So I took a long listen the other day, and it was so compelling that I had to go back for a longer session today. System: 4000SL->30SS S2->400->Magico Q7, with the new Spectral/MIT cables.
First of all, this requirement that the DMA-400s be installed by a dealer. I consider it an unnecessary expense; the 400s are to be now effectively star-grounded with the preamp by lifting the amps' ground. Spending hundreds of dollars to have someone come in and install a cheater plug, only for me to then turn around and remove it, is just simply a waste. We spend so much money for those silly cryogenic connectors in our beloved power cords, that installing a cheap plug at the end doesn't make any sense; and it will eventually fall off if mounted horizontally. My guess is the best option is to either cut the ground prong or, better still, cover it with electrical tape.
On to the sound. A couple of years ago, the comment I made about the 30SS S2 preamp is that this was the end of smearing on the preamp side; based on what I heard lately, I haven't eaten my words yet. This time around, when it comes to the new monos, I believe they have achieved the same on the amp side as well. With worthy recordings, the level of realism I experienced was just extra ordinary. Anything from solo voice, to piano, chamber, full orchestral, to solo organ... I have PMd a couple of folks that although my 360S2's are exceptional amplifiers, there does exist a small amount of timbre smearing here and there, and I was hoping it'd be gone in the 400s. From what I heard so far, timbre, soundstaging and scale were simply true and natural. From my perspective and excluding ultimate macro dynamics, whatever limitations may theoretically still exist would probably be only evident with 15 or 30 ips tape and/or true hi-rez digital.
The amps are clearly faster and even more resolving, although their ability to resolve the tiniest of detail is, at this point, insignificant to me because there is already extraordinary resolution in what I have. Where this does make a difference though, again, is in rendering of timbre, and although small, if you consider every instrument in the orchestra, the improvement is sizable; thus, more evident with large, complex music. For the first time in my career as a high end audio consumer, I came out extremely relaxed, as is always the case coming out of Symphony Hall. Everything was so right and in its place. Tranquility. A feeling of being in a natural place. I was listening to the performance. I felt I was sitting in my favorite seat in the 1st or 2nd balcony looking down at the performers; the illusion was that realistic. With close-mic'd program, I could reach out and touch Oistrakh's fiddle; Netrebko was in front of me; Carreras's voice simply perfect - simple, not nasal, chesty or other; and the organ... oh, I don't think I will forget that experience... the huge size didn't matter, what mattered was how realistic each pipe sounded, period.
Obviously, since I used the dealer's time, I will have to buy these new... when the time comes... perhaps in a couple of years; we'll see. But Spectral lovers - or those who crave accuracy - should take a serious listen. It seems to me Spectral has crossed the ultra high end line into Reality Audio; we'll see how many gradations lie therein...
First of all, this requirement that the DMA-400s be installed by a dealer. I consider it an unnecessary expense; the 400s are to be now effectively star-grounded with the preamp by lifting the amps' ground. Spending hundreds of dollars to have someone come in and install a cheater plug, only for me to then turn around and remove it, is just simply a waste. We spend so much money for those silly cryogenic connectors in our beloved power cords, that installing a cheap plug at the end doesn't make any sense; and it will eventually fall off if mounted horizontally. My guess is the best option is to either cut the ground prong or, better still, cover it with electrical tape.
On to the sound. A couple of years ago, the comment I made about the 30SS S2 preamp is that this was the end of smearing on the preamp side; based on what I heard lately, I haven't eaten my words yet. This time around, when it comes to the new monos, I believe they have achieved the same on the amp side as well. With worthy recordings, the level of realism I experienced was just extra ordinary. Anything from solo voice, to piano, chamber, full orchestral, to solo organ... I have PMd a couple of folks that although my 360S2's are exceptional amplifiers, there does exist a small amount of timbre smearing here and there, and I was hoping it'd be gone in the 400s. From what I heard so far, timbre, soundstaging and scale were simply true and natural. From my perspective and excluding ultimate macro dynamics, whatever limitations may theoretically still exist would probably be only evident with 15 or 30 ips tape and/or true hi-rez digital.
The amps are clearly faster and even more resolving, although their ability to resolve the tiniest of detail is, at this point, insignificant to me because there is already extraordinary resolution in what I have. Where this does make a difference though, again, is in rendering of timbre, and although small, if you consider every instrument in the orchestra, the improvement is sizable; thus, more evident with large, complex music. For the first time in my career as a high end audio consumer, I came out extremely relaxed, as is always the case coming out of Symphony Hall. Everything was so right and in its place. Tranquility. A feeling of being in a natural place. I was listening to the performance. I felt I was sitting in my favorite seat in the 1st or 2nd balcony looking down at the performers; the illusion was that realistic. With close-mic'd program, I could reach out and touch Oistrakh's fiddle; Netrebko was in front of me; Carreras's voice simply perfect - simple, not nasal, chesty or other; and the organ... oh, I don't think I will forget that experience... the huge size didn't matter, what mattered was how realistic each pipe sounded, period.
Obviously, since I used the dealer's time, I will have to buy these new... when the time comes... perhaps in a couple of years; we'll see. But Spectral lovers - or those who crave accuracy - should take a serious listen. It seems to me Spectral has crossed the ultra high end line into Reality Audio; we'll see how many gradations lie therein...
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