The lunatic ramblings of an old guy talking about Hi-Fi. Please like & subscribe. My name is Ed and I have been an audio enthusiast for many decades. I have been involved in home audio, pro audio and car audio on and off for over 40 years. I have had expensive gear in the past, but now I just want to be able to listen to 2 channel audio for hours on end with zero fatigue. I think I finally got there. I do have a lot of audio experience and am happy to answer simple questions when I can find time to. No promises. Thank you and enjoy. Remember what the Buddha said: "There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path."
Like your presentation style. Me 63, love vinyl, have some cds and fairly new to streaming. Dynamics, big soundstage /holograghic important to me. Hate shril/ clinical sound. Using Qobuz, BS Node 2i, J2 non upgradable. Wouldnt mind supporting Geshellis again. Ed what can I expect if I upgrade from J2 basic to J3 Sparkos? You infered warm yet detail with J3. 2 winners! Pontus, Border Patrol, Gustard R26 have been in the running.
I appreciate how you back up your recommendations with useful information that lends credibility and context. You openend my eyes to brands that I'm less familiar with. Thanks!
Nicely measured view, as always. Interested in what you said about the "in the room" feel; I've never experienced that but after some recent major upgrades I have once or twice felt near to an 'at the mixing desk' sense with a couple of recordings in that I thought I could understand what the recording was trying to deliver - I don't know if I've been able to explain that in any meaningful way, lol, but the music and the performances were being conveyed in a way that I hadn't experienced before, and I liked it.
In truth I think the best we can expect is to get close to the in the room or at the mixing console feeling. I like that sense of the room some good recordings can provide. Great comment. Thanks you for tuning in.
WHAAAAAT ! ! ! ! .... NO Beethoven's 'FIFTH ! ! ?? ... LOL ... The last Movement of his Moonlight Sonata is GR8 but ... I prefer the Finale of his Pathetique ( No. 8 ) Sonata. It's one of my own Fave pieces to PLAY ... ( & The Slow movement is Lovely ) I also love to play Chopin's first '2' Nocturne's .... And ... Debussy's 'Claire Du Lune' .... Stunning .... Speaking of Debussy, check out the album 'Snowflakes Are Dancing' by 'Tomita' ... A 'Classic' 1970's release of Debussy's piano music played on that era's 'Synths' .... Amazing .... And have a listen to Bruckner Symphony No. 1 ( 3rd Mvt) ... In fact the whole symphony is GR8 ... Valery Gergiev / Munchner Philharmoniker ... Excellent ... ( Give all the Bruckner Symphonies a listen ... A very 'ignored' and Brilliant composer ) Enjoy
Don't you mean a "Fifth of Beethoven?" There is no way I could a comprehensive list. I chose the easiest to access and pleasant to listen to selections. There is playlist called "Ed's Classical Suggestions" in the video description with 534 tracks and 51 hours of classical music. Check it out and let me know. Thx.
Hi again ... Erm, Nothing to do with this Video but ... THANK YOU ... Whilst watching one of your MXN-10 video's ( Your Playlists ) ... I checked out the Martha Tilston album 'Mermaids & Architects' .... WOW. Just finished listening to her Debut album 'Bimbling' ... Again ... WOW ... She reminds me a LOT of Kate Rusby. If U have not heard ( of ) her .... Listen to the songs ... The Mermaids / Benjamin Bowmaneer / Life in a Paper Boat .... She has released Many Albums. I don't like all of them but, there are some Stand-Out songs.
I really enjoy Martha. Her Mum & Dad were/are(?) big folk music performers in GB in the 80's. You should also check out Sophie Barker. I will put Kate Rusby on my playlist and let you know. Thanks again.
