Interesting feedback as I have CJ GAT and Gryphon Colosseum and have heard Boulder 2060 but not ARTs. What are the differences between the Gryphon, Boulder and CJ references in your opinion?
Better Than Class A amp?
- Thread starter dallasjustice
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What class is Spectral? I've heard them with S5's and loved the combination.
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Hi, well first of all your have an outstanding system and have chosen some supremely musical gear. My experience is mainly with Boulder gear, having owned a Boulder 1060 & 1010 before. Boulder amps sound natural, have great bass and wonderful resolution whilst remaining utterly neutral. Build quality is second to none. I have formed my impressions of Gryphon and CJ's reference gear from reading many reviews, forum commentary and first hand feedback from owners and Dealers. A friend on another forum owns a Mephisto amp paired with an ARC Ref 40 and commented on how natural and organic sounding this combo is, and its tremendous power reserves. The Mephisto from the drawing board was intended to be Gryphon's internal reference, and as such is designed to have exceptional resolution and sound utter neutral. Similarly CJ have always been known for natural sounding amps, and from what I understand the CJ Gat & Art amps were an all-out effort to produce reference tools for the most discerning audiophiles. So to contemplate their differences is an interesting question. Clearly the CJ Art & Gat amps are not in the same price territory as the Boulder 2100 series or Gryphon Mephisto/Pandora, or for that matter the Vitus SS-102/SL-102, yet I doubt any audiophile would be left wanting from those amps, sans someone with a pair of Wilson Grand Slamms or Magico Q5's. Of that group, I suspect the Gryphon, Vitus & CJ amps would draw you into the music more than Boulder. The CJ amps would offer more tube virtues of mellifluousness, pleasant 2nd order harmonics & 3d holography than the rest, at the expense of a bit of resolution & low level drive vs the ss opposition. Vitus would likely be the most tube-like ss, followed by Gryphon then Boulder being least tube-like. All have superb build quality and established reputations, though Gryphon lacks representation in the US which is reflected in their resale value (atleast in the US). Carte Blanche, I would probably go for Vitus however that is taking into account VA's unusual synergy with Magico. In the end, there is likely no "best", only the best for overall system synergy and your own tastes. And taste is a subjective thing. There is that emotional response we get from the appearance of the equipment, whether they are tubed or solid state, the brand and it's history & something I call "havingness". All of these things are important. One thing is for sure, we audiophiles are spoiled for choice!
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Michael, you have compared a whipping boy favorably to a sacred cow. You will be shouted down for...well, late to the party...it looks like about 5, 6 pages before the subject is changed to something religiously acceptable.
Tim
Tim
please, may you explain?
Spectral power amps are the most refined and detailed gears I ever listened to. I have heard in my system: ASR, Vitus, Soulution, Moon...
My opinion (IMO) is which Spectral and Magico is not really a right match.
Spectral DMA 260 having as a source Totaldac D1/reclocker is magic for my system.
about price, here in Europe Spectral DMA 260 retail price (including taxes) is equal to 21.000 $ (current rate).
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I wouldn't say they were even impressive, but rather lousy sounding. Same room with Luxman Class A the year before was leaps and bounds better.
+1. Wow, Miles and I agree 1000% on something
The Mola Molas are desicate amps. And I heard them with the same Brinkmann front end I use on my DarTZeel at home. And they are overpriced.
I like those Luxman Class A amps. Would try them with the ML but reportedly they won't drive low impedance loads.
Really Tim? Please list those sacred cows for us.
All you are doing is promulgating the same time old garbage that people like you used to attack anyone who preferred analog to digital. No, all audiophiles care about is which component sounds better. Hell we all would have loved for digital to have sounded better than analog since it's a lot easier to use, takes up less space, etc. The same thing goes for amplifiers. Sorry. Just more fallacious reasoning.
Myles, what does the old digital vs analog argument have to do with class D vs class A?
NO AUDIOPHILE EXORCISMS PERFORMED HERE!
Ha ha. Well, I haven't heard them yet, but I plan to listen to them. Eventually in my room, with my system. Then I will decide whether to get them or not. Maybe even if no one else approves.
Well, the cow in question is Class A. The Whipping Boy is Class D. But I thought that would be obvious. Evidently not.
Tim
You have to be extremely careful drawing any conclusions about the sonic performance of components at audio shows or anywhere else when listening on an unfamiliar system. There are so many variables that can impact the overall sound quality including but not limited to: room acoustics, equipment racks and support, power quality, setup, cabling, equipment matching, recording quality, as well as the individual components. Due to all of these variables the only conclusion that I'm comfortable reaching from an unfamiliar system is that each component in the system is at least capable of reproducing the sound quality that you are hearing. Any single component may well achieve a higher level of performance in another system, or significantly worse performance in a different setup. Having that understanding during any equipment auditions, I only draw more specific conclusions once I have had the chance to insert a single component into a familiar system where that is the only change being made. This process works for me, and I would welcome your further thoughts.
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