Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2018 20:37:07 GMT
Upon recieving word that Macca wanted to run the rule over my DCB1 Preamp, we setup a meet. Macca's was the venue.
We started off with his Krell KSA50S which was powering his Jmlabs speakers. Source was a Sony ES CDP. We plumbed in the DCB1 and sat down for a few tracks. Steely Dan, ZZ Top, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton & BB King provided the bulk of the music.
Upon the very first few opening bars of the Dire Straits track "So Far Away" it was clear how good the Krell was, Big wholesome soundstage, Midbass in abundace and plenty of the lower registers. Excellent grip and timing. The soundstage was tall and deep and Knopflers voice sounded clean and distinct. I was happy we got this track on as i know it very well and i managed to get a handle on the system very quickly.
The DCB1 allowed the CDP to create a purity of sound which i havent heard from CD. It still had the stereotypical Digitial markers like the HF's sounding a little higher in the mix than with Vinyl, but never harsh wich i liked. Bass was tight and extended but what i liked moset was the grip the amp had. The DCB1 was lively and rythmic but in an honest way, fully allowing the urgency of the tracks to flow effortlessly.
After a while we decided to put in my Monarchy Audio SM-70. Instantly i felt we had taken out a huge amp and put in a smaller one. It was odd that the soundstage shrunk and Macca quite rightly pointed out the volume was lower. Once we had matched the level loosley, things got much better. I did feel the Krell was "meatier" and left me thinking the SM-70 was a bit "lean"
After a brief warm up period, i felt the mids improved on the SM-70 and in my opinion, its debateable whether the Krell is as transparent as the Monarchy or whether the Monarchy is leaner than the Krell. I am unsure which one is the most accurate and would need a bit more time to fully decide on that. In Terms of SQ, there was nothing in it that i could tell. The Monarchy was transparent and ZZ Top really came alive. The guitar had crunch and grit. The Plectrum flicking off the strings was clearly audible and the energy they were trying to portray was evident. I was very impressed.
If i had to chose one of the Krell or the Monarchy, It would be very difficult. The only difference being the presence and slightly different tonal presentations. If it was a financial decision the the Monarchy would be my choice. If it was a musical decision, the Krell and if it was ultimate accuracy, well thats a 50/50
The truth is, via both amplifiers, the musicians were there, the guitars were being played in the room and the realism was evident. They are stellar performers.
We then decided to put Macca's native SA Preamp in with the Monarchy.
It was at this point that the SQ took a turn for the worse IMO. SQ was diminished slightly, the soundstage that was quite epic, became a smaller window between the speakers and the performers suddenly took a step back into the CD they came from. I felt like we were now listening to the CD rather than the band.
There was also colouration. The mids sounded like they were boosted a little and the bass became a bit looser. With passives I find this masquerades as "more" but generally it's just not as well controlled, IMO
There was also a softening of the performance too. The Snare no longer had the snap and the whole performance felt lazy.
Oddly, Macca said he found this easier to listen to and stated the DCB1 Seperated the musicians better and there was clearer deliniation with the DCB1. To me the Sounstage became flat and and smeared. I was uninvolved all of a sudden.
I decided to see if macca wanted to try the SPOTFIRE cables at this point. The reaction?.........."I am not one to jump to conclusions, having been in the HiFi game for so long but these are obviously better. It's like swapping from the Sony CDP to the (far better) Technics CDP"
The cables improved the whole performance IMO. I won't comment further on this because they are my cables. I will let Macca add his 2p.
Overall, i felt the Preamp really benefitted from the addidtion of the cables.
Today, if i were to pick from the amps and the preamps we tried, I'd go for the DCB1 (no contest for my taste) and the Krell for the HUGE sound it produces. A really enjoyable afternoon. Thanks for the LP macca!
