Just received my 500’s on Tuesday and they’ve begun to settle in where the 400’s have been for the past many years. Here are my initial reactions:
DMA-500
In general, quieter/lower noise floor. A greater sense of ease and quickness and coherence of all musical elements. More realism than with the already fine DMA-400’s. A more authentic representation of the acoustic space. Vocalists and instruments are more clearly distinguishable from one another. An even greater sense of depth and width of the soundstage. Exposes more sonic layers, especially evident in the lower registers. I think the word “distillation” is appropriate, as the 500 really, clearly separates out all elements of the music with amazing clarity and focus. Most evident is the control, speed and layering of bass elements.
Blood, Sweat & Tears - “Child Is Father to the Man” - “Without Her” smooth, fast, quiet, absolutely on time and precise, percussion instruments are better controlled, as is the bass tight, and did I say fast and absolute control.
Brubeck - “Time Out” more controlled bass and better tighter positioning of instruments; more realistic evocation of instruments; cleaner tighter transitions as well as purity and clarity with lower noise floor; effortless flow of music; greater immediacy and presence; sweeter and more delicate drum kit; clearer and more distinctive overtones and harmonics.
Oscar Peterson “The Jazz Soul of Oscar Peterson” “Con Alma” amazing clarity and distinctiveness of bass line and percussion.
Beatles - “Sgt. Peppers” - newest Giles Martin - really unpacks the often dense passages; greater “depth of field” if I can borrow a visual phrase; controlled layers of bass lines; “When I’m Sixty Four” amazing unpacking of instruments and most realistic evocation of reed instruments as well as percussion; “Good Morning Good Morning” such tight control of Ringo’s kick drumming; flat out more revealing than I would have imagined possible.
H.M.S. Pinafore- D’Oyly Carte - “When I Was a Lad, I Served a Term” - stomping on deck of ship, most realistic, as well as movement of players on stage and relative position of chorus.
Rhapsody in Blue - Earl Wild , Concerto in F along with the Cuban Overture highlight the ability of the 500’s to clearly present the orchestral depth, bringing out each instrument with proper size and location, without collapsing the whole, when things get really cacophonous.
Saint-Saëns - Symphony 3 - Ref. Recordings - the organ is both more distinct and present from other bass instruments than I’ve heard previously with the 400’s. At the lower frequencies, the pedal notes are sustained and felt with maximal control, the 500’s get a grip on the Alexia bass drivers. But never at the expense of the rest of the higher registers.
Judy Collins - Who Knows Where the Time Goes - Story of Isaac - the degree of her vibrato is far more distinct than I recall from the 400’s. In general the leading and trailing edge of vocals and instruments attest to the speed and control the 500’s exhibit. And this album really shows the varied effects of miking and air around Judy’s voice, along with the choices the engineer has made, with the 500’s driving.
Lords - Pure Heroin - Royals - in your face bass that is the tight, body slamming sort, but as clean as can be, without any trace of displacing the vocal or other instruments. Same is true of Ginger Baker’s solo on “Do What You Like” from the Blind Faith album.
Art Blakey title cut from A Night in Tunisia - pick up on small details in the background as well as room acoustics.
Live venues are really revealing of what the 500’s can deliver. Well recorded, these have audience and venue cues that the amps can deliver. Hear this especially with Bob Marley & the Wailers “Live” and Little Feat’s “Waiting for Columbus”.
And well recorded albums e past are given new life, with the 500’s exposing details, warts and all, the sometimes intricate instrumentation and background vocals found on such works as The Jefferson Airplanes’s “Surrealistic Pillow” or a Buddy Holly compilation “From the Master Tapes”.
I’m just scratching the surface as I’ll be spending the coming months/years revisiting my collection...