Post by klinemj on Sept 15, 2012 10:23:45 GMT -5
OK - sound update...with fresh ears and a wide-awake mind, I listened to more.
Overall take - a LOT more detail and clarity in everything I have listened to and it's overall smoother. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE my XPA-2 and will be keeping it to pair with my little B&W 202's and the USP-1 once I get the XSP-1. But the nCores are just better.
Here are some of the things I listened to and my thoughts:
- Johnny Cash "Walk the Line"...heard some subtle background sounds I have never heard before
-Grateful Dead "Friend of the Devil" & "Sugar Mag"...much more clarity in guitar sounds and backing vocals...hearing details I never heard before, including some nice note bending by Bob on acoustic and layers of backing vocals in tight harmony
- Allison Kraus/Robert Plant on "Sister Rosetta..." and "Please Read the Letter" - I'll just say I thought Allison and Robert were in the room...beautiful
- Leonard Cohen "Tower of Song"...Leonards voice has so much depth and it all came out. I could hear the sounds of his lips separating and he began lines. The backing vocals were so distinct and clear...I felt like I could have gotten up off my couch, walked over, and patted each one's tush and said, "great job!"
- My friend Jeff's band (Len's Lounge" and Jeff's "Like Lilac"...I have heard Jeff play this live in bars and in his house. On the CD, I have never heard the subtle double-notes he picks...until now. Also, Niki Buehrig practically whispers the backing vocals with her soft voice hiding behind Jeff's low nasally sound, and before on the CD - her parts would get lost. Not now! Hello Niki! And, Chris Carero's pedal steel sounds so sweet with every little warble coming through.
So...I am one really happy camper.
When I started the project, I thought - I'll give this a try. If they are better than my XPA-2, great. If not, I can always sell them and get my money back or only lose a little. Well...I'm not selling!
In fact, if anything...I am tempted to build 1 more monoblock & two 2-channels to power my center and surrounds. Then, the XPA-5 could be redeployed to my 2nd HT that the UMC-1 will be part of once I get an XMC-1! Of course, that would be another $3000 to spend...maybe not yet!
Mark (PS: I will post pix of the whole system once Photobucket fixes an issue it's having. It's giving errors on uploading, so I will have to wait for that to get fixed.)
Overall take - a LOT more detail and clarity in everything I have listened to and it's overall smoother. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE my XPA-2 and will be keeping it to pair with my little B&W 202's and the USP-1 once I get the XSP-1. But the nCores are just better.
Here are some of the things I listened to and my thoughts:
- Johnny Cash "Walk the Line"...heard some subtle background sounds I have never heard before
-Grateful Dead "Friend of the Devil" & "Sugar Mag"...much more clarity in guitar sounds and backing vocals...hearing details I never heard before, including some nice note bending by Bob on acoustic and layers of backing vocals in tight harmony
- Allison Kraus/Robert Plant on "Sister Rosetta..." and "Please Read the Letter" - I'll just say I thought Allison and Robert were in the room...beautiful
- Leonard Cohen "Tower of Song"...Leonards voice has so much depth and it all came out. I could hear the sounds of his lips separating and he began lines. The backing vocals were so distinct and clear...I felt like I could have gotten up off my couch, walked over, and patted each one's tush and said, "great job!"
- My friend Jeff's band (Len's Lounge" and Jeff's "Like Lilac"...I have heard Jeff play this live in bars and in his house. On the CD, I have never heard the subtle double-notes he picks...until now. Also, Niki Buehrig practically whispers the backing vocals with her soft voice hiding behind Jeff's low nasally sound, and before on the CD - her parts would get lost. Not now! Hello Niki! And, Chris Carero's pedal steel sounds so sweet with every little warble coming through.
So...I am one really happy camper.
When I started the project, I thought - I'll give this a try. If they are better than my XPA-2, great. If not, I can always sell them and get my money back or only lose a little. Well...I'm not selling!
In fact, if anything...I am tempted to build 1 more monoblock & two 2-channels to power my center and surrounds. Then, the XPA-5 could be redeployed to my 2nd HT that the UMC-1 will be part of once I get an XMC-1! Of course, that would be another $3000 to spend...maybe not yet!
Mark (PS: I will post pix of the whole system once Photobucket fixes an issue it's having. It's giving errors on uploading, so I will have to wait for that to get fixed.)
