Alexx V arrive in NJ

microstrip

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Because of lloyds expirience among others .
Who has actual honest (no nonsense) user expirience and he has tried a lot of amps

(Look if you want my honest opinion , SS only goes so far beyond that you need tubes ) :cool:
But thats not the question here .


Lloyd owned and owns speakers that are the opposite in terms of load of the AlexV and were a lot more efficient. I appreciate a lot his advice, but IMHO it can't be transposed directly.

The only speaker that I owned that was a comparable load to the AlexV was the Aida, it was why I referred to amplifiers I used with them.
 

andromedaaudio

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Lloyd owned and owns speakers that are the opposite in terms of load of the AlexV and were a lot more efficient. I appreciate a lot his advice, but IMHO it can't be transposed directly.

The only speaker that I owned that was a comparable load to the AlexV was the Aida, it was why I referred to amplifiers I used with them.
Now what would be your solution/ advice for marty then ?
 

LL21

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Also from Stereophile, on a different Sonus Faber reference speaker, the Stradivari.

"...The drop-dead gorgeous Stradivari Homage is specified as having a very high 92dB voltage sensitivity; to Sonus Faber's credit, my estimated figure was even higher, at 93dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, the speaker asks the partnering amplifier for a lot of current capability, its impedance (fig.1) dropping to 3 ohms and below for much of the upper bass and midrange. And the combination of 4.4 ohms impedance magnitude and –48 capacitive phase angle at 55Hz will give lesser amplifiers conniptions."

And the Gryphon Antileon woke up and masterfully conducted the SF Strad in a way that neither the mid-powered CJ nor the higher powered ARC 250 could do when I heard both with the Strad...sounded wonderful but if someone was looking for ultimate, power, control in the lower registers with this load, the Gryphon Antileon was it...and the Antileon was a good distance behind the later Gryphon flagships, Colosseum and Mephisto.
 
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adyc

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Also from Stereophile, on a different Sonus Faber reference speaker, the Stradivari.

"...The drop-dead gorgeous Stradivari Homage is specified as having a very high 92dB voltage sensitivity; to Sonus Faber's credit, my estimated figure was even higher, at 93dB(B)/2.83V/m. However, the speaker asks the partnering amplifier for a lot of current capability, its impedance (fig.1) dropping to 3 ohms and below for much of the upper bass and midrange. And the combination of 4.4 ohms impedance magnitude and –48 capacitive phase angle at 55Hz will give lesser amplifiers conniptions."

And the Gryphon Antileon woke up and masterfully conducted the SF Strad in a way that neither the mid-powered CJ nor the higher powered ARC 250 could do when I heard both with the Strad...sounded wonderful but if someone was looking for ultimate, power, control in the lower registers with this load, the Gryphon Antileon was it...and the Antileon was a good distance behind the later Gryphon flagships, Colosseum and Mephisto.

I do not think CH amp is good at driving punishing impedance speakers. JA’s measurements of M1.1 clearly shows that. I also have reservation of Dartzeel 468 also likes to drive low impedance speakers as JA’s measurements also show shortfall of power at low impedance. Unfortunately, I can’t find any measurements of Gryphon Mephisto. But given Gryphon’s marketing says that Mephisto is stable down to 1 ohm and many user experiences, I believe Mephisto is a great amp for low impedance speakers.
 

Al M.

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The discussion raises some interesting points. Some are more easily dismissed (i.e. the role of speaker wire) while others may be more relevant (the mental status of Ian and me, ha!). But one parameter that might be most relevant in sorting things is the issue of amplifier damping factor.

I doubt that has anything to do with the mental status of Ian and you, Marty. I have heard Ian's system again yesterday and can confirm, once again, the excellent bass performance of the CH Precision M 1.1 monoblocks on the M Project speakers.

It has probably everything to do with the impedance dips and phase angle shifts of your Wilson speakers, which appear to be problematic for the CH Precision amps, but not for other SS amps.
 
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microstrip

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Also from Stereophile, on a different Sonus Faber reference speaker, the Stradivari.
(...)

Lloyd,

I have owned and enjoyed the Stradivari. Although it was a great speaker , IMHO no way the performance of an amplifier in the bass in this speaker can be extrapolated to Marty ambitions. The bass of the Stradivari did not have the articulation and extension of the big WIlson's, I would say that it is its weak point - although solid, it lacked the finesse of surely more expensive speakers.

BTW , I have now listened again to the Aida II and was again very impressed. Although the changes from the previous model seem small, the improvements in transparency and realism were significant. It is another speaker I could also live it very happily.
 

LL21

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Hi Micro,

The point I was making was not that the Strad produces bass similar to the Wilson, but simply that it also like the Alexx is well regarded as a difficult load in the bass...and that the Antileon relative to the ARC 250 and CJ mid-powered demonstrated to me that its design showed itself very clearly in this regard (where perhaps it might not have if the speaker did not required such pure force to bring it alive).

