2. speakers
  3. 1107260817

Synergy - Mix and Match - Solid State of Mind

Small to Medium Sized Room - Any Component From Column A with one from Column B

Column A - Amplification

McCormack DNA-2 LAE
GamuT D200MkIII
Ayre Acoustics V-5x
Belles 150A Reference
Theta Digital Dreadnaught II (2channel)
Clayton Audio S-40
Natural Progression NP-220
BAT VK-250

Column B - Speakers

Focus Audio FS-688
Focus Audio FS-788
Reference 3a Dulcet
Harmonic Precision Caravelle
Cliffhanger Bulldog

Sold everything I had. Would like to start over. Will choose source and control based on which combination proves to be the best match. Like black silences, warm sound, tonal accuracy, soundstage, holographic imaging, immediacy and don't like sounds just "disappearing as fast as they materialize" i prefer it to leave my ears a bit slower then the time it takes to show up...don't know how to explain, anyway, please help, can't audition them all...

Oh, and I don't think I'll be upgrading them, ever. I still need to get maybe an EMM Labs DCC2,and a valve preamp somewhere down the line...Working for an NGO and I often use money out of my wallet to cover for budget inadequacies. Just want something special to come home to after a hard day's work.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
cagliostro
cagliostro OP
17 posts
 
Philnyc, perhaps you can share what you dislike about McCormack and Theta. And, how would you rate the bass on the Focus Audio?
philnyc
162 posts
 
Cagliostro,

It's not so much a dislike, but as you might be able to tell from my preferences for the GamuT and BAT, as well as my own gear (I own/sell Blue Circle gear), I do tend to like a warmer sound over analytical, and from my limited experience with McCormack and Theta, I have found them to be more analytical than warm.

As far as the bass on the Focus speakers, I think the FS688 has a surprising amount of bass for a speaker its size, although I would not say that it has as much as a good floorstander in its price range (~$3K). The FS788 has excellent bass when paired with an amp that can provide a better-than-average amount of current...it is not the deepest (only goes to 35hz), but it is seamlessly integrated throughout its entire frequency range, so you will get a very coherent sound with excellent speed and no boominess (the one exception is if you use a bi-wire jumper with uncharacteristically high inductance with a speaker cable that has low inductance). Much of the FS788's bass performance will also depend on the size of your room...it is best suited for rooms of less than 400sqft to get the optimal performance.

Hope this helps...
cagliostro OP
17 posts
 
I got a Gamut D-200 Mk3. Can anyone reccommend a fast, yet noiseless tube preamp...
1markr
594 posts
 
Cagliostro,

A DeHavilland UltraVerve, a tube preamp based on octal tubes (6SN7 and others) fits the bill for fast, noiseless, and I could think of a few other adjectives such as musical, natural, etc. Not sure how it will act with your Gamut or other SS amps, but that's something I'm going to try for myself very soon with a Plinius, Ayre, or something sililiar.
cagliostro OP
17 posts
 
I wanted to make advantage of my new amp's balanced imputs... The dealer said it sounded better balanced... :(
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