In Reply to: RE: Anyone upgrade the output transformers on their amps? posted by morricab on August 28, 2015 at 04:04:57:
I prefer 300B as separates - there is a wealthy audiophile in Hong Kong where I heard his Kegons and a Shindo Petrus (Shindo's best preamp) and that 300B system was elite - top 5 experience ever.
Integrated amps are typically let down by their preamp stage and by sharing a power supply. I auditioned an M2 preamp and Quest Silver monoblocks that beat up on the Meishu as well. I get that some people want a one box solution but when the one box is gigantic it makes more sense to have two smaller boxes.
As a reviewer I am pretty much willing to try anything. But as a consumer - I am more inclined to buy Audio Note because I know I will get damn near what I pay for it 10 years from now.
With all the commentary about AN prices above - and the prices being higher - people always seem to miss that yes you may pay $1000 more for an Audio Note now but in 10 years you may sell it for $2000 more than the competing product that you were salivating over being $1,000 less. In the end the AN likely costs you less.
As good as the LM 219IA is that amp sells for $7500US - the OTO Phono SE Sig is about $6500 or something. In 10 years you will get double AT LEAST what you will get for the 219IA on the second hand market. More if Line Magnetic ever drops the 219IA - as is the custom of many Chinese brands that often drop products fairly quickly. I am hoping LM is different but they're already doing the usual undercut their western dealers and selling through an online store for 40% less.
The 219IA sold me mainly on the fact that like the Jinro it could be used as a dual mono power amp (it is FAR FAR better as a power amp than an integrated - and it's already a pretty fine integrated). Poor man's Jinro.
I was impressed by the transparency of the 219IA with three preamps the sound was astonishingly different with all three preamps which is exactly what you want in a power amp. The AN's don't offer this preamp in feature so they're less flexible with upgrades.
I find the Meishu sounds a little "over there" - it's fast and open enough - I just don't think it's as well suited to the E - I suspect as can easily be heard here that the K or J is a better match for it. Still the separates version is going to sound better IMO
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Follow Ups
- RE: Anyone upgrade the output transformers on their amps? - RGA 03:05:31 08/29/15 (0)