Hi, folks -
Thanks for the commentary and the advice. I'll try to respond to all that I've see nso far:
1. Break-in time. All I can say is that, after 250 hours or so, we didn't notice any further changes in the X350s attributes that we could directly ascribe to the amp itself. Other changes, such as the upgrade to Cardas Golden Reference bi-wire speaker cables would have obscured any further judgement on that score. BTW, these cables made a substantial difference, and I'll review them after I've had a while longer to live with them.
2. AC Receptacle change. Thanks for the inforamtion WRT the receptacle change. As part of an on-going remodeling project, I did twin 12 gage 'home runs' to the breaker panel, so I'm comfortably within code for these outlets. However, I'm thinking of isolating the music system AC feed to a separate subpanel with a SOLA isolation transformer in line to screen out any possible interference and noice for mthe rest of the AC distribution system.
3. Amp comparisons. I listed the Levinson 335 becuase I had auditioned it against my Bryston 4B ST and a Krell FPB 300. At the time, I had MG 3.5Rs, and a friend of mine was consideing the Krell vs the Levinson, so we set up a weekend listening session. The results were that the Levinso and the Krell were noticeably better than the Bryston in a number of areas, but not by a huge margin. Longer-term listening might have given us a better picture, but we got a pretty good idea of each amp's character. The Levinson was warm, detailed and buttery smooth. And completely uninvolving. Too polite, was our assessment. Some folks like that. The Krell was exciting, compelling and theatrical. Lots of 'wow' factor. The 4B ST was more 'Krell-like' than the Levinson, but less refined. That was the upshot of our brief experiment.
4. Leaving the amp on or off. Generally, I leave it on all the time in the fall and winter seasons - along with the wood stove, it helps warm the room . During the warmer months, I leave it in 'stand by' mode, but turn it on an hour or so before doing any serious listening.
5. Preamp and imaging. Well, I've always been of the opinion that a great solid astate amp combined with a great tube preamp are complimentary in that each plays to the others' strengths. It gets me the best of both worlds, IMHO. This notion can make for some interesting discussion and debate, and no doubt there are always exceptions to this rule, if I can call it that.
6. Balanced vs unbalanced inputs. Thanks for the advice. As soon as budget allows, I'll replace the preamp-amp connection with Cardas Golden Reference XLR cables and I'll document the results. BTW, what do you notice comparing balanced vs unbalanced inputs?
Thanks for the commentary and the advice. I'll try to respond to all that I've see nso far:
1. Break-in time. All I can say is that, after 250 hours or so, we didn't notice any further changes in the X350s attributes that we could directly ascribe to the amp itself. Other changes, such as the upgrade to Cardas Golden Reference bi-wire speaker cables would have obscured any further judgement on that score. BTW, these cables made a substantial difference, and I'll review them after I've had a while longer to live with them.
2. AC Receptacle change. Thanks for the inforamtion WRT the receptacle change. As part of an on-going remodeling project, I did twin 12 gage 'home runs' to the breaker panel, so I'm comfortably within code for these outlets. However, I'm thinking of isolating the music system AC feed to a separate subpanel with a SOLA isolation transformer in line to screen out any possible interference and noice for mthe rest of the AC distribution system.
3. Amp comparisons. I listed the Levinson 335 becuase I had auditioned it against my Bryston 4B ST and a Krell FPB 300. At the time, I had MG 3.5Rs, and a friend of mine was consideing the Krell vs the Levinson, so we set up a weekend listening session. The results were that the Levinso and the Krell were noticeably better than the Bryston in a number of areas, but not by a huge margin. Longer-term listening might have given us a better picture, but we got a pretty good idea of each amp's character. The Levinson was warm, detailed and buttery smooth. And completely uninvolving. Too polite, was our assessment. Some folks like that. The Krell was exciting, compelling and theatrical. Lots of 'wow' factor. The 4B ST was more 'Krell-like' than the Levinson, but less refined. That was the upshot of our brief experiment.
4. Leaving the amp on or off. Generally, I leave it on all the time in the fall and winter seasons - along with the wood stove, it helps warm the room . During the warmer months, I leave it in 'stand by' mode, but turn it on an hour or so before doing any serious listening.
5. Preamp and imaging. Well, I've always been of the opinion that a great solid astate amp combined with a great tube preamp are complimentary in that each plays to the others' strengths. It gets me the best of both worlds, IMHO. This notion can make for some interesting discussion and debate, and no doubt there are always exceptions to this rule, if I can call it that.
6. Balanced vs unbalanced inputs. Thanks for the advice. As soon as budget allows, I'll replace the preamp-amp connection with Cardas Golden Reference XLR cables and I'll document the results. BTW, what do you notice comparing balanced vs unbalanced inputs?