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You may remember me, I contact you some time ago when in the market for a new CD player, after seeing your review of the Meridian G08, which was high on my list. Thing is I bought finally... a new car (my wife) but now I am again looking for a replacement for my (French) Helios CD model 1 player. My system (just to freshen memory) has then a MF Audio "passive" pre, Pass power amp and Nautilus 803 speakers. I had a G08 in my system for a week, I found it good, sweet, with very precise and defined soundstaging and detail. A different thing than my Helios (it is nice, much more "passional", less precise). This weekend I had at home what my confidence-dealer told me is "the" big step forward, the T+A D10 (nothing to do with other T+A players btw, valve output stage and SACD stereo). In their system (shop) it bettered a MF SACD. At home (my system): nice, there is obviously more information thrown at one's ears (soundstage more full, small informations clearer), voices in particular are more real, it is sweet, soundstage deep, it is precise (but if memory serves less than G08). I can say it is a better player overall than my Helios but... 6000 euros better? I think I can say G08 may be 3000 euros better, but... Sorry for the literature, let's go: I understand you still have the G08 with you and I read here and there (your reviews) than you are far from thinking to replace it. I heard (net) some transport troubles (mine worked flawlessly for a week). So I can guess you will advice me to go for the G08. I can go higher in price, but only being sure to have a "reward"... The new dcs P8i is a bit out of my reach, however, but from there downwards, any player that I "must" try before deciding? Many thanks in advance for your help. Best Regards, Josep Armengol
Hi Joseph, Indeed I do remember. Good to hear from you again. I hope the new car has a good stereo in it! Was the G08 player fully run in when you tried it. You'll need at least 200 hours on the clock to hear it at its best. As for the T+A I have a high regard for their designs, particularly the top of the line models. Very serious engineering. I'm not usually a fan of top loaders but in this instance, as with the Rega and Chord designs, there are no loose lids to worry about so it's as easy to use as a front loader. I will reserve judgment until I've had the D10 for extended listening. Meanwhile my strong recommendation for the G08 remains. I have yet to hear better at the price or even twice the price. Enjoy the music, Phil Gold
Exciting stuff for the price of admission !!! I'm in Australia and the local importer opted for the 845 version of these CYBER Series amps, I'm blown away with my 89dB Meadowlark Kestrel 2's and the 845, after my time with Bryston mono blocks...but I ponder how much difference there might be between the 211 and the 845, the importer has stated that the 845 has most aspects of the 211 but with 28 watts on tap, offers somewhat greater dynamic ability and matching for lower sensitivity speakers such as mine or others in general...I'm very taken by the 845 but don't want to commit to it over the 211, however he only gets the 211 in as special order apparently...any opinions here or rolling suggestions for the 845 if I can't get to audition the 211 version without a commitment to buying ? Your feedback is much appreciated, Cheers, Mr. Luc Allen
Hi Luc, There have been debates to which tube is better that has gone on for many years pertaining to the 845 or the 211. My preference is for the 211. Specifically, the GE VT4C version of the tube. One could go endlessly tube swapping, of course, achieving various results. So as to which is 'better,' the better one is the one you prefer in your system. So when you say "I'm blown away with my 89dB Meadowlark Kestrel 2's and the 845," then the answer may be obvious. Just sit back, relax and smile with the 845, and as always in the end what really matter is that you... Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
I just clicked back and read your review of the Meridian CD player from 2004 - good job. My thought is on how CD, not SACD nor DVD-Audio, won the format war. The reasons are clear - BOTH of these "hi-rez" formats were handicapped technically and the reasons are complicated. While I won't go into that topic here, I WILL say that good 'ol Redbook is sounding better than ever, better than many of us thought was possible !! I highly recommend that you spend some time with the Reimyo CD player, the latest unit from Edge or more to your liking, Meridian's top of the line unit - their 20th anniversary player. Of course, there are others but these players have redefined for me what digital playback can do. In fact, I sold my Clearaudio Master Reference turntable to buy the super-sounding Reimyo. This New Era of Digital must be accompanied by both state of the art AC filtration and resonance control, however. I'm using the Nordost Thor AC unit and Grand Prix's equipment rack and supports, respectively. These other "forces" can make a night and day difference in the sound of high-resolution digital playback. I'm also playing CDR's pressed with the RealityCheck transfer unit - yet another secret weapon in the max-out-digital-arsenal. Believe it !!! John P.
