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Difficult Choice

HI,
choosing a HI-FI from scrathc is a difficult exercise.
I'm asking for help.

I might get Lamm2.1 amps or Tenor 75i
i tried the hybrid amp from tenor and was very disappointed
I found it not as full and "real" than the 75i (kind of normal) but it was on the top "messy", lacking precision.
I was using a EMM Labs transport + Dac directly plugged in the amp + Kharma Grand Midi Ceramique
Very disappointing
I have to say that those EMM Labs did not impress me that much and I wonder if it is not better to use a preamp with them.

Kharma exquisite Midi seem to be a good choice even if it lacks some guts with the Tenor
A sub could be a solution but i did not try
I'm wondering if those VR9 Von S. are that much better than the Kharma
I'm interested to know as well what people think of
Sonus Faber Stradivari (do they work with SET)
Dynaudio Temptation (do they work with SET)
Pipedeams model 18
Audio Physics Caldera ?

More over, what preamp to use ?
There is a Audio Note on the offer but does it go well with
Lamm ?
What about the new ARC reference3 ?

Concerning the source, is the DCS suite that good ? I was not that impressed by the EMM Labs.

Thank you
dck
amperidian
67 posts
 
I second szutinglee on his opinion. Acapella sounds amazing but you need higher efficiency (and higher price) Acapellas if you want to use the Lamm's to drive them.

Avantgardes are good too, probably a better match for your Lamm amps.

Wilson defintely not a good match for you amps, Halcro suits those speakers very well IMO.

Have you considered silverlines? ... some of their models boast up too 96db efficiency and could mate well with your amps too.

For preamps, don't overlook the VTL 7.5 ... worthy of an audition at least.

All digital sources you mentioned are top of the line. You left out Burmester CD 001, Audio Aero Prestige and APl 3910 which are below the ones you mentioned but not too far off.
branimir
236 posts
 
Avantgarde or Acapella? Do you like horn sound? To me at least they sound very different than good cone speakers(Aerial,Avalon,Audio Physic,ProAc,Sonus Faber,Wilson,Kharma etc.)...
ProAc Response D80 or bigger D100 will work with your Lamm as well as most Kharma models. Wilson Watt/Puppy 7 and Maxx2 should also work. As a matter of fact Jonathan Valin said in TAS issue 153 that he was most impressed with Lamm exhibit with Maxx2. So, different opinion than from M.Framer. Some of the members here own same Lamm amps as you and some of the speakers mentioned above. Maybe they could help?
gregm
3,405 posts
 
No doubt, the big Tannoys are exquisite; the Acapella not sensitive enough (the big ones are, but very expensive as mentioned). I too prefer Acapella to Avant garde (which are very good, in & of themselves. They're BIG, BTW).
Other than the brands mentioned, you might also consider the big Cabasse (not cheap, but good).

However, in all these cases you're looking at euro 15-20k+, easily.

Why NOT, if you live close or at Paris: look up hautparleursystemes.com and audition an open baffle design they have. It is (was) very good; you can upgrade the basic design to include a top-of-the-line ribbon tweet/supertweet and active bass.
This would mean biamping -- but the low frequency amp doesn't have to be another Lamm... by any stretch of the imagination.

The sound is (should be) invariably better than a full-range passive speaker.

Given the high level of your (excellent) system, purchasing a speaker to match seems to me financially crippling:)!

Oh yes, preamp. IF you can, forgo the pre for now. Use a transformer violume cotrol for now, and focus on speakers (IMO, etc).
dck OP
13 posts
 
Thank you all for your answers.
As I don't want to pay the full price here is the choice I have :
- Acapella High Campanile ion tweeter
- Avantgarde Trios, 225 Subs
- Kharma Exquisite Reference midi 1a
- Wilson Audio X-2 ALEXANDRIA (price is too high for me)

I'm not sure about the horn+sub..

What do you think?
gregm
3,405 posts
 
Acapella Campanile, no doubt.
However, I've heard that the ion tweet needs to be replaced every 10 yrs or so -- this could be just rumour. Also note that these are big speakers. OTOH, despite their unusual styling, they seemed quite acceptable to certain women in the room I was auditioning (one commented on the "art deco-ish" styling)!
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