Raidho 4.1 or Sonus Faber Aida or YG Acoustics Sonja 1.3 or Magico Q7
- Thread starter seriouslyhifi
- Start date
Thank you Greg for your inputs on the Raidho 4.1. I heard them at Munich and was impressed, but it was show conditions. The Raidho folks for some reason love Jeff Rowland amps mostly. Am very familar with the Aida and have lived with them and am looking for a change, only if I like something much better. The Magico Q7 for me are very nice but I am scared to own them as the models change so quickly. I am seriously looking at either the Raidho 4.1 or Sonja 1.3 but only if I find either much more exciting than the Aida. If the Raidho`s are my choice than the amps I would like to have are either the Constellation or Jeff 925. I have not thought about what would work for me with the Sonja though. The Aida`s I have enjoyed with the AR Reference 250 for the top and AR 450 monos for the bottom. They work very well.
Something was definitely wrong with the set-up.
I didn't like the Aida very much either, but it surely was not flat and without brilliance. In fact, they were so bright, the tweeters literally hurt my ears and I couldn't wait for it to be over.
Perhaps something was wrong with set-up.
But i don't think so that Aida can be great sounding speakers.
After this listening i asked some people in the world and most of them who listened Aida too had the same opinion.
Magico Q7 i didn't hear but i heard Raidho 4.1 and...very.very good speakers!
But i don't think so that Aida can be great sounding speakers.
After this listening i asked some people in the world and most of them who listened Aida too had the same opinion.
Magico Q7 i didn't hear but i heard Raidho 4.1 and...very.very good speakers!
If you listen to the Aida's and Q7 exactly in the same system, without fine tuning the system for the speaker, you will listen and appreciate mainly to system compatibilities. These speakers represent different views of music enjoyment and need different ancillaries. BTW, I listened to the Aida's and Q7 exactly in the same system and room with my usual recordings.
That's awesome, and totally the way to go. Hopefully the system used will be similar to what you have at home also...
It's tough to make this kind of purchase without having this sort of opportunity.
alexandre
Alexandre,
Curiously I was just using this an example of what we should not do ...
IMHO no speaker is perfect. You should listen to those you consider to be good candidates to suit your preference and try to listen them in the best conditions you can. This almost always implies different sources, electronics and cables for each speaker. Although I currently own the Aida, I would happily live with either the XLF, the Q7 or even my SoundLab A1 px's. But considering my experience with them I would assemble very different systems for each of them.
Perhaps we should start a new thread : What dream systems would you assemble for the Q7, for the XLF or the Aida?
BTW, the place I listened to the Q7 and Aida's was not my room, but a friend's one.
Sounds good to me! Ready to contribute...Microstrip, shall you do the honors, or shall I?
alexander,
Thanks for the reply. Is your darTZeel a rev A or B?
I believe this was a similar issue for the other darT owners with fuses blowing using other speakers. Some of it may have initially been pilot error in those cases as well. If I remember correctly, I think an upgrade, re-biasing dc offset, or passive resistor fixed the issue for the others. In your case with the Anat, I think it may have worked in the Lo impedance setting of the dart but there is a possible shift in performance when in that setting that may or may not have been to your liking. It doesn't really matter now though because you, and the other owners, are happily enjoying an excellent sounding amp with your speakers of choice.
Dre
I can vouch for many of Greg's comments on the Raidho. I've listened to this setup multiple times and the speakers carry all of the positive attributes Greg points out and then some. In addition to what Greg mentions, the speaker makes it very easy to observe differences in amps and preamps. One thing Greg didn't mention is that the setup ran some of the most widely respected analog source gear that many would give a nod to whether it is there personal preference or not. In that mix was/is Greg's UHA deck. The system easily displayed what that unit is capable of doing with an analog tape.
The original poster has to really try if possible to spend some time with each of the speakers on his list and come to a decision that best fits with the room, equipment, and listening habits. Not an easy decision but it could become an interesting journey finding out what works best for their specific situation.
Dre
Both 108s were rev. Bs. They went through all the updates, and even in the Lo setting, a very fast, very loud transient would trigger the crowbar protection circuit, and blow a fuse.
I'm going to listen soon to the Sonja, all passive now. I'll see if I can arrange to bring my 108 along, and see if it handles the new model better!
alexandre
Alexandre,
I had similar problems with the NHB108 and the Krell LAT 1000, JMLab Grande Utopia Be and SoundLabs A1. It is particularly annoying as the fuse is not easy to replace - I went through full boxes of them! If it was not for this problem the DartZeel would be a great match with the these speakers if you did not want to listen very loud.
I think that the latest version that I own now - using the new SNTP device - is less sensitive to this problem, but it is just my feeling.
Oh, that's good to know (that other speakers trigger this behaviour as well).