@@OldGuyHifi Ta V.Much ..... And Another one 4 Ya ... Mary Black - Babes in the Wood ..... ( Especially the 'Title Track' ) ... 'Low Level' recording ! So, TURN IT UP ! .... 🤫
Er, all MA's are pretty Bright speakers. But, not as 'Tizzy' as B&W's ! ... I would NOT use any MA Speaker with a Digital Amp ! ... One thing U didn't mention is that both the Silver and Bronze speakers are excellent with 'Dialogue Clarity'. They are a great choice for a Cinema set-up. Again, no mention of that HUGE 8 inch Woofer. If U listen in a Smallish / Medium room, u will NOT need a Sub ! ! ... Or, if U already have / use a Sub, pair it with the smaller, also Excellent, Silver / Bronze ''50's'' ... However they are not just 'cinema' speakers. They work great in normal stereo mode. Just pair them with a warmish Class A/B Amp ... They even sound excellent with the 30 Watt Rega io Amp. 😲 But, if can push 50 Watts or higher thru them, they Sing .... They even sound Brill with my Naim Unity Atom (40 Watts ) using the HDMi input to watch Movies ... ( Used with the G7 Silver 50's and a REL T Zero mk3 Sub ). Oh, and the G7 'does' sound better than the G6 ... IMO ... And 'cosmetically' they are also Very Different ! ... BTW, anyone looking for a pair of ''Absolutely Brilliant'' CHEAP stand mount Speakers, just BUY A PAIR of Acoustic Energy AE 100 2's ... U R Welcome ... Another nice video. I Sub'd a few weeks ago ... ATB
Good points. I don't talk about Home Theater performance as I don't do any TV/Movie watching at all. Sorry. Paired with my Cambridge AXR100 it was magic. The AXR100 is very warm it begin with so it balances out the MA's top end. That said, I was surprised how enjoyable they were on my EVO150 which is Class D. One notch down on the treble control and it is very good. I did enjoy them very much. Thanks for the run down on them. Thank you for subbing.
Walt, That's easy. Skylabs Vintage Audio in Des Moines IA. Check them out on line or their RU-vid channel. The second spot would be Sky-Fi Audio, Glen Rock NJ. Both are fantastic shops. Skylabs is more down to earth and Sky-Fi is vintage high end heaven.
I find my 535's A/B speakers really useful. Doesn't budge in driving my dual fullrangers (=4 drivers driven in parallel). But its sonics can be grainy driving LRS.
Amazing how we put some of our old stereo gear on storage! My Technics SL-3300 turntable was stored for over 20 years! I pulled it out of a closet 3 years ago and surprisingly it still works perfectly!
I was able to buy a GFA-545 with a GFP-555 preamp for a great price because the preamp was dropping out after it warned up for an hour or so. After a few scratches of my head I finally realized the problem could be the output relay. I replaced the relay and have a great pair. But Ed I'm wondering if you think the 545 has enough current to push the Magnepan LRS+. Also I'm wondering if you have the time frame on the Sherwood story correct. Sherwood existed long before Adcom and the way you mentioned the amp designer it sounded as if you were implying the opposite. And finally for anyone. Is the sound of the later Adcom preamps which have remote control just as nice as my GFP-555?
It should be able to. That said it is not something I have personal experience with. You might try some of the Magnepan user forums. They might have better info. Thanks for tuning in.
Erm, Bad Timing ! ? ... The Mk 2 is already 'In The Shops' ! I don't know what 'Improvements' there are over the original but .... U have just reviewed a 'No Longer Available' Product !
Not really. They were on close out when I did the review. I don't think the new sounds any different. BTW, thanks so much for the music suggestions. They have been gret.
I have the J2 and like it a lot. My only issue is the output (even in hi mode) seems too low. Did you have this issue? It is not able to drive some of my amps to clipping.
@@OldGuyHifi I am using a WiiM Ultra going to the DAC via toslink cable and then from the DAC to the amp via unbalanced RCA cables to the amp. The WiiM is acting as both the streamer and the pre-amp. One of my amps can use balanced XLR cables, so I will try them and see if it makes a difference. If I do not use the deck, and just go straight from the ween to the amp via RCA cables, I get plenty of volume. The volume on the we goose from 0 to 100, and without the DAC I am reaching the speaker and amp limits at around 90. However, when I use the DAC, I can turn the volume all the way to 100 without any distortion or clipping, but with also not hitting the max volume the speakers or amp or capable of.
