- Aug 10, 2019
- 2,556
- 5
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as it stands i am very happy with my current setup however, i feel that my A400 is letting the side down. so, out curiousity more than anything i wanted to try some well regarded current models.
well today was the time i have ever had a proper demo and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. credit to the guys at the store for being incredibly friendly, patient and helpful. i spent 2 and 1/2 hours demoing the 3 amps with 6 of my fav cds. references for the demo were the Cyrus cd8se and Focal 816Ws
first up was the Cyrus 8vs2. its important to note that i was unfamiliar with any of the equipment i was listening to so i didnt really know what to expect. initial impressions of the cyrus were of a well defined soundstage that had great depth and excellent imaging. there was great seperation between instruments and very good levels of detail. timbres were reproduced very well. however, overall i was underwhelmed by amp as it seemed to lack any energy, especially in the lower registers. kick drums had no, erm kick and the bass guitar was lacking in body.
next came the Arcam A28. after the cyrus initial impressions were very favourable. there was an immediate improvement in the overall energy and richness of the sound. the bass now had body and force behind it yet it wasnt muddy or slow. imaging wasnt quite as well defined as the cyrus yet detail still remained very good. a clear favourite over the cyrus.
finally the Naim Nait 5i. it seemed that they saved the best for last. the Nait combined the strengths of the cyrus and arcam and yet had none of their failings. wow, in fact i actually had to swear out loud at one point during the demo! here was an amp with incredible levels of detail (even better than the cyrus), excellent imaging, huge dynamics, impeccable timing and fast, full and taught bass. it also just seemed to inject an energy into the music giving it new life and enjoyability.
needless to say this is the amp i have chosen to take home to try with the rest of my system. unfortunately im at college right now and the amp is sitting in the boot of my car. im really looking forward to getting home tonight and plugging it in and seeing how good it sounds with the rest of my kit. i will report back tomorrow for those interested...
apologies for any typos this space bar sucks...
well today was the time i have ever had a proper demo and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. credit to the guys at the store for being incredibly friendly, patient and helpful. i spent 2 and 1/2 hours demoing the 3 amps with 6 of my fav cds. references for the demo were the Cyrus cd8se and Focal 816Ws
first up was the Cyrus 8vs2. its important to note that i was unfamiliar with any of the equipment i was listening to so i didnt really know what to expect. initial impressions of the cyrus were of a well defined soundstage that had great depth and excellent imaging. there was great seperation between instruments and very good levels of detail. timbres were reproduced very well. however, overall i was underwhelmed by amp as it seemed to lack any energy, especially in the lower registers. kick drums had no, erm kick and the bass guitar was lacking in body.
next came the Arcam A28. after the cyrus initial impressions were very favourable. there was an immediate improvement in the overall energy and richness of the sound. the bass now had body and force behind it yet it wasnt muddy or slow. imaging wasnt quite as well defined as the cyrus yet detail still remained very good. a clear favourite over the cyrus.
finally the Naim Nait 5i. it seemed that they saved the best for last. the Nait combined the strengths of the cyrus and arcam and yet had none of their failings. wow, in fact i actually had to swear out loud at one point during the demo! here was an amp with incredible levels of detail (even better than the cyrus), excellent imaging, huge dynamics, impeccable timing and fast, full and taught bass. it also just seemed to inject an energy into the music giving it new life and enjoyability.
needless to say this is the amp i have chosen to take home to try with the rest of my system. unfortunately im at college right now and the amp is sitting in the boot of my car. im really looking forward to getting home tonight and plugging it in and seeing how good it sounds with the rest of my kit. i will report back tomorrow for those interested...
apologies for any typos this space bar sucks...