Just an update on the Hyperion and Athena preamp. This has been a really nice combo on several sets of speakers. The Zu DW’s just gobble up the combo and the combo does jazz, rock, blues, folk and grunge with aplomb. More surprisingly to me has been how a pr, of ProAc 1sc thrive with the pairing. Really, these guys will make one rethink using tubes in a system. Initially I thought the pairing too ‘dark’, but something happened. Now it’s a really great combo. I’m not sure if adding the Rel T9i or a solid 4 months of break n’, but just, wow! Everything is done with such conviction, energy, and propulsion you can’t help but be pulled into a connection with the music. The system has fleshy, colorful, textured, mids in a way a bunch of lit bottles are usually required to provide. There’s meat on the bones of the musicians. Visceral and quite addictive, I’ve attempted to roll back in my tube amp, but I keep coming back. This setup is both beauty and beast. Hyperion and Athena does everything well, which really makes it fun. Fronted by a Benchmark Dac3 HGC it got depth, drive, dynamics and detail out the ying/yang. Vinyl/tape fed thru the HGC’s analog input sound terrific also. I can see how this could make a guy give up tubes. There’s plenty of resolution and it’s all in the right places. There is a dimensionality and richness along with authority down low. Cymbals and vibes sound great to, lots of shimmer, bite, and decay. This would be a terrific combo with the new Soul 6, which I can’t afford. At some point I need to try one of the Denafrips dacs, but why, when this is so darn good?
Kinki studio EX-M1, EX-M1+ differences... vs Denafrips Hestia/ Hyperion combo?
I've been reading up on some Integrated Amps and Pre-Amp/Amp combos lately but have some questions.
The following is an excerpt from SoundStageHifi:
The original EX-M1 was introduced in 2017. The newly updated EX-M1 — without the “+” — costs $2398 and includes, among other things, changes in the power supply, capacitance, and the volume control, the latter now using a MUSES72320 controller instead of the previous relay-based control. The EX-M1+ is essentially identical to the upgraded EX-M1, but adds a preamp-stage output and a home-theater bypass to entirely bypass the preamp stage.
That last sentence has me a little confused.
"The EX-M1+ is essentially identical to the upgraded EX-M1" - What is the "upgraded" EX-M1? Does this mean that the latest version of the EX-M1 has all the updates that they just covered preceding this statement?
The 2nd half of the statement says " but adds a preamp-stage output and a home-theater bypass to entirely bypass the preamp stage." - You'll have to excuse my ignorance. Does this mean that I can add a pre-amp in the future and use the EX-M1+ as a Power Amp? Also, does this mean that I cannot add a pre-amp to the EX-M1 (non-plus)?
At this time, I don't have hard to drive speakers, and I don't foresee having something like that anytime soon, so I was also considering the Denafrips Hestia/Hyperion combo. I haven't seen any reviews comparing these 2 company's offerings... any feedback is appreciated.
The following is an excerpt from SoundStageHifi:
The original EX-M1 was introduced in 2017. The newly updated EX-M1 — without the “+” — costs $2398 and includes, among other things, changes in the power supply, capacitance, and the volume control, the latter now using a MUSES72320 controller instead of the previous relay-based control. The EX-M1+ is essentially identical to the upgraded EX-M1, but adds a preamp-stage output and a home-theater bypass to entirely bypass the preamp stage.
That last sentence has me a little confused.
"The EX-M1+ is essentially identical to the upgraded EX-M1" - What is the "upgraded" EX-M1? Does this mean that the latest version of the EX-M1 has all the updates that they just covered preceding this statement?
The 2nd half of the statement says " but adds a preamp-stage output and a home-theater bypass to entirely bypass the preamp stage." - You'll have to excuse my ignorance. Does this mean that I can add a pre-amp in the future and use the EX-M1+ as a Power Amp? Also, does this mean that I cannot add a pre-amp to the EX-M1 (non-plus)?
At this time, I don't have hard to drive speakers, and I don't foresee having something like that anytime soon, so I was also considering the Denafrips Hestia/Hyperion combo. I haven't seen any reviews comparing these 2 company's offerings... any feedback is appreciated.
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- 72 posts total
- 72 posts total