Alexx V arrive in NJ

[Mike Lavigne]

i like reviews and knowing that process is going on, and that i can plug into it and find additional data points. or be entertained. they feed my passions. i appreciate that these print and on line sites exist. i like reviewers as i have much in common with them. i think they support the hobby with a feedback loop and advertising structure for manufacturers.

they are easy targets for negativity and second guessing, and healthy skepticism is reasonable. there is a line somewhere on how our forum should treat reviewers......which we get mostly right. we need to not take ourselves so seriously.

some struggle with the idea of respect and just being nice. YMMV.

 

[RoyGregory]

Yes Ron, but if you take Roy's POV, the only way you both would have got the very best out of ALL THREE amps, is if Mike would have switched each in and out, while he moved his 4 towers EAs until each sounded at their best. However ABCing the three amps w the EAs in one spot just ain't cutting it.
And then there's you likely preferring one amp/EA position over Mike's preference.

Well, that's rather the point - you are either serious or you are not. You want to play with Big Boy's toys, take the time and trouble to do it properly.

To answer a few other questions:

Yes, the M10s went back months ago.
No, they didn't supply a Nordost power lead: each amp actually needs two power cords and I have plenty of my own.
There seems to be some confusion as regards the difference between 'indefensible' and 'unachievable'.
So far nobody seems to have addressed the fact (yes, fact) that you cannot separate the performance of the amp from the speaker from the room, so the whole single variable approach fails before you start.
What's the point of reviews and reviewers? They may not all be created equal, but they don't hide in the shadows and they should be in a position to take the requisite care over what they do. Moreover - they are answerable: if you really do have a beef, there's somewhere to post your complaint.

I have spent more time with M10s, with more different speakers, than pretty much anybody on the planet. In the spirit of offering information and ideas, I responded to this thread, because although this is an extreme example, it applies to a greater or lesser extent to almost every system I encounter. Some readers have experienced exactly what I've described while others have listened and thought about the issues it raises - and the possible solutions. A few don't seem interested in listening at all. Instead they appear threatened by any 'challenge' to their status quo and cosy belief systems, spend their time dismissing anything they don't agree with and trying to score points.

Shouldn't this be about quality? Quality of performance: system quality; quality debate? Be nice if it was, but hey-ho...

 

[Kingrex]

Extracting absolute performance from and amp, speaker, room combination is different than understanding the flavor an amp brings to a speaker. I have 5 amps at my house. There is no question how they differ and which are my preference. No amount of placement, cable tweeks is going to change the baseline voicing each brings.

Between the top two, I could optimize the interface of the amp to speaker and speaker to room to extract the most performance. But the amps still have a voice that does not change. Same for the 3 speakers I have. They all have a voice very distinct to themselves.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I can’t agree on this supposition that moving the Wilson’s will have a material impact on Marty’s overall assessment. Marty was clear that the bass from these CH amps wasn’t of sufficient quality even when he increased the feedback setting to the maximum. This indicates that the amplifier isn’t controlling the woofers optimally. Positioning them closer to wall / room boundaries might get some artificial room gain but it doesn’t change the struggle the amplifier is clearly having controlling those woofers to the degree that is achievable with the JC amplifier.

 

[andromedaaudio]

In a way i hope martys search hasnt ended yet ....
I hope Elliot will be able to provide Halcro Monos next year for marty to test as well

 

[matakana]

In a way i hope martys search hasnt ended yet ....
I hope Elliot will be able to provide Halcro Monos next year for marty to test as well

Be nice if Metaphacts would chime in, calling Metaphacts.

 

[dan31]

No need for any additional input about position. Marty is experienced and knows good sound/bass. The low impedance of the Alexx V explains everything.

 

[microstrip]

I used to find reviews entertaining, and to keep abreast of what is new. I also read them for the music reviews of reissues. I don't buy reissues any more. I let my subscriptions lapse years ago. Listening impressions like what Marty gave in this thread are more valuable, IMO. Fewer conflicts. I learned more in one week listening to four system in Utah with my own music than I did reading all the reviews and going to dealerships. At some point, you have to simply listen and decide for yourself. Exposure helps.

Surely if we narrow our choices and freeze in time things can become more simple. Probably as I become older sometime I will think as you. However currently my audiophile hobby has to support my musical preferences and most of my music is recorded post 1990, listening to it in its best conditions needs an open mind and evaluation of non vintage equipment - why not profiting for the current developments of stereo recording and reproduction?

