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| Letters -- November 2008 Questions about the Reference 3A Episode speakers November 21, 2008 To Jason Thorpe, Great article on the Reference 3A Episodes -- very thorough and well written. I am in the market for new speakers, and the Episode is on my shortlist. I have the following equipment: a Bryston 4B-SST amplifier, an Audio Research SP17 preamp, a Pro-Ject RPM-10 turntable with a 47 Lab McBee cartridge, a Music Hall CD25.2 CD player with Level 3 mods from the Parts Connexion, and a Marantz DV9600 universal player. Would the Bryston 4B-SST have too much power for the Episodes? I usually listen to jazz, blues and acoustic music, but I also like to rock out on occasion. Other speakers on my shortlist are the Gemme Audio Tanto v2, Gershman Acoustics Sonogram, KEF Reference 202/1 and Harbeth Super HL5 (same concern as Episode with matching to 4B-SST). Any insight you can provide would be appreciated. Todd Thanks for the kind words. Now, let me assure you that you can't ever have too much power for a given set of speakers. Oddball designs such as horns aside, pretty much any dynamic speaker will be happier with more power, as opposed to not enough. As to the rest of your system, I see you're using the same 'table as I have, and you have a tube preamp, as I do. So, other than the fact that you're using a solid-state amp as opposed to my tube one, you should receive something like the sound I did. But I think there may indeed be something in the match of the Episode with a tube amp. I can't assure you that your Bryston will be a great match, as that's in the lap of the gods, so to speak. You'll need to arrange to listen for yourself. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the other speakers you've mentioned. But since you're from Canada, I say don't rule out Focus Audio, which is another killer Canadian company. They have several speakers in your price range....Jason Thorpe Mirage versus Mirage November 17, 2008 To Roger Kanno, I have read your review of the Mirage OMD-15 speakers. Thank you very much for such a comprehensive review. I am considering replacing my current OM-9 speakers with OMD-15s. I am not sure whether this update is significant in improving the sound quality or not, since there is no local store where I can audition the OMD-15 speakers. I listen mostly to classical music, jazz and vocal jazz. I would like to hear your opinions and recommendations. Jim Although it has been a long time since I have had the OM-9s in my system, in my opinion the OMD-15s would be a significant upgrade over them. The OM-9s had that big rich sound that Mirages are known for, but I felt that they lacked some image specificity. The OMD-15s do not exactly have laser-like imaging, but the imaging is much more defined. They still have a very large soundstage with a great sense of depth and space, but I feel that they are more accurate and neutral overall....Roger Kanno Weiss and Reimyo November 11, 2008 Editor, I have read with great interest your review of the Weiss Minerva DAC on Ultra Audio. The best DAC I have ever heard has been the Reimyo DAP-777. I know it does not have any USB or FireWire input, so it is a "classic" DAC. But if you have ever heard the Reimyo, how is the Minerva compared to it? Sorry to ask, but since there are no resellers of Weiss in my city (or province), I want to get as much info as I can before trying to take the plunge. Geof I have not heard any of the Reimyo products, but I understand they are excellent -- our own Dan Davis swears by them. We do have a review of the replacement for the DAP-777, the DAP-999EX, coming up on December 1. My understanding is that the DAP-777 has been discontinued. Unfortunately the reviewer of the new DAC has not heard the Minerva, so a comparison is not possible. Regarding the Minerva, I’m not sure I’ve heard a more recommendable product all year. I really doubt that anyone would be less than thrilled with the results of installing one into his system. It’s a really fantastic piece of gear....Jeff Fritz Rockport and music-server questions November 4, 2008 Editor, I really appreciate your reviews and have a question in reference to the Rockport Mira. My listening room is actually a "great room" central within our home. The room is large, approximately 21’ x 20’ with 10’ ceilings. The floors are hardwood and two of the sides are open. Can you render an opinion on whether the Mira should have enough bottom end to perform well in a room of this size and type? I absolutely love the design of the speaker and have heard many good things. Also, I liked your article on the Weiss Minerva. Are you aware of any higher-end products evolving that will act as a self-contained server with DAC? In other words, a product that would house a hard drive to store music and then have a high-end DAC for analog output? The Minerva sounds intriguing, but my system is a long distance from my Apple iMac and I have no intention of adding a computer to my listening room. (I currently own the Audio Research CD7, by the way). Mike Blough I think the Rockport Miras will work just fine in your room. My room is similar in size to yours, and I was able to get deep, articulate bass from the Miras. As you probably read in my review, this aspect of their sound surprised me most. So I have no reservations saying “go for it” with the Miras. Give them enough power and you should get great sound all around -- but particularly in the bass. Regarding the music server, there are the Olive products, the Sooloos system, the Sonos, and the Logitech Transporter. You have the option of a standalone unit as you suggest (such as the Olive) or you could go wireless (with the Transporter). I don’t think you’ll quite match the sound of your excellent Audio Research CD7 with these products -- you’ll probably need to go with a really good standalone DAC for that....Jeff Fritz
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