@inna
would you mind PM me?
Sorry I’ve been busy with the fallout left by Irma. Been cutting off the trees it left planted onto my roof. Whew! Thus far no tremendous devastation. All seems easily mendable. The amount of tree debris is astonishing. It could well have been disasterous. The clean up will still take a while!
I’ve found thus far, better upstream doesn’t dictate top level speakers are required. Merely very capable and honest ones yield great results once the signal path is well heeled in advance of them.
RE Lamm tube preamp and hybrid power amps
Yeah. Saw that constant on biz too. My Thor line stage is similar. Left on muted it plays better later on and or the next day. It migrates from SET-ish to more agile and insightful sitting there just under power. Not passing signal.
I must have missed something as I’ve not realized Lamm produces hybrid amps. Thought they were SET 20wpc or so amps only. Hmmm.
I’ve heard too, their sound is ‘dry’.
A big draw back for me with Lamm is the biasing. Can’t see well enough to do it myself. That’s a problem. It was convoluted doing it with the Dodd monos. Sight is worsening. True too, there’s simply too many options for me to bother with manual biasing going forward as things will only deteriorate further with time.
RE Ypsilon/Kharma match?
If the Kharmas are NOT a polite or veiled sounding system that could be a great arrangement.
RE Ypsalon – Gryphon – constellation, VAC – haegel – Master Sound (d’agostino) and even PSA hybrids (depending)
I’ve given separates and upscale INTsa considerable bit of rumination. It seems a great idea so long as one loves the house sound of the makers kit, ie., Master, Gryphon, Ypsalon, etc.
The point I have to keep in mind (which is an easy task to forget) that cost is something of an object here, and that is the “point of diminishing returns” bridge. I’d not wish to cross it chasing mere percentiles of barely noticeable gains. Meaning getting into amps or speakers above $15 - 20K MSRP is littered with questions IMO.
Having spoken but briefly with Kevin Hayes whose outfit is not far from me, I like his notions on the sound he tries to or does, achieve with his amps. what he ‘trickles’ down into his entry level kit is above many others mid level or higher choices IMHO. Something in me wants to experience that sound. The sole caveat is I’m likely not able to play in his sandbox given his MSRPs. Well, not 100% anyhow. $42K and in mylocation , PLUS tax is ‘spensive fare for a pre amp and amp! just the taxes would be 3K if bought directly from VAC!
Regardless, I’m sold on putting most $$$ of the initial investment fairly equally into the source, control, power, setup, room and then speakers. Usually in that order. Give or take a bit here or there. Its all a juggling act anyhow.
Ypsalon has released an INT. and upgrades for their Alias monos.
Another thought exists too that very likely I’l miss the bullseye with the first volley. Hopefully it will be a matter of wires, not gearSo exchanging and or upgrading speakers if needed, is a definite do agle thing later. If I’m not married to them at the onset due to their investment. $20K, $25K, $30K or more.
Me thinks once one gets into the clouds of audio selling off $15K to $30K gear is not the speedy hot bed of transactions one might believe it really is. Of course too, A’gon ain’t the only match in the box to light those fires either.
It does however mean mistakes there can be extremely costly.
The main issue I see in my deal is first getting resolving speakers in house. Not expensive, or destination sorts, but very honest capable ones which will enable me to make better decisions about the rest of the rig. That logic persists quite plainly as the likely first step. The caveat then is not to try compensating the system to fit to them. Sounds dangerous doesn’t it? It does knowing myself better of late. It would be easy to for them to trickle down into another system elsewhere in the home.
As you said to seriously audition the gear at these prices, and I certainly agree, if I hear this or that somewhere that kills, well then, all other notions, ideas, themes and theories I have are out the window! lol
I’m not all about the chase. I’m more, ‘are we there yet’?
Perfect is not the goal. Great and or incredible? Well, those are the obvious objectives. I’d happily settle too for merely Wow! Whatever that means.
