Allnic
L-5000 DHT: "Why didn't the review get published?"
July
27, 2014
Marc,
I'm
currently looking for a preamplifier to use with my Mola-Mola Kaluga monoblocks. I was
already settled on the Mola-Mola Makua preamp but got a recommendation to match the Allnic
L-5000 DHT to the Kalugas from someone who is using other Hypex N-core 1200-based
monoblocks, saying that they're great match. So I started looking around and couldn't find
any reviews of it, except one on Audiogon from one owner. I heard the Allnic room at the
Munich High End show and liked the sound there, but obviously I can't tell how the L-5000
DHT sounds from that demo.
I
came across this letter that you published on your site. Regarding
Allnic L-5000 DHT, you said that you had it in for review, but I couldn't find any review
of it. I saw that you reviewed the L-3000 and liked it and wondered if you eventually got
a chance to hear the L-5000 DHT, and if yes how did you find it? How was it compared to
the L-3000 and to the Audio Research Reference 5 SE? Why didn't the review get published?
Guy
Hacham
Yes,
I did have the Allnic L-5000 DHT in for review, but the demo unit I had was, it turned
out, very early in the manufacturing run and had some tube issues, so it was returned to
the manufacturer with the idea that another more up-to-date unit would replace it. Given
that the letter you cite is from 2011 and I haven't received another preamp from Allnic,
that probably won't happen, although your letter reminds me to take this up with the
manufacturer. So perhaps you will see that review at some point. -Marc Mickelson
Audio
Research and KT150s
July
17, 2014
Marc,
I'm
close to pulling the trigger on Audio Research Reference 250s. I know Audio Research is
life-testing KT150s in the Reference amps but hasn't officially approved them for use. Do
you have any insider info? Can I just roll them without damaging the amp? I'm afraid after
my purchase that Audio Research will release an SE version for KT150, and I'll have to pay
big bucks for the upgrade.
King
Ng
I reported on this -- somewhat -- as part of TAB's THE Show
Newport Beach report. Nola used a Reference 75 with KT150s, and the sound was terrific.
What I know about the KT150s is that they are drop-in replacements for KT120s, with no
modifications needed to the amps (or so someone at Audio Research told me). They also
appear to have much longer lives -- up to double -- which helps defray their added cost,
as does the increase in power. So, as far as I know right now, the Reference 250s are
KT150-ready, and I suspect you'll see Audio Research giving their blessing to this
marriage at some point in the near future. -Marc Mickelson
Stillpoints
positioning
July
8, 2014
Roy,
After
checking out your seminar on system optimization at TAVES, I picked up
a set of four Stillpoints Ultra SS feet. I want to try them under my Simaudio W8 dual-mono
power amplifier. Do you have suggestions as to where to place them under this component to
get the best results? Did you experiment at all before your seminar?
I
know you mentioned to place them under the parts of the opponents that cause the most
vibration (e.g., power supplies, CD transport mechanisms, etc.). I guess this
would mean trying to place two Stillpoints under the two big transformers in the front of
the amp and using the back two to balance the unit.
I
also heard others say you get softer more liquid sound when they are placed closer to the
center of the component and harder more precise sound when they are placed closer to the
outside of the component. I wonder why this would be.
Cameron
Baskey
Your
proposed positioning for Ultra SSes under the W8 is spot on. As to the inner/outer
positioning, this is an urban myth. I think it originated in one instance, probably
involving a product with a flexible base, and got extrapolated into a general rule without
any checks or balances. In general, the inner/outer theory simply doesn't apply, something
that is easily demonstrated. -Roy Gregory
".
. .true giant-killers do exist"
July
1, 2014
Marc,
I
just saw your April 20th correspondence with a reader about
matching up Audio Research gear. Based on my own experience, I happen to agree with you.
You
also wrote, "The Audio Research Reference electronics will provide a superb core, but
you can diminish (or destroy) all of their good work with a poorly chosen pair of
speakers. I'd be looking at the Focal range (1038Be or Scala Utopia V2), various ProAcs,
or possibly, as long as the room isn't too large, the Wilson Sophia 3s. All of these would
offer a better match and, as a result, better overall performance."
So
my question is, how come no mention of Paradigm Signature S8s? I thought you loved the S8s. Not to say of
course that the speakers you suggested aren’t great. Just curious why no mention of
the S8s. Don’t you love them anymore? By the way, you may recall some time back I
asked about the Focal 1038Be IIs. Roy Gregory spoke well of them, but wasn’t sure if
the Focals would best, or be bested by, the S8s.
Bruce
Feinstein
The words you quote from the response to the letter are actually Roy Gregory's. I
asked Roy to chime in because he knew the two speakers the person who wrote the letter
named: the Wilson Benesch Cardinal and Crystal Cable Arabesque.
I've only heard the Crystal Cable speakers at shows, and I've never heard the Wilson
Benesch speakers, but Roy has lived with both, so it only made sense to get some input
from him.
I
still do admire the Paradigm Signature S8 v.3s a great deal. However, in the context of
the other speakers the letter writer is considering, the S8 v3s' price wouldn't fit in --
they're too cheap. Some people who are looking to spend, say, $50,000 on a pair of
speakers won't seriously consider one that costs less than $10,000, even if it's
competitive sonically. Various amps, preamps, turntables -- examples abound -- suffer from
this same perception: too inexpensive to be considered, no matter their performance.
Magnepan speakers also fall into this category, and the company has for years demonstrated
their speakers behind scrim cloth, promoting the notion of listening with your ears, not
your eyes.
This
is not to say that high cost rarely delivers high performance -- in so many cases it
surely does. The very best speakers and amps I've heard cost a bundle. However, true
giant-killers do exist, and in my experience the Paradigm Signature S8 v3 is one of them. -Marc
Mickelson