So, unless the DAC had a volume control or an output level setting, which most won't on SPDIF connections, the issue lies with the WiiM Ultra and maybe an input level control. I will check in the WiiM software to see. What brand & model DAC are you using?
James, I have not heard the A21 in a while and didn't do a side by side. My guess is the Parasound would be better overall. I think it is was more expensive as well.
Back in the 80's I picked up the GTP-350, a GFA-545, a pair of Vandersteen 2Ce's, and a Rotel RCD -855 CD player. I still had my MCS (JC Penny) direct drive turntable which was rumored to have been built by Technics. Since then, I came across a GFA-5500 at a price too good to pass up, so it replaced the GFA-545 which is now in it's original box on a shelf in the basement. The MCS turntable was replaced with a straight-arm Harmon Kardon T-45, to which I added a Nagaoka MP-110. The rotary selector switch on the GTP-350 became troublesome and had to be cleaned and lubed every other year or it would drop a channel, so I upgraded that to a GTP-500 II which has a remote control. The current combo just sounds so damned good! The GTP-350 is back in it's original box, on a shelf in the basement, if anyone knows where a replacement rotary selector switch can be found, please let me know.
So many good integrated amps/stand alone amps that with a well matched pre and the right source/cables and the right speakers/sub for your room can get one there for many, many years. I wanted to downsize and found a Keces E40 and still have a Hegel h160 driving Dali Opticon 1 speakers plus a small sub. While I typically listen at lower to moderate SPLs, both present a fantastic stage for my listening needs. I also use a small budget Triangle Zeta when I want a softer, bit more laid back and somewhat different euphonic sound that works well with certain music or as a pallette cleanse but I mostly stick with the Opticons. Hard to find small speakers that work well but they're out there. Looking down the road, I have a few I am eyeing, some need power, some not as much. The hegel is big and heavy and overkill but it presents differently. The stuff that I notice most is it adds a bit more weight and body to voices and instruments such as piano strikes whereas the smaller, less expensive Keces rounds the sharpness but doesn't lose much in weight. It mostly comes through in movie soundtracks but on certain music also. The Hegel adds liveliness but also some glare in voices, mostly soundtracks. That could also be due to the internal dac of the Hegel versus the warmer D70s I use with the Keces and perhaps the speakers too which could be managed with equalization or room correction I suppose. So, while I enjoy both presentations and typically listen to the Keces/Dali combo., I do like the added note weight and leading edge of the Hegel also. So the issue is in chasing after other amps/combo gear, I really wonder if there would be much of a difference or just a tradeoff in sonic attributes. If I jumped up in price for speakers that needed a bit livelier amp to come alive or needed the power, I would keep the Hegel but still no guarantee of synergy. Right now, most of the speakers I am looking at but not committed to can be driven by lower power, perhaps even tube gear which would be an entirely different flavor. So, I guess I am dumping thoughts to pen to basically state for myself I am getting really good results with moderately priced gear which fits my needs but there is so much out there to consider (probably more a want than need). Perhaps I have found a good solution, not the only one but one I could live with. I suppose someone stepping up to more of a hifi presentation from their more budget gear has to go through the process of figuring out what they want, need, what will work within their space, with their music, listening preferences, etc., would find this Galion amp as well as the other brands within 1 to 2K range quite compelling. An amp and pre would add cost but likely maximize power output if not other sonic attributes when matched correctly while an integrated would add simplicity but not necessarily lesser SQ. So many choices and tradeoffs. Same with speakers, dacs and phono equipment which must work together in tandem, sonically speaking. I can attest if someone wants small, simple and the next step up, a Keces E40 can fit the bill but there are new amps by Emotiva, Iota, VanAlstine, Outlaw, Advance Paris, etc., that are now available in addition to the long time name brands such as Rega, Yamaha, many others etc., where the only constraints are by one's wallet and spouse. Once you get into the higher price category of well above $2k it gets more difficult as to whether SQ improvements are worth it for most people. For example, unless you have a very large space and need to achieve near concert level SPLs, some believe there's no point in spending dollars on gear when your actual needs will hold back the intended performance of that equipment and provided all your other gear isn't a bottleneck. Achieving Hi end performance is not an amateur endeavor but good midfi can get one quite a bit towards that performance with less effort as well as cost, IMO. There's a sweetspot and some equipment is easier to work with/make sound good. Digital equalization could fix the rest at that point. So, over the next few years, If I decide to make a change or find the gear I am kind of lusting for used and cheaper, I'll see what happens and whether the differences are significant enough that it's not only different but markedly better. It doesn't have to cost thousands upon thousands of $$$, but it does cost something. Good luck if your in the upgrading equipment camp. It's a fun hobby as well as a journey that's takes a bit of time, effort and experience to really know what you want, or can live with.
