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In Reply to: it's okey to hear something I can't afford... posted by kuma on April 26, 2007 at 07:47:55:
It also helps you know and evaluate your own equipment better. By hearing other (sometimes better) components, you get to know your own components strentghts, weaknesses and limitations that you may not have been aware of if you had not heard the better models. This also gives you the advantage to decide what less expensive tweaks might improve the component, from deciding what isolation for the component might work best to cheap or DIY room treatments. And, as an added bonus, you can intelligently discuss/recommend your component to others on forums like this as you will know the components attributes and shortcomings which may help someone pick one over the other when it comes to their own choices.
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I actually got to compare my Mapletree with a Hovland preamp that cost somewhere around 5-8 times as much. It wasn't in my house or with my system so there's a serious limit with my evaluation. Nonetheless, the Mapletree held its own fairly well. And, this was before I upgraded the umbilical cord which has made a nice improvement. The Mapletree presented much better bass than the Hovland. But, my friend who owns the Hovland says that the bass is the Hovland's Achilles Heal. The midrange and the highs in particular were not as smooth on the Mapletree as they were on the Hovland. Musical is such a subjective criteria so take the following with whatever grain you choose, but I found the Hovland to be the more musical of the two; the Hovland really engaged me. My friend who was thinking of parting with the Hovland like the Mapletree better on the first listen, but started re-evaluating that opinion on the second listen, though some tube rolling on the Mapletree brought him back to that end slightly. He never did sell the Hovland so I guess that says something. Nonetheless, it was a very interesting experience. I still really love my little Mapletree Ultra preamp, but maybe you knew that already (and I've beaten my endorsement of it through the forums to death).
Thanks for the comparison. Mapletree products are real value products. The secret is in the simplicity and execution of the circuits and a very short signal path + great parts. His stuff is elegant in its traditional simplicity and his good judgement. I don't know a better semi-DIY line out there, including Bottlehead, which is terribly over-rated.
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