[Willy O]

Willy O here in Minnesota. Back in 1967 my dad built a pair of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers flush mounted in the wall of our living room. He was a Dentist, but also owned a Jazz Nightclub. I was 12 so I did not know this was an unusually awesome audio system. After college I took job in a small stereo retail shop in Salt Lake City. I worked for several retailers (Including a dealer in LA that carried Spectral Audio and Sound Lab electrostatics 1988-89). And then spent 13 years at Sony where I was in the ES Hi-Fi audio division. Along the way I have owned many cool audio systems including my Spectral DMC-12 pre and DMC-90 amp that brought me back here today. (I had signed up back in 2012 when I owned some giant Von Scweikert speakers, but had not been back in a long time). Now retired and I have a pile of amps. Current speakers are Thiel PCS monitors with subs.

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome to AC 
How do you would rate this Spectral pre to today standard in sound quality?

[Phil A]

Welcome!

[rgrlee]

I am the same, have always been interested in audio!

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC Willy O   

[Willy O]

Welcome!

Oops, I meant to make this a reply to Fullrangeman. But thanks for the Welcome.

Hello, I rate my DMC-12 as Spectacular in comparison to anything. (Spectraltacular?). I mostly use tube pre-amps, but this DMC-12 sounds so good driving my Golden Tube Se-40 I haven't been using my Cary Pre-amp. I have a Spectral DMA90 amp that has had issues for some time, and Spectral would not take it in to repair it. It was built around 1997 and they will not work on older amps. I also have a pair of Cary EL-34 Monoblocs, an Audio Research D-90B, a Pioneer Spec 2 (fully refurbished and sounds surprisingly good with the DMC-12), MacIntosh MC-275 Gordon Gow Edition, and a couple of vintage Phase Linear amps. While the Spec 2 may not be considered high end, it is very pretty.

[fridays]

Why is the print so tiny

[FullRangeMan]

Oops, I meant to make this a reply to Fullrangeman. But thanks for the Welcome.

Hello, I rate my DMC-12 as Spectacular in comparison to anything. (Spectraltacular?). I mostly use tube pre-amps, but this DMC-12 sounds so good driving my Golden Tube Se-40 I haven't been using my Cary Pre-amp. I have a Spectral DMA90 amp that has had issues for some time, and Spectral would not take it in to repair it. It was built around 1997 and they will not work on older amps. I also have a pair of Cary EL-34 Monoblocs, an Audio Research D-90B, a Pioneer Spec 2 (fully refurbished and sounds surprisingly good with the DMC-12), MacIntosh MC-275 Gordon Gow Edition, and a couple of vintage Phase Linear amps. While the Spec 2 may not be considered high end, it is very pretty.

Thankyou for inform us.
Let me know when you will sell the DMC-12.
This Pioneer amp look fantastic.

[toocool4]

Welcome to AudioCircle Willy O

Have you tried to see if you can get someone else to work on your DMA-90?

Spectral do make lovely kit, but they are a funny company to deal with on a personal level.

[Willy O]

Welcome to AudioCircle Willy O

Have you tried to see if you can get someone else to work on your DMA-90?

Spectral do make lovely kit, but they are a funny company to deal with on a personal level.

Yes, I had someone else work on it who is known as a competent Spectral repair company. It came back to me with the first problem (intermittent noise in left channel) solved and the same problem now exhibiting in the right channel. I have left it sit for another year on the shelf due to health problems (congestive heart failure and glaucoma. 3 eye surgeries). I am now ready to get back on it. I worked for a Spectral dealer back in 1988-1990 and bought a DMC6 Pre and DMA50 amp back then. 10 years ago bought the DMC-12 and DMA-90. DMA-90 uses some unusual drivers by Supertex. Almost inpossible to find, but I now have some. These are known as "Unobtanium" and they go in a number of vintage amps, like Threshold. Supertex VP0120N2 and VN0120N2.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

Welcome from Woodbury, MN

[Willy O]

Welcome from Woodbury, MN

Hello there in Woodbury from Red Wing! Home of famous shoes.

My favorite thing to do in Woodbury is to go to your Trader Joes. I assume Greyhound Fan is about a dog, not a bus company? One of my friends is a Whippet-O-Holic. Typically 5 or more of them at their home.

What is your audio passion?

Willy O

[toocool4]

Willy O, hope your health get’s better. Good luck in fixing your Spectral, it would be a shame not to have it working correctly.