Two Saturday afternoons well spend…….

It was a real pleasure to spend my last two Saturday afternoons at absolute phase checking out some real goodies. Some real gems were there. Some old, some new. Some beliefs were further strengthened while some were shattered. There is no alternative to listening. Thought I will share some with you.
1.Tubes pre amps rule !
A pair of Bryston monoblocks were driving a pair of Proac studio 140s. It sounded really nice. Much nicer than I remember last time when I listened to them. I didn’t really like the bryston/proac combo last time I listened to them. I asked Prithvi what he had changed. He pointed to a 1987 model Audio-research tube pre-amplifier ( SP-9). One more senior audiophile was present and he suggested we switch back to the Musical Fidelity pre. We switched and it was as if a thin veil was added in between you and the music. Suddenly the connection with the singer and music was gone and the sound was detached but clear with a hint of grain. The sweetness and naturalism in the sound was just awesome with the tube pre-amplifier. Remember that the MF pre is no slouch. It is considered to be one of the best in its price class by many. But what a 1987 model valve pre could do was a real eye opener. I guess tube preamps and solid state power is a killer combo. Check out audio research here. http://www.audioresearch.com/
Here is a guy who has spent his entire life researching audio research products. http://www.arcdb.ws/

2. I got to listen to a Primare Integrated amp. Dual mono block design. Around 120 watts per channel (forgot the exact model). It was driving the Linn- Ninkas and katans. Lovely grain free sound with good attack. It costs a bomb though ! A lac or so !
3. We did an A/B comparison of the Linn katan bookshelf with the dynaudio audience 52 se. The katan was cleaner with better highs and more detail in the bass. The 52 se seems to have a bit of bass overhang and tend to sound a bit muddy in the lower octaves while the katans seemed to sound very lively, agile and cleaner to my ears. Bear in mind that some may prefer the 52se to the katans, especially people who are more into hard rock.
This Saturday when I walked in, I was in for a real treat! Audio note valve DAC, Audio-lab solid-state DAC, Musical fidelity X 24 dac with out-board power supply and a 50 watt integrated from the same MF series with an outboard power supply and a Thorens dedicated transport.I didn’t know where to start !

4.Transport makes a difference !
The Ninkas were driven by the rega-mira amp using the analogue output from the Audio-lab DAC. We had two transports in hand, Linn classik and the Dedicated Thorens. We decided to do an A/B comparison of the two transports. I didn’t expect any change. What change can a transport make ? But I was in for a real surprise ! The Linn sounded fast, easy and agile while the thorens sounded thick in the lower octaves. The thorens showed more body in the sound but I preferred the Linns clasik transport ! Lesson learned……

5. Some good news for believers in local talent. A high-end tube pre made by a local manufacturer massacred most other high-end imported preamps they compared it to. It is still in the prototype stage, so I can’t divulge any other details..:)) Good and exiting times ahead..:))

6. The Proac studio 140’s fed by the brystons using the analogue output from the Audio note valve DAC sounded sweet, full of life and refined. I missed the audio research pre amplifier though……
Some more stuff later when I have time………

jsa_ind schrieb:

Hi All, I am inclined to go by what Ravi, Benks Nagaraj say, a 100%. If technical specifications had no meaning then why do reputed companies give technical specifications after all ? Apart from the technical specifications of components & loudspeaker drivers, it is like saying " I think I hear 50 watts coming out of this amp & so fifty watts it is" ...instead of going through the technical specifications and seeing what the rating actually is technically. Yes for those individuals who cannot interpret technical specifications & correlate it with their listening perception, or for those companies who have inferior products & want to mask their deficiency behind the veil of so called listening tests ( in environments suited to hype their product/s), technical specifications are toilet paper to them ......you cannot blame them after all....poor souls...they are self deceived...a very small fish in a very small bowl of water. Regards, Junia.

Let me make myself clear here.
What I meant is spec sheets are useless to me if the equipment can’t make music for me. I don’t really care what the equipment measures if it does the job for me right. I have spent a number of years hanging around in a recording studio because the engineer is my friend. I listen to live Jazz as and when possible. I used to play the guitar (acoustic variety) and most of my college friends are musicians. We used to jam up with real instruments often. So I relate to real and natural sound whenever I listen to reproduced music. I am very used to the natural sound reproduced in the sound room of the studio. If the sound is close to “real” and “natural” I like the equipment if not I don’t like it. I have heard quite a number of hyped up so—called perfectly measuring equipment which I didn’t like at all. Even if somebody gifts it to me, I won’t have it anywhere near me.
From a pure tech point of view, spec sheets are very useful. I give it due importance. Without stringent specs, nobody can make musical sounding equipment. It gives me a glance of what it is capable of. But that is how far I will go with a spec sheet. Then the real measurement with my ears starts. If it does not measure up, it is a worthless piece of junk for me. Maybe a very expensive paper weight. End of the day, music is notes and I listen to it with MY EARS.