Your Thoughts: McCormack DNA 500 Vs. Spectron Musician III

audiophile39 · « **Reply #60 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 03:36 pm »

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I have to wonder what the original poster is thinking at the moment He signed up a couple of days ago on AC and his thread has now turned a little ugly imo.

Let me say, you guys are like the British Parliament compared to other forums I've been in! For me, at least, I don't have a problem with the "spirited" debate over audio products, and I've been known in other forums to get my dander up if challenged, so I'm living in a big glass house and will refrain from throwing stones LOL

That said, I really like this forum, which is more of a club comprised of very knowledgeable audiophiles than just an Internet site.

As for my original question regarding the McCormack DNA 500 and Spectron Musician III, I'm continuing to do my due diligence in gathering insights and opinions of others, but, ultimately, I recognize the importance of actually listening to these, and other, components. I have read only stellar assessments of the DNA 500, and, while the Spectron definitely enjoys its ardent fans, it also has some detractors.

I also appreciate the suggestion of Odyssey amps. Very impressive, too. Peter Moncrieff awards the Odyssey Stratos nearly his highest ranking of "1B", which is just below his highest-ranking amp, none other than the DNA 500! Not too shabby for either amp.
http://www.odysseyaudio.com/review_st-iar.html
http://www.iar-80.com/page5.html

Thanks!

Marbles · « **Reply #61 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 03:46 pm »

The Stratos is very good and depending on the speaker and budget, the Extreme version or even the Extreme mono's would be a nice step up.

There is rumors of an even nicer "Alex signature special" or some such nomencalture

You would need to call Klaus @317-299-5578 for any info as he doesn't answer emails in a timely fashion and prefers the phone to other forms of communication.

Also he stays up VERY late and sleeps in to about 2:00 PM Central Standard time...so you might want to call in the afternoon/evening up until about 3:00 AM (I did not make a mistake on my times).

audiophile39 · « **Reply #62 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 03:51 pm »

Not to play favorites, and to be fair to Spectron, this reviewer gives the previous Musician II amp a rave review, saying it's possibly the finest amp he's ever auditioned...
http://www.onsoundandmusic.com/index.html?http://www.onsoundandmusic.com/issues/0444/home.html&2

Click "Home Audio" under "Departments" and scroll down for review.

Marbles · « **Reply #63 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 04:45 pm »

Greg Weaver sold his Musician II and kept his Channel Islands Audio D200's.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue22/cia_d200.htm

The CI Audio D200's get very good press and I would think they should be on your short list to demo.

Dan Wright - Modwright uses his amps as well and exhibits his equipment with them at shows.

audiophile39 · « **Reply #64 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 06:53 pm »

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Greg Weaver sold his Musician II and kept his Channel Islands Audio D200's.

Thanks for the useful update. I actually had spoken with the owner of CI and do have the D200s in my notes.

Along the lines of cutting-edge amplifier technologies, can anyone explain what the ICE amps, made by a gentleman named Henry Ho, are all about? The more I read about them, the more confused I get.

Thanks!

Marbles · « **Reply #65 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 07:00 pm »

Quote from: audiophile39

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Greg Weaver sold his Musician II and kept his Channel Islands Audio D200's.

Ha, un-effing-believable! So much for the credibility of rave reviews. Thanks for the update. I actually had spoken with the owner of CI and do have the D200s in my notes.

Along the lines of cutting-edge amplifier technologies, can anyone explain what the ICE amps, made by a gentleman named Henry Ho, are all about? The more I read about them, the more confused I get.

Thanks!

Don't blame Greg, it had been 3 years since he reviewed the Musician II and in the digital amp world, that was a long time and a few generations ago.

When you read reviews, especially with any digital technology, it's best to keep in mind that if it wasn't done in the past 6 months, it's probably not the latest and greatest anymore...

