Letters

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 17 June 2023

Hi Jonathan,

I’m a regular and longtime SoundStage! Network reader. I am UK based. I just read your PMC Twenty5.26i loudspeaker review and just wanted to send a quick note to say thanks and well done. I thought it was a brilliantly written, very detailed, and entertaining review.

I am looking forward to reading more from you soon.

Kind regards,
Paul C.
United Kingdom

Hello Paul,

How lovely to receive your email, and I really appreciate you writing! I hope you enjoy some of my other articles on the SME Model 60 turntable, the ATC SCM50 loudspeaker, the history of the Michell GyroDec turntable, and of Naim Audio. My latest reviews on the Rega Planar 10 turntable and Chord Ultima Pre 3 preamplifier and Ultima 6 power amplifier should come out in the next month or so.

Jonathan Gorse

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 12 February 2023

Hey Jeff,

Of course, I read your Alta Audio Alec review, as I have a pair being shipped to me by Alta Audio’s founder and president, Michael Levy. I wondered if you ever listened to a “non-defective” pair of the Alecs? Don’t worry about offending me. I picked up a slightly blemished pair at a very good price.

Cheers,

Rich
United States

At the end of my review, I noted, “When the review was sent to Alta Audio for fact checking, designer Michael Levy stated that the review samples of the Alec loudspeakers sent to SoundStage! were defective and not representative of current production models.” I did get a replacement pair of Alec loudspeakers to listen to. The issue I noted in my review was that “the midbass . . . was indistinct, lacking definition and clarity”—this issue was also present in the replacement pair.

The question is, what does this mean?

There are some excellent reviews of the Alec and other Alta Audio loudspeakers on the internet. So, there’s that. Unfortunately, we did not get to measure the Alec in the anechoic chamber at Canada’s National Research Council, the way we have with many other loudspeakers. That would have been interesting. Poking around online, however, I did find some measurements conducted by Stereophile’s John Atkinson of the Alec’s little sister, the Alyssa. This is a two-way like the Alec, but a standmount instead of a floorstander. Design traits often carry from model to model within a manufacturer’s line.

In the Stereophile measurements of the Alyssa, Atkinson stated: “Strong discontinuities in the impedance traces at 174Hz and 291Hz imply the presence of resonances of various kinds.” He followed that up by writing that “the nearfield outputs of the woofer and port (red trace) are afflicted with severe resonant peaks, the two lowest in frequency coinciding with the frequencies of the discontinuities in the impedance traces.” Atkinson concluded his commentary by stating, “I remain concerned that the resonances in the upper bass and lower midrange regions and the others at the top of the woofer’s passband will lead to audible coloration.”

Take what you will from the Stereophile measurements of the Alyssa loudspeaker. I could only describe what I heard during my time with the Alec, but cross-referencing the subjective performance I experienced with the objective measurements of the Alyssa indeed starts to paint a picture—and it’s not a pretty one.

I hope the Alec loudspeakers give you more musical satisfaction than I obtained during my time with them. Good luck.

Jeff Fritz

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 06 January 2023

Dear Jeff,

I am a veteran/newbie in our industry, having started my audio adventure in 1976 while working at the eponymous Lyric HiFi under Mike Kaye. In 2001 I purchased Innersound and worked with Roger Sanders to build some great electrostatic speakers and amplifiers. In late 2020 I returned to the industry I love by founding Hear This, a high-end audio importer of products from younger designers who are cutting a new path forward with technology and forward-thinking ideas. What I love most about our industry is that it is a small fraternity of like-minded people who continually strive to improve the experience of listening to recorded music. Unfortunately, the thing I like least is some of the backbiting and jealousy, which IMHO comes from fear and the feeling that there is not enough business to go around.

So here’s to you for reminding everyone that we are in this together and that being a decent human begets far more success than the alternative. This is a great message and a reminder that we need positivity now more than ever. Peace and continued success in the year ahead!

Gary Leeds
United States
Managing Partner
www.hearthis.us

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 10 July 2022

Aron,

Thank you so much for your thorough review of the Meitner MA3 DAC on SoundStage! Ultra.

I also currently have the PS Audio DirectStream DAC and Bridge II with the Sunlight firmware, and I enjoy it very much. However, it’s now EOL, and PSA is not going to support network streaming and MQA in its next DAC, so I am in the early stages of looking at options.

