Input on Spectral DMC 30SL

I used the Spectral DMC 30 SL with the Krell 300C and thought it was an excellent combo. I used also the Krell KCT which was slightly more warmer and musical but the CD's seemed to turn at half speed compared to the Spectral.

Be careful with the cables, Transparent and MIT work well. Spectral amps can oscillate because of the high bandwith.

I used Wilson WP6 and Maxx as speakers.

Peter

Richard,

where do you stand on this at this moment? You've followed my Spectral system, so you can easily guess that I wouldn't part with my 30SL G2, and I could tell you not even for the 30SS, for reasons I can explain if you PM me.

If you ever listen to this preamp, I think you will find that it's simply stunning.

ack...i ended up getting a berkeley alpha dac which i run directly to my amp. i cannot say enough good about this dac. outstanding. at present, i still have the krell but i also have a dma 180 which was just rebuilt at spectral. the dma 180 is listed for sale but i am giving serious consideration to keeping it. i believe it is one of the finest amplifiers and is head and shoulders above most of the amps being sold today. this particular dma 180 is pretty special given all the work that was just done so i am really torn. i also did end up getting some pretty solid information confirming that the alpha dac is appropriate to drive spectral amps. by my ears they are a wonderful match too! if things work out well down the road i hope to end up with the same amps you have. i am guessing you are enjoying the 360's!

Excellent choice on the DAC - VERY analog-like sound. If you are interested about my ruminations on it vs. analog, take a look at http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9365

On the following: "i also did end up getting some pretty solid information confirming that the alpha dac is appropriate to drive spectral amps"... Yes indeed, I have the same solid info and will drive the new 360's likewise directly in balanced mode, while the preamp will go in via SE, so I can A/B the DAC doing directly to the amps vs. through the preamp :-)

Oh that's funny... there is a 30SS here on Agon just 6 months old... Gee am I NOT surprised.

On your DMA-180: keep in mind that the Spectral sound has changed significantly in recent years. Whereas your amp has this very wide but diffuse soundstage, the newer models, including the 250, have an extremely well focus but still wide soundstage. This was the sharpest contrast between the Alpha DAC and the old SDR-2000 I had, as well as the DMC-20 preamp's and the new 30SL's. Essentially, the newer designs offer this walk-around soundstage, and the reason you can "walk around" it is that you can actually feel the instruments due to the sharp focus - that's how palpable the presentation is.