As far as the H2O amp, if you do a search here, you should find some comparisons to other amps.

audiophile39 · « **Reply #66 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 07:08 pm »

Thanks, Marbles, for enlightening me on reviews and reviewers. In retrospect, my previous harsh post about Mr. Weaver's review of the Spectron amp was inappropriate and unfair and I edited those remarks out. In fact, in his recent review of the CI monoblocs, Mr. Weaver also acknowledges the span of time between his reviews of the Spectron and CI components.

Sorry for my gratuitous jab.

Jon L · « **Reply #67 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 08:11 pm »

We should all consider ourselves very lucky as audiophiles. Even 5-6 years ago, if one wanted to buy a good-sounding non-tube amp, one had to search long and hard, and usually pay a good amount of $$$ to find one with enough refinement and power.

I've owned an earlier Spectron amp before, own a Panny XR55, and owned Sonic Impact. I have listened to NuForce, CIA D200, Spectron Musician II, Red Wine Audio T-amp, Rowland 301, etc.

Today, one can easily assemble an awesome-sounding sytem built around one of the newer digital amps that will outperform a system built around traditional amps of similar price few years ago. I think we should all encourage and support this new, quiet, yet inevitable revolution in amplifier technology, which will eventually make good sound possible for much less money for more people. What does it matter if one prefers A vs. B digital amp and another prefers B or C?

Bob Wilcox · « **Reply #68 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 08:47 pm »

audiophile39 asked

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Along the lines of cutting-edge amplifier technologies, can anyone explain what the ICE amps, made by a gentleman named Henry Ho, are all about? The more I read about them, the more confused I get.

What distinquishes the H20 amps from the Icepower competition is the use of hefty power supplies and avoiding the ASP (switching power supply) series of B & O modules. The H20 was designed to be able to drive a 1 ohm load and to sound good doing it. I use it into a 4 ohm load. I find that the H20 has a more liquid presentation then my eAR Two. Of course, tube fans may feel none of the module amps have liquidity.

I have heard the DNA 500 and it has more of the slam factor than my stereo H20. The H20 has very good slam though. OTOH, I have not heard the H20 monos that have twice the storage capacitance of the stereo version.

Bob

Brian Cheney · « **Reply #69 on:** 28 Dec 2005, 11:58 pm »

Replying to Scotty and Josh:

Our wave guide employs a heavily damped and shallow diffraction slot providing 180 degrees of horizontal dispersion from 20kHz down to LF cutoff. That in itself is notable and new.

It makes for much smoother off-axis response even with first order filters (which I like for other reasons than dispersion), which means the sound arriving at your ear both direct and delayed, is much more linear.

The wave guide improves vertical dispersion to the length of the slot. If your ear is level with any portion of it, you're covered. The listening quality of every speaker I tried the wave guide on is improved by its use, including single driver and cone dynamic speakers. However, my invention specifically was designed to improve the directivity of planar speakers which are not known for good directivity.

My wave guide is novel, inventive, and patentable. While the diffraction slot is not new, my planar wave guide is, since it includes novel features designed to overcome the problems of diffraction-based drivers such as CD horns.

Dr Geddes prefers to obtain CD through dispersers/wave guides placed in front of his drivers. That works fine. He achieves 90 degrees horizontal and vertical directivity, which he thinks optimal. My diffraction-slot wave guide works well, is low cost, and based on proven physics. I think it's a great improvement for planar speakers, as our CES demo will show.

I would not comment (particularly in a mocking or derogatory tone) on its effects until you've heard it. From your posts I don't think you're interested anyway.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #70 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 12:07 am »

audiophile39...where are you located? The best thing you can do is to demo gear and see what it sounds like yourself. Maybe some ACers are local to you and can help you audition some of the gear you're interested in...

warnerwh · « **Reply #71 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 12:17 am »

What PhilNYC says is the very best thing to do whenever possible. There's no substitute for your own ears and equipment. Many audiophiles are happy to get together and bring gear to one another's homes.

audiophile39 · « **Reply #72 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 12:23 am »

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audiophile39...where are you located? The best thing you can do is to demo gear and see what it sounds like yourself. Maybe some ACers are local to you and can help you audition some of the gear you're interested in...

Thank you---I live in Bergen County, in northern New Jersey, and work in New York City.