That is indeed, a beautiful and nicely designed amplifier. Thanks for sharing it with us. Congratulations as your channel now nears 6K subscribers. Wishing you continued success.
Hi, thanks for your well done exhaustive presentation of the AVR7000 monster ! On my side I have a problem on my AVR7000 that is noise on 6 channels is coming after few seconds it is switched on. Do you think it may come from 4 big capacitors of power supply ? I would like to avoid replacing it for nothing. Do you know someone who could help me to investigate and repair it ?
I can’t add anything to this. I do think the TS A 75 is a great buy. As you move up in cost? You have the law of diminished returns. This amplifier does literally all of the things the average hifi person would want to be delivered. Paper specs are just that. I think it would be a perfect single amplifier for those whom would like to try different speakers through. It’s a great home base amp.
Great observation/conclusion. I agree. It hits a real sweet spot for value & performance. I was very pleased with its sound and dynamics. Great comment. Thank you.
I think it is two things: 1. The EU has changed the electrical reequipments (kind of like UL) on consumer devices and the 4 ohm test is unrealistic and would cause heat issues. I have heard this from several European manufacturers. 2. I think that the power transistor chosen may not have the greatest thermal capacity. All that said, given the amount of capacitance, as I surmised, it may be more powerful that the specs would indicate. You will notice is that fewer and fewer amps advertise a 4 ohm rating let alone a doubling into that load. Great question. Thanks so much.
I can't find any indication that overcurrent or over-temperature protection is provided. Does it survive being driven into an accidental short at the speaker terminals? I'd like microcontroller supervision of these kinds of exceptions to normal operation, even if the overall circuit design is "old-school."
That sorry of testing is beyond my scope and interest. I will ask Thomas what sort of protection circuit is employed. So you drive a lot of short cut units?
@@OldGuyHifi Didn't expect *you* to test that aspect, but I would like any purchase I make to be robust enough to withstand accidental mishandling and being driven too enthusiastically when I'm not around to forbid it.
Very interesting TS ha XLR inputs. I'm thinking it would pair nicely with my Schiit Saga 2 which has XLR outputs. The NAD S200 Silverline (used) is about 1/2 the price, has XLR inputs as ell as 200 WPC and costs $750 (used). Your thoughts please, Ed. Thanks, James
The NAD is a nice unit but it lacks the dual mono power supply of the TSA75. I have very little experience with this specific NAD unit so I would hesitate to render an opinion. I am sure they are both fine choices for use with your Saga. Thanks for watching.
I can't afford high quality new gear. I have to buy it used on places like Reverb after it's 10 to 30 years old, unless it's ChiFi stuff I can get on Amazon for <$1k. I don't have any stack that matches however. Do you know if Thomas plans to do matching preamps or DAC/preamps, so maybe I could buy them in 15 or 20 years? Did you know Gallion has speakers? I think they're a transmission line, kind of a PMC clone I suppose. I would imagine Gallion amps with Gallion speakers would be a perfect synergy.
