Hi there guys. I am thinking of upgrading from 2150 monos to 3060 stereo. The monos have been working well. It is fast, precise, transparent. The only thing I do not like is the cymbal crashes and snares hits are a a little sharp and dry, and it shows on jazz tracks where cymbal and snares give that atmospheric feels like those Bill Evans albums (Waltz for Debby, Portrait In Jazz, etc.) Where I am the distributor here does not have a 3060 for demo. I emailed Boulder and got a reply saying that 3060 would sound a little more “round”. Have any of you listened to both? And do you think it would be worth it to upgrade from 2150 to 3060? Thank you and really appreciate your inputs.
Upgrading from 2150 to 3060?
- Thread starter Sule22
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You should find "Chuck" here who owns the YG Acoustics XV and drives them with the 3060 monos. PM him. My sense from those who own/have heard the 2 different Boulders is that your understanding is correct. Furthermore, for some reason, I have found with Gryphon stereo vs monos (have owned 3 different Gryphon stereos) and with D'Agostino monos vs stereo that [generally] the monos seem to have an exactitude vs the stereos, while the stereos tend to battle back the exactitude of the monos with a certain 'sweetness' that some prefer (including me...in fact, the Robert Koda K160s are the first monos I have ever owned).
It sounds like you might find same with the 3060 stereo and that 'sweetness' which may ameliorate the sharp/dry of the 2150 monos. The other place to look might be in your preamp. I suspect the 3060 gets you there, but preamps are always another place to look.
A pretty amazing stereo amp without doubt. Look forward to hearing what you decide.
It sounds like you might find same with the 3060 stereo and that 'sweetness' which may ameliorate the sharp/dry of the 2150 monos. The other place to look might be in your preamp. I suspect the 3060 gets you there, but preamps are always another place to look.
A pretty amazing stereo amp without doubt. Look forward to hearing what you decide.
What front end are you running? I would rather associate shart / dry HF with a digital front end (and look for an upgrade there) than the amps.
Thanks LL21 for your answer. I might pm Chuck and ask him. I like everything about the 2150 except for the sharp cymbal crashes and snare hits. Everything else is great, deep and wide soundstage, piano and other instruments sound exceptional and very accurate.
As for preamps, I have 3 preamps and have tried them all with the 2150 monos including a Pilium Olympus, Vac statement and one more 300b preamp. The Pilium is my least favourite when paired with the Boulder, with soundstage being quite narrow and closed sounding. Vac and my other 300b pre pairs really well with it and have really expansive soundstage that expands outside and deep behind the speakers and really make them disappear. I should also mention that I am using a pair of Alexia V and also liking them very much.
It is interesting that you mentioned the K160 monos as they are also on my list. The only thing that holds me back is the long waiting time of 1 year. As a matter of fact, I placed an order on a k15ex super ground and should receive them probably in April.
I also have a pair of tube amps, and when paired with the Vac and my 300b pre have the sound that I want when it comes to snares and cymbals, though the 2150s leave them behind in all the other departments. I therefore do hope that the 3060 has what I am looking for. I am willing to trade a little bit of the super fast transient attacks that the 2150 offers for just a little bit more “round” top end.
Congrats on all and a superlative list of equipment! I look forward to hearing what you think of the K15EX...I came from a long, long 20-years plus with the Conrad Johnson preamps...eventually finishing with the CJ GAT 2. And the K15EX Super Ground was just simply superior in every way and not close either. Very very pleased and consider myself very blessed to own one.
Meanwhile, I do think the 3060 will be in that direction...the question is whether it is 'enough' in that direction for you.
Meanwhile, I do think the 3060 will be in that direction...the question is whether it is 'enough' in that direction for you.
Thanks Elberoth for your reply. I am using EMM Labs dv2i as dac/streamer and also waiting for the arrival of the Taiko Olympus (I know it is going to take a while). I really like the EMM Labs as it does provide a very smooth, detailed sounds. My analog front also has that sharp cymbal and snare sound so I doubt it is the digital front being the reason. As explained in the post above, my other amps do not share that trait when paired with my sources so I think it is the 2150s quite likely being the reason. The reason I asked about the 3060 is that I really like everything else about my 2150s and really hope that the 3060 might be “it”.
