Tekton Double Impacts

@david_ten
The JRiver files were ripped as .wav files and they are sent over to the Mx151  on HDMI as PCM files. So the DAC in the MX151 is the one doing the Digital to Analog. I had jRiver upsampling everything to 64Bit 192KHZ. We actually turned it off and played regular .wav files and some mp3, with no upsampling, but there was no difference in sound .
The MX151 does not and will not play a pure unadulterated analog signal without doing an A to D conversion.
This is because of Roomperfect.
@teajay i feel that the MX151 is Musical and one reviewer said that it was lush sounding.I do not think it is overly warm or colored like some pres might be.
Also it may not be as musical as some dedicated 2 channel pres, obviously.,but i would not say that it is not musical.
What does Musical mean to you ?
I had the Mx121 and thought it was not nearly as good .
What other equipment and did you have with it .

Hey Grannyring,

I have a very strong assumption that your taste and mine are very similar in what we want our systems to sound like.  Of course I want micro-details and an accurate rendering of the leading edge of the note, but not so sharp it cuts my ears, and I want the full body of the harmonic with natural color/timbres. My Cello's provided that to a wonderful degree and I have found your Crescendo's to have the same overall signature that's why they are one of my favorite speakers.

However, both speakers compared to the DI's and the Ulf's do not have the same speed/aliveness/prat that the Tekton's offer.  When you shared how you were "tapping my feet & rocking my head" I found this harder and harder to do when I went back to my Cello's regardless with what I was driving them with.  Now, here's were personal taste and synergy come in, I find it hard to imagine what the DI's would sound like with just OK solid state dacs (Benchmark) or solid state amps (Bryston) driving them. It would be a very unpleasant experience for me.  The polar opposite would be driving either the Cello/Crescendo with overly warm, euphonic, old school tube gear, boy would that sound rotten because of their inherent warm/fullness would turn to slow and muddy.  

 I wish you could come to my home and hear the DI's/Ulf's with plenty of breathing room being driven with great NOS tubed SET amps, preamp, and DAC.  You would then hear all the body and the lingering decays of the notes with that easy liquidity/flow, you won't feel rushed at all, that you experience with the AZ's plus the "aliveness" and kick that is lacking in both the Cello/Crescendo presentation of the music.  As I stated above, I really wanted to keep my beloved Cello's of five years in the reference chair in my system, but the DI's matched all their beautiful tonality and warmth, with the right electronics, and the Cello's sounded kinda dead/wimpy regarding the dynamics/PRAT of the music, along with the DI's pulling a better disappearing act/sound-staging.  

I just want to say that I do not think the DIs or McIntosh or Purist Audio is forward sounding.I think there is more of an immediacy, live , in the room with you ,sound from the DIs and the Rogue St-100
When i was using the Purist usb and purist digital, with  the Mcintosh, I thought that the sound was a little  too distant.
Although once I changed to the HDMI, things did sound more forward.
I think it has to do with the cheap HDMI i am using.
??
I was probably turning it up too loud for Bill, as he was in the Sweet spot and i was not. I think that also may have contributed to his feeling of a forward sound.

Hey grey9hound,

I heard your MX151 in the context of total McIntosh system driving Sonus Faber speakers in a well set up room.  To be frank, I'm not a fan of McIntosh gear and find their tube amps kinda grainy and not very refined sounding.  Therefore, I did not hear your piece in isolation, but as a part of this total system.

Musicality to me is a very subjective term trying to convey that the overall timbres/colors, the 3D imaging of real instruments in space, and lastly that you can relax and emotionally relate to the music as it flows into your room is present when listening to a system.  I do not get this experience with McIntosh preamps/amps, regardless of what speakers I have heard their gear with.

Wow , a Mcintosh  hater. I understand now .