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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 14:23:27 GMT
Have been very busy for the last six months with a fierce work load hence my absence from this board for a while, anyway during this period it has been illuminating on a number of subjects.
One of these subjects which has cropped up time and again during this period has been component matching and the perceived wisdom with brand 'x' works beautifully with brand 'y'.
It has thrown up some very interesting results which fly in the face of public opinion across a wide range of products some of which I will detail below.
First of which concern's a well known signal transfer company who logo is associated with horn warriors of Scandinavia, my thoughts on these products are well documented.
Recently I was invited to a retailer event, unfortunately due to other commitments I could not attend however I did get to listen to the set up that was being demonstrated before sid event. The whole system was wired with V2, now in the past I personally would have taken ear plug's along to listen, due the previous nature of the sound not being unlike one fo USA's many late 80's sonic weapon projects.
Well the sound being generated was polar opposite to the above description, if anything it was too polite, I did have to pinch myself and check out the loom to make sure it was as described.
Took my by total surprise, now I am not recommending any products here's I am just recounting my thoughts, you see I do own the previous incarnation of the project used and its very different.
Perception is a wonderful thing, but cuts both ways.
Another occasion where I was treated to a brace of Russell 'k' speakers while demonstrating some products, certainly not on list of desirable transducers, that said a Naimee's delight, they are bouncy, fun, musical and quite up front. They do exhibit some interesting traits as the volume is loaded up.
Now while running through the product the I asked the dealer involved if he would not mind changing the connecting cables with another brand he stock, the result was quite a transformation, in terms of tonal quality, cohesiveness and enjoy-ability. The cables cost virtually the same as the ones that removed. Both very well known brands yet the brand which produced the more desirable result would have been passed over as it may be seen as not as popular, again preconceptions. It really did surprise me, amplifier speaker impedance matching? the possibles are endless.
What about you chaps any surprises at you end.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 14:40:53 GMT
Accessories and cables in general are a complete and total revelation to me this past year. I still cannot believe the difference all of the cables make that I have heard over the past 6 months to a year. Supports make a lot more difference than I'd ever expected too, it's a big interesting world out there for us Hifi nerds to explore.
For instance, you know, I used to be a bit of a Naimee, and thought they could do know wrong, but changed over to the Exposure cable you kindly terminated from Naim cable and the difference it made in my system was outstanding, everything became easier to listen to, warmer and more controlled.
Then recently I purchased the Cambridge Audio CXC and connected my existing Beresford Caiman DAC and they literally wiped the floor with my Naim streamer, which costs over 4 times the price of the Cambridge/Bersford combo, just shows there are bargains to be had in the hifi world, and Naim certainly aren't the be all and end all.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2017 14:47:21 GMT
I am occasionally surprised when revisiting the components of a brand I thought I knew the sound of well.
Not yet with Nordost, whose cables continue to set my teeth on edge, but certainly with others. Perhaps KEF have surprised me more than most. Some of their high end speaker offerings now sound very good indeed whereas their previous 'Daleks' were stultifyingly dull. I used to dislike all Lowther based horn speakers, but the Horning range convinced me that they can be used well.
Some brands have a way to go to convince me that their products are worth spending time on. Linn and Naim both fall into that camp for me. Every time I hear them anew I just want to move on quickly. For amplification, the d'Agostino range have yet to impress me. Oh, and Magico.
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Post by julesd68 on Sept 13, 2017 15:16:10 GMT
Hmmm - discovering that Philips once made quality components was certainly a surprise! More recently I was intrigued to find that Japanese 'audiophiles' were raving about Western Electric WE16GA cable used as a speaker cable. They like it so much that it has now been reproduced. It turned out there was a seller in the US who obviously had a job lot of the original stuff. It wasn't expensive so thought it was worth a punt, so I bought some and have to say I'm very happy with it.  |
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Post by ChrisB on Sept 13, 2017 16:51:18 GMT
Tony, in the second case you described, did the dealer doing the demo agree with you that the system was better with the other cables?
Just out of interest...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 18:05:35 GMT
Tony, in the second case you described, did the dealer doing the demo agree with you that the system was better with the other cables? Just out of interest... Hello Mike Indeed he was, it was just on the spur of the moment thing and it just slotted into place extremely well I was quite taken aback. Martin Seriously you would not have recognized the sound as being Nordost in any shape or form, quite sobering actually (and almost staid!) I started the post simply for pairings of equipment which on paper you just wouldn't put together Paul as opposed to system finalizing. Another example for you though I was at one of our European partners for this, take two world class brands Solution and TAD, top notch equipment, but as was aptly demonstrated to us, do not put Solution amplifiers with TAD speakers absolute no-no, on their own both superb but together best left alone, also MBL amplifiers again very good, but they work absolutely their best with their own speakers but with a few other speakers oh no-no another best avoided partnership. What other equipment pairs have you found surprising buit really has synergy. |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 13, 2017 19:21:22 GMT
The partnership between Naim and Focal does not sound good to my ears.
Chord and B&W work well, as opposed to Chord and Wilson Benesch which sounds terrible.
I wish I could remember which speakers Audio Innovations were partnered with many years ago in a demo seared into my brain as exceptionally dynamic and vivid.
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Post by The Brookmeister on Sept 13, 2017 19:34:00 GMT
Its Soulution BTW. Stunning equipment .
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Post by SteveC on Sept 15, 2017 13:54:06 GMT
Its Soulution BTW. Stunning equipment . As well as being eye-wateringly expensive! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2017 15:59:40 GMT
Its Soulution BTW. Stunning equipment . Dave You and semantics really  Indeed it's quite respectable, though for moi a touch dry, but quality none the less  |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 15, 2017 16:48:11 GMT
Indeed it's quite respectable, though for moi a touch dry, but quality none the less That sounds exactly like my description of Constellation amps. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2017 11:52:45 GMT
Indeed it's quite respectable, though for moi a touch dry, but quality none the less That sounds exactly like my description of Constellation amps. Hello Martin I would personally say the are above the Constellation amps as they are do not have an 'in yet face' presentation, they are more civilized, though yet display great speed and dynamic's without harshness. For me they are a bit dry and lack real chewy texture its a personal thang. I would concur 100% on the naim and focal pairing, though the Aria speaker they have made an attempt to work with a limited bandwidth 1960's follow on design. |
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Post by The Brookmeister on Sept 16, 2017 17:32:24 GMT
Its Soulution BTW. Stunning equipment . As well as being eye-wateringly expensive! Quite right but once heard (for me anyway) I started saving up and am still doing that. Maxonic speakers arrive Monday then Soulution amplifier next. |
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Post by julesd68 on Sept 18, 2017 15:38:05 GMT
As well as being eye-wateringly expensive! Quite right but once heard (for me anyway) I started saving up and am still doing that. Maxonic speakers arrive Monday then Soulution amplifier next. Just in case you didn't get a notification David, I sent you a PM yesterday ... |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 18, 2017 15:44:25 GMT
Tony, in the second case you described, did the dealer doing the demo agree with you that the system was better with the other cables? Just out of interest... I started the post simply for pairings of equipment which on paper you just wouldn't put together Paul as opposed to system finalizing. Oops, missed that point. I have heard a fair few combination of systems sound good together, the cheaper Focal speakers and the (made by Naim) Sopra models work well with Naim electronics, but I find virtually every other model sound harsh and very unappealing, and in fact I have never really liked the overall sound of Naim amplification, although the 300DR is probably their best sounding power amp (but ridiculously expensive for what it is IMHO). Usually I dislike the sound of Kef speakers, but there were a large pair (not sure the model) at one of the shows a while back that sounded really lovely. |
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