Cymbal and snare should have a somewhat sharp sound. You may be getting exactly what’s in the recording. Easier to experiment with an IC to tune, Cardas Golden Cross have been a great way to tune treble hot systems in my past. Other IC’s have a bottom up balance as well. Sounds like you have a great set of amps!
Yes.
I don't like the distortion of tubes and you will not get that from the 3060. I ditched a tube preamp for a Boulder 1110. The jazz group Open Heart Trio ,with drummer Aaron Seeberg, performed live at CAF. There were plenty of cymbal crashes and snare hits. That is what the 3060 sounds like. It has been a long time since I decided to get the 3060 over 2150 or 2160. I went to the Boulder factory to hear the amps and the demo was a progression of 850s to 1050s, to 2150s (might have been 2050, don't recall) to 3050s (they did not have the 3060 in the demo room). The improvement was noticeable with each but the biggest gap was going from the 2150 to the 3050. At each step there was just more music from the recording. By the time I got to the 2150, which were great, I'm thinking that has to be all there is. Then the 3050s and "Seriously?" The 3060 has that same sound character.
Thanks! I am now using full loom Albedo and really like the sound. Huge improvement in my system over Transparent g6 XL and later Shunyata Omega when I demoed them at home. I am happy with my 2150s, and really just nitpicking. I really like the Boulder in my system, and that is also why I am thinking of climbing the ladder, to get more of what I already like really.
Thanks for your insight Chuck. If the change from 2 series to 3 series is that big then I think I cannot be wrong moving in that direction.
Thank you for your insight regarding the K15EX. Now I cannot wait for its arrival.
Regarding the 3060, I also think I am heading into the right direction. In fact, I am already happy with my 2150s, and that little shift might be all I need. I will not expect too much if I order the 3060, but if the change is really that big as Chuck described then that is quite insane.
Intuitively, I do suspect the 3060 is a pretty insanely good amp and would not be at all surprised if lots of areas are improved upon relative to your still fantastic 2150 monos.
Look forward to hearing what you think of the K15EX. I have written quite a lot here about the Robert Kodas (preamp and mono amps). Feel free to ask if you have any questions there. After living with the big Gryphon Class A amps (Antileon, Colosseum and then Mephisto) for over 12 years consecutively, I have been absolutely delighted with the Robert Kodas.
I have just pulled the trigger on the 3060 and it is going to arrive in March if everything go as plan. The K15EX on the other hand will arrive in mid April according to Chris Leung of Audio Exotics. Really, really excited right now and will definitely share my thoughts with you regarding the K15EX as a preamp and K15EX/3060 as a combo.
W-O-W! That is great news! Hugely exciting. Very much look forward to hearing how it goes. I am particularly intrigued by the combination of K15EX and 3060. In theory, it should phenomenal. But interactions are never 100% predictable, and further the quality of what you have the potential to hear is so so high...you really want that interaction to be flawless.
What I can say is that the CJ GAT 2 and K15EX both worked exceptionally well with the Gryphon Mephisto Stereo. The K15EX far superior but genuinely enjoyed both.
Very excited to read more!
I have heard a lot of preamps but I don't think I have heard the Koda preamp. It does not appear to be distributed in the USA. Perhaps the OP could borrow a Boulder 1110 preamp from his dealer after he gets the Koda and do a comparison through the 3060. The 1110 is the best single box preamp I have heard. Cutting edge surface mount tech vs. top traditional design. The 1110 has the cost-no-object volume control developed for the 3010. I don't think the Koda can beat the 1110 but I don't know. Of course, the 1110 has a very nice remote.
Not sure about the 1110, but I know the distributor here has a 2110 and was willing to lend it out for demo. When the 3060 arrives I will ask to borrow a Boulder preamp from them, be it 1110, 2110 or 3010, would be an interesting comparison vs the K15EX.
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