Boston Chris

Qobuz to Blusound Node Streamer to Audio Mirror Tubadour DAC to Line Magnetic integrated amp LM-210 IA (300B SET) to Heresy III pair (while dreaming of La Scala) (P.S. you can ignore Schitt EQ and box for individual channel gain 🙂)

Posted November 29 I'm tempted to suggest bi-amping. Go with something with authority for the woofer and keep the tubes for the squawker and tweeter. Although lately I'm running a Harman / Kardon 430 on its own with H3s, but I have done the biamping thing with SS / tubes in the past (and could do it today if warranted). FWIW I too am in the Boston metro area. @BadChile That's an interesting thought. I do have an HK 3490 on hand...

@JohnA Thanks for follow-up - Heresy IIIs purchased 2007 . Wow, time really does fly...

@robert_kc You’re right – I should be more specific (again 😊) The lack of instrumental separation I’m complaining about is not in 3D xyz space, but in overtone spectrum space (i.e. instrumental timber) Many thanks for the link – I will read carefully. Cheers!

could you blame her...?

Many thanks for these comments, which have helped focus my thoughts. After assembling this system this spring, listening to jazz and rock has been and continues to be a delight. The midrange, transparency, and separation in these e.g. quartets are glorious. As the symphonic season started this fall, now listening to orchestral music, I hear the instrumental separation decrease when there are a larger number of simultaneous instruments. So “wow factor” reduction is realizing instrumental resolution/color not as good as number of simultaneous instruments increases – as @captainbeefheart discussed. Maybe I’m expecting too much…? Please keep thoughts coming!

Yes, thank you - good points. I should be more specific. Music from quartets (e.g. jazz) is very good - great transparency, good instrumental separation. Vocals from the opera are great, but the orchestral instrumental separation from there and from symphonic music is not tremendous. I read this was a bit of the pluses (great transparency, tremendous midrange) and minuses (not tremendous instrumental separation in orchestral music) of low watt SET amplification, and joked with British Audiophile about explaining to my wife why I needed both an SET and a separate push-pull amplifier 🙂. @Peter P : I happen to ride an entry level Bianchi (Iseo), but I think you were asking @veloceleste 🙂?

I’m a tube and Klipsch guy looking to upgrade. I’m tempted by Cornwall IV, but their size is probably prohibitive (I’m married 😊). Maybe a tube preamp, or a tube DAC, or roll tubes in integrated amplifier…? How to identify the weakest link? Thanks in advance! Equipment: Qobuz to ethernet PC Notebook with Audirvana or ethernet Blusound Node (2021) network streamer to Cambridge DacMagic 100 to Schiit Loki Mini+ EQ to Line Magnetic 210-IA 300B SET integrated amplifier to Klipsch Heresy III + Klipsch R-10SW. Music: 1920-1980 Jazz: Armstrong, be-bop, 1960-80 avant garde jazz. 1950-1980 rock: Classic rock, Zappa, Beefheart, punk, post-punk. Opera: Wagner, Puccini, R, Strauss Janacek, Bartok. Symphonic: Stravinsky, Bartok, Mahler, Dvorak. 1950-1980 Afro-beat, Jamaican, Brazilian

Many good suggestions here, which I will complicate with another submission… I recently acquired a Line Magnetic LM210IA (SET 300B, 8w/channel) to drive my Heresy IIIs. The sound is so life-like it occasionally brings tears to these old eyes. The other night I was listening to the Solti Siegfried when my heart leapt to my throat – I was sure my front door was smashed through by a home invasion. But, no - it was the tenor Mime, entering stage right, 90 degrees from the Heresy’s center line i.e.…that’s realism, that's soundstage.