Pipedreams... Any thoughts?

hi rcprince,

as the owner of the most recent wersion of the melos ma333 preamp (the music-director), i humbly submit it *is* up to "that level" of equipment as the lamms. not that i'm biased, or anything! ;~)

melos used to be paired w/the pipedreams at shows like ces, before melos had financial diffiulty & stopped offering new product. also, according to melos' current owner, soundlabs speakers are a favorite w/melos-owners, as well as pipedreams. melos' current owner offers mods/repairs to melos gear, & is hoping to start manufacturing product in the near future. i, for one, hope they are succesful... :>) besides, the music-director, the sha-gold was an outstanding pre at its price-point of ~$2k, & is a bargain preamp at the ~$1k used-market price i've seen 'em being adwertized for, imho...

regards, doug

Hi Doug. My recollection is that it was an older Melos preamp, the SHA Gold, not the current version. The preamp was not really much of a limiting factor in our listening, either, as it did very well in the set-up. My point was more going to the inexpensive CD front end we listened to which, while terrific for its price, did have its shortcomings. I will also note that I thought the system really came alive when we listened to vinyl!

hi rcprince,

yust fyi, the sha-gold *and* the ma-333 are both older versions of melos' most recent preamps - the sha-maestro replaced the sha-gold, & the music-director replaced the ma-333. while they both have upgraded parts, the older wersions actually had a better-sounding wolume-pot - those photentiometers. but, they were so sensitive to shipping-damage, melos had to go to a conventional alps pot. the ma-333 was basically a true dual-mono, two-box (3-box, w/fono) wersion of the sha-gold...

regards, doug

cg70754-as a listed DUNLAVY DEALER you should have disclosed that when you trashed the Pipedreams.That is not cool to trash a competing product line anonymously.Perhaps you have a motive for trashing the product and not revealing your DUNLAVY connection.

As an owner of the 6' model, I can say that these are the best speakers that I have heard, or else I would not have made the investment. The form factor makes image and soundstage the real standout features of these models; and combined with LAMM ML-1's, I have yet to find a type of music that doesn't sound better with my Pipes.

Yes, the size, weight and setup can make them a logistical (and marital) nightmare; but I can tell you that everyone at Nearfield went out of their way to make sure I got what I needed. At these prices, you should expect that sort of treatment...