Dan D'Agostino Relentless Mono Power-amplifier

[microstrip]

yeah...seen it in the flesh..and whilst i can understand the economic sales logic...customer wants...prepared to pay...dCS provides....still feel it diminishes the brand

as I have never seen dCS as bling...

serious digital engineering yes.....shiny bobbles ....not so much ...YMMV

I can't see how a luxurious quality finish diminishes the brand ... Although I would not like to have my stack in gold, it is a question of personnel taste and I respect other people liking. DCS have other expensive special finishes that I would not mind owning, although I did not want to pay for it purely for monetary reasons.

These expensive brands respect and try to match the esthetic preference of a few of their possible clients, for whom money is not an issue. Why are they "diminishing the brand"?

 

[microstrip]

(....) Thus there is a convolution between form and function, where many manufacturers would claim their expensive casework is not just for looks but also for function...this is quesitonable and often is. (...)

As questionable as using several tens of kilograms of iron to power a device consuming a few watts ...

More seriously, long ago a friend and I built some famous amplifier replicas for ourselves, using factory supplied service modules. At that time we found that just using different heatsinks changed their sound. This has opened my mind to this kind of debates.

Non believers should try an old test. Open your amplifier, connect it to a 4 ohm 100W power resistor and drive it at the levels you would use to drive your speakers very loud. Then listen in silence. If there is any sound, it means that some energy is being robed from the electrical signal, probably distorting it.

 

[BMCG]

Why are they "diminishing the brand"?

To my ears, i'd prefer to see dCS continue to advance the frontier of digital reproduction, as they 've done for much of their history

Granted this is me as technologist ...as opposed to marketer ... and I dare say the dCS bottom line benefits from the upgraded finishes..but to me their brand is: digital reproduction excellence.

It mildly bothers that they brought the external finishes to market as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations rather than say a new digital innovation that advanced my listening pleasure.

In search of an analogy....i've just seen the latest Porsche GT2 RS up close..it is as if, hewn from a solid ingot, i love the engineering...some might see the outrageous rear wing and over wrought front air intakes as bling...to me they shape air under extreme conditions to blitz the 'Ring.....i get form shaped to fulfil function, Bauhaus....it's logical ...

 

[thedudeabides]

Your position is that audio is different from watches or similar luxury purchases. Why would anyone buy a Patek or Vacheron when a $90 Casio sync'd to a atomic clock is guaranteed to keep better time. So it isn't a price/performance issue.

With all due respect, I wonder if you would feel different if you didn't own D'ag amps. Regarding hi-end watches, I must admit I've never understood the "bling / look at me" factor.

 

[Elberoth]

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Dammit, now I’ve got an audio boner! I love the look!

 

[knghifi]

I've been a fan of Dan's since his Krell days. To my ear, Agas line is a MAJOR MAJOR improvement over Krells. My reservation, Dan is 80+ years old so what's going to happen to Agas company when time is up? Will service be available? There's only one Dan Agastino so will it transition similar to Ayre?

 

[still-one]

With all due respect, I wonder if you would feel different if you didn't own D'ag amps. Regarding hi-end watches, I must admit I've never understood the "bling / look at me" factor.

If I didn't own D'Agostino gear any manufacturer I considered would still have to have to provide nice industrial design. I am not going to sit and listen for hours on end and stare a something that isn't pleasing to both my eyes and ears. I don't want to offend anyone so I won't comment on products I would never own due to their industrial design no matter how great they sound.

 

[thedudeabides]

I agree that gear can be aesthetically pleasing and, like art, it's all subjective. IMO, the most prominent piece of any system is the speakers and those should hopefully be "eye candy" for the listener.

My gear has always been "off to the side" of my speakers so I never pay much visual attention to it.

 

[still-one]

I agree that gear can be aesthetically pleasing and, like art, it's all subjective. IMO, the most prominent piece of any system is the speakers and those should hopefully be "eye candy" for the listener.

My gear has always been "off to the side" of my speakers so I never pay much visual attention to it.

With a few a of my past speakers being Dahlquist DQ-10's, B&W 802D's, MBL 111F's and now X2's by speakers have always been oddly designed.

 

[thedudeabides]

I also owned the DQ 10's with the Sequerra "cyclops" ribbon tweeter (my first hi-end speaker) and the MBL 116. Odd indeed.

 

[GaryProtein]

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I could go for three pair of the Relentless for my active three way system and I wouldn't even give a second thought to the $750K to buy them, but I just don't feel like upgrading the air conditioning in my listening room to handle the added heat.

 

[Sharp 1080]

I could go for three pair of the Relentless for my active three way system and I wouldn't even give a second thought to the $750K to buy them, but I just don't feel like upgrading the air conditioning in my listening room to handle the added heat.

Ha,ha Gary! The Relentless won't heat up the room like tube monoblocks can in a matter of minutes. My Progression monoblocks are barely warm to the touch.

 

[KeithR]

what's funny is I'd rather have the new Pass XA25 for a spin rather than these hulks. Maybe monoblock 'em even if possible

 

[Zero000]

Saw the Relentless today at Munich. It is a huge beast.

It wasn't playing.

 

[Zero000]

Here we go here's a mobile phone video of it.

 

[thedudeabides]

I wouldn't even give a second thought to the $750K to buy them, but I just don't feel like upgrading the air conditioning in my listening room to handle the added heat.

If they run cool and you don't have to upgrade your AC system, like another post indicated, why don't you buy them?