bryansamui

I had a pair of the M990s next size up..Really really nice unfatiging listen. Threw an enormous soundstage a bit like electrostatics due to their bipolar /dipole design . Bargain Alert ..

Fantastic speakers. The SB Acoustics Drivers designed by ex Scanspeak designers in Denmark... I bought the 1st Pair of 853TLs Edward made.I heard speakers double the price and more that didn't rate with the Ascensions , perhaps due to Retail/Wholesale margins make it hard for imported brands to compete performance wise. Someone will love these

Rule #1. The price not necessarily indicative that something is better or worse. It never has been.Its simply what the manufacturer believes the market will stand. I'm a manufacturer, and my product sells really well in the USA..It's better value than their local product (our exchange rate) If I doubled my price, more cork sniffers will be interested but the product would remain the same.

Yes, Common knowledge old Mullard Tube circuits for instance have been used relentlessly over the years, however manufacturers stopped short of stealing the name..Toby Rabbit (my Avatar) is be a very old boy now 7yrs..In his twilight years

It becomes counterfeit only if someone steals the 'brand name'. It's pretty hard for manufacturer to 'lay claim' to say an amplifier circuit for example..There's only a limited number of implimentations of circuit types which are repeated over the years. I have some Chinese "Goldmund" replica 200 watt Monoblocks ( Not Branded Goldmund btw) I do doubt if every component is replicated exactly as per the $40,000 originals.. However, For $1300, I quess I could have bought some mediocre Marantz or Rotel instead, but these Monos sound night and day different to those.

Further Information. 22nd March WITHDRAWN From sale.. Ki: Price Reduced... Surely a giveaway now at $70? 24/192 DAC...Ive never tried the Headphone Amp side, so I can't comment. Plenty on the net though. Used as DAC only 2: Bought this, as it reviewed as a DAC, way better than its price point suggests, bettering Schitt Bifrost , MDac etc in many forum head to heads .. 3: Easy unfatiging listen, analogue like ..2 X coax and 2 X optical with a Discrete output stage ( no opamps!) unusual at this price point.. 4: Goes close sonically to my Metrum DAC imo . (up for sale soon)...What's the Metrum Octave Worth???..Let me know in the comments. .

I've heard these..Yep sounds like the real deal .Lightning fast PRAT and that smooth easy going Naim signature.

I have a pair. Preferred them to my $8500 Martin Logan Electrostatics which saw the door..The Ascensions were a better "All Rounder"

Haha.. The Green Texter. There were 2.. One was about $8 and another more expensive.. Maybe you bought the budget one! LOl

With resale, You lose LESS money on the Chinese items than exotic brands because their buy price is so much cheaper in the first instance. Want to rip up some money?.. Go and buy some New Martin Logan ESL and sell them used. Same with cars.. Best Car for retaining value = Small Kia.. Worst = Lamborghini.

I Compared my 853s to the Linton. Very different. Lintons are very vintage in tone. More veiled too. Much prefer my 853s.. Mine were photographed and on their website. I just bought some Goldmund Replica Telos 200 (200w) Monoblocks.. OUTSTANDING

Amazing speakers for not a lot of money.

There was a 3R preamp that looked the same as the 7R..I looked long and hard online to learn the differences with no luck... Do you know what was different in those 2 pieces? .. They were well regarded as is all the Ming Da line of Tube Amps. Cheers. Bryan.

Thanks Andy, for clearing that up for me.. I'll order the 240v Variant as seems more compatible with our 'real world' supply rather than the Australian Nominal 230v Standard.... I did post my question in the ' Amp Forum' yesterday but has only been published since your reply.. So thanks again for your prompt answer.. Cheers Bryan W.

If we are getting ' Over Voltage' say 240v, Am I better to buy a 230v or 240v amp? ... ( The maker can supply either).. My thoughts are the 230v would run ' hotter' and 'Sound Better' or do components inside level/ optimise the voltage variations and 230v and 240v sound identical?

Hi , I'm ordering an amp from overseas... Should i specify 230v or 240. I believe our voltage is often higher than the official 230v . (I am in Sydney) I am thinking if I order the lower 230V, then if more juice from the wall is pumped into it , then it might run a bit hotter and sound a bit sweeter ?? Or is there nothing in this theory and i should get the 240v? cheers.

Some brands arguably go 'backwards' in design because designers move on to other companies... Cases in point: Plinius:: Some believe the early 'Plinius Magic' from the founders Gary Morrison/ Peter Thomson has been lost in later newer models that used different designers.. 2: Earlier Proac speakers from the original designers are sometimes preferred. 3: Some prefer the earlier Conrad Johnson Preamps which had a more coloured, richer/ Creamier sound than the newer designs which are 'Cleaner but leaner'. Many amps have become Cleaner & leaner compared to more ' Meat on the bones' of their earlier designs.

What on earth are those?

You'd think if some of these manufacturers would make limited runs/reissues of their past Classic designs. They'd get snapped up I would think.. Gibson and Fender Guitars have made a Motza reissuing their old 1959 Les Paul and 1962 Stratocaster guitars for instance.. At the moment the only people making plenty out of the Classic Hifi are the Chinese who build awesome replicas of Fantastic Circuits of the past.. ( Levinson, Pass Labs, Dartzeel, Conrad Johnson etc) when these circuits patents/exclusivity expire and they enter the Public Domain.... It's all probably about egos and the new designer doesn't want to ' tip his hat' to the old designer.

Nelson Pass First Watt Amplifiers. Each model is pretty much limited to around 200 pieces and I think he may be the only manufacturer of the fantastic sounding ' Single Ended' Solid State topology?

I never saw Tommy Bolan live. Saw Ritchie Blackmore/Purple in Auckland 1984 ( Perfect Stranger Tour) and his tone was horrible.' "Ice pick in the ear" treble. Thin and bright!.. Not the nice tone he had in 1972.. Could've been the soundman on the desk fault? Who'd know

Tommy Bolan was great.. Steve Morse albeit a Monster Player, was Never a good fit for Purple.. Wrong Wrong.. May as well put Andre Segovia or George Benson in there lol! BTW, Blackmore always used Front or Back pickup... The Middle was a Dummy and not connected. So no position 2, 3or 4. No Dire Straits or Clapton tones on his Strat..

Don't get me started on Ritchie Blackmore.. Another favourite of mine. 'Made in Japan' Wow! His tone got worse (trebly) as he got older.. Must have been going deaf lol.. My Strat (pictured) for when I'm in that Blackmore mood. Whitey next to it is a Jake E Lee Replica.

You're spot on Gator, Zeppelin was loose. A bit like Jazz! .. Bonham and Jones never new where Jimmy Page was going next! Poor buggers. It worked on telepathy half the time haha..

Jimmy Page (live) would often imperfectly 'stumble or stutter' playing a phrase. He would then repeat that ' imperfection' 2 or 3 times... Now the listener is in 2 minds (Maybe he meant to play it like that!!) So brilliant with those textures.. I spent hundreds of hours copying those ' mistakes' or Micro Nauances to get our bands ' Song Remains the Same' Versions as close as possible. I learned the Violin Bow segment. Those bows cost me a fair bit. I got about 3 shows out of 1 bow.