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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
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
3,397 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)!
branimir
236 posts
 
Well, IMO Kharma Exquisite Reference Midi 1A is more Human choice( and better one,too )...
Also, they are easier to sell on the second hand market( If you will upgrade in future.. ). Regarding preamp-Lamm L2 Reference is natural partner with your M1.2 but, if you need remote there are also few other options as well.
henryhk
648 posts
 
I would not rule out the EMM gear so quickly without using a pre-amp first....don't jump to such a conclusion as the DAC (I think u referring to the DAC6 not DCC2?) is not really designed to be directly plugged into a power amp. I do own Meitner gear (DCC2) and love it but your tastes may differ but at least try it in another setting. The DCC2 does have a pre-amp built in which I think is quite good, but u can also bypass it and use a separate pre-amp as well. But DAC direct into pwr amp...The dCS gear I've auditioned is also excellent and also better at direct into power amps...but just based as digital front end I personally prefer Meitner.
amperidian
67 posts
 
you should really try to listen to all these individual speakers before you settle on a choice ... I would surely chose the Acapellas over the Avantgarde's as long as the power is there to drive them ... their horns are better built to withstand the sonic signature of the horns themselves and offer a larger sweetspot.

... the Karmas are also among the best out there, VSA VR-11 or VR-9 should also be auditioned if you are considering this level of performance ...

but no matter what speaker you decide to get, none will approach the highs of the Acapellas ... I think most people out there will agree on that.
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