non conformist
New Member
Hi all,
I remember the time I got my first proper hifi system bout 4 yrs ago. It consisted of a Cambridge Audio 640C / 640A combo married to Mordaunt Short Declaration 914's. I remember how much better it was than my Pioneer car audio system, or my computer speakers and boom boxes. I loved it to bits, but always knew it wasnt quite high end. Moreover, it never really filled my room properly and I knew it was dynamically lacking something. I was fortunate enough to listen to a few high end systems that are still etched in my memory at my friends places:
Krell SACD Standard, 280 pre and 2250 power, Martin Logan Summits - Amazing imaging, presence, bit dry though
Pass Labs amps, Sonus Faber Stradivaris - This thing literally hung sonic images in space, and had dynamics when called for. Very sweet
High end Tannoy active setup in my friends studio - What immediacy, very direct, very quick
Anyways, I was originally planning to get myself a Benchmark DAC married to a Krell KAV 400xi married to Revel F12's. But then I browsed around a lot and was quite fascinated with active studio monitors. I came across a particular speaker known as the M Audio Ex66. Initially I was very impressed by the specs, and the cost:
36htz to 21khz response
115 db max output
Built in DAC's
Built in analogue volume controls
Lots of connectivity (SPDIF, AES, Balanced, TRS)
Room tuning features
I also came across a really good review on Sound on Sound and decided to take a chance. When I first got it home, I was horribly shocked. It got loud, real loud but I found it stark, cold and jarring with my music. I did a couple of minor adjustments according to my room (toned down treble 2db, toned up midrange 2db and set the bass down to half space as it was placed close to a wall. The speakers started to sing after 3 hrs, here's what I found vs. my old setup:
Treble: Incredibly detailed and dynamic, pleasant but never sweet
Midrange: Very present and alive
Bass: Quick and extremely deep. Much deeper than what I was getting before, the type you can feel more than hear
Imaging: Superb imaging that could easily exceed the speaker boundaries with seemingly limitless depth. Superb instrument separation
Dynamics: realistic dynamics, enough to make you jump off your seat when the recording called for it
In my subjective opinion, the imaging reminded me of the Krell / Martin Logan setup at my friends place. The bass speed was something I was not used to. The detail levels are incredible, I could hear every breath, every pluck of the string with incredible clarity. Anything with a semblance of a rhythm would get my toes tapping
My listening room is quite big, it measures 5m x 8m x 3m ceiling and it comfortably fills it up. What I love most about my system is its ability at low volume levels. Music is still alive and dynamic, it does not lose its vitality.
Just wanted to share my experiences...
I remember the time I got my first proper hifi system bout 4 yrs ago. It consisted of a Cambridge Audio 640C / 640A combo married to Mordaunt Short Declaration 914's. I remember how much better it was than my Pioneer car audio system, or my computer speakers and boom boxes. I loved it to bits, but always knew it wasnt quite high end. Moreover, it never really filled my room properly and I knew it was dynamically lacking something. I was fortunate enough to listen to a few high end systems that are still etched in my memory at my friends places:
Krell SACD Standard, 280 pre and 2250 power, Martin Logan Summits - Amazing imaging, presence, bit dry though
Pass Labs amps, Sonus Faber Stradivaris - This thing literally hung sonic images in space, and had dynamics when called for. Very sweet
High end Tannoy active setup in my friends studio - What immediacy, very direct, very quick
Anyways, I was originally planning to get myself a Benchmark DAC married to a Krell KAV 400xi married to Revel F12's. But then I browsed around a lot and was quite fascinated with active studio monitors. I came across a particular speaker known as the M Audio Ex66. Initially I was very impressed by the specs, and the cost:
36htz to 21khz response
115 db max output
Built in DAC's
Built in analogue volume controls
Lots of connectivity (SPDIF, AES, Balanced, TRS)
Room tuning features
I also came across a really good review on Sound on Sound and decided to take a chance. When I first got it home, I was horribly shocked. It got loud, real loud but I found it stark, cold and jarring with my music. I did a couple of minor adjustments according to my room (toned down treble 2db, toned up midrange 2db and set the bass down to half space as it was placed close to a wall. The speakers started to sing after 3 hrs, here's what I found vs. my old setup:
Treble: Incredibly detailed and dynamic, pleasant but never sweet
Midrange: Very present and alive
Bass: Quick and extremely deep. Much deeper than what I was getting before, the type you can feel more than hear
Imaging: Superb imaging that could easily exceed the speaker boundaries with seemingly limitless depth. Superb instrument separation
Dynamics: realistic dynamics, enough to make you jump off your seat when the recording called for it
In my subjective opinion, the imaging reminded me of the Krell / Martin Logan setup at my friends place. The bass speed was something I was not used to. The detail levels are incredible, I could hear every breath, every pluck of the string with incredible clarity. Anything with a semblance of a rhythm would get my toes tapping
My listening room is quite big, it measures 5m x 8m x 3m ceiling and it comfortably fills it up. What I love most about my system is its ability at low volume levels. Music is still alive and dynamic, it does not lose its vitality.
Just wanted to share my experiences...
