TRL Marantz Sa-14

Listening to the D225 now and spoke to Brian Weitzel today about my initial impressions. Right now the low end is performing fantastic. The mid-range is coming around and the vocals are exquisite. The high end is a bit harsh but after a 100 hours or so will smooth out. This amp does not require the full break-in as it was the prototype and has undergone quite a bit of testing at TRL. Some tweaks were done at the last minute and these are the parts that require break in. One thing for sure, this amp drives my Spendors in a way the Cary V12i could not. That is no knock on the Cary, just the reality of 225 watts solid state versus 50 watts triode.

The fact that my preamp seems to be passing a signal to the D225 even with the volume turned down completely resulting in my hearing faint music coming from the speakers puzzles me (not a D225 issue). Also, I'm still playing around with the best set-up for the D225 and may actually move it to a maple butcher block amp stand (Brian's suggestion) to see what difference this might make in sound.

Obviously my weekend is booked. I'll probably start another thread to report back. One last note, this thing is a monster weighing in at 65 lbs. and measuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 21" x 24" x 4".

Jack/LK,

Thanks for giving me the timeframe. Compared to a fully broken in TRl/Sony 2000es, the TRL/Marantz SA-14 v2 sounds like a lightweight instead of a middleweight Sony. So knowing there is a way to go is encouraging since in most other aspects this thing sounds more musical.

I am leary placing anything on top of the Marantz except for a soft sexy cloth. I have a tuning set of feet (my own design) that works fine under my SET also. But thats me.

Clio09- Is this the solid state amp that Paul claims sounds better than his previous top of the line tube amp?
Look forward to hearing your final impressions.

Jack--I am losing sleep all over again. Late night fun is back and the player is gorgeous sexy to look at. I have been switching back and forth between rca and balanced and at this point they are both very close in sound with a slight edge to the rca.

BIT is 230 hours counting...

La45- The most obvious change @ around 300 hours will be bass extension from my experience FWIW.
I was also a little anxious about bass weight and extension, but once it kicks in you should have it in spades. Very clean natural extended weighty low end IMO.

Not sure why the sandbags on top made an enhancement, but it must have helped the unit dampening a bit even though it is well built and heavy and I think TRL does some dampening also.
I am using the TRL supplied isoblock type things underneath for isolation.
Isolation and dampening tweaks are so system and room and floor and rack specific.
Seemed to help on my already very heavy DIY MDF rack which is on a cement floor. Who knows how sound travels and reverberates at the mcro level in each room.
I never ceased to be amazed as to how every little element of a system and setup can make a difference (sometimes + and sometimes not so +).

Keep us posted.

La45 - yes this is the new line of solid state amps. The ST-225 integrated has been out for a little while and while that was something I was interested in, I decided to keep my Joule Electra LA-100 MkIII as a tube preamp and TRL was experimenting with this prototype amp and well the rest is history. I won't be able to compare the sound of this versus the TRL tube amps since I never had them, but I can and will compare the D-225 to my own tube amp. TRL claims these new solid state designs expose how noisy their tube designs were, but TRL, like most of us into tubes, accept the noise in exchange for other sonic qualities. Well the solid state line is supposed to offer the best of both worlds - less noise (my amp is very quiet, not more transformer hum when I put my ear to the speaker, not at any volume level) and tube sonics. I will have to wait a bit more before I render an opinion on that.

Lkgod - I used to use sand bags on top of my speakers. This is a great and inexpensive tweak (lead bags work too), but can be over done. Experimenting with it is fun though. I use HRS plates now. I use the rubber/cork thingies under the D-225 since it doesn't come with feet.

Jack - lucky I never sold those extra HRS plates, I now use a large and medium plate on top of the D-225.

Clio09: Glad you kept the extra HRS plates now? Have you tried the maple butcher block under the amp yet? (I spoke to Brian).

Lkdog: I remember our kitchen remodel. Establish your budget and add another 30 to 40 percent as you go along. It's worth every penny. Especially when you see your Wifes face once it is completed and she is showing it to one of her friends. Kind of reminds me of ourselves when we bring something cool home, like a new amplifier, for example.

LA45: Hey Cuz, I definitely love the looks of the 14 and yes, it will make you sleep a lot less than you should. You should be getting closer to 300 hours by now ...

Jack