Coming soon to a system near me... Rubies

[Deleted member 108165]

Back to the KI Rubies, my home demo versions arrived this morning

Well initial impressions are rich, smooth, detailed but they are still running in. Possibly too much syrup in the mix with my Harbeth SLH5+'s on the end of it.

Thanks Hawkwind this is very interesting... I think I'm tracking your posts on the Wam as well

 

[Deleted member 108165]

may i ask are you using the supplied interconnect ?

also do you have the units plugged direct to wall sockets or via an extension block ?

FFS you sound like a broken record, don't you ever give up! Why don't you do a research poll in a thread of your own?

 

[insider9]

May I ask if you're using a kettle lead for your amp and if so how do you make your tea?

Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Deleted member 108165]

May I ask if you're using a kettle lead for your amp and if so how do you make your tea?

Sorry couldn't resist.

We really need a smiley button

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Doug re bass - I think you would, you know - it's the initial attack of each note - softer with fingers and much sharper and more defined with a plectrum.

Bass amp is fed by a bog-standard IEC lead, though I only play for my own satisfaction and not as frequently as I'd like. Not much of a tea drinker, but I suspect boiling times could be usefully reduced and flavour improved!

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Doug re bass - I think you would, you know - it's the initial attack of each note - softer with fingers and much sharper and more defined with a plectrum.

Bass amp is fed by a bog-standard IEC lead, though I only play for my own satisfaction and not as frequently as I'd like. Not much of a tea drinker, but I suspect boiling times could be usefully reduced and flavour improved!

I'd need you to train my ear I'm always in awe of people who can play an instrument.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I wouldn't be. I thought it would make me more windswept and interesting to the opposite sex as a teenager.


It didn't...

 

[Gray]

I wouldn't be. I thought it would make me more windswept and interesting to the opposite sex as a teenager.


It didn't...

.....because you weren't keen on tea or Level 42.
They knew you were strange.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

And they were the good things...

 

[insider9]

I wouldn't be. I thought it would make me more windswept and interesting to the opposite sex as a teenager.


It didn't...

Thought this was common knowledge... I used to be a vocalist in my teens

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Ah, but you've not factored in for female IQ and musical taste - factor them in and as a (female) friend of mine says, 'bass players are always the cool ones.'

Apparently.


Besides, the guy in the graphic above has only got a single pickup bass - that must be it...

 

[Deleted member 108165]

Time for a final review:

Been listening to these extensively for a couple of weeks now and think I’ve reached a final conclusion. It has taken this time for me to acclimatise myself to the different sound presentation these generate: it is clearer, more accurate, more defined, more detailed, and more delicate than anything I have previously heard. What I initially thought was brightness and thinness is actually better control and definition.

The volume control isn’t a louder button it’s more akin to a “more” button. You appear get exactly the same at low volumes as you do at higher volumes, it just feels smaller, increasing in size as the volume is increased. This is wonderful for my neighbours as a nice listening level is now 60dB peak, whereas on the old system it was 75dB before you felt it was beginning to open up nicely. Haven’t pushed the volume much past 75dB as we are still in a lockdown situation. Allied to the DB1’s low level abilities this set-up fares exceptionally well at low volume listening.

I played with speaker positioning and have found that the existing distance between speakers is optimal, the only change has been listening on axis with the speaker face pointing directly at the listening position.

Bad recordings can sound frail, they are not embellished, but are treated fairly with a softness and compassion which doesn’t make them sound too jarring. Good recordings sound stellar whether on CD or SACD... still haven’t spun any records yet.

I have treated the amp and speakers to new QED speaker cables, didn’t hear any difference, I didn’t expect to and didn’t listen for any anyway, I just wanted a cable with a smarter dinner jacket.

All in all I am very chuffed with these Ruby’s. They may not suit everyone’s ear but they certainly suit mine.

Mark me a very happy man

 

[insider9]

Excellent Doug, happy for you!

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

That's good - it's hateful to spend good money and regret it!

 

[Al ears]

Ah, but you've not factored in for female IQ and musical taste - factor them in and as a (female) friend of mine says, 'bass players are always the cool ones.'

Apparently.


Besides, the guy in the graphic above has only got a single pickup bass - that must be it...

The coolest ones use a fretless bass.

 

[insider9]

The coolest ones use a fretless bass.

That's so true. Didn't cross my mind to mention that our bass player played fretless.

 

[Al ears]

That's so true. Didn't cross my mind to mention that our bass player played fretless.

Cool!

 

[WayneKerr]

Updating my own thread. Two years on and the finance has been repaid in full and the Marantz Rubies are now all mine. Astounding pairing which I seriously doubt will ever need upgrading in my lifetime… just hope they last the distance.

All the initial doubts over these at the beginning of this purchase are now all gone, they are truly excellent. The addition of Harbeth P3’s to the mix just added another level of finesse which was lacking with the PMC DB1’s. The little Harbeth’s took a very long time to loosen up, maybe 100 hours or more, but the bass produced by these diminutive boxes is a revelation with absolutely no bass boom whatsoever even when pushed, (something the PMC’s failed to do). Bass boom at higher volumes was always an issue due to placement but these sealed boxes have cured this.

A totally non-fatiguing system but not at the expense of detail, accuracy, or delicacy, as it’s all there in spades.

Mark me happy and content…

 

[plastic penguin]

Good to hear you still love your system, Doug.

That said, I never experience any booming with the DB1is, nor their larger siblings. I suppose it all boils down to room acoustics.

Keep on enjoying.

 

[Gray]

Mark me happy and content…

I certainly do.
Couldn't be more pleased for you Doug.
(2 years! Where does the time go?).

 

[WayneKerr]

Good to hear you still love your system, Doug.

That said, I never experience any booming with the DB1is, nor their larger siblings. I suppose it all boils down to room acoustics.

Keep on enjoying.

Bass boom is a placement issue in my lounge, PP, it's my fault entirely. Due to the requirement of a working lounge all the speakers I've owned have had to go in the same area as those they have superseded - 550mm in from the side-wall and 300mm out from the front-wall, (measured to the front centre of the speaker), and on wall brackets; listening chair is also tight to rear wall, so not ideal either. I currently listen at the apex of a 3m equilateral triangle with about 10 degree toe-in.

Some years ago I did experiment for months with placement, but some good positions were just completely unworkable, and I was not in the mood to move speakers every time I wanted to listen so the above solution was the best option open to me.

What has surprised me is the run-in time for the P3's, they did not sound good at all at high volumes when new but whacked the volume up last week and they sounded absolutely fantastic.

 

[WayneKerr]

I certainly do.
Couldn't be more pleased for you Doug.
(2 years! Where does the time go?).

Where's the last 64 gone? Probably only got about another 16 years left I'm gonna ask that the Rubies are buried with me

 

[Gray]

Where's the last 64 gone? Probably only got about another 16 years left I'm gonna ask that the Rubies are buried with me

...they used to give it "three score years and ten" 😱
We all hope for more than that.

(We know how quickly an hour can pass. Realising how very few people* have ever managed to live for a million hours - that's what first confirmed to me how short life is).

* According to Google in 2017:
9 people, all women.