After I read your review, I put the Meitner on my list. Could you add any additional commentary on how the MA3 sonically compares to your DirectStream? Would you be happy upgrading to the MA3 permanently?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a dealer nearby to demo the Meitner. For what it’s worth, the other gear in my system includes a pair of Focal Sopra No2s, Bryston BP-17³ preamp, and a Bryston 4B³ amp, along with High Fidelity Cables Reveal balanced interconnects and speaker cables.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

Alan
United States

Hi Alan,

Thank you for your email. I think I covered the ergonomic advantages the MA3 has to offer pretty well in my review, but in terms of sound, the primary advantage the MA3 has over the PSA is body: music consistently sounded fuller, richer, and a hint warmer than with the PSA, but without lacking any detail. The MA3 isn’t what I would call a “holographic” sounding DAC—it’s just the opposite, really—yet it does very well with casting expansive soundstages and fleshing out images accurately on stage. I mentioned this in the review, but the MA3 is a far superior-sounding player when used as a digital preamp-DAC. Changes in sound quality when using the MA3 as a preamp as well as a DAC were minimal at best, but when I used the PSA in the same way, the sound quality was noticeably poorer across the board, especially at lower volumes. I found that the PSA sounded thin and vapid by comparison.

Would I be happy upgrading to the MA3? Absolutely. In fact, I still have the review sample here on long-term loan, as I was considering buying it as my new reference. In the end, I decided I wanted something that could play SACDs, so I went in a different direction. But I honestly could not recommend the MA3 more, particularly with your setup. I think the slight warmth and body inherent in the MA3 will complement your Bryston amp very well, and having recently reviewed the Focal Scala Utopia Evo, which shares some of its driver tech with your Sopra, I’d be shocked if that combo didn’t pair well, too. While I will always try to recommend listening before buying, I don’t think you would be disappointed if you decided to pull the trigger on the MA3, Alan.

Good luck, and let me know which way you decide to go.

Aron

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 09 July 2022

Hi Jeff,

I hope you are well.

My good news is that I’ve just purchased my last pair of speakers (I hope). Like many audiophiles, I’ve owned dozens of pairs of this and that—high-end electrostatics, ribbons, you name it (and the same goes for amps and other components)—and I’ve decided I’ve had enough. I have purchased, new in the box, a pair of Sonus Faber’s Maxima Amators, and I want your opinion on an amp for them.

I’ve had valve amps before, and I’m not going down that path again. I’m thinking about a Pass Labs INT-60 integrated amp. What are your thoughts? Your views would greatly be appreciated.

Cheers,
Clint
Australia

Well, Clint, you’ve got great taste, my man. I absolutely love my Sonus Faber Maxima Amators. And they definitely fall into the Never Gonna Sell These category. Maybe more than any other high-end product I’ve owned, these speakers are as much art pieces as they are music makers. They enhance whatever space they are in, in a multitude of ways. So congrats!

As for the right amplifier: I’ve never heard a Pass Labs integrated amp, and it’s been at least a decade since I’ve had any Pass Labs products in my system. So I just can’t speak to the potential pairing of Sonus Faber and Pass Labs.

I do like the choice of a beefy integrated amp to pair with your Maxima Amators. Truthfully, there are a lot ways you can go. Five brands that come to mind initially are McIntosh Laboratory (sister brand to Sonus Faber), Luxman, Vitus Audio, Accuphase Laboratory, and Simaudio. All five of these companies make integrated amps that I am sure would work beautifully.

Enjoy those fine speakers, Clint, and be sure to write back and let me know which amp you end up with. Thanks for writing.

Jeff Fritz

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 03 May 2022

Jeff,

I wrote to you a while back, and I have a new question.

I am again considering an upgrade for my two-channel system consisting of Magico Q3 speakers driven by a Bryston 14B SST amp and a Bryston BP-25 preamp. My source is a Weiss DAC202 fed from Amarra running on a MacBook Pro, and the system is cabled with Nordost speaker cables and Shunyata interconnects. The listening area has proven to be a good one, and I have enjoyed many hours over the past seven years with what I have currently, but dreams of upgrades are part of this hobby.

I want to stay with the Q3s, and I’m considering either a simple update to Bryston 28B³ mono amps or going all-out for my dream system, which would include an MSB S202 amp in hopes of being able to add an MSB DAC at a later date.

The question is, since you have listened to some of these components and perhaps given similar systems a listen, what will I be missing in going with the Bryston preamp and 28B³ amps versus the Bryston preamp with the MSB S202 amp? A Magico M2/MSB combo is my dream system.

Thanks again for your kind advice. Your SoundStage! Ultra columns are always an informative and entertaining read.

Regards,
Tim
United States

Hi Tim,

Talk about a can’t-lose situation. First of all, your current system contains some amazing products, and I have no doubt that, since you say you have a good room, the sonic performance you are experiencing is extremely good. The fact that you’ve lived with this system for seven years is a testament to that. Still, I understand—believe me!—the desire to upgrade, and I think you are looking at some great options.

Moving up to a larger Bryston amplifier—in this case going from an older 14B SST stereo amplifier to a set of the company’s most current monoblocks—is likely to yield a nice improvement. The more advanced circuitry of the later design and the higher amount of power should translate nicely into sonic gains. I have to say I have not heard any of these Bryston amps in my system, though the company’s reputation for terrific amplifiers is well known.

