audition Pass and Plinius but !!!

Gary Robertson · March 2003

Im back,i spent two weks playing in stereo stores i did go look at the pass labs--"OH MY GOD"--They had these 1000 watters that just blew me away-but i actually fell in love with the x-350 stereo solid state...- then i saw Plinius,
ooh gheesh,,Absloutely wonderful-i could easily take one home-- But theres just something about the cleanliness of the PASS.but i haven't tried any tubes yet..
boy there's a lotta good stuff out there..I always keep going back in my mind to what Mantis said to me::Think long and hard about what you wanna get for the ML's..i haven't forgotten that..so im gonna wait and take my time and relax and save money and search long and hard....Maybe Conrad Johnson could be a good idea to check out---also i wonder what a Krell pwb-600 goes for..hmmm.im undecided but maybe i better check out tubes first eh?

mantis · March 2003

Hey Gary,
I'm glad my advise is helping you.Conrad Johnson Tube amps are incredible.and sound really good on ML's.
I would tell the stores you go into that you own Prodigy's and see what they think about what would run them the best.ML's are one of if not the hardest speaekr to drive.

Where you bought them, what did they run them with???
Krell and Audio Research will run them the best overall.
It's a battle which I perfer running Martin Logans.........toss up.Krell has the force and finesse all in one box.You simply can't beat Krell......they are the leader in amps in the world.They are the cream of the cream but........you have to decide if there your cream.........Don't pass Audio Research,they can and have a way of making ML's sound REAL...It's freaky.
So hear the Krell's........then hear the Audio Research tube amps and pre's........killer killer stuff man.Remember these words as well.......your gonna need high end wire if you want to hear what the ML's are all about.They will show off ALL flaws in ALL systems.Picky **** they are........but worth it and earned the respect they have........ALLDAY!!!

Gary Robertson · March 2003

Thanks man,
Where i bought them i heard them with Brystons and it sold me right then and there..so the Bry's must be killer.. at any rate i will be extremely finniky about this and by the way i have always had a thing for Audio Research-actually in my years i have four favorites--Krell, Audio Research,Pass and Adcom but now that i'm starting to open up a little i'm finding some pretty incredible other stuff out there.-i just might put them with Tara's--i could never own nordhost -a good set of those cost more than the speakers and amp..

mantis · March 2003

Gary,
look into Transparent Reference XL's.Good match and very musical.Kimber Bi focals are very Impressive but I never heard them on Martin Logans.Nordost is excellent wire.they do have matches for your speakers.Remember that wire needs to be Matched to the speakers.You range for main wire I would look into the 2 to 3 thousand dollar range.Transparent is in your range at certain levels........
Bryston make really nice amps.Clean and very powerful.Planus I heard running a pair of B&W 892's all wired with KimberKable.Killer sound man killer realism.The salesman played this really cool Funky reggie type train type wierd stuff and man I could smell the train fumes off the stacks......real Impressive.

gidrah · March 2003

The best sound I've heard from Magnepans was with an Audio Research 60/ch integrated. I know their not MLs, but similar. The best I've heard MLs was on a Mac rig that would set you back $25,000. There may have been a Rotel CD player thown in to this $, I forget.

Personally, I love tubes. I've got some and will get more. There is a reason for the resurgance.

madmax · March 2003

Originally posted by gidrah

Personally, I love tubes. I've got some and will get more. There is a reason for the resurgance.

I can't believe the transistor idea for audio ever flew in the first place, other than for portability and low power consumption.
madmax

tonybearno · March 2003

last week i was at a buddys house and he did not like tubes and had a pair of polk sda 1 and was driving them with a 200w Adcom so we bring a 40 w babygray over to his house and demoed what a tube can do ..
is was tooken..he just called me and told me he is buying a tube amp today...
tony

Gary Robertson · March 2003

Okay ,
This it,i have been sold and made up my mind--beens i couldn't go 15 to 30 thousand i decided to go with a solid state that sounds so close to tubes you wouldn't believe it..ths is the one it isn only 5 and a half grand 600 watts.
The BRYSTON 14B-SST---CLASS A STEREOPHILE RATING--This is the one i am set on--mainly because i might accidentally be able to pay for it..I have personally heard this amp with the ML's and it is audio nervana...you would just have to hear this to believe it--not a tube but so close....yep this is the one..

gidrah · April 2003

I haven't heard them together, but nice choice.

F1nut · April 2003

Gary,

Great choice! What are you using for a pre? I demoed the 7B-ST's with a conrad-johnson tube pre, it's the perfect solution to SS power and tube sound.

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Cool,
Right now for a Pre.i am using an ADCOM-GFP-750--Heck i might not even have to get another pre amp (stereophile a-rating)----but i will still be open minded to somethng else.i have no tuner for this set up but who would wanna run an FM radio through a pair of ML'S anyway?? Ha,ha,ha,.i use system #2 for household and living room listening and it has an FM..

F1nut · April 2003

Gary,

Agreed, eff the tuner. I'm sure that pre will do the job and if you get a chance, demo a CJ tube pre. Give us a review when that bad boy arrives.

bsmith15 · April 2003

Gary,

You are going to love the Bryston 14B-SST. A few months ago I picked up a 4B-SST and the sound and base is fantastic. Plus Bryston amps are very consertitive in their power ratings. The spec sheet from the lab that comes with each Bryston amp showed that my 300 wpc 4B tested at 342 wpc @ 8 oms and 1,080 wpc in mono. Built like a tank and 20 year transferable warranty.

