Your Personal Top Three Speaker-Amp Combos That You've Actually Heard.

[Grady98]

Pass Labs 160.8 and GT Audioworks

Wilson Chronosonic XVX and D'Agostino Momentum amps

Thiel CS6 and Mcintosh 501's - my rig in my room.....

 

[microstrip]

Hang on...the most consistent proponent of maintaining the SAME manufacturer for preamp and amp says the best choice is ARC Ref40 + VTL Siegfried II? Assuming we run with the Siegfried given its legendary status...why not the VTL Series 3?

Particular conditions - my Transparent Opus ICs are tuned to the ARC preamplfier and I like the big sound, dynamics and bloom of the Audio Research Anniversary amplifier. The VTL 7.5 mkIII shows more detail and is more transparent, but is less enthusiastic. The fact that the Siegfried II can be tuned using eight distinct options helps this matching.

The be fair to VTL I must say I am not giving the 7.5 mk3 the proper chance to have a fair fight - my current Opus cables are a very poor mismatch with it, it has a solid state low impedance output buffer.

 

[LL21]

Pass Labs 160.8 and GT Audioworks

Wilson Chronosonic XVX and D'Agostino Momentum amps

Thiel CS6 and Mcintosh 501's - my rig in my room.....

Have you heard the XLFs? I am curious if you can make any comments about how they compare? Unless you were able to listen side by side, i understand that may be difficult...or perhaps not depending on how much of a leap forward they may be. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[Grady98]

Sorry LL21 I have no baseline since I haven't heard the XLF's.

 

[LL21]

Sorry LL21 I have no baseline since I haven't heard the XLF's.

Thanks for letting us know...I will try to hear the XVXs.

 

[morricab]

In no particular order (except the first two... they are the best I have heard):

Living Voice Vox Olympians/Elyssians with Kondo electronics
Aries Cerat Symphonia with Cerberus subs and Aries Cerat Electronics
Odeon Nr. 32 + Einstein OTLs and all Einstein electronics
Odeon Nr. 38 + Aries Cerat amps
Odeon La Boheme + Aries Cerat and Silvaweld electronics
Acoustat + direct drive amps
Acoustat + Silvaweld electronics (preamp, phono and OTL monos)
Acoustat + Acoustat (two pairs with active xover) + KR Audio
Apogee Grands driven with Diva passive crossover, Audio Research active crossover and Sphinx cd player and amps.
Apogee Divas with Kora tube electronics
Living Voice OBX-R + Einstein electronics (OTLs not hybrids)
Odeon Nr. 32 + Aries Cerat/Lampizator
Dynamikks Athos 10 + Aries Cerat
Western electric clone + AcousticPlan electronics
Ypsilon prototype speakers + Ypsilon electronics
Avantgarde Duo Omega + Thomas Mayer
Avantgarde Duo Omega + AudioPax/Lampizator

 

[infinitely baffled]

Focal Stella Utopias with Boulder 2060 power amp.
Boulder use Focal Grande Utopias so that's probably why

 

[Wardsweb]

Rockport Arrakis with 2 pairs of VTL Siegfried II's (Austin)
Apogee Duetta Signature with a pair of Spread Spectrum Technologies Ampzilla 2000 (San Antonio)
Wilson Audio Grand Slamm with a pair of Pass Labs (San Antonio)

 

[HughP3]

From Axpona 2019 Gryphon Trident II with all Gryphon components (which i later purchased). Next was Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD, Rockport Cygnus a ways back from AG but I liked to approach. I did not want to travel any more searching but should have auditioned AG Trio XD and Rockport Lyra. There are so many others, so difficult to hear them all...

 

[LL21]

Particular conditions - my Transparent Opus ICs are tuned to the ARC preamplfier and I like the big sound, dynamics and bloom of the Audio Research Anniversary amplifier. The VTL 7.5 mkIII shows more detail and is more transparent, but is less enthusiastic. The fact that the Siegfried II can be tuned using eight distinct options helps this matching.

The be fair to VTL I must say I am not giving the 7.5 mk3 the proper chance to have a fair fight - my current Opus cables are a very poor mismatch with it, it has a solid state low impedance output buffer.

