How differently we all hear...

[ack]

Magico Q3 + Spectral = hifi says http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?cspkr&1348017602&openflup&86&4#86

This is a combo a couple of folks here have bought and will get a kick out of that post. BTW I am going to audition the Q3 again and the Aviors very soon.

 

[scouter]

Haven't heard the Magicos, but Spectral 15 pre with Spectral 260 amp doesn't sound hi fi in my system (YGs). My wife made the comment that a recent Fleet Foxes concert sounded just like our system- and I'll have to agree, it was really close to the live sound. What ever floats your boat- its your money and if you're happy, that's all that counts.

 

[ack]

All last week, before attending the Friday Verdi Requiem, I kept playing the two LP recordings I have (a Solti/Pavaroti and a Abbado/Domingo), then went in, then played them again the next day. Apart from ultimate dynamics (and the recordings are the primary limiting factor here), it was fascinating how everything else (and especially timbres) sounded so real. Or as my friend 1rsw here keeps reminding me... we are so lucky to own these amplifiers.

 

[Steve Williams]

or as we also say, "one man's passion is another man's poison"

 

[GaryProtein]

or as we also say, "one man's passion is another man's poison"

Very definitely, Steve.

 

[1rsw]

This is one of the most interesting aspects of our hobby, IMO. Well, it's kind of two fold....first there is the issue of how different our responses to gear can be and then our reaction to those responses. It's something I marvel at all the time and I think it sometimes even goes deeper than the reality of what is heard....by that I mean there are often comments written/said that are more assumptions or positions rooted far from what is actually heard in an audition. That get's complicated and I'll save spouting off on it for another time.

So back to we all hear it different....one of my best friends and I had a discussion last weekend about some stuff in our systems as we often do. We have a lot in common but as far as system building goes we are pretty different. In that discussion I sort of crossed the line and began forcing my position down his throat...and I felt like a dork afterward. Thing is, neither one of us is wrong and just because we are trying to get to the same outcomes via different paths certainly does not mean we both cannot get there. In fact quite the opposite as when it's all said and done both of our systems probably sound amazing...and sometimes, for whatever reason, it's hard for me to accept that! We see this stuff all the time, too. Our forums are full of arrogant audiophile banter (like the position I was taking). Full disclosure: it's my first reaction to comments like that about Spectral. I immediately think...."that guy is either nuts, never really heard it or something was wrong with the setup". That, my friends, is my audiophile arrogance. Twisted, I know. Anyway, I thought the story was relevant...

So I don't know why some guys here beauty in Spectral gear and to others it grinds them wrong, why I hear vast differences in AC outlets and others do not, why power cords are important in my rig and others build remarkable systems with stock cords. I lent a digital cable that I find stunning in it's realism (DISX) to that same friend and he heard no difference from his current cable. I hear it, I know it's real but I am also very confident in this guys ears...and he did not hear it. None of this makes sense but this is our audiophile truth.

I'm glad ACK brought up the gratitude thing. Beyond any other aspect of our hobby, this is something I never lose sight of. I pinch myself when I sit down to listen, I feel so grateful to own my gear.

One more thing (damn I have a lot to say!)...I'm a music freak first, audiophile second. A quick recommendation....I'm listening to a new release, Torres (self titled) and it is amazing. If you enjoy early Cat Power or Sharon Van Etten, kind of that indie folk chick stuff, this is a brilliant album. There is a good review on Pitchfork today if you care to read a little on her or catch a sample http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17558-torres/

Very highly recommended!

 

[ack]

So I took a long good listen to the Q3s and Aviors, driven by top Spectral and MIT 50ic/SHD120. I really wanted to wait until the DMA-400s were in, but it's easier to predict the next comet strike on earth than Spectral's new-product availability.

Neither set-up is what I would ever call hi-fish. The Aviors are a clear bargain - a very impressive speaker, very close to the Q3s, a bit less resolving and darker but warmer in the bass than the Q3, with less dynamic headroom, and quite close to the Q3's razor-sharp focus and you-are-there presence. The Q3s stand out - it's focus in particular is so electrostatic-like, listening to Oistrakh's fiddle - and are not as fast as the Q7 in the midrange and bass as you would expect - I think the Q7 is a paragon of speed and articulation. The main reason for this comparison was to see what speaker I would need to get if I wanted to replace my modded Logans... the answer is clear, and it would be Q3, but the reasons are not that compelling. My Logans appear to be equally resolving, go lower and move a little more air, are just about equally fast in the bass, equally razor-focused, but with less dynamic headroom especially up top, with a little grainier treble than the Q3s - but this could even be the difference between the 4000SL and the Berkeley Alpha (I would need to conduct an analog test to be sure, or borrow the 4000SL). So when I said recently that these Logan mods - or others like Paul UK's - place these speakers in the $30K range, I think that's still a fair assessment.

 

[scouter]

I personally think a great way to evaluate your system is how much you look forward to the next listen. I recently sold my DMA-260 to try and spring for 400's, only to find out I was not going to have a new larger listening room (kid decided to stay home a little longer). I was expecting to keep a well regarded solid state amp as a carry over until I purchased the 400s for the larger room, but now that it appears to be far into the future, I have decided to go ahead and purchase another 260- no need to spend the extra $. You really don't realize how good the Spectral stuff is until you don't hear it in your system for a while. Hi fi sounding stuff to me generally means an emphasis on something in the music, which at first seems awesome, but after a while it really gets on your nerves. With the Spectral 260, you can listen and never get tired of the system. The amp is pretty darn good, especially for the $

 

[ack]

I personally think a great way to evaluate your system is how much you look forward to the next listen

I wholeheartedly agree; I can't go home fast enough, and I often call my wife to warm up the amps as I leave work! This is one fine addiction.

 

[nirodha]

I wholeheartedly agree; I can't go home fast enough, and I often call my wife to warm up the amps as I leave work! This is one fine addiction.

Agree as well! If you keep that feeling for more than 3 months (keep running to your cds etc.) you know you're allright