Adam, I totally get it. I talked to him about preamps and he is not interested in doing that right now. I think you may see some solid state intergrated amps. Maybe. I talked to him this morning and he offered me speakers so yes I will review them. Watch this space. Thanks for coming back to the channel.
That pioneer is to die for what a beautiful piece of history they don't make receivers like this anymore. Today's junk is just that junk old school vintage is the only way .
There are some quality stuff being made today, just not by any of tune traditional name brands as almost all are now parts of bigger corporations. I try to find the modern good stuff and review it. Keep an eye open for some very good modern "old school" stuff. Great comment and thx for watching.
Hi Ed. You and I've been around this stuff for a good long time .... I hope you don't mind an observation from "the other side". In the 50 to 150 watt range there is an interesting chase going on. Comparing measurements and specifications leads me to believe that a lot of these "old school" class AB designs are going to be seriously challenged by the newer, smaller and cheaper Class D amps on the market. In particular those based on the Texas Instruments TPA3255 chips will stand very nicely beside the TS-A75 and it's ilk, for hundreds of dollars less and in much smaller cases, to boot. We are apparently seeing a growth cycle similar to when Japanese companies started producing stereos. At first everyone went "Meh" but over time they improved themselves and became the products we chased. Yes, I'm talking about Chinese products. Some of the companies like Fosi and Aiyima are trying very hard to improve themselves to compete on the US market and from what I can tell, they're on the road to deeply changing our perception of "high end" equipment. For example: My current power amp is 75 watts per channel into 8 ohms, ruler flat frequency response (so no colourations), from about 10hz to just over 25khz. The THD is below my ability to test. Very similar to the TS-A75. In level matched A-B testing I had to look to see which was playing! But there is one major difference... my amp, an original Aiyima A07, cost me less than $110 Canadian. A second difference is that my entire system, including an HTPC, DAC, and Power Amp, except speakers of course, sits in a vacant drawer slot in my TV stand, with room to spare. It plays local files, streams, does movies and even plays games. Heck it could even balance my chequebook with the right software. While I certainly do understand the love of tubes and standard class AB designs, it would seem their days are numbered as Class D is picking up the ball and providing incredibly well specified gear in much lower price ranges. Prices that can be lower because of mass production, automated assembly, low parts counts and, most pronouncedly, the absence of the often bloated "Audiophile Markup". As I've been telling people for a couple of years now... _"Cheap audio is getting better and better audio is getting cheaper"_ ... A trend that if continued will provide us all with high end entertainment at prices you would not believe in today's market.
Good observation. I also have an Aiyma A07 and it is fine on my desktop but to my ear no Class D TI chip based amp has anywhere near the sound quality of a good Class AB design or a good Hypex or Purify module. I still hold to the concept of "you get what you pay for." That is not say that some of these decent "Fun Fi" brands don't offer value they, to my ear, not compete well moving up in price. Thanks for the great comment.
@@OldGuyHifi Unfortunately the "you get what you pay for" idea really doesn't hold up as well as it used to. About the turn of the millennium price became unstuck from cost and suddenly rode on "what the market will bear". The philosophy changed from cost plus markup to getting as much as you can. That is to say greed took over. We now see $100 items selling for $500 simply because people will pay that much for it. It's rampant capitalism at it's worst. For us in the audio game/hobby it means that quite a bit of this stuff is way over-priced. I mean, seriously, $1,000 for a speaker cable?? Only fools would pay that much... and they do. But as long as these predatory companies can get it, they will ask for more. My A07 runs a pair of Pioneer SP-FS50s (upper mid-range speakers sold in Canada for about $350 each, designed by Andrew Jones... Modified by me 😁) and it never clips or sounds strained. One day while doing one of my rare full power tests, I was heard in my building lobby, 6 floors down and half way across the building. I'd say that's plenty of juice. One of the traps I see people falling into is the association by size... Small amp == small speakers. Or by price... Cheap amp == cheap speakers. Both of these mistakes sell the TPA3255 amps far short of their capabilities. In fact if you want a real listening treat... hook an A07 up to a pair of Heresys or L-100s... Now THAT is an experience. It is fair to observe that I rely a lot more heavily on measurements and deep examination than the average person. It's the repair tech in me, part of the training. But it is not fair to assume I hold the more subjective approaches in distain. In fact the subjective "listening session" is always my last marker of pass/fail. But these amps measure so closely it's hard to say they're going to sound different. Seriously ... 75 watts is 75 watts ... it's no matter where the amplifier is made or how big it is... it's a distinction without a difference. Thanks for your reply and interesting discussion.
