First report (30 hours): The Reds arrived yesterday, giving me 27 hours before my ATC 40A active speakers would turn into 50A's, which is why I started the fuses there, replacing Audio Magic Ultimate Premier's. Right out of the box, the imaging and clarity improved, incrementally but clearly, and pianos tonally sounded even more like the real thing. At the same time, the sound was very smooth. But as often happens with the latter, it was not particularly full of body (air) or life, i.e., thin and flat sounding. By this morning, the good qualities stood out even more, while there were some signs of body and life, although still on the thin side. At least they were showing potential, although contrary to QSA, 24 hours burn in doesn't cut it (no surprise there).
With a few hours left before the ATC 50's arrived, the next step was to move the Reds to the Lampi TRP dac and Supratek Cabernet preamp, replacing their AM UP and an SR Orange fuses -- with the AM's back in the speakers. With that, came a big surprise: the Reds made absolutely no difference over the previous fuses. In this case, it seems the amp (speakers) was the place to start. But what about the sources?? Puzzling...
So now I have new speakers that need two or three weeks of burn in themselves, while the dac is likely off to Poland for repairs and upgrades (a cheap Schiit will fill in). In the meantime, I'll move one or both Reds around and see what turns up, and report back once everything settles.