All the other speakers I've tried didn't trigger this. Sure, some of them would make the 108 suffer (like the Dynaudio C4). The eyes would blink madly, but the fuses would stay intact.
Does that happen with your Aidas? I'm still hoping to be able to hear my 108 with an Aida, and perhaps change my impression of the speaker...
alexandre
All the other speakers I've tried didn't trigger this. Sure, some of them would make the 108 suffer (like the Dynaudio C4). The eyes would blink madly, but the fuses would stay intact.
Does that happen with your Aidas? I'm still hoping to be able to hear my 108 with an Aida, and perhaps change my impression of the speaker...
alexandre
Same problem with S5s here. I have the latest 108B with SNCP upgrade. I have one recording (with deep bass) which always blows the left chanel fuse when listening at realistic levels.
I got so proficient in changing the fuses, that it only takes me 5 minutes (total) to change one
I got so proficient in changing the fuses, that it only takes me 5 minutes (total) to change one
Same problem with S5s here. I have the latest 108B with SNCP upgrade. I have one recording (with deep bass) which always blows the left chanel fuse when listening at realistic levels.
I got so proficient in changing the fuses, that it only takes me 5 minutes (total) to change one
I did better - using a special tool to handle the fuse I managed to do it in 3 minutes.
But the mean time is not so brilliant if you include the time of getting out a fuse that falls inside the amplifier.
I only had the problem once with the Aida's. The 108 sounds nice with the Aida's but it is not the best match with them - they sound much better with the Audio Research. Perhaps using a different speaker cable, such as the Valhalla would help. Anyway the 108 is not powerful enough for them. A good friend brought his DartZeel integrated to listen in the Aida's and it was much more dynamic, but also less refined.
I hope to listen to the conrad johnson LP275M's + ART series 3 soon in the Aida's.
I did better - using a special tool to handle the fuse I managed to do it in 3 minutes.
5 min was just an aprox
Next time I will switch on a timer The best way to replace the fuse is to place the amp on the front handles (in vertical position) - that way, when you turn the fuse holder, the fuse drops on the back of the front panel and is easy to recover.
Hahaha, yeah replacing those fuses is a pain... Hervé's mother is reminded, every single time I have to duck in and change them
What I do to avoid the fuse getting lost inside is to put the amp face down on the bench. Then I put a little piece of cloth on the inside panel, that'll catch the fuse if it slips.
My main issue with doing this procedure too many times is for the fragility of the actual fuse holder. A guy here that broke his, and it was complicated to replace it. And since I'm very much aware of my clumsiness, it scares me every single time...
I'm more and more convinced that the 108 is one very tricky and peculiar machine. I just read from a friend here that didn't like the 108 (granted, a rev. A, very first model) on his DIY speaker, he preferred some p.o.s. vintage-like amp of brazilian origin. Unbelievable.
Here's hoping the 108 mk2 will be more "compatible" and less quirky, so more people will be able to enjoy the darTZeel goodness, without all the fuss
alexandre
What I do to avoid the fuse getting lost inside is to put the amp face down on the bench. Then I put a little piece of cloth on the inside panel, that'll catch the fuse if it slips.
My main issue with doing this procedure too many times is for the fragility of the actual fuse holder. A guy here that broke his, and it was complicated to replace it. And since I'm very much aware of my clumsiness, it scares me every single time...
I'm more and more convinced that the 108 is one very tricky and peculiar machine. I just read from a friend here that didn't like the 108 (granted, a rev. A, very first model) on his DIY speaker, he preferred some p.o.s. vintage-like amp of brazilian origin. Unbelievable.
Here's hoping the 108 mk2 will be more "compatible" and less quirky, so more people will be able to enjoy the darTZeel goodness, without all the fuss
alexandre
Responding to this in particular, have you tried using 2 108s on the Aidas, since they can be bi-amped? I'm thinking of doing that on a Q7...
Perhaps hooking the 8550 to the lows and the 108 to the his...
Oh, and Valhalla won't help you with darTZeel. It'll make things thinner.
alexandre
Given my personal observations and the additional posts from others above, I think it is safe the say that the Anat was not likely the issue with your fuses blowing any more than the other speakers popping the darTZeel 108's fuses mentioned here along with the ones I did not mention (to protect the innocent). Given the frequency of the comments, it seems to happen more often than originally thought. This may possibly be because the amp sounds so good you want to keep turning the volume up on those wonderful dynamic pieces of music!
As I had initially thought, IMO, this is more a system matching issue along with exceeding the safe operational limits of the darTZeel 108 amplifier. I guess there is a reason the NHB-458 monoblock exists and a reason to upgrade to them if one chooses to.
Dre
As I had initially thought, IMO, this is more a system matching issue along with exceeding the safe operational limits of the darTZeel 108 amplifier. I guess there is a reason the NHB-458 monoblock exists and a reason to upgrade to them if one chooses to.
Dre
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