I recently added a Audio Research Sp16L tube pre and the sound from the Bryston got even better.

Enjoy

jmasterj · April 2003

I want to know what you're using as a source? Table, CD, etc. ?
and how do you keep it isolated. What interconnects, and wire? How big is the room ? Tell us all about your set up?

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Okay--cool ,
i'm still in the building process so the system on "NOT" finished but so far my front end is a meridian-508-24 cd -
no turntable yet. All innerconnects (so far and probably "NOT" permanent) are Monster 850-I's and monster speaker wire -14 gauge...i have been running an ADCOM-GFA-545-II with a gfp-450 preamp but this week that ll changed--Now i am running a Bryston 14B-sst with an Adcom GFP-750--(another preamp pendng) te Ml Prodigy's are 5 feet from the rear wall and 3 feet in from the sides the room is 25 feet long and 15 feet wide and 10 feet tall shag carpet with anti reflective material on the side walls and rear and front walls.. the ML"S are sitting on the floor woth no customized stands or anything (so far)--i will definately be looking for more appropriate innerconnects in the near future---and MANTIS (DON"T KILL ME ) but i did chooe the Bryston---i just might gat a tube preamp in the future... oh i almost forgot __i do not have theml's owed in as they jusy seemed (so far) to kick **** in a straight forward position.. but nothing is permanant--i am still expiermenting... the Bry, really lights these things up man--i get goose bumps on my arms at higher volumes.. whe i gat this stuff broken in and learn much more , i will give a nice long review..

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Oops i forgot something else i do isolation with 4 inch thick maple wood
with tri tips..

weavercr · April 2003

What are your plans for the ADCOM-GFA-545-II with a gfp-450 preamp? Selling?

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Oh no,
I can't sell the ADCOM's--They go in the living room for Parties and to listen when i'm outside and stuff like that... Te new equipment is in an isolated music room that is being created especially for high end critical listening and stuff.--Here where i live you have to keep your expensive stuff isolated and locked up well or you will loose it "FAST" this room has no window for someone to break and take the stuff..

F1nut · April 2003

Must be in LA.

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Yes L.A, where life is a beach and the women are plentiful--lots and lots of female (insta friends--) If they think you've got money,they'll camp on your doorstep..and if They thnk you are a middle class worker ie. (retail clerk or something) they don't even know you exist...aahhhhhh !! the life in L.A..

Gary Robertson · April 2003

This Bryston is kinda weird-
To turn it on i have to flip a lil' circit breaker thing-a-ma-jig on the back panel and than rub my finger across an little membrane type thing and "POP" it's on ..Ha,ha over 900 watts Per channel into 4 ohms tho..."Whew" ! --i'll haveto be kinda careful , The ML'S are rated at 300 for power acceptance.--oh god, Ear piercing loud.....

joe logston · April 2003

good going gray; the brytson is a keeper for sure, are you going to get the bryson preamp that will match, thats important, and bryson preamps are frist class.

joe logston · April 2003

i have a aragon amp and pre amp that match. with my rt-7 as mains, and i get audio heaven. you are going to have the same

Gary Robertson · April 2003

Yes i love the bryston-it sounds (oh so close) to tubes.. and yes maybe later i will match with the pre..

mantis · April 2003

Gary Robertson,

and MANTIS (DON"T KILL ME ) but i did chooe the Bryston

Man it's so on man,your now going to feel the rath of Mantis like no one else has ever before.........waaaaaaaaaaaaa just kidding.

Hey man Bryston makes killer sounding amps,pre's.Matching Pre will most likely yield the best performance.
Getting better cables/wires will further your experience.Those M850i's and 14 guage wires you use now is actually hindering your system.Sounds good now????Wait untill you get some better cables.
You system screams for Kimber Bi focals and KCAG interconnects.If kimber isn't your thing then I would look seriously into Transparent Reference.

Your system is coming along really nice man.Pic's would be nice.:cool:

joe logston · April 2003

i just been looking for a used aragon amp, and preamp but there is none left anywhere gone gone gone. i wanted to set up my surounds with aragon. i guess that no one wants to sell them. there are a lot of aragons out there to.

Gary Robertson · April 2003

i know how that goes..i wanted a used tweeter for a RT-7 trilaminate ,dynamic balance and no one would cough one up.
.......................................
with a great product--every one will keep...

joe logston · April 2003

you should try the rt-7 with the brytson amp as mains, just for the fun of it, and compare , besure to focus the rt-7 stright ahead and level the tops, and you want the rt-7 tweeters above your head a little and if you seat about 8' away from being paralell to speaker fronts you dont want your speaker tweeters to be more than 6' apart and use this 6' to 8' ratio for a differnet settings for the rt-7, like 12' to 16' and you will be surprize how much better they will sound. i like my rt-7 better than the ml, i have had a lot of listing experience with the martin logan speakers they are to wide open they have a more exaggerated sound stage to me. and the rt-7 with my 2 psw-650 as a stereo pair the bottem is a lot cleaner and tighter and with my 15" audiosoruce placement sub for the bottem octive, that puts me in audio heaven for a cheap price, but thats my opinion the ml is a real nice speaker, my self i like the older bigger ones that they dont make no more i was going to get a set about 10 yrs a go but $4800 was to steep for me at that time. the ml sounded at that time period sounded awesome with a set of conrad johnnson mono blocks

audition Pass and Plinius but !!!

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