You are already more than satisfied yourself. I use Stillpoints myself under the Vitus gear. The combination is practically the gold standard. But I have always had the impression that the combination is not quite optimal. There should be more in it. But I can't say which feet would be the better choice. Shun Mook Diamond Resonators didn't convince me. I need to get my act together and finally do a big loan and a test weekend to find the best feet.
Vitus SM-103 Monos Demo
- Thread starter Audire
- Start date
Interesting. Maybe down the road I’d try Critical Mass Center Stage or Symposium Rollerblock 2+ … But at present I’m going to keep them as is.
In my experience there is a special synergy between my Vitus 030 and the four Stillpoint Ultra 6s that I use. Definitely better than the previous Ultra 5s.
I would not be surprised if the same synergy was present with the SM monos and linestage.
Thank you for this feedback and congrats!
Speaking of the Ideon Absolute + reclocker (I have the Absolute Epsilon), I listened to an extravagant, two-box version of the reclocker (A-Time "Signature", or "Evo"..., or something along those lines). The sonic result with the normal reclocker is very good indeed, but this thing was amazing -- and I am not known for my superlatives!
You may want to check it out one of these days...
Many thanks. Thanks for the input - extremely helpful. Another satisfied Ideon owner!
I have a friend that has an Ideon Absolute DAC + Clock. He’s tried many DACs in his system, including my EMM and a mutual friend‘s MSB Select II. In his system, the Absolute + Clock is hands down the winner. Three Femto clocks, and exceptional playback. It‘s really good. However, with my old amps our EMM DA2 V2 won the day. But I’m thinking now that with the better Class A power that a different DAC such as the Absolute + Clock will sound better now.
We have a lot of testing to do. Oz desires me to try his Thrax DAC as well. That’s supposed to be a treat and one I haven’t heard before.
Thanks again.
Joe, beautiful amps ! Keep us posted on your findings. Would love to hear them in your room.
Does the switch go between Class A and AB, or does it do something else? Does it change the output wattage?
What type of music do you listen to the most?
Hi
The switch goes between Class AB and Class A. When you first turn the amp on it is in AB. When you press the button it goes into Class A.
In AB they consume 126W and in Class A 215W of power. First ~30W of Class AB are Class A. They deliver: ~200W Class A / ~200W Class AB into 4 ohm speakers.
As far as music I enjoy vocals, jazz and soft rock. I listen to a little Classical, but not much.
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I bought the Shun Mook Diamond Resonators about 20 years ago. I used Giants with the ASR Emitter 2 amp (only under the amp, not under the three power supplies). And I had the old ( = bigger) Supers under the Wadia 830. Speakers were HGP Fuga ST (out of business). That worked great. Then came the Giants under the SIA025 and the Super under the SCD025 with Gauder RC7 speakers. This was not a good pairing. Mpingo discs also "work" only on the Gauder speakers, but not on the Vitus gear.
Stillpoints, Ansuz Darkz or Harmnoix are similar in character, Shun Mooks are quite different.
The Gauder and Vitus Masterpiece pairing at Munich used to be brilliant, even in show conditions.
I think SIA 25 has a lot of screws below making it difficult to place the SM?
My SIA025 Mk II has mainly recessed screws on the bottom. Only 2 screws look out. 3 large feet are not a problem.
Congratulations Audire! We just installed a full Vitus Masterpiece system for a customer. (Masterpiece stereo amp, Pre-amp, Phono pre, DAC and Transport) Out of the crate it sounded amazing - but like most high powered audio gear - it takes burn-in time for them to reach their pinnacle of performance (around 300 hours) in my experience. We are a Vitus dealer in CA and just took delivery of the Masterpiece stereo amp, pre-amp and phono pre-amp. Haven't installed it yet - but I am anxious to hear it in our own listening room.
Please keep us updated on how things are sounding.
Happy listening,
Ken
Please keep us updated on how things are sounding.
Happy listening,
Ken
We will be going with Vitus Masterpiece Line-stage and CD.
Once broken in the sound of Vitus is beyond description. It’s “the“ natural sound we’ve been seeking. We’ve reached the end of our audiophile journey seeking a set of amps. We are in awe! Well done Vitus!
Once broken in the sound of Vitus is beyond description. It’s “the“ natural sound we’ve been seeking. We’ve reached the end of our audiophile journey seeking a set of amps. We are in awe! Well done Vitus!
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Congrats on your new components. May I ask which line stages and CD players you managed to try before making your decision? Any comparisons, thoughts you could share would be much appreciated. Many thanks
Sir,
Congratulations on your new acquisition. It has been a joy reading your journey. Your enthusiasm bleeds through your words, and this is the enthusiasm of an experienced audiophile genuinely gushing about a real magic.
Did you mention what amps these replaced? And have you auditioned any other amps on this journey to Vitus?
It is also interesting, in my amateur and limited audiophile experience, how the MSB Select II DAC has apparent rivals in its price range. Just when I thought I knew what digital trajectory I as on … my little digital world makes no sense anymore. Stereophile did not even mention any MSB product in its 2022 Prodcuts of the Year nor even an Editor‘s Choice, bestowing honors on the new dCs (gasp!) Rossini Apex. My digital reset has begun.
Anyway, THANK YOU for sharing. Be blessed by your musical nirvana.
Many thanks. We are just beginning to look for a different line stage, DAC, and CD. I have a Thrax Pre and DAC coming next week.
Our DAC testing will hopefully include the Horizon DAC, Ideon Absolute E & Time, Thrax Maximinus, Aqua HiFi Formula xHD DAC, Playback Designs MPD-8 Dream DAC, and Berkeley Alpha DAC Series 3. We’ve already eliminated the MSB Select II, Reference, and Luxman from further consideration. We already own the EMM DA2V2 DAC and it is our current reference point to compare against others.
As far as Line stages we will be trying the Thrax Pre and Vitus Master Piece. We’ve already tried the Vitus Signature Pre and the jury is still out on it.
As far as CD we currently own the EMM, and have eliminated the Playback Designs and Luxman. We will hopefully demo the Vitus Masterpeice CD and the Kalista DreamPlay.
Many thanks. Before we switched to the Vitus SM-103s, we tried a variety of other amps, including MSB, Gyrphon, Westminster Labs REIs, Pass Labs, and a few others. Once the 103s broke in the decision was immediately clear. You can’t unhear them, so nothing else would do.
I think MSB makes some great amps, but for me both their DACs and amps lack the warmth of natural sound. Not everyone is the same, so I can understand why some would like them. Our EMM DAC just barely edged out the Select II in our earlier testing. This said, I could have lived with the Select II, but it wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t know that they weren’t even recognized in the 2022 products of the year - I guess I need to read my copy. They did just come out with their Director. So, this may change the sound for the better.
Did you compare the Thrax power amps - would love the opportunity to listen to a Heros - Dionysos combo & a Vitus combo in the one room...
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