Hi John, I could have written much of this letter myself. I have heard very few players that approach the level of the Meridian G08, but the Reimyo is certainly a great unit and the Meridian 8000 Signature Reference CD Player is the very best Redbook I've heard. I have heard superb SACD, especially from Esoteric, but in the price range of the G08, nothing to touch it so far. I also agree with your assessment of the Thor. However, I'm not ready to give up on vinyl just yet. Enjoy the music, Phil
Best, Ron Hyman
Hi Ron, Although it will probably cost you a lot more, I believe the Wadia is in a higher performance category, and is built like a tank. Wadia also has a tradition of making upgrades available to its customers, so it should be a good long term bet. Enjoy The Music, Phil Gold
Great zine! Thanks for all the insight your articles have given me. Always, all the best, Jim Spencer
I'm writing to ask a (kinda) brief stereo question regarding meadowlarks. I'm currently in a position financially to upgrade my system, and I'm leaning heavily towards getting a pair of meadowlarks (sadly, I can't listen in advance, so I'm a bit nervous...). Currently I'm running a Cairn Fog 2 CD player through a Krell 300il integrated amp into a pair of Spica tc-60s. My father runs a Cal Audio Labs Icon MK II CD player to an audio-research SP-8 preamp to a pair of VTL compact 100 monoblocks to Spicas. I mention this because in some comparison testing, I've found that the two systems, understandably enough, sound quite different, but that the much maligned Krell compares favorably (although it's not as good, in my view, even accounting for the relative merits) to the other amplification, provided one bypasses the preamplification stage. I've done this by using a direct XLR feed from the cairn (although damping the volume directly on the cairn greatly reduces the sonic quality). At any rate, my central disappointment with my current system is with a certain lack of bass extension and with an inability to deal with demanding symphonic music. I generally like phase-coherent speakers, although I dislike Thiels intensely. So, it's been suggested that I have a look at the meadowlark ospreys or shearwater hotrods. As I can't listen to either, and I can find a pair of either for about $2K, I was wondering if you had any views on the relative merits of each. I've read your helpful reviews of the ospreys, but I don't have a good sense if I would be losing anything by choosing them over the shearwaters. I am extremely fond of the Spicas, but their limitations are such that I'm losing the lowest notes on a piano, organ music, and even certain very low voices. That said, I'm not a bass nut, and it doesn't take much to extend the 60Hz (generously measured) bottom end of the Spica range. I intend, in time, to get a balanced preamp, perhaps the sonic euphoria plc or some other suitably transparent component. Sorry for the long bit of info. Any thoughts on the two different sets of meadowlarks would be a great help for a rather large investment. Best, Andrew Reisner
Hi Andrew, Either of the Meadowlarks you mention would be a significant improvement over the Spicas, certainly in the bass at least. You should be aware, however, that Meadowlark Audio, most regrettably, went out of business about a year ago. So you would need to look for used models; not a great risk in my opinion, as the drivers are still available as far as I know. Good luck in your quest, Wayne
I've enjoyed your writeups before, but haven't formally gotten on to your mailing list. Keep up the good work. John Stone
We value your audio expertise! Thank You! Jeff Rauso PS: Nice review on the Maggie 3.6's. Evaluating dynamic speakers in the $10k range, Maggies are the best deal in the high end!
For many years you have written passionately and clearly about tube equipment made by this company and others. I pulled out some back issues of Fi where I found your contributions, and believe remembering contributions by you to other magazines before that. I like your writing; I can follow it and agree or not, rather than fighting for understanding as I do with some writers in this field. I have recently encountered some difficulties in my listening experiences. I was forced to start hunting for a replacement for my venerable AGI 511A when, over the course of the Christmas holidays and in front of my family: wife, brother, daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters, the signal would start to fade on one side and die out altogether. I have been having trouble with the push-to-make, push-to-break switches for many years and this was the last straw. On a lark, I thought I might bring it to a fellow in Clifton Park who some months ago was sent to my house by the local rep for Nottingham Analogue Studio to adjust the cueing on my turntable's arm. Lo and behold, he determined the cause of this long time anguish to be cold solder joints, re-soldered everything on the back board, and the thing has been brought back to life. It sounds the way I remember it from years ago. Marvelous. That is not the end of the story. I am still encountering difficulties so I have continued to sift the publications for a new path. On this journey I encountered your reviews of the UltraVerve and the Mercury2. I have written to Kara Chaffee and have spoken with George K who determined that the nearest experienced dealer is in Victor, NY, just east of Rochester. Both my wife and I studied at the Eastman School of Music. We know music first hand.
