Hello. I made a similar post about a month ago, and, in the meantime, i managed to audition several amps. Sorry if i don't know what terms to use to properly describe my listening experience.
I own a pair of B&W 602 S3, and i'm not upgrading my speakers anytime soon. The source is currently a PC, but will upgrade to a nice but not-so-expensive DAC in the future (more on that later). The music i listen to varries from Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Transatlantic, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree to the likes of Morcheeba, Zero 7, Air and ocasionally Prodigy and D'n'B. I managed to audition the following amps, with the following impressions:
Yamaha AS500 - sounded good, but was too bright for me and i got tired after 5 minutes of listening to it.
Marantz PM 6004 - seamed like it couldn't drive the speakers properly.
Marantz PM 7004 - sounded very nice, but on intricate parts it seemed to lose detail, and stuff became to sound a bit messy, and the treble a little harsh. Also, voices sounded a bit like from inside a can - did anyone else get the same impression with Marantz amps?
Creek Evolution 2 - i loved the sound, seemd to lack detail sometimes, but just verry verry little. Otherwise i liked it's sound a lot.
Rotel RA 1052 - i loved the sound on this amp, although grunge guitars seemed a bit tame on it. Else, i think it sounded amazing, especially when I played The Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd (dark side of the moon 2011 remaster). The drums also sounded very very tight and articulate. And voices and overal sound seemed nice and warm-ish, although sometimes dry.
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So, it all boils down to this:
1. Does the RA 06SE sound very different from the RA 1520?
2. Did anyone test both and what was your impression when comparing the two?
3. Has anyone had the same feelings about the Marantz?
4. One of the dealers had very nice words about XTZ A100 D3 (i think it's called). Should I audition that and is it's sound closer to Marantz rather then Rotel or the other way around?
5. If you had this ammount of cash would you go for Ra 06SE, Ra 1520, Creek Evolution 2 or the XTZ A100 D3?
Thanks very much in advance, and input and personal impressions would be very much appreciated.
IMPORTANT P.S.: I also auditioned Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 (a DAC) with the Marantz PM 7004 and the Creek Evolution 2, and i think they sounded even better with it. If anyone has experience with that DAC, what are your impressions with it and how do you think it would go with Rotel or your amp of choice? Or what DAC would you chose? (also considering Musical Fidelity's V-DAC 2, CEntrance Dacport LX or HRT Music Streamer (plus or without plus) - never heard these other DACs, and I don't think i can audition them). Thanks again.
I own a pair of B&W 602 S3, and i'm not upgrading my speakers anytime soon. The source is currently a PC, but will upgrade to a nice but not-so-expensive DAC in the future (more on that later). The music i listen to varries from Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Transatlantic, Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree to the likes of Morcheeba, Zero 7, Air and ocasionally Prodigy and D'n'B. I managed to audition the following amps, with the following impressions:
Yamaha AS500 - sounded good, but was too bright for me and i got tired after 5 minutes of listening to it.
Marantz PM 6004 - seamed like it couldn't drive the speakers properly.
Marantz PM 7004 - sounded very nice, but on intricate parts it seemed to lose detail, and stuff became to sound a bit messy, and the treble a little harsh. Also, voices sounded a bit like from inside a can - did anyone else get the same impression with Marantz amps?
Creek Evolution 2 - i loved the sound, seemd to lack detail sometimes, but just verry verry little. Otherwise i liked it's sound a lot.
Rotel RA 1052 - i loved the sound on this amp, although grunge guitars seemed a bit tame on it. Else, i think it sounded amazing, especially when I played The Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd (dark side of the moon 2011 remaster). The drums also sounded very very tight and articulate. And voices and overal sound seemed nice and warm-ish, although sometimes dry.
------------------
So, it all boils down to this:
1. Does the RA 06SE sound very different from the RA 1520?
2. Did anyone test both and what was your impression when comparing the two?
3. Has anyone had the same feelings about the Marantz?
4. One of the dealers had very nice words about XTZ A100 D3 (i think it's called). Should I audition that and is it's sound closer to Marantz rather then Rotel or the other way around?
5. If you had this ammount of cash would you go for Ra 06SE, Ra 1520, Creek Evolution 2 or the XTZ A100 D3?
Thanks very much in advance, and input and personal impressions would be very much appreciated.
IMPORTANT P.S.: I also auditioned Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 (a DAC) with the Marantz PM 7004 and the Creek Evolution 2, and i think they sounded even better with it. If anyone has experience with that DAC, what are your impressions with it and how do you think it would go with Rotel or your amp of choice? Or what DAC would you chose? (also considering Musical Fidelity's V-DAC 2, CEntrance Dacport LX or HRT Music Streamer (plus or without plus) - never heard these other DACs, and I don't think i can audition them). Thanks again.