm curious about the sonic differences for music, like depth, realism, impact of the different instruments, etc. Is it a warm or a more mechanical sound more suited for HT?
I ask because as i kept improving amplification on my m70s (reciever to hca1000 to hca1500a), it kept becoming a better speaker. The hca1500a really makes the speaker almost disappear and leaves just beautiful, deep toned music in it's place. The different instruments have real impact, like live instruments would in your room. It's pretty cool, so I'm curious if you noticed any of that by adding these amps.
Right now the only other amp in my system is the Rotel. The Rotel is an excellent amp that is now powering the center/surrounds/rear surrounds. It was taking care of my mains before the M2-600M mono's arrived. In the time the Rotel was powering the mains it did an admirable job & for the most part I was more than satisfied. I would say it's sound character was rather neutral & really didn't exhibit much on the touted "warm" label or "bright" label that seem to get thrown around a lot. It simply performed it's duty of powering speakers without calling attention to itself.
But I knew there was more that I was missing from the mains & started my search for a new amp strictly for that purpose. My search led me to the d-Sonic M2-600M mono's. As good & satisfying as the Rotel was the mono's are in a whole different league. And they certainly should be touting the massive power they possess. The difference was quite noticable with every aspect in their presentation. The soundstage, the timbre of every instrument was clearly defined, the sheer space & depth was so much more defined. Low level listening has taken on a whole new presentation that is very welcomed. I do a lot of low level listening in the late evenings & the mono's are simply dazzling in the way they perform.
I wouldn't claim them to be "warm" (there's that word again) & certainly not "mechanical" more suited for HT duty. Good heavens their anything but!!! With the new topology modules that are the backbone on the mono's & their ability to unleash all that clean, well harnessed power & their incredible peak power has made all the difference in the world in the way the KEF's are now performimg. I've always been a believer that you need massive power to properly reproduce music correctly & these puppies have definiteley solidified that belief."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Did it for a living for years...unfortunately, it was a big-box store that got more of my paycheck than my landlord at the time. Hehe.
I am at a point now where I *could* drop the coin to do similar but we have a townhouse currently and without dedicated room for audio enjoyment, it just doesn't make logistical sense yet. Although, I am doing one hell of a job pre-purchasing gear for the eventual build and move. LOL
It sounds like your master plan is well under way. I don't know if I could do that though...all that gear just sitting around would drive me nuts.!!!"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Love the room,beautiful setup.
Dan -
Hey Pearsall,
I've hearding amazing things about these new M2 generation d-sonic amps. How did you decide between the M2-1200 and the M2-600M and the M2-1500M? I asked Dennis what he recommended and he said giving the borderline efficiency of my Gallo 3.5s coupled with the size of my room (20X35), he recommended the M2-1500M. I just don't see ever needing that kind of power. Plus, I'm not even sure my two dedicated 20 Amp linkes could deliver it. Can you share any wisdom or similar conversations you may have had?
Thanks,
Mike -
From an electrical/efficiency standpoint, I agree with Dennis. Better to have the power and not need it than to need it and not have it.
You should be fine with a pair of dedicated 20amp circuits. The only time you would be reaching the kinds of draws that should worry you would be beyond what it sounds like you would be willing to run.
I don't have a dog in this fight so to speak, but I am a firm believer of over-building. It's always harder to add something you don't have (plenty of high current power) than it is to remove something you do."Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
SolidSqual wrote: »Hey Pearsall,
I've hearding amazing things about these new M2 generation d-sonic amps. How did you decide between the M2-1200 and the M2-600M and the M2-1500M? I asked Dennis what he recommended and he said giving the borderline efficiency of my Gallo 3.5s coupled with the size of my room (20X35), he recommended the M2-1500M. I just don't see ever needing that kind of power. Plus, I'm not even sure my two dedicated 20 Amp linkes could deliver it. Can you share any wisdom or similar conversations you may have had?
Thanks,
Mike
Mike,
The new generation modular boards from ABLETEC are simply amazing! It's a whole new platform completely different from ICEpower modules. Dennis still uses the ICE modules in his multi channel amps. When I spoke to Dennis I had already decided on the M2-1500M mono blocks. But after Dennis probed me with questions about my setup, equipment. speakers, room etc. he highly recommended the M2-600M monos. He said sonically the M2-600 & M2-1500 are pretty much identical in their sound signature, the only difference is with the power. For my needs he said the M2-600M monos at 600w/8ohm & 1000w/4ohm would be all I'd ever need. Hey, who am I to argue. The man didn't steer me wrong...the KEF's are loving every bit of the power & finess the M2-600M's deliver."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Thank you for the good comments. I have been dead set on the M2-1500Ms for a while now, but I kept asking myself whether I was just buying the biggest, just because. I also look at it as buying a little piece of mind since I'm pretty sure I can throw any speaker at these amps and not worry about power issues ever again.
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SolidSqual wrote: »Thank you for the good comments. I have been dead set on the M2-1500Ms for a while now, but I kept asking myself whether I was just buying the biggest, just because. I also look at it as buying a little piece of mind since I'm pretty sure I can throw any speaker at these amps and not worry about power issues ever again.
It sounds like your mind is already made up...go for the big guns & don't look back. I would have snagged them myself if it weren't for Dennis's strong recommendation about the M2-600M monos delivering the goods for my system. He wasn't wrong. A very powerful amp at 600w/8ohm, 1000w/4ohm ain't nothing to sneeze at. I'm covered no what speakers might grace my listening room."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
mice review. Congratulations!! I wonder how much do they cost?
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Hey Pearsall,
Thanks for the good recommendations in this thread. I just bought the reference monos from d-sonic. I'm excited about the company in general. Dennis really has a tight focus on his brand. When I first heard of d-sonic, I just thought it was going to be a cheap maker of stock B&O D-class amps, but now I see he's actually working as a pioneer to overcome the deficiencies normally associated with the class.
Very cool.
Mike -
jumpindick wrote: »mice review. Congratulations!! I wonder how much do they cost?
From: www.d-sonic.net
M2-250M: $690+$22 shipping each
M2-600M: $975+$22 shipping each
M2-1500M: $1275+$22 shipping each"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
SolidSqual wrote: »Hey Pearsall,
Thanks for the good recommendations in this thread. I just bought the reference monos from d-sonic. I'm excited about the company in general. Dennis really has a tight focus on his brand. When I first heard of d-sonic, I just thought it was going to be a cheap maker of stock B&O D-class amps, but now I see he's actually working as a pioneer to overcome the deficiencies normally associated with the class.
Very cool.
Mike
Very cool!!! I knew you'd go for the big brutes, you're going to love them. Congrats & enjoy!!! Don't forget to pass on a nice review after they've settled in."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Dangit...now you guys got me seriously considering a pair of 600s...
Or I could save my money up and put a deposit on that Audio Research VT200 I have been eyeballing...lol"Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
Dangit...now you guys got me seriously considering a pair of 600s...
Or I could save my money up and put a deposit on that Audio Research VT200 I have been eyeballing...lol
Ahhhh....decisions, decisions. I know what I'd get. "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Yeah but 16 tubes just makes me feel more like a man. "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."
"Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip -
QUOTE=ZLTFUL;1898649]Yeah but 16 tubes just makes me feel more like a man. :QUOTE]
You better be a rich man...when it comes time to re-tube, look out...ouch says the wallet.
"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
