thinking to buy Luxman M900u mono , what other similar amps should i look? for Focal Maestro

KeithR

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The old Anats could certainly be considered bright and where the reputation came from (even see the measurements). The new hybrid tweeter on the Hailey 2 does make amp matching easier- on the 1s there was some brightness in certain combinations. I really haven't experienced that to date on the 2s.

I can change amps on just about any speaker and hear significant differences and there are always winners and losers. I can make any speaker sound dreadful :)
 

sbnx

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Mar 28, 2017
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Ha. Yeah it is all to easy to take a great speaker and mess it up.
 

ray-dude

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I beg to differ :) Your description is how our setups usually sound, but of course, YMMV and all that. Just saying there are multiple ways to skin that cat, and yeah, you can make them sound dreadful very easily too.

Alex and team spend an inordinate amount of effort getting things dialed in just so. Phase/time alignment is so crucial...really have to sweat the millimeters.

Absolute delight to visit with them in their listening room (and I'm eager for things to settle to the point where we can share a scotch again)
 
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Alrainbow

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To me the bigger deal with the way an amp handles bass is how much negative feedback it employs. (assuming both amps have sufficient current drive abilty) More negative feedback give a very tight, detailed bass. Some consider this "non-musical". Although, in reality bass is 90% room/setup dominated. We are just talking about how that last 10% sounds.

Many things can cause this , PSU too , much more than NFB ..
 

asiufy

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Don't you agree that "everyone" says YG's sound analytical, bright and strident. Mostly because this is how they are setup. The YG's can sound like whatever you want. Since Yoav designs them with a flat frequency response they take on the character of the setup.

I do agree.

I don't recall the exact dimensions, but it's something like 33 x 37.
 

asiufy

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Alex and team spend an inordinate amount of effort getting things dialed in just so. Phase/time alignment is so crucial...really have to sweat the millimeters.

Absolute delight to visit with them in their listening room (and I'm eager for things to settle to the point where we can share a scotch again)

Thanks, ray-dude. I was wondering if you were the Ray that was local to us, but now it seems you are indeed :)

We are back with regular hours, so you're welcome to stop by, when you're comfortable doing so :) Masks not optional, though...
 

ray-dude

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We are back with regular hours, so you're welcome to stop by, when you're comfortable doing so :) Masks not optional, though...

Would dearly like to Alex, but with 80 something year old parents to take care of, alas need to be extra careful these days. I hope you guys are well, and weathering the turmoil
 
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Thieliste

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Hi guys, i'm a little bit in the same boat as pelo911 trying to figure out what combo should i get to drive a pair of Borresen 03.
The 3 combos i have in mind are : Totaldac d1-Direct > Audionet Humboldt, Totaldac d1-Twelve > d1-Driver > Mephisto stereo or Totaldac d1-Twelve > d1-Driver > Dag S250.
Right now the Mephisto combo would be my choice but i'm open to what you guys have to say.
Thanks.
 
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Thieliste

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Forgot a fourth combo that i should consider : Totaldac d1-Twelve > d1-Driver > CH M1.1 stereo.
1 integrated amp combo and 3 DAC direct stereo amp combo.
 

tobiasrankin

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Wonder if a pass labs amp like X or XA series 0.8 would be a good pairing?

Also of a room that big maybe a subwoofer array crossed low and well integrated? PSA, JTR or REL?
 

Thieliste

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Anyone ever AB a D'agostino momentum or progression with the Luxman M900u?

Jay's Audio Lab on Youtube has had both in his system but i don't think he has AB directly.
 

asiufy

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Anyone ever AB a D'agostino momentum or progression with the Luxman M900u?

Yes, we have both a pair of Momentums and a M900u in the store. If you're in the area (SoCal), you're very welcome to stop by and hear them for yourself!

Two very different products, different price points, for different people/systems. No point in comparing one to the other.
 

Alrainbow

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Compared to DAG , yes ..! I find Vitus also like this, but hey , there’s a saddle combination for every horse ..

:)
 

jbrrp1

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I do think it is relative, especially to the horse you are trying to saddle. I'm running the M900u driving a pair of TAD CR-1's, and I would have liked it if the Luxman was even little softer/warmer. I addressed that need with a change to an ARC Ref 40 preamp. My system couldn't stay on song when I had the C900u preamp also in this mix - - too much of a "precise" and "revealing" sound. I love the TAD's, but they do require a bit of taming, and the Luxman gear doesn't bring enough of that softness/warmth to tame them. Just to add, the Luxman pre and amp have such virtues that they did get me pondering keeping them and searching for the right speakers to match. In the end, I decided the devil I knew, in the room I have, was the best course of action, so I stayed with the TAD's and swapped the preamps. Now the soup is pretty tasty!
 

tobiasrankin

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I do think it is relative, especially to the horse you are trying to saddle. I'm running the M900u driving a pair of TAD CR-1's, and I would have liked it if the Luxman was even little softer/warmer. I addressed that need with a change to an ARC Ref 40 preamp. My system couldn't stay on song when I had the C900u preamp also in this mix - - too much of a "precise" and "revealing" sound. I love the TAD's, but they do require a bit of taming, and the Luxman gear doesn't bring enough of that softness/warmth to tame them. Just to add, the Luxman pre and amp have such virtues that they did get me pondering keeping them and searching for the right speakers to match. In the end, I decided the devil I knew, in the room I have, was the best course of action, so I stayed with the TAD's and swapped the preamps. Now the soup is pretty tasty!

Wow first time I heard anyone complain luxmans were not soft enough, interesting. I guess the TADS are very bright?
 

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