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Thread: A Visit To Malvern Audio Research

  1. #41
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by George47 View Post
    Justin,

    Looks like you had a great day.

    I have heard the big horns twice and once they were OK and on the second occasion they were excellent. I guess the new Lampizator DAC and the valve power amps helped no end on the second occasion. They were also in a much better and bigger room allowing the horns a chance to really energize things. That looks like an impressive set of amplifiers and like you I have a soft spot for the bigger valve amps with 211s and /or 845s. Unfortunately because they use high voltages the size of the transformers gets to be very large/expensive. But boy do they do dynamics and power as well as a lot of the finesse of 300Bs.

    I was using the Hattor this afternoon with the Takman Rex resistors. Although more than the Khozmo I like the use of balanced inputs and outputs, remote control and balance controls. Although they are Ł1.5K the sound quality and convenience is great and I doubt any active up to many ŁKs more can have that transparency. Would really like to hear these horns with the big speakers. Like the piccies.
    Not sure what you meant by the penultimate sentence.

    But yeah, I used a very good passive for years. Jerry liked it more than my current active effort. I might plug it back in.

    Kev's AN 211s are very good, I guess you know them well. Must give him a ring haven't spoken for a while.

    Anyway I just got back from a holiday and listening to my system for the first time since a long time ago (before the MAR visit), It is totally fucked up astonishingly fast. The result of an absolute mass of magnets and relatively very light weight diaphragms in a super rigid frame. The net result being incredible force per unit area when some current flows over the aluminium.

    Not everyone's cup of tea but I an just sitting here thinking Jesus H. Christ. This is fuckin' nuts! Information overload on the grandest scale. Rather different from my first pair of Duettas you heard.

    Not for the faint hearted!

  2. #42
    Join Date: Jun 2011

    Location: cardiff

    Posts: 266
    I'm Tristan.

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    Justin - tried to message you but your inbox is full.

    Tristan

  3. #43
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

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    I'm Dennis.

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    I also stay with SS amplification Barry, though I used valves throughout the 60s and into the early 70s, and built several amps with them. I only knew of Mullard and Brimar valves back then, both regarded as good.

    I visited Audionote around 2000, and the wife of the owner said that the Avant Guard Trios' performance, which they had there, were prone to ambient temp or humidity variation.
    I agree that the OC9 is a bit toppy.

  4. #44
    Join Date: Mar 2011

    Location: Reading

    Posts: 110
    I'm George.

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    Quote Originally Posted by User211 View Post
    Not sure what you meant by the penultimate sentence.

    But yeah, I used a very good passive for years. Jerry liked it more than my current active effort. I might plug it back in.

    Kev's AN 211s are very good, I guess you know them well. Must give him a ring haven't spoken for a while.

    Anyway I just got back from a holiday and listening to my system for the first time since a long time ago (before the MAR visit), It is totally fucked up astonishingly fast. The result of an absolute mass of magnets and relatively very light weight diaphragms in a super rigid frame. The net result being incredible force per unit area when some current flows over the aluminium.

    Not everyone's cup of tea but I an just sitting here thinking Jesus H. Christ. This is fuckin' nuts! Information overload on the grandest scale. Rather different from my first pair of Duettas you heard.

    Not for the faint hearted!
    What I meant was I would like to hear the large horns with the large Ming Da power amplifiers. Real dynamics.

    I like what passives do and also dislike what they do not do. They are incredibly detailed, transparent and give a great 3D soundstage but some reduce dynamics and they can sound 'flat'.

    Yes the AN211s do sound superb but Kev now has a SS pre and power amplifier !! A great challenger.

    Your speakers were a total surprise for me with an electrostatic clarity and real dynamics and bass.

    As we crash into 2018 it is interesting to see that the valve lover has never had such a great collection of products to choose from. The wide range of Chinese amplifiers with superb amps that are very high value with a lot of internet specials that are errr... less good. I borrowed some Consanance 211s and they sound really, really good and were not that expensive.

  5. #45
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by clap View Post
    Justin - tried to message you but your inbox is full.

    Tristan
    Cleared now Tristan.

  6. #46
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pharos View Post
    I also stay with SS amplification Barry, though I used valves throughout the 60s and into the early 70s, and built several amps with them. I only knew of Mullard and Brimar valves back then, both regarded as good.

