Retail therapy: NAD C 658 + Emotiva Stealth PA-1 + spkrs

Just a(nother) casual story, with suitable hints of excited anticipation, buyer's regret, possible product redemption and a much depleted bank balance.

Well, after months of procrastination careful consideration, I finally bit the bullet(s). This post follows a couple of threads I started back in April:

Speakers: B & W 704 S2s vs Dali Opticon 5s vs Dali Opticon 6s
Amp(s): Parasound / PS Audio / NAD

A couple of months ago, I bit the speaker bullet and got a pair of Monitor Audio Gold 100s (5G) and it wasn't long before I thought I'd made a BIG mistake. However, I've stuck with them and maybe, just maybe, they may yet be keepers. They were conveying music with a fair degree of brightness, a trait not unknown historically for MA speakers but reviews indicated the 5th gen Gold 100s were much closer to a more natural, musical sound without the tendency to "splash" and even sound harsh. Indeed, I demoed them and, with a suitably bright smile at the time, thought "these'll do". They still might "do".

Following the introduction of the Gold 100s into the system with the aforementioned brightness, I started looking for yet another pair of speakers. But, after a chat with a friend, attention once again turned back to the amp as it had several months ago. Following a demo this week with other speakers, there was still an issue with brightness and a friend, who had decided to tag along as he was in need of much needed amusement at my expense, brought up the issue of the amp (Rotel RA-1572). Given that I'd gone through 5 pairs of speakers (owned or demoed) and still wasn't happy, it really was a matter of common sense to revisit the amp. Disappointingly, the store I visited to demo the speakers hadn't taken any notice of my email which expressly asked to have some specific amps available. So, that was that demo over. As a footnote, I demoed Dali Rubicon 2s and ProAc D2Rs and wouldn't have replaced the Gold 100s with either of those.

24 hours later, a new day. And a different store. Out came a NAD C 388 (integrated amp) ; a NAD Masters M32 (integrated amp - ex-demo with a ridiculous £1k off) and one I'd previously demoed and, er, rejected: the NAD C 658 (DAC / pre / streamer) using a pair of bridged C 268s for power. All demos here were with the Gold 100 speakers. It didn't take long for the C 388 to be dispatched back to the display shelf in the store. The M32 knocked it for six which, given the price differential, it should really. The M32 was very impressive; plenty of control over all frequencies with really good bottom end pull. But....

Enter the C 658. It didn't take long to realise I was in for a tricky decision. The M32 dug out more detail and there was greater "air" compared to the C 658. But, for reasons I couldn't really articulate, I just found the C 658 to be a more pleasant listen - and that was without Dirac (room correction) in play. After several A/B swaps (with very patient store staff), the best description I could come up with was that the C 658 was, perhaps, just a touch more forgiving to my ears. And the clincher? Dirac. It just gave more room for tweaking the audio, so I pulled the trigger and now have the C 658.

Having taken a fair bit of care with the C 658, I obviously took every bit as much care with the power amps. Obviously. Not. Despite the store offering a cracking deal on a pair of C 268 power amps, they were physically huge and space would have been a problem. Over the months, I'd become aware of the Emotiva Stealth PA-1 monoblocks and the (mainly) glowing reviews. In itself, that wasn't quite enough but then I noticed someone had spotted the ICEPower modules in the PA1s were, apparently, the same as used in the PS Audio Stellar S300 dual mono power amp - the S300 had been on my radar in the earlier thread. True, PS Audio had added its own voicing, but.... At this point, I just decided "That's it. No more messing around". I found a supplier in the UK, had a quick telecon and placed the order. Done.

As at today, I have the NAD C 658, powered by a pair of PA1s, hooked up to the Gold 100s. It's only been up and running for half a day but for the first time in too long I found myself smiling when listening to the music. It's very early but this setup is impressing so far. Plenty of depth, width and "presence". The NAD C 658s taking a bit of getting used to but, so far, I've no regrets at plumping for it instead of the M32. If I'm still smiling in a few days, job done.

PS: special treat to self: Tube Distinctions Mains Power Filter, as optimised by Mark Grant. Do these make any difference? I have no idea and (smiling), I care not a jot.
Happy listening all

 

I had the Emotiva Line 9ch setup before when I was into HT. They had the stealth half the price for closeout for $400usd I believe before.

Pretty awesome deal.

Awesome combo and enjoy your new setup.

 

Retail Therapy II - the sequel... (or, perhaps more accurately, sorting out some loose ends and what are now self-evident contradictions from the first instalment and one or two posts elsewhere on the SH forums).

Warning for the easily bored: if you're looking for in-depth product info, this probably isn't the post for you. This post is closer to a blog rather than any serious appraisal of the equipment mentioned. If you're still interested, welcome and I hope you enjoy the read.

