Is D for Dry? Class D...

dougeyjones,
Around 1995, I experimented with various mike preamps using a few SS condenser mikes.  I made a 1 min recording of my violin part in the opening of the Mendelssohn violin concerto for each combination.  I tried to standardize my playing of each take, although of course I can't be sure each take was identical in my playing.  The famed B&K 4011 cardioid SS mike was flat in freq response, but it was smooth and rounded like tubes.  I tried Shure, Schoeps, AKG small diaphragm cardioid mikes, but my favorite sound was the Neumann KM184 for its brilliance.  I didn't even consider any tube mikes or tube mike preamps, because I had long outgrown my brief infatuation with romantic, euphonic tube sound.  The industry standard mike preamp was the Millenia Media for accuracy.  But the Bryston and John Hardy mike preamps were significantly more revealing.

There were only a dozen EVS 1200 amps made.....there is nothing to answer.  There is one guy who preferred some $7K mono block tube amps on his modded Ulfberht's.  Everyone else is happy.  What I do know is that the stock IceEdge (Legacy type implementation) is not something I could live with.  The mods (by the way, if you want to know more about them......just call me and I will describe every mod in detail to you) change/improve the sound a lot.  However, knowing what is possible....there is no way the modded IceEdge is state of the art.  There is always more.  

I don't see any "refined" parts in the Legacy amp.  The raising of the input impedance is just one of 13 things I do to the module.  Many things I did to the module made more difference than raising the input impedance.

stock IceEdge amp review.....
http://www.10audio.com/mivera_1200as2.htm

A review of the Legacy i-v7 amp (the same as the I-v4 Ultra except all channels hooked up).  When he listened in stereo, I believe, he listened to the front channels in mono block mode.  Read the review.....he liked it....however, it did not do everything as well as his reference amp.

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/power-amplifier/legacy-audio-i-v7-multichannel-amplifi...

Ric specifically states that increasing the input impedance to 150K ohms sounds "way better."

That's furphy.
That is only true if it's input impedance was <10kohm and when if what's driving it, has a "high'ish >1kohm" output impedance, like tube pre or passive pre.
But as said, it had 38kohm input impedance, and just about anything drives that, so it's a furphy.

Cheers George

"Thanks for being totally honest.  My audio experience started as a child 66 years ago as a 2 year old child.  The classical music radio station was playing all the time.  Audio was my first understood language, since I said my first English words at age 3.  I started the violin in school at age 9, although as an amateur I didn't make my debut until age 40, playing solo in the Mendelssohn violin concerto.  My audiophile life started when I was 25, so my audio qualifications are based on many years of familiarity with live sound.  I dabbled in recording, experimenting with various top condenser mikes.  Like you, I learn much from random audio experiences anywhere.  Although my expertise is classical music, one of the best live experiences I had was in the summer of 2005 in New Orleans just before Katrina at the Preservation Hall.  A small unamped jazz band with piano played in a small cave of a room with 3 rows of audience benches.  The sound cracked and snapped excitement. On vacations, I enjoy street performers and the bells of street cars.  Anyone who says that they want to smooth out the sharp, brilliant natural sounds of reality is missing the boat and defiling the concept of high fidelity.

You are smart to enjoy your stock Legacy IV as it is.  It is possible it is better than the stock Rouge Audio Studio N-10DM because of more refined parts, etc.  Possibly the most important mod that Ric does is increase the input impedance from 38K ohms to 150K ohms.  I am not a circuit engineer, but I would make an analogy that just as with moving coil cartridges, 47K ohms reveals more HF than loading down a cartridge way below at 100-1000 ohms.  Advocates of loading down the cartridge say that many MC cartridges have HF ringing, so the ringing is reduced by loading down.  All I know is that in my experience using various MC cartridges with various phono preamps, I hate the rolled off duller sound when the loading down is used.  Ric specifically states that increasing the input impedance to 150K ohms sounds "way better."

Agree--don't break your back and bank account by trying to find a heavy expensive amp that is better than the Legacy IV."

@viber6 Great post,...thanks. Based on actual facts and experiences too,...somewhat of a rarity at times here on the 'gon I note. It's amazing to me that some are entirely comfortable to draw conclusions based upon conjecture, not actually putting their hands on an item and checking it out first hand but that's nothing new here.

When time and finances allow again (just did a number of power cord, digital cable and one pair of analog XLR upgrades in the last few months so laying low and enjoying what I've got) I might actually pick up a couple other amps and given them a shot. The problem is that until you live with amps (or anything else) long enough to break them in thoroughly and really put them through their paces, I believe that you cannot make a qualified judgement on any piece of gear, cable or speaker.  

As an aside, I also grew up surrounded by music; big band, the jazz greats, classical etc,...in an environment with a father, aunt and grandparents that loved listening to recorded music and playing music with a father who loved to play live music immensely so grew up playing trumpet and piano just like he did (and loving every minute of it), big band, jazz ensemble, wind ensemble, orchestra some a lot of drum corp,  and also played guitar.

"A review of the Legacy i-v7 amp (the same as the I-v4 Ultra except all channels hooked up). When he listened in stereo, I believe, he listened to the front channels in mono block mode. Read the review.....he liked it....however, it did not do everything as well as his reference amp.

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/amplifier/power-amplifier/legacy-audio-i-v7-multichannel-amplifi..."

An i.V7 amp is not the same as an i.V4 Ultra amp. They have same number of boards sure, but they are not configured the same. In the i.V4 Ultra, one board is used to drive one channel using the full capability of the board that is used to drive 2 separate channels in the 7-ch version (i.e. both sides of the board are used to drive a single channel with all other benefits noted on this and the other thread) plus (from what I'm told) various other improvements.  

If I misunderstood your comment or I don't know enough about the guts of electronics in this hobby I enjoy, that's cool, I'm open to learning.

To the other part of your post,....send me an IM here with your contact info and we can get together by phone. I'd like to know the 13 improvements you propose and I'll find out what if anything has already been done by Legacy and assuming non-conflicting lists, I will give strong consideration to your mods either now if I can get assurance (from Legacy) that I'll keep my warranty, or on the day it runs out.

Frankly if you have real ways to take this amp that impresses me daily better, that will take it and refine it even further,....no b.s., I would be open to considering them.