Alexx V arrive in NJ

[Elliot G.]

Elliot says he has "over 49 years in the High End Audio Business".

Elliot- here's a news flash- playing with your "pop goes the weasel" music box at age 2 does not count as high end audio!

(Relax folks, I know Elliot well. This is nothing more than a back-handed compliment to say that Elliot does not look his age! )

Get new glasses Marty I said 45 years LOL. I do havea question for you why are you trying to set the speakers up until they have some time on them . I understand that when one has limited time , like a dealer in a clients home, you have to do the best you can however as an experienced listener it is a bit of double work since they position needs to be found before the little adjustments can be finalized no?
I love set up but that's me however its something that does take me time since I don't enjoy having to force it.

 

[marty]

...why are you trying to set the speakers up until they have some time on them . I understand that when one has limited time , like a dealer in a clients home, you have to do the best you can however as an experienced listener it is a bit of double work since they position needs to be found before the little adjustments can be finalized no?

Simple answer- you gotta start somewhere and extrapolation between set up parameters for 2 published distances isn't hard. More complex answer. It's a hobby. l learn stuff by doing this., Getting it absolutely right may take weeks. It's fun. Third answer- I'm just nuts, and moreover it keeps me off the street with something to do.

 

[Gregadd]

We all know break in is real. That's funny.
Congrats Marty!Enjoy the music.

 

[christoph]

Simple answer- you gotta start somewhere and extrapolation between set up parameters for 2 published distances isn't hard. More complex answer. It's a hobby. l learn stuff by doing this., Getting it absolutely right may take weeks. It's fun. Third answer- I'm just nuts, and moreover it keeps me off the street with something to do.

...and forth, it keeps you from launching missiles towards Switzerland
I'm very close (like a stone throw) from Switzerland and I don't want to end up as collateral damage

I'm very sorry to read about your tale of woe

 

[Elliot G.]

Simple answer- you gotta start somewhere and extrapolation between set up parameters for 2 published distances isn't hard. More complex answer. It's a hobby. l learn stuff by doing this., Getting it absolutely right may take weeks. It's fun. Third answer- I'm just nuts, and moreover it keeps me off the street with something to do.

LOL have fun , can't ever stop that from anyone.

 

[cjfrbw]

Sorry to hear about the amplifier travails. I have had my own audio travails lately, comes with the territory. I don't really want to talk about them until getting some distance, too, until dispassionate. Time is too precious to be rolling around in the mud on the internet.

I think in high end audio, one must accept battle field losses from time to time, and they can amount to tens of thousands of dollars over lengthy years. It puts the 'D' in disposable income.

However, the sunk costs in audio probably aided my sanity when I was working as a noble escape and were worth more than a pile of shrink receipts.

 

[Mobiusman]

Simple answer- you gotta start somewhere and extrapolation between set up parameters for 2 published distances isn't hard. More complex answer. It's a hobby. l learn stuff by doing this., Getting it absolutely right may take weeks. It's fun. Third answer- I'm just nuts, and moreover it keeps me off the street with something to do.

Go to know Marty well to understand the candor this comment! I am really happy for you.

 

[Mobiusman]

Francisco, I have not used the Soulution amplifiers for some time now and frankly, it is a painful subject to discuss. Recall I was using 511 monoblocs for a few years but last August I had the opportunity to purchase their revered 701’s at an attractive price so I pulled the trigger. In short, it was the most disappointing purchase of my entire audio career. It was not their sound (which was excellent) but unfortunately their reliability that resulted in blowing up 3 amplifiers (one amp twice) within a period of 6 months. A more detailed story follows.

