onix ref.1/sp3 amp deal

marvda1 · « **on:** 23 Jul 2005, 02:24 pm »

has anyone purchased the av123 package deal of onix ref. 1 speakers and sp3 tube integrated amp for $999?
if so please let me know what you think.

marvin

Rashiki · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Jul 2005, 02:53 am »

I went for this deal back in May and I love it. The amp and speakers are beautiful and, in my opinion, the sound quality is outstanding, especially considering the price.
-Rob

drunkonjack · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Jul 2005, 03:03 am »

I took advantage of this deal. It has got to be the best bang for the buck I have ever purchased in audio . The amp is rich looking and performs great with the Ref 1's . I'm currently using it with Rocket 750's to see what it can do with a larger speaker and I'm very impressed here. I drove the 750's to around 96db at 12 ft. listening to the Foo Fighters . And this was with the volume at 12:00 on the amp. The tube sound is what I was looking for in music and it delivers. I will spend more time later with the Ref 1's . I'm already familiar with the Ref 1's and This pacage deal if well worth the price even if it cost twice as much .

marvda1 · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 01:48 am »

i talked to av123 and they would sub the onix 120 watt ss integrated(a 120 mk2) in the deal for $899, any thoughts?

suits_me · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 02:12 am »

The main gotcha with the tube integrated is the limited number of inputs: Two, I think. That would determine whether to go with the ss or not for me.

marvda1 · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 02:24 am »

2 inputs, no problem for me. wanted to know about the sound quality of one vs. the other.

JohnnyLightOn · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 05:55 am »

There's a pretty active forum on www.AV123.com. Most such forums have a kind of groupthink that tends to favor the products sold by that site, as they're all invested in it. But if you read between the lines, you can get an idea what people think of each kind of gear.

For example, with the SP3, a good number of people are very pleased with it out of the box. A certain number of others find that it's not as good as they hoped, and certainly not as good as a $5,000 tube amp despite what 6moons' review makes it seem like, and they put it up for sale on that forum or on Audiogon.

But then you find that there's another group that's between those two, that have found some easy tube rolling, as well as a couple simple mods (capacitor changes that void the warranty), that make the SP3 something very nice to own and listen to even for more advanced audiophiles.

So I would recommend some further research on their forum and also that you Google the name of their ss amp to see if anyone elsewhere has posted owner reviews. Check on AudioAsylum and AudioGon's discussion forums as well. If it doesn't sound special, and you've thought you might enjoy tubes, this deal might be the perfect way to check it out.

I bought the Reference One/SP3 combo yesterday. I paid $200 extra for piano black finish on the speakers due to WAF. I was pretty skeptical about the SP3 amp because of the over-the-top 6moons review. But I've never had a tube amp before, and after reading a bunch of stuff on the AV123 forums, I think I'll be really happy with the combo out of the box. Furthermore, by changing two tubes for around $40-60, I can take the thing up another level. By swapping capacitors I can take it to yet another level. I'm looking forward to this part, too.

I'll miss having a tuner, as I don't have a separate tuner, only the one in my receiver. And I probably won't be able to listen to the SP3 amp very much until the second half of October due to the heat it generates, as most tube amps do; I'll be using my JVC F10 receiver in the meantime. But nothing's perfect.

I've been copying the more informative posts about stands and tube rolling and mods from their forums into a word processing document. If anyone wants a copy of my file in either WordPerfect or Word format, just PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you what I've got by the middle of next week.

Dan Driscoll · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 02:26 pm »

Quote from: JohnnyLightOn

I'll miss having a tuner, as I don't have a separate tuner, only the one in my receiver. And I probably won't be able to listen to the SP3 amp very much until the second half of October due to the heat it generates...

Does your receiver have pre-outs? If it does, you can use it as a tuner.

What kind of heat does this amp generate that would make it unplayable in summer

Don't you have A/C down there in SoCal?

JohnnyLightOn · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 03:30 pm »

Great idea, Dan!

It does appear to have two sets of jacks that look like line-level outputs.

No a/c in the living room. I live near the beach, so it's ocean breezes most of the time, except mid-July to mid-October. Then it's comfortable at night, but I think a 5 degree (or even 3 degree) room temp increase would be make it too warm.

