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| Letters -- October 2008 Vitus Audio versus alternatives October 27, 2008 Editor, I read your review of Vitus Audio SS-101, and I enjoyed it so. I had a question about the sound of Vitus in comparison to other musical solid-state choices like the ASR Emitter. Can you tell me more about your ideas with Vitus and its differences versus other good solid-state amps? Amir The Vitus Audio sound is still a highlight in my sonic memory. The sheer neutrality, low noise floor, and overall smooth sound were hard to beat. I consider it among the best solid-state amplification available today. Regarding the ASR Emitter, I have not heard it. I’d like to, and perhaps I can arrange one for review in the near future. Other good solid-state alternatives? There are lots of them. Some of my favorites at the moment are Gryphon, Classé, Pass Labs, Simaudio, Blue Circle (hybrid), and Boulder. All of these offer great sound and are worthy contenders for anyone shopping in their price ranges....Jeff Fritz Going backwards? October 21, 2008 Editor, It seems a little strange that you once had the “World's Best” digital gear (Esoteric $65,000 system), then curtailed back to a front-end costing less than $5000. You said that your digital system, before the Esoteric, was "the big limiting factor" in your system. Only now are you getting back to the digital sound you once had -- and that's a good thing. To improve matters, you might want to try a separate master clock -- like Esoteric's $4000 or $15,000 master clock generators. The $15,000 unit was reviewed in TAS earlier this year. Then wire up other digital processors, as well: possibly using Meridians's 808.2 player as a DAC (it has a digital input) or the Stahl-Tek DAC at $20,000 (a little tough to get) or a super-$$ DAC like MBL or Jadis. As good as the Weiss is, it gets better. Mark You’ve unfortunately fallen into a trap that many an audiophile has found himself in: the more it costs, the better it must be. The bottom line is that sometimes it is better, and sometimes it isn’t. There are so many good examples that I hardly know where to begin. But here are a couple of timely ones: On November 1, Albert Bellg reviews the Parasound JC 2 preamplifier. It costs $4000 USD. He says that it is better than some preamps he’s heard that cost much more. I’ve heard the same about the JC 2 from some readers as well as some other reviewers. Second example: I recently had a conversation with a manufacturer who recommended his second-from-the-top-of-their-line amplifier because it sounded better than the more powerful, more expensive one. The less-expensive amplifier benefited from the company’s latest thinking on amplifier design and lessons learned from designing the “flagship.” There are other problems with your line of thinking. I recall just recently being sent an e-mail to a link to a website showing an $8000 CD player. Once the top cover was removed from the “audiophile” CD player, it was revealed to be a soup-to-nuts Pioneer player that retails for about $250. Not only was the transport the same, but so were the circuit boards and even the RCA jacks. Do you think it sounded like an $8000 CD player should? Lastly, from your letter it is not clear that you’ve had an opportunity to actually listen to the products you mention, in the same audio system under the same conditions. But you seem to assume that, for example, the Stahl-Tek is better than the Weiss and a “super $$ DAC” like those from Jadis and MBL are even better. If my assumption is right and you have not heard these in an environment that would allow a fair comparison, what do you base your theory on? Other than price, why do you think the big-$$$ Jadis sounds better than the Weiss? Will it play back 24-bit/192kHz recordings in their native resolution? That’s the best digital I’ve heard, so saying it’s the best is as far from “strange” as I can imagine. What it is, is honest....Jeff Fritz Wants to upgrade his Rockports October 16, 2008 Editor, I would like to upgrade my speakers (Rockport Technologies Mira) for a superior model. I am still hesitating between the Rockport Ankaa, Magico V3, Avalon Indra and Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 8. These are all good, but here are my reservations: Ankaa: not so different from the Mira Actually, I wonder if I should not wait to get the Rockport Mira Grand Mk II. What would you advise? Xavier Dumas I would advise you to do everything you can to hear these contenders in your home, or at the very least in a good environment so that you know their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. The