Fair enough.

 

[LL21]

Rockport Arrakis with 2 pairs of VTL Siegfried II's (Austin)
Apogee Duetta Signature with a pair of Spread Spectrum Technologies Ampzilla 2000 (San Antonio)
Wilson Audio Grand Slamm with a pair of Pass Labs (San Antonio)

Like your selection here! I have never heard the Duetta but really always like the Stage.

 

[LL21]

From Axpona 2019 Gryphon Trident II with all Gryphon components (which i later purchased). Next was Avantgarde Duo Mezzo XD, Rockport Cygnus a ways back from AG but I liked to approach. I did not want to travel any more searching but should have auditioned AG Trio XD and Rockport Lyra. There are so many others, so difficult to hear them all...

Congrats! Which Gryphon electronics did you go for?

 

[Mdp632]

YG Acoustics Sonja XV - Driven by two pairs (4) Audionet Heisenberg Amps

Avalon Acoustics Saga - Spectral DMA-500

 

[musicfirst1]

Classics: Jadis JA200s on Infinity IRS Vs.

 

[HughP3]

Congrats! Which Gryphon electronics did you go for?

LL21 I am getting the EVO stereo amp. Have not decided on which Gryphon pre. Joe Cali is my guide (and dealer) in this full system build. He has suggested the Zena to replace my AR Ref6. However I may step up to the Pandora as this is a do it once and be done system.

 

[LL21]

LL21 I am getting the EVO stereo amp. Have not decided on which Gryphon pre. Joe Cali is my guide (and dealer) in this full system build. He has suggested the Zena to replace my AR Ref6. However I may step up to the Pandora as this is a do it once and be done system.

Congrats! That is quite a world-class system! Are you also going Gryphon digital source or are you using vinyl or tape?

 

[andromedaaudio]

And off course my own Full Range speaker , sounds fantastic sounds more relaxed right now without all the windows in Amsterdam .
Is capable of playing anything at any SPL.
Together with Convergent audio I hear nothing anymore I wanna change , just a better custom designed room in a room ( able to play as loud as I want at anytime) and possibly LAMM ML 3 pre power at one time

 

[christoph]

In no particular order (except the first two... they are the best I have heard):

Living Voice Vox Olympians/Elyssians with Kondo electronics
Aries Cerat Symphonia with Cerberus subs and Aries Cerat Electronics
Odeon Nr. 32 + Einstein OTLs and all Einstein electronics
Odeon Nr. 38 + Aries Cerat amps
Odeon La Boheme + Aries Cerat and Silvaweld electronics
Acoustat + direct drive amps
Acoustat + Silvaweld electronics (preamp, phono and OTL monos)
Acoustat + Acoustat (two pairs with active xover) + KR Audio
Apogee Grands driven with Diva passive crossover, Audio Research active crossover and Sphinx cd player and amps.
Apogee Divas with Kora tube electronics
Living Voice OBX-R + Einstein electronics (OTLs not hybrids)
Odeon Nr. 32 + Aries Cerat/Lampizator
Dynamikks Athos 10 + Aries Cerat
Western electric clone + AcousticPlan electronics
Ypsilon prototype speakers + Ypsilon electronics
Avantgarde Duo Omega + Thomas Mayer
Avantgarde Duo Omega + AudioPax/Lampizator

No more love from you anymore for:

hORNS Universum driven by KR Audio Kronzilla
and
Apogee Studio Grand driven by KR Audio VA 350 (aka Baby Kronzilla)

at all??

 

[HughP3]

Congrats! That is quite a world-class system! Are you also going Gryphon digital source or are you using vinyl or tape?

The plan is all digital (for now). Innous Statement feeding MSB Reference.

 

[nonesup]

LL21 I am getting the EVO stereo amp. Have not decided on which Gryphon pre. Joe Cali is my guide (and dealer) in this full system build. He has suggested the Zena to replace my AR Ref6. However I may step up to the Pandora as this is a do it once and be done system.

If when you get your Antileon Evo, you have the opportunity to try it with Ref6 and the Gryphon Pre Amp, I would very much like to hear your opinion.