Is there a new What's Best Standard? FM Acoustics @KLIAV

infinitely baffled

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Would you consider FMA speakers?
 

microstrip

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(...) Initial recommendation for a 'simple' home audition is either 411Mkiii or 711Mkiii. There has been discussion about other options, but these 2 seem to be the most straightforward.

What is current retail price of these amplifiers?
 

LL21

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What is current retail price of these amplifiers?

In Swiss francs:

- 411 - 48.800 chf plus vat
- 711 - 67.400 chf plus vat
- 111 monos - 39.000 chf plus vat
 

LL21

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Would you consider FMA speakers?

I suspect that is unlikely...mainly from a sheer guess that being someone who has come to appreciate the scale/power of biggers speakers, it seems hard to go back. I could be wrong and find that either i do not miss it (extremely unlikely) or that these speakers can compete with big Wilsons, big Rockports, etc...but i somehow doubt that as well.

Even if they turn out superior in many ways, that scale is hard to replicate without size and hard to lose once i've got it (for me).
 

microstrip

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In Swiss francs:

- 411 - 48.800 chf plus vat
- 711 - 67.400 chf plus vat
- 111 monos - 39.000 chf plus vat

And what will be your choice of FMA preamplier?
 

LL21

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And what will be your choice of FMA preamplier?

For now, whatever the FM dealer has set up in his system. However (contrary with your own preference), I want to hear the amp in my system as a replacement for the Gryphon, and keep the CJ GAT 2 in the system. I know how you feel about this, and am told it is particularly difficult to do this with FMA where the amps/preamps are very often kept together. However, that is a set parameter for now.
 

bonzo75

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For now, whatever the FM dealer has set up in his system. However (contrary with your own preference), I want to hear the amp in my system as a replacement for the Gryphon, and keep the CJ GAT 2 in the system. I know how you feel about this, and am told it is particularly difficult to do this with FMA where the amps/preamps are very often kept together. However, that is a set parameter for now.

He has 155 mk2. The 258 is 140k or some such figure.
 

LL21

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He has 155 mk2. The 258 is 140k or some such figure. ??

Yeah...there is that too. Their amps are expensive...but their preamps are SUPER-expensive! Plus...I have spoken with 3 different people who heard that system with the Eggleston Ivy in HK that had both the 268C and the GAT 2....and all 3 either felt the preamps were super close...or perhaps the GAT 2 edged out the 268 in tonality...heck, that is more than good enough for me given the cost differential to keep the GAT 2.
 

bonzo75

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Yeah...there is that too. Their amps are expensive...but their preamps are SUPER-expensive! Plus...I have spoken with 3 different people who heard that system with the Eggleston Ivy in HK that had both the 268C and the GAT 2....and all 3 either felt the preamps were super close...or perhaps the GAT 2 edged out the 268 in tonality...heck, that is more than good enough for me given the cost differential to keep the GAT 2.

Wow good feedback
 

LL21

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Wow good feedback

Yes, to be honest, i was surprised. Seems like in HK, there are a number of fans of CJ despite having access to 'everything' there. I had gone there when i was thinking about preamps...and inquired about what I assumed would be the hometown favorites Zanden, Shindo, Wavac...and came back with 'go with CJ'. That was nearly 8 years ago, and I have since upgraded from the GAT I got at that time to the GAT 2.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Yeah...there is that too. Their amps are expensive...but their preamps are SUPER-expensive! Plus...I have spoken with 3 different people who heard that system with the Eggleston Ivy in HK that had both the 268C and the GAT 2....and all 3 either felt the preamps were super close...or perhaps the GAT 2 edged out the 268 in tonality...heck, that is more than good enough for me given the cost differential to keep the GAT 2.

Wow good feedback

Yes, I admit I was surprised. I went to HK 8 years ago when i was thinking about preamps...and inquired about what i assumed were the hometown favorites...Zanden, Shindo, Wavac...and came back with 'go with CJ'. Robert Koda was perhaps the one exception at that time. I also emailed 2 people about the Eggleston Ivy system since the owner had the 268c and the GAT 1 at that time (1811 amp and CJ LP275s). And since then, I have simply upgraded from the CJ GAT 1 I got at that time to the CJ GAT 2. Never looked back.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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So I have had my first introduction to FM Acoustics today. Excellent. It makes good sound seem easy...kind of a 'why don't all electronics just sound like this'? I cannot say with any true certainty this stage, but that is my first impression. Most electronics have a sound...some you love, some you dont. Any way...it is a signature. FMA seems to simply take a signal coming in...and say, "ok...here it is. job done." Bass? great, here's the bass. voices? here. play the band...done.

It really does make music-making look easy...its incredibly deceptive because when i heard it, it delivered music every easily, so easily that you forget that most electronics come with a signature...sometimes very impressive, but that too is sometimes a signature. This made it look so easy, so 'normal', you almost forget that THIS is kind of what (at least I) am looking for all along in a system.

Nevertheless, the price of membership is extraordinarily high, and there ARE things the smaller amps wont do...which is provide sheer drive of a big speaker when you want to play the really demanding stuff at volume. And so of course the question is, for the money, does it do the entire job?

Quality-wise (in terms of quality of sound), very impressive stuff. may give it a home audition.
 

microstrip

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So I have had my first introduction to FM Acoustics today. Excellent. It makes good sound seem easy...kind of a 'why don't all electronics just sound like this'? I cannot say with any true certainty this stage, but that is my first impression. Most electronics have a sound...some you love, some you dont. Any way...it is a signature. FMA seems to simply take a signal coming in...and say, "ok...here it is. job done." Bass? great, here's the bass. voices? here. play the band...done.

It really does make music-making look easy...its incredibly deceptive because when i heard it, it delivered music every easily, so easily that you forget that most electronics come with a signature...sometimes very impressive, but that too is sometimes a signature. This made it look so easy, so 'normal', you almost forget that THIS is kind of what (at least I) am looking for all along in a system.

Nevertheless, the price of membership is extraordinarily high, and there ARE things the smaller amps wont do...which is provide sheer drive of a big speaker when you want to play the really demanding stuff at volume. And so of course the question is, for the money, does it do the entire job?

Quality-wise (in terms of quality of sound), very impressive stuff. may give it a home audition.

Can you give us more details on the complete system you were listening?

Although I have carried no recent listening to FM Acoustics, I have found that in many cases this absence of signature is just a new signature. Many brands claim this "absence" of signature, FMA are not alone.
 

bonzo75

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Benchmark dac and PMC speakers are either end.

LL21 did not listen to the vinyl but the analog front end is Vertere's tables and arms with the Miyajima madake going through the FM 122 and the Art 1000 going through the 123.

Speakers biamped by 108 amps, and the pre amp is 245

FM does have its own color.
 

infinitely baffled

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Thats interesting....the Miyajima Madake is on my shopping list, for acoustic music and Alt-j.
The idea is to partner with a Schroeder arm, either the CB 1 or the LT, depending on which deck it ends up on
 

infinitely baffled

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Are PMC speakers up to the task?
 

bonzo75

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Audiophile Bill

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infinitely baffled

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Seems like a very strange combo. Arguably the ultimate electronics driving mass market transmission line speakers.
Very odd
 

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