The Moabs in my place are not bi-ampable.
I keep thinking I'm just lucky because for my musical focus I rarely break 10 on the preamp dial. Things pump up into the 90db range very quickly, even on 9 watts, and I want to be listening to music in ten and twenty years with full range availability...
The bass element I'm shy to announce is ridiculously good and the only reason I very occasionally think of a subwoofer is that I like the "high" of buying amazing products. I often reflect that Eric Alexander (owner/designer for Tekton Designs) is a drummer and while he's known for his midrange tweeter arrays, his work with bass drivers is no small achievement.
I was not in a position to buy and evaluate components as I have been over the past several years. During my Vandersteen phase, I was impressed by the addition of a 205wpc Parasound amplifier, for example, but I didn't make any other significant change, but I assume Moabs are not the only speaker that respond to even slight changes in downstream elements.
The Moabs respond to everything I do. Initially, I had trouble with positioning and it took weeks to find a sweet spot for the bass, and then I finally DID find the sweet spot, and everything has fallen into place from there.
Subsequently, I upgraded the amp and the preamp, and the DAC and the bass changed with every move I made. Everything changed with every move I made.
The recent addition of the KT77's was yet another experience of more substantial, more textured, more accurately placed bass. The placement piece was indeed eye/ear-opening, with drum strikes arranging themselves - in one example - around the drum kit indicating tasty placement cues that were not evident before the change to the KT77's.
I tip-toed into DACs with a Schiit Modi 3, then the Modius, and then I experienced the MHDT Orchid and the latter was a massive education in the significance of tonal accuracy as it relates to both lifelike sound and the incredible beauty you might have guessed was hidden in the voices and instruments of world-class musicians.
This is to say, these people are selecting and playing the very finest musical instruments available and their voices can be as fine as any instrument you ever opened your ears to, and for a system to truly communicate the character and details of those instruments and voices is rare indeed.
Huge props to each of the artisans and associated engineers, creative minds, etc. responsible for my equipment:
- Dennis Had with his Inspire "Firebottle" and other amplifiers
- Aric of Aric Audio, for my preamp
- MHDT for the Orchid DAC
- Eric Alexander of Tekton Design speakers for the Moabs