real key to long-term satisfaction is feeling confident that you made the right decision, and you can only do that if you’ve heard all the speakers you mention give their best. Having said that, I also think the Ankaa might be too close in quality to your Mira, though others may feel different. It has a different tweeter and midrange, and a more substantial cabinet, but overall it is still a 10” three-way speaker. I have extensively heard and like the WATT/Puppy 8s (I actually have a pair) and have heard the Magico V3s sound utterly terrific on multiple occasions, but ultimately I think either of these alternatives are more lateral moves at best and certainly not what I would propose as considerations for upgrade. The Mira Grand Mk II, on the other hand, probably is quite a bit better (based on hearing the original Mira Grand) than what you have and would be the speaker that you mention that I would most seriously consider as an upgrade to your Miras. I have heard the Avalons on a couple of occasions and was not really fond of them at all....Jeff Fritz Electronics for Wilson speakers October 10, 2008 Editor, What are the best electronics to drive the Wilson Audio WATT/Puppy 8s? I have McIntosh equipment. Will it match well or detract? Your writing is good! Brad Post I’d definitely give the McIntosh gear a try with the Wilson WATT/Puppy 8s. I have seen several systems online that have Sophias driven by McIntosh MC501 monoblocks and the owners seem quite happy. Plus, if you don’t try the Wilsons with the Macs, you won’t be able to develop an alternative direction based on what you hear with that combination. So by all means, try the Wilson with your McIntosh gear; I suspect that you’ll be happy, but please let me know how it works out....Jeff Fritz Suggestions for “The World’s Best Audio System” October 7, 2008 Editor, May I recommend something that in my humble opinion can very easily beat the Halcro/EMM Labs system? Here goes: Chord Electronics SPM 14000 power amplifiers, Chord Electronics CPA 5000 reference preamplifier, and Chord Electronics Red Reference CD player. Choose whatever speakers you like. I chose B&W 800Ds. Paulo Mendes Funny you mention Chord. I just sent an e-mail a few days ago to Chord’s US distributor asking to review the QBD76 DAC. That product looks promising as all get out. If that comes through I’ll certainly take your suggestion and follow-up on the electronics you mention. It sounds as if you have a wonderful system that I’m sure brings you many hours of pleasure....Jeff Fritz Rockport Altair questions October 2, 2008 Editor, I've read several of your articles on the Rockport speakers with much interest. I have several questions about the Altair speakers and would very much appreciate if you could share your thoughts/comments on the following. 1. Any idea what the ideal-sized room is for these speakers? How far was your listening position from the speakers? 2. How fussy are these speakers in terms of placement? Should these speakers be placed well away from walls (to minimize interaction), or placed close to the front and/or side walls (for reinforcement) to sound their best? 3. I understand you reviewed these speakers using a Vitus SS-101 amp. How would you characterize its synergy and/or character (with Rockport speakers) versus the Gryphon Antileon or other amps you heard? Alexander See The Rockport Altairs will work in a medium-sized up to a very large room. In this respect they are no different than any large speaker with prodigious bass output. I would place them well away from the front and side walls, again, as I would any other loudspeaker that you wish to coax the best performance from. With the bass output that these speakers are capable of, which is quite startling at times, they really don’t need any extra help from boundaries, so this gives you even more placement flexibility. Every speaker interacts with boundaries, and minimizing this with respect to the high frequencies will result in better sound. Where the Rockport speaker differs from most every other loudspeaker I’ve had in my room is in its ability to play cohesively in the near field. This allows you to place the speakers closer to your listening position than you’d otherwise be able to and still get the best from them. Regarding amps, the Rockports sound lovely with either the Vitus or the Gryphon amp. Andy Payor is most fond of the big Gryphon monos, and I like them too, but I also found excellent synergy with the Vitus. You’d have to hear both side by side to make a decision....Jeff Fritz
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