Good reviews (and IMHO there are many around, suggesting that there are a lot of good reviewers around) are more than just opinions on sound quality. They can also present an human aspect of the reviewer experience, some audio suppositions and divagations, some history of the high-end and even some audio gossip. The more we known about the reviewer the more interesting can become his next review.

 

[Ron Resnick]

. . . most of my music is recorded post 1990, listening to it in its best conditions needs an open mind and evaluation of non vintage equipment - why not profiting for the current developments of stereo recording and reproduction?

. . .

Hello Francisco,

Perhaps you could start a new thread explaining your view of the relationship between music recorded after 1990 and why vintage equipment may not be the best way to reproduce it?

 

[rockitman]

Wow, Congrats !

 

[XV-1]

Hey Marty

Can you give 5 or 6 recordings that the M10's failed at providing excellent bass control and drive at.

was it rock in roll, jazz, electronic or everything?

 

[bonzo75]

Hey Marty

Can you give 5 or 6 recordings that the M10's failed at providing excellent bass control and drive at.

was it rock in roll, jazz, electronic or everything?

Dang I thought you were asking him to post phone recordings

 

[XV-1]

Dang I thought you were asking him to post phone recordings

you wish Ked one persons bass deficiency is another's bass boom. Ked, I would guarantee the bass each of us like may be completely different based on the music we listen to and the great music taste I possess compared to yourself- LOL

 

[bonzo75]

you wish Ked one persons bass deficiency is another's bass boom. Ked, I would guarantee the bass each of us like may be completely different based on the music we listen to

Sure I agree.

 

[abeidrov]

Hello Marty, could you give us any feedback about Mephisto monos? In my case it started sound like music after 2 weeks. I think you‘ve already had yours for 3-4 weeks? Hopefully, you have not returned them)

 

[christoph]

one reason all the amps that have gone through my room have been on the ground with stock cords. i don't want to add other variables to the mix.

That is how I do it as well, only ONE variable!
First find one or two finalists under the same circumstances and AFTER that, start optimizing.
A contestant that before (severely) underperforms, won't surpass the before better sounding contestants through optimizations and even less so when the winners are further optimized as well

 

[Cableman]

I never read magazines anymore to me there is no value , i have burned my fingers to many times .
To many new eras have come and gone , you can fool me 3 times but thats it .
However some reviewers that share your taste and are quit honest can be valueable .
I like marc mickaelson but its probably because he likes what i like lol.

I think JA stereophile does a good job , a combi of measurements and listening
For the rest its all talk
Best is to hear things for yourself

Some standarisation in reviewing would be good as you stated , bring in a more scientific approach

But but…if a magazine puts multiple Nordost cables on its FRONT COVER in just one calendar (multiple!!!) year then it MUST be correct no?

 

[andromedaaudio]

But but…if a magazine puts multiple Nordost cables on its FRONT COVER in just one calendar (multiple!!!) year then it MUST be correct no?

These are advertisement based magazines and if i look for example at HIFI +, it looks / reads like a well written nice magazine with a nice cover
I used to read them untill 2009 or so .
Just don t take everything literally , other wise you d have to change your gear completely every year to keep up .
I think magazines are a great addition to the industry , its naïve audiophiles thats the problem here afaic.
In holland we have nice magazines as well for example HVT / music emotion , nice people / enthousiasts.

 

[K3RMIT]

It’s an industry very much like here
same for cars and etc. to read and convince yourself it’s gospel of funny
but there is Almost always some truth in it for some

 

[Cableman]

These are advertisement based magazines and if i look for example at HIFI +, it looks / reads like a well written nice magazine with a nice cover
I used to read them untill 2009 or so .
Just don t take everything literally , other wise you d have to change your gear completely every year to keep up .
I think magazines are a great addition to the industry , its naïve audiophiles thats are the problem here afaic.
In holland we have nice magazines as well for example HVT / music emotion , nice people / enthousiasts.

So it didn’t bother you when as I recall around FIVE Nordost cables appeared on their front cover in I think a 12month period. Not even a whiff of WTF? No suspicion of something amiss whatsoever?
Oh and IMHO magazines and their often corrupted churnalist reviewers are an embarrassment to the hifi industry.