COOKING WITH GAS, NOW!!!
So I've finally gotten to spend some time with my "new to me" Muse Model 3 preamp! As I told the A-gon member, Jamscience, who sold it to me, this is the finest sounding "system" I've ever had in my house! What I love most is that all of my changes, as I move from tubeland to silicone valley, have been DRAMATIC! Nothing subtle here! None of this, "hhhmm, yeah I *THINK* it sounds a little different"!!! There is no doubt that I'm playing in a new game!
Now for the sound: When I was first listening to the Rowland Model 6s with my CJ PV10B preamp, I was initially awestricken because the increased wattage of the Rowlands (I went from a 70W tube stereo unit, to 150W monos), provided so much control, headroom, and bass!!! That was new to me...and I loved it! Thus explaining my initial glowing review at the opener of this thread. However, the more time I spent, the muddier the waters became. Something was getting in the way. Where were all those details? I first noticed this when I spun The Eagles, "Hotel California". This is not normally a band that I dabble with, but the song is a classic and the way Henley's high-hat, and cymbals shimmer and ring in that song, ALWAYS brought on the goosebumps when I was running CJ pre and power units! However, this time I noticed that the crash and shimmering was being cut short. The magic had dried up ever so slightly. Perhaps there was too much of a good thing? A little too much bass that was masking some of those trebbly details?
So before I left for vacation, I was able to connect the Muse M3, and let all burn-in while I was away for the week. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I no longer turn any of my sources off. As soon as I was unpacked, I was ready to spin, and the gear was good and warm! The clarity and level of detail being revealed is astonishing!!!!!! Yep, this is a good match!!! In fact, outside the perfect hi-fi boutique with it's dedicated power and room treatments, I'm not convinced I've ever experienced this. As I suspected, these Rowland amps, have all the warmth needed to support such a neutral, almost non-existent preamp!!! The warmth of the Rowlands with the warmth of my original CJ pre...was overkill!!! Another thing that I've enjoyed having with the Muse, is a FREAKING REMOTE!!!!!! Full functioning, no less! Including a button to invert the polarity of the output signal. In all honesty, I'm still getting used to this sound. I was growing accustomed to all the bass, and now some of that has been leaned out. And I'm not sure if the CJ was just bloated or if the Muse is more on the lean side...or should I say accurate? Whatever the case, I don't mean to imply that the bass is missing, just that it's been toned down...better formulated, and even more controlled. Whatever is on the disc is what you get...not a penny more, sir! It'll take some time to get used to. I've also noticed how much louder my system will play with no ill effects and while maintaining all of the elements that I love. The sound stage is top notch and expansive, even in my my small room. And another phenomenon that is new to me...SPEED! The elements are all being delivered with greater momentum...nothing laid back here! The flow of sound is amazing! In addition, on some CDs/tracks, The Shins, "Wincing the Night", for example, the details are so damn near perfectly replicated, there is almost a spooky, eerie feel. It's hard to describe. I'm not sure what is causing this, but me LOVE IT! In the case of my current setup, the more I listen, the more drawn into the music I feel. Almost, an emotional connection. Engaging, I think. Where as before, the more I listened, the more pissed off I was becoming, because I knew something was wrong!
A special thanks to Jmcgrogan2 and Jamscience for being such stand up guys who provided excellent A-gon service! You guys have helped fulfill my hi-fi wishes! I know it gets better than this, but I don't know at the expense of how many more thousands? For my modest lifestyle, this is as good as it gets!
Up next: Gregg Straley Reality Cables...interconnects and speaker, on the way! Stay tuned - more to follow...