I purchased these amplifiers from a dealer who took them in in trade. However, one amp required repair at the factory in Switzerland and when I bought them, they were sent to me directly from Soulution in Switzerland thoroughly certified (both amps including soiftware updates) even though only amplifier (#0015) was repaired. However, the companion amplifier (#0016) failed in October 2020. Then in February 2021, amplifier #0015 failed again. Soulution originally wanted to charge me several thousand dollars for each repair, but were receptive to my argument that these failures seemed unreasonable for an amplifier of this caliber (cost 180K per pair) and that they should cover all costs especially since they certified both of them in August 2020. I knew the amps were out of warranty but I assumed, perhaps wrongly, that one might receive more than a "30/30" warranty (30 feet or 30 seconds ) after an unanticipated and major trans-Atlantic repair.. To facilitate an equitable resolution I agreed to pay 50% of all shipping but fighting for that was not a pleasant experience, not to mention that what they put me through with US Customs in delays and paperwork was a nightmare (and in my view unprofessional in the extreme). . You would think they had never shipped to anyone in the US before. To their credit, by the time the 3rd amp was repaired and returned, they figured out how to ship smoothly via FedEx.

On March 11, 2021 Cyril Hammer provided this explanation for why his amps failed repetitively. “Three out of four amplifier channels in your pair of 701s were damaged in exactly the same way only within a few months. We have never ever seen this happen before. We must assume that these units have seen too high input levels. Please ensure that you do not feed any input signal to the 701 higher than 1.35Vrms (1.95Vpp)! If you do so, you risk that the units will fail again”. This explanation seemed disingenuous and a poor explanation for what occurred for several reasons:

• I use a Soulution 725 preamp. I would seem odd to me that their preamp is designed so it could overdrive their amplifier to the point of failure.
• As far as I know, my ears were not bleeding while listening to my 94dB efficient Alexandrias and thus overdriving the speaker seems a poor argument.
• I also do not recall reading anything in the Soulution 701 manual that specifically said “do not play these amplifiers loud” but perhaps I missed that warning.

In my opinion, I think the most reasonable and obvious explanation to account for the failures I experience is that their amplifier is simply one of an intrinsically unreliable design. This is supported by some other relevant findings:

• One of their former dealers in Florida told me he had 3 similar Soulution amplifier failures which is why he no longer carries the line.
• I learned a former distributor also presumably dropped the line due to amplifier failure and unreliability.
• Previous published reports also point to inadequate amplifier design particularly with respect to heat sinking. (https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/59960-are-soulution-amplifiers-class-a-ab-or-d/) This thread discusses that Soulution SMPS amps run heavily in class A and are very hot to the touch (true! you can probably fry eggs on them when they're running) suggesting that “the heatsinks appear to be WAY too small for a Class A amplifier of that power”.
• The person I sold my 511s to told me that his blew up after 6 months! (but thankfully did not blame me). He likewise felt he had not overdriven his amps.

I should reiterate I had no issues with the sound of the amps when they worked (for about 4 of the 7 months that I had them). They are really wonderful sounding amps (as is their 725 preamp which has continued to serve me well). But it will be a cold day in hell before I would ever consider purchasing one of their products ever again. In my view, the company is in clear denial about the reliability of their product. Sadly, customers and dealers do not wish to discuss this issue for obvious reasons which is namely, that it negatively impacts the resale value of several existing Soulution amplifier products in the marketplace. There are frankly too many excellent amplifiers to choose from for me (or anyone) to risk the unpleasantries I have experienced with Soulution amplifiers ever again.

I’ll conclude by answering what you’re about to ask me next anyway. What amps am I currently using? For now, I’m using the remarkable Parasound JC1+ (sourced from Elliot Goldman). I’ve posted before that this is a remarkable amplifier and provides 85+% of the Soulution 701 performance at 10% of the price. Bass performance is the equal of the 701 and even better- it works every time you turn it on! Honestly, it does seem as uber reliable as it gets. (By the way, don’t miss Jacob Heillbrun’s excellent review of the JC1+ in May/June TAS. He nails the amp’s performance in a very thougtful and insightful piece). I’ll sort out my other possible amplifier options in the months ahead, assuming they will sound better than the JC1+, which is no easy feat.

Marty your candor and willingness to report this on this forum should be lauded. Having talked with you esssentially daily throughout this fiasco, I think your representation is fair and saddly a rarity in tihs hobby because of resale value concerns and politics. This iswhat happens when a project that starts with love and then becomes a business, inherently shifts the priorities of the manufacturer, 'DON'T BE OFFENDED, IT'S JUST BUSINESS.