Bedroom has a/c but I don't have room to be able to pull the monitors far enough away from the walls to make them work well.

drphoto · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 03:59 pm »

A friend of mine bought this system and I think it is outstanding. It's not just good for the price...it's flat out good. I'd love to have the amp for myself someday. I ran it with some vintage Merlins I was rebuilding for another friend and it sounded great. Very tight bass for a low power tube amp. I agree pretty much with the 6Moons review, that the amp has that 'tube magic', but is not overly euphonic or sloppy. And as everyone says....it's really cool looking, especially with the tube covers removed.

The speakers have an amazing amount of bass for such a small driver. In fact they may have skewed it up a bit too much to be really accurate. They're on the laid back side, which I like. You can play even poor recordings and be ok. Fans of more analytical, hyper detailed speakers might be a little dissapointed.

kenk · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 04:11 pm »

For $999, it is the best deal out there, period. I got mine 3 months ago and it took some time to burn in. The mid range would be the best part about this amp, follow by the bass. I tried changing some caps but went back to stock PIO caps as they had the sound that I like. Is the $5,000 tube amp, no but I sold my krell 400xi after I got the SP3. Yes the Krell is more detail and transparent but the SP3 just have the tube magic that i am looking for. Also they have 30 days return so if it is not your cup of tea, just return it.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 06:16 pm »

I just ordered my SP3/Ref 1 combo yesterday. I'll post my impressions once I get the peices and have a chance to play with them for awhile.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 Jul 2005, 06:18 pm »

Rob - you shock me! Tubes? Don't let the other half know you're cheating on them.

tex-amp · « **Reply #13 on:** 2 Aug 2005, 09:38 pm »

Quote from: drphoto

The speakers have an amazing amount of bass for such a small driver. In fact they may have skewed it up a bit too much to be really accurate. They're on the laid back side, which I like. You can play even poor recordings and be ok. Fans of more analytical, hyper detailed speakers might be a little dissapointed.

I'd agree they trade mid-range detail for bass extension. Good separation too. But at $1500 they have competition.

BradJudy · « **Reply #14 on:** 2 Aug 2005, 10:00 pm »

Interesting to see comments on the Ref1 being good for poor recordings. I actually have not found that to be true, but have only listened to the Ref1/2/3 on solid state amps. I've heard bad recordings on all three models and they sounded quite bad on all of them. While I don't think the speaker is the last thing in detail, it certainly isn't one I would consider forgiving. Perhaps the SP3 mellows it out.

drphoto · « **Reply #15 on:** 3 Aug 2005, 01:44 am »

Brad,

One speaker I was directly comparing the Onix Ref1 to was the Ref3a deCappo that was on loan. Compared to that.....the Onix was forgiving.

Yes, I think there is some nice synergy w/ the SP3. But they sounded decent enough w/ my Odyssey Monos.

They are revealling enough that when we switched from HGA Silver Lace IC's to Gronenburg TC Premium there was a clear difference that even my newbie friend who bought the system could hear. (the Gronenburg was much nicer, in most every way)

I don't know if they're worth $1500, but as part of the package... pretty damn nice.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 Aug 2005, 03:56 am »

Quote from: miklorsmith

Rob - you shock me! Tubes? Don't let the other half know you're cheating on them.

Yeah, don't tell the Audioholics guys!

Just because I'm a Moderator there doesn't automatically mean I follow the "Party line."

Actually, if you ever directly ask Gene he'll tell you he doesn't believe all amps sound alike at all... But guys like Mtrycrafts and WmAX will probably come unglued!:lol:

At any rate, the combo arrived today about 20 minutes before I had to go to work!

All I had time to do was drool over them! Talk about build quality- the amp is built like a brick stereo store. It's truly a thing of beauty. And the speakers are gorgeous too. All the raves over the finish of the rosewood isn't just talk- they're about as nicely done as I've seen.

The only problem I've run into is that I'm not sure where I'll scrounge up some speaker cables- all the stuff in the house is biwire. But I'll figure something out. First up I'll probably compare the Ref 1's to my regular bedroom speakers (a pair of MA Bronze 3's with 25 lbs of lead shot loading them). Then I'll run the MA's & Ref 1's off the SP3.

If they sound half as good as they look they'll be a monster deal for $999!