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In Reply to: RE: Atma-Sphere M60 MK3 posted by xronx on January 02, 2008 at 00:06:18
I bought a used pair of M60 MK2.3 amps to try with my Silverline Sonata III. Preamp is an Atma MP-1 MK III.
It was not a good match, IMO. Incredible clarity, but a lack of midrange and bass resulted in a sound that was tipped up and too aggressive for my taste.
I just think they were a poor match for the speakers.
Follow Ups:
Sounds like a simple matter of impedance matching, and I agree that the Speltz Autoformers might help a lot to improve midrange and bass response. Can you get hold of some impedance vs frequency data for your speakers, to verify that the Zeros would help?
I sold them, so it's a moot point.
Interesting Grant...I had been using the MA1 MkII.3 amps with Ridgestreet Audio Sason speakers and a BAT VK51SE preamp. Sound was excellent; however, when I recently inserted an MP1 MkIII preamp in for the BAT, it was dramatically better in every conceivable way. It gave the impression of doubling the size of the power amps in an underpowered system while adding greater transparency, detail, micro and macro dynamics, and tonal density.
I had also found the amps worked exceedingly well with my previous Magnepan MG3.6r speakers, much better than the Parasound JC1's in my 18x21x8 room.
Sounds like in your case the speaker-amp interface just wasn't a good match...have you tried the Atma's with the Speltz autoformer?
I tried the Speltz in my System when I was auditioning the M60`s at home. Without the Speltz the sound was to lean in the mids and bass for my taste. The impedance match of the amps with my 4 ohm Cabasse speakers might not be perfect. The Speltz helped to improve a lot. With them the missed substance in the sound was there. I could also not detect any negative influence when using the 2x conversion. With the Speltz in 4x configuration the sound was too mechanical and not as fluid as before.
i ordered a pair of Speltz in cherry boxes together with a pair of M60`s incl. custom teflons and power supply boost.
I also tried the MP3 at home but after a few minutes I was convinced that the MP3 could not be a substitute for my beloved Paragon 12A which had more nuance and inner detail, if not the very wide sound stage of the MP3. The MP3 might have gained more impression on me while being longer in my system but from the first contact I was not convinced to hear something fundamentaly better than my 40 year old Paragon preamp...but theres also a lot of personal taste and preference to such a opinion.
Interesting! I was considering going with the MP3 due to the very large price difference, but worried that it would not better my BAT VK51SE (and I'd lose volume control). I went with the MP1 and the sound was so dramatically better than the BAT in every conceivable way...and obvious from the first few notes. I just want to kick myself for not doing this sooner! LOL
With the MP1 in the system, inner detail and tiny microdynamics (instrumental shadings, voicing, artistic expression, etc) are so unforcefully obvious and transparent. This is for me the most important improvement in that it gets me so much closer to the music. If the Paragon has "it" in your system and the MP3 does not, I'd do the same as you and keep the Paragon. If you have a chance, try an MP1...I'd be curious if the MP1 and Paragon are similar in your system?
I don`t want to say that the MP3 is worse than the Paragon but I liked the sound of the Paragon more. At least it appeals more to my feeling of how music should sound. Someone else might have different expectations on the sound of a preamp. One big plus point of the Paragon and a reason to keep the unit even if I might experience better sounding units (MP1?) in the future is the possibility to connect 3 tonearms.
Well, you're talking about completely different amps...140wpc versus 60wpc, Not really a fair comparison, IMO.
Yes, the amp/speaker interface was not good in my case.
I'm certain the MA1 amps would perform significantly better in my system than did the MA-60.
True...I was primarily commenting on the synergy between the MP1 and Atma amps...adding the MP1 just made my system sound so much more powerful and yet what you had described sounds like a leaning out of the sound?
As you said, it's really an apples to oranges comparison on two levels (M-60's v. MA1...more power, but essentially similar sound quality I presume and the key I think...M-60 & Silverline speaker interface).
Thanks for the response!
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