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Spectron Musician III - Can anyone comment on it?

I am currently on the hunt for a pair of amplifiers that have massive peak power capability with excellent micro dynamics and neutral presentation. I am driving a pair of Martin Logan Statement E2's

The Spectron Musician has been reviewed exceptionally well everywhere I looked and seems to fit the bill but I just can't get over 25 years of snobbery telling me to avoid switching amps because linear amps just sound better and, hey, the name on the faceplate ain't Krell or Mark Levinson!

Can I PLEASE get a few people with experience listening to these amps tell me why I should or shouldn't buy them?

I desperately want to buy a pair of the BAT VK-600SE's since I own mostly all BAT equipment but to produce, say, 110db peaks one would comfortably need several thousands watts of power in the bucket to meet the challenge. I don't think the BAT amps have that under the hood.

Advice?
sashua
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isanchez
276 posts
 

I heard the Plinius amps (don't remember which model) at THE SHOW 2007 and I couldn't be in that room for more than 3 minutes. The sound was very uninvolving and dry. There was lack of speed and articulation as well.
audiograils's avatar
audiograils
23 posts
 

Definitely a bad set-up and I wouldn't be surprised that it was cable related too. I've been listening to Plinius amps for over 10 years now and with regards to their reference products they are very hard to beat. They possess a very fine sonic balance and will effortlessly drive dificult loads.

They are also a GREAT match with ribbons and electrostats.

A friend of mine is currently driving his vintage Infinity IRS Beta's with an SA-REF for the ribbon panels and an SA-250mk4 for the woofer towers using the BAT VK-52SE and the VK-D5SE player..The synergy is heavenly.

Uninvolving, dry, lack of speed and articulation were never traits of Plinius amps..!

AG
argyro
438 posts
 
10-09-08: Isanchez
I really dont like this amp. Except tha fact that it can drive any speaker on the market, the timbre it produces is the fakest timbre I have heard IN MY SYSTEM.

Actually in a different system that I knew its componenents quite well.
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isanchez
276 posts
 

Argyro,

I'm very demanding when it comes to pitch,timbre and weight. I simply can't tolerate if the instruments don't sound like real instruments. I grew up being exposed to live music on a regular basis. My wife used to be a cellist. Many of our friends are professional musicians. Some of them play at the NY Metropolitan Opera, some in quartets and some are independent. I tend to enjoy very much the rehearsals since they are sometimes in a room similar to my listening room, so this allows me for comparison with my system. I also have had my ears checked by an Audiologist for the last few years. Each result indicated that my hearing is excellent.

Based on my experience and my music interests, I can tell you that the Spectron mono-blocks, in the current state of my system, are extremely close to the real performance. I have not heard any system, regardless of price, that can produce the laser-sharp soundstage definition that I'm getting with these amps, while at the same time carrying the pitch, timbre and weight of real instruments.

Best,

iSanchez
argyro
438 posts
 
Ok, iSanchez I don't mean to doubt your findings or these amplifiers I just said what I heard in the specific system.

Regards,

Michael
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