Researching. Trying to build my forever system. parasound,mc,schiit?

Donny

Big Damn Hero
Hi all! My current stereo is a nad c326 bee,schiit bifrost and infinity interlude il60 ( built in subs). I honestly love my system but I have upgraditis. I have been online looking at reviews and reading stereophile. The pieces that have caught my eye are:
mcintosh ma252. pros it's a mc. Built in the usa, cons not alot of reviews no pre out
Parasound halo integrated pro's great and consistant reviews stereophile class a con's wpc in my very limited exp high power amps have sounded thin.
Schiit Freya and vider. Pros cost,built in usa. cons wpc and maybe not be in the same league as the above units.
Speakers that have caught my eye are.
golden ear titan 1. pros built in subs! con's some say they can sound thin
Tekton double impact pros supposed giant killers, con's are they the real deal?

BTW I like a "full" sound. Dark over sparkle.

Thanks guys :)
 
I do like my Freya, the tube section responds well to tube rolling, I have 1950 RCA smoked glass 6SN7s and 60s Sylvania 6SN7GTBs in it now. Nice to have the JFET and passive options too. It's really great sounding, vertical soundstage is impressive.

The speakers you're looking at don't seem to require a powerful amplifier, especially the Tektons at 98dB sensitivity. Have you considered tube amplifiers, such as Rogue Audio or Quicksilver?
 
I did find an all tube integrated audio research vsi60. Seems interesting. I believe it was a stereophile class a ranking
 
You like a "darker" sound but are seemingly afraid of big wattage because higher wpc amps sound "thin"? Err.
 
Hi all! My current stereo is a nad c326 bee,schiit bifrost and infinity interlude il60 ( built in subs). I honestly love my system but I have upgraditis. I have been online looking at reviews and reading stereophile. The pieces that have caught my eye are:
mcintosh ma252. pros it's a mc. Built in the usa, cons not alot of reviews no pre out
Parasound halo integrated pro's great and consistant reviews stereophile class a con's wpc in my very limited exp high power amps have sounded thin.
Schiit Freya and vider. Pros cost,built in usa. cons wpc and maybe not be in the same league as the above units.
Speakers that have caught my eye are.
golden ear titan 1. pros built in subs! con's some say they can sound thin
Tekton double impact pros supposed giant killers, con's are they the real deal?

BTW I like a "full" sound. Dark over sparkle.

Thanks guys :)
I'm not sure where you got the idea than high powered amps sound 'thin' as well as the Golden Ear speakers. I would suggest you go to an audio store and check out those individual products rather than read reviews from people who have no clue.
 
Are you opposed to buying used?

Do you have any experience with electrostats (Martin Logan, etc) or ribbon speakers (Magneplanars)?
 
Just personal exp with higher wattage amps. I already pulled the trigger on a mcintosh ma252. I've never owned magneplanars but the most impressive system I have heard did use maggies. Used is good,can be difficult to find in my area.
 
Where are you located? I'd be happy to offer my system.
I would love to but I am in Texas close to the LA border. It would be awesome to meet some audiophiles in person. My area only has one real audio store and it seems to be more of a hobby for the owner.
 
Have you jumped? Bought anything?
You mentioned a you considered a tube amp. I love my Rogue Cronus Magnum 1 tube integrated. 100 wpc into 8 ohms. Also has 4 ohm taps. A neutral sound. Not tubey. Also have thier Sphinx hybrid integrated. Both are well rated at price points.

To get to know some local audiophiles. See if there are any AK local member get-togethers in Events thread. In my near Chicago area are atleast couple per year. Good way to also hear some nice gear.
 
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I have the goldeneye triton ones and their awesome. Just need to make sure your amp is flat to well below 20Hz to get the most out of them. I’m using a Sansui G-9000 which has frequency response of 5Hz-50KHz now but was using a sansui 9090db previously which had frequency response of 20Hz-20KHz and I wasn’t hearing the full magic of the triton ones
 
I just got in a new Parasound Halo P5 and Halo A21 power amp. When new out of the box the sound was tilted up quite a bit, after just over a week the sound has really tamed down nicely in the highs, the mids are sweet and detailed, the amp images like crazy now and the lows are full and authoritative even at very low volume. I literally cant pull myself away from listening now to get my work done!
Untitled by Rick S., on Flickr
 
Just personal exp with higher wattage amps. I already pulled the trigger on a mcintosh ma252. I've never owned magneplanars but the most impressive system I have heard did use maggies. Used is good,can be difficult to find in my area.


Hi, Donny. Hope you follow up with your progress in this quest.
 
Hi, Donny. Hope you follow up with your progress in this quest.

I've been so busy researching and listening that I haven't been watching the thread! So far I love love the ma252. I went to houston over the weekend and sampled the GE triton ones and a few others. I wish the store that had the tritons had better electronics. Still even with the htr, the speakers did some amazing things. The bass lost it's composure on a couple of songs. This could have just been the electronics. the tritons where one of the two speakers that I felt bested mine. The other was some Revel Salons. I wasn't there for those,beyond what my amp can power but omg. I never knew a stereo could sound that real.
 
I listen to the triton ones at the store before I bought them but they didn’t sound great but I could tell the room layout and electronics weren’t great s I bought them on reputation and reviews. After break in they sound magnitudes better and magnificent in my room. You have to have the supporting cast though for sure.
 
I listen to the triton ones at the store before I bought them but they didn’t sound great but I could tell the room layout and electronics weren’t great s I bought them on reputation and reviews. After break in they sound magnitudes better and magnificent in my room. You have to have the supporting cast though for sure.
I am taking this into consideration. The pair I listened to are fairly new and no telling how they have been treated in a demo room. Yet I still heard a lot of potential out of the tritons.
 
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