[Shakeydeal]

Shakey
I'm sure you understand that everyone hears differently.  What may work for you doesn't necessarily work for everyone.  I started at 100 and didn't like it with the Martin Logan electrostats I was using and i lost the detail in the higher registers.  Went to 125 and I got the smooth detail I like.  The first thing I noticed when I received the X5's was the difference in the high end.  Harsh and grainy.  Tried reducing the bias, and all I got was tubey midrange and still grainy highs.  I actually swapped out the 275 for a pair of SS monos last night and the highs are still not quite right.   I've been a fan of tube pre with SS amps for quite some time so this is the combo I'll probably stay with as far as power goes.  I'm assuming the speakers just need to cook a bit more.  If they don't settle down and smooth out I'll just send them back.  They have a great natural bass that is the best I've heard.  But string instruments, piano, and voices are just not there right now.  I've got some different NOS tubes I can try in both the tube DAC and the Carver.  That's something that can change the sound of tube equipment considerably.   I'm away for the weekend and these things are going to be playing the whole time for 3 days.  By the time I get back they will have about 120 total hours on them and I'll have a good idea of what to expect from them.

Well if you have to run the bias that high, that may not be the amp for you. I'd move on.

That said, these speakers do need a lot of hours. I heard improvements in mine well over the 300 hour mark. 120 hours isn't nearly enough. The AMT driver produces some of the most natural highs I've had in any system. Give them more time and I don't think you'll send em back.

Shakey

[Shakeydeal]

dupe

[bbybaudio]

Glynn, I noted in earlier comments that piano on the X5s, and I am sure the X3s, is just spectacular. Unlike geerock, I have never noted any "grainy" sound from the X5s even right out of the box. This weekend I hope my last set of AntiCables arrive. Then I will have completely transitioned system to AntiCables. So far, I am finding the voices to be more natural and instrument placement more 3 dimensional with these cables. Hoping the final add, the series 5 speaker cables continues the improvement. Previous cables were Audience AU24 SE which are excellent. System sounded spectacular with the Audience cables. Anticables sound is similar to the Audience AU24 SE sound, but with the changes noted here.

[bbybaudio]

To follow up, my X5s sound great whether driven by EL34s or KT150s.  Also sounded excellent when driven by solid state Rega Elicit-R integrated, though sound through Primaluna is dramatically better. Next week will swap in new EL34s for more midrange magic which the X5s do spectacularly well.

[morganc]

I took a quick listen when I first got them and realized they needed some time to cook before I could give them a true review.  They are grainy right now.  Sometimes those new caps are what needs breaking in.  Also the Carver 275 is fairly new also and doesn't have 60 hours on it with NOS tubes, so that may be a contributing factor also. 
Deadhead.....
I have a pair of all in Kismet monos that are about a year old, so they have all the good stuff in them.  I may switch over and let the X5's burn in with those.  I've been a fan of SS amps with tube pre's for quite some time so maybe thats the winning combo.  I also have an Linear Tube Audio ZOTL10 MKII coming soon and will try them with that and the Don Sachs pre.  Should be able to get a winning combo in there somewhere as long as the speakers break in nicely.

I'm interested in the Zotl 10 amp as well. How are you enjoying the combo?

[aldoallen]

I'm using the ZOTL 10 amp on my M4 TM's with an MZ3 as preamp. This combination sounds fantastic. Would love to hear it on the X5"s!

[geerock]

The LTA amp with the Don Sachs pre is a stunning combo.  It is dead quiet and has a natural tone quality like nothing else I've heard.
It beat my custom monos and the Carver 275.  I can see why Clayton shows his speakers with the LTA.  And it's a killer bargain to boot!

[KLH007]

geerock, Has the Carver 275 improved as it breaks in? It sure looks like a bargain, especially if like me your stereo is part of the TV system, staying home currently the TV is on 16 hours a day between myself and my wife. Cool running tubes make it safe for visits from our grandchildren and a 5 year tube warranty is exceptional. Is the Carver's sound quality reasonably close to your DS/LTA combo especially in terms of soundstage width/depth and transparency?

[Nick77]

There's no pictures in this thread. 

[Shakeydeal]

What would you like pictures of?

[poseidonsvoice]

There's no pictures in this thread. 

Here:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=systems;area=browse;system=1719

Best,
Anand

[Jprod]

Hello. I will soon join the x5 club. Graduating from the m5s.  I can’t wait to get them.  I honestly felt  guilty getting these with all the problems going on now, but I figured I will be home so much that I will use them extensively.  I hope these will be my end game speakers ( or at least until Clayton comes out with something even better).   Will post my review of them once I get them.

[geerock]

There's no pictures in this thread. 

KLH007
The 275 is a great bargain.  And it will drive just about anything you connect it to.  They rate the output at 75 watts but word has it that it tends to measure out at around 90 watts.  That's a ton of tube power.  Can't say I heard a lot of break in, tubes tend to burn off impurities pretty quickly, but there are a few caps that may benefit from break in.  I was using NOS signal tubes that were a big improvement over the three 12xx7 tubes that were supplied with it.  And you can use many different power tubes, although the supplied TungSol KT 120's are a great tube.  And all the tubes do run pretty cool.  Great amp at a great price, but for me the extra grand it cost me for the ZOTL10 is well worth it.  Not only the sound, but the 3D immersion into the music is just thrilling.  With this virus thing in full swing in Ct, I'm spending just about every night in the music room with my favorite anti-viral medicine.   

[KLH007]

geerock, Were EH 12 series tubes an improvement over the stock JJs? What were your favorite front end tubes?

[geerock]

geerock, Were EH 12 series tubes an improvement over the stock JJs? What were your favorite front end tubes?

The 275 used to come with EH 12's.  Carver apparently changed to JJ's, but I don't know why.  For me, the EH is a better sounding tube.  I put in NOS Telefunken and had a big improvement.  I also tried an Amperex NOS in the 12 holes too.  Those were also very smooth sounding, but I went back to the Teles.

[KLH007]

geerock, Thanks for your reply and advice!

[sockpit]

Hello. I will soon join the x5 club. Graduating from the m5s.  I can’t wait to get them.  I honestly felt  guilty getting these with all the problems going on now, but I figured I will be home so much that I will use them extensively.  I hope these will be my end game speakers ( or at least until Clayton comes out with something even better).   Will post my review of them once I get them.

Wow, that was fast!

I'll be very interested to hear your observations!  I recall that your room was pretty large, especially its depth.  So the X5s make intuitive sense over the M5s to me.  I own the M5s, but continue to wonder how much better the X5s might sound.  The problem was more the room than the price.

I'm in a room 13 ft wide and 11 feet deep, and that puts me only 6-7 feet from the speaker. Clayton thought the M5s would play well in such a small space, and that I'd be too close to the X5s directional AMT.  I'm not unhappy with the result.

So much of how speakers sound is the room, alas . . .

[Jprod]

Yes.  I do have a large room.  I sit about 10 feet back from the speakers.  The m5s are great but I wanted more on the bottom end. The bottom end is good if you turn the volume up.  It’s lower volumes where I felt the bass was lacking.  Was going to  go the M3 route but after talking to Clayton he nudged me towards the x5.
Once I thought about it, you get a lot for an extra 1k difference between the M3 and x5. If I went the M3 route I would be spending 2k more for an extra woofer.  The x5 seems to be in another league
Can’t wait to get them. Once again a big shout out to Clayton. Amazing person to speak to and never rushes you off the phone.  He answers your questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.  A big thanks to Clayton for helping me out !