The spectral adventure - part 2

ack said:

This is a tough one; it feels the preamp may be to blame, judging from the fact that the phase switch should not be causing this huge thump - in fact, none of the 5 Spectral preamps I've had over the last 20 years exhibited such a problem. It may be causing the hum as well, so I would suggest talking to the dealer about it, or, ahem, the factory. It doesn't feel lifting the ground will do much, if the hum is different between channels... As I said when you first wrote about your experience with the factory, your bigger problem is going to be servicing your equipment - let's see how this now plays out, and we hope the dealer will help...

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dgw said:

Having previously started a discussion concerning experience when trying to obtain simple information from Spectral and being refused because there is no distributor in the UK, I would like to continue reporting but consider a new topic is now more suitable and will also avoid it being buried in the older thread. I also wish to be fair, in as much as not only to complain about what needs improving but also say what is right. I went ahead and bought the DMC 30S. A thirteen year old item but apparently little used. Expensive in the UK. It was 220 volts so I also had to buy a power regenerator to stabilise output voltage, as it would cook long term in the usual 240 to 250 volt environment here. As previously mentioned, my interest in Spectral stems from firstly having discovered RR records and then their cds many years ago and having heard their equipment at shows around the world over many years. This preamp has not disappointed in any way. It is everything a pre should be and has fundamentally changed the way my system sounds. It does have to be kept on all the time and it does take a long time to settle down if ever switched off. The regenerated pure sine wave mains power, at a constant 230 volts, helps a lot with all the front end equipment. One thing sums up my experience with this, my first Spectral item : I was listening to a RCA cd from the Artur Rubinstein boxed set the other night and realised I was listening to a Grand Piano playing in my room; I was not listening to a Grand Piano playing in my room through speakers. It was as if those funny boxes in the room were not doing anything. That is a subtle but profound difference. The system is really fun now and goes to realistic SPL without getting compressed or distorted. So, I have no doubt that, technically, Spectral are superb. They design and manufacture exceptional product - exactly as I always had assumed - and why I have persevered so much to become an owner. The Dutch distributor very kindly solved the issue of no UK distributor. Now all I need is a DMA 250 power amp........

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