I am hopeful that something like the Gryphon might assist Marty since until we get something into his system, we are all speculating. But speculating out of courtesy to Marty who, like many of us from time to time, is searching for something better.
 

marty

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And the answer is.......

IMG_3659.jpeg

It wasn't that hard to guess as many have speculated. The decision was narrowed considerably when it was clear that the Alexx V is not exactly the easiest load for an amplifier to drive. While there was a lot of speculation as to why the CH M10 was a disappointment for me in driving the bass of the Alexx V without excessive feedback, it is clear that the M10 performs very well in other systems with different speakers (i.e. Magico, Goebel). The "mismatch" hypothesis was confirmed by the simple fact that the Parasound JC1+ drove the Alexx V bass to the point of ecstacy, so it didn't take being a rocket scientist to figure out that the limiting variable was the speaker load itself. Coupled with the fact that I watched the M10's flash 1+ KW a few times, my power demands eliminated many potential suitors. To be honest, the amplifier I would have loved to try is the Constellation Hercules II. My thought was that if John Curl could do what he did with the JC1+, I could only imagine what he could do building a cost no object amp such as the Hercules II (at 10X the price of the JC1+). I'll bet it would really be something to hear. Unfortunately, they are as rare as hen's teeth to hear in a good set-up, nor did I know a dealer that allowed me to explore their potential acquisition. The Gryphon was attractive because it provided the confidence that it could drive the crap out of anything it was connected to, and had a formidable reputation universally as an excellent sounding amplifier. In addition, it offered a design approach that was intriguing, which is namely, that it is a true Class A amplification device. I remembered years ago living with the Pass Aleph amps. I enjoyed something about their sound that was very appealing. But the Alephs were low powered units (40W). I always wondered what a no compromise, high powered Class A amp would sound like in my system. I guess I'm about to find out. In addition , Elliot facilitated a very workable deal which made the logistics easy, with the only exception being he did not provide the two NFL linebackers I had to hire to move the damn things into my room. Each Mephisto Solo is a 240 lb. beast.

I can't talk about sonics now as it's never useful to discuss this until break-in has occurred. All I will say is that the initial session last night was promising. However, it is noteworthy to say that the Mephistos are not just amplifiers. They are also room heaters. This can't be overstated. Frankly, they put out so much heat that most people will simply not be able to keep them in their listening room and be comfortable without air-conditioning, even in the winter. Fortunately, my amps are located in a room immediately behind the main listening room so that's not an issue for me. Plus, it provides a double benefit. With some new wooden benches, I can now use that room as a sauna. And of course, you can literally fry an egg on them. Breakfast in the sauna after a late night listening session, anyone? Come on by! Ah, the joys of owning high end gear.....
 

LL21

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Marty,

Welcome to the high powered Class A SS family! Really happy and hopeful for you. The Mephistos need (particularly in winter time) at least a few hours from off-the-truck to start showing promise...sounds like you may have already finished this process...and separately you will find that over the initial hours of plug-in while the capacitors get charged/up and running, you will hear more power and nuance at the same time. And that is before regular burn-in.

I think the Gryphon Mephisto is sensationally good...and I think that its bass is not just solid, powerful, limitless...it is also presented in such a way that it creates FOUNDATION to music which I think will address some of the comments you have made in the past. Pure conjecture on my part.

We shall see. Congrats and enjoy!
 
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MadFloyd

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Congrats, Marty! Glad you didn't have to wait too long to get something else in and I hope this works out for you!

Please let us know how break in goes.
 

Ron Resnick

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Congratulations, Marty! I am glad this journey is on the way to a happy conclusion!
 

cjfrbw

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Do birds drop out of the sky every time it goes on or off?
 

LL21

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Do birds drop out of the sky every time it goes on or off?
Yes, I can confirm that. And with monos...its TWICE as many birds! ;)
 

microstrip

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Congratulations Marty. Looking to read your impressions, although I would have loved to read your experienced comments on my favorites - the Hercules II.
 

asiufy

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I think Marty just likes the slam factor of the JC1+ better, which is a trait that its been always known for. I do think a low negative feedback amplifier and Wilson may not be as good a technical match though (and recently heard the Dart 108 on Wilson Alexx V).

If you'd like more midrange palpability than the JC1 in the interim for a base amp, I'd try Ampzillas which are inexpensive used. They have tremendous bass as well.
Catching up late on this thread... Using the 108 on Alexx V right now, and as long as it's in "low impedance mode", it's absolutely fantastic.
If using the 108 in the standard mode, indeed the 108 would show some frequency response aberrations (ie: sound thin).
 

LL21

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How are the Mephistos sounding tonight? Totally get not definitive at all...but nice to hear how its going as your earlier experience was so viscerally documented, would be interesting to get further initial color.
 

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