I am currently in Nottingham using just a digital based system. As I had bought an ARC pre and power amp I of course just started using it without giving it any more thought. Then the other day I was thinking about the various opinions on here about using just a power amp or active speakers even if the digital source has a digital preamp. So I thought that it was a good idea to try out a few configurations to see what the results were. There is no right or wrong answer but this might be useful to someone.
Kit used: Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC SP17 preamp; ARC D130 power amp; Quad Atera Stereo Poweramp; ATC SCM11 speakers; QAcoustics 3020 speakers. I always used the Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2 as the front end. All music was FLAC files stored on the Innuos. Atlas analogue interconnects used for ARC and Mogammi XLR for Benchmark/Quad or ARC D130.
Test 1. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC pre/power and ATCs this is my normal signal chain. Its not perfect but its highly enjoyable and I have no real complaints for a small room, small speaker system.
Test 2. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC D130 power amp and SCM11. What happened? The music was flat, lifeless and lacked drive. It was also too 'neutral' aka 'very lean' that instruments that had harmonics and richness didn't seem to have them so much. This was a real surprise as surely this should be 'better' as it would be 'closer to the original'? Using three very very transparent items in a signal chain was a mistake.
Test 3. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; Quad Artera power amp; ATC SCM11. Hmmm. Some body has come back Bec cause the Quads is much warmer but still the music is lacking urgency. Check that the Benchmark output is at the right level (it is) but its still a bit flat although more listenable than in Test 2 albeit in a blandish way.
Test 4. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC D130 and QAcoustics 3020 speakers. Maybe these easier to drive speakers will make a difference? No the music is still flat sounding. The 3020 add a bit of body but the drive, richness and harmonics are not still not there.
This is not a scientific test and its not conclusive. I have tried to keep my findings brief and to the point. I listened to Mozart, The Police, Japan, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Goldfrapp, Ultravox etc so it was a real mixture but the results were always the same. The preamp if on sale today would be about £3-4k, it's valve, and I don't have another preamp to see what the difference might be. It's an interesting test to carry out and certainly kit dependent.
What do you guys think?
Kit used: Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC SP17 preamp; ARC D130 power amp; Quad Atera Stereo Poweramp; ATC SCM11 speakers; QAcoustics 3020 speakers. I always used the Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2 as the front end. All music was FLAC files stored on the Innuos. Atlas analogue interconnects used for ARC and Mogammi XLR for Benchmark/Quad or ARC D130.
Test 1. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC pre/power and ATCs this is my normal signal chain. Its not perfect but its highly enjoyable and I have no real complaints for a small room, small speaker system.
Test 2. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC D130 power amp and SCM11. What happened? The music was flat, lifeless and lacked drive. It was also too 'neutral' aka 'very lean' that instruments that had harmonics and richness didn't seem to have them so much. This was a real surprise as surely this should be 'better' as it would be 'closer to the original'? Using three very very transparent items in a signal chain was a mistake.
Test 3. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; Quad Artera power amp; ATC SCM11. Hmmm. Some body has come back Bec cause the Quads is much warmer but still the music is lacking urgency. Check that the Benchmark output is at the right level (it is) but its still a bit flat although more listenable than in Test 2 albeit in a blandish way.
Test 4. Innuos Zen Mini mk3 with power supply; Benchmark DAC 2; ARC D130 and QAcoustics 3020 speakers. Maybe these easier to drive speakers will make a difference? No the music is still flat sounding. The 3020 add a bit of body but the drive, richness and harmonics are not still not there.
This is not a scientific test and its not conclusive. I have tried to keep my findings brief and to the point. I listened to Mozart, The Police, Japan, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Goldfrapp, Ultravox etc so it was a real mixture but the results were always the same. The preamp if on sale today would be about £3-4k, it's valve, and I don't have another preamp to see what the difference might be. It's an interesting test to carry out and certainly kit dependent.
What do you guys think?
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