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Listeners that are switching from less detailed sounding amps, or weaker bass amps, or "rolled off" amps, or amps with poor damping factors, or any amp that doesn't have "Maraschino-like" capabilities, find that their way of listening changes with the Maraschino. They start hearing nuances that were previously buried. They hear highs that were blurred or suppressed. They hear stronger bass and more impact. What they DON'T hear is the noise or distortion that they were previously accustomed to. Over time, their listening adjusts. This requires a bit of explanation. The mind tends to fill in the gaps or imagine the missing articulation in tracks they have heard many times before. This is actually a source of listening fatigue not discussed very often. Going to a higher resolution system releases the mind from filling in the gaps, and this isn't at all like throwing a switch. If you were accustomed to listening that way, it takes a while to adjust, sometimes months. The perception is continually improving sound, but the reality is mental adjustment. You'll find yourself more relaxed when listening. Perhaps you'll smile more often, or play tracks multiple times, astonished by the new fullness of the sound.
Thank you Tommy, Great explanation !Background -I previously used few solid state amps (Odyssey Stratos Extreme), Jolida Hybrid amps and recently Coincident technologies 300 B Frankenstein monos - which I sold for convenience factor (do not want to start and shutdown amps all the time). While looking for amps those are great and i can leave them on all the time in my research i stumbled across Maraschino's - talked to you - read all the great reviews and decided to order Desktop Maraschino's with 48 V power supply.I just received Demo Maraschino's (48 V) two days back and I connected them to Sony XA5400ES SACD / Bluesound Node 2 --> Tortuga Audio Pre Amp --> Usher 6381 (87 db, 8 Ohm). I am using Zu libtech speaker cable - stock power cords all power goes through Furman ELITE-15I power conditioner and some good interconnects - recently got from Schimtt custom cables.First thing i observed as everyone mentioned here are lots of details and great bass control - the bass is tight and well defined than before ! but one thing i am still missing is the midrange (vocals) palpability (is that the word ?- which gives me goosebumps when i listen to some great songs) - i was getting from 300 B monos and I know 300 B's known for being good at vocals and not so good at extremes (I agree on that point - Maraschino's and definitely better at the extremes) but i am missing the midrange and vocals those i was getting from 300B monos. I will really appreciate any suggestions/tips around if anyone coming from tube amps have same experience and what did they do to get the vocals right (or may be little bit forward) without spending too much on any other things !Thank you,Milind
...i am missing the midrange and vocals those i was getting from 300B monos. I will really appreciate any suggestions/tips around if anyone coming from tube amps have same experience and what did they do to get the vocals right (or may be little bit forward) without spending too much on any other things !
Thanks, will try direct connection from SACD or Bluesound node 2 to amp a will keep you posted !As far as SET midrange is concerned .. it could be Usher speaker (may be little bit laidback or on the darker side) or may be other components but i loved coincident's vocals with usher speakers and that could be the reason it may not be as forward on Maraschino .. again different system/different preferences .. will see if i can replace passive pre with tube pre or add tube buffer and will see if that change anything !
I MUST Say i really enjoyed my maraschinos desktop with the 60v PSU, it was much better than my SET 2a3's, however, it was when I went to the TL DAC DAC that my system went to another level entirely. I also had a tube preamp that I thought was excellent, but I put a $50 nobsound passive XLR preamp in the chain to remove tubes from the system completely and the sense of transparency was really quite stunning. As I mentioned, I brought in the DAC DAC TL and boom the sound went up another level. I had a world class DAC and the DAC DAC TL really blew it away. Note when I started this journey, I thought I missed my SET for the lush midrange and sound on acoustic guitars. I was sure the cherries was too analytical and missing the magic. It wasn’t until I listened to the Marachinos for a little while and then went back to the SET did I realize the SET was not in the same league.I couldn't believe the sense of realism I found when the cherries and the dac dac tl version 1 mated together in my system.After 35 years, I have the system that I always dreamt about. Note I have the Spatial M3 Turbos S's. Amazing for the money. My tube days are over...
We bought a Nobsound passive pre for testing....We currently have it in a system like this:PC > Cherry USB > the new 130db+ DAC DAC 2 HS (currently only available through our Kickstarter, which ends in a few days: http://kck.st/2CH4sLB) > passive pre > Stereo MEGAschino > JTR Noesis 210RTsLet me just say.... This system sounds like a million bucks! The ease and flow is so amazing. Stratosphere headroom, and so much finesse along with it. The blackest of backgrounds. Super pure sound from whisper volume to full blast. Transients and speed that provide musicality and texture. The MEGA really checks off "all the boxes" for a high power amplifier, and will be known as a landmark super amp in the future, with the likes of Conrad Johnson Premier One, Mark Levinson ML2, McIntosh MC275, and GAS Ampzilla II. However, the MEGA is the "new stuff", and out performs the pack! This is very exciting stuff indeed.The passive preamp allows use of a full scale digital input to the DAC (no digital attenuation necessary), so you can drive the DAC with a transport or other fixed full scale source (TV, etc.).Bottom line: No sonic penalty from the passive preamp!!!!By the way, the passive pre is NOT NECESSARY with a digitally attenuated source, but if you need one for your setup, fear not! (:-Tommy O
I have also found the Maraschinos to perform wonderfully with inexpensive cables. I first used some mic cables I had, and have since “upgraded” to some used audiophile pairs obtained inexpensively on the Trading Post. I put the word upgraded in quotes because, with the exception of one pair that for some reason didn’t get along well, I have noticed no significant difference in sound.Moving into more rarified cable realms may show me that I have been leaving something on the table, though I’m dubious about the value proposition. The Nobsound solution sounds interesting as an inexpensive way to add some flexibility in inputs — thanks for the mention. I have a chain of inputs that works fine for me right now, though the Digital Preamp is mighty, mighty tempting.
We occasionally test (measuring THD+N, IMD, SNR, frequency response, etc.) XLR and RCA cables with an audio analyzer and find the inexpensive ones (assuming they are built with decent connectors and wire) perform identically to the expensive ones. Oh no! Say it ain't so! Yup (: If I posted this on a "fancy cable" page I'd be surrounded by a mob with torches by now. So, I preemptively request no additional discussion about the pros/cons of fancy wire on this thread. I've been to plenty of demos where someone selling wires swaps them out then tells the audience "what to listen for". Why not just show the measurements? Well, that's because there probably aren't any! Anyway, when designing equipment, those who are skilled in the art (and science) of circuit design are able to reduce the effects of wire parasitics on important performance characteristics. If a piece of equipment is very sensitive to cable swapping (assuming the comparison is fair, not 1000 feet of wire vs 2 feet of wire kind of thing), then it's probably not such a great piece of equipment, regardless of cost. If anyone feels the burning desire, the itch they just can't scratch, the absolutely uncontrollable urge to start a cable discussion, feel free to start a new thread on my board, but just don't use this thread. Thanks, all (:
Strenuously disagree, started a new thread as per your request.