Even though I built Dynakits in the 1960s I have always been afraid of tubes because I heard lots of coloration in their output. Perhaps that deficiency is in the past. As you can see, I am on the fence and I would appreciate your candid advice. The quality of the gear is not an issue here. I trust your ears but I cannot stand a sound that is all over the map. Kara Chaffee does not give a +/- dB spec for frequency response; [s]he does not give rise or fall time, slew rate, or square wave tilt. What is [s]he afraid of? I notice that the Mercury2 shipping weight is 26 lbs, and the UltraVerve is 15 lbs. Presumably that difference is the heft of the power supply. Is it? Sincerely yours, Drew Hartzell
Dear Mr. Hartzell, Thank you for the positive e-mail. It appears to me that you are experiencing a left brain - right brain conflict. The left brain is lamenting the lack of concrete specifications to back up a purchase decision, while the right brain seeks to embrace the magic of tubes. Rest assured that modern tube designs are far removed from the low-res, tubby-tube sound of the 50s and 60s. Parts quality and beefier power supplies have made for major sonic improvements. You are right about the weight differential between the UltraVerve and Mercury 2; the heft of the power transformer and chokes is the responsible factor. Kara Chaffee's advocacy of tube rectification gives the sound a slightly more romantic lilt relative to solid-state rectification, but I find that it is generally a humanizing effect that makes reproduced music more likely to sound like the real thing. It has been my observation over the years that you cannot experience a sonic orgasm by trying to make it happen via an engineering analysis of specifications and basing purchase decisions along these lines. My advice: give in to your right brain urge and enjoy the music! Best regards, Dick Olsher
I am new into the world of high efficiency horn speakers and have been trying to read every review, thread, etc. on how to make them sound their best. I recently purchased a pair of Avantgarde Duo's and am now looking for an amplifier to go with them. The Dehavilland Aries 845 mono's caught my eye and then I read your review. I am wondering if you might give me some feedback as to how you think these amps would mate to my Duo's. I guess the main questions are about the noise levels... Are they quiet enough? Everyone is telling me to go low power (less than 10 watts) but I guess I'm still caught on the high power thing from my planer days... 30 watts seems a pittance; is it too much power for my speakers? I really appreciate Enjoy the Music.com® and especially your writing. Sincerely, Chris Montgomery
Hi Chris, Although I cannot offer you a guarantee, and I always suggest an in-home audition in such matters, the Dehavilland Aries 845 should mate well with the Avantgarde Duo's. Its low-noise floor, single-ended triode magic, and generous power reserve bode well for a marriage made in heaven. An extra 5dB of power reserve relative to 10 wpc design is actually a good thing. As always, enjoy the music! Dick Olsher
Mike
Mike, It is hard to make any suggestions as 'the best' is subjective and not sure if you mean the best at reasonable cost, or if a $90,000 amplifier is ok too. Love my Hyperions and my fave to date is the Consonance Cyber 211 as reviewed at (and also see follow up). This is a $5,000 amplifier that sound great in my room, in my system. i also describe my system in the review (cj premiere 17LS preamplifier), though you could use a passive or other preamplifier of course. Always glad to be of service. In the end what really matters is that you... Enjoy the Music, Steven R. Rochlin
In your review of the King loudspeaker, you had mentioned that changing the power cord on the CD player "leads to a major change in sonics". What exactly changed and why? Bill Irvin
Hi Bill, With the Nordost Valhalla cable, normally a favorite of mine, the dCS stack sounded cold and flat, virtually unlistenable. I'm not sure why. The same cable sounded fine with the Meridian G08. With the Soundstring power cable, the dCS sound was warmer and more dimensional, but still not even close to the standard of the G08. As this was not a review of the dCS player, I simply shelved it and used only the G08 for my listening tests. I used both power cables on the G08 to good effect. The Soundstring by the way is an excellent power cord, the best I have used in my system with the exception of the Valhalla, which increases the definition and bass extension to a small degree, at the expense of some warmth. Both are highly recommended in their price ranges. Enjoy the music, Phil
Bruno St-Onge
I don't want to be overly critical, but just how did the Modwrigt SWL 9.0 compare to other pre amps in it's price range? It is one thing
to compare it to your VTL reference, which is very far down the path of diminishing returns. It is another thing, and a thing more
relevant, to critically compare a product to its classmates. I listened to the Modwright next to my CAT SL1 Ultimate as well as next