I have the Aiyima a07, as well as 2 a07 max in mono bridged. I also own the Galion ts-a75. I can say this with 100% confidence. There’s no comparison. Even in maxing out your power supply options, The aiyima amps do not drive any of my speakers and do not provide any of that impact to my speakers like the a75 does. They are great for what they are. Some people don’t like ruler flat sound either. It’s all personal taste.
That looks like a lot of amplification for the money, when you get into the £5000+ units it's really hard to judge how much value your getting beyond the manufacturer and distributor profits however, this looks like it's priced to sell, the amount of capacitance is something i always look for as well as how many key components are of a high quality, love your reviews i appreciate that you take time to look inside and you share your opinions in a very fair honest and quite humble way, be nice if they were a little longer in fact, just 2 or 3 minutes anyhow, may your channel continue to grow,keep it up with the real world priced products £100-£3000 max is where the smart money goes in my opinion, much more and diminishing returns bite hard, look forward to more reviews, maybe Rotel? Always loved their gear......
Thank you for the kind words. I am going to get a big head. I appreciate it. My plan/goal with the channel is to cover the middle of the market. $500 and up, but not much more than $5k to $6K range. There should be some neat stuff coming. Thx again.
In truth, I am not a big fan of the Freya. It is very well built and I tried a bunch of different tubes, but I just did click with it with the TSA75 not with the Orchard Audio amp. I wound up using the Sparkos Gemini most of the time with great results. I have not heard the Vidar 2 so I can't comment. I think the TSA75 will pair well with lots of different preamps. Thanks for the good question and for your view.
@@sopasadena1499I’ve got the Kara running a pair of vidar 2’s. It’s a great combo of detail and musical. Poor recordings are still poor recordings-no dressing up. I’m thinking about the Tyrs, but Schiit is about to have a stereo amp in a tyr size. I think that will be a good comparison for this galleon.
Lots of great information your review! With its a high current, and high damping factor, do you think it would drive a Martin Logan Electrostat? It normally wants 200+W into 4 ohms. Thanks!
It's great to watch your videos again Ed! My move is finally done and I am catching up on your recent videos.My new listening room is over three times as big as my old one. I can't wait to hook up my stereo and let it rip!
Ed! Stop it, you’re doing this way too well! It was so cool to see Randy go from a few hundred subs to a quarter million so quickly and I’m thinking you’re doing the same, I bet the next couple years are gonna be crazy for the growth of your channel. And your intro music, dunno how to describe it, perfectly weird? love it. Also thanks to Thomas for sending his amp over to you. 😊 This so nice to see such a great amp available for $1500, sounds and looks like it’s well worth it. Ok thanks again for doing what you do!
Perfectly weird is the perfect description. That is AI generated. I don't know if I want to get a big as Randy. Now that I am retired this keeps be busy and Holy moly is it fun. Thanks my friend.
If he’s not careful that’s what’s gonna happen, maybe you should have a section of your reviews where you just sit there and pick your nose, that should keep your sub count down 😂
Hi Ed I’m leaning to the conclusion that when it comes to dynamics it seems like there’s no replacement for displacement in the power supply. It’s about torque. Been enjoying your channel since I came across it. I wish you much success. Cheers.
My instructor was Mr. Langley and he taught me to sing a song. If you would like to hear it, I can sing it for you. Its called Daaaayyyyyzzzzeeee Daaaaaaayyyyyyyzzzzzzeeeee, Dave I think i am losing my mind.
