Post by richierich on Mar 29, 2011 15:23:43 GMT -5
Was looking into these and the spring sale pushed me over the edge. Got them set up yesterday.
I'm mostly running lossless files from iTunes > Musical Fidelity V-DAC > Emotiva X Series RCA's > Marantz 7001 > Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA's > UPA-1's > Blue Jeans 5T00UP speaker wire > Dynaudio Audience 82's
I thought my system sounded good before, but figured with the 30 day return policy I'd just send them back if there wasn't a noticeable improvement. Setup was a breeze. They look great and I was able to get the triggering to work from the receiver with no problems whatsoever.
The amps REALLY wake up my system. The Marantz does a surprisingly good job on its own, particularly given that it's not designed for 4ohm loads and the Dyn's efficiency is a relatively low 87dB. The info I've read online about the Dyn's liking big power is spot on.
The music just sounds so effortless, the bass is full and smooth with good kick, everything is super clear and crisp, and the soundstage is broader. It's just beautiful. I was literally stunned and was laughing with delight when I first turned it on. I also notice that I can listen at fairly loud volumes without it hurting my ears. I never got any noticeable distortion from the Marantz, but clearly the quality of the sounds is better at higher volumes with the UPA-1's.
Haven't had a chance to try them out on a 5.1 soundtrack yet, but I'm guessing there will be a noticeable improvement there as well since my center and surrounds are high efficiency 8ohm speakers that the Marantz can drive easily. I always got the sense that it was struggling a bit to power the power hungry Dyn's plus the others.
I've read what others have said about the UPA's sounding ever so slightly harsh right out of the box. I noticed this on a few songs, but I'm confident they'll be fine after breaking in a bit.
Overall, I'm very pleased. Would certainly recommend these to anyone in a similar spot.
I'm mostly running lossless files from iTunes > Musical Fidelity V-DAC > Emotiva X Series RCA's > Marantz 7001 > Blue Jeans LC-1 RCA's > UPA-1's > Blue Jeans 5T00UP speaker wire > Dynaudio Audience 82's
I thought my system sounded good before, but figured with the 30 day return policy I'd just send them back if there wasn't a noticeable improvement. Setup was a breeze. They look great and I was able to get the triggering to work from the receiver with no problems whatsoever.
The amps REALLY wake up my system. The Marantz does a surprisingly good job on its own, particularly given that it's not designed for 4ohm loads and the Dyn's efficiency is a relatively low 87dB. The info I've read online about the Dyn's liking big power is spot on.
The music just sounds so effortless, the bass is full and smooth with good kick, everything is super clear and crisp, and the soundstage is broader. It's just beautiful. I was literally stunned and was laughing with delight when I first turned it on. I also notice that I can listen at fairly loud volumes without it hurting my ears. I never got any noticeable distortion from the Marantz, but clearly the quality of the sounds is better at higher volumes with the UPA-1's.
Haven't had a chance to try them out on a 5.1 soundtrack yet, but I'm guessing there will be a noticeable improvement there as well since my center and surrounds are high efficiency 8ohm speakers that the Marantz can drive easily. I always got the sense that it was struggling a bit to power the power hungry Dyn's plus the others.
I've read what others have said about the UPA's sounding ever so slightly harsh right out of the box. I noticed this on a few songs, but I'm confident they'll be fine after breaking in a bit.
Overall, I'm very pleased. Would certainly recommend these to anyone in a similar spot.
