06-Dec-2014, 12:56
Yes, a fascinating summary. I guess it is not surprising that an amp designed for the rather unusual loads of an ESL should perform so well. What does surprise me are the comments re "bass oomph" as the Montis bass driver's have their own amplifier, so what is actually happening here? Maybe a more favourable balance overall? (BTW by "surprise" I am not doubting your findings Matt, by the way. The number of times I've auditioned kit and been "surprised" by the results, is many, certainly a very high percentage.)
Your findings also say a lot about the Audiolab as a DAC. (Although it's what you don't need to write here that is particularly interesting!) I listened to many DAC / pre-amp / amp combinations before settling on a Devialet, with DACs up to about £2000. The only one that I liked as much as the Devialet was the Chord codex streamer. I never tried an Audiolab, probably because it was below price range! It looks like the M-Dac "Toy" mod is a bit of a giant killer! (and quite a nice looking bit of kit too) Were you using the Audiolab as a pre-amp also?
I think it's great when auditions work really well, it's so easy to start with high hopes but end up disappointed. Enjoy!
Your findings also say a lot about the Audiolab as a DAC. (Although it's what you don't need to write here that is particularly interesting!) I listened to many DAC / pre-amp / amp combinations before settling on a Devialet, with DACs up to about £2000. The only one that I liked as much as the Devialet was the Chord codex streamer. I never tried an Audiolab, probably because it was below price range! It looks like the M-Dac "Toy" mod is a bit of a giant killer! (and quite a nice looking bit of kit too) Were you using the Audiolab as a pre-amp also?
I think it's great when auditions work really well, it's so easy to start with high hopes but end up disappointed. Enjoy!