Over the past couple of years, I've started a handful of new threads and contributed to other threads with some of the joys and disappointments experienced along what effectively became a two year journey in hi-fi land (starting in Oct 2018). I'm less than sure the journey is at an end but it has at least reached a point where it is paused - so long as there isn't some kind of irresistible deal in November... (Black Friday et al).

So, what's happened since November 2019 when I blithely said "...for the first time in too long I found myself smiling when listening to the music"? Well, that was honestly stated... but... the smiles were soon to be all too often punctuated by grimaces as the setup bedded in and it became clear that there was unwanted brightness in the upper mids and lower treble range. I tried to "acclimatise" to the setup, giving my ears time to get used to the brightness, trying to kid myself the brightness was "detail". In fairness, there was indeed "detail". BRIGHT, in-your-face (ears) detail. On occasion, the sort of unwanted brightness that induces shoulder-hunched fatigue. Taking my cue from many posts on these forums, it must be speaker positioning. They're too close to the wall. They're too far away from the wall. The toe-in is wrong. They shouldn't be toed in. The speaker stands must be at fault. I should "invest" in acoustic room treatment for only a few £$000s . Cables... (no, just don't go there). My ears are shot. It must be the way my system is set up. It's all your (my) fault. And so on...

Having stuck with the setup for several months, I realised the system wasn't going to work - at least not for me. A consequence of Covid-19 is that an already limited social life became even more limited and eating out / takeaway deliveries etc were off limits so as to minimise the number of contacts, hence reducing the chances of contracting the virus (I have a couple of health issues that mean I have to be a bit more careful than some). The relevance of this is the financial implication. Expenditure not incurred in one area means money potentially available in another. Step forward "the hi-fi upgrade opportunity"...

July 2020... As stated in the OP, the engine room of my system comprised a NAD C 658 (pre / streamer / DAC); Emotiva Stealth PA-1 monoblocks (power) and Monitor Audio Gold 100 5g speakers.

First off, I took the plunge and replaced the PA-1s with a PS Audio Stellar S300 dual mono, single box unit - getting a decent trade-in to boot. Result? A small but noticeable reduction in brightness and an overall richer sound; however, still with unwanted spikiness in the upper mids / lower trebles. Deep down, I knew the speakers were the main issue and the Stellar S300 confirmed it insofar as no review I've read even hints at the Stellar S300 being bright. The Stellar S300 was on my original list of "possibles" in Nov '19 but, at the time of purchasing the PA-1s, budget had been reached.

By the following month, I knew the Gold 100s were not remaining in my setup; cue some not insignificant research into alternatives. All the usual suspects crossed the radar (KEF, Dali, B & W et al). I also knew Q Acoustics had a potential addition to the Concept range in the pipeline (presumably delayed now due to the pandemic) but a chance stumble across a review for the Dynaudio Special 40 speakers was to be enlightening.

I thought about hanging on for the new Q Acoustics but that could be months away. One day, during Aug ('20), I was listening to some music and it just jarred. Grated. Decision made; enough was enough. I wasn't waiting. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused some of us to reevaluate our approaches to at least some aspects of life. With this in mind, no more procrastination.

I'd already done bags of research into the Special 40s and, although the budget was way beyond the comfort zone, decided to arrange a demo. I A/Bd the Gold 100s with the Special 40s. The Dynaudio Special 40s are now part of my system, with an excellent trade-in value for the Gold 100s going a long way to softening the financial hit. I had the Evoke 20s, various Spendor and Neat Acoustics speakers on the shortlist but... the Special 40s just sounded "right". At least in the demo room. Trouble is, the Gold 100s had also sound "right" in the demo room....

I needn't have worried. Just over a week in and I have absolutely no regrets at getting the Special 40s. Almost. Well, there are two regrets. Firstly, that I didn't have them on the radar at the time of getting the Gold 100s and, secondly, no stock left of S40s in the red birch finish.

The S40s are the most expensive speaker I have owned to date. Fortunately, they are also my favourite speakers ever. As I said in another post, it's as if they have been made for my setup. Rather than delve into the specific characteristics, I think of the audio character from the S40s as being a cross between the detail of Grado and the smoothness of Sennheiser. For me, the best of both.

That's two consecutive hi-fi purchases that haven't ended in stomach churning "buyer's regret". So what might constitute an "irresistible deal" in November / December? A Luxman. Even though I am perfectly happy with the music now being produced by my setup, there is this growing curiosity about "...what if it [a Luxman] sounds even 'better'?" Fortunately, even with fabulous trade-in values for my current set-up, there is only one model realistically on the radar (the L-505 uxII) so it's not as if the options are going to be overly confusing. Given the diminishing stock availability (Covid related), it may well be a decision that doesn't even have to be made. That may be the most helpful outcome of all. At least until next year...

Happy listening all...