I must say I am proud to be your friend and audio friend and have watched your audio growth over the past several years.

 

[marty]

It’s all about the bass….

The two main reasons I purchased the Alexx V’s in lieu of my previous Alexandria S2’s were the newer soft dome Synergy tweeter and the ability to rear port (Alexandrias only offer a front port). I’ve commented briefly on the tweeter advantages and further listening has only increased my respect for the performance of the new tweeter. However, now that the speakers are largely broken-in (about 200 hours), it’s reasonable to post comments on the bass performance. Much has been written about the advantages of the new woofer configuration (Alexx V, XVX) versus those that are used in Alexandra S2’s and XLF’s. The current woofer configuration is a 10.5” and 12.5” woofer (vs a 13” and 15”in S2 and XLF). The size of the bass enclosure is 16% larger than the Alexx, but I am not sure of the size relative to the XVX (I presume its slightly less). I agree that the newer bass cabinet design and V material has several sonic advantages to the older design, particularly in the linearity of the bass frequency response. The S2’s had good bass but it was all but I found it impossible to reproduce the entire bass range with the same linearity as the A-V. In addition to a more linear frequency response, there’s also a bit of difference in overall voicing. Most will prefer the A-V bass performance to the S2, although to be fair, there is perhaps a bit of more relative weight in the 35-40Hz range in the S2 (which may certainly be due in part to room set-up), that can be particularly conducive to large scale orchestral music which may be more desirable to many listeners. Others have said the S2 has a “bigger” bass sound and its voicing may be the reason why. But the attack, decay and linearity of the bass range from 30-90Hz in the A-V is a distinct improvement over the older woofer design and therefore it delivers what seems to be a more balanced overall bass performance. This is of course, highly subjective. Both have good bass response, but the A-V is clearly better IMO.

In addition to stand alone bass performance, another aspect of bass performance that I was hoping to address with the A-V, which can be rear ported, is whether it would be a better match than the S2 for a sealed subwoofer such as the JL Gotham v2’s that I use. The answer, much to my delight, is an unqualified hell, yes. But let’s go back a bit and first ask the most fundamental question: is a sub woofer necessary with these speakers? In many rooms, the answer may be “no”. The bass on the A-V is excellent and may not require supplementation at all depending on preference and room. Considering that the addition of any subwoofer is fraught with peril when added to a full range speaker from a different manufacturer, the better question to ask is whether adding a sub to the A-V’s offers more advantages than drawbacks versus going it alone since the A-V does have fine bass response down to 25 Hz in my room (33’ x 21’ x 13’). In my case, I felt the speakers were finally performing well enough after break-in, that I have only recently begun to explore the addition of the Gotham subs. My preference for adding the subs is to run the A-V’s full range, and supplement with subs using a second set of pre-amp outputs directly to the JL’s, using only the crossover controls in the JLs to control the low pass features.

Some fine details are worth noting. First, I turn the ELF control (effects frequencies under 15 Hz) to its minimal setting. I really don’t care much about information below 15Hz and a minimal setting here actually sounds cleaner than any other setting. (i.e., it’s a familiar “less is more” phenomenon). Second, I do not use the DSP program at all. In the past, I found it useful if one is crossing over at a point that is in the 60-80 Hz range, as JL recommends. However, in my case, I am crossing over at the lowest point possible which I estimate is 22-25 Hz (the lowest frequency crossover point is not clearly marked on the controls). Keep in mind that just because the crossover is set to 25Hz does not mean that is the only frequency (and below) where the sub is operative. Rather, the crossover point is a -24dB point, so in fact it does have significant output that reaches well into the 30+Hz range. Therefore, it is a mistake to say the sub only works at 22-25Hz and below. This is not true at all, even though that is indeed the crossover point. (Amazing to me how many people don’t understand this). This of course is what makes blending the output with a full range speaker so challenging. It is also why the most important controls to adjust for blending the subs and mains are obviously the volume and the phase control. It is the setting of the phase control that is the key to making the sub integration as seamless as possible.

