[Lyric]

Anyone tried Butler Audio TDB 3150 as two-channel and/or Horizon Audio TP 2.0 with HT3s?
Using Audio Aero Prima CD and Cardas cables.  Must have silver face-plate so AVA not in
consideration, unfortunately.  Budget limited to $4k for both.  Will consider integrated if synergy/
attributes aren't considered good with this combo.  Besides all usual sonic traits (dynamic, imaging, etc)
would like to be able to play at lower volumes without losing musicality. Thanks much!

[Randy]

Marbles,  You forgot to give him the famous words, "Call Klaus."

[koiman]

Lyric,
I am running my Salk Veracity HT'3 with the Channel Island D-200 mono blocks, Modwright SWL 9.0 SE  and a  fully modified Exemplar Denon 3910 and it sound fantastic.
Lee

[zybar]

Would you consider a passive preamp?

If you bought Marbles' Bent passive, I am sure it would sound very, very good with a few different amps:

CI Audio D-200's
Odyssey Mono Extremes
Butler amps
Belles Reference 350A
Dodd 120's

I have heard the D-200's, Butler amps, and Dodd 120's with the HT3's and all are very enjoyable and could be a cornerstone of a great system.

George

[koiman]

Zybar,
These D-200's, I bet sound as good as they did when you owned them or perhaps better now because they have some time on them.
Lee

[zybar]

Zybar,
These D-200's, I bet sound as good as they did when you owned them or perhaps better now because they have some time on them.
Lee

They were fully burned in with a ton of hours on them.  I ran them 24x7 for weeks before making any serious decisions about them.

George

[koiman]

Oh! I didn't realize that. I thought they had very few hours on them.
Lee

[carusoracer]

Has anyone played the Belles 150A Ref with HT3's? Will it be enough to display qualities...

Looking at Amp options and found the thread. The 350A and Moscode are just out of touch $

Did not realize you can not get the AVA 550 in any other color? Or can a Silver one be substituted and at what cost?

Any other suggestions in the 2K pre or new price point? I have Odyssey checked out Odyssey..

[zoestanley]

my ht3s are being built, but i intend to use an anthem d2 and a sunfire 7 channel amp for all of my needs.  2 ch audio, 5 ch audio, and ht.  i may be mistaken but i think this will be a great setup.

[avahifi]

Another request for silver AVA faceplates.   it would be pretty easy for us to order a batch of silver faceplates with black text and graphics.  All it would take is the money to "double stock" faceplates.  I wonder if would be cost effective for us.  It would mean ordering about 200 faceplates in silver/black and using much more expensive knobs on the preamps to get silver ones that are good, I wonder if we would have to find silver pushbuttons, or if black ones would still work.  The power switch could not be eaily changed because it is a special high inrush current switch not available in anything other than black.

Help me with this.


Frank Van Alstine

[Martyn]

The quick answer: do the silver faceplate but don't clutter it with unnecessary graphics. Stay with the black switch and knobs (users can change the knobs themselves if they wish). Offer the new faceplate to existing owners as a "refresher".

The long answer: you'll never get enough responses to this kind of question to be able to make a rational decision, yet you risk blurring your corporate branding if you let yourself be driven by individual requests. On the one hand, you are probably losing some sales because your industrial design looks outdated; on the other hand, you probably don't want to commission a market research agency and an industrial design house to come up with the next generation of designs. So I'd go to my local college of art & design and ask the students to give me some options for a front panel design using the current component layout. I'd pick one or two and ask the students to refine their ideas based on the direction I want my corporate image and branding to take. I might even post a few to my website for feedback from my client base.

Good luck,

Martyn

[ctviggen]

I'll give a response.  I have tons of silver and tons of black faceplates.  To me, the color doesn't matter one iota.  It's the sound that matters. 

[avahifi]

Thank you Brian.

Frank Van Alstine

[Rocket]

Hi Frank,

This is a difficult dimemma for you in regard to offering a different colour for your faceplate on your products.  I think you have to ask yourself whether you need any more customers and whether you need the hassle of trying to source the components to offer a different option. 

Personally (without having heard your products) I wouldn't bother offering a different coloured faceplate as your company has a reputation for providing excellent sounding products at affordable prices.

A case in point I currently use a Spread Spectrum Technologies 'Son of Ampzilla' amp in my system and it is very unusual looking product but it sounds very good.

Best wishes

Rod

[rajacat]

How about no faceplate? Definitely no sourcing issues or "corporate branding" BS.

[Martyn]

There's a huge difference between selling to an established customer base with strong brand-loyalty, and selling to new customers. It's hard to grow a business without attracting new customers. A simple silver retrofit will enable existing customers to get a better visual match with their recent (probably silver) purchases - if aesthetics is important to them. A silver option might also tip the balance for potential new customers whose gear is predominantly silver - if aesthetics is important to them. The reality is that aesthetics is important to many people, hence the fashion for "metallurgical overkill". A silver alternative could be a cheap way to increase revenues. Beyond that, I'm not about to guess what Frank's corporate ambitions are. My comments were offered in this context. I was not criticising Frank's current products.

[zoestanley]

anyone use the moon w8 amp or the classe ca 3200 amp with their ht3s?  wondering how they sounded.  also how much is too little or too much power for the ht3s?  the new amps with icepower are really powerful.  the d-sonics can send up to 500w per channel.  is that too much?

[zybar]

anyone use the moon w8 amp or the classe ca 3200 amp with their ht3s?  wondering how they sounded.  also how much is too little or too much power for the ht3s?  the new amps with icepower are really powerful.  the d-sonics can send up to 500w per channel.  is that too much?

500 watts a channel isn't too much for the HT3's.

I ran a McCormack DNA-500 with the HT3's and had great results!

George

[edman]

I am using a Simaudio Evolution I-7 integrated with my HT3's and have absolutely no problem at all. My cd player is the Simaudio Nova.
The I-7 is rated at 150 wpc, it is closer to 200 wpc on the bench.
Both Salk and Simaudio are keepers .......
Ed