I have heard the MSB S202, and it is truly an exquisite amplifier. How it would fare in the same system versus the largest Bryston monos is anyone’s guess. However, the real clue as to what you should do is when you say you want to add an MSB DAC eventually. Any MSB DAC paired with any MSB amplifier is going to give you a unique synergy, which I explained in detail in the S202 review linked above. If an MSB DAC is in your future, then my advice is to stretch for the S202 now.

As for your dream setup of the above-mentioned MSB components and a pair of Magico’s fantastic M2 loudspeakers, I’m with you there. I can’t think of a compact system that would outperform it, frankly. The amazing sonics, when coupled with the exemplary build quality of these products, mean you’d be in rare air in terms of the overall high-end experience. Truly an endgame system.

Good luck, and please let me know what you settle on.

Jeff Fritz

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 17 April 2022

Hi Jeff,

I enjoyed reading about your new reference system in the April 15 update. The Apple MacBook Air as a music server intrigued me. Are you using Roon, or are you using another music player? I saw the “A” app next to the Roon logo and was wondering. This might be a nice chance to talk more about using the MacBook Air USB connection to the MSB DAC and why you selected that as the server. Another neat, newer option is using an iPad Pro to stream via USB out,and you can then use Apple Music in Hi-Res Lossless mode to serve the DAC. By the way, I love the new equipment rack—the SGR.

Bill
United States

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the note. I do use both Roon and Audirvāna music players on the MacBook Air. Your suggestion of using an iPad Pro with USB-C output and Apple Music is an intriguing one! I like the SGR too—is it too superficial to enjoy the aesthetic match to the Apple? LOL!

Jeff Fritz

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 15 January 2022

Dear Jeff,

I always enjoy reading your comments and points of view. I just watched your YouTube video on Gryphon Audio Designs’ Apex amplifier—it was very interesting.

I have the Gryphon Mephisto [amplifier] and Pandora [preamplifier]. Do you think the Commander [preamplifier] will provide a substantial improvement over the Pandora? Perhaps, eventually, I could see myself going down the Apex amplifier road, too. Any input on this will be most appreciated.

Best regards,
John
United States

Well, John, you are in an enviable position. Your Gryphon Mephisto class-A power amplifier (which I assume is the Mephisto Stereo) and Pandora preamplifier are amazing performers. In fact, these products are surely in the conversation when discussing the best available if cost is no object.

And then along comes the Apex Stereo and Mono amplifiers, and Commander preamplifier. These new Gryphon flagships, from what I can gather (I’ve not heard them—yet) and from the information I’ve received from Gryphon personnel, are not just incremental improvements on the existing next-best Gryphons. Many companies state in their marketing materials that this or that product was conceived without cost or practicality as considerations, but I actually believe it in this case. Not only do you have the very latest thinking on amplification from a very mature design team at Gryphon, but you also have improved parts—like a new type of bipolar transistor. I am speculating, but my gut tells me the new Gryphons are beyond amazing.

So what does this all mean for your specific upgrade question? I guess I’d say this: if you have the means, and it’s not keeping your kid from going to college or anything else of the sort, well then, you only live once. Go get ’em both and let me know how your system sounds once you’ve got them installed.

Jeff Fritz

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 03 January 2022

Hi Jeff,

Great review of [Alta Audio’s] Alec speaker—you captured its strengths and weaknesses. The midbass dip, to me, is a result of the dip in the frequency-response curve shown in the graph you provided. Please keep up the great reviews and the lab testing that helps to explain a product’s performance.

I also want to mention that your article on Stereophile and D’Agostino was excellent! Too many reviewers just provide subjective assessments without doing the lab work. As consumers we want products that also test decently (or outstandingly); lab measurements can help point out problems, which may, at times, be audible and may impact the product’s functioning and longevity.

I own Harbeth Audio M30.2 XD speakers and value their flat frequency response—no deep bass, though. I’m using the Boulder Amplifiers 866 integrated amplifier, a Bluesound streamer, and a Shunyata Hydra Delta power conditioner. Your reviews and comments about Boulder products made me confident about my purchase.

All the best for 2022!

Peter
United States

: Written by: Ultra Reader; Category: Letters; Created: 08 December 2021

To Jeff Fritz,

Jeff, in reference to your article on the Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems Progression series, I noticed the following when the company announced its new S350/M550 amplifiers: the power specifications, dimensions, and prices increased, but according to the specs, the weight decreased by ten pounds, perhaps due to a decrease in robustness of the power supply (3000VA transformer to 2000VA; 400,000µF capacitance to 100,000µF). This seems to be consistent with the thrust of your article. It’s not often that we see an audio writer take a stand such as yours.

Please keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Gaines Wilburn
United States