When I was trying to mate the Alexandria S2s to the subs, I experimented with the sub placement for years and concluded that the best theoretical placement would be to bring them forward so that the bass drivers would be in the same plane as the mains. When subs are placed many feet behind the mains, only a DSP based system can obtain correct time arrival at the listener’s ears by delaying the arrival of the mains. (This has been discussed in detail elsewhere. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/dsp-one-persons-experience.520/).

The only way one might have a good chance of getting correct time alignment in a non DSP’d system is to bring the bass drivers of the mains and subs to the same horizontal plane, but even then it is uncertain as to whether this can be done with great precision and sonic advantage until you actually try this approach. As if mating subs and mains weren’t hard enough, now add the additional complexity of a ported main cabinet to the mix and what you get is one herculean pain in the ass challenge and an even tougher task to get things right. From a pragmatic perspective, due to the front port design of the S2’s in which the low frequency response port characteristics can never be in perfect phase with the frequencies coming from the drivers themselves, I was never able to find a phase position on the JLs that was correct so that all bass frequencies from say 20-90Hz sounded as if they were perfectly in phase. If I thought I had 40 Hz nailed, then 80 Hz was ever so slightly off and vice versa. My hope was that the rear port option on the A-V’s would allow better phase alignment with the JL subs for a wider swath of bass frequencies. And wonder of wonders, that’s exactly what I found.

Perhaps a better way of looking at the outcome of sub mating is in the settings I used on the JL sub controls when mating them with the S2’s (blue tape arrows) and the A-V’s (black tape arrows). One can see that even when the subs are brought forward to the same plane as the Wilson bass drivers in each speaker (S2 or A-V), there is a dramatic difference in phase control settings. The best I could do with the S2’s was to optimize the phase control at about 22 (L sub) /40 (R sub) degrees. Even then, some material just didn’t sound as good with the subs than without them. (No surprise as the topic has been discussed endlessly elsewhere). In summary, on some material the subs were an advantage yet on other material, not so much. Even worse, on some material, the use of subs were sonically degrading in comparison to no sub at all. This really highlights one of the oldest existing rules in high end audio which is namely that there are, more often than not, engineering trade-offs to almost everything we do to get the sound we aspire to in our room.

Now, after a brief period of a few days of optimization with the A-V’s and the Gothams, one can readily see that setting of the phase control in each subwoofer (red circle) is now much closer to 0 degrees (actually, more like ~2-5 degrees) than the best paired settings with the S2’s (~22-40 degrees). Although this suggests that something might be moving in the right direction, it by no means guarantees a sonic improvement. However, I’m pleased to say the resulting sonic improvements were clear and obvious. Most significantly, the hands down greatest “wow” surprise was that the cohesiveness of the bass from 20Hz up through 90Hz. This was something I could not have realized in my wildest dreams using the front ported S2s with my Gothams. It’s as if the bass frequencies are now all cut from the same cloth (as HP used to say), or in subjective terms, the bass instruments or bass frequencies of a single instrument (i.e piano) are now coming from one place whereas before there were frequency dependent vagaries in instrument images. I realize that the Gothams are acting only in a very limited way to improve the extension of the extreme lower bass for only about a half octave. In fact, if you turned the subs off, you may not even notice it on most material,, which is how it should be! But on the right material, I find it sonically rewarding and makes me smile.

I still have some fine tuning (speaker placement) to do but I’m thrilled at what I seem to have gained thus far. I should add that Wilson did indeed send me the correct settings a few days ago for my listening distance and ear height and these were a very nice sonic improvement over my previous “guessed” settings. I can’t emphasize enough how well conceived and crafted the adjustment capabilities are for this remarkable speaker. It really does remind me of a high level lab instrument capable of precision calibration which allows for the best possible outcome in a wide variety of rooms. In short, things are coming together beautifully as I enjoy the benefits of Dave and Daryl’s superb work.