    I visited Audionote around 2000, and the wife of the owner said that the Avant Guard Trios' performance, which they had there, were prone to ambient temp or humidity variation.
    I agree that the OC9 is a bit toppy.
    That's interesting did she say why?

    I honestly think ambient temperature affects mine. If you look at how Kapton and aluminium are affected by temperature there's no reason why they should be but my ears tell me otherwise. In a cold room it is rare that I think they sound as good as they can. Curious indeed.

  7. #47
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by George47 View Post
    What I meant was I would like to hear the large horns with the large Ming Da power amplifiers. Real dynamics.

    I like what passives do and also dislike what they do not do. They are incredibly detailed, transparent and give a great 3D soundstage but some reduce dynamics and they can sound 'flat'.

    Yes the AN211s do sound superb but Kev now has a SS pre and power amplifier !! A great challenger.

    Your speakers were a total surprise for me with an electrostatic clarity and real dynamics and bass.

    As we crash into 2018 it is interesting to see that the valve lover has never had such a great collection of products to choose from. The wide range of Chinese amplifiers with superb amps that are very high value with a lot of internet specials that are errr... less good. I borrowed some Consanance 211s and they sound really, really good and were not that expensive.
    In my system I have never found a loss of dynamics when using a passive, but many say they have that issue with them. I actually think I lose a bit of speed with my active, but gain some added space and air from, to put it simply, added valve distortion. What else can it be?

    Apogees can reproduce square waves quite well compared to many loudspeakers (and many are hopeless at it) so they definitely are fast at tracking signal input.

    Another thing is I find I need some gain with about 5% of recordings that are recorded at a fair amount lower than average level.

    I take it your are referring to Kev's Pass kit and the Cyber 211 Kev had for review. He seemed to love that one for the money.

  8. #48
    Join Date: Mar 2011

    Location: Reading

    Posts: 110
    I'm George.

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    Quote Originally Posted by User211 View Post
    In my system I have never found a loss of dynamics when using a passive, but many say they have that issue with them. I actually think I lose a bit of speed with my active, but gain some added space and air from, to put it simply, added valve distortion. What else can it be?

    Apogees can reproduce square waves quite well compared to many loudspeakers (and many are hopeless at it) so they definitely are fast at tracking signal input.

    Another thing is I find I need some gain with about 5% of recordings that are recorded at a fair amount lower than average level.

    I take it your are referring to Kev's Pass kit and the Cyber 211 Kev had for review. He seemed to love that one for the money.
    I also have a nice TVC pre (Allegri) and that does not suffer from the dynamics issue. The Hattor works well with the Nord (Class D) and an ARC Ref 110 I had. Extra space could come from microphony and possibly a bit of added hiss?

    Yes Kev (and I) have the Pass XA30.8 power amp. The Cyber 211 was a great amp, a little crude but still a great listen.

  9. #49
    Join Date: Jan 2013

    Location: Bristol

    Posts: 6,843
    I'm Justin.

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    Quote Originally Posted by George47 View Post
    I also have a nice TVC pre (Allegri) and that does not suffer from the dynamics issue. The Hattor works well with the Nord (Class D) and an ARC Ref 110 I had. Extra space could come from microphony and possibly a bit of added hiss?

    Yes Kev (and I) have the Pass XA30.8 power amp. The Cyber 211 was a great amp, a little crude but still a great listen.
    The valves in the pre show no microphony issues from tap tests with very high preamp gain. I've got a few valves that do but generally they're not in use. It is also dead quiet as preamps go. So I'm in favour of it just being what I said it was. I cannot prove it though.

    Pass Labs Minion Edition I always think of them as. Enjoy. Never heard an XA but if I am honest I have never liked sound of any Pass Labs amp. But I have never heard an XA and that might be notably different from the few I have heard. Even if it isn't I wouldn't worry about what I think. It's a personal journey...

  10. #50
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

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    No she was not very specific Justin, she saying that they were affected by the environment other then the acoustic one.

    The real trouble is that we as listeners are very affected by how comfortable we feel, and so environmental change affects us, and subconsciously, and we may not recognise that effect as separate from the system changes.

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