Bryston vs. McCormack

Great to hear you got some deals. I'm sure the DNA 1 will be ok, especially if you are serious about upgrading to Rev A status, I hear that the Rev A version of the DNA 1 is WICKED. BE sure to give the amp 100 or so hours to break in, before you get nit-picky, and the Hales, well, jeez, maybe they'll be broken in by Christmas! Happy Listening!

Hello! I own Rev 3's, and I love them , too. Anyway, I bought a McCormack DNA .5 standard, which, to my ears, at least, outperformed the DNA 1 standard in terms of soundstaging and detail. According to SMC audio (Steve McCormack's NEW company that does the modifications) , alot of people actually prefer the .5 Standard to the 1 Standard.. Wierd, huh? Anyway, I use a Conrad Johnson Preamp, the PV 11, which is pretty old. I had a PV10AL, which retails for around a grand. It was a wonderful introduction to tubes. It does sound, "tubey", compared to the PV 11, and I'm sure it sounds tubey when placed side by side with the Audible Illusions Modulus 3, which is a great preamp. But come on guys, tubey is OK. Tubed gear has a sound. That's why we love it. With the sound, you get palpability beyond what is available to people using solid state throughout. SO... I say, Hales love the DNA .5, mine do, anyway. (200w into the Hales 4 ohm load, versus 350 for the DNA 1) 200 IS enough, unless you're planning to move to a cathedral. I just saw a used DNA.5 for $800 on the NEW TODAY page. I think you would love it. You could buy used, and have the option to upgrade through SMC. I would also suggest that you go with a tubed preamp. I love my CJ, but if I had $2-3K, the Audible would be at the top of my list. If you've got $1.5K, check out the CJ PV10, or especially the PV12. They sound ravishing. Happy Listening!

I couldn't agree more Garfish. To get the top to bottom coherence of a good solid state amp, you would have to buy high 4 figure or possibly a five figure tubed amp. Then there's the retubing... 70 watts per channel = $$$$ at the tube store once a year. Dont get me wrong, Jerry, I Love the sound of say, CJ Premier 8's, but I cant even afford their tubes once a year, much less the amps themselves. It IS all about the music. But a solid state amp, the McCormacks at that (I guarantee you if Stereophile accepted no advertising, these would be in the Class A listing) paired with a tubed Preamp (now... 2 12AU7's, I can handle that once every 2 years) gives you MOST of the magic of a full tubed rig. IT is all about the music, and if a 20 watt Jolida Tubed integrated does it for you, then great. I would rather find a speaker that I agree with, then find supporting components. IF I could live with Klipschorns, then I guess a 2A3 or 300B based 3 to 7 watt per channel amp would be the answer. Anyway, I like to see the sharing of opinions and information in such a positive manner as in this particular posting. It's refreshing to see that some of us are still interested in spreading the knowledge and love of a truly noble quest.

I couldn't agree more Garfish. To get the top to bottom coherence of a good solid state amp, you would have to buy high 4 figure or possibly a five figure tubed amp. Then there's the retubing... 70 watts per channel = $$$$ at the tube store once a year. Dont get me wrong, Jerry, I Love the sound of say, CJ Premier 8's, but I cant even afford their tubes once a year, much less the amps themselves. It IS all about the music. But a solid state amp, the McCormacks at that (I guarantee you if Stereophile accepted no advertising, these would be in the Class A listing) paired with a tubed Preamp (now... 2 12AU7's, I can handle that once every 2 years) gives you MOST of the magic of a full tubed rig. IT is all about the music, and if a 20 watt Jolida Tubed integrated does it for you, then great. I would rather find a speaker that I agree with, then find supporting components. IF I could live with Klipschorns, then I guess a 2A3 or 300B based 3 to 7 watt per channel amp would be the answer. Anyway, I like to see the sharing of opinions and information in such a positive manner as in this particular posting. It's refreshing to see that some of us are still interested in spreading the knowledge and love of a truly noble quest.