I'm amazed you could consider the ARC if you like the Pass. Totally different beast. One colored, one not...
Whoa! Speaking of opinions! You really are Mad! Have you ever heard the Ref 10 combo?
I'm amazed you could consider the ARC if you like the Pass. Totally different beast. One colored, one not...
Perhaps your Sonus Faber speakers are more warm than my Magicos? I totally agree that the soundstage on the XS was fantastic and I did hear things that I didn't notice on the XP-30 (and had to specifically listen for to hear). An example of this was some subtle double tracking of rhythm guitars that sounded like it was only coming from the right channel on the XP-30 (but on the XS was clearly doubled in the left). Yeah, I'm feeling bad because I so wanted to take the system to a higher level.
I'm amazed you could consider the ARC if you like the Pass. Totally different beast. One colored, one not...
Whoa! Speaking of opinions! You really are Mad! Have you ever heard the Ref 10 combo?
Peter,
I have no experience with the current top Pass amplifiers, but I have some experience with your Mini2's and Frank TheSonusfabers's using many amplifiers. I can assure you that ARC top units used with Frank's speakers have the coloration of life music ... And no, the TheSonusfaber are not a warm speaker. In this aspect they were very different from the Aida's.
Hi
Not (yet?) an owner but an admirer. IMO not too many speakers get it as right as Magico in term of fidelity to the source. With most Magico speakers, the overused cliche of " a veil has been lifted" truly applies. And that may rattle a few people because they do sound artifact-free, if you need artificial sweetener or some bumps in the midbass to sound more "bassy", lookelsewhere. The sound is also consistent not in term of "voicing" per se but rather of cleanliness: They all sound clean, "noise"-free and low distortion. The differences manifest themselves in term of reach, absolute scale and/or clean SPL. From the Q7 to the Q3 the differences that jumps in that regard are that the Q7 and Q5 seem to have unlimited dynamic and sound output capabilities (assuming capable amplifiers), especially in the so important upper midbass through the midrange (00 Hz to 3 Khz) and up to the lower treble 4 KHz to 8 KHz) it seems you can push the volume to any high level without perceiving any strains or drivers distress.. A danger because then you can play these quite loudly before realizing it. The Q3 seems to have a lower limit in my experience, not that I have ever heard a Q3 strain but when I went in an audition from the Q7 to the Q3 in the same room and same elctronics that was my impression... As for bass the Q7,Q5 and Q3 have it aplenty .. I am will always use sub with most any speakers this side of the MM7, NOLA grand or similar speakers with bas columns or especially the Genesis Dragon .. and even then ... I might consider a pair of subs or more to smooth out low end response
The Q5 is the odd one, the forgotten one. For some reasons , people seem to forget how incredibly good this speaker is when properly amplified. "Properly" is the operative word: it seems to require gob of power and amplifier stability ... I would love to listen to a pair driven by the big Bryson 28B. IMHO the Q5 is closer to the Q7 that many think. I wouldn't mind a used pair... Will be looking for sure
Without further derailing from this thread topic, I want to give one additional comment. I have owned Ref 10 before I switched to Xs. Both are excellent but Xs is much more consistent. Ref 10 sound deteriorates as tube ages and quite dramatically I would say. I have switched to a new set of tubes before. But after 300 hours, the sound starts deteriorating. No more ARC amp for me.
Hi
Not (yet?) an owner but an admirer. IMO not too many speakers get it as right as Magico in term of fidelity to the source.
Frantz,
What are you calling the source? The recording signal or the perception of the event?
Frantz,
What are you calling the source? The recording signal or the perception of the event?
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