PhilNYC · « **Reply #73 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 12:39 am »

Quote from: audiophile39

Thank you---I live in Bergen County, in northern New Jersey, and work in New York City.

You're in luck! A group of us NY-area ACers formed The New York Audio Rave...a group that gets together every month to hear different people's systems and frequently does gear shootouts/comparisons. In fact, a small group of us got together today at my place (Closter, NJ...in Bergen) to listen to a couple of preamps and some digital sources.

Check out pictures and discussions of our past meetings here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=62

(today's meeting is in the thread called "Mini-Rave 12/28")

Send me an email/PM if you'd like to be added to our email list (we announce the meetings via email so that the meeting host doesn't have to post his/her address/phone number on the public forum)...and please do feel free to contact any of the folks who have posted in the discussion threads if you want to check out any particular person's rig...

Hantra · « **Reply #74 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 12:48 am »

Quote from: ScottMayo

500w in a 15x15' room? What the other guys said: you shouldn't need this, and you need to consider how you are going to deal with the room modes in that space.

My room is 12.5 x 14.5, and the McIntosh I have now, at 400wpc, is one of the only amps that would adequately drive my speakers. I tried probably 25+ amps, and there were about 4 that would do it. None had less than 300 watts.

So I'd never make an assumption that one doesn't need that many watts in a small room.

Just a thought.

matix · « **Reply #75 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 01:28 am »

Quote from: Hantra

Quote from: ScottMayo
500w in a 15x15' room? What the other guys said: you shouldn't need this, and you need to consider how you are going to deal with the room modes in that space.

My room is 12.5 x 14.5, and the McIntosh I have now, at 400wpc, is one of the only amps that would adequately drive my speakers. I tried probably 25+ amps, and there were about 4 that would do it. None had less than 300 watts.

So I'd never make an assumption that one doesn't need that many watts in a small room.

Just a thought.

I would like to add that what kind of music you listen to and at what volume is important as well. For me, love to blast my system at deafening levels and I listen a lot to Mahler symphonies. Currently has the eAR 1001...1200 watts.

tdangelo · « **Reply #76 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 04:21 am »

audiophile39: I have a really small 12x14x9 room and am using the Von Schweikert VR4-JR's with 2 Butler 2250 amps running mono. The VR's work great in the room and have a front facing port. I had the VMPS RM40's but they overloaded the room a bit with bass and visually too

The Butlers are very sweet sounding hybrid amps that virtually never need tube replacement and run cool. Both are highly recommended by me

Tony D.

ctviggen · « **Reply #77 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 02:05 pm »

How did this thread go from amplifiers to speakers?

Marbles · « **Reply #78 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 02:10 pm »

Quote from: audiophile39

Hi, my budget is flexible (within reason). Not in the FM Audiol/Acapella crowd, but have a decent budget for sensible components. I just cut back on things like food, water, and clothes As for speakers, I'm in a quandry. I didn't want to bring speakers up, for fear you'd think I'm all over the place, but I am spending waaaay too much time on speakers. I have been reading a lot about Tetra speakers, but the rave reviews make me wonder if they're just the latest flavor of the month. I like Vanderstee ...

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woodsyi · « **Reply #79 on:** 29 Dec 2005, 02:17 pm »

Yesterday, I had a few people who I have come to know through AC come over to listen to music, share ideas and check some gears out. 2 VMPS owners, 1 Von Schweikert owner, 1 Odyssey owner, 1 Salk owner and 1 owner of many tunas who is currently banned but has posted frequently in the past. We had a good time enjoying music, sharing ideas and checking out stuff. We discussed merits of CDWG, Felicia balanced power conditioner, tubes, biamping, SB2 digital out vs analog out, cables and many fun things in audio. Everyone left with good feelings and wishing to do it again in the near future. I credit AC for being a conduit for engendering this kind of friendship and comaraderie. Let's try to keep it that way on the net, too. Afterall, we should band together in solidarity. Where else can a person say "I refused to pay any more than $100 per meter for interconnect" and seriously think this is being frugal? We need each other............