LEFT SUB SETTINGS FOR JL GOTHAM V2



RIGHT SUB SETTINGS FOR JL GOTHAM V2

 

[LL21]

Great stuff, Marty. Congrats again. I wonder how much of the sub flexibility you are experiencing is the cross-port (rear or front) vs the smaller woofers and (I think?) relatively deeper bass cabinet. The S2 is front only...the XLF is cross port and deeper (16% more volume?)...but still has the 13" and 15" woofers. I suspect that the 10 and 12.5" are easier to control perhaps?

I also wonder how much of the bigger Wilsons enjoying super-powered amps is relating to this level of intense control.

 

[adyc]

Just wondering whether these adjustments are purely based on listening? Do you also use microphone to help on the adjustments?

 

[marty]

Just wondering whether these adjustments are purely based on listening? Do you also use microphone to help on the adjustments?

My sub set-up is completely fine-tuned by listening although basic frequency response measurement are often done using pink noise and an SPL meter. It's actually pretty easy to set the subs by ear but it depends on having good source material. Nicely plucked bass guitar notes that are spaced at good intervals work well to match the transient response of the drivers in the mains and subs using the phase control. And of course the frequencies of each note are well known so you know where you are so to speak (i.e. C= 32 Hz, F = 43 Hz, etc). Lots of folks have provided their reference tracks for facilitating good subwoofer set-up. https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...s-subwoofer-setup-reference-tracks-etc.32005/. See post #38 for the Granite Audio CD which is also a must have tool for sub and bass set-up. Also, don't miss Barry Ober's (JL Audio fame) excellent deep dive into this subject http://www.soundoctor.com/whitepapers/subs.htm as well as his essential test CD for bass. http://www.soundoctor.com/testcd/index.htm The Soundoctor method of setting up subs is more cumbersome than you might like, but this guy knows his stuff. It's also more useful for subs that are crossing over at a more traditional frequency using a standard crossover (whereas I'm running the mains full range and and only supplementing ultra low frequencies with the sub). The CD however is still very useful.

To be honest, what I'd really like to do is to explore a more technical approach such as the use of laser interferometry and computational analysis. But for goodness sake, this is a hobby and therefore I procrastinate until my sanity returns whenever I think I should do this. If I were a manufacturer, such techniques would be in my toolkit for sure. But in the end, subjective findings are really the final arbiter anyway no matter what a waveform image looks like on a computer screen.

 

[marty]

CH Precision M10 monoblocs arrive in NJ




There’s a lot to unpack here (in more ways than one). As I have written previously, I purchased pair of Soulution 701’s about a year ago and suffered 3 amp failures in 6 months (one amp twice) which sealed their fate as “gotta get rid of these” nasty but beautiful sounding (when they work) wonders. Being quite jaded at that point, I wasn't ready to commit to any of the uber amps out there and Elliot Goldman was kind enough to loan me a pair of remarkable Parasound JC1+monoblocs while I weaved my way down the list of possibilities for long term ownership. Deciding to buy anything else other than the JC1+, one of the greatest audio products I have ever owned, was difficult enough. Making a decision to buy any premium priced amps sight unseen without audition is unnerving, but that’s the way it has to be sometimes. Still, the questions loomed large. Would any amp that cost several multiple times the cost of the JC1+ going to really change my listening enjoyment? (Yes, the Parasounds are that good!)

In February 2021 I ordered the CH-Precision M10 monoblocs. They arrived last week. These behemoths arrived with each chassis (4 total) double boxed on a palette, and the fun began with their unpacking. CH apparently chose cardboard over crates or flight cases and although I don’t think cardboard effects sound quality, it was still a bit less impressive a package than I would have anticipated. Once they were located near their final resting spot, they were unpacked and placed on a granite slab in a room behind my sound room. Here is where the fun really begins.

The set up experience was unfortunately one of the worst I've ever had. To begin, let’s consider the thickness of a human fingertip, which is about 18 mm. Next, look at the gap between the bottom solid plate of the amp and a granite surface (or any shelf) upon which it will rest. That’s about 10 mm.



.


