Berkeley Alpha DAC or Spectral DMC 30SL G2/ 15-SS?

SlickenSmooth -- Mon, 01/18/2010 - 17:51

Hi guys,
Here's the story. A while ago I could buy an Spectral DMA 250 and an DMC 30 SL G2 2nd hand at a very attractive price. Unfortunately I did not have enough money for the two of them. So I bought the DMA 250 as it was the better deal of the two.
Two months have passed and I finally saved up enough for the DMC 30 SL G2, but as you might've guessed already it has been sold. So I'm looking at alternatives. I'll be able to buy the DMC 15-SS if I wait for another month. My dealer told me it's better in all areas than the DMC 30 SL G2, except for sounding smaller. The fact that it has no remote bothers me though. Call me lazy but getting up from my chair with every track is too much for an amp of this price category imo.
Anyways after hearing 1001 good things about the Berkeley Alpha DAC and it's nice pricing I got enthusiastic about the idea of running it as my pre amp for my DMA 250. Will this cause problems for my system? As I've been informed that Spectral only goes with Spectral/ MIT. I've got the MIT cabling already. And what sound quality can I expect running the Alpha DAC as my pre amp? Is it anywhere near the two pre amps I mentioned above? Possibly close to the 30 SS (that would be a dream)?
Thanks for reading (and hopefully replying)!

jtein -- Tue, 01/19/2010 - 02:43

Hi SnS, nice seeing you here! So you're into Spectral now? Great stuff! Ditched your Sugden already? How about your Spendor A5s? Presently, I'm exploring 2 options: Avantgarde Uno G2 or the Magico V2. Both are very different speakers and would dictate which amplificaiton route to take. Sorry for not answering your question because I've no idea what you're talking about! LOL!

SlickenSmooth -- Tue, 01/19/2010 - 03:39

Hi Jtein! Good seeing you here too! Yeah I'm thinking about moving too true high-end stuff. Slowly but surely. It's so damn expensive but well worth it. Right now I'm going for a listen. I'm auditioning the Amati's with spectral 30-SS and 2 360-S2 mono blocks. Also the Magico V3 in the same setup. And maybe the Guarneri Memento's too (Because I just bought an appartment and I don't know what kind neighbours I'll have) .

I haven't ditched my Sugden yet! Because I'm still buying the parts I need for my amplification, hence this topic. Still have the A5's, still a very sweet speaker for the money just not in the same league as the speakers I mentioned above. But I have to buy my stuff step by step now (just the cables needed is more expensive than my setup right now!!!) so I'm starting with amplification first.

I'm unfamilliar with the Avantgarde speaker you're talking about. But my dealer is a Magico dealer too. He knows A LOT about those speakers as he has tested them extensively. He told me that Spectral really opens up the Magico 100%, something not even Pass Labs amplification can do. In fact a lot of his costumers who had Pass Labs amps moved to Spectral because they bought the Magico speaker. They thought it sounded more open. Now I'm not saying that only Spectral is capable of that. Solution amps can also do it, but they're very very expensive and hard to come by 2nd hand. Just a thing to keep in mind if you want to go Magico!

Silence is Music

jtein -- Tue, 01/19/2010 - 10:11

Thanks for the heads-up on the Magico. No wonder the Magico dealer in my country is driving them with Soulution amps!

If you're predisposed towards pure Class A amp or tube amps (which I think you are), then it may be worth your while to listen to Avantgarde horn speakers. Because they have such a high sensitivity of 104dB, they don't need a lot of power. This will suit a lot of tube amps or solidstate Class A amps. Since you're considering the Magico V3 which retails for $27k, do give the Avantgarde Uno G2 a listen since they retail for $27.8k. Let me know what you think! As for me, it made me want to take my whole CD collection to my dealer's place and listen to them one by one.