to a BAT VK30, an Audible Illusions 3a and a YBA 2a pre, and found significant differences between them and the Modwright, some in favor Regards, Mark Magee
Hello Mark, I certainly understand that it would be nice for readers to have every component reviewed in direct comparison to its price peers. Nonetheless, I am somewhat bemused by your criticism of my failure to do so. Where do you think all those other preamps for comparison might come from? I have no library of unused components to call upon, and manufacturers are not eager to send out their products unless they are the subject of a review. So I do the best I can with what is available to me. In this case, I think the comparison was pretty valuable. If you regularly read my reviews, you may recall that in my recent review of the WAVAC PR-T1, I cited it and my VTL 7.5 as two of the three finest preamplifiers I have ever heard. I have at one time or another heard all of the preamplifiers you mention, but in some cases many years ago. And, while I may fancy that I can still recall how their sounds might compare, I'm certainly not going to assert that in print. So I believe comparing the Modwright against a state-of-the-art contender that I listen to every day, and finding that it comes very near matching that high standard--not to mention placing the review in Superior Audio, which typically considers components in the five-figure price range -- is a good way to suggest its exceptional performance and value. Your own experience seems to me to validate that point, as you agree that the Modwright is better than the very good preamplifiers you compared to it. It would be great if I could snap my fingers and have numerous components magically appear, but so far I haven't figured out how to do that. So I'll keep on truckin' the best I can hear in the real world, and I hope that you and other readers can glean some useful information from my work. Best wishes, Wayne Donnelly
I've enjoyed your many articles on Meadowlark Audio's speakers as well as insights to Pat McGinty. I've had the pleasure to meet Pat myself a couple of times at the 2003 HE show in San Francisco. I've owned the Shearwaters and currently own the Heron's and Swifts. I love his speakers and am sad to see that Meadowlark is no longer in business. Therefore, I am writing you to see if I can't get some information on the Herons. I love them so much that I believe one day, my drivers will give way...therefore, I would like to see if you have the specs on the drivers used, the Scan Speak Tweeter, the Audax Aerogel Mid Range and the Vifa Woofers, plus the spikes' thread size. I would like to know them in order to buy extra sets in anticipation of when the drivers do die. If you have the information, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance... Tuan Trinh
Hi Tuan, I certainly share your sadness about Meadowlark--a fine company run by fine people. I'm afraid I don't have the precise information you are looking for. You may be able to get it from the vendors — although they do not always respond to individual retail customers. But I'm not sure you need to be so concerned. Unless you abuse — over drive--your loudspeakers, those high-quality drivers should last for many years. I have friends with speakers more than 30 years old, still pumping away with the original drivers. Good listening, Wayne Donnelly
Chris
Hello Chris, Your questions are good ones, and thoughtfully phrased. But rather than trying to answer them individually, I would say that the performance of the PR-T1 is virtually above reproach in every way — as close to perfect as any component I have ever used. Your final question requires more consideration. My reference VTL 7.5 is a truly extraordinary preamplifier, and it would be nearly impossible to fault it in any of the areas you address above. The advantages of the PR-T1 lie truly in the realm of audio "magic" — the sense that music played through it has taken on a life, an immediacy, an emotional truth beyond previous experience. These qualities of course cannot be objectively verified, and perhaps another listener would hear differently. But for me, the PR-T1 remains the peak of my many years of audio listening. I wish I could afford one! Best wishes, Wayne Donnelly
i am building a home in Michigan with a home theater/ sound room. i am considering the following speakers and was wondering if you could give me an opinion. B&W 800D's with Classé components or McIntosh XLS 340's with McIntosh components of course i will also have compatible center channels as well as surround speakers. i read your review on the Hyperion HPS-938's and was wondering if i should consider based on a very attractive price point. i am interested to find if you think there is a better system out there i should be looking at. if i am going to spend this amount of money i want to make sure i get the best system. Thanks, Bobby Morse Bobby,
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Hello Phil,
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