Now imagine 2 guys; 4 hands, and about 20 fingers under the amp lifting this 171 lb. beast of the power supply chassis out of the carton and wanting to rest in on a hard shelf surface. Now, imagine what happens to those fingers when they try to set the amp down. Need I say more?



Simply put, this is one to the dumbest designs of all time. It really should qualify for a Darwin Award. Easy damage to your fingers can occur due to the stupidity of having such an extremely limited chassis clearance. I defy anyone (or 2 people) to take out the Power Supply by opening the top of the carton and lifting it out, and placing in on a shelf safely without incurring serious damage to your fingertips.

But wait, there’s more! In hooking up the cables, I discovered the absolutely incomprehensible execution of not providing a latch for the female XLR input. I have NEVER seen a female XLR chassis connector without an integral safety latch. Compare the CH to the JC1+ below.

.

I learned that on the 10 series, CH omitted the chassis latch because they apparently had trouble with some brands of XLR connectors getting stuck in the socket that used a latch. Hmmm. Not sure why they seem to be unique in experiencing that but that’s their story and they’re sticking to it. Bottom line- after nearly amputating my fingers and having some dismay with the set-up, I was off to a bad start. In fact, I was so angry I refused to turn it on until the next day when I could look at things more calmly.

So much for the pleasantries. How does it sound? Well, I’m honestly not sure yet. It’s never worth reporting on the sound of a new component until a few days have gone buy for annealing, break-in etc. But after a week, I think its safe to say that the sound is stabilizing and at the minimum, it’s quite good and has great promise. However, I’m only now at the point of exploring the set-up options, which provides a good deal of latitude for the final sound that one can obtain. There are user selectable options that pertain to the amount of gain, global feedback, and choice of input impedance (hiZ vs lowZ) as well as a selection of bandwidth limiting filters. And they all matter.

Although I haven’t figured out exactly where I stand on some of these settings, it’s worth recalling what many have said is a hallmark of CH amps, which is namely, that they do not sound either tube-like or SS. I respectfully disagree. They do in fact have an uncanny ability to sound like either, depending on the settings that are chosen! If you choose zero global feedback, they sound like some of the most remarkable tube amplifiers you can imagine. Liquid, grain-free midrange with layering and outstanding imaging are its hallmark. However, if you are the sort of person who relishes bass that knocks you down when the appropriate material is played, you will probably be motivated to add a modest amount of global feedback which is adjustable in 1% increments between zero and 100. Adding a modest amount of global feedback increases bass “grip” as CH calls it in their manual. They ain’t kidding. Whatever you wish to cal lit, it is reminiscent of the sort of huge damping factor that allows powerful bass to be handled masterfully as is often the case for a SS design. At first, this seems like an unusual approach for dialing in the best sound from a SOA uber amp. Honestly, I’m still warming up to the idea that this sort of Burger King “have it your way” approach to voicing the amps’ sound is ideal, but it definitely has advantages since this sort of flexibility will allow a wide variety of users and systems to be most effectively optimized.

However, there’s a part of me that says “Ok, I’ve set the global feedback to the lowest value I can live with for my kind of bass (about 15%), but damn, how do I get back the extra sauce I’ve lost in the mids and highs when feedback was set to 0%?" And that is the quandry. I want to make it clear that with the gain set to 15%, the sound is still excellent. However, play a solo piano and listen to the difference without any feedback vs modest feedback. The difference in purity of tone is discernable; very slight, but it’s there. I guess the moral of the story is there is no free lunch in designing electronics of this caliber. Every engineering and circuity decision has consequences. What CH has done is give you a wide latitude to configure the amp in the way that best suits your needs. It's hard to believe you won't be pleased with whatever setting choices you make.

One final comment about power. This amp has it and has it in spades. I watched the display read 600-700 watts routinely when big music is being played at concert hall levels, and with momentary peaks that exceed 1 KW! Nobody, and I mean nobody, will find these babies short of power. And from what I can tell, they are more like the JC1+ which can be pushed hard effortlessly without blowing up, unlike the Soulution 701’s which have a great affinity for trans-Atlantic air freight to Switzerland by blowing up unexpectedly. (You would think they like to collect frequent flyer miles).

That’s about all I can say for now. I have a bit of additional break-in and tweaking to do before enjoying the amps to their fullest, along with picking some more nits no doubt! At this point, I’m not using the JL subs with the Alexx V while the amp continues to break in, but since the gain of CH 10 is different than the JC1+ (24dB vs 29dB), the subs will have to be re-dialed in when the time comes. Until more definitive amp settings and system voicing is completed, I have every expectation that the amps will continue to impress at a very high level.

 

[MadFloyd]

Congratulations..... I think?

I feel your pain (pun intended maybe?) on the low feet. My fingers have been squished as well and I wondered about that design decision myself. I'm used to it now and rarely get caught but anyone new to this is going to feel the pinch.

Btw, none of my CH components have locking XLR inputs.

Increasing the gain on my M1.1s increases bass punch, perhaps try that? I run with ZERO global feedback as on the M1.1s you can only increase it in 10% increments and even with 10% it hardens the mids and treble. That said I have no issues with bass grip or authority with zero feedback, especially if I increase gain to +1.

Have fun. I would be one of those who say that the CH amps sound neither tube nor solid state (keeping in mind I've never heard the M10s) as I've never heard a tube amp as clean and a solid state as grain free. I don't get the same holographic soundstage with CH that I do with my CAT amps but it's a tradeoff I'll take for the clean and pure timbre of instruments, dynamics and ease of presentation.

I hope they satisfy you for years to come. I'm envious!

 

[Elliot G.]

What you guys need is to take your Pre and hook it up to his amps and then fight over who gets to keep the results! LOL
Sorry about the fingers Marty it is some heavy stuff and I think all of those who have encountered M1 or M10 have probably done that at least once. I love the sound but hate moving the stuff its all very heavy.
BTW Marty nice hands when next I see you Ill take you for a Mani-pedi HAHA

 

[ashandger]

Hello Marty, congrats and many thanks for the feedback. May I ask which power cables are you using with the M10s? Looking forward to further updates. Thanks

 

[marty]

Congratulations..... I think?

I feel your pain (pun intended maybe?) on the low feet. My fingers have been squished as well and I wondered about that design decision myself. I'm used to it now and rarely get caught but anyone new to this is going to feel the pinch.

Btw, none of my CH components have locking XLR inputs.

Increasing the gain on my M1.1s increases bass punch, perhaps try that? I run with ZERO global feedback as on the M1.1s you can only increase it in 10% increments and even with 10% it hardens the mids and treble. That said I have no issues with bass grip or authority with zero feedback, especially if I increase gain to +1.

Have fun. I would be one of those who say that the CH amps sound neither tube nor solid state (keeping in mind I've never heard the M10s) as I've never heard a tube amp as clean and a solid state as grain free. I don't get the same holographic soundstage with CH that I do with my CAT amps but it's a tradeoff I'll take for the clean and pure timbre of instruments, dynamics and ease of presentation.

I hope they satisfy you for years to come. I'm envious!

I think we're aligned on the excellent sound of these products but 2 things:
1) On the 10 series, you can't increase gain, but rather, only decrease it by up to 6dB
2) Fortunately, the feedback on the 10 series can be adjusted by 1 percent increments. But still, it comes at a price as you said.

We'll see if I can decrease the feedback gain as the amp continues to break-in. We shall see.

 

[marty]

Hello Marty, congrats and many thanks for the feedback. May I ask which power cables are you using with the M10s? Looking forward to further updates. Thanks

Stock cables for now. When the dust settles, I may explore this a bit. They are 20amp 220V cables, 2 per side, so it will be a project.

 

[ashandger]

Stock cables for now. When the dust settles, I may explore this a bit. They are 20amp 220V cables, 2 per side, so it will be a project.

Many thanks for the feedback.

 

[adyc]

Congrats! Do you stack the amps? They suggest not to stack the amps for best sound